Archives
April 2012
What are you really hearing? We examine this fascinating question in our April issue, with a look at monitors large and small and some interesting tools for improving your studio's sound.
Brian Gadson, a well-respected LA studio designer, talks about new technologies for keeping studios quiet and comfortable; we take a look at the fascinating room-recording technology known as Ambisonics; and Scott Dorsey teaches how to build a set of useful studio mix-check monitors for well under a hundred dollars.
This issue has plenty of cool reviews, too. In keeping with our topic of the month, we have in-depth looks at speakers from two relatively new names in the reference-monitor business: Sonodyne, whose well-respected line of studio monitors makes its US debut with two very interesting models, and Cerwin-Vega!, already well known for crowd-pleasing bass bins but making its first foray into the realm of desktop monitor systems. Shure continues to expand its high-end headphone line, and we review the brand-new open-backed SRH1440 phones.
We round out the issue with reviews of hardware and software from iZotope, IsoAcoustics, Rob Papen, PSP Audioware, Little Labs, Universal Audio, Tone2, McDSP, IK Multimedia, and others, plus our regular columns, Readers' Tapes with Marty Peters, and more! Get ready to raise your listening game with the informative articles and in-depth reviews in 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?
Sonodyne SM100Ak and SM50Ak Active Monitors
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Reviewed by
Scott Dorsey
Sonodyne SM100Ak and SM50Ak Active Monitors |
Reviewed by
Scott Dorsey
Small-format monitors from a well-respected company in India, meant for serious mixing.
Sonodyne is an Indian firm that has been making speakers for many years; I heard a pair of their larger monitors in Hong Kong thirty yea......Expand
Small-format monitors from a well-respected company in India, meant for serious mixing.
Sonodyne is an Indian firm that has been making speakers for many years; I heard a pair of their larger monitors in Hong Kong thirty years ago and sort of wondered what had happened to the firm. Well, now I know, and what happened is that Sonodyne got bigger and is now selling some of its powered monitors in the American market. Let's begin by describing the SM100Ak...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Shure SRH1440 Headphones
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Shure SRH1440 Headphones |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Shure's first open-back headphone offers impressive clarity and detail.
Shure has made a big splash in the studio-headphone market with closed-back phones covering a variety of prices and applications; I had the pleasure of ......Expand
Shure's first open-back headphone offers impressive clarity and detail.
Shure has made a big splash in the studio-headphone market with closed-back phones covering a variety of prices and applications; I had the pleasure of reviewing the SRH440 and SRH840 (June 2010), followed by the more upscale SRH940 (November 2011). In this issue, we're looking at the SRH1440, one of two new open-back models...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Reviewed and Revisited: iZotope Ozone 5 Advanced
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Reviewed by
Devon Brent
Reviewed and Revisited: iZotope Ozone 5 Advanced |
Reviewed by
Devon Brent
More metering, more features, more ease of workflow -- check out the improvements to this renowned mastering plug-in suite.
iZotope's mastering plug-in suite, Ozone, is a well-established player in the computer audio market.......Expand
More metering, more features, more ease of workflow -- check out the improvements to this renowned mastering plug-in suite.
iZotope's mastering plug-in suite, Ozone, is a well-established player in the computer audio market. I last reviewed version 4 in our June 2009 issue; now it's time to take a look at Ozone 5, which has brought a lot of new and improved features to the table.
Ozone 5, the "standard" version, comes with a total of eight mastering tools in one plug-in: Maximizer, Multiband Dynamics, Multiband Stereo Imaging, Equalizer/Post Equalizer, Multiband Harmonic Exciter, Reverb, and Dithering. Each effect in the signal-processing chain can be turned on or off, or re-ordered, to suit the user's needs.
The three multiband effects modules have from one to four independent frequency bands that operate together in lock-step (meaning if one module's frequency band is adjusted, the other multiband effects adjust to the new selected frequency bands as well) or, new to O5, they can operate independently. O5 also has a "Learn" mode for the frequency bands that analyzes the audio and makes its own suggestion for the Multiband frequencies. Finally, four of the modules, Eq, Dynamics, Harmonic Exciter, and Reverb, offer Mid/Side processing as well as mono/stereo processing abilities.
Ozone 5 Advanced comes with everything O5 has; in addition, the Equalizer, Maximizer, Dynamics, Reverb, Stereo Imaging and Exciter are all available as individually loadable plug-ins, there are extended features in every module, and it includes an entire suite of configurable meters.
But enough about the high level view of O5. Let's dive in and see what O5 and O5 Advanced have to offer as well as what's new since Ozone 4...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Pelonis Model 42 Stereo Monitors
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Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
Pelonis Model 42 Stereo Monitors |
Reviewed by
Lorenz Rychner
These unusually-shaped coaxial and bi-amped speakers come with their own rackmount amps, and with control software to overcome room problems -- a serious package for serious sound.
Chris Pelonis is a man with many missions. ......Expand
These unusually-shaped coaxial and bi-amped speakers come with their own rackmount amps, and with control software to overcome room problems -- a serious package for serious sound.
Chris Pelonis is a man with many missions. Studio musician, designer of studios, recording and mixing engineer, and designer of speakers that are, in his words, tools for critical listening. The M42 is the latest and smallest of his monitor designs...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Little Labs i-VOG Analog Bass Resonance Tool
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Little Labs i-VOG Analog Bass Resonance Tool |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
This little box can work wonders to tighten up and focus the low end of problem tracks. Also: Universal Audio's VOG plug-in for the UAD-2 platform.
Jonathan Little of Little Labs makes a range of nifty solutions to common au......Expand
This little box can work wonders to tighten up and focus the low end of problem tracks. Also: Universal Audio's VOG plug-in for the UAD-2 platform.
Jonathan Little of Little Labs makes a range of nifty solutions to common audio problems. The latest is the i-VOG ("Voice Of God"), a standalone version of the original VOG 500 Series module that has been available for a while. There's also a plug-in VOG, adapted and released by Universal Audio for the UAD-2 platform.
The i-VOG is an analog bass resonance tool, used to heighten, tighten and accentuate bass frequencies even when only a shred of bass is available. Mr. Little describes his invention as a high-fidelity device with a single high-quality differential amp and a capacitor, and nothing else to get in the way of the sounds passing through it...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Plug-In Outlet
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr. and Mike Metlay
Plug-In Outlet |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr. and Mike Metlay
PSP Audioware NobleQ; Tone2 AkustiX.
PSP is an audio software developer based in Jozefoslaw, Poland, that has been crafting and coding plug-ins for over a decade, including the awesomely bizarre N2O multieffects plug-in that......Expand
PSP Audioware NobleQ; Tone2 AkustiX.
PSP is an audio software developer based in Jozefoslaw, Poland, that has been crafting and coding plug-ins for over a decade, including the awesomely bizarre N2O multieffects plug-in that we looked at in our September 2011 issue, as well as a healthy collection of eqs, compressors and more.
While most plug-in manufacturers tend to focus on one-to-one recreations of classic and vintage hardware, PSP instead chose to model the components and circuitry of said boxes and then create vintage-flavored designs that never existed in the real world; the best-known of these is the VintageWarmer, and more recently the OldTimer compressor (reviewed here in August 2010).
This time around we look at PSP's latest offering, dubbed the NobleQ. Take just a passing glance at NobleQ's GUI and its inspiration is instantly apparent. This is PSP's take on a classic passive program equalizer-what most of us would know as a Pultec eq, which in reality was a brand and not a style (we reviewed the reissued hardware Pultec in our October 2011 issue)...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Cerwin-Vega! XD3 Powered Desktop Speakers
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Cerwin-Vega! XD3 Powered Desktop Speakers |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Affordable little speakers with the mighty Cerwin-Vega! roar.
Readers who have been in the industry for a while will know the name of Cerwin-Vega!, and those who don't will probably wonder why there's an exclamation point in......Expand
Affordable little speakers with the mighty Cerwin-Vega! roar.
Readers who have been in the industry for a while will know the name of Cerwin-Vega!, and those who don't will probably wonder why there's an exclamation point in the company name. Well, if you've ever heard Cerwin-Vega! bass bins in a live venue PA system, you'd know. There's a reason why the company refers to itself as "The LOUD Speaker Company". Cerwin-Vega! products have been known for decades as being among the biggest, baddest and boldest in the live sound arena, and there are entire markets where you're not taken seriously if you don't have Cerwin-Vega! handling the low end of your install.
So when we learned at the recent NAMM Show that Cerwin-Vega! was selling a desktop powered monitor weighing in at a whopping 6.5 pounds per pair, we figured we should learn more...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Once Over -- Reviews in Brief
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Once Over -- Reviews in Brief |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
McDSP LouderLogic; IK Multimedia iRig, iRig Mic, AmpliTube and AmpliTube Fender for iOS, and VocaLive; IsoAcoustics ISO.L8R Monitor Stands... and Presta LevelsIntoDaRed.
McDSP has been in the business of making audio sound b......Expand
McDSP LouderLogic; IK Multimedia iRig, iRig Mic, AmpliTube and AmpliTube Fender for iOS, and VocaLive; IsoAcoustics ISO.L8R Monitor Stands... and Presta LevelsIntoDaRed.
McDSP has been in the business of making audio sound better for a good few years now, first with a wide range of Pro Tools plug-ins and virtual instruments and then with Audio Units plug-ins. We reviewed the 6030 Ultimate Compressor bundle in our February 2012 issue, and we'll be bringing you more reviews of McDSP's toys in months to come.
But I'd like to take a quick second to call your attention to a neat little iOS product from McDSP called LouderLogic. It's not intended for the recording studio, but it addresses a problem that all recording musicians in the modern era have suffered at one time or another -- recreational listening to audio with widely varying dynamics and levels...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Rob Papen eXplorer
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Rob Papen eXplorer |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
This sound-designer's dream package contains four virtual instruments and three effects plug-ins, each a success story in its own right.
It's been way too long since Rob Papen's software has been featured in Recording; Devon......Expand
This sound-designer's dream package contains four virtual instruments and three effects plug-ins, each a success story in its own right.
It's been way too long since Rob Papen's software has been featured in Recording; Devon Brent looked at the Predator software synthesizer in our September 2008 issue, and lots has happened since then. Fortunately, Rob's bundled a lot of his coolest products into an easy-to-install bundle called eXplorer, and in reviewing it we can cover a lot of ground and get our readers caught up on much of what this innovative designer has to offer.
eXplorer provides a single serial number and installer for a collection of four software synthesizers -- Blue, RG, SubBoomBass, and Predator -- and three effects plug-ins -- PredatorFX, RP-Delay, and RP-Verb. That's a lot of territory to cover, so let's go!...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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2012 Winter NAMM Show Report
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Written by
Mike Metlay with Paul Vnuk Jr., Lorenz Rychner, and Beto Hale
2012 Winter NAMM Show Report |
Written by
Mike Metlay with Paul Vnuk Jr., Lorenz Rychner, and Beto Hale
Lots and lots of new faces and new products in Anaheim, and we bring you the highlights.
The Anaheim Convention Center once again played host to the Winter NAMM Show on January 19-22, packed to the rafters with musical instr......Expand
Lots and lots of new faces and new products in Anaheim, and we bring you the highlights.
The Anaheim Convention Center once again played host to the Winter NAMM Show on January 19-22, packed to the rafters with musical instruments, educational materials, and lots and lots of pro audio gear. The cautious optimism of recent years continues, and we saw a lot of new faces at NAMM this year, as well as the return of companies that had skipped the show for one or more years.
We can't fit everything in this report, and apologize to anyone we've missed. Check out our January 2012 coverage of the AES show, which featured the latest new products by many companies that showed them again at NAMM. And check our Facebook page for lots of photos from the show as well...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Noises In -- Noises Out
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Written by
Brian Gadson
Noises In -- Noises Out |
Written by
Brian Gadson
An experienced studio designer advises on ways to keep your music inside your studio-and outside noises out of your studio.
You've spent many hours, even days, putting in layers of drywall, insulation, and anything else your......Expand
An experienced studio designer advises on ways to keep your music inside your studio-and outside noises out of your studio.
You've spent many hours, even days, putting in layers of drywall, insulation, and anything else your budget allowed, to stop sound from escaping and -- just as importantly -- from entering your studio. But, maddeningly, you keep asking yourself, "Where is that sound coming from?" And, just as maddeningly, your neighbors tell you, "We can hear you..." (and that's how the nice neighbors put it).
In my line of work, I am often the one who gets calls from folks suffering exactly those problems. I go and check on the callers' soundproofing issues, and more often than not I find the problems in one or more of these three areas: Doors and window seals, electrical outlet and switch boxes, and air conditioning/heating vents and ducts. They either were overlooked altogether, or not adequately addressed.
Many of you are trying to get that perfect studio room in your house to work, and some may be fortunate enough to have a separate structure in the backyard. Either way, there is hope here, with a budget in mind. I would like to touch on these three problem areas, in hopes of helping the next person celebrate their hard work instead of going into a mantra of newly thought-up expletives....
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 4: Introduction To Microphones -- Part One (History and Design)
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Written by
Eric Ferguson
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 4: Introduction To Microphones -- Part One (History and Design) |
Written by
Eric Ferguson
Microphones have always been the most basic tools for recording. This month we begin an in-depth look at what makes them work the way they do.
No single item is more emblematic of the art and science of recording than the mi......Expand
Microphones have always been the most basic tools for recording. This month we begin an in-depth look at what makes them work the way they do.
No single item is more emblematic of the art and science of recording than the microphone. Naturally, audio engineers obsess over mics, and this passion reflects regularly in the pages of this magazine. Month after month, articles and advertisements compare and review and promote the subjective and quantifiable attributes of one microphone or another.
This month, in Fundamentals, I lend my voice to the crowd. If you're new to audio and are curious about microphones, this one's for you. If you are experienced with mics, you may also want to read on, as a review of microphone technology can always give further insight into what mic might be sound best in one situation or another...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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The Science And Art Of Ambisonics
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Written by
Scott Dorsey
The Science And Art Of Ambisonics |
Written by
Scott Dorsey
Can a single mic capture an entire room with perfect imaging? Yes, if it's the right sort of mic.
I think people should be interested in ambisonics, which is a very interesting way of recording accurate stereo and surround f......Expand
Can a single mic capture an entire room with perfect imaging? Yes, if it's the right sort of mic.
I think people should be interested in ambisonics, which is a very interesting way of recording accurate stereo and surround from a single point in space. It's been around for 30 years, but it's of special interest now that there is relatively inexpensive ambisonic recording gear out there and that recording the multiple tracks required has become quite cheap. Michael Schulze has mentioned it a couple of times in his recent articles about Mid/Side stereo recording, saying, "If you think this stuff is cool, check out ambisonic.net for something even cooler." I agree...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Do It Yourself: Make Your Own Check Mix Monitor
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Written by
Scott Dorsey
Do It Yourself: Make Your Own Check Mix Monitor |
Written by
Scott Dorsey
This handy mono check-mix speaker can be built in a few minutes for a bit over fifty dollars, but the new viewpoint it gives you for your mixes can be priceless.
It's important to know what your material is going to sound li......Expand
This handy mono check-mix speaker can be built in a few minutes for a bit over fifty dollars, but the new viewpoint it gives you for your mixes can be priceless.
It's important to know what your material is going to sound like on a wide variety of different speakers, and to that end a lot of folks over the years have built "check mix" monitors for use in the studio alongside the full range speakers.
These monitors are intended to sound like low-grade consumer speakers, to give you some notion of what the music is like on low-grade speakers. They tend to be bright but exaggerate the midrange and to deal very poorly with very low bass. That can be a big help when you're trying to figure out how to balance the low end on a recording.
Popular check mix monitors over the years have included the Yamaha NS-10, the little 3" cuing speaker available as an option on the Ampex ATR-102 tape decks, and the Auratone 5C Cubes. The Auratones, often called "Horrortones" were small drivers in cubical cabinets that did a surprisingly good job of modelling the sound from a portable TV set and consequently were very popular with the TV sound guys. Currently there are a few popular ones available including the Triple P Pyramid monitors, but the common ones are long gone.
So, I decided to come up with an inexpensive and easy to build check mix monitor speaker that would be very consistent from unit to unit. This means if you build one, and your friend builds one, they will sound the same and you can go to his studio and expect the same sound you're getting. Consistency is actually very important in a check mix monitor, because in a lot of cases when you use them, you're listening for the speaker going wrong...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Fade Out
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Written by
Steve Bowman
Fade Out |
Written by
Steve Bowman
Do You Need To Hire A Studio Drummer?
As the old adage says: You can get it fast, good, or cheap... pick two. Nowhere is that more applicable than when hiring a session drummer. Sometimes you can get a pretty good drum track......Expand
Do You Need To Hire A Studio Drummer?
As the old adage says: You can get it fast, good, or cheap... pick two. Nowhere is that more applicable than when hiring a session drummer. Sometimes you can get a pretty good drum track on a shoestring budget. Sometimes you can get a decent take from an inexperienced player. And sometimes you can afford to keep trying until you get a drum track you are happy with -- no matter how long it takes!
But if you spend very much time writing and recording, you may eventually come up with a song that needs a big, strong drum performance, or a really subtle feel, or that has to be "in the can" before the horn section arrives at noon! Eventually, you may decide to call on the services of a pro. Here then is what you need to know when hiring a session drummer to come to your studio...
Read more in the April 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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