Archives
May 2009
It's May! That means Spring is in the air, school's almost out, and it's time once again for our annual Songwriters' Special Issue! This May, we don't disappoint, as we bring you a great collection of reviews and advice with songwriters in mind... if you write your own songs and want to record them, now's the best time yet to pick up RECORDING.
In this issue, we bring you interviews with proven hitmakers who've won Grammies and topped the Billboard charts. Their advice doesn't take a million-dollar studio, either; you can benefit from the success and genius of Rob Chiarelli and Sebastian Arocha Morton in your very own home setup. If their ideas work for the Jonas Brothers, LeAnn Rimes, Madonna, Santana, Seal, and Sting, they'll work for you too!
We have great advice on recording solid pop guitar tracks that work with vocals, an article on turning your live gigs into music demo recordings, and a report from the South By South West 2009 festival. And a dozen product reviews over everything from songwriter-friendly microphones to portable high-quality preamps and the latest version of the songwriter's best friend, the MasterWriter songwriting software package.
You'll also find our monthly columns, Readers' Tapes with Marty Peters, and a whole lot more. The May RECORDING has plenty of cool stuff for the songwriter in YOU!
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?
Rob Chiarelli—It's All About The Performance
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Interviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Rob Chiarelli—It's All About The Performance |
Interviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
This multi-Grammy-winning engineer and producer shares his thoughts about capturing the magic of great performances, with advice any recording musician can use.
Rob Chiarelli’s list of production and engineering credits includes a s......Expand
This multi-Grammy-winning engineer and producer shares his thoughts about capturing the magic of great performances, with advice any recording musician can use.
Rob Chiarelli’s list of production and engineering credits includes a slew of Grammy nominations, two Grammy awards for his work with Christina Aguilera and Yolanda Adams, sessions with (among many others) Ray Charles, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Public Enemy, and modern stars like the Jonas Brothers and Jesse McCartney.
We asked Rob, “You have recorded some of the best—what are your priorities to get the best performance out of them?” The resulting discussion touched on many aspects of a great performance, and brought out a lot of cool tips for beginners as well as established engineers....
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Sebastian Arocha Morton: From Songwriter to Producer to Remixer
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Interviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Sebastian Arocha Morton: From Songwriter to Producer to Remixer |
Interviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
One Grammy-nominated songwriter’s unique path to success—if you want to branch out, here’s how one dedicated musician managed it.
Sebastian Arocha Morton is a songwriter and producer who’s worked with a huge list of talent. The Who’......Expand
One Grammy-nominated songwriter’s unique path to success—if you want to branch out, here’s how one dedicated musician managed it.
Sebastian Arocha Morton is a songwriter and producer who’s worked with a huge list of talent. The Who’s Who of chart-topping names on Sebastian’s website (www.rocasound.com) is testimony to his versatility as a songwriter, producer, and collaborator in many genres: names like Chaka Khan, The Killers, Santana, Seal, and Sting. Much can be learned from his experience that he generously shared when we sat down in his Los Angeles studio earlier this year....
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Neumann TLM 67
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Neumann TLM 67 |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
A transformerless version of the legendary U 67—is it an homage, or something entirely new?
U 47, U 87, U 67—not a bingo game, just some of best microphones Neumann has ever made. When Neumann decided to bring the magic numbers 6 an......Expand
A transformerless version of the legendary U 67—is it an homage, or something entirely new?
U 47, U 87, U 67—not a bingo game, just some of best microphones Neumann has ever made. When Neumann decided to bring the magic numbers 6 and 7 out of retirement for the company’s 80th Anniversary year, there was much anticipation.
The new TLM 67 is based on its legendary ancestor, but it is not a reissue, nor is it intended to be a reissue. Instead, think of it as an homage to the U 67....
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Core Sound Mic2496 V2
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Reviewed by
Nick Casares
Core Sound Mic2496 V2 |
Reviewed by
Nick Casares
A portable preamp and A/D that lets you capture world-class sound almost anywhere.
Location recording is an exciting niche in the world of audio production. There’s a magic in live recordings that can’t be captured any other way. Cl......Expand
A portable preamp and A/D that lets you capture world-class sound almost anywhere.
Location recording is an exciting niche in the world of audio production. There’s a magic in live recordings that can’t be captured any other way. Classical recordings, unique performance venues, environmental recording, and once-in-a-lifetime performances all require the moment to be captured on the spot. But live recording is a challenge.
The gear required for location recordings is often very different from studio gear. Many location recordists don’t have access to AC power and will have to capture the whole performance on battery-powered equipment. Portability is a huge factor because it allows for quick setup and tear-down before and after the performance. Lastly, let’s not forget about audio quality. A once-in-a-lifetime performance deserves to be captured in the highest quality possible.
Core Sound is one of a handful of small companies that cater exclusively to the location recording community. The Core Sound product lineup includes a collection of A/D converters, audio interfaces, microphones and mic preamps. All of Core Sound’s products are designed with location recording in mind....
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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sE Electronics GM10
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Reviewed by
Nick Casares
sE Electronics GM10 |
Reviewed by
Nick Casares
A mic, an arm, a clamp—acoustic guitar miking becomes easy with this 3-in-1 device, even if the player insists on moving about.
Recording acoustic guitar can be a pain. Capturing a great sound is always a compromise between finding ......Expand
A mic, an arm, a clamp—acoustic guitar miking becomes easy with this 3-in-1 device, even if the player insists on moving about.
Recording acoustic guitar can be a pain. Capturing a great sound is always a compromise between finding the sweet spot on the guitar and getting the performer to stay still during the recording. The restricted movement can lead to a stiff or uninspired performance and moving the microphone back isn’t always an option if you’re going for a close, detailed sound.
The GM10 from sE Electronics is a new microphone/mount combination designed to capture acoustic guitar in the sweet spot while maintaining unrestricted motion for the performer...
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Reviewed and Revisited: MasterWriter 2.0
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Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Reviewed and Revisited: MasterWriter 2.0 |
Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
The latest version of this indispensible songwriter’s toolkit offers many improvements and new features.
When this program came out five years ago it created quite a stir. Available for Mac and Windows, it was designed to sh......Expand
The latest version of this indispensible songwriter’s toolkit offers many improvements and new features.
When this program came out five years ago it created quite a stir. Available for Mac and Windows, it was designed to shortcut a writer’s search for rhymes and other word ideas, and it did it in a practical manner that took into account the workflow and the specific needs of songwriters. Any other wordsmith would also benefit immensely from the extended and unorthodox but real-world oriented reference tools.
We reviewed it in May of 2004, and found it to be an immensely thoughtful and useful production tool. How can this newly designed and much enhanced V.2.0 top the original?
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For Your Bookshelf
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Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
For Your Bookshelf |
Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Five instructional books for the songwriter and new recordist.
In keeping with this issue’s Songwriter Special theme, Lorenz checked out a fistful of interesting books useful to songwriters getting into recording. You’re sure to fin......Expand
Five instructional books for the songwriter and new recordist.
In keeping with this issue’s Songwriter Special theme, Lorenz checked out a fistful of interesting books useful to songwriters getting into recording. You’re sure to find something useful here, whether your current question is on songwriting itself or on capturing the best possible performance. Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Spectrasonics Omnisphere
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Reviewed by
Allen Goodman
Spectrasonics Omnisphere |
Reviewed by
Allen Goodman
It’s been the most hyped software instrument of the past two years. Time to find out if it lives up to the hype...
This is not your mom and pop’s plug-in. Spectrasonics made waves with their previous releases, including Atmo......Expand
It’s been the most hyped software instrument of the past two years. Time to find out if it lives up to the hype...
This is not your mom and pop’s plug-in. Spectrasonics made waves with their previous releases, including Atmosphere, a sample-based virtual instrument from acclaimed synthesist Eric Persing, well known for his sound design of classic Roland synthesizers and award-winning sample libraries.
Eric has done it again with Spectrasonics’ latest release. Many people have referred to Omnisphere, as “Atmosphere on steroids.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Granted, while Omnisphere does include your favorite Atmosphere library, it does so with updated versions, and that’s just the beginning...
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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RECORDING's Showcase of Sounds
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
RECORDING's Showcase of Sounds |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
IK Multimedia SampleTron.
SampleTron is the latest in IK Multimedia’s ongoing series of software synthesizers based on the engine of their flagship sampler, SampleTank 2 XL. It offers a highly configurable and flexible set o......Expand
IK Multimedia SampleTron.
SampleTron is the latest in IK Multimedia’s ongoing series of software synthesizers based on the engine of their flagship sampler, SampleTank 2 XL. It offers a highly configurable and flexible set of sounds, sampled from a collection of vintage keyboards that delivered “realistic sounds” in the era before digital sampling became all the rage....
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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KRK 10s Subwoofer
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
KRK 10s Subwoofer |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Add bottom to your small studio monitor setup with this powerful sub.
Over the past year I have reviewed models from each of KRK’s newest speaker lines (August 2008). During my review of their Rokit G2 series, KRK also sent ......Expand
Add bottom to your small studio monitor setup with this powerful sub.
Over the past year I have reviewed models from each of KRK’s newest speaker lines (August 2008). During my review of their Rokit G2 series, KRK also sent along one of their older Rokit 10s subs to give me a feel for how the smaller Rokit G2 and VXT models handled being part of a 2.1 system. In my review of the Rokit 2 I mentioned that while a sub was not necessary, it was most definitely a welcome addition to fill out the low end.
The Rokit 10s was OK. It went wooom, wooom, wooom and shook the room, and did its job. I do not mix for 5.1 and do not usually mix sub-style music, so I did not give it much more thought. Of course, then came the call from my Associate Editor who knows of my affinity for these little yellow-coned beauties: “KRK is sending out their newest subwoofer to play with.”
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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South By SouthWest 2009 Report
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Written by
Marc Urselli
South By SouthWest 2009 Report |
Written by
Marc Urselli
What’s in it for you? What can you expect from attending Austin’s amazing music festival? Is it a fun week or a career move? A successful engineer/producer revisits, and finds lots of chances to network with otherwise unreachable industry pros.Expand
What’s in it for you? What can you expect from attending Austin’s amazing music festival? Is it a fun week or a career move? A successful engineer/producer revisits, and finds lots of chances to network with otherwise unreachable industry pros.
It is midnight on Tuesday March the 17th, the day the Film and Interactive portions of the SXSW festival end. Tomorrow the music portion officially begins, but since 3 PM today I have already checked out six bands... This town is about to explode again with music, mostly loud music (earplugs are a must), and I’m prepared to take it slowly this year since a recent accident causes me to move with a cast and a crutch...
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Live Recording for the Working Musician
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Written by
Marc Urselli
Live Recording for the Working Musician |
Written by
Marc Urselli
Need a demo to get gigs? Read how to turn your live shows into usable demo recordings.
In today’s music industry (or lack thereof), playing live is becoming increasingly important to create a buzz and establish an audience o......Expand
Need a demo to get gigs? Read how to turn your live shows into usable demo recordings.
In today’s music industry (or lack thereof), playing live is becoming increasingly important to create a buzz and establish an audience of devoted fans for your music. However, to get more gigs you have to go out and approach booking people, and they obviously want to hear something of yours before they’ll let you play in their venue. It can be a struggle for musicians to come up with the money to record a demo in the studio, but one possible solution is to record a live performance of one of your shows and use that when hunting for new gigs. The quality should obviously be good enough, so in this article I will offer a couple of different budget solutions to record a live show....
Read more in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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RECORDING's Guitar Column
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Written by
Frank Gryner and Jeffrey Wood
RECORDING's Guitar Column |
Written by
Frank Gryner and Jeffrey Wood
A reader asks about layered guitars in pop recordings, and two producers offer sound advice.
Reader Owen Grech in Malta asks: I am going to start a pop project with a mixture of Michelle Branch, Goo Goo Dolls, Sheryl Crow, e......Expand
A reader asks about layered guitars in pop recordings, and two producers offer sound advice.
Reader Owen Grech in Malta asks: I am going to start a pop project with a mixture of Michelle Branch, Goo Goo Dolls, Sheryl Crow, etc. Till now I’ve been producing my own rock indie projects which are pretty straightforward, but when I listen to pop I notice that things get complicated! I notice that there are lots of different soft guitars which make up this one huge sound from underneath that fills the mix. (Perfect example being “Breathe” and “Find Your Way Back”, from Michelle Branch’s Hotel Paper album.)[...]
Read the advice Owen gets from award-winning producers Frank Gryner and Jeffrey Wood in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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Fade Out
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Written by
Scott Dorsey
Fade Out |
Written by
Scott Dorsey
Ground Loops, De-Mystified.
Question: Why does a sound system hum?
Answer: Because...
A. Not enough things are grounded
B. Too many things are grounded
C. Of the lighting dimmersExpand
Ground Loops, De-Mystified.
Question: Why does a sound system hum?
Answer: Because...
A. Not enough things are grounded
B. Too many things are grounded
C. Of the lighting dimmers
D. All of the above
— Tech Crew Test
Nothing has generated as much misinformation and handwaving in the audio world as the subject of ground loops. When audio systems get complex, ground loops get formed inadvertently, and seemingly small configuration changes have large effects, so the whole thing begins to seem very mysterious. But it’s not really mysterious...
Unravel the mystery in the May 2009 issue of RECORDING!
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