Archives
October 2012
Before we get to what's happening in our October 2012 issue, we'd like to share with you an email we received in commemoration of this, our 25th Anniversary:
Congratulations to Recording magazine on this milestone! I'd like to give a special nod to my friends Lorenz, Mike, and the entire staff of Recording for a job well done, but also to the tens of thousands of Recording readers, who during the past quarter-century turned to this amazing resource as they honed their skills in the art and science of audio production. Thanks for a great job, and here's to 25 more years of success. You guys rock!
-George Petersen, noted audio author/journalist/producer and editor of Front Of House Magazine
We're proud to be celebrating our Silver Anniversary with our readers, and proud that respected professionals like George (longtime editor of Mix) are sharing our celebration with us with such kind words. But as nice as the kudos can be, there's a lot more to the October 2012 issue of Recording: a special issue for the AES Convention with an emphasis on Mixing.
Experienced mixers who'd like to hear about the tricks and tools of an established pro will get a lot from Scott Petito's article on his mixing methods, used to create a long list of award-winning albums. And novices just getting their feet wet will appreciate our look at the basics of mix theory by respected engineer and educator Joe Albano. We interview A-list Los Angeles songwriter/producer Celeste Lear, and learn a bit about how she bring her own special magic to her productions.
This issue also offers a slate of impressive reviews, from AEA's amazing KU4 directional ribbon mic and the handmade-with-love Edwards Audio Research LE-10 mic preamp to products from Dangerous Music, Grace Design, Mojave Audio, Nomad Factory, PreSonus, Roland, Slate Digital, and Toontrack -- over a dozen products in all!
The issue wraps up with Recording Fundamentals with an in-depth look at signal flow in the studio, Readers' Tapes with Marty Peters, our usual monthly columns... and, yes, a 25-year retrospective on the recent history and possible future of recording technology. But one thing about the future is certain: for excellent recording content, the choice is -- as it always has been -- Recording: The Magazine For The Recording Musician!
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?
Grace Design m502 500-Series Optical Compressor
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Grace Design m502 500-Series Optical Compressor |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Clean optical compression in a neat 500-Series format.
Grace Design is a Colorado-based company best known for high-end, ultra-clean microphone preamps and mastering-grade monitor controllers. Back in July of 2010 we looked ......Expand
Clean optical compression in a neat 500-Series format.
Grace Design is a Colorado-based company best known for high-end, ultra-clean microphone preamps and mastering-grade monitor controllers. Back in July of 2010 we looked at the m501, an adaptation of their m101 microphone preamp for the API 500 series format.
This time around we evaluate their second 500-Series device, the m502 Optical Compressor. This compressor circuit first came to market back in 2010 as part of Grace Design's m103 channel strip (reviewed October 2011), alongside a 101 preamp and a 3-band parametric EQ (which I am also hoping will make its way to the 500-series format someday). It's also available in a half-rack format as the m102. Both units are functionally and sonically identical, so everything in this review should similarly apply to that unit unless noted...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Edwards Audio Research LE-10 Mic Preamp
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Edwards Audio Research LE-10 Mic Preamp |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
A new maker hand-builds a very sexy mic pre.
The LE-10 Microphone Preamp is a new 2-channel vacuum tube mic pre from Edwards Audio Research, a brand new company. The LE-10 comes in both single- and dual-channel configuration......Expand
A new maker hand-builds a very sexy mic pre.
The LE-10 Microphone Preamp is a new 2-channel vacuum tube mic pre from Edwards Audio Research, a brand new company. The LE-10 comes in both single- and dual-channel configurations; it was designed by Bill Bruins and Paul Edwards and is hand-built by Paul Edwards in Norwalk, CA. This is about as boutique as it gets!...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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AEA KU4 Unidirectional Ribbon Microphone
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Reviewed by
Scott Dorsey
AEA KU4 Unidirectional Ribbon Microphone |
Reviewed by
Scott Dorsey
A near-forgotten legend is reborn with modern build quality.
Most of the time, reviewing replica and reissue products is easy. You get the "Pultec-like" equalizer, you put it on the bench next to a Pultec, and compare the tw......Expand
A near-forgotten legend is reborn with modern build quality.
Most of the time, reviewing replica and reissue products is easy. You get the "Pultec-like" equalizer, you put it on the bench next to a Pultec, and compare the two. With microphones it can get a bit more difficult, since sometimes microphones change with age (and sometimes people like the changes with age and sometimes they don't), but you still have a reference point...
The problem with doing that in this review is that with the KU4, Wes Dooley of Audio Engineering Associates (AEA) has adapted the design from the RCA KU3A microphone, and hardly anyone has ever seen an actual KU3A. Whereas the 77 and 44 microphones could be found in every radio station and studio in the country, the KU3A was a small production product of which RCA Photophone made two runs of under 300 units each for the film industry....
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Reviewed and Revisited: PreSonus Interface Cascading
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Reviewed and Revisited: PreSonus Interface Cascading |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Networking technology lets you turn several interfaces into one big one.
In addition to their solid sound and build quality, PreSonus interfaces offer a host of handy features, one of which is the focus of this little articl......Expand
Networking technology lets you turn several interfaces into one big one.
In addition to their solid sound and build quality, PreSonus interfaces offer a host of handy features, one of which is the focus of this little article. This feature, which PreSonus calls interface cascading, offers a simple way to expand your studio if you come to need more inputs or outputs than your current interface supports.
PreSonus pioneered cascading with the INSPIRE 1394 FireWire audio interface (reviewed December 2006), and other manufacturers have followed suit with their own interfaces -- read your manual to see if your interface does something similar. Cascading lets two FireWire interfaces connected in a chain act as one big interface for your DAW....
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Plug-in Outlet: Nomad Factory MAGMA
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Reviewed by
Devon Brent
Plug-in Outlet: Nomad Factory MAGMA |
Reviewed by
Devon Brent
A modular effects processing environment with flexibility and great sound.
Nomad Factory's MAGMA Virtual Studio Rack is an effects-processing wrapper that includes a total of 65 modules for processing audio-see the list in t......Expand
A modular effects processing environment with flexibility and great sound.
Nomad Factory's MAGMA Virtual Studio Rack is an effects-processing wrapper that includes a total of 65 modules for processing audio-see the list in the sidebar. But what really makes MAGMA special, in addition to the sheer number and variety of its effects, is its semi-modular routing ability. You can load in up to 16 processors in four racks with four positions apiece. From there, all the racks can be routed in six different ways with a variety of serial and parallel processing configurations...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Roland R-MIX
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Roland R-MIX |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Fascinating results from a visual approach to manipulating audio.
Roland's first software product, R-MIX, provides users with a set of interesting and intuitive tools for audio editing, repair, and remixing. It combines Rola......Expand
Fascinating results from a visual approach to manipulating audio.
Roland's first software product, R-MIX, provides users with a set of interesting and intuitive tools for audio editing, repair, and remixing. It combines Roland's established VariPhrase engine for formant-preserving pitch and time alteration with a new technology that Roland calls V-Remastering: a visual approach to sound editing, based on an animated display of frequency spectrum and pan over time...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Dangerous Music Bax EQ
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Dangerous Music Bax EQ |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
The famous Baxandall tone-shaping curves at your fingertips.
Dangerous Music is best known as manufacturer of high-end monitoring and summing solutions such as the Dangerous Monitor ST/SR, Dangerous D-Box and Dangerous 2-Bus......Expand
The famous Baxandall tone-shaping curves at your fingertips.
Dangerous Music is best known as manufacturer of high-end monitoring and summing solutions such as the Dangerous Monitor ST/SR, Dangerous D-Box and Dangerous 2-Bus among others. This month we evaluate its first equalizer, the Dangerous Bax EQ, which (as its name suggests) makes use of Peter Baxandall's famous 1950s equalization curves.
The Baxandall eq curve is similar to a standard shelving eq, but it's more gentle and sloping with a very wide Q. As such it is better suited for broad-stroke sonic sweetening versus the tighter and precise modern shelves most of us use for cutting and boosting.
Traditionally, Bax curves have found the most use in the bass and treble controls on home hi-fi equipment and car stereos. Often they were combined into a single tone control where increasing the low shelf proportionately decreases the high shelf and vice versa...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Plug-in Outlet: Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Plug-in Outlet: Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machines |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
The sound of multitrack and half-track tape in your DAW, smooth and easy.
Virtual Tape Machines, VTM for short, is the latest plug-in creation from Slate Digital. Designed and coded by Steven Slate and French circuit modelin......Expand
The sound of multitrack and half-track tape in your DAW, smooth and easy.
Virtual Tape Machines, VTM for short, is the latest plug-in creation from Slate Digital. Designed and coded by Steven Slate and French circuit modeling guru Fabrice Gabriel, VTM is made to add the sound, anomalies and nuance of analog tape inside your DAW.
Analog tape plug-ins have become one of the new modeling trends of the past few years. VTM goes further than competitors offering a single virtual machine -- VTM offers a choice of two completely different tape machines, with the simple flick of a switch....
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Reviewed and Revisited: Toontrack EZmix 2
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Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
Reviewed and Revisited: Toontrack EZmix 2 |
Reviewed by
Mike Metlay
The handy multieffects mix-assistant gets new modules, new presets, and new applications. Also reviewed: six new EZmix Packs.
In our December 2011 issue, we reviewed Toontrack's EZmix, a preset-based multi-effects plug-in (d......Expand
The handy multieffects mix-assistant gets new modules, new presets, and new applications. Also reviewed: six new EZmix Packs.
In our December 2011 issue, we reviewed Toontrack's EZmix, a preset-based multi-effects plug-in (developed in conjunction with effects gurus Overloud) that's designed to quickly help the user find an appropriate effects chain for any recording application. Users browse and select presets based on easily-understood criteria, and each preset offers a preconfigured chain of effects with basic controls that let the user quickly tweak his sounds to taste.
EZmix's utility is expanded by EZmix Packs, presets that are either created with a particular musical genre or application in mind or are inspired by the personal tastes of famous producers who lend their skills to the program. In our previous review, we looked at the first seven EZmix Packs: collections from famed mixmeisters Chuck Ainlay and Mark Needham, as well as genre-savvy Packs for Electronic, Metal, Modern Pop/Rock, Rock, and Songwriters' Tools.
Toontrack recently raised the ante with EZmix 2. Let's take a look at what's new in the latest version, and while we're at it, we'll take a spin through some of the new EZmix Packs on offer....
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Mojave Audio MA-301fet
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Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
Mojave Audio MA-301fet |
Reviewed by
Paul Vnuk Jr.
A multipattern solid-state mic that redefines "sounds great on everything".
In our January 2012 issue we looked at Mojave Audio's MA-300 large-diaphragm tube condenser microphone, the new multi-pattern version of Mojave's or......Expand
A multipattern solid-state mic that redefines "sounds great on everything".
In our January 2012 issue we looked at Mojave Audio's MA-300 large-diaphragm tube condenser microphone, the new multi-pattern version of Mojave's original cardioid-only MA-200 (reviewed January 2007). Similarly, the brand new MA-301fet under review today is the multi-pattern partner to Mojave's solid-state cardioid-only MA-201fet (reviewed December 2009). If you are unfamiliar with Mojave Audio, it is ribbon guru David Royer's other microphone company, home to all of his non-ribbon designs.
A common theme at both Royer and Mojave is that essentially each line contains a signature microphone or two, and then all subsequent models are variants of that design. The MA-301 uses the same body, head amp, and Jensen transformer as the MA-201, and the same double-sided capsule as the MA-300. (Similarly, the MA-200 and MA-300 share the same head amp/tube stage and Jensen transformer.)
And just as the MA-300 extended upon the features of the MA-200, the new MA-301fet adds features beyond just the multiple pattern choices of figure-8, cardioid and omni...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Celeste Lear
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Interviewed by
Beto Hale
Celeste Lear |
Interviewed by
Beto Hale
This versatile musician/producer/DJ discusses her approach to music production, to getting a great mix, and to motivation that leads to success.
We recently revisited with fiercely independent electronic music producer, reco......Expand
This versatile musician/producer/DJ discusses her approach to music production, to getting a great mix, and to motivation that leads to success.
We recently revisited with fiercely independent electronic music producer, record label owner, DJ and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist, Celeste Lear. Back in September 2008 issue, Celeste contributed an article on vocal treatments. She still runs the Boutique Electronic Records label out of her very small but astoundingly productive studio in the artsy, quirky and edgy Venice, California.
To date Celeste has released three CDs and has achieved song placement on over 30 compilation CDs, television, independent films and commercials. She has a degree in sound engineering and music business, and has worked as a music supervisor and operated her own mobile event sound and DJ business. She is a tenacious musician and businesswoman who mixes pop, electronica, dance and world music styles to create her very own sound, and we wanted to know how she does it...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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A Silver Celebration -- 25 Years Of Recording!
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Written by
The Editors of RECORDING
A Silver Celebration -- 25 Years Of Recording! |
Written by
The Editors of RECORDING
A galaxy of music-industry movers and shakers join us in looking back -- and into the future. Come on in, the champagne is on us!
Time flies when you're having fun, and a lot of fun was had by recording musicians during thos......Expand
A galaxy of music-industry movers and shakers join us in looking back -- and into the future. Come on in, the champagne is on us!
Time flies when you're having fun, and a lot of fun was had by recording musicians during those last 25 years. Things were getting easier, cheaper, better -- but do we appreciate how far we've come? We asked for opinions about the most helpful developments, also the most astonishing "who'd-a-thunk-it" items, and-what were the biggest changes in production and distribution of music?
Here are the whittled-down replies, hand-picked by the Editors from the flood of responses for which we are eternally grateful...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Approaching The Mix
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Written by
Joe Albano
Approaching The Mix |
Written by
Joe Albano
We know that mixing engineers have their favorite ways to start mixing... but if you're new to mixing, how do you craft an approach that works well for you?
When it comes to mixing, everyone has their own theory as to how be......Expand
We know that mixing engineers have their favorite ways to start mixing... but if you're new to mixing, how do you craft an approach that works well for you?
When it comes to mixing, everyone has their own theory as to how best to approach the task, and their own unique method for getting the job done (for one individual's particular take on the subject, see the article by Scott Petito on page 60 of this issue). But how does someone arrive at their own individual methodology, and will the same techniques apply for every song or project that comes down the pike? In this piece we'll look at some of the considerations that might come into play when developing and perfecting one's own approach to the mix.
Probably the most common questions I get from students and others trying to get a handle on mixing are "How do I start -- what should I do first?", and then "In what order should I go through the tracks?" Of course, there's no one answer (never mind one "right" answer) for any of that, so I'll talk about various options, starting with some of the things that should typically be addressed up front in the mixing process -- some fairly obvious, others less so...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Mixing -- Rethinking The Process
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Written by
Scott Petito
Mixing -- Rethinking The Process |
Written by
Scott Petito
A highly respected engineer walks us through a mix and explains what works well, and why.
I consider mixing an exercise in space, time and dynamics. But before the mix I always take care of some practicalities, noting for yo......Expand
A highly respected engineer walks us through a mix and explains what works well, and why.
I consider mixing an exercise in space, time and dynamics. But before the mix I always take care of some practicalities, noting for you readers that while I work in Pro Tools, the basic ideas will apply to almost any DAW.
I like to start my mixes by first organizing my tracks -- a somewhat obvious step, but it really helps to lay things out in a logical order. I started working on physical consoles and tape and my practice stems from that experience. I still lay out my Pro Tools sessions the way I would if I was working with tape...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 10: Signal Flow Part 2
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Written by
Eric Ferguson
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 10: Signal Flow Part 2 |
Written by
Eric Ferguson
We follow our audio signal as it travels through the mixer and into our monitors, and understand the twists and turns it may take along the way.
In last month's installment of Fundamentals, I discussed the path of an audio s......Expand
We follow our audio signal as it travels through the mixer and into our monitors, and understand the twists and turns it may take along the way.
In last month's installment of Fundamentals, I discussed the path of an audio signal as it travels from a sound source through a preamp and to an audio recorder, through the various stages of a professional audio console. Continuing on, this month's chapter investigates the signal's route back from the recorder and through the console's monitor path toward the control room loudspeakers...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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Fade Out
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Written by
Mike Metlay
Fade Out |
Written by
Mike Metlay
Where Do We Go From Here?
Editorial by Mike Metlay
As we wrap this issue, I'd like to have my turn making the "birthday wish", and talk about what I'd like to see happening in recording in the coming years. My wish is that th......Expand
Where Do We Go From Here?
Editorial by Mike Metlay
As we wrap this issue, I'd like to have my turn making the "birthday wish", and talk about what I'd like to see happening in recording in the coming years. My wish is that the process of recording would continue to become easier... but in all the right ways.
Consider where we've come from. In 1987, multitracking was mostly on analog tape machines... at the high end were the wide-format reel-to-reels that "analog purists" still use and love today, but home recordists were stuck with cassettes or narrow-format reels (16 tracks on 1/2" of tape!) with specs that were usable but not stellar. Digital multitrack tape machines were rare and fantastically expensive, and we were fine with the idea of a PCM converter box letting you stripe 2-track digital audio on a Betamax or VHS videocassette at 14-bit resolution... because hey, it was digital, and even 14-bit digital was a darn sight better than most cassette recorders, right?
Since then, it's continually gotten cheaper and easier for us to record better sound. From analog tape in the 1990s, through a brief but very productive flirtation with videocassette-based digital machines, then into desktop hard disk recorders and CD burners, and finally onto the personal computer, we have seen resolution and sample rate go up, cost come down, and flexibility and features explode exponentially. The DAW has become a one-stop shop to track, edit, mix, and release albums, and the Internet lets us put our music anywhere instantly.
Modern production methods have made everything easier to afford at higher quality, from mics to mixers to effects... and we have data storage networks, sample libraries, virtual instruments, and entire production methods that didn't even exist as science fiction 25 years ago, all easy to get and easy to get into.
But what else have we gotten in this rush of fantastic technology? We've gotten a whole raft of tools that can be used to speed and enhance the recording process... or abused to take uninspired, sloppy, amateurish, or just plain bad performances and massage them into something that could be construed as "listenable"...
Read more in the October 2012 issue of RECORDING!
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