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June 2008

JUNE 2008: HOOK IT UP!

You plug this thing here into that thing there, and music comes out. How hard can it be? Well, it’s not hard, until you can’t get a loud enough signal, or something distorts, or there’s hiss or hum... then that simple act of plugging things in and hooking them up becomes an arcane art. In this issue, Mike Rivers takes a hard look at cabling and signal levels, guiding you through the process of moving audio down the line with maximum quality.

We also have a cool interview on the making of the new 2nd Day Crush album, hands-on drum editing in Pro Tools, an in-depth look at the popular European DAW Samplitude, over 20 new product reviews, a tutorial on Quick Swipe Comping in Apple Logic, and lots more handy advice on pulling your tracks together and making them the best they can be.

All this plus our monthly columns, Song Production in Pro Tools with Mark Hornsby, Readers’ Tapes with Marty Peters, and much more. Grab your tools and start writing—the May Recording will show you how!

Reviews

Sennheiser MKH 8040 | Reviewed by Scott Dorsey

Heritage mic design—a fascinating return in modern form

M-Audio Fast Track Ultra | Reviewed by Mike Metlay 

A first foray into USB 2.0 interfacing, with hidden power.

Rupert Neve Designs Portico Series | Reviewed by Justin Peacock

Eight half-rack wonders bring a new flavor of Neve to the small studio.

Plug-in Outlet | Reviewed by Paul Vnuk Jr. and Devon Brent 

Universal Audio Nevana X2 bundle; Audio Damage Ricochet.

iZotope RX | Reviewed by John Rossi III

Audio restoration—can a program fix most anything? We’re getting close......Expand

Recording’s Showcase of Sounds | Reviewed by Devon Brent

Sonic Reality R.A.W. Ultimate Groove Kit; Cakewalk/Digital Sound Factory E-MU Proteus Pack.

Once Over—Reviews In Brief | Reviewed by Nick Casares and Justin Peacock

Mackie MR5 monitors; Dangerous D-Box monitor/router rack; MXL Mic Mate.

Interviews

Recording 2nd Day Crush | Interviewed by Lorenz Rychner

Vocal tracking came first, drums and the rest came later—unorthodox but successful production methods, as explained by band member and producer Rick Barrio Dill.

Features

Signals From Source To DAW. Part 1: Fundamentals | Written by Mike Rivers

How does the sound of a singer or instrument get into your computer, anyway? Here’s what you need to know about signal levels, connections, and interfacing.

Magix Samplitude—A Walking Tour | Written by Greg Hurley

This DAW is famous all over Europe, considered by many to rival the best software out there. If you’re curious about it, come along and learn the basics.

Recording’s Bass Column | Written by Dave Martin 

All acoustic basses are not created equal—and neither are bass miking setups.

Song Production in Pro Tools Part 6: Editing Drums | Written by Mark Hornsby 

We clean up the drum tracks in our example project using Beat Detective... and we learn how not to kill the feel when doing it. ...Expand

Recording’s Drum Column | Written by Frank Gryner 

The band’s in the studio, hot from a live tour and ready to track... and now you discover the drummer can’t keep time. Now what?

Reviewed and Revisited | Written by Bob Emmet

Learning to use Quick Swipe Comping in Apple Logic Studio. 

DAW Details | Written by Greg Hurley

We’ve taken a walking tour of Samplitude—now let’s take a deeper look at its feature set.