Archives
April 2009
There's a lot of gloom and doom about how the music industry is dead or dying, but the fact is, there's more music out there for the listening than ever before. The thing that's ailing is the old-school model of music distribution: pay a lot of money (a record label's if you're lucky, your own if you're not), press a bunch of CDs, sell them, get rich... or not. In this issue of RECORDING, we take a look at other ways to get your music heard and enjoyed and make some money in the process—ways to get beyond the CD.
You'll find fascinating articles on alternative distribution, selling your work to music libraries, and even an intriguing look at how—and why—you might want to make your music available for free. There's lots of cool food for thought here... maybe you'll find your path to music-making success.
Also in this issue: a very enlightening interview from ace remixer/DJ Chris Cox on his latest work for Christina Aguilera, full of editing tips you can use in your home studio; a look at the many fascinating software and soundware products on display at NAMM 2009, continuing our show coverage from last issue; an eye-opening tutorial removing seemingly impossible noises from tracks with Adobe Audition 3; and a whole slate of cool reviews, from pocket-sized field recorders to heavyweight audiophile modules and rack gear.
You'll also find our monthly columns, Readers' Tapes with Marty Peters, and a whole lot more. Get beyond the CD—and get successful—with the help of the April RECORDING!
Pick it up now on the newsstand... and so you get your next issue early (and save on cost), why not hit the big red Subscribe Now button on this page and have RECORDING delivered to your door each month?
Lexicon MX300
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Lexicon MX300 |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
This affordable multi-effects processor plays nicely with your computer.
There was a time when the words “Lexicon” and “entry-level” weren’t exactly compatible. Lexicon made its reputation decades ago as the firm behind the very pow......Expand
This affordable multi-effects processor plays nicely with your computer.
There was a time when the words “Lexicon” and “entry-level” weren’t exactly compatible. Lexicon made its reputation decades ago as the firm behind the very powerful and rich-sounding digital signal processors in A-list studios, boxes so spendy that the release of the PCM70, a Lexicon effects processor that actually cost under $5000, was a major event. Those boxes had a signature sound that’s appeared on thousands of hit records, and many are still in use today....
Meanwhile, Lexicon’s program to scale these devices down to more affordable levels has been going on for years, starting with an unassuming all-preset rack reverb called the Alex back in the 1980s....
So what does the modern affordable-range Lexicon effexcts box look like? It’s a single-space rack with an easy-to-navigate and clearly labeled user interface, the product of hard lessons learned from the opaque boxes of yesteryear; it has at least two processors for dual effects chaining without sacrificing sound quality; and it offers the ability to seamlessly do its work inside your computer DAW environment. These are the MX Series processors, and I recently had a chance to live with the MX300 in my studio for several weeks. Here’s what I learned....
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Yamaha Pocketrak 2G and Pocketrak CX
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Yamaha Pocketrak 2G and Pocketrak CX |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Professional-grade field recording or ultimate portability—you decide.
When you look at portable digital recorders, you weigh advantages in one area vs. shortcomings in another, in an attempt to find a model that best fits your plan......Expand
Professional-grade field recording or ultimate portability—you decide.
When you look at portable digital recorders, you weigh advantages in one area vs. shortcomings in another, in an attempt to find a model that best fits your planned needs. There’s a wide variety of recorders out there right now from firms like Edirol, Korg, M-Audio, Marantz, Olympus, Sony, TASCAM, and Zoom... but there’s nothing quite like the Yamaha Pocketrak 2G and Pocketrak CX.
I talked briefly about the 2G in our December 2008 Gift Guide, and I’ll expand a bit upon that review here—the Pocketrak CX arrived just as the Gift Guide went to press, and I’m taking this opportunity to add my findings on the new design, which bears some pretty significant differences from its sibling where serious field recording is concerned...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Reviewed and Revisited: Grace Design m101 Preamp
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Reviewed by
Nick Casares
Reviewed and Revisited: Grace Design m101 Preamp |
Reviewed by
Nick Casares
The Grace Design m101 updates a popular mic preamp with enhanced performance.
I first got to know Grace Design in 2001 when a friend loaned me a Model 201 for a location recording session. It was early in my audio career and I hadn’......Expand
The Grace Design m101 updates a popular mic preamp with enhanced performance.
I first got to know Grace Design in 2001 when a friend loaned me a Model 201 for a location recording session. It was early in my audio career and I hadn’t been exposed to many high-end preamps, but the Grace made an unforgettable impression on me that has influenced my gear choices since. Grace was a boutique company at that point, catering mainly to location recordists and audiophiles.
Fast-forward to 2009, where Grace Design has matured into a robust audio manufacturer with a full line of products used on hundreds of top productions. The latest addition to the Grace lineup is the m101, a single channel mic preamp/DI that’s a revised take on the retired Model 101 (reviewed August 2002)...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Empirical Labs Lil Freq
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Empirical Labs Lil Freq |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
An audio innovator applies his unique vision to an eq rack processor.
Question: When is an eq not an just eq?
Answer: When it comes from the creative mind of Empirical Labs’ Dave Derr, and comes out of the box with a ......Expand
An audio innovator applies his unique vision to an eq rack processor.
Question: When is an eq not an just eq?
Answer: When it comes from the creative mind of Empirical Labs’ Dave Derr, and comes out of the box with a built-in de-esser, line-level instrument interface, saturation tool, and even a vintage eq emulation.
The people at Empirical Labs are the masterminds behind the Distressor, which is one of the few modern compressors to make the jump to classic status.
What makes the Distressor unique? It emulates the characteristics of some older vintage compressors and also does its own thing. Add to that various audio and detection modes, the ability to add second- and third-order harmonic distortion, and being dirt simple to use. Dave could have stopped at only making this device only and still gone down in the Engineering Hall Of Fame. Lucky for us he didn’t....
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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LaChapell 583s Tube Preamp
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Reviewed by
Justin Peacock
LaChapell 583s Tube Preamp |
Reviewed by
Justin Peacock
This 500-Series module has a sound so big it needs an extra rack slot to hold it all.
Talk to any gear designer and they’ll tell you: AC power is critical to good audio. If you have low voltage or a crappy power supply, it’s hard to......Expand
This 500-Series module has a sound so big it needs an extra rack slot to hold it all.
Talk to any gear designer and they’ll tell you: AC power is critical to good audio. If you have low voltage or a crappy power supply, it’s hard to make good sound. That’s why quality gear often (but not always) weighs a lot or has a huge honkin’ external power supply.
Now enter boutique gear designer Scott LaChapell. If you know Scott and his model 992EG stereo tube preamp, you know he’s all about tubes, military-grade construction, and lots of tone.
So when Scott set out to design a tube preamp for the API 500-series, he wanted to base it on the 992. But there was a problem: He needed more juice....
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Ultrasone PRO 900 Headphones
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Ultrasone PRO 900 Headphones |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
A high-end headphone with the unique Ultrasone sound.
The PRO 900 is the latest headphone by Ultrasone, the German firm that pioneered a new driver alignment system it called S-Logic. In S-Logic, the drivers are slightly angled so t......Expand
A high-end headphone with the unique Ultrasone sound.
The PRO 900 is the latest headphone by Ultrasone, the German firm that pioneered a new driver alignment system it called S-Logic. In S-Logic, the drivers are slightly angled so that instead of firing directly into the ear canal, they hit the pinnae, the fleshy outer part of the ear. The reasoning behind this is simple: since the way sound reflects from the pinnae has a great impact on how we perceive the audio world around us, it makes sense to involve that part of the ear in headphone listening as well. The intent of S-Logic is to restore some of the natural imaging of audio as we’re used to hearing it in the real world, for a more immersive listening experience than what we expect from conventional headphones...
The PRO 900 is the newest headphone in the high-end PRO line, and the first to feature S-Logic PLUS, the latest version of the S-Logic technology. I took them out for a spin for a few weeks, and quickly remembered the beauty, the promise... and the risk... of Ultrasone.
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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RECORDING's Showcase of Sounds.
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Reviewed by
Otso Pakarinen
RECORDING's Showcase of Sounds. |
Reviewed by
Otso Pakarinen
SONiVOX Anatomy.
SONiVOX’s Anatomy is a Native Instruments Kontakt 2 sample library, based on sounds produced by the human body. The package does not include a Kontakt player, so you have to have Kontakt 2 or 3 already installed on ......Expand
SONiVOX Anatomy.
SONiVOX’s Anatomy is a Native Instruments Kontakt 2 sample library, based on sounds produced by the human body. The package does not include a Kontakt player, so you have to have Kontakt 2 or 3 already installed on your computer to delve into the wonders of the “human condition” as it appears in this collection.
Anatomy is separated into two main categories: Man and Machine. “Man” includes mostly untreated human voices and noises, while the “Machine” sounds are—as the manual puts it—”ridiculously effected and mangled beyond all reasonable expectation.”...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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2009 NAMM Show Report—Part 2
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
2009 NAMM Show Report—Part 2 |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Software, soundware, and instructional materials wrap up our look at cool new offerings at NAMM. Here we go again!
Last month, we rushed to print right after January’s NAMM Show with a roundup of recording hardware products on displ......Expand
Software, soundware, and instructional materials wrap up our look at cool new offerings at NAMM. Here we go again!
Last month, we rushed to print right after January’s NAMM Show with a roundup of recording hardware products on display in Anaheim. This month, we wrap up our show coverage with a look at recording software, plug-ins, virtual instruments, sound libraries, and instructional videos/DVDs. Here we go...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Creating the Christina Aguilera Megamix
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Interviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Creating the Christina Aguilera Megamix |
Interviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Ace remixer/DJ Chris Cox does it again for a Greatest Hits megamix, and you can learn from his production process!
Chris Cox is a DJ, remixer and producer, based in his Los Angeles studio, but spending much of his time on airplanes ......Expand
Ace remixer/DJ Chris Cox does it again for a Greatest Hits megamix, and you can learn from his production process!
Chris Cox is a DJ, remixer and producer, based in his Los Angeles studio, but spending much of his time on airplanes to and from DJ gigs in far-flung locations from Australia to Brazil to Europe and beyond. This keeps him in touch with audiences all over, which he translates into his Dance productions.
Last year Chris told us how he put together a full-length Dance CD Hannah Montana II—Nonstop Dance Party that was the remix companion of the Hannah Montana II—Meet Miley Cyrus double-CD. We recently caught up with Chris and asked him about a Christina Aguilera remix he had completed, a short-form megamix like those he had done over the years for Janet Jackson, for Madonna, for Britney Spears where he’s on her Greatest Hits album, and way earlier in his career for Paula Abdul....
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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2009 NAMM Show Report—Part 2
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Written by
Mike Metlay
2009 NAMM Show Report—Part 2 |
Written by
Mike Metlay
Last month, we rushed to print right after January’s NAMM Show with a roundup of recording hardware products on display in Anaheim. This month, we wrap up our show coverage with a look at recording software, plug-ins, virtual instruments, sound li......Expand
Last month, we rushed to print right after January’s NAMM Show with a roundup of recording hardware products on display in Anaheim. This month, we wrap up our show coverage with a look at recording software, plug-ins, virtual instruments, sound libraries, and instructional videos/DVDs. Here we go...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Beyond the CD
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Written by
Mike Metlay
Beyond the CD |
Written by
Mike Metlay
What if your road to success doesn't involve turning a pile of jewelcases into a pile of dollars?
Pardon me while I take off my Editor’s hat for a moment and speak to you as one of the community served by this magazine: a musician w......Expand
What if your road to success doesn't involve turning a pile of jewelcases into a pile of dollars?
Pardon me while I take off my Editor’s hat for a moment and speak to you as one of the community served by this magazine: a musician who records his own music. We all want our music to be heard by an audience that will appreciate it and hopefully purchase it, but the way in which we do that has changed a lot in recent years, and will continue to change. Things we used to take for granted have given way to new ways of working, and just as importantly, to new ways of thinking...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Music Libraries
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Written by
Michael Nickolas
Music Libraries |
Written by
Michael Nickolas
An introduction to a whole world of clients eager for your music—no CD required.
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. That’s a quote that really rings true for the music business. Success in the music business ......Expand
An introduction to a whole world of clients eager for your music—no CD required.
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. That’s a quote that really rings true for the music business. Success in the music business can require a lot of luck. At times it is a “who you know” business. If you are prepared when opportunity knocks, as in meeting the right person at the right time, then you can turn that luck into success...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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RECORDING's Bass Column
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Written by
Dave Martin
RECORDING's Bass Column |
Written by
Dave Martin
Not only do we examine a famous bass track from history this month, but we get an interesting look at a modern re-creation.
This month’s column will be a bit different than earlier ones; where we’ve been talking primarily about how ......Expand
Not only do we examine a famous bass track from history this month, but we get an interesting look at a modern re-creation.
This month’s column will be a bit different than earlier ones; where we’ve been talking primarily about how some classic bass tracks were recorded, and secondarily how you can get a similar sound, this month’s column will primarily discuss how I recorded a bass track that was influenced by (though not identical to) a bass track from the past—Mike Rutherford's bass part to "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" by Genesis...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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DAW Details
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Written by
Darwin Grosse
DAW Details |
Written by
Darwin Grosse
Adobe Audition 3 allows some pretty miraculous fixes with its spectral editing tools. A rude noise in the middle of a sensitive ballad? No problem!
Recording live performance is one of the most difficult recording jobs available. Cr......Expand
Adobe Audition 3 allows some pretty miraculous fixes with its spectral editing tools. A rude noise in the middle of a sensitive ballad? No problem!
Recording live performance is one of the most difficult recording jobs available. Crowd noise and other ambience sounds add charm to these recordings, but inadvertent noise can often get in the way of a great performance. In a recent live recording session, the artist (singer/songwriter Gabrielle Louise) gave a spirited performance. Unfortunately, during one of the songs, a guitar tuner dropped from her lap onto a tile floor. The resultant ‘crack’ spoiled a poignant section of the song, meaning that I needed to do some cleanup on the affected track—one that was far from perfectly isolated...
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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RECORDING's Guitar Column
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Written by
Jon Bare
RECORDING's Guitar Column |
Written by
Jon Bare
Using a wireless system in the control room yields unexpected benefits.
Christmas has come and gone and each year I like to buy myself a little present. This year I bought myself a Shure PGX guitar wireless system so I could play th......Expand
Using a wireless system in the control room yields unexpected benefits.
Christmas has come and gone and each year I like to buy myself a little present. This year I bought myself a Shure PGX guitar wireless system so I could play those holiday parties a little closer to that cute girl in the Santa suit. It worked perfectly. Then it occurred to me that this little device could do more to help me than just meeting girls. It might have some real uses in the studio....
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Fade Out
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Written by
Scott Dorsey
Fade Out |
Written by
Scott Dorsey
Life After Death.
What happens after we die? I don’t propose to ask about what happens to us when we die; that’s a question for the clergy and I’m only an electron-pusher. But what happens to our work?
I think people ......Expand
Life After Death.
What happens after we die? I don’t propose to ask about what happens to us when we die; that’s a question for the clergy and I’m only an electron-pusher. But what happens to our work?
I think people who deal with audio archives get very sensitized to this, because after all one of the big points of audio recording is to preserve sound long after we have left. Mischa Elman died before I was born, but I can thread up the Ampex and press that button and there he is, his amazing fiddle coming right out of the monitors.
I once had a fellow tell me that he didn’t like a particular model of Studer recorder because it had “too much phase shift.” What? Phase shift is the whole point of tape recorders—you put a waveform in and you shift it by minutes, hours... maybe even by decades....
Read more in the April 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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