Archives
June 2011
June brings us nice weather, blue skies, and all kinds of outdoor fun... but why should you care about that, when you can stay indoors and make music? RECORDING's June issue covers acoustics and studio construction tips, and we have a wealth of great information to help you get the most out of your rooms.
It's always cool when we can get in on the ground floor (literally!) as a studio belonging to one of our contributors is being built or renovated, so we can ask questions, take pictures, and show you how it's done. In this issue, we get to do it twice -- in the burning desert of Nevada where producer/engineer Brian Tarquin takes us from bare walls to a completed studio, and in the freezing forests of Finland, where audio and video producer Otso Pakarinen documents his conversion of a rented office space into a beautiful and nicely soundproofed studio that he and his fellow tenants adore. If you've ever thought about getting your hands dirty and making your room into a real studio, you'll love both of these hands-on articles!
Once you have a room, there are all sorts of products you can use to improve your sound; in this issue, we review a portable mic-reflection control device from Auralex, test-drive a very cool studio add-on from Primacoustic that converts in seconds from a simple wall panel to a mini-iso booth (!), and take on the biggest and baddest of RealTraps' bass control solutions, the monstrous MegaTraps. Finally, we borrow multiple recording and mixing spaces to test JBL's MSC1 monitor controller and room tuning solution.
And there's more: we have reviews of new products from Telefunken, Sound Devices, and more, the latest installment in our ongoing music-business series, a hands-on tutorial on Cakewalk SONAR's Smart Tool, and much more. If you've wondered what you can do to make your room sound better for your music, you can't afford to miss the June 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?
JBL MSC1 Monitor System Controller
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
JBL MSC1 Monitor System Controller |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
This affordable desktop monitor switcher also helps you correct the sound of your room.
JBL's RMC (Room Mode Correction) process was originally introduced with the 6300 Series of studio monitors; in our September 2005 issue,......Expand
This affordable desktop monitor switcher also helps you correct the sound of your room.
JBL's RMC (Room Mode Correction) process was originally introduced with the 6300 Series of studio monitors; in our September 2005 issue, my friend Giles Reaves described working with RMC to tune his studio in Nashville. Back then, RMC involved a CD of test tones, a meter, and paper graphs with template overlays for tweaking the low-end eq on the 6300 Series speakers.
In our August 2006 issue, we reviewed the 4300 Series, where RMC was actually built into the speakers themselves. The user networks the speakers with a computer, plugs in a reference mic, runs tones, and the speakers adjust themselves. Very neat, but a set of 4300 Series monitors isn't in the price range of many small studios.
Now we have the MSC1, JBL's first solution for RMC usable on any company's speakers (including JBL's entry-level 2300 Series reviewed in our March 2010 issue and still enjoying use in our studios). The MSC1 is far more than just RMC, though; it's a complete monitor switching and bass management solution at an exceptional price...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Telefunken Elektroakustik CU-29 Copperhead Mic
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Telefunken Elektroakustik CU-29 Copperhead Mic |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
A new design from a respected name, this new tube condenser mic sounds as cool as it looks.
The CU-29, also known by its street name "The Copperhead", is the latest model in Telefunken Elektroakoustic's R-F-T series of micro......Expand
A new design from a respected name, this new tube condenser mic sounds as cool as it looks.
The CU-29, also known by its street name "The Copperhead", is the latest model in Telefunken Elektroakoustic's R-F-T series of microphones. We first introduced you to the R-F-T line back in our November 2010 issue, when we looked at the AR-51 microphone. By way of a quick primer, the R-F-T line is part of the trend where Asian-sourced parts are blended with European and American parts, then hand assembled and tested here in the USA, in this case South Windsor, Connecticut.
The previous models in the R-F-T line had much in common. In addition to their military-inspired names, the multi-patterned AK-47mkII, AR-51, and the M-16mkII (discontinued) were each inspired by famous, historic microphone models of the past.
Not the new Copperhead... This mic's story started with the discovery of 8,000 vintage NOS (New Old Stock) Telefunken tubes, as in "Hey -- we just found boatloads of these...lets design a microphone around them". While each of the previous models streeted at around $1800, the CU-29 is the first T-Funk tube mic to fall below the $1500 price point with a street price of around $1300...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Primacoustic FlexiBooth
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Primacoustic FlexiBooth |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
If your studio's too small for an iso booth, all is not lost!
As we discussed in our last issue (May 2011), vocals are mission-critical for most modern musical genres. If the rest of the tracks are decent and the vocal is ge......Expand
If your studio's too small for an iso booth, all is not lost!
As we discussed in our last issue (May 2011), vocals are mission-critical for most modern musical genres. If the rest of the tracks are decent and the vocal is genius, the track will fly; if the rest of the tracks are genius and the vocal stinks, the track stinks. That puts a lot of pressure on the recording musician to get the best possible vocal quality within the limitations of his or her recording setup.
Those limitations could include the mic, the preamp, or the signal chain, but one limitation that causes many recording musicians to despair is the sound of the room. If you have a fantastic room for vocal tracking, you can take a great performance and make it magical; failing that, a good quiet iso booth can capture a great performance cleanly, so if the room isn't doing you good, at least it's not doing you bad.
But if all you have is a single mic-hostile room that's already tight on space, wouldn't it be glorious to have a vocal booth that you could... I dunno, maybe... fold up against the wall when it wasn't needed, but worked like a charm when it was?
Allow me to introduce you to the Primacoustic FlexiBooth, which I fondly think of as the foldaway bed of vocal iso systems...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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RealTraps MegaTraps
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
RealTraps MegaTraps |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
When you have to control bass buildup in your room, bigger is better.
Ethan Winer, occasional writer for our magazine, acoustics guru, and Co-Owner of RealTraps, takes bass trapping very, very seriously. When we aske......Expand
When you have to control bass buildup in your room, bigger is better.
Ethan Winer, occasional writer for our magazine, acoustics guru, and Co-Owner of RealTraps, takes bass trapping very, very seriously. When we asked about including one of his products in this issue on acoustics control, he was quick to offer a set of his MegaTraps for our use.
There are a lot of parameters that affect how well a bass trap works, and perhaps the most critical one is size, with placement and construction material a close second and third. To stop long waves, you need big traps. They need to be deep and to present a lot of surface area to the room, so they're easy targets to hit... so in very general terms, if the construction materials are right, the bigger the trap, the better. Which brings us to the MegaTraps...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Plug-In Outlet
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Plug-In Outlet |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
elysia alpha compressor and niveau filter.
elysia is a German designer of seriously high-end signal processors, all with small letters in their names and non-small price tags, from $5000 for the mpressor and museq to a cool ......Expand
elysia alpha compressor and niveau filter.
elysia is a German designer of seriously high-end signal processors, all with small letters in their names and non-small price tags, from $5000 for the mpressor and museq to a cool ten grand plus for the mastering-grade alpha compressor.
Luckily for us mere mortals, the good folks at elysia have teamed with the circuit-modeling experts at Brainworx to create plug-in versions of their hardware. Let's check out the software alpha compressor...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Auralex MudGuard
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Auralex MudGuard |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
The newest product in the ISO Series reduces unwanted reflections to clear up your sound.
The MudGuard is the latest in the Auralex ISO Series of acoustic treatment products, small and portable devices that allow you to take......Expand
The newest product in the ISO Series reduces unwanted reflections to clear up your sound.
The MudGuard is the latest in the Auralex ISO Series of acoustic treatment products, small and portable devices that allow you to take fixes directly to the mics that need them. Auralex has been making little foam treatment tools of this sort for years; we reviewed a whole set of them, the still-available Aural-Xpanders, in our March 2004 issue. The MudGuard represents Auralex's entry in the area of mic isolation devices that mount to a mic stand and encircle a mic to prevent reflected sound muddying what the mic picks up; it is the natural successor to the Xpander, Auralex's hourglass-shaped all-foam reflection barrier that premiered some seven years ago...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Sound Devices USBPre 2
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Sound Devices USBPre 2 |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
This high-quality USB interface offers standalone preamp/conversion and lots of extras.
Sound Devices has been known for years as a manufacturer of audio gear for the field recording engineer, with compact and rugged field m......Expand
This high-quality USB interface offers standalone preamp/conversion and lots of extras.
Sound Devices has been known for years as a manufacturer of audio gear for the field recording engineer, with compact and rugged field mixers and solid-state recorders making up most of its product line. It was one of the first companies, if not the first, to offer a really high-quality bus-powered audio interface in the form of the USBPre, which we reviewed all the way back in November 2002. In that review, the USBPre handled itself with aplomb in an era of IRQ conflicts, driver mismatches, audio-hostile operating systems, and computers that were just becoming fast enough to routinely handle native audio.
A lot has happened in the world of computer music since then, and we're due for an upgraded USBPre. The question is, in an era where high-resolution USB audio is now commonplace, does Sound Devices have anything left up its sleeve to make the USBPre 2 stand out? See for yourself...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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It's Your Music -- Know Your Rights. Chapter 15: Licensing Music For Motion Pictures And Television.
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Reviewed by
Todd Gascon and Bruce Kaphan
It's Your Music -- Know Your Rights. Chapter 15: Licensing Music For Motion Pictures And Television. |
Reviewed by
Todd Gascon and Bruce Kaphan
Soundtrack contributions can mean big money; make sure you know what to do to secure your rights and income before you let your music be used in a film or TV release.
Although once considered "selling out", many artists toda......Expand
Soundtrack contributions can mean big money; make sure you know what to do to secure your rights and income before you let your music be used in a film or TV release.
Although once considered "selling out", many artists today are comfortable licensing their music for use in motion pictures and television programs. Given the current state of radio and the steady decline of record sales, artists are looking for other opportunities to earn money from their music. In recent years independent artists have had a great deal of success in the placement of their music in motion pictures and television.
A large part of my practice is licensing music for use in motion pictures, television, commercials and video games. For purposes of this chapter of "It's Your Music -- Know Your Rights", the focus will be on licensing your pre-recorded songs and existing masters for use in motion pictures and television (e.g., licensing your song and master from your album). The scope of this article is to provide you with a basic overview of the licensing process and what to do when you receive a call from a music supervisor asking permission to use your music in an upcoming film...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Converting An Office Room Into A Studio
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Written by
Otso Pakarinen
Converting An Office Room Into A Studio |
Written by
Otso Pakarinen
Floating walls and floor turn a corner office suite into a great-sounding, acoustically isolated studio. Lots of great ideas here, illustrated from start to finish.
Last fall I got an opportunity to move my music studio to a......Expand
Floating walls and floor turn a corner office suite into a great-sounding, acoustically isolated studio. Lots of great ideas here, illustrated from start to finish.
Last fall I got an opportunity to move my music studio to a new location where I would be able to do my motion graphics and video work in addition to making music. That sounded good, especially as my video work also involves audio mixing, so I decided to rent the three small rooms (plus a corridor, a closet and a bathroom) at one end of the larger premises of another company called Craft Finland.
The location was perfect, the rent was reasonable and my new landlords/co-workers were nice people, but one problem remained: there was no soundproofing between my studio-to-be and Craft's office. The two windowed inner walls between them blocked no sound at all; you could easily hear what people were saying on the other side. Not good. I want to play and mix music in peace, knowing that I wouldn't disturb anyone.
My budget was limited, but at least I did have a budget. I figured that instead of buying a fancy new synthesizer, the money was better spent in materials for building two soundproofing walls and a floating floor, plus buying some acoustic panels and bass traps...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Room Correction -- An Overview
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Written by
Scott Dorsey
Room Correction -- An Overview |
Written by
Scott Dorsey
What's really going on in your room, and which tools can hurt more than they help?
Over the last couple of years we've seen a number of magic digital room-correction boxes that claim to somehow flatten the response of your m......Expand
What's really going on in your room, and which tools can hurt more than they help?
Over the last couple of years we've seen a number of magic digital room-correction boxes that claim to somehow flatten the response of your monitors, by measuring the room response and creating a digital filter with the opposite response. All you have to do is press a button.
The idea sounds like a good one, and when you try these systems they make things sound different as soon as you turn them on. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a system really sounds better or just different...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Building A Recording Studio
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Written by
Brian Tarquin
Building A Recording Studio |
Written by
Brian Tarquin
When a large empty space is converted into a recording studio, there are many lessons to be learned... starting with the importance of getting the electrical wiring right.
If you are thinking about creating the perfect recor......Expand
When a large empty space is converted into a recording studio, there are many lessons to be learned... starting with the importance of getting the electrical wiring right.
If you are thinking about creating the perfect recording space, I've got some helpful step-by-step tips to make your space work for you.
First, there is a plethora of books on the subject, as well as numerous opinions on what issues to prioritize first. The considerations are endless, from studio size to acoustical treatment (wall panels and absorbers and diffusers), spacing of glass, reinforced doors, floating walls, ceilings and floors to blah, blah, blah. But as my friends in New York say, "Not for nothin' -- what about the electrical?!"
No matter how much money you spend on your design, whether it be a large professional studio or a small 8' x 8' room, do not overlook the importance of setting up the receptacles and lights first and foremost before the wall goes up. Believe me -- I learned this the hard way when I built my first studio. The wrong electrical setup can cause an irritating persistent hum that courses through the board and ultimately into your recordings...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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SXSW 2011
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Written by
Marc Urselli
SXSW 2011 |
Written by
Marc Urselli
It's that time of year again! Austin swarms with great music, great film, great interactive technologies, great networking, and great business... and we're there to point out some of the highlights.
It's my 5th year at SXSW ......Expand
It's that time of year again! Austin swarms with great music, great film, great interactive technologies, great networking, and great business... and we're there to point out some of the highlights.
It's my 5th year at SXSW and this year marks the 25th anniversary of this amazing conference covering music, film and technology. Some things haven't changed: Unmatched networking opportunities; incredible learning potential; an overwhelming number of things to see; no hope to do everything you set out to do; and concertgoers and drunken spring breakers still engulfing the streets of downtown Austin in the same way that Carnival takes over Rio or Mardi Gras takes over New Orleans.
Other things are changing: The battle among popular brands for the most visible sponsoring opportunities is getting fiercer and more in everyone's face; for the first time the number of interactive registrants (more than 19,000) has surpassed the number of music registrants (16,000); and yet the number of music registrants keeps growing every year, so much so that -- due to capacity issues at most venues -- it is becoming increasingly harder to see the show you want to see even if you are a badge holder (badge holders get into shows before wristband holders do)...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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DAW Details
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Written by
Michael Nickolas
DAW Details |
Written by
Michael Nickolas
We walk you through the powerful and convenient Smart Tools in Cakewalk SONAR X1.
Smart Tools is a new addition in SONAR X1, Cakewalk's major update to its flagship product reviewed by Allen Goodman in our April 2011 issue. ......Expand
We walk you through the powerful and convenient Smart Tools in Cakewalk SONAR X1.
Smart Tools is a new addition in SONAR X1, Cakewalk's major update to its flagship product reviewed by Allen Goodman in our April 2011 issue. It may not be the most glamorous addition, but it is well worth exploring since it assists greatly during editing. Users of previous versions of SONAR had to constantly change tools, by typing keyboard shortcuts or by mousing up to the tool bars. Smart Tools alleviates a lot of that tedium...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Fade Out
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Written by
Brian Gadson
Fade Out |
Written by
Brian Gadson
Be Careful What You Wish For: Pitfalls In Small-Room Treatment.
You have managed to procure the last remaining room in your house and you christen it your recording cave. You set up all your gear, get a small fridge and find......Expand
Be Careful What You Wish For: Pitfalls In Small-Room Treatment.
You have managed to procure the last remaining room in your house and you christen it your recording cave. You set up all your gear, get a small fridge and find the perfect chair. The only thing left to do is to put up that acoustic panel and bass-trap kit you just ordered online, that one they said you need after you supplied the dimensions of your room on their website.
You just know that in a few days from now, when the UPS truck arrives, and after several hours putting up pieces of this beautiful $849 acoustical treatment kit, that you will have the perfect sounding 11' x 9' x 8' room.
STOP!...
Read more in the June 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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