Archives
December 2011
In December, everyone's thoughts turn to gift-giving and gift-getting... and we at RECORDING are no different. It's time once again for our annual Holiday Gift Guide, packed full of mini-reviews of all kinds of fun, funky, and useful musical products!
Remember that this isn't just a collection of marketing literature; every product we mention in the Guide has been tested by our staff and given the thumbs-up as a worthwhile gift. We provide you with real insights on over 40 different products, from iOS software to guitar pedals, from microphones to roadie carts, from portable controllers to portable video/audio recorders... and a game controller that also happens to be a very affordable and powerful MIDI guitar!
Among many others, look for reviews of hardware products by Blue, Glyph, Korg, Line 6, M-Audio, NuForce, RockNRoller, Roland, Yamaha, You Rock Guitar, and Zoom; computer software and soundware from Audio Damage, Madrona Labs, PSP Audioware, Puremagnetik, RealSamples, Slate Digital, Tone2, Toontrack, U-He, Valhalla DSP, and Vir2 Instruments; and iOS products from Audanika, Audiofile Engineering, Frontier Design Group, Griffin, and many more!
We fill out our gear coverage with in-depth look at a versatile field recorder from Zoom, powerful new audio modules from Radial Engineering, and a sexy set of desktop dual-concentric monitors from Equator Audio.
And that's not all! Also in this issue: Mark Hornsby continues his enlightening articles on creating real success in the music business; Michael Schulze weighs in on useful tricks when creating audio for video; and we feature a fascinating interview and studio-recording article on Electrons, a project featuring players and producers whose credits include Frank Zappa, Missing Persons, Duran Duran, The Cure, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Collective Soul, Elton John, Megadeth, and more!
Whether you're looking for gifts that you'd actually like to find waiting for you when you open the wrapper, or looking for insights on top-class home studio production and creative success, you won't want to miss the December RECORDING!
RECORDING'S 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: The Great Gear Grab-Bag!
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay with Darwin Grosse, Lorenz Rychner, and Paul Vnuk Jr.
RECORDING'S 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: The Great Gear Grab-Bag! |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay with Darwin Grosse, Lorenz Rychner, and Paul Vnuk Jr.
Everyone likes hardware with shiny chrome and blinky lights -- enjoy these reviews of giftworthy gear from Blue, Glyph, Korg, Line 6, M-Audio, NuForce, RocknRoller, Roland, Yamaha, You Rock Guitar, and Zoom.
Let's ki......Expand
Everyone likes hardware with shiny chrome and blinky lights -- enjoy these reviews of giftworthy gear from Blue, Glyph, Korg, Line 6, M-Audio, NuForce, RocknRoller, Roland, Yamaha, You Rock Guitar, and Zoom.
Let's kick off our holiday gift extravaganza with a greed-inducing assortment of audio hardware from stomp boxes to microphones, audio interfaces to earphones. There's something in here to tickle every fancy, and remember: if you're reading about it here, it's been tested and given a real thumbs-up by our staffers... or by Yours Truly. Enjoy! -- MM
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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RECORDING'S 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Software and Soundware and Then Some!
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay with Allen Goodman
RECORDING'S 2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Software and Soundware and Then Some! |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay with Allen Goodman
If you're looking to spruce up your DAW for the holidays, check out these bits and bytes from Audio Damage, Best Service, Madrona Labs, Puremagnetik, RealSamples, Slate Digital, Toontrack, U-He, Valhalla DSP, and Vir2 Instruments.
<......Expand
If you're looking to spruce up your DAW for the holidays, check out these bits and bytes from Audio Damage, Best Service, Madrona Labs, Puremagnetik, RealSamples, Slate Digital, Toontrack, U-He, Valhalla DSP, and Vir2 Instruments.
Not all fun presents for the musician's holiday season have knobs, switches, grilles, metalwork, or batteries-sometimes all you want is a little something to spice up your musical computer, be it a cool new software synth, sound library, or plug-in. Here's a collection of digital delights for your music-making pleasure! -- MM
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Radial Engineering PowerPre and Komit 500-Series Modules
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Radial Engineering PowerPre and Komit 500-Series Modules |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
A uniquely Radial preamp and a reimagined version of a rare vintage compressor add variety to an ever-growing line of modules.
In our October 2011 issue, I had the pleasure of introducing Radial Engineering's new 8-s......Expand
A uniquely Radial preamp and a reimagined version of a rare vintage compressor add variety to an ever-growing line of modules.
In our October 2011 issue, I had the pleasure of introducing Radial Engineering's new 8-slot 500-Series rack enclosure, the Workhorse, and started taking a detailed look at new 500-Series modules from Radial. In this issue, we move on to the Radial PowerPre and Komit Compressor. One is a very original Radial design, the other a reimagining of an old classic in a new form...
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Zoom H2n Handy Recorder
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Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Zoom H2n Handy Recorder |
Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
The latest field recorder from Zoom sports a clear user interface, lots of performance tweaks... and five, yes, FIVE built-in mics!
Smaller, smarter, speedier... the handheld recorders of recent years have capabilities that ......Expand
The latest field recorder from Zoom sports a clear user interface, lots of performance tweaks... and five, yes, FIVE built-in mics!
Smaller, smarter, speedier... the handheld recorders of recent years have capabilities that we only dreamed of in a big desktop system not long ago. Multiple recording formats, from the lowliest MP3 to higher bit rates, higher sample rates, pitch change on playback without tempo change, tempo change on playback without pitch change, these have all become commonplace. Now the Zoom H2n takes this a step further...
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Equator Audio Research D5 Studio Monitors
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Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Equator Audio Research D5 Studio Monitors |
Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
These tiny speakers wow listeners with the clarity of a coaxial monitor design.
The D5 is a remarkable small active monitor from Equator Audio Research, a company that was founded in 2007 by Ted Keffalo, a man with a signifi......Expand
These tiny speakers wow listeners with the clarity of a coaxial monitor design.
The D5 is a remarkable small active monitor from Equator Audio Research, a company that was founded in 2007 by Ted Keffalo, a man with a significant track record going back to companies like Alesis and Event Electronics.
Equator has so far produced four monitor models in its Q Series. Each single box of the Q series costs from $1495 (the Q8) up to $3995 (the Q15) -- double those amounts for pairs. Now comes the D5, the first in Equator's D Series; a pair costs all of $299.99, for the time being -- an "introductory" price until Equator begins to sell through retail stores.
The Equator website states, "How Can We Do It? Selling direct to the end-user allows us to eliminate the margins normally received by a distributor, a retailer, and a factory sales rep." $749 might become the price once the D5 is available through retail channels. What's more -- at the current price of $299.99, if you don't like them, you can get a full refund within 60 days.
If this offer were to come from a newcomer, and if we didn't know that Mr. Keffalo and the established Q Series are behind it, could we be blamed for thinking "...red flag...gimmick..."? But in this case we'd be wrong....
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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iOS Music Tools: 2011 Holiday Treats
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
iOS Music Tools: 2011 Holiday Treats |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
For that iOS user in your musical life, be it you or someone you love-handy hardware and awesome apps from Audanika, Audiofile Engineering, Frontier Design Group, Griffin Technology, Korg, and NuForce.
Here's a quick......Expand
For that iOS user in your musical life, be it you or someone you love-handy hardware and awesome apps from Audanika, Audiofile Engineering, Frontier Design Group, Griffin Technology, Korg, and NuForce.
Here's a quick look at a selection of some nifty iOS products that could brighten your holidays, or those of the musician in your life (who just happened to leave this magazine laying around open to this page). And they don't have to be expensive, either -- apps can be really affordable or even free and still provide cool utility! While there isn't enough room to squeeze in all of the cool iOS apps and accessories we've tried in the past year, and more are coming out every day, we hope you'll enjoy this selection.
Unless stated otherwise, all apps and devices mentioned here work for the iPhone and iPad, but you'll want to check the products' websites or App Store pages for specific issues (e.g. some apps won't work with older-generation iPhones). Onward! -- MM
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Electrons Take On A David Lynch Production
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Interviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Electrons Take On A David Lynch Production |
Interviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
The long-distance collaboration Electrons features players and producers like Steve Ferrone, Warren Cuccurullo, Anthony J. Resta, Roger O'Donnell, and Eric Alexandrakis, whose collective credits include names from Aretha Franklin, George Harrison,......Expand
The long-distance collaboration Electrons features players and producers like Steve Ferrone, Warren Cuccurullo, Anthony J. Resta, Roger O'Donnell, and Eric Alexandrakis, whose collective credits include names from Aretha Franklin, George Harrison, Elton John, and Michael Jackson to Duran Duran, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Cure, and Megadeth. What happens when they aim their personal studios at a musical project by one of our era's most famous filmmakers?
Remember filmmaker David Lynch? Mulholland Drive, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet? Dark, edgy, sometimes weird, often wonderful, never dull? And the riveting television series Twin Peaks that gained a cult following? If you've seen any of these, imagine what his music would be like if Lynch were a musician! Turns out David Lynch does make music, always has, and, sure enough, his music sounds like his movies look -- dark, edgy, sometimes weird, etc., etc. (Hear Chrysta Bell's "This Train", produced by David Lynch here: http://chrystabell.bandcamp.com)
Here at RECORDING we have brought you detailed reports on remixing projects, and on the techniques and benefits of long-distance collaboration. This is a story involving both, and while the project under discussion started out as a brief for a remix, it ended up being a recreation, done in collaboration by a group of individuals with stellar track records: Warren Cuccurullo, Steve Ferrone, Roger O'Donnell, Anthony J. Resta, and the man who herds these cats, Eric Alexandrakis. See the sidebar for their career highlights as soloists and members of other bands (many of which will be well known to all our readers, and well-known to the charts as well). Collectively they are known as Electrons (www.bopnique.com/electrons, www.electronsmusic.com). -- LzR
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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How To Be Successful In Today's Music Business--Part 2
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Written by
Mark Hornsby
How To Be Successful In Today's Music Business--Part 2 |
Written by
Mark Hornsby
Our look at the makings of real success continues with serious advice on getting your name and face out into the world in ways that actually work.
Last month we looked at some of the personal skills necessary to be successfu......Expand
Our look at the makings of real success continues with serious advice on getting your name and face out into the world in ways that actually work.
Last month we looked at some of the personal skills necessary to be successful. This month we'll look at some of the professional tools that are needed to go out make people mad -- I mean, be successful in finding that next gig!
The first thing you need to do is establish whether or not you want to work for yourself or someone else. In other words, do you want to be self-employed or have a day job? Maybe a combination of both? Depending on your comfort zone and level of self-discipline, there are pros and cons to each. Either way, work is work. So, let's take a look at some of the tools used for seeking gainful employment....
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Guerrilla Audio For Video
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Written by
Michael Schulze
Guerrilla Audio For Video |
Written by
Michael Schulze
You're not stuck with the built-in mics on your video camera, you know. Next time you're putting together a live show video or YouTube promo clip, use these simple tricks to make sure your music comes across at its best.
Whe......Expand
You're not stuck with the built-in mics on your video camera, you know. Next time you're putting together a live show video or YouTube promo clip, use these simple tricks to make sure your music comes across at its best.
When Auntie Nellie and Uncle Fred shoot videos of meaningful moments in their lives, it's all about the images. As they stand on the upper deck of the cruise ship praising the unlimited buffet, who cares if the wind noises obliterate their comments because they didn't bring along a wind screen for the camera's built-in mic. It's the happy expressions and the ocean views that count. Look how blue the water is behind Fred's Hawaiian shirt!
When musicians make videos, it's at least as much about the sound as it is about the pictures. In a "creative" video, grainy images, lo-res faded colors and in-and-out-of-focus sequences can look cool. But if the sound isn't pristine, then the video stinks. Even if it is not a "music video" but, say, a promotional video about your studio or your services, or something for a client, you want the audio to be as good as it gets....
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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Fade Out
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Written by
Mike Metlay
Fade Out |
Written by
Mike Metlay
Pro Tools 10: The Apocalypse That Wasn't.
You're not stuck with the built-in mics on your video camera, you know. Next time you're putting together a live show video or YouTube promo clip, use these simple tricks to ......Expand
Pro Tools 10: The Apocalypse That Wasn't.
You're not stuck with the built-in mics on your video camera, you know. Next time you're putting together a live show video or YouTube promo clip, use these simple tricks to make sure your music comes across at its best.
I'm writing this the day after I've returned home from the 131st AES Convention in New York. Look for a full report next month, but for now, I'd like to try to beat my press deadline and squeeze in a few thoughts about one particular product announcement.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know by now that the night before the show opened, Avid announced Pro Tools 10 (shipping now) and the new HDX audio DSP cards (shipping by the end of this year). PT 9 was a big deal because it severed the required connection between Avid hardware and software, allowing third-party interfaces to talk to Pro Tools. PT 10 goes way farther, even though its advantages are more "under the hood" and less directly obvious....
Read more in the December 2011 issue of RECORDING!
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