analyzing the Beatles' audio

a cool read/listen/look!

• http://waxy.org/2009/10/audio_analysis_of_the_beatles_multitrack_masters/
• http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=d7d3850207f1f48895af63b7d44918aaad61dc7f2962ed58
• http://recordingthebeatles.com/

there's something very attractive about magnetic tape - no pun intended

i've done a little experiment. i decided that - hey, before i'm going to master this sucker i'm going to record the mix-down to a normal analogue tape cassette (compact cassette). then once it's on tape i'm going to record it back into logic with a little analogue hardware compression, a samson s-com 4 (-2db threshold). then layer it under the digital recording so that you can just hear it but not so much that it change the mix-bus compression... man do i like the effect!!!! it's just - and i hate it when people say it - warmer sounding. maybe it's all in the mind but there's something cool and funky about the result. try it...

here's a cool read if you're a history fan like me.

higher/prominent cheekbones

maybe it's just me but i think the higher/prominent your cheekbones are the more you've got a chance to be famous and successful. look around and you'll see what i mean...

electronic musician & disc makers present: the complete recording guide

description: "Disc Makers and Electronic Musician have teamed up to produce The Complete Recording Guide, a Personal Studio Series publication packed with tips and articles designed for anyone involved in audio recording. Whether you're a musician, engineer, or producer, you'll benefit from the in-depth information about digital workstations, preparing a master, post production, and more."

you can download it here. i hope it's worth it!

tonedeaf?

are you tonedeaf? well you can test it with this nifty little flash app... good luck!

i was well chuffed with my 83.3% :)

all the best for 2010

i'm really sorry i've been so quiet the past couple of weeks. thing is the web development company i work got liquidated and now i'm running around to find some web work to survive until something permanent comes up. i'll have to move to a cheaper house as well - will send pics of the new studio layout. anyway, i wish you all the best for 2010 and hopefully it's going to be a blast and a year to remember. cheers!

compressor settings

i don't know about you but when i started recording i didn't have a clue what to set the compressor to when i record a specific instrument. here are a few guidelines.

note that these are the settings for recording an instrument, so you don't want to squeeze the hell out of your signal. you just want to tame the peaks but still leave enough dynamics for the mixing stage.

guitar/bass: set the ratio 4:1 and adjust the threshold until you get a gain reduction of about 10db on the loudest parts.

drum overheads: set the ratio 6:1 and adjust the threshold until you get a gain reduction of about 20db to 22db on the loudest parts. you can use the same settings for the snare and toms. (if i record the drum set i always use the recorderman technique) and then put a mic on the snare and bass... just in case.

vocals: set the ratio 4:1 and adjust the threshold until you get a gain reduction of about 6db on the loudest parts.

mix bus compression: set the ratio 2:1 and adjust the threshold until you get a gain reduction of about 2db on the loudest parts.

attack and release: my hardware compressor doesn't have knobs for these but if yours does i'd say use your ears. you don't want the attack to kill the transients and you don't want the release holding it too long or not long enough, depending on the application and source. so use your ears.

note that the above are just a few guidelines - so tweak to taste but remember to leave enough dynamics for the mixing stage.

my album on iTunes!

at last!!!! my album is on iTunes. i've worked pretty hard on this one... even drew the cover :)

audio interface - to usB or not usB

if i could choose again i would definitely go for USB over FireWire (IEEE 1394 interface). sure FireWire has a faster sustained throughput but it's very finicky as well. it will give you way more problems if you haven't got a Texas Instruments FireWire chipset. which means that if i upgrade to a new Macbook Pro, i'll be stuffed because Mac doesn't use Texas Instruments FireWire chipsets anymore. and that means that i'll struggle with pops and clicks again. now if i had a USB audio interface i wouldn't even have noticed the transition to a new machine. if i knew this when i first bought my gear i would have picked USB. sure FireWire will provide the fastest performance - if you've got a compatible chipset and if it's 800 and not 400 - but for convenience and compatibility between multiple computers and audio interfaces USB 2.0 would probably be the better choice because FireWire's extra speed is just not worth the hassle.

Toontrack SD2.2

before i tell you how i went about adding the NIR Z midi folder i just want to tell you this... if you've got superior drummer 2.0 don't upgrade to 2.2 because then you can install Hit Factory and it will work without authorization!! now don't get me wrong. i hate it when people steal software, music or movies. if you do that - you only want noise around you to break the silence. if you really appreciate the music you'll buy it out of appreciation and respect for the art and artist. anyhow... if they make a mistake like this then they didn't really care if i use it or not. i did upgrade though so i can't use it any more but it was nice to demo. if you don't upgrade then you can't see the groove library in the midi groove browser.

anyway, they did give instructions on how to install the NIR Z files but it doesn't seem to work for me. so i had to take the long way... by browsing to the folder on the mac and pasting it there in a folder that i've created. see images above.