EQ Magazine Feburary 2010

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10NEW TOOLS FOR MAKING BETTER MIXES
YEASAYERS GUIDE
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EDITORS AND FLOOD
ON GETTING HUGE
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MAKE MUSIC
Ableton Suite 8 and Ableton Live 8
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FEATURES
18 NORAH JONES
Norah Jones wanted to explore a darker, stranger
sound for The Fall and got just that from producer
Jacquire King and engineer Brad Bivens. The trio
discusses recording with a rotating cast of musicians,
Jones vintage mic collection, live vocal takes, pro-
gramming unusual textures in preproduction, and
overcoming demo-itis.
28 EDITORS
Tired of pushing a guitar-centric agenda in their
music, Editors pulled synths to the forefront for
their latest album, In This Light and on This
Evening. Producer Flood and Editors Russell
Leetch and Chris Urbanowicz talk about making
synths dirty, recording in big spaces, and appreci-
ating imperfections.
PUNCH IN
8 YEASAYER
10 JAMES PANTS
12 BLOCKHEAD
13 LAURA VEIRS
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CONTENTS
FEBRUARY 10
TECHNIQUES
34 GUITAR
Taming the Wild Leslie Cabinet
36 BASS
Favorite Studio Gear of the Stars
38 DRUMS
Big Boom in Small Places
39 VOCALS
Omnidirectional Bliss
42 TRACKING
Too Much Information
GEARHEAD
48 ROUNDUP: THE RULES OF THE MIXING GAME ARE
CHANGINGcheck out our exclusive tips, and
reviews of Waves Vocal Rider, iZotope Alloy,
Focusrite Scarlett plug-in suite, Cakewalk V-Studio
100, and three hot Universal Audio plugs.
62 GADGETS Shure X2u USB mic adapter, Zoom H4n
recorder, Monster Turbine Pro Copper earbuds
POWER APP ALLEY
44 PRESONUS STUDIO ONE PRO
46 NATIVE INSTRUMENTS GUITAR RIG 4
DEPARTMENTS
6 TALK BOX A Light at the End of the Torrent?
16 TOOLBOX
66 ROOM WITH A VU Rhyme Cartel Studios
Cover photo by Autumn DeWilde
from denisbul
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A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TORRENT?
From the extreme of the RIAA suing someones mom for a
zillion bucks, to big-name artists giving away music for
free, digital technology has turned the music industry on
its earand revenues have spiraled down year after year,
while illegal downloads kept accelerating.
So it was significant when the Guardian (UK) ran the
following headline: Sweden Sees Music Sales Soar After
Crackdown on Filesharing. From April 2009 (when strict
anti-file-sharing laws were put into place and judges ruled
against Pirate Bay) to November 2009, sales of music
went up 18% after seven straight years of decline.
Case closed, right? Bring out the stick, and sales
magically go up.
But hold on a second. Sales of physical media were
only 9% of that increase; paid digital downloads
accounted for a whopping 80%. Interestingly, coincident
with the crackdown, several new legal, digital download
options (like Spotify) appeared. This adds credence to
the theory that one reason for file-sharing is a paucity of
legitimate, appealing, economical options for digital
downloads. Sure, the Swedish experience doesnt mean
the end of stealing; but if it signals the start of people
gravitating toward legit download sitesfree of viruses,
awkward interfaces, and the chance of getting busted
thats a good thing.
However, this also underscores just how badly the
music biz blew it back in the days of Napster by pretend-
ing that file-sharing didnt exist, instead of embracing it
and innovating (remember, it was a computer company
that came up with a viable model for selling music online).
Record labels had resourcesback catalogs, alternate
takes, 360 artist deals, and much morethey could have
exploited to create ultra-cool online buying sites that
would have squashed the torrents. But they didnt, and
theyve paid dearly. Sure, we need the stick to keep peo-
ple from breaking the law; but perhaps even more impor-
tantly, we also need the carrot to give people a strong
incentive not to break the law.
Whats happening in Sweden suggests that maybe the
traditional record companies are not at their greatest risk
from the admittedly problematic pirates, but from smart,
legitimate competitors with new ideas and sales models.
Stay tuned; this story isnt over yet.
EQ FEBRUARY 2010 www.eqmag.com 6
www.eqmag.com Vol. 21 No. 2, February 2010
Executive Editor Craig Anderton, canderton@musicplayer.com
Editor Kylee Swenson, eqeditor@musicplayer.com
Managing Editor Debbie Greenberg, dgreenberg@musicplayer.com
Contributors Kent Carmical, Ken Micallef, John Payne, Mosi Reeves,
Mike Rozkin, Patrick Sisson
Art Director Patrick Wong, pwong@musicplayer.com
Staff Photographers Paul Haggard, phaggard@musicplayer.com,
Craig Anderton, canderton@musicplayer.com
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jperry@musicplayer.com, 770.343.9978
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Business Dev. Greg Sutton
gsutton@musicplayer.com, 925.425.9967
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jsullivan@musicplayer.com, 661.255.2719
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amargolis@musicplayer.com, 949.582.2753
Specialty Sales Associate, North Reggie Singh
rsingh@musicplayer.com, 650.238.0296
Specialty Sales Associate, South Will Sheng
wsheng@musicplayer.com, 650.238.0325
Production Manager Beatrice Kim
MUSIC PLAYER NETWORK
Vice President John Pledger
Editorial Director Michael Molenda
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Production Department Manager Beatrice Kim
Director of Sales Operations Lauren Gerber
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PUNCH
IN
SONIC
OPTIONS
Yeasayer Edits and Processes Sounds
Into Oblivion for Odd Blood
BY PATRICK SISSON
After a season spent playing songs
from their woozy, soaring debut, All
Hours Cymbal, at outdoor festivals,
Brooklyns Yeasayer wanted to record
a sophomore album that was bold
enough for the big stage. Odd Blood
[Secretly Canadian], the result of a
stretched-out yet deliberate recording
process, reflects the bands constant
tinkering and drive to one-up their
electric debut.
There was so much creativity in
creating new sounds, engineer Britt
Myers says. Ive done sound design
and a lot of music mixing and engi-
neering, and this was really the first
record that combined both of those
backgrounds.
Vocalist/guitarist Anand Wilder,
vocalist/keyboardist Chris Keating,
and bassist Ira Wolf Tuton began with
a set of initial demos, some recorded
as early as 2007. They reworked
them in a rented house in
Woodstock, New York, owned by
drummer Jerry Marotta (Peter
Gabriel) before re-recording and mix-
ing with Myers at Great City Produc-
tions in Manhattan. Marottas
relatively remote home studio was
fully wired and boasted a cache of
gear, including Taos drums and vin-
tage synths, such as the Prophet-5
and Prophet-VS, which augmented
the Clavia Nord Lead, Nord Wave, and
Roland XV-5050 used on the album.
But Yeasayer hunkered down with
Pro Tools and a Digi 002, painstak-
ingly laying down and tweaking one
track at a time. Notes blur, melt, and
reform, partially due to the bands
habit of recording to Ableton Live,
then adding glide between notes.
Rome, with its jaunty mix of
spastic keyboards, is an example of
the studio mangling that was
involved. The native piano riff was
chopped up, the attack removed, and
then sent through filters before being
played on another keyboard
altogether by Wilder, who also sped it
up. On Ambling Alp, a Moog MF-102
Ring Modulator and the SoundToys
Crystallizer plug-in, a pitch-shifted
delay, gave extra dimension to the
viscous yet charging sax-propelled
single. And on Madder Red
inspired by the soundtrack to Lost
Boys and the guitar thrashing of War-
ren Ellis, Wilder saysa Gibson ES-335
is threaded through Frostwaves Sonic
Alienator pedal.
Our manager was laughing at us,
Wilder says. He said, You cant seri-
ously consider changing this little love
song. But we wanted to do balls-to-
the-wall production. We thought of it
as making a movie: Get as much
footage as possible with the idea that
later on youd edit the hell out of it.
To anchor the albums unique
sounds, Wilder says the band sought
to emulate hip-hop and dancehall
production, especially Timbaland
tracks. We were trying to get a lot
more bass, aiming for something
more clear and spare, he says. But
Yeasayer (left to right)Chris
Keating, Ira Wolf Tuton, and
Anand Wilder.
from denisbul
from denisbul
www.eqmag.com FEBRUARY 2010 EQ 9
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then we always end up adding more
and more shit.
Low-end theory was consistent on
Odd Blood, even though bass notes
came from both keyboards and Tutons
range of bass guitars, including a Fender
Precision and a G&L Semi-Hollow
ASAT. At Woodstock, synths were
sent directly to Pro Tools, but if Tuton
was playing bass, he would send it
though an Ampeg B-15 flip-top, mic it,
and send it though an API 560 EQ.
Wilder says they removed the attack
and plucking but made sure the
processed sounds didnt get too syn-
thetic. A Peavey Kosmos brought out
extra sub tones.
When Myers was mixing, he ran
bass tracks through the SSL Duality
48-channel analog board and used the
consoles built-in EQ. Hed then send it
through a Neve 33609, a Urei 1176, and
a Moog MF-101 Low Pass Filter.
Id also send it through the Stan-
dard Audio Level-Or for more
crunchsame thing with synthetic
bass, he says. It has this crunchy
compressor that sounds awesome.
Distortion can be a mixed bag. You
can lose control of your mix easily,
and things can sound grainy and
harsh. The Level-Or does a nice job of
keeping things crunchy in a
compressed way.
Myers also amped up percussion to
provide more power to the tracks, and
he uses lots of parallel compression,
alongside an API 2500, to provide
punch and warmth to rhythm tracks.
According to Wilder, the real drums on
certain songs, including Madder Red,
needed the movement of air that the
synthetic pieces were missing.
When you have a band working
with a lot of f**ked-up, lo-fi sounds,
you need to have the power a big kick
or snare brings to the track, Myers
says. If you just have the big stuff, it
sounds clean and generic. Like the rest
of the album, here its all about the
right combination.
PUNCHIN
J
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P
BY MOSI REEVES
James Pants Singleton has befuddled
listeners since his 2008 debut,
Welcome, a cryptic mlange of early
80s boogie R&B and electro. It was
funky, for sure, but it begged the ques-
tion: Was he really serious?
A lot of those songs were from my
college years, says Singleton from his
home in Colorado. Some were really
serious, and some of them were me
just joking around in the studio. But I
wasnt trying to be ironic, and a lot of
people perceived it as such. All my
music is me being a different character,
whether its a doomsday prophet or
some dude trying to pick up chicks. Its
just me trying to create a fantasy.
Seven Seals [Stones Throw], which
Singleton quips is a soundtrack to a
cult, is an attempt to evolve beyond
the electro-fied nonsense of Welcome.
He incorporates a wider palette into his
quirky persona, from the familiar synth-
pop to 70s Christian rock, psychedelia,
and Goth darkwave. Through apocalyp-
tic numbers such as Sky Warning and
Wash to Sea, and with vocal tones
ranging from a low falsetto to a deep,
ominous baritone, Pants portends a
battle between heaven and hell. Influ-
ences include cult horror films such as
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage,
Suspiria, and The Wicker Man.
I was getting a little tired of the
disco-boogie stuff, as much as I love
that genre, he says. I grew up listening
to a lot of psych music. My parents were
both Presbyterian ministers, so Ive
always had a fascination with the end of
the world and that kind of thing.
However, Seven Seals retains Single-
tons playful vibe and appreciation for
novelty, recording his vocals directly
into a built-in microphone on a Pana-
sonic RX-5100 boombox. I just put a
tape in and press record, he says. For
some reason, that boombox has a lot
of compression, so I can be really far
away and sound really close. Singleton
also uses a generic/no brand SM57
knockoff microphone.
Echo and reverb predominates
Seven Seals ghostly sound, which is
due in part to his Roland RE-201 Space
Echo. I use that on almost every
song, he says. Its got a reverb setting
that you can tack up a lot. For added
effect, he relies on the spring reverb
function on his 70s-era Peavey mixing
board, which he bought for $70 at a
pawnshop.
And using a Boss SP-303 Dr. Sam-
ples tape echo and distortion
functions, James mutates his vocals
and applies the reverb function to
instruments he samples. Ive been
using the 303 for so long that I feel
comfortable with it, Singleton says.
Between the 303 and a Dell [Dimen-
sion] XPS T550 Pentium computer, I
can pretty much get anything.
For A Chip in the Hand, Singleton
had saxophonist Paul Flores play
directly into the boombox, resulting in
a strangely muffled sound reminiscent
of Pink Floyds Us and Them. I usu-
ally try to [apply reverb] while Im
recording through the 303 or the
mixer, he says. If not, I use digital
effects with [Sony] Acid after the fact.
Those usually sound real sterile, so I
dont like them, but it worked out with
the saxophone.
For drums, he uses a Gibson
Slingerland Gold Sparkle Jazz kit as a
base. I usually [record drums] with
one microphone and lots of compres-
sion, and then I go back tediously and
add an 808 kick drum under each bass
drum hit because when I do the com-
pression, the bass drum just sounds
too weak, Singleton says. Sometimes
he places the boombox close to the kit
and angles it toward the snares; other
times hell place it several feet away
and jack up the compression setting
on the 303. The farther away I am, it
has a much bigger sound, huge like
John Bonham-style, he adds.
Keyboards in Singletons arsenal
include a Hohner String Performer,
Roland JX-3P, Korg MicroKorg with
vocoder, and a Radio Shack custom-
tone synthesizer he bought for $40.
The Radio Shack synth came in handy
for the simple string-plucked melody
on Seven Seals first single, Thin
Moon. I used the pizzicato strings
preset, and then I put the keyboards
stage setting reverb on it, he says.
Singleton likes to make music as
fast and as cheap as possible so he
doesnt forget any ideas, painting pic-
tures of the visions in his head. I think
Im just more impulsive, he notes. It
can be a completely messed-up sound
quality-wise, but the sound should be
an experience or a fantasy.
DIME-STORE
DARE
James Pants Brazenly Uses a
Boombox to Record His Sonic
Fantasies
James Pants.
from denisbul
PUNCHIN PUNCHIN
BY KYLEE SWENSON
Blockhead, a.k.a. Tony Simon, is a col-
lage artist in the truest sense of the
word. With 85 percent of his sound
coming from samples, his is a differ-
ent kind of talent: It takes a finely
tuned ear to fit together dozens of
sonic puzzle pieces that werent origi-
nally made for one another.
It also requires a lot of patience
and skill to get sounds from various
sources to lock in place and form a
totally new composition. In
Blockheads case, he made it particu-
larly difficult on himself by setting
harsh limitations, including a no time
stretching rule.
But then he fell in love with Able-
ton Live, and his whole process
changed with his fourth solo album
(hes also done production on eight
Aesop Rock albums), The Music Scene
[Ninja Tune]. Ive never used time
stretching before until this album, he
says. It was a lot of trial and error,
but I got it tuned over the years to
really pick out which sounds would
sound good with what.
Using Live, Blockhead opened up a
world of possibilities. I thought by
using time stretching, it takes away
the skill of what Im doing, he says. I
purposely wasnt doing it in the past
because I thought it was cheating. But
on this album I was like, Ive proven
that I can smash samples without
cheating, so let me try to take this to
a new level. Why be held back by
constraints that Im putting on
myself that dont apply to everyone
else? And it made these songs sound
bigger and more epic.
Blockhead still limits himself in
terms of what he samples, though. I
dont really mess with stuff thats
made after like 1982, he says. I just
think thats when the sound of music
changed, and I dont really like that
sound in sampling so much.
He used to go to the 99-cent bins
for records, but these days, hes
searching online because he says
obscure records are out of his price
range. Lately, hes found a wealth of
fodder on rare-music blogs. Mutant
Sounds (mutantsounds.com) for
example, has a blogroll that led him to
other sites. It takes a lot of snooping,
Blockhead says. An hour later, Im 20
steps away from where I started at
something Ive never seen before.
Now he weaves together whole
sections of sounds that previously
had nothing in common. I could
make my whole album one song if I
really wanted to, Blockhead says.
That would be awful, but I probably
could do it.
Instead, hell try meshing two or
three separate beats together (each
one containing various musical and
rhythmic samples), using one particu-
lar sample as an anchor, then pitching
and changing the tempo of the other
samples to fit the main sample. But
even when he can get two sections in
key, if the vibes dont match, he
moves on.
Blockhead still edits, pitches, and
tweaks samples with his Ensoniq
ASR-10 sampler (using floppy disks).
To stay organized, he labels potential
samples for different purposes, such
as transition or shift/tempo
change. I sit there with a pen and a
pad and pretty much map out the
songs like an equation, he says. Its
funny that making music, at least with
samples, is a lot more mathematical
than youd ever think it should be.
The Daily Routine, Its Raining
Clouds, and Farewell Spacemen are
examples of three-part Ableton
smash-fests. Its Raining Clouds, which
features a menagerie of samples and
stylesflute, sitar, horns, synths, piano;
drum n bass, rock, jazzstarted from
a scratch sound and backwards vocal,
and kept building from there.
Blockhead also had his friend
Damien Paris record bass and guitar,
and Wilder Zoby from the band Chin
Chin played/sang a DigiTech Talker
vocoder through a Moog Liberation
on Four Walls. Then Blockhead took
his computer to producer BabyDay-
liners house, dumped tracks into Pro
Tools, added more parts, and mixed
it using plug-ins such as Joemeek
Meequalizer, Tel-Ray delays, and Tril-
lium Lane reverbs.
But they didnt get too heavy with
effects. The emphasis was on EQ.
Sometimes samples are tricky
because they can have a wide palate,
frequency-wise, Baby Dayliner says.
You might find yourself dipping cer-
tain EQ ranges of a sample in order to
let other stuff be heard better in the
mix. We definitely wrestled with that
issue a bit.
Overall, Blockhead kept the
wrestling to a minimum. Its funny
because mixing has always looked like
this thing thats so anal, like, Lets
spend an hour on this snare and get it
to sound right, Blockhead says. And
Ive never thought that way. I dont
like to dwell on a sound for hours and
hours because really its the overall
package that Im looking at.
Blockhead Takes the Shackles
Off of His Super-Restricted
Sampling Process
PRISON
BREAK
Blockhead.
from denisbul
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BY KYLEE SWENSON
When folk/country artist Laura Veirs
began writing for her seventh album,
July Flame [Raven Marching Band],
things didnt go exactly as she hoped.
She wrote a lot80 songsbut it wasnt
until she got to about song 40 that she
started to like what she was doing.
I wrote so many that were not
really appealing to me, she admits. I
dont think it was just a matter of me
being overly self-critical. I was rehash-
ing the same old stuff and I was
bored, and boredom in your craft is
dangerous and probably inevitable
because Ive been doing this for a
long time.
After months hunkered down in
her barn (a converted garage
behind the house she shares with her
producer, Tucker Martine, in Portland),
she broke through to new territory.
Her goal was to create songs that
would stand out with just a guitar and
voice. It takes more work to get to
those types of songs, she says. Veirs
old, falling apart Mac running
GarageBand actually helped matters
by only allowing her to record four
tracks per song.
When it came time to record the
album, Veirs and Martine set other
limitations by mostly avoiding synths
and drums. Other instruments were
fair game. When I hear a song that
shes written that I really love, usually a
lot of the instrumentation is suggested
on the first listen, Martine says.
Sometimes shell have a
countermelody idea that shell mock up
on the demo [as a vocal] that we usu-
ally will assign to another instrument.
Conversely, a guitar part on the
demo of Life Is Good Blues ended
up becoming a vocal line so it wouldnt
interfere with another, more intricate
guitar line. After trying horns and
whatever was nearby, Martine had
bass player Karl Blau sing layers of
the part through an AKG BX10 spring
reverb. The end result sounds a lot
like The Muppets. We were laughing
so hard the first several times we
heard it, he says. We were like,
Were probably just doing this
because its fun and we need some
comic relief after working so hard.
But when we tried to listen without it,
we missed it. I think its important to
challenge your own idea of what
appropriate instruments are and not
always get caught up in being too
familiar or too tasteful, because things
start to sound precious.
Consequently, they broke the no
synth rule. On the title track, which
features a beautiful, doubled Gibson
ES-175 guitar part, theres a buzzing
synth thats a combo of a Crumar Per-
former through an overdriven Carr
Mercury amp (also used for guitars)
and distorted bass that Blau played
on a beat-up Telecaster basswith
rusted strings that havent been
changed in 15 years, Martine says
through a Big Muff pedal and Ampeg
B-15 amp.
Veirs, who grew up in Colorado and
studied Mandarin Chinese and geol-
ogy at Carleton College in Minnesota,
Laura Veirs Burns Through 80 Songs to
Get to the Gold
RARE RESOLVE
Laura Veirs.
Cast your votes for the Readers Choice Awards (including best 2009 cover
artist and best producer) now at www.eqmag.com!
Bring It!
www.eqmag.com
recorded many songs on the old nylon-
string Goya guitar shes had since she
was a kid. Otherwise, she played a Mar-
tin Smartwood steel string, Gibson Les
Paul Classic and ES-175 electric guitars,
and an Enoch banjo she borrowed
from one of her students (she also
teaches guitar, banjo, songwriting, and
vocal lessons).
To record acoustic guitar and banjo,
Martine set up three micsan RCA 44
ribbon mic for darker sounds, and a
modified Neumann U 87 and a B&K
4011 for brighter detail (panned left
and right on sparser songs)and
chose different blends. I had the U 87
on her guitar just below where the
neck meets the body, he explains.
The B&K 4011 was toward the boomier
side, behind where her hand was hit-
ting the strings, and then usually I
would bring the RCA up the center to
fill it out.
Vocal-wise, Veirs sang through
the U 87 (or occasionally a Shure
SM7 or Telefunken M49) through a
Telefunken Siemens V72 preamp into
a Urei 1176 silver face and an
Ecoplate III reverb. She sings whole
passes of leads, doubles, and
harmonies quickly, but she ensures
shes in a good headspace before
starting. Recording is so mental and
emotional, she says, and if youre
not quite there, itll be apparent.
Martine does superquick rough
mixes (using a Neotek Elite board)
leading up to the final mix because of
the unusual choices hell make on a
whim. Sometimes I pull up a rough
mix and think, Man, did I have the
backup vocals loud, but that sounds
cool! he says. I might discover that
notching out a little bit of 300 on the
acoustic guitar helps and then do that
when I pull up each song that was
recorded that same way. But I like to
give each song its own treatment and
not fall into habits. Its so easy to get
bogged down in thinking, Im going to
EQ everything perfectly and use just
the right compression. It might sound
more hi-fi, but the excitement of the
song is gone.
PUNCHIN
from denisbul
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Lexicon PCM Native Reverb Plug-in Bundle
What Reverb plug-ins
Why Provides seven Lexicon reverb algorithms that are designed to
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from denisbul
Voxengo GlissEQ 3.0
What Dynamic equalizer plug-in
Why Boosting up the highs will not create the
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from denisbul
You think you know Norah Jones? She
of the 36-million-selling albums, lan-
guorous songs, and deep blue vocals?
Well, think again. After three sweet
releases of soothing tones in songs so
summery its like dipping your toes in
a warm country pond, Norah Jones
locates her inner darkness on The Fall.
Inspired in some part by her
breakup with long-term beau and
bassist Lee Alexander, The Fall [Angel
Records] casts the Norah we once
knew into a strung out, deliciously
dark world of torrid drumming, sultry
Wurlitzer (often played by keyboard
wizard James Poyser), angelic space
sounds, and the strange, nightmarish
guitars of Marc Ribot and Smokey
Hormel, creating an aura of sonic hal-
lucination and mental dislocation.
Norahs always gorgeous vocals and
darker subject matter are encapsu-
lated anew in a kind of beat-driven,
electric swamp music. Its like
Louisiana by way of England: New
Orleans-era Daniel Lanois productions
meet Dusty Springfield and a post-
modern Massive Attack.
Norah Jones achieves a delicate
balance with The Fall. Produced, engi-
neered, and mixed by Jacquire King
(Tom Waits, Kings of Leon, Mutemath),
The Fall veers wildly between the new
darker, weirder Norah and the wide-
eyed ingnue who stole the hearts of
millions on her 2002 debut, Come
Away With Me. First single Chasing
Pirates tricks the ears with a funky
backward beat before straightening
out to include gritty guitars and
crunchy Wurlitzer, all delayed and
treated, yet never harming Jones
lovely vocal lines. Even Though gets
strangerreggae bass dollops driving
fractured guitars and a childlike key-
board. Queens Youre My Best
Friend comes to mind when Its
Gonna Be bounds from the speakers,
all gut thumping, shuffling drums,
voodoo keys, and guitar, Norah sailing
above it all like some beautiful phan-
tom describing the future. Stuck
recalls The Beatles final organic
rooftop gig, Norah pleading with some
dude to leave her alone while her
musicians lay it behind the beat like a
bar band on narcotics. Tell Yer Mama
kicks that same loser dude to the curb,
Norah refusing to cry for you.
But Norah Jones hasnt completely
forgotten her old fans while cultivat-
ing new ones. December, Man of
the Hour, and Youve Ruined Me will
appease those who still prefer their
Norah sweet and simple.
Demos for The Fall began at Jones
Manhattan home studio in May 2008,
with engineer Tom Schick manning
her custom Neve console (with 1073
modules), Otari 2-inch 24-track MTR-
90, and a sumptuous collection of vin-
tage tube mics (Neumann M 49, U 47,
and Telefunken ELA M 250). Knowing
she wanted to create a different
sound for her fourth release, Jones
considered some of her favorite
albumsTom Waits Mule Variations,
Santigolds Santogold, and MGMTs
Oracular Spectacularand called on
producer/engineer Jacquire King (who
worked on Mule Variations).
Recording in mid-2009 at New
Yorks The Magic Shop, Studio A
(Neve 80 Series console with 1079
modules to 16-track Studer A827 2-inch
24-track to Pro Tools|HD3) and
L.A.s Sunset Sound, Studio 2 (Neve
8088 with 1073 preamps and EQs to
Studer A827 2-inch 24-track to Pro
Tools), Jones and King adopted a
quasi Steely Dan approach, often
recording the same song with differ-
ent groups, then cherry-picking the
best performances.
Jones vocals were taken from the
first two or three takes. And in an era
when everyone comps or overdubs to
some degree, Norah Jones cuts her
vocals live, with the band, typically
finding her sweet spot by take three.
Assistant engineer Brad Bivens mar-
vels at Jones mastery in the recording
studio.
She is very in control of what is
happening, Bivens remarks. So even
if her voice sounds very kind and gen-
tle, she is very in control and the musi-
cians are aware of that and how she is
directing them. Her efficiency in the
studio is incredible.
After platinum- and diamond-selling
albums, a romantic breakup, and a
new producer who helped her forge a
fresh recording approach, The Fall is
Norah Jones most daring album to
date. Even Norah Jones must admit
things are looking up.
NORAH JONES ON LIVE
TAKES, VINTAGE MICS, &
ROTATING MUSICIANS
How did you envision this different-
sounding recording?
Ive always been drawn to these kind
of sounds. This time I thought more
about what I wanted sonically. On my
other records, I would just go to the
studio and play, mostly on acoustic
instruments with an occasional elec-
tric guitar or Wurlitzer. But this time I
wanted the sonic landscape to be a
specific thing. I wanted heavier drum
grooves, and to experiment with key-
boards and have weirder sounds
weaving through the background. I
play more guitar [a Gibson ES-335 and
1960s Guild archtop] and I wanted the
backgrounds to be dirtier than any-
thing Id done before.
Touring bandmate Sasha Dobson
(left) and Norah Jones playing at
Le Poisson Rouge in New York
City, September 24, 2009.
from denisbul
How did you decide on Jacquire
King as producer?
Jacquire is a great engineer and he
was a wonderful producer. I wanted
somebody who could really help me
get that sound I wanted. I like analog
gear and recording on tape and old-
sounding recordings, but I dont know
how to get it on my own. I wanted to
go in that direction with some songs,
then bring the other songs into the
same zone so they all fit together.
Part of the danger in trying this
new direction was doing all that and
not covering up my voice, which is the
thing that needs to shine through. I can
sing out but I sing the way I sing and
in a very intimate way. We discussed
all the interesting sounds I wanted to
get while still leaving room for my
voice. That was important.
You record your vocals live with
the band?
I love live takes. Its always better
when you can get it that way, right?
Its easier and more natural. I will
punch in sometimes. Usually I hope
for a live take, but before we move on
to overdubs Ill do a couple of takes in
the same space if Im singing okay.
Then if we need any fixes, we have the
takes without having to go back and
re-sing everything later.
How do you prepare to record
vocals?
Hot whiskey or hot tea! Some kind
of hot beverage that will open up the
voice if I am tired. On my first record
we really got into Lagavulin. I like Irish
whiskey. Its smooth. Definitely not
something I can drink too much of
without getting sloppy. Hot water
works as well, something to help me
breathe. Beyond that I just stay
focused and think about the song and
try to be present.
You have a great collection of vin-
tage mics. How did you choose them?
I bought the Neumann M 49 from
Sorcerer Sound where I made my first
record. It has a quality with the way I
sing that just works. I realized on my
second record [2004s Feels Like
Home] that it was pretty special. I
couldnt get that same quality as easily
with another mic. I love the M 49 and I
also used a Telefunken ELA M 250 on
my third record [2007s Not Too Late].
It depends on the type of song and the
way I am singing for which one sounds
better. I love the 49 cause it gets all
the grit and warmth, but sometimes it
can sound a little too muffled if I am
singing a certain way. Then the 250
gives some nice high end and a lot of
air. And I like to be close to the mic to
catch all the nuances.
After three records, do you have a
general recording concept?
The only thing that I have done
consistently that works is to have two
different sessions spread out over a
few months. My first record we meant
to record all in one shot, but we ended
up going in twice. It helps with per-
spective. You need the luxury and the
time and the budget to do that, of
course, but for me its been really
helpful to go in for a week and get
whatever creative ideas you have
down, then take some space from it
for a few months. For The Fall, I had all
the songs demoed in May of 2008.
Then it was helpful to listen to them,
see what worked, what I liked, what I
wanted to change. Thats when I
hired Jacquire; we went in for a
month with four different groups of
musicians to experiment. We had
enough knowledge from the demos
that we knew exactly what we were
going for.
Why did you record with multiple
groups of musicians?
I was experimenting. But I also
used a couple of the demos (Wait-
ing, December) for the final record-
ing. We didnt need to re-record them.
We added little things to the demos. I
have really bad demo-itis. I get really
used to demos. And even if theyre
imperfect, I usually like them. Some-
times I will try to perfect something
that isnt exactly what I wanted, but
then I will go back to the demo
because I really love it.
JACQUIRE KING ON
PREPARATION, DELAYS,
& NEW DIRECTIONS
Why did Norah contact you?
Stylistically, her demos were in areas
that were very familiar to her. She
wanted to get away from that. She
was looking for someone to get her
out of her comfort zone and expose
her to a new way of working. The Mule
Variations record was a good starting
point for us; thats how she found me.
How did you develop the demos
from the familiar Norah Jones sound
to this heavily delayed guitar, funky
electric Wurlitzer thing?
I did a lot of preparation. There
are 20 musicians or more on the
record and four different rhythm
sections [including drummers
James Gadson and Joey Waronker].
I was arranging certain sessions
around particular musicians. But I
didnt have a plan, per se. I was
there to coach her and create an
opportunity for her to feel inspired
and to help bring about something
new for her.
Also, [keyboardist] Matt Stanfield
and I did programming to all of her
demos as preparation. That enabled
me to create some dark rhythmic tex-
tures to the songs based around the
conversations I was having with
Norah. Very few of the finished songs
included those elements. But it let
me present her with something to fur-
ther get inside where we needed to
Norah Jones performing at
Le Poisson Rouge.
from denisbul
go. Also, being ready to capture
something in the moment is as impor-
tant as the sonic picture you paint.
Did you bring your own mics and
preamps to the sessions?
The only thing I brought along was
the Universal Audio 2-610. [And the
Massenburg MDW Hi-Res Parametric
EQ to add extra fluidity to every chan-
nel, Brad Bivens adds.] The Magic
Shop and Sunset Sound have wonder-
ful Neve desks and lots of outboard
gear, and Norah has wonderful micro-
phones. So instead of carting things
around, I just brought guitar pedals
[i.e.: Boss CE-1 Chorus], speakers, and
the 2-610, which is a tube mic pre with
EQ. It was used for Wurlitzer, guitars,
and bass. The vocals were recorded
through a Neve 1073 module. And
Norah has an ELA M 250 mic and a
U 47; then we chose the 250 paired
with a Placid Audio Copperphone. Its
basically an old pay phone telephone
voice element in a custom copper
enclosure. I put that right next to the
250. It has a very frequency limited,
old time gritty, edgy sound and gave
the vocal a little more texture. Some-
times I leaned heavier on background
vocals to give them a different texture
and separate it from the lead vocal.
What ideas did Norah have about
recording her voice?
She was into adding delay on her
voice, trying not to just make it pretty
with reverb. The delays were both
analog and plug-in. I use Audio Ease
Altiverb, SoundToys EchoBoy delay,
some of the UA plug-insthey have a
nice EMT 140 emulationand the
Cooper Time Cube Delay. We used
The Magic Shops Marshall Tape Elimi-
nator AR-300, a tape slap simulator.
And Norah had an old Ibanez analog
delay. We used a Roland Chorus Echo
and EMT 140 plate reverbs, too. Some-
times I will use an Eventide H3000 for
harmonic delay effects, and as I get
them going I will print them in Pro
Tools with the transfer from analog.
How did you record Chasing
Pirates, the first single?
We recorded that four
times; the third version is
where the drums, bass,
and Wurlitzer came
from. The programming
that we did prior to
recording was kept and
used to play to. I used
the vocal from the sec-
ond version and got it
going with the band. We
got some interesting
sounds going and built a
vibe where we were cre-
ating something differ-
ent from other versions.
Its a combo of different
bands and different
recordings.
Overall, how did you
help Norah find a new
direction while retaining
her signature vocal
sound?
I had to pay attention
to what felt comfortable and what
Norah reacted to and what she felt
inspired by. I wasnt there to tell her
how to sing in a new way. It was about
surrounding her vocal and letting her
react to the change in the music and
direction. I wanted to create a differ-
ent vibe to support her voice and have
her follow that lead. A vocal perfor-
mance is about words and conveying
an emotion and supporting that with
the right kind of sonic atmosphere;
thats what gave her the result of her
sounding different vocally.
ENGINEER BRAD BIVENS
ON ISOLATION, MIKING,
& QUICK TAKES
How did the tracking break down?
We did three weeks at The Magic
Shop and one week at Sunset Sound.
Half of the vocal takes you hear are
what Norah sang live with the band.
Every time we tracked, she did multi-
ple vocal takes just to see if she could
beat what shed already done. But she
is so quick and precise that often
what she sang with the band was by
far the best version.
When tracking vocals live with the
band, how do you adapt?
We knew what Norah was
singing at any given time would
potentially be on the record. We
made sure she was isolated from
the group. At The Magic Shop she
was in the live room with half the
musicians, but their amps were iso-
lated. When she played piano
[recorded with Neumann U 69 and
U 67, Soundelux E49, and Neumann
M 582 mics], we covered it with
packing blankets to isolate her mic
K
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Norah Jones (far left), Jacquire King,
and Brad Bivens at Sunset Sound in
Los Angeles.
Brad Bivens.
from denisbul
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piano mic. Getting levels set before-
hand was important, and Norah works
very quickly. We were ready if
anything went wrong, and we had
backup scenarios.
What did you use to record bass,
and how did you approach compres-
sion and blending?
We used an Avalon U5 DI with a
dbx 160 for electric, and a Neumann
U 47 with a dbx 160 for upright. Basi-
cally, just having a subtle compression
on the bass from the 160 helps when
anyone is digging a little more. It con-
trols the level a slight amount before
going to tape. We dont want to over-
compress the bass because the tape
will do that for us.
How did you mic and record
the drums?
We used a Sennheiser MD 421, AKG
D 12, and a GML 8200 EQ for the kick
drum; Shure SM57 and SM7, Altec
633A, and GML 8200 for snare; MD
421 for rack tom and floor; Neumann
U 67 for overheads; and two Coles
4038s through Urei 1176s for room
mics. We ran them all through the
same Neve module on the console.
We chose mics on how they helped
the drum translate. We would change
out the drum before changing the mic,
like switching a smaller kick drum for a
larger one or how much the head would
ring. The GML 8200 changed according
to the song. The drum mic choices are
pretty go-to for what we do along with
what was available at the studio.
Are we hearing more close miking
or room sound on the drums?
Its an equal balance. Certain songs
you can tell that they are leaning
towards the close miking. Its a much
drier, pointier sound. Its Gonna Be
was a double-tracked drum scenario
where we added toms to double up
the sound. That song has more of a
room mic sound. We used a 60s Lud-
wig and Gretsch kit. Everything was
song dependant. As you go through
you can hear the focus on a drier
sound versus a wider room-mic
sound. Chasing Pirates is more
room-mic sound. More decay trans-
lates into more room mics and over-
heads than close miking.
Do you mic amps direct to the
cone or off-axis?
We used Neumann U 67, Sennheiser
MD 409, Beyerdynamic M130, and
AKG C 414 TL II mics on the guitar
amps. The guitars are mostly upfront
in the tracking scenario because we
had to isolate the guitar amps to keep
the main room quiet for her vocals.
Theres a lot of close miking, and if
theres any space to it, thats done
with guitar pedals. We never mic
guitar cabs at a distance, but we
shift it around on the cone to find the
best sound. But mostly right up on
the grill.
What was the main key to captur-
ing Norahs vocal?
Finding the right mic. After trying
out several, we ended up with the
ones shes used on her earlier records.
And the Copperphone gave her a new
edgier character. She is so quick in the
studio; it doesnt take her long to nail
a take. We rarely did more than three
passes of vocals, including the track-
ing take. And it usually ended up
being the one she did with the band
that we used. That is pretty rare. Usu-
ally the vocal you hear on record is
the result of numerous takes after the
band tracks the song. People might
comp together the vocal from differ-
ent takes, but for Norah, what you
hear is one full pass.
from denisbul
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from denisbul
Whether youre rocker or folkie, a jazzbo or DJ, the ultra-competitive
world of popular music demands creative evolution to ensure your best
shot at longevity. This is the realization that Editors came to as they
prepared for the release of their latest album, In This Light and on This
Evening [Fader], a darkly atmosphere-laden experience that largely
foregoes the bands more high-sailing guitar dramatics in favor of a
synth-laden world, framing singer Tom Smiths portentous tales of life in
the gray-orange glow of London at dusk.
The follow-up to 2007s platinum-selling An End Has a Start, the new
album was produced by the Grammy-winning Mark Flood Ellis, hailed
for his work with U2, Sigur Rs, and Depeche Mode. The recording took
place at Flood and partner Alan Moulders Assault & Battery studio in
North London, and the intention was to create a space that would propel
the band deeper into the industrial, mechanical landscapes that previous
albums had hinted at, but to leave no doubt that Editors are still a full-
blooded, fire-breathing band.
Before we started off, Flood says, Tom played me the demos, and
I just thought as a body of work it had a character to it. And Tom was
very adamant that he wanted to try a synthetic factor to the album,
which was music to my ears, to hear those songs in a very sort of
synth-driven way.
Bassist/keyboardist Russell Leetch was keenly aware of the need to
advance the groups sound beyond its earlier parameters. With our previous
records, wed stretched the guitars a little bit too muchthey were used a
bit too frequently to add a force, he
says. This time we got the grit and
the playing from the synths. And since
it was recorded live, mostly played in
one take, its still the band playing.
Thats what we wanted to capture.
DIRTY SYNTHS
The band came to the sessions fully
loaded with mountains of electronic
gear, fully cognizant of the sonic
clichs that can swiftly dominate
with the superficial use of E-Z-to-
use effects.
One of the things that I dont like
when synths are badly used is when
they sound overly sterile, Flood says,
because they just havent been
worked in an organic way. So what we
decided to do was to set up the band
in the studio and have them play the
basic tracks live. We had three differ-
ent drum kits [played by Ed Lay], and
then Russell was playing bass and
keyboards, Chris [Urbanowicz] was
playing guitar and keyboards, and
Tom was playing guitar, piano, and
keyboards.
Flood installed a house PA for
the band, with everyone on moni-
tors, so it was as if they were play-
ing in the rehearsal room as he and
his engineers recorded it. We really
tried to make an effort to get this
feel of human machines and to try
and make it as graceful and emo-
tional as possiblein a really stark
kind of manner.
We did the demos before wed
even met Flood, Urbanowicz says,
and wed had a kind of industrial
sound already and done seven or
eight songs with that kind of sound.
But Flood guided us in the right
direction. We have a pretty good
shit filter, but Flood has an even
better one. Anything that got a little
bit too sweet, the alarm bells would
go off and wed try and make it a lit-
tle bit dirty.
The bands slew of synths,
sequencers, and drum machines
were often strung together to get a
sonically ambiguous mashup that
would add to the burnished, other-
worldly ambience.
Leetch made extensive use of the
ARP Odyssey for bass-synth propul-
sion, Urbanowicz tapped into his
Moog Minimoog, Smith played a
TAPE TO DIGITAL
Flood recorded Editors basic foundation of tracks for each song live to
tape and kept going until they nailed the right takes. If youve got to edit
it, do it on tape. And then when youve got your final version, then I would
stripe the tape and then run Pro Tools as a slave at 96kHz, and then just
dump the 24 tracks straight into Pro Tools, Flood says. Ive found that if
you record on tape first, then transfer it all straight into Pro Tools at 96,
then youre getting the best of both worlds. You end up with everything in
Pro Tools, but you have all the benefits psychologically and sonically of
working on tape.
from denisbul
Roland Jupiter-8, and the band relied
heavily on Roland Juno-106s to get a
Terminator effect. Leetch also favors
the Korg MicroKorg for the presets
that model the Moog Voyager effects,
and for In This Lights big sheen of
string sprays, he got a lot out of his
circa 76 Oberheim keyboard.
EPIC SPACES
Flood and Moulders spaces at the
Assault & Battery studios complex
include a couple of rooms upstairs
with varied dimensions; the main
recording was done in the big room,
which is almost double-story high. The
sound contained in that room, as well
the smaller spaces, was critical to In
This Lights grandly epic aura.
We did experiment, Flood
reveals. Chris set up in one of the
medium rooms with all his amps, and
then we would try putting keyboards
or guitars through four or five amps.
We tended to mic him fairly close, but
if we wanted the sound of him in the
room, I would send that out back
through the monitors or PA stack to
give that sense of ambience.
Flood combined the miked
sounds with a little direct inject into
the studios Neve analog console.
We tended to take all the keyboards
DI and through amps so that we
could have the option, he says. And
then I also was running about three
Editors (left to right)Edward Lay, Russell Leetch,
Tom Smith, and Chris Urbanowicz.
K
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from denisbul
or four different room mics, so I
would be doing the monitors out in
the main recording room, and youd
be bleeding things out through the
main PA, which would be picked up
by the room mics, and then you have
the DI and un-amped sound from
these keyboards.
The Battery studios classic Neve
52 analog board, a mid-80s model
which Moulder had picked up at New
Yorks Soundworks studio, acted
almost as a fifth Editors member.
Flood is unstinting in his praise of
this old machine, with a couple of
qualifications.
Its got all the classic Nevegood
top and bottom, a bit scooped in the
midrange, so I tend to I push them quite
hard, he says. For me theres a very
small window where everythings just
sort of cooking nicely, where everything
is just on the point of harmonic distor-
tionand then you go one step over
that and it all starts to break down.
In the end, it was almost as if the
board had become the sound of the
record. With tracking and overdubbing
in that room, then trying to mix it in a
couple of places, that didnt work. We
decided to go back and mix it in the
same room.
MICS AND MISTAKES
Getting the right combination of inti-
macy and a mechanized alienation
suitable for Smiths vocals required
Floods trusty battery of cheap staples
and supervintage mics.
In the last 20 years, 95 percent of
the people that Ive worked with used
the Shure Beta 58 for vocals, he says.
And 50 percent of them would be in
the control room next to me. In this
particular instance, we tried to do the
vocals mostly on the floor, with the
music coming out of the PA, no head-
phones. And then there were a couple
of times when we tried a Shure SM57,
which also sounded good on his voice.
For a close, human vocal sound,
Flood also relies on three or four rela-
tively ancient Neumann Gefell micro-
phones, including a CMV563 with an
M7 capsule.
Often I will go to the Shure 58
because the voice will always come
to the front and will work and push
with the music and can help to solid-
ify the whole sound, act as sonic
glue, Flood says. Of course, if youre
the singer listening to a 58-recorded
track in solo mode, youll probably
hang your head in shame the way it
might sound, but in fact that is how
99.9 percent of the population is
gonna hear it.
The relationship between band and
producer is always critical in the suc-
cess of the resulting creation. It seems
producer Flood was just what Editors
needed at a crucial time. It didnt hurt
that they shared a vision about the
bands ideal future-soundand that
they got along like good old mates.
Flood was so down to earth, it
was ridiculous, Leetch says. I was
like, Do you want me to make you a
sandwich? And he was like, Yeah, Ill
have one bacon sandwich and one
sausage sandwich and a cuppa tea,
please, no sugarno, two sugars.
And Flood was no perfectionist
taskmaster, either. Theres quite a
few errors on the album, Leetch
admits, but the takes on the whole
worked, so we kept them. And that
was something that Flood drove
through to us: that it doesnt have to
be perfect to be great. We think its
by far our best record.
by Kent Carmical
A guitar pushing a Leslie cabinet to
its full-tilt-boogie max is an experi-
ence to behold. The sound appears
to emanate from multiple locations,
slathering a searing solo with a deli-
cious mid-high sizzle, and transform-
ing a rhythm track into a psychedelic
swirl circa 1967, activating some pri-
mal lobe of the brain to squirt groovy
juice to your neurons. No wonder the
cool studios have them.
Unfortunately, attempting to inter-
face a guitar with a Leslie can be a
bum trip. Your guitar has a 1/4" plug,
but a 6-, 9-, or 11-pin Hydra is waiting
for you from the Leslie. Unless you
possess mad electronics technician
chops, buy a preamp boxeither by
tracking down that elusive artifact of
rotational sound lore, the Leslie
Combo Preamp (which has 1/4"
inputs and accepts the Leslie 6-pin
connector), or by investing $550 in a
Trek II UC-1A Combo Preamp
(www.trekii.com). Today, Hammond-
Suzuki (www.hammondorganco.com)
also makes smaller Leslies designed
especially for guitar with the appro-
priate inputsthe G37 ($1,495) and
G27 ($1,325).
Record Me Right Round
Baby Right Round
Most engineers record the Leslie
from the rearwith the back
removedfor a direct and well-
defined tone. For a mono recording,
you can get great results with the
Leslie cranked to the gills, and by
positioning a single Shure SM58 up
to a foot from the treble horn. If the
mic is placed much closer, a gnarly
amplitude-modulation effectcom-
bined with the wind noise from the
rotormakes a sound so foul youll
want to cut out your ears with a
plastic spoon. If you want a
mellower sound, position the mic at
the louvers cut into the sides of the
cabinet. If the Leslie is in an open
space, add a large-diaphragm con-
denser set to its an omnidirectional
pattern about eight feet away to
capture additional ambiance.
However, if you want to capture the
true spatial glory of a Leslie, stereo is
the way to go. Due to the Leslie not
producing much sonic energy
beyond 12kHz, a lack of condenser
mics is not a handicap. I achieved
great sounds using dynamic mics
such as Shure SM57s/SM58s and
Sennheiser MD421sall placed about
a foot away. Heres my basic method:
Place a pair of SM57s on each side of
the top rotor, and the MD421 pointed
at the bottom rotor. Create a stereo
mix with the top rotor mics panned
left and right, and keep the MD421
track panned center. Of course, you
should definitely experiment with
other panning positions until the
desired stereo image is achieved. If
you want to really blow the sound
up, try positioning a stereo pair of
mics at the top and bottom rotors.
During mixdown your options for
sonic perfection or mutation are
exponential, as, for example, you
could process one of the top and
one of the bottom mics (add distor-
tion, delay, etc.), leave the other two
mics unaffected, and blend the four
signals to taste. For additional spa-
tiality above and beyond the call of
duty, set a large-diaphragm
condenser set to its omnidirectional
pattern about six to ten feet away
from the Leslie cabinet at a height of
about five feet.
The Frequency and
Dynamics of Spin
Older Leslies roll off the highs
around 12kHz, but highly reflective
spaces can benefit from an extra dB
or two of additional gain reduction
in this area. Also, as guitars produce
a less harmonically pure sound than
organs, low notes can wash out at
mid to high volumes. If you dedi-
cate your Leslie to guitar only, you
might consider removing the belt
and disconnecting the lower rotor
motor. If not, experiment with cut-
ting around 700Hz to 800Hz to
remove the grunge.
To manage dynamics, a good
place to start is to set compression
ratio at 4:1. Keep the threshold low,
and experiment with more severe
ratios, because the sound starts to
get real interesting the more you
squeeze it. Now that your Leslie is all
miked up and humming, dont just
stop at plugging your guitar into it.
Get all Beatle-y and run everything
through it.
GUITAR For More Go To www.eqmag.com
Check it Out!
Got any cool Leslie-
miking tips? Share
them in the EQ forum at
www.eqmag.com.
TAMING THE WILD
LESLIE CABINET
from denisbul
by Chr i s Ji si
These hip insights are excerpted from
Bass Players Session Legends & Stu-
dio Gear supplement. For more
recording tips, check it out on the
newsstand, or go online at
www.bassplayer.com.
Meshell Ndegeocello
Most essential for me is my right
hand and my left handits all in my
hands. I dont mean to sound arrogant,
but I had a piece-of-crap bass for
years, and I had to make it sound like
what I wanted. Im not a tech geek, so
I think a compatible engineer is also
essential. I do like the Aguilar DB 680
bass preamp, though.
Larry Klein
Its a good idea to have quality DIs
and analog compressors handy. I love
the Eclair Evil Twin tube direct box,
and I also use some old Simon Sys-
tems DIs and the Avalon U5. There
are so many great tube compressors.
I like the dbx 160x for some tracks,
and Im really digging the compres-
sors and mic preamps made by a
company called Inward Connections
theyre really soft and warm sounding.
And you cant beat the Teletronix LA-
2A for some things. I definitely think it
pays off to put the bass through ana-
log gear on the way to Pro Tools. To
me, none of the plug-in compressors
come close at this point.
Randy Jackson
Im a very hi-tech/lo-tech kind of guy.
I need a bit of ghetto in my sound,
because thats what makes it work in
so many different styles. I like the com-
bination of a direct signal and the
miked sound of a vintage Fender Bass-
man or Ampeg B-15. Plus, Im never
without my Demeter tube DI and Neve
mic preamps and compressors.
Steve Rodby
(Pat Metheney Group)
Generally, the only two pieces of
gear I find essential are your bass and
your fingers. But for amplifying or
recording acoustic bass direct, the
one essential that is so often over-
looked is matching the output
impedance of the uprights
transducer pickup with the input
impedance of the first device its
plugged intobe it an amp, a pre-
amp, a DI, or an effect. If the devices
input impedance is too low, as it fre-
quently is, youll lose the bottom.
What I did was build a box that varies
the input and allows the transducer
to be loaded with the correct imped-
ance for the sound you want. Now I
have variable inputs built into all my
gear, and you wouldnt believe the
tone difference. Ive become known
for playing my upright through an
amp or through the board at loud
volumes, and thats my secret.
Marcus Miller
The two most essential pieces of
gear are your ears. Beyond that, its a
good instrument and good strings.
The benefit I had, from being a studio
musician back in New York, was
spending eight hours a day listening
to my bass through headphones, so I
really got to know how to tweak my
sound. These days, I like the Radial
Bass Bone DI and the API Lunchbox,
which I use as a mic pre. As for com-
pressors, I still like the dbx 160 for
subtle compression and the Empirical
Labs EL8-X Distressor for more
extreme compression.
Mark Hoppus (Blink-182)
An Ampeg SVT rig and a Fender
bassthe best bass sound ever!
BASS More on www.eqmag.com
FAVORITE
STUDIO GEAR
OF THE STARS
HIP TIP!
Strings As Tone Controls
Strings are the most basic form
of EQ. New roundwounds have
more highs, and old strings
sound more dull (or mellow,
depending on your taste) and
may also have tuning inconsis-
tencies. Flatwounds have less
highs and produce fewer
squeaks. Also, playing fingerstyle
generally produces less highs
than using a pick.
To make sure your new strings
stay in tune while recording, after
tuning a string to pitch (prefer-
ably with an electronic tuner),
pull hard on it to take up any
slack on the tuning machine.
Retune, pull again, and repeat
until the pitch stays constant.
from denisbul
For those who never buy a 1.0 product,
just on principle, now might be the
time to break the rule
Studio One Pro 1.0.1 has an
arguably more appealing
interface than Logic Studio,
the one-screen approach
is easy to use, yet really
powerful and the app is a
solid and stable performer.
Plus the musical results
are impressive.
John Brandon Macworld.com November 2009
For full info and a free trial download of Studio One Artist, visit our web site. Or visit your PreSonus
dealer to experience the more intuitive, better-sounding alternative to Big Bloated DAWs.
www.presonus.comBaton Rouge USA
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Studio One provides

a unique workow that
produces excellent
results. While its a 32-
bit app, the program
actually processes
audio in 64-bits, so it
is using smarter, more
reliable programming
routines
Ive also used Cubase
on a PC, and to further
test the capability of
Studio One, I recorded
the exact same song
using both programs.
With Studio One, the
process was faster
thanks to the one-
screen workow. The
nal sound also sound-
ed much better when
produced with Studio
One.

by Mi chael Mol enda
Recording huge drum sounds in a
home studio is something like The
Ultimate Struggle. You typically dont
have fabulous microphones, and the
recording space is usually your dining
room, living room, or garage. So you
may decide to go the loop-and-sam-
ple route, royally pissing off your
(hopefully) loyal drummer, and caus-
ing the band to perhaps revise all the
parts the members had worked out
to groove with the drummers feel
and his or her specific input into the
songs. You dont have to do that
unless you want to, that is.
It is totally possible to get some
bombastic drum sounds at home
with less-than-insanely expense
microphones if you follow a few sim-
ple recording and processing guide-
lines. You can record your songs the
way youve always played them,
keeping your drummer rocking to the
material the band has worked on
together, and retaining that wonder-
ful vibe that occurs when a good
band plays a good song. Heres one
way to go about it. . . .
Microphones
Dont worry about them. Great
mics are wonderful, but if you dont
have them (or cant borrow them),
dont sweat it. Except for almost
toy-like models, most mics can at
least deliver a clean and relatively
clear sound.
Start with the snare. Find a suit-
able dynamic mic, and position it
about a half inch off the drumhead,
pointed from the drummers left arm
towards the kick pedal. Look for a
relatively dry and clean swack. The
next critical element is the kick drum.
If all you have is another small- to
mid-sized dynamic mic, dont sweat
it. Larger models, such as a
Sennheiser MD421 or an AKG D112
can capture great wallop and boom,
but even a Shure SM57 can give you
enough kick attack and bass to serve
up a rockin drum sound. Tighter kick
sounds can be achieved if the front
head is off (or if theres a mic hole
cut into the head), and more boomy
and resonant sounds are produced
when the head is left on. Start by
positioning the mic somewhere near
the midpoint of the drum shell, and
angled inward towards the rear head.
Amend the positioning until you get
a nice, big smack or punch.
Finally, position a mic in front of
the kit, three feet away, and at about
the height of the drummers chest.
This mic will capture the overall
sound of the kit, as well as some nice
room ambience. If possible, keep the
ambience to a minimum. A little is
cool, but too much may wash out the
drum sound, and we need to get
maximum impact from the three mics
weve used.
Processing
At this point, your unaffected drum
sounds should be tight, clear, clean,
and punchy. If not, reposition the
mics until you hear some slammin
tones. Try to avoid using EQ, but if
you hear too much mud or edginess,
go for subtractive EQ at the offend-
ing frequencies. In other words, try
to cut, rather than boost, but do
whatever is needed to make the
drums rage.
A decent compressor or compres-
sion plug-in will help dial in punch
and impact. Set compression to taste
on each track (a good start for aggro
sounds is a 4:1 ratio at a 10dB
threshold with a fast attack and
release), but route the compression
returns to dedicated stereo tracks. At
mixdown, youll want to be able to
blend the uncompressed drum sound
with the compressed sound to taste.
Its kind of like doubling the drum
track, although this trick works best
when the compressed sound is just
audible enough to add punch.
Now, lets go after some John
Bonham-style ambience. Find a nice
room or hall program, assign it pre-
fader to the room-mic track (so you
get all effect and zero dry source
sound), and, once again, return the
reverb signal on separate stereo
tracks. Youre working with some big
wet stuff, and you dont want to wash
out the drums. The trick is to subtly
fade in the reverb so that you initially
hear the dry-ish impact of the kit, and
then perceive a beautiful decay in the
background. If everything works out
right with your blends of source
sound, compression, and reverb, you
should get a marvelously articulate
punch that sounds Zeppelin bigand
all recorded in your home with three
mics and some studio magic.
DRUMS For More Go To www.eqmag.com
BIG BOOMS IN
SMALL PLACES
Your Turn!
Give up your drum-
miking techniques in
the EQ forum at www.eqmag.com.
from denisbul
by Mi chael Mol enda
An omnidirectional microphone
hears sound from every direction,
so it wouldnt seem like the best
choice for capturing clear, clean, and
isolated vocals in the studio, and only
a lunatic would sing through one
onstage amidst blaring amps, drums,
and monitors. But this doesnt mean
that omnis should be avoided as if
they just caught very bad cases of
H1N1. These micsor, more accurately,
these polar patternsoffer some
very attractive characteristics to
vocalists of all genders, styles, and
dynamic levels.
Om-ni-licious
Many musicians are introduced to the
omni pattern via multi-pattern, large-
diaphragm condenser mics such as
the AKG C414 (omni, figure-8, hyper-
cardioid, cardioid, wide cardioid),
Shure KSM44 (omni, cardioid, figure-
8), and Audio-Technica AT4050
(omni, cardioid, figure-8). Those who
never move the pattern switch off
cardioid are missing a fair amount
of aural treats. Sure, the heart-shaped
cardioid pattern may appear to be
more of a useable option for
recording vocals as it mostly picks up
sound from the front, and rejects
much of the sound occurring at its
rear and sides. But while cardioid
patterns minimize ambient noise and
focus on whats coming out of the
singers mouth, they also exhibit off-
axis coloration (where the tone of the
voice changes as the singer moves
away from the front of the mic) and
proximity effect (where low frequen-
cies are intensified as the singers
mouth gets closer to the mic), and
are susceptible to plosives (those
annoying popping p sounds).
Meanwhile, the omni pattern is
often considered the purest-sounding
polar pattern because it adds very lit-
tle coloration to the original sound.
Omnis are also less sensitive to plo-
sives, and, by virtue of the fact they
capture sound equally from all direc-
tions, off-axis coloration is negligible.
So if you desire a relatively pristine,
accurate, and balanced vocal track
along with the bonus of some natural
ambience that might make reverb
unnecessary at the mixdownthe
omni starts looking like an option of
true genius. Here, then, are a couple
of tips to maximize the patterns ben-
efits, while minimizing its potential
shortcomings.
Circle of Sound
As stated earlier, omnis capture
sound from all directions, so you have
to be very conscious of your record-
ing environment in order to achieve
optimum results. However, I view the
360-degree audio field as a benefit.
As long as your housemates arent
cranking up the big-screen TVs sur-
round sound, environmental noises
shouldnt be too much of a problem,
and gaining some ambience is a nice
aural homage to the days when
vocals were sometimes cut in big stu-
dio spaces. Look for a spot in your
home that offers the most pleasant
ambience. Do some test recordings,
and listen to how the environment
affects the tone and vibe of the
vocal. Take care not to go too crazy,
as you cant remove the reverbera-
tion once you record it down with the
vocal, so what you get is what youll
have always and forever. Too much
ambience, for example, could sound
unnatural in a mix where the other
instruments are rather dry. I like to
hear a clear, dry-ish vocal with a hint
of air and decay, so my favorite
vocal booth is my home office,
where a hardwood floor is about
40-percent covered by a rug.
Mouthing Off
Working an omni mic is a pretty
organic experience, because you
dont get that annoying proximity
effect, and breath pops (wind) are
minimal. I start about one foot from
the mic to get a good blend of
room and vocal, and then move in a
bit for softer phrases. If youve cho-
sen the right space to record in,
cutting vocals can be that easy. I
dig visualizing Frank Sinatra singing
freely in the big room at Capitol
Studios and just work the mic. Of
course, I dont sound anything like
Franksadlybut bringing some
Rat Pack vibe into a vocal session
helps my performance. Your experi-
ence will likely be different, but
most singers feel pretty good about
being able to move around a bit and
achieve good results, rather than
sticking close to a pop screen when
using a cardioid pattern.
VOCALS
OMNIDIRECTIONAL
BLISS
More on www.eqmag.com
Your Turn!
Whats your
favorite mic for
recording vocals? Post your
choice in the EQ forum at
www.eqmag.com.
from denisbul
by Mi c h a e l Mo l e n d a
In a world where bling is king, amass-
ing more stuff than your neighbor is
the surest path to celebrity. But do
more tracks ensure more-better
recordings? Layering sounds is a
time-honored technique in the studio,
and scores of popular albums are
stuffed to near bursting with stacks
upon stacks of MIDI and audio tracks.
The technique is so established, in
fact, that many recording peeps
wouldnt even consider something as
mad-crazy as releasing a track popu-
lated with just a single guitar, key-
board, or vocal.
And yet, have you ever asked
yourself whether an audio production
really needs the equivalent of 13 dia-
mond rings crammed onto ten stubby
fingers? Are the gaudy gold baubles
purchased at a mall jewelry shop
obscuring the elegant and beautiful
glow of a bona fide Tiffany design?
Metaphors aside, the test here is
whether youre actually thinking
about your sonic spectrum, or auto-
matically defaulting to methodologies
you read about in magazines such as
this one. Overdubs, sweetening ele-
ments, textures, layers, doubles,
counterpoint lines, and so on can
absolutely add interest and vibe to a
recording. But that doesnt mean
these tasty morsels of aural candy are
required ingredients of any musical
production. Heck, that approach is not
much different than believing the sen-
tial rock-guitar sound is always a Les
Paul through a cranked-up Marshall.
A curious engineer/producer
should constantly seek to discover
which performances, tones, and
arrangements bring a song to life. In
this creative arena, there is no default.
What worked on one song, might not
be the best initiative to foist on anoth-
er. And avoiding safe, conventional
practices should not be a process limit-
ed to musical parts. It should also
inform mic selection, mic placement,
signal processing, and every other
aspect of life in the home studio.
Challenge Your Need to
Procreate
After I finished basic tracks on a
recent studio project, the bands tal-
ented and inventive guitarist was des-
perate to overdub counterpoint lines
and noises under a rhythm riff that
absolutely ruled all by itself. The tone
was fat and sassy, the part was mem-
orable and propulsive, and the overall
groove was Led Zeppelin good. So
why did this artist feel the part need-
ed so much more support? Well, I
asked him. And he had no answer. No
overdubs were tracked. Happy ending.
The takeaway on this point is
that I was around to ask the critical
question and demand a reasonable
answer. Its obvious the artist would
not have forced such a conceptual
confrontation on his ownhe was too
absorbed in the idea of laying down
textures. As a result, there was zero
consideration of whether those over-
dubs would truly pump up the impact
of the track, or serve to needlessly
obscure the kick-ass lick that was
already front-and-center.
Of course, enforcing productive
debate is one of the producers jobs,
and its easier when the producer is an
outside party who is solely evaluating
the quality of the recording. But if you
are the decision maker, then you have
to train yourself to ask and answer any
critical arrangement questions.
Heres a tip: Try allowing at least a
day where you dont record anything,
or even listen to the tracks. Then,
write down a few annoying questions
as if you were a complete outsider to
the project: Are all the parts neces-
sary? Does anything sound too thick,
too muddy, or too thin? After the
vocal (or lead instrument), what is
the main element of this work? Is that
main element clearly audible and
uncompromised by other elements in
the mix? Be brutal. Regard nothing as
precious. If you go into the process
knowing that you want to keep cer-
tain parts, then the exercise is use-
less. The goal is to surprise yourself
with a more objective assessment of
whats in front of you.
The Old Quality vs.
Quantity Battle
Back in the days when 4, 8, 16, or 24
tracks was all the real estate you got,
people still managed to create some
pretty astounding records. But, heck,
maybe you believe Day Tripper
would have sounded better with 16
more guitar tracks, or that Foxey
Lady would have been much sexier
with undulating layers of synth
strings. The perception of audio
excellence is obviously subjective, but
you should at least determine a
songs basic needs before you blindly
pile on guitar, percussion, keyboard,
and vocal tracks for no other reason
than habit.
TRACKING
TOO MUCH
INFORMATION
For More Go To www.eqmag.com
Check it Out!
Share your most
obsessive overdub
tales in the EQ forum at
www.eqmag.com.
from denisbul
OBJECTIVE: Control various parameters within Studio One Pro using a hardware control surface.
BACKGROUND: Studio One Pros Control Link protocol makes it easy to define controllers on a control surface, then assign
them to parameters within the program. In this example, well use Line 6s KB37 as the controller, but the same principles apply
to any control surface.
44
PRESONUS STUDIO ONE PRO
BY CRAI G ANDERTON
STEPS
POWER APP ALLEY
In Step 1, if the mixer isnt visible, type F3.
In Step 7, an alternative assignment method is to drag the hand
icon in the left parameter window on top of the desired control in
the Device Control Map.
Assignments are context-sensitivefor example, if you make one
set of assignments to the mixer and another to the Impact drum
synth, controls will affect the mixer if it has the focus, and Impact
if it has the focus.
TIPS
1. In Song mode, click on External in the
Console navigation column (to the left of
the mixer).
2. Under External Devices, double-click on
the external device you want to set up as a
controller. When the Device Control Map (a
representation of the controller) appears,
click on MIDI Learn.
3. On the hardware controller, turn the
controls and push the buttons you want to
assign. As you do this, they appear in the
Device Control Map.
4. Click on the small arrow in the label
below a control, and assign the control
type (knob, fader, button) from the pop-up
menu. This is also where you can remove a
control.
5. Double-click on a label and type in the
desired name. When youre done with
assignments and naming, click on MIDI
Learn again to exit setup mode.
6. To assign a physical controller to a para-
meter, click on the parameter (the screen
shot shows Filter Cutoff). Its name and cur-
rent value appears in the upper left Para-
meter Window.
7. Move the physical control intended to
control the parameter; the control name
appears in the right Parameter Window.
Click on the Link symbol between the two
parameter windowsthe hardware control
is now linked to the software parameter.
EQ FEBRUARY 2010 www.eqmag.com
Set up a hardware control surface for more expressive control
from denisbul
OBJECTIVE: Take advantage of Guitar Rig 4s features to modify drum loopsexpressivelyin real time.
BACKGROUND: Guitar Rigs Pre Tape Deck feature makes it easy to load drum loops, which you can process with Guitar Rigs
various sound processing components. Change processor parameter settingsover multiple loop iterations, if desiredas you
record the results into the Post Tape Deck. You can then save the post Tape Deck file, and trim it into a loop in a digital audio
editing program.
46
NATIVE INSTRUMENTS
GUITAR RIG 4
BY CRAI G ANDERTON
STEPS
POWER APP ALLEY
In Step 1, make sure the Pre Tape Deck Play switch is set to At
Input.
In Step 3, remember you can tweak the Pre Decks Transpose,
Tune, and Tempo controls.
You can reset either deck to the start time (0.00) by clicking
on Stop.
TIPS
1. Open Guitar Rig 4 in standalone mode;
with both Tape Decks in the rack, click on
the Pre decks open file button (circled),
navigate to the loop you want to process,
then load it.
2. Drag the processors you want to use into
the rack.
3. Enable looping on the Pre deck, then
click on Play. As the loop plays, adjust the
component parameters for the desired
sound. Click on the Pre deck Stop button
after getting the sound you want.
4. When youre ready to record the
processed sound, set the Post deck Sync
switch to On, then click on the Record
button.
5. Click Play on the Pre Tape Deck. Play as
many iterations of the loop as you want,
and tweak away on the various parameters.
6. After recording as many loop iterations
as you want, click Stop on the Pre Deck.
7. Click on the Save (floppy disk icon) to
save the file that was recorded into the
Post deck. Now you can bring it into a digi-
tal audio editor, and trim for the desired
loop length.
EQ FEBRUARY 2010 www.eqmag.com
Warp and process drum loops in new, original ways
from denisbul
BETTER PLUG-INS, AUTOMATIC MIXING,
COMBO CONTROL SURFACESTHE RULES
OF THE MIXING GAME ARE CHANGING
GEARHEAD
by Crai g Ander t on
Mixing is the penultimate part of the
recording process, just before you
entrust your music to mastering. But
weve come a long way from huge con-
soles and racks of outboard gearnow
plug-ins provide powerful processing
at a petite price, compact control sur-
faces give hands-on control, and some
mixing tasks are turning robotic. So,
lets look at ten new products that take
us into the future, while respecting the
traditions of the past (and well throw
in a bunch of useful tips, too).
TIP: THE HALFWAY RULE FOR ADJUSTING EQ
Suppose an instrument doesnt sound bright enough, so you boost a 3kHz high shelf by 4dB. Okay, but immediately
cut the boost in half to 2dB, and live with that for a whileit takes time for your ear to get acclimated to changes.
The halfway rule applies to cuts, too.
If every vocalist you work with has
perfect mic technique, you can skip
the rest of this review. But for everyone
else, theres the Vocal Rider plug-in
(VST/AU/TDM/Audio Suite/RTAS).
The concept is simple: Plug Vocal
Rider into a vocal track, set a target
level range for the vocal, and Vocal
Rider analyzes the vocal level as you
mix. If the vocal level goes down,
Vocal Rider brings it up, and vice-versa.
In practice, though, you have
quite a bit of latitude for opti-
mizing the target level and gain
range. For example, if you dont
want to bring soft sections up
too much, you can restrict the
maximum amount of gain. Or,
you might want to do the equiv-
alent of compression, but with-
out the artifactsjust use a wide
gain range. In any event, its
WAVES VOCAL RIDER
(Native $400 MSRP, $200 street;
TDM $800 MSRP, $400 street)
NEW TOOLS &
TECHNIQUES FOR
MIX MASTERY
The Vocal Rider GUI is toward the right,
while on the left, you can see the automa-
tion (blue line) generated from Vocal Rider
riding the gain.
from denisbul
TIP: YOU CANT FEATURE EVERYTHING, SO DONT EVEN TRY
The singer wants the vocals louder, and the drummer asks, Shouldnt the snare be more prominent? Pick the
instrument that needs to be featured at any moment, and let the other instruments play a supporting role.
TIP: START YOUR MIX IN MONO
If all the panpots are centered, youre forced to use methods other than placement to differentiate instruments
such as EQ. Then, go for stereo and enjoy how the mix opens up.
easy to try out Vocal Rider settings
and if you need to tweak them, thats
equally easy.
I tested Vocal Rider with a problem
child vocal that had multiple level
variations. I had already done level
automation, and added substantial
compression to even out the dynam-
icsand thought I had done so rela-
tively successfully. But tossing out the
automation and starting over with
Vocal Rider was a true revelation:
Notes that were substantially lower hit
the proper level, compression became
redundant, and the vocals had an over-
all consistency that made them fit
superbly with the mix.
Waves recommends putting Vocal
Rider last in a chain of plug-ins; if you
want to add a compressed quality to
the voice, you can do so prior to Vocal
Rider, and it will still know how to react.
However, I also had good luck putting
an L2 Maximizer after Vocal Rider (with
conservative gain reduction settings) to
add a bit more punch.
With a few programs (Pro Tools,
Nuendo, Cubase, and Studio One), you
can even feed a mix of the music into
Vocal Riders sidechain. This insures that
the vocal is not only consistent with itself,
but can change if the music changes
louder during loud parts, neutral (no
boost) during softer passages.
Although Vocal Rider does its
level-changing automatically, you
can write the automation data it cre-
ates to a track, then fine-tune the
level manually, as needed. Also note
there are a few other ways to cus-
tomize the response, such as an
Attack parameter that modifies how
the vocal is detected, and a Vocal
Sensitivity parameter that determines
how much of the detected vocal is
treated (i.e., how sensitive it is to the
vocal envelope).
While Vocal Rider works extremely
well for sung vocals, its equally effec-
tive with narration. Prior to Vocal Rider, I
used to go through narration phrase-by-
phrase and normalize or change gain as
needed for consistencyno more.
There is one caution: Vocal Rider is
part of Waves V7 plug-ins. If youre
running V6, no problem; but if youre
running version 4 or 5, installing V7 will
remove older installations (with a
prompt, of course). To run Vocal
Rider and your older plug-ins, youll
need to upgrade them to V7 versions
(not a bad idea anyway, as V7 offers
several performance enhancements;
besides, its free if youre on the Waves
update plan).
In a way, Vocal Rider reminds me
of Gibsons Robot tuning technology
for guitars: It doesnt do anything
you couldnt do yourself, but accom-
plishes the task with far greater
speed and accuracy. Think about
how much time you put into getting
vocal levels right, and how many
times you just piled on the compres-
sion when deadlines loomed. Even if
you value your time at minimum
wage, Vocal Rider would pay for
itself relatively quicklyand more
importantly, your vocals would sit a
lot better in the mix.
There are very few plug-ins I would
rate as indispensable for mixing, but
Vocal Rider earns that label easilyit
does its job transparently and effectively.
IZOTOPE ALLOY
($249 MSRP, $199 street)
Platforms: Windows (XP, x64, Vista, 7),
Mac OS X 10.4 or later (Universal Binary)
Formats: VST, Audio Units, DirectX, MAS
PC, Pro Tools 7+ (RTAS/AudioSuite)
iZotopes Ozone has been a favorite
among project mastering engineers, but
as DAWs started using more powerful
computers, people started using this
suite of software processors as a chan-
nel strip. Which is cool, except thats not
what it was designed for, and its not
exactly light on your CPU.
So iZotope added some
features, removed others,
put it on a CPU diet, and
voilAlloy, your new best
friend channel strip.
Alloy has eight proces-
sors that connect in series:
EQ, Exciter, multiband Transient Shaper,
two Dynamics processing stages (which
can work in parallel), De-Esser, Phase
Tools, and Limiter. Whats more, you can
put these in any order. It also has a
bunch of presets; these include an extra,
way-cool feature called MacroFaders.
When you call up a preset and click on
This is one of those products where you want to
include a dozen screen shots; well settle for show-
ing a Macro page.
GEARHEAD
the Macro button, youll see a mini-user
interface incorporating multiple mod-
ules, with controls for the most crucial
parameters. Some faders even control
multiple parameters to produce a partic-
ular effect.
Now lets check out the highlights
of individual modules.
EQ
This 8-band EQ has the expected fea-
tureschoice of filter response,
boost/cut, etc. What keeps it from
being boring is the excellent spectrum
analyzer display, with my favorite fea-
ture being the option to average the
response from real time to infinite. This
gives a really good indication if there
are frequency response anomalies
(e.g., room resonances) that might not
be discernible with a realtime display.
Its easy to go for fine-resolution
curves, as you can change the x-axis
amplitude readout from +5dB to
+15dB. Furthermore, you can even
throw in saturation, and audition part
of the spectrum without actually hav-
ing to change EQ settings.
Speaking of spectrum analysis,
Alloy can show a mini-spectrum as
part of every effect display (other than
limiting, which has its own, more
appropriate display). However, the
spectrum options are global, so you
cant see a different resolution with
one effect compared to another.
METERING
The meters can read the overall input
and output, or the signal going into
and coming out of individual modules.
Meter resolution is editable, too.
MULTIBAND
TRANSIENT SHAPER
This is one of those effects you didnt
realize how badly you needed it until
you have it. What it can do with drums
is mind-boggling: Sharpen the lower-
mid kick beater click, while adding
body to the kicks bass range via sus-
tain. You can also do the reverse, and
soften percussion transients on signals
like synth bass if its too aggressive.
Youll love this module.
By the way, the multiband aspect of
all multiband modules is optionalyou can
remove bands to have a one- or two-band
processor, or go for the full three bands.
MULTIBAND EXCITER
Heres another winner. It combines
parts of Ozones Harmonic Exciter and
Multiband Stereo Imaging, but folds in
a variable distortion/enhancement
algorithm controlled by a virtual x-y
controller, allowing you to customize
the harmonic distribution. The spec-
trum display really comes in handy for
seeing how the bands are affected;
each band also has a width control, but
this can narrow as well as widen. I use
narrowing a lot in the bass range to
pull the bass toward the center.
MULTIBAND DYNAMICS
There are two dynamics sections, each
with a Gate/Expander and Compres-
sor, that you can place anywhere in the
signal chain; this is good news for
those who prefer using two gentle
compressors instead of a more drastic
single stage. Otherwise, the parame-
ters are pretty much what youd expect
to find in a dynamics processorratio,
attack, release, knee, auto gain, thresh-
old, etc.with the exception of Vin-
tage mode, which adds character and
some program-dependent characteris-
tics compared to the Digital mode.
One limitation: The number of
bands you choose applies to both sec-
tions, but thats because you can put
the two compressors in parallelyes,
parallel compression within a single,
serial-oriented processor.
DE-ESSER
Okay, its a de-esser, but Ive also used it
to rid of an annoying percussion sound
in an otherwise really good drum loop.
It also has a multiband/broadband
option, which basically means it can
affect only a particular frequency range,
or changes in that frequency range can
apply to the entire signal.
LIMITER
This is like the one in Ozone, without
the intelligent mode to eliminate
inter-sample distortion. Why? Because
with almost all DAWs, individual chan-
nels have gobs of headroom, whereas
a master out that feeds a hardware
output does not. The Phase Tools sec-
tion hangs out with the Limiter sec-
tion, and lets you flip phase on
individual channels or both channels,
as well as rotate phase to correct for
asymmetries. This section can also
filter DC offset.
CONCLUSIONS
Theres plenty more, like multiband
sidechaining support (really) from
other tracks for the Dynamics sec-
tion. Or try crosschaining, which
filters out part of the input being
processed through the dynamics
stage for use as the control signal.
Parameter automation? Yup. And the
user interface is outstanding, with
clean, readable controls and readouts,
as well as a sweet graphic look and
superior workflow.
These days, quality plug-ins are the
norm rather than the exception, so
you might not think you need Alloy.
But for all-around native processing,
Alloy is the channel strip to beat. It
does everything you want, but what
makes Alloy unique is that it does a
whole lot more you didnt know you
wanted. Download the demo, and
youll be convinced.
TIP: THE MAGIC OF THE MUTE
Dont try to mix your way out of a cluttered arrangementenable automation for the mute button, then mute any-
thing that doesnt contribute to a cohesive mix.
TIP: DO YOU REALLY NEED TO WATCH?
If you have a good control surface, turn off your monitor screen, and mix with your ears. This isnt just about dont
mix with your eyes; dividing your concentration between two different senses diminishes each of them.
from denisbul
GPR.qrk 10/22/08 3:49 PM Page 1
GEARHEAD
Yes, weve figured out that the state of
the economy is even more annoying
these days than a late-night celebrity
gossip TV show. So we like to review
products that have multiple purposes
like if the same box you use live to mix
your guitar rig or keyboard setup, or use
to play backing tracks, can be the same
box that serves as a DAW controller and
provides plug-ins for mixing. Well, the
V-Studio 100 is that kind of box, and it
even accommodates laptop fans.
Well concentrate on the DAW/mixing
aspects, but lets at least mention the
other functions. The V-Studio 100 is a
cross-platform, 8-in+mix/6-out USB
2.0 audio interface with guitar input,
two XLR inputs, two 1/4" TRS ins, and
resolution up to 24/96kHz. Its also a
digital mixer with eight ins, two outs,
and headphone out, as well as six
channels of onboard, hardware DSP-
based digital EQ, compression, and
reverb. And, its a portable recorder
that records to SD card while also
serving as a portable juicer for serving
up refreshing fruit smoothies. Okay,
well maybe it doesnt do the juicing
thing, but it does do everything else.
MACKIE CONTROL
The key to using the V-Studio 100 as a
control surface is that it works with any
program that speaks Mackie Control
(i.e., just about everything, including
Acid, Live, Sonar, Logic, Digital
Performer, Record, etc.). For tactile con-
trol, the V-Studio 100 has a 100mm
motorized, touch-sensitive fader, five
rotary encoders, 11 general-purpose but-
tons, programmable footswitch, and
transport buttons. You can switch the
controls among tracks and buses, with
the fader and some of the knobs serv-
ing as a basic channel strip. Theres also
an LCD screen that can switch between
showing levels, or displaying what can
be controlled with the various knobs.
Of course a single-fader solution
isnt as comprehensive as something
like a Euphonix Artist Series control
surface or Cakewalks own VS-700C
console, but in use, moving among
operations is surprisingly fluid. Where
the single-fader approach works best
is when youre tweaking a mix rather
than starting out. My preferred work-
flow is to set up a rough mix on the on-
screen faders with the mouse, then
switch over to the control surface fader
to optimize one track at a time.
SONAR CONTROL
The V-Studio 100 comes with its own
DAW software, Sonar VS (Windows-
only; its similar to Sonar Home Studio
7 with some Sonar 8 elements thrown
in). The software bundle also includes
several independent cross-platform
plug-ins, including the VX-64 Vocal
Strip, Channel Tools, Boost 11 Maxi-
mizer, Guitar Rig 3 LE, and several
virtual instrumentsStudio
Instruments suite (drums, bass,
strings, keyboard), Rapture LE, and
Dimension LE. So what does this have
to do with mixing? Well, if youre
using Sonar VS or other Sonar vari-
ants, the V-Studio 100 recognizes
Cakewalks ACT (Active Controller
Technology) protocol. This brings out
various signal processor and soft
synth parameters to hardware con-
trols that you can re-assign at will;
you can even choose an extended
V-Studio 100 mode that maps the
mixer sections input level controls to
additional ACT parameters (although
you then cant then use the hardware
level controls for altering V-Studio
100 mixer levels).
The coolest thing about ACT for
mixingaside from the immediacy of
tweaking parameters for whatever
window has the focusis that you can
record the knob movements as
automation, which of course is also
possible with the motorized fader and
other controls.
CONCLUSIONS
If all you want is a single-fader automa-
tion control surface, then either the
AlphaTrack ($200 street) or FaderPort
($130 street) is far more cost-effective.
However, they dont include a solid-
state recorder, digital mixer, audio inter-
face (that sounds very good, by the
way), and the V-Studio 100 software
suite. Whats more, the V-Studio 100 is
an interesting kinda animal: It works
with or without a computer, and does
Mac or Windows (including 64-bit ver-
sions). When you start factoring all
those features into the price, the cost-
effectiveness increases dramatically.
Another V-Studio 100 plus is that it
seems built to last; the case is metal,
and you could likely even allow a
Columbia Records union engineer from
the 70s to punch the buttons and
theyd survive. As to the footprint, the
V-Studio 100 fits conveniently between
your QWERTY keyboard and monitor,
assuming the monitor is raised some-
what off your desks surface.
The bottom line is that if you need a
box that does the control surface thing
for mixing but can also do a whole lot
more, the V-Studio 100 stakes out a
unique position in terms of combining
multiple functions into a well-integrated,
cost-effective audio toolbox.
TIP: BOUNCE VIRTUAL INSTRUMENTS TO AUDIO TRACKS
This lets you disconnect the CPU-sucking virtual instruments. And when you back up the project, the audio track
will be backed up too, so you can resurrect the track in several years even if the virtual instrument is just a memory.
CAKEWALK V-STUDIO 100
($599 street)
Cakewalks V-Studio 100 wears many
hats, but one says mixing machine.
from denisbul
Michael Duff is a singer/songwriter/producer living in Los Angeles and is the former lead singer/songwriter of Chalk FarM
Apple Logic Studio, Mac Pro & MacBook Pro Euphonix MC Mix controller Apogee Duet audio interface
Avalon VT-737SP processor M-Audio Axiom 61 USB keyboard Zoom H2 recorder Digidesign 002 Rack with Pro Tools LE
Line 6 Pod & Bass Pod Pro Marshall Electronics MXL V77 tube mic Fender & Taylor guitars Tannoy speakers
To locate an Apple Pro Audi o Resel l er near you,
please go to: musicplayer.com/appleaudioresellers
Wi t h t hei r exper t knowl edge, product sel ect i on and passi on f or musi c,
Apple Pro Audio Resellers are the perfect destination to build your dream studio.
2009 EUPHONI X INC. ALL RI GHTS RESERVED. MC MI X I S A TRADEMARK OF EUPHONI X INC.
APPLE, LOGI C STUDI O, MAC PRO AND MACBOOK PRO ARE TRADEMARKS OF APPLE INC.
ALL OTHER TRADEMARKS ARE PROPERTY OF THEI R RESPECTI VE OWNERS.
Studio Solutions
for creative musicians everywhere
GEARHEAD
You want plug-ins that go beyond the
freebies included in your DAW, but
dont want to bust your budgetmeet
Scarlett (VST/AU/RTAS). You get
dynamics, EQ, reverb, and gating for
cheap, and you cant argue with the
Focusrite pedigree: Its the same brand
behind the ISA console modules, the
Red hardware range, and the Fort
Suite of plug-ins.
EQ
With the EQ, Focusrite has ripped off
itselfspecifically, the Red 2 and ISA
EQs. There are two parametric mids
(100Hz3.2kHz and 212 kHz), and
high and low bands. These have two
responses, shelving and cut (e.g., low
cut filter on the low band). In addi-
tion to each band having a frequency
control (40320Hz low, 618kHz
high), another knob controls shelf
boost/cut for the band, or the cut
filter slope.
The EQ does have a sort of hard-
ware vibeno brittleness in the
high end, a smooth low end, and a
warm character. Although I have
plenty of EQ plug-ins, this has a dis-
tinctive character thats a useful
alternative to the average EQ bun-
dled with DAWs.
DYNAMICS
The dynamics plug-in is designed to
emulate the vintage 1960s opto
sound. When pushed, it does have a
recognizable vintage sound thats good
for sucking effects; it also handles
being pushed more elegantly than many
other compressors Ive used. However,
you can also apply a much lighter touch,
and add pretty much transparent
dynamics processing. It has all the usual
controls: threshold, ratio, attack, release,
input/output gain, and metering.
GATE
The outstanding feature here is multi-
ple modes. Both channels can trigger
themselves (like a standard noise
gate), or one channel can trigger the
other. Furthermore, with the latter, you
can listen to the triggered signal just
by itself, or with the trigger channel
too. However, it doesnt do this by
sidechaining; you need to have sepa-
rate left and right mono channels, then
load the Gate into this stereo track.
Aside from the mode options, Gate
offers gain reduction amount, thresh-
old, and attack/hold/release times.
REVERB
The control set is limited, but effective.
Theres no choice of algorithms, but you
can change size and theres a dry/wet
mix. The Pre-Filter control is very useful,
as it can emphasize (via lowpass or
highpass filtering) which part of the fre-
quency spectrum gets the most reverb.
An Air parameter controls damping.
While not very versatile, Reverb is a
good match for certain soundspartic-
ularly drums and voice. I had less luck
with guitar, where the periodicity is
more obvious.
CONCLUSIONS
Given the price, theres no disputing
the value. Theres also no disputing
that the Dynamics and EQ offer a wor-
thy, useful character that even those
with lots of plug-ins might want for a
vintage type sound; they certainly
complement more clinical plug-ins
very well. The different Gate modes are
also interesting, although being
restricted to using only mono sources
for these gating effects is a limitation
compared to VST3-style sidechaining.
But of course, it also does the usual
gating functions very well. And while I
wouldnt buy Scarlett just for the
reverb, it never hurts to have more
reverb options. Overall, Scarlett pro-
vides exceptional value for money.
TIP: THE OUT-OF-TUNE GUITAR
If theres a track with an out-of-tune guitar, as a workaround add some chorusing. This detunes the guitar in a
controlled way, which might make the out-of-tuneness less obvious.
TIP: EMULATE THE LISTENING IN THE CAR EXPERIENCE
Many people dont think a mix is truly complete until theyve heard it in the car, because the road noise masks
lower-level audio, thus making it very clear which instruments stand out and which ones dont. But, you can save
on gas by injecting pink noise into your mix as you set levels. Set the noise level fairly high, and youll be able to
tell which instruments cut through.
FOCUSRITE SCARLETT
($99 street)
This cost-effective
software suite
offers four groovy
plug-ins.
from denisbul
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The 101 Greatest Moments in Guitar History, The 50 Greatest Gui-
tar Tones of All Time, 99 Ways to Play Better Now, 50 Stompboxes
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and How to Record Acoustic Guitars.
BONUS! VINTAGE GUITAR PLAYER COLUMNS
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AVAILABLE AT MAJOR BOOKSTORES AND ONLINE AT:
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UNIVERSAL AUDIOS
LATEST PLUG-INS
Universal Audio introduced some new
plug-ins for the UAD2 platform during
2009, which are well worth covering
due to their appropriateness for mixing.
TRIDENT A-RANGE EQ
This EQ is all about character. It emu-
lates the inductor-based design of the
original, including the quirky ability to
create really unusual curves. Part of this is
due to the lowpass and highpass filters;
there are buttons for three different cut-
offs per filter, but you can enable more
than one button at a time, which steep-
ens the cutoff and changes the overall
character. Of the four main bands (high
shelf, low shelf, and two bandpass),
your choices are limited: four frequen-
cies per band, and a boost/cut slider
(no Q)but they can also interact in
interesting ways. The chosen Q is mild,
so you can boost without the sound
getting annoying; the cut seems more
dramatic than the boost.
I feel the A-Range EQ is at its best
when used subtly, as it can add char-
acter without creating an obvious
EQed sound. Its not a replacement
for a surgical parametric EQ, but
theres a reason why the Trident A-
Range EQ is held in such high regard
by mixdown engineers; in typical UA
fashion, theyve brought that analog
quality to the digital word.
EL7 FATSO
Fatso is one of those magic wonder
boxes and again, UA has nailed what
the original is all aboutbut also gone
further, by including a Fatso Sr. ver-
sion with additional controls for
tweaking compression that arent in
the hardware version. Part saturator
and part compressor, Fatso can make
drums bigger, basses rounder, and
vocals stronger.
Its important to compare the
peaks with bypassed and processed
versions, as the effect can be subtle
but if the output control is up, youll
be fooled into thinking its more exag-
gerated. Of course, you can make
Fatso into a caricature of fat sounds,
but to my ears its at its best when
used to add a few pounds rather than
going the obesity route.
Fatso is quite complex, as there are
multiple elements and they all interact
to some degreefor example, the
Tranny (transformer) option adds an
entirely different quality to whatever
else is dialed in. Fortunately, theres a
solid collection of presets that you can
use without even knowing how Fatso
works under the hood.
To get into all of Fatsos details
would take a couple pages, so heres
the bottom line: Anyone whos a fan of
the analog sound but uses digital
TIP: DONT MIX WITHIN 24 HOURS OF FLYING
Airplanes mess with your ears, even if you wear earplugs, and it takes a while
for them to bounce back to normal.
The three UA plug-ins
featured in this review:
EMT 250, EL7 Fatso, and
Trident A-Range EQ.
TIP: USE MARKERS FOR NAVIGATION
Its much easier to mix when you can jump instantly to particular sections and
compare them to other sections.
GEARHEAD
from denisbul
because of cost and convenience
will welcome what Fatso brings to
tracks. The careful control of dis-
tortion, tape saturation emulation,
transformer sound, and a very
analog-like compressor can be
downright magical for smoothing
out any of digitals rough edges.
Granted this is Universal Audios
forte, but even so, this is a very
impressive plug-in.
EMT 250
The EMT 250 is the antidote to
crummy-sounding digital reverbs.
It really does have that plate/ana-
log quality, even though the origi-
nal wasnt a mechanical plate, but
an early digital reverb. When I first
called this up, waves of nostalgia
kicked infew digital reverbs truly
capture the warm, enveloping
sound quality of analog reverb,
but the EMT 250 does an
outstanding jobprobably
because it adapts the same code
that powered the original.
For those unfamiliar with the
EMT 250, it wasnt just about
reverb, but also included effects like
chorus, delay, phasing, ambience,
and echo. These processors are
used to good advantage in the pre-
sets, which do a fine job of showing
off what the EMT 250 can do.
If you want to take your reverb
to the next level, this is a plug-in
whose full, spacious sound adds an
overlay of reality that many digital
reverbs lack.
CONCLUSIONS
Its no secret that Univseral Audio
knows how to translate analog
mojo to the digital world. When
applied to mixing, this is crucial
because mixing is an additive
processif each plug-in you use
sounds X amount better than
the norm, and thats multiplied
over several tracks, the overall
improvement in sound quality is
substantial. Although some of
what accounts for the quality of
UA plug-ins is having their own
hardware platform, Id have to
give the lions share of the credit
to those working on the code
levelyou cant go wrong with
UAs plugs, and these three are
no exception.
GEARHEAD
from denisbul
M A R K E T P L A C E
S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N
www.eqmag.com FEBRUARY 2010 EQ
59
from denisbul
GADGETS & GOODIES
REALLY COOL TOOLS FOR AUDIO-TO-GO
GEARHEAD
From mics to monitoring to multitrack recording, weve unearthed some great
goodies for mobile audio.
Shure X2u XLR-to-USB Adapter ($130
MSRP, $99 street; www.shure.com)
Got XLR mic? Got USB on your Win-
dows Vista/XP/7 or Mac OS X laptop?
Then plug the mic into the X2u, and
the X2u into a powered USB port
instant USB mic. The X2u sports three
controls: mic gain, headphone volume
(theres an 1/8" jack), and monitor,
which blends output from the
computer with the mic audio. Theres
also a +48V switch, peak LED indica-
tor, and USB activity indicator.
So how does it stack up to Blues
Icicle ($60 street) or CEntrances Mic-
Port Pro ($149 street)? The X2u has
better build quality than the Icicle,
which also lacks monitoring (theres
only a gain control), has no phantom
power, and is about an inch longer. The
Icicle also uses a mini-USB jack,
whereas the X2u uses any standard
USB cable. For the extra bucks, the
MicPort Pro gives 24-bit/96kHz resolu-
tion; the X2u tops out at 16/48kHz, and
Icicle at 16/44.1kHz. You can also
aggregate two MicPort Pros for stereo
recording, and if size matters, its the
smallest of the bunchbut it uses a
mini-USB jack, and while it provides
zero-latency monitor, blending needs
to be done in your software app.
So if you ever needed proof that
you get what you pay for, these three
prove it. The X2u is positioned exactly
between the Icicle and the MicPort
Pro, and for most people, provides all
the essentials for transforming what-
ever mic you use into a USB micwith
notable build quality.
Zoom H4n ($549 MSRP, $300 street,
www.samsontech.com)
Zooms H4n has nailed the portable
recorder. The sound quality is excep-
tionalnot just good for a portable
recordereven with the internal con-
denser mics, which you can rotate to
optimize positioning for close-up or
wide-field recording. When using your
own mics, there are dual combi XLR
mic/high-Z 1/4" ins (with phantom
power and a built-in mid-side stereo
decoder), and the H4n can record four
tracks simultaneously as well as over-
dub and mix those tracks.
For instant monitoring, theres a
built-in speaker. Battery life? Up to 11
hours if you dont need more than 16-
bit/44.1 WAV or MP3 recording. Stor-
age? The H4n records to SD/SDHC
cards; a 32GB card (1GB is included)
means 15 hours at 24/96kHz or in MP3
mode, weeks of continuous recording.
A pre-record buffer covers you for two
seconds prior to hitting record, and
you can also trigger recording based
on level.
The H4n includes several extras, like
50 built-in DSP effects (including amp
sim emulation) and a variable-speed
phrase trainer; the USB 2.0 interface
isnt just for transferring audio, but lets
the H4n serve as a cross-platform
audio interface or card reader . . . all in
a package only slightly larger and
heavier than Zooms H2.
Whats not to like? Maybe someday,
Ill find something. But overall, the H4n
hits an undeniable home runyou
wont find better at this price.
Monster Turbine Pro Copper In-Ear
Speakers ($299.95 MSRP, $270 street;
www.monstercable.com)
We reviewed the Turbine Pro Gold ear-
buds last issue, which are designed more
for high-end consumers. Within hours of
the magazine going to the printer, we
then received the Turbine Pro Copper
earbuds, which are designed specifically
for pro mixingand theyre so good
they merit their own mention.
The differences between the two are
subtle, but significant. Gold emphasizes
low bass, with a little less high end;
Copper is more neutral overall. How-
ever, this is not a night-and-day differ-
enceits more like the difference
between two excellent sets of speakers.
Like the Golds, the Coppers are
beautifully constructed (with a lifetime
warrantythats confidence!), and
exhibit the same imaging, detail, trans-
parency, and superb transient response.
However, the same caution applies to
both products: Selecting the correct tip
for your ear is crucial, so take the time
to check out all the options.
Cant decide between them? If you
want to mix, have your MP3 player
sound transcendent, and truly enjoy
the movies on planes, go for the Gold.
You can easily learn to compensate for
any response differences. But if youre
interested solely in the most accurate
reproduction when mixing (or even
mastering) with a mobile studio, the
Coppers get the nod. In either case,
these are astonishing transducers that
will cause you to re-evaluate just how
good earbuds can be.
by Craig Anderton
from denisbul
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
To advertise in this section contact; Will Sheng at 650-238-0325 wsheng@musicplayer.com www.eqmag.com FEBRUARY 2010 EQ 63
ASC Quick Sound Field
Acoustic Sciences Corp
Now Available
QSF takes the room out of the mic and
puts the talent in the mix. It's a free
standing live room, where you'll love
the mics you used to hate.
SRP: $3,245 for set of 8 traps.
www.asc-studio-acoustics.com/qsf.htm
1-800-ASC-TUBE (272-8823)
The S7 Family of Mics
ADK Microphones
Now Available
The S-7, S-7B and S-7C are the only mics that you need to
make pro-quality recordings. From screaming guitars to
whispered vocals, each S-7 mic has a specific character that
will give you the ultimate flexibility and the best results.
SRP: S-7 = $479; S-7B = $479; S-7C = $479
www.adkmic.com
805-644-6621
Winter NAMMbooth #5561
The Control 2P Compact
Powered Reference Monitor
System
JBL Professional
Now Available
Delivers accurate performance in a compact form-factor.
Internal 35 watt/ch. amplification, and professional
feature-set make the Control 2P ideal for desk-top
production, A/V and broadcast applications, and
monitoring of electronic musical instruments.
SRP: $249.00
www.jblpro.com
818-894-8850
Winter NAMMbooth # 7800
AT4050ST Cardioid Condenser
Microphone
Audio-Technica
Available Now
Offering the realism of a live sound field, the new AT4050ST
is an innovative stereo condenser with independent cardioid
and figure-of-eight elements configured in a mid-side
arrangement with switch-selectable internal matrixing.
SRP: $1,625
www.audio-technica.com
330-686-2600
CLASSIFIEDS
GETITSOLD INEQCLASSIFIEDS!
CALL REGGIE SINGH AT: 650-238-0296
OR WILL SHENG AT: 650-238-0325
CATEGORIES
STUDIO FURNISHINGS
MARKETPLACE
EDUCATION/TUTORIALS
ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
MIXING/MASTERING
ACCESSORIES
DUPLICATION
Buying or selling instruments through our Classified
Ads offers you convenience, a big marketplace, and
a wide range of instruments and prices. However,
buying mail-order does have its drawbacks, too. EQ
Magazine suggests the following guidelines to help
the buyer and the seller in these transactions: 1)
Get a written description of the instrumentshould
include the serial number. 2) Get front and back
photos of the instrument. 3) Get a written purchase
agreement, with a 24-hour approval clause allowing
the buyer to return the instrument for a full refund
if it does not meet his/her reasonable expectations.
ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS & SERVICES
ACOUSTIC PRODUCTS & SERVICES MARKETPLACE
MARKETPLACE
EDUCATION/TUTORIALS
from denisbul
skinny ads work too
GET ITSOLD IN
EQ CLASSIFIEDS!
CALL Will Sheng
650-238-0325 or EMAIL at:
wsheng@musicplayer.com
ACCESSORIES
DUPLICATION
MIXING / MASTERING
An ad in EQs Classifieds reaches more than 34,500* serious musicians for only $2.40 per word plus $7.00 for an address. Minimum
charge: $25.00. Please underline words to appear in bold type and add $0.50 per every bold word. Please indicate clearly any words
to appear in all caps and add $0.25 per every cap word. Each phone number, e-mail address, or website address counts as one word.
Call for display rates. 3 months minimum schedule required. Deadlines are the 8th of the month, 2 months prior to cover date (for example,
April 8th for the June issue, on sale in early June. Businesses must list business name in ad. All ads must be received in writing, paid
in full in advance. All ads must be music-related. Retail advertisers may not list discounted prices or percentages on specific models,
unless items are used or discontinued. Advertisers must provide us with complete name, street address, and phone number, whether
or not included in the ad copy (you may list a PO Box address in your ad, however). Mail ads to: EQ Classifieds, Attn: Will Sheng, 1111
Bayhill Dr., Suite 125, San Bruno, CA 94066. FAX (if paying by MasterCard, or Visa): (650) 238-0263. For more information, call Will
Sheng at (650) 238-0325; E-mail: wsheng@musicplayer.com. (*Audited circulation; does not include pass-along rate.)
AD ORDER FORM
Category: Marketplace Duplication Talent and Employment Sounds/Sequences/Software Mixing/Mastering
Instruments Accessories Gear for Sale Acoustic Products & Svcs Studio Furnishings Other
Company Name ________________________________ Contact Name __________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________ City ________________________ State ______ Zip __________
Telephone ____________________________________________ E-mail __________________________________________________
Please print your ad clearly. Use a separate sheet of paper if you need more room.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
TO COMPUTE COST OF AD
#______words x $2.40 = _______
#______bold words x $ .50 = _______
#______ ALL CAPS wds x $ .25 = _______
Address $7.00 = _______
Total cost per issue = _______
(minimum $25.00)
x number of issues to run x _______
Total payment = _______
Payment enclosed, or Charge my
Visa MasterCard
Card #
Expiration date:
Signed:
_________________________________________
__________________________________
________________________________________
(do not include address when counting words)
STUDIO FURNISHINGS
Studio Name: Rhyme Cartel Studios
Location: Auburn, WA
Key Players: Producer/engineer Sir Mix-A-Lot
Latest Project: Outtasite, Careful What You Wish For
Computer, DAW: Apple Mac Pro (8-core), (2) Digidesign
192 I/Os, Digi Pre, Pro Tools 8
Console: 32-channel Digidesign Icon D-Control
ES Worksurface
Software/plug-ins: BIAS Peak; Digidesign D-Verb, Impact,
Maxim, and Structure; Native Instruments Battery and
Kontakt; Redmatica Compendium Bundle; Spectrasonics
Omnisphere; Waves C4 Multiband Compressor; and more
Sampler, Mixer, CD Turntables: Akai MPC2000XL, Mackie
d.2, Pioneer CDJ-1000MK2s
Synths/Modules: Roland HandSonic 10, MC-909, V-Synth
GT, XV-5080; M-Audio Evolution UC-33 and
Keystation Pro 88
Guitars: Ibanez 7-String (all played by Joel Davila)
Amps: (2) Crown Micro-Tech 600s and (2) 1200s
Kits/Snares: Roland V-Drums TD-20 brain with double
kick, snare pad, hi-hat, (3) cymbal pads, and (4) tom pads
Mics: Blue Kiwi
Room Treatment: Baffled ceilings, 3-inch floors, (3) 6-inch
pipes filled with sand running through the floor into
concrete for subwoofers
Power Conditioning: 600 amps serviced to the house
125 amps dedicated to the studio with independent
grounding
Monitors: JBL 4430s and 10-inch sub (for nearfield),
KRK V88s
Headphones: Sennheiser HD 280 Pro, Sony MDR-V900HD
How have your years of experience as an artist/rapper
helped you as a producer and studio owner?
My first love was always the production side of music. I
started with the old [Boss] Dr. Rhythm DR-55 and never
stopped. I was a DJ for years and was able to witness the
things that made some songs work while others didnt.
Buying gear is easy, but its how you hear that dictates how
you sound. I am not a purist when it comes to how a studio
should sound. When I hear someone bragging on how
good a room sounds, I immediately wonder what good is
to him/her. I see a lot of hot shots track a song at some
insanely high resolution, then they call me over to listen
and, wow, it sounds great, but when its mixed down it
sounds like crap to the consumer. Why? Its because their
room was built to sound like a great studio. My room is
built to sound like a massive car stereo or club. When I mix,
I keep the consumer in mind and not other engineers.
What were your goals for running your studio?
I built my first studio in the mid-80s. Once I saw hourly
rates of some studios, I realized my creative process was
altered greatly because of the clock running. Initially, I only
wanted a place to work with no time limitations then take
my work from the root to the fruit. I eventually ended up
with a couple of the old 2-inch MCI machines and a huge
board. With the studio I have now, I decided to mix the
usual rap sessions with some more challenging stuff. I have
actually taken some of the things I use to make a rap song
pump and applied it to rock. For years a lot of the rock stuff
was warm, rounded-off sounding material that was always
lightly rolled off from about 150Hz on down and from about
5kHz on up. I decided to open it up and came up with
something far more dynamic and explosive sounding.
What was the process of choosing gear for the studio?
I had a Pro Tools system back when it wasnt cool to have
one. The editing power alone sold me on it. No more
cutting tape, cleaning heads, aligning, etc. So the migration
to PT8 and the D-Control came quite natural for me. The
D-Control gives me the freedom to dig into Pro Tools
without slowing my workflow. I purchased a pair of the
30-inch Apple monitors because I love visual real estate.
I have been looking for a good soft sampler thats easy
to use. Omnisphere has the features laid out perfectly for
me, but it wont allow me to import any of my 5,000-plus
WAV files. [Cakewalk] Rapture is cool, but try to import a
multi-sampled sound into Rapture while maintaining
original mapping. For now, I am using Kontakt 3, but its
exposed my new problem: [my need for] a MIDI controller
that will allow me to do all my MIDI learns, then name all the
encoders for visual feedbackLCD windows under each
encoder! Mackie got close with the C4, but you cant use
0127 on all encoders. For some reason, it makes you choose
your parameters from some dated list of synths. I have
decided to make my own controller. Watch out M-Audio!
What piece of gear couldnt you do without?
The one piece of gear that I absolutely have to have
would be the HandSonic. Give me some good-sounding
drum samples in NI Battery and I will take that HandSonic
and go f**king nuts!
b
y

K
y
l
e
e

S
w
e
n
s
o
n
HEY, EQ READERS. WANT US TO FEATURE YOUR STUDIO?
SEND PICS AND INFO TO eq@musicplayer.com.
ROOM w/a VU
from denisbul
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