Archives
November 2010
In the November 2010 issue of RECORDING, we hand you the keys to the studio -- black and white keys, that is! This month's issue focuses on keyboards and synthesizers in the modern recording musician's workflow, and how you can add keys to your studio with maximum creativity and minimum fuss.
Our lead article breaks down the differences between modern workstations and controllers, talks about what to look for in your studio's keys, and helps you match up your personal needs with products that address them, whether you're talking about a tiny keyboard that fits in your laptop bag or a full-on hammer-action piano keyboard. And since a keyboard is only as useful as your studio helps it to be, we explain how to use MIDI -- that venerable control language that's going on 30 years old -- to integrate your keyboards and sound modules with your DAW.
We're going over the top with keyboard reviews, too, with unique approaches to keyboard-based DAW control and interfacing from Novation and Akai, and cool new synthesizers from Roland and Korg, not to mention amazing keyboard soundware from Vienna Symphonic Library and others.
And we don't stop with keyboard coverage! The November issue includes an enlightening and inspiring interview with jazz guitar legend Larry Carlton, news you can use on protecting your rights and earning your money when making your music available for online download, more information on collaborating and sharing music files between studios, and a slate of awesome reviews including ADAM Audio's hot new monitors, an amazing microphone from Telefunken, and the world-class X-Desk and X-Rack systems from SSL.
Whether you're tickling the ivories or not, you'll find the keys to studio success in the November RECORDING -- don't miss it!
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?
Akai MPK Series USB/MIDI Keyboard Controllers
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Akai MPK Series USB/MIDI Keyboard Controllers |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Weighted or unweighted actions on solid controllers with MPC pads and easy-to-use editing software.
When it comes to attracting interest in the crowded USB keyboard market, Akai has a leg up on the competition in a critical ......Expand
Weighted or unweighted actions on solid controllers with MPC pads and easy-to-use editing software.
When it comes to attracting interest in the crowded USB keyboard market, Akai has a leg up on the competition in a critical area -- their new MPK Series of USB/MIDI keyboard controllers features not only a conventional keyboard and control surface, but a full array of drum pads reminiscent of the famous Akai MPC desktop drum machine/sequencer units of years past. Anyone with experience composing on an MPC will instantly feel at home on the MPK, making it a clear front runner for controller duties in the modern beat-based studio...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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Telefunken Elektroakustik AR-51 Tube Microphone
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Telefunken Elektroakustik AR-51 Tube Microphone |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
The name Telefunken conjures magic; does this relatively affordable model deliver?
An increasing trend of the last few years has been for microphone manufacturers to adopt a hybrid method of U.S.-assembled microphones, built......Expand
The name Telefunken conjures magic; does this relatively affordable model deliver?
An increasing trend of the last few years has been for microphone manufacturers to adopt a hybrid method of U.S.-assembled microphones, built with globally sourced parts, largely from China.
Telefunken Elektroakustik entered this fray a few years back with a series of microphones known as the R-F-T series. The first two models, the AK-47 and the now discontinued M-16-MKII, used the venerable Neumann M 49 and AKG C 12 as their inspiration respectively.
The latest addition to the R-F-T line is the AR-51. As the name implies, it uses the ELA-M 251 as its impetus, however the folks at Telefunken Elektroakustik are quick to point out that the AR-51 features some modern tweaks and as such is its own beast...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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Novation SL MkII USB Controllers
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Novation SL MkII USB Controllers |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
These controllers use touch-sensitive knobs and faders and the powerful Automap software to stay one step ahead of your work. Also reviewed: the affordable Nocturn controller.
In our February 2008 issue I reviewed the new Re......Expand
These controllers use touch-sensitive knobs and faders and the powerful Automap software to stay one step ahead of your work. Also reviewed: the affordable Nocturn controller.
In our February 2008 issue I reviewed the new ReMOTE SL line of USB Controllers from Novation. These controllers featured a wide-variety of hands-on controls, large LCD "scribble strips" for parameter and value displays, and pioneered a new software layer called Automap that was designed to ease the programming and workflow process when using them with your DAW. Two years later, the SL MkII keyboard line is available, and there's an entirely new version of Automap that significantly improves the entire user experience. Let's take a closer look...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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ADAM Audio A3X Active Monitors
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Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
ADAM Audio A3X Active Monitors |
Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
The latest (and smallest) active monitors sporting ADAM’s well-known ribbon tweeters.
This is the smallest nearfield monitor ADAM Audio has produced. In recent years we reviewed the S1-A, the ANF-10, and -- more pertinent ......Expand
The latest (and smallest) active monitors sporting ADAM’s well-known ribbon tweeters.
This is the smallest nearfield monitor ADAM Audio has produced. In recent years we reviewed the S1-A, the ANF-10, and -- more pertinent to this review -- the A5 and A7. They were small but mighty, and now comes the A3X, taking up even less space on your monitor stands.
Since our earlier reviews, ADAM Audio has "fundamentally revised" the A5 and A7, and in line with the innovations brought to those two models, released two new ones, the A3X we’re reviewing here, and the A8X.
Ribbon tweeters have long been the main point of interest about ADAM Audio monitors; ADAM Audio’s terminology is 'Accelerating Ribbon Technology' -- hence the acronym ART used for the tweeters. Now that a new version is incorporated in the A3X and its siblings, the letter X has been added...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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Waves Tony Maserati Artist Signature Collection
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Reviewed by
Fabio Garcia
Waves Tony Maserati Artist Signature Collection |
Reviewed by
Fabio Garcia
These specially designed plug-ins help you channel the well-known engineer's mojo.
For a while now Waves has been releasing plug-ins that were developed with the input of famous engineers who then lent their names to the pro......Expand
These specially designed plug-ins help you channel the well-known engineer's mojo.
For a while now Waves has been releasing plug-ins that were developed with the input of famous engineers who then lent their names to the products. The aim: offering software processors with user-friendly interfaces that model hardware processors as used by those engineers.
When faced with a mix project, each engineer uses his preferred processors to deal with a specific situation. For example, to process a voice, the engineer might chain eq, dynamics and effects. Of course each engineer has his individual working habits, and all of this experience comes to the table when massaging a sound.
The plug-ins of the Waves Signature Series take advantage of the original engineer’s experiences to provide a fully professional sound without having to precisely know the thought process involved. When a user turns a knob on one of these plug-ins, he or she does much more than just adjusting a single parameter -- the user taps into the sound that the engineer behind the plug-ins had achieved with his processors. Rather than worrying about adjusting compressor parameters or looking for eq frequencies, all the user needs to do is adjust how much of the plug-in should be applied to the track under consideration.
The plug-in collection under review reflects the tastes and working habits of Tony Maserati, a veteran who has worked with Sting, David Bowie, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z, Jason Mraz, k.d. lang, the Black Eyed Peas, Christina Aguilera, Mariah Carey, and many more. Each processor is intended to provide Mr. Maserati’s sound in a direct and simple way...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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Solid State Logic XLOGIC Superanalogue X-Rack and X-Desk
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Solid State Logic XLOGIC Superanalogue X-Rack and X-Desk |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Now you can build yourself a cost-effective SSL desk, module by module according to your specific needs. Here's how it works.
The home- and project-studio revolution has contributed to a decline in how many large-format mixi......Expand
Now you can build yourself a cost-effective SSL desk, module by module according to your specific needs. Here's how it works.
The home- and project-studio revolution has contributed to a decline in how many large-format mixing consoles are being sold these days, but that doesn't mean we don’t still desire their sound. Because of this, a popular trend of the past decade has been to carve up large-format desks into their component parts and then offer them in powered enclosures to house the individual modules. The best-known example is API's 500 Series.
Solid State Logic, while it still makes and sells big consoles like the Duality and AWS 900+, has taken this new paradigm to the extreme. Known primarily for its 4000E and 9000J/K series mixers, SSL has long been well out of reach of all but the most elite studios, but thanks to the modular building-block design of the XLogic SuperAnalogue system we may just have an SSL for the rest of us...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer
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Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Roland GAIA SH-01 Synthesizer |
Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Harking back to the days of vintage synths, this easy-to-program keyboard combines a full front panel and great "analog" sound with lots of modern touches.
Am I allowed to confess that my heart skips a beat whenever I see "R......Expand
Harking back to the days of vintage synths, this easy-to-program keyboard combines a full front panel and great "analog" sound with lots of modern touches.
Am I allowed to confess that my heart skips a beat whenever I see "Roland" with the digits 1 and 0? My first synth, back in the early ‘70s, was a Roland 1000 (hello VCO-VCF-VCA basics), then a 2000 (hello aftertouch!), then came the three Junos, the Juno 6 (hello polyphony), 60 (hello user memory) and 106 (hello MIDI). The 106 was the main teaching tool for the programming and MIDI classes I then taught for years.
The SH series (SH-1, SH-101, SH-1000, SH-2, SH-2000) synths were all monophonic. So why does this new synth, the GAIA, have the digits 01 when it can play 64 notes simultaneously, before note-stealing? Wow, what three decades’ worth of progress can do for you!...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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Korg microSTATION
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Korg microSTATION |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
This fascinating little workstation packs a world-class sound engine and multitrack MIDI sequencer into a light and portable package, thanks to an unusual and intriguing keyboard.
The modern studio-keyboard landscape is perh......Expand
This fascinating little workstation packs a world-class sound engine and multitrack MIDI sequencer into a light and portable package, thanks to an unusual and intriguing keyboard.
The modern studio-keyboard landscape is perhaps simpler than it was in previous decades. There are full-featured workstations with onboard sound libraries, sequencers, and even recording capability; specialty instruments using vintage circuit designs (real or emulated in software); and of course a variety of USB keyboard controllers for software. When something truly unusual comes along, it can be fun and inspiring, and I found the new microSTATION from Korg to be heaps of both. It's a synthesizer with full internal effects processing system and USB editor/librarian support that can act as a USB keyboard interface and features performance-friendly tools like an arpeggiator and full MIDI sequencer, all in a fascinatingly compact package...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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RECORDING's Showcase of Sounds
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Reviewed by
Gary Eskow and Mike Metlay
RECORDING's Showcase of Sounds |
Reviewed by
Gary Eskow and Mike Metlay
Vienna Imperial grand piano virtual instrument; realsamples Edition Beurmann vintage keyboard sound libraries. (And when we say vintage, we mean it...)
Several years ago the folks at Vienna Symphonic Library sampled a Bösen......Expand
Vienna Imperial grand piano virtual instrument; realsamples Edition Beurmann vintage keyboard sound libraries. (And when we say vintage, we mean it...)
Several years ago the folks at Vienna Symphonic Library sampled a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial grand piano. In all candor, that first Bösendorfer Imperial library didn’t particularly impress me. Armed with some new tools, VSL took another crack at this piano last year. Was the effort worthwhile?...
German keyboard collector Andreas Beurmann and the folks at realsamples have created a completely unique set of sound libraries. They are using high-quality mics and preamps to create pristine sample sets from really vintage keyboards -- from 100 to nearly 400 years old! These museum pieces have distinctive and marvelous sounds, and we were pleased to review three of them recently for this special issue on keyboards...
Read more of both these reviews in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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DAW Details
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Reviewed by
Bob Emmet
DAW Details |
Reviewed by
Bob Emmet
In Part 2 of our series on sharing song data between studios, we examine sharing services and discuss what you can do to make your data more collaboration-friendly.
Last month we examined the increasing role of file and proj......Expand
In Part 2 of our series on sharing song data between studios, we examine sharing services and discuss what you can do to make your data more collaboration-friendly.
Last month we examined the increasing role of file and project sharing among today’s globally-minded studios. We looked at some simple file-sharing methods and general guidelines. This month, we present a more in-depth study of special situations and advanced challenges, as well as a quick review of online support, storage, and collaboration services...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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A Studio Journey With Larry Carlton
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Interviewed by
Brian Tarquin
A Studio Journey With Larry Carlton |
Interviewed by
Brian Tarquin
The famed jazz guitarist talks about live magic, studio secrets, and the tribulations of running his own record label in the modern era.
As Larry Carlton has shown throughout his multi-faceted career as a first-call session ......Expand
The famed jazz guitarist talks about live magic, studio secrets, and the tribulations of running his own record label in the modern era.
As Larry Carlton has shown throughout his multi-faceted career as a first-call session guitarist and a successful recording artist, the Gibson ES-335 guitar is his voice.
Carlton was constantly featured with stars from every imaginable genre, ranging from Sammy Davis, Jr., and Herb Alpert to Quincy Jones, Paul Anka, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Jerry Garcia and Dolly Parton. At the same time, he was still performing more than 50 dates a year with The Crusaders.
Carlton became one of the most in-demand studio musicians of the past three decades. Carlton's catalog of work includes film soundtracks, television themes and work on more than 100 gold albums. He built his own studio, Room 335, in his home.
During this period he arranged and produced projects for Barbra Streisand, Joan Baez and Larry Gatlin, as well as producing and co-writing the theme for the hit sitcom Who’s The Boss? and co-writing (with Michel Colombier) and arranging the acclaimed movie soundtrack for Against All Odds. Rolling Stone magazine lists Carlton’s tasty ascent on Steely Dan’s "Kid Charlemagne" as one of the three best guitar licks in rock music.
As many of you know, Larry had a world-class recording studio back in the '70s and '80s in LA. With more than 3000 studio sessions under his belt by the early 1980s, Carlton had picked up four Grammy nominations. In addition to winning a Grammy (1981) for the theme to Hill Street Blues (a collaboration with Mike Post), he also was voted NARAS’s "Most Valuable Player" for three consecutive years. NARAS then named him "Player Emeritus" and retired him from eligibility.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mr. 335 on a hot summer afternoon on New York’s West Side in the lobby of his hotel. He was as modest as he was gracious and talented. We discussed everything from his new re-recorded hits CD released on his new label 335 Records, to being a part of Fourplay, to his beginnings with Joe Sample in the Crusaders...
Read the full interview in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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The Keys To The Studio
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Written by
Mike Metlay
The Keys To The Studio |
Written by
Mike Metlay
Adding a keyboard controller or integrating your favorite keyboard with your studio DAW can be rewarding and fun, if you follow a few basic steps.
Starting with the venerable piano, keyboards have left their own mark on the ......Expand
Adding a keyboard controller or integrating your favorite keyboard with your studio DAW can be rewarding and fun, if you follow a few basic steps.
Starting with the venerable piano, keyboards have left their own mark on the history of modern music. It's true that guitars are (and perhaps always will be) front and center in rock, and the bass and drums are the rhythm section that forms the backbone of most modern musical styles, but there aren't that many genres that insist on completely doing without keys. Almost as many keyboardists as guitarists read this magazine; the keyboard is as popular a singer/songwriter's tool as the guitar; many studios will have to "lay down keys" as a matter of course for a variety of clients; and modern software makes a universe of cool sounds easily accessible to any studio, from vintage keyboards like the Hammond organ, Mellotron, and Minimoog to unheard-of futuristic timbres.
Given that, we decided it's time to bring keyboards front and center, and to teach a few things about how they fit into the modern recording studio. If you're already proficient in using keys with your DAW, you might not find a lot of new ideas here (although I bet I have a few surprises up my sleeve, even so!). But if you're a traditional keyboardist who's starting to think about building a recording system around your favorite instrument, or you're a DAW user who wants to add keys to your capabilities, read on and I’ll try to demystify the often confusing world of today's keyboards...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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RECORDING's Keyboard Column
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Written by
Devon Brent
RECORDING's Keyboard Column |
Written by
Devon Brent
MIDI is nearly 30 years old, but whether over the old 5-pin cable or your USB connector, it still rules the well-connected DAW studio.
Not everything you do in your studio has to happen inside your DAW. There are many perfec......Expand
MIDI is nearly 30 years old, but whether over the old 5-pin cable or your USB connector, it still rules the well-connected DAW studio.
Not everything you do in your studio has to happen inside your DAW. There are many perfectly good and useful sound generators and effects processors that come in their own boxes -- with and without keyboards attached -- and integrating them into your projects via your DAW isn’t always easy, but is always possible. As long as such devices have MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) and you understand just what their individual MIDI capabilities are, your DAW will be able to let you take charge of their operation...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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It's Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 8: Digital Distribution
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Written by
Todd Gascon with Bruce Kaphan
It's Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 8: Digital Distribution |
Written by
Todd Gascon with Bruce Kaphan
The Internet is a big scary mysterious world to most musicians, but there's money to be had from using it to sell your tunes... if you're careful to protect yourself beforehand.
As a kid growing up on the west side of Clevel......Expand
The Internet is a big scary mysterious world to most musicians, but there's money to be had from using it to sell your tunes... if you're careful to protect yourself beforehand.
As a kid growing up on the west side of Cleveland I'd spend Saturday afternoons with my friends at our neighborhood record store in a shopping complex called The Landings. We’d spend hours flipping through the vinyl checking out the new releases and looking for those albums that my friends' older brothers were listening to. I continued this Saturday afternoon ritual when I moved to Chicago after law school and found the Jazz Record Mart and Tower Records (Tower Records didn't make it to Cleveland). When I moved to San Francisco years later I continued to spend afternoons at Tower Records on Bay and Columbus. Sadly, Tower Records shut down, but I'm still able to continue my shopping at Amoeba Records and I’m eternally grateful they are here in the Bay Area.
Neighborhood record stores and large chains are a dying breed. Just one of many reasons: A few years ago, a software and personal computer company became the largest seller of recorded music in the United States. On April 3, 2008, Apple announced that the iTunes Store had surpassed Wal-Mart to become the number one music retailer in the United States. This is quite a feat given the fact the iTunes Store did not exist 5 years before Apple made this announcement...
Read more in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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Fade Out
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Written by
Scott Dorsey
Fade Out |
Written by
Scott Dorsey
Tube Story—A Lament.
As the Sixties began, vacuum tube manufacturers were starting to see the transistor as a real threat, and they were looking at what they could do to compete with the transistor...
Read t......Expand
Tube Story—A Lament.
As the Sixties began, vacuum tube manufacturers were starting to see the transistor as a real threat, and they were looking at what they could do to compete with the transistor...
Read the whole sad story in the November 2010 issue of RECORDING!
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