I think you know the drill. If you have any techniques you'd like to share, or want to ask about new techniques to try, this is the place.

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@aol.com), February 08, 1998

Answers

I don't know if this goes here but I need to know if this setup is cool or not. (Trying to make demos sound better).

I'm going out of 8 track cassette studio to compressor to equalizer to enhancer (462) to 2 track mixdown.

What are some good equalizer settings to mix both vocals, drums, and synth sounds?

Howard

-- Gregory Howard (gh5442@aol.com), February 09, 1998.

> What are some good equalizer settings to mix both vocals, drums, and synth sounds?

I'd say that this is quite nearly impossible to answer without knowing what kind of music you are doing, let alone actually hearing it. Female or male vocals? What kind of drums and for what style? What kind of synth sounds? There are at this very moment precisely 793.41 Googlejillion synth sounds available to the user, and the number is growing exponentially every minute.

At a total stab in the dark, I'd say leave the vocals alone since you undoubtedly chose the best mic for the application, and you want to presumably feature the wonderful naturalness of the vocal that you captured on tape (or HD or whatever).

Drums -- I wouldn't even know. I sometimes roll the high end off the overheads, but I have pretty bright mics, and also, this really depends on what you are doing. I tend to roll off just a tiny bit of 7-8k on the overheads, because this is where the peak in the mics seem to be, and it prevents a little conflict with the vocals. I sometimes add a little 10k on the kick drum, but then again, I'm a weirdo. It does seem to do something to the kick, though.

Synthesizers, especially when layered, frequently exhibit clouding and bunching in the low mids, so I would probably be inclined to carve out a little trough in the low mids decreased conflict with the other instruments. And finally, with whatever instruments are occupying the midrange, you may want to carve out another little trough between 3-5k to allow the vocals to sit more comfortably in there as well.

Now, I'm totally guessing, because I have no idea what you're doing. Maybe this will help, maybe it'll be a load of rubbish.

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), February 09, 1998.

Oh, whooops, I left on the HD, but you did say "cassette". Hopefully this helps. Personally, I would be inclined to err on the side of slight brightness going to cassette tape, as that medium sometimes does not have the best high end detail. And especially with cassettes, watch the low mids.

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), February 09, 1998.

A budget minimalist miking technique for drums. I did this for a "classic rock" group doing a demo in my "living room and dining room" studio. The drummer had a nice sounding set of maple 70s-era Ludwigs and wanted his drums to sound like his drums. I couldn't have agreed more. We wound up going with a D112E in the kick, just for a little better beater tick to cut through, an SM-57 on snare, placed to catch enough of the hi-hat that it could be balanced through the use of a little high end EQ, and a pair of modified Radio Shack PZM's taped to the ceiling. The room is set up with plant hooks in the ceiling from which are hung reversible absorptive/reflective panels which also serve to break up parallel surfaces. As I recall, we left it pretty live. I printed the drums to four tracks, and, with the exception of a little gain riding on some tom fills during the mix, could have gone straight to stereo pretty easily. Have since used this on some jazzy type things and also on some large afro-cuban percussion rigs, with the addition of the occasional spot mic for a featured instrument. Works well!

-- Tom Armbruster (pcctomtrf@aol.com), February 09, 1998.

>>The room is set up with plant hooks in the ceiling from which are hung reversible absorptive/reflective panels which also serve to break up parallel surfaces. <<

How did you get the wife to go for that? That's a very good idea.

Lynn Fuston

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), February 10, 1998.

She's a drummer too, and besides, I was here for 4 years before she showed up, hee hee! On top of that, the whole shebang can be taken out of there in less than 10 minutes and the panels hung, face to face, on bike hooks in the garage. BTW, this was a very effective design, that works well even down into the 125Hz and below range in a small room, and the whole deal cost me less than 200 bucks for four hanging panels and two gobos. I'll be glad to pass along the design to anyone who's interested.

-- Tom Armbruster (pcctomtrf@aol.com), February 10, 1998.

Anybody have any tips on recording solo classical violin? The room is about 14 X 20, has been treated to be moderately live, and usually sounds great with drums, etc., but I've never had a violin in the room 'til now. So far I'm using a 414 about 3' up and away and a 4050 about 9' up and away to add some "room", I'm running the mics thru a Art Pro VLA for some warmth, but not compressing, then to the DA88 with some MPX1 Medium Hall reverb. Sounds OK, but I wondered if anybody had alternate suggestions or tips. Thanks, Keith

-- Keith (KtuChgo@aol.com), February 13, 1998.

>>suggestions on recording solo violin<<

Because of the fact that it's a solo violin and not a section, you may want to consider bringing in the 414 closer than 3 '. Depending on the sound you are looking for, bringing the mic into closer proximity could give you the advantage of hearing subtleties such as the sound of the bow, that warm "scrape" of the bow against the strings..., the players fingers moving, etc,, these are all factors in the way we hear a violin, and, to me, the difference between the real thing and most samples of the above. It may also warm it up even more, but also adding some close proximity bass, so consider rolling off 100-125hz by about 2db or so, and then add a little 13k sparkle... give it a try...I have had success in this for violin, viola and cello...just watch your phase on the room mic, but as long as you observe your 3:1 rule.. you'll be ok.

Just a thought Donny

-- Donny Thompson (Donny269@aol.com), February 17, 1998.

Thanks Donny. I'll incorporate your tips into future sessions. Keith

-- Keith (KtuChgo@aol.com), February 20, 1998.

Hi y'all. I need to record a singer and her acoustic guitar at the same. Looking for tricks to help keep the guitar out of the vocal mike. Thanks in advance, Rob

-- RobL (rob22222@aol.com), March 18, 1998.

Hi again, I have to have my stuff set up so that one of my monitor speakers is in a corner of the room.- My stereo imaging is off, to say the least. Has anybody dealt successfully with this problem. Thanks, Rob

-- RobL (rob22222@aol.com), March 18, 1998.

>>Guitar and Vox at the same time<<

Rob: There's no way you are going to get complete and total speration / isolation between the two parts if you're tracking them both at once... there will always be a little bleed with this type of scenario, but you'd be suprised at how little it will bother you..just use a nice condenser on the acoustic..raise the stand a little high so that the mic is pointing down on the guitar, and use a nice vocal condenser in a cardioid pattern on the vocal.... what you're trying to accomplish is a little like trying to record a kick drum without getting any bleed from the snare... you could try gating either of the mics a bit, but usually, for "intimate" style recordings like what you describe, it's not always necessary to obtain complete isolation of the tracks... you could cut the tracks seperately, but you might lose the "feel"..especially if your performer is used to accompanying herself while she sings...go for the performance.

Just a thought.. Donny

-- Donny Thompson (Donny269@aol.com), March 18, 1998.

>>corner speakers<<

Can be done..but my preference is not too... you can run into problems where the corner itself acts as a bass trap, and standing waves are possible...there are companies who make corner mount monitors.. (Urei made a pair a while back I believe), but if you have any other alternative, personally I'd use it...

Just a thought..

Donny

-- Donny Thompson (Donny269@aol.com), March 18, 1998.

I'm getting ready to do a session with a 3 piece band. I'm thinking about using 2 AT 4033's for overhead drum mics and a Rode NT1 for the kick drum. Any opinions on this?

-- Rob C. (RVamboRLZ@aol.com), March 18, 1998.

The 4033s will work great for overheads. If you are picking up the whole kit with them, you might try moving them away from the drums. I have had good success using this configuration with the mics at the drummer's ear level and 3-4 feet away from the front of the kit and spaced about 6-7 feet apart. Success at this minimal micing depencs greatly on the drummer's playing and the balance between the toms and the cymbals. You also might consider adding a snare mic, not so much for level as for presence. Again it depends on the drummer's playing and the musical style. I can't comment on the Rode on the kick, since I have never used it.

-Lynn Fuston

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), March 18, 1998.

>I have to have my stuff set up so that one of my monitor speakers is in a corner of the room.<

If you can manage it, don't put it up against the wall right in the corner. Any space you can get it away from the boudary walls will help, even changes as small as half an inch. There is really no solution apart from trying to get the speakers in similar-boundaried spaces. That is the only thing that will help with imaging.

-Lynn Fuston

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), March 18, 1998.

>I need to record a singer and her acoustic guitar at the same. Looking for tricks to help keep the guitar out of the vocal mike.< Are you trying to accomplish separation for overdubbing purposes or for mix purposes. The best way to record vocal with guitar is to forget about the leakage and either try to make them both sound good on a single mic, or to use two mics up close and make the leakage as soncially favorable as possible. I have used a square piece of cardboard taped above the mic, but that works more for keeping the vocal out of the guitar mic. I would just get the vocal mic as tight as possible to the singer's mouth. Usually when I have problem leakage it is the other way around, with the vocal getting into the guitar mic.

-Lynn Fuston

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), March 18, 1998.

If you want to record a singing acoustic guitartist and have some sort of separation between the guitar and vocal track. Put a music stand between the vocalist mic and the guitar mic. This makes it a little uncomfortable to play but it can be done. So basically you have the music stand at chest level and use cardoid pattern mics it should work out. ( I have tried this once so mabye it just worked for me) But you would probably get a better sound with a stereo mic pair. Muhamad

-- Muhammad Lee (mrl2@lehigh.edu), March 21, 1998.

Muhammad, don't you get a strange reflection from the music stand? If you don't, then great...I usually just simply try and get the best sound I can from a stereo pair. I am currently using Audio Technica 4051 small diaphragm condensers and getting good results from them. I have these usually in an x-y position, and then I've been using the Rode NT2 large diaphargm condenser at the same level to get a little more presence in the vocals. The 4051s are aimed down at the guitar but at the same level as the vocal mic.

I found that before when I had the mics at different levels, I was getting displeasing results with the guitar sound. Getting them at the same level sounds more natural to my ear, and definitely more pleasing.

I'd love to hear what others are doing.

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), March 23, 1998.

Kevin, I the music stand definitely affects the sound. But if you place the microphone just right it actually sounds alright. I used a akg C3000s hanging upside down. With it fairly close to the singer mouth. She was pretty good at controlling her voice. I ran it through a Art Pro MPA and got a fairly intimate sound. I agree with you though a stereo xy pair is usually best. In a acoustic setting you can get a high level of sound quality, with minimal equipment. But we wanted to get a really sexy vocal so this worked better. Do you have any experience recording a jazz trio with a xy pair. Acoustic guitar, sax,drums. (I know sounds odd) The guitar has a beautiful tone, but it's nylon string so it's not very loud. Trying to record it xy without losing the acoustic.

-- Muhammad Lee (mrl2@lehigh.edu), March 23, 1998.

No, I have no experience doing that. That would be difficult, I would think. I'm guessing now...I would think that the first thing to attempt is baffling. It sorta depends on how loud the drummer is also. The louder the drummer, the more the drums would probably have to be contained. I'm guessing, though. Same with that sax -- that would probably cut through everything. I'm assuming that you want to do this all live, otherwise it wouldn't be a problem. I suppose that someone else would probably suggest using a high-quality pickup on the guitar, which may work. I've never been a huge fan of that sound, but I'm sure it's possible to do it well, with a minimum of compromises.

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), March 24, 1998.

Whooops, I just noticed that you said recording the whole trio with an X-y, if I understand you correctly. Hmmmm...so in this scenario, you would probably have to balance out the volumes, just as you probably would with a big band or an orchestra. The other alternative to this would be to possibly record the trio x-y, but augment the sound of the acoustic guitar with either a spot mic or a pickup, as previously mentioned. Is the nylon acoustic amplified at all (probably not)?

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), March 24, 1998.

Ken, Basically we are just trying to record something for use as a demo, but we are thinking of cutting a whole cd so we want something that sounds good. The reason I want to get everything in xy, is so I can perserve the true sound of the instruments. Although you can get record a great sounding tape with multitrack, by the time you mix and add and effect hear and there it just not the same. What I think I am going to do is have the drummer use brushes, and have the sax player play can of soft, and just experiment with a ortf mic configuration. So the drums will be in the middle, and I'll have the sax and guitar aimed at the mic's on there sides and experiment with distances and balancing the sides untill I get it right. Thats the cool thing about recording. No two sessions are alike, you just experiment untill it sounds right. Muhammad

-- Muhammad Lee (mrl2@lehigh.edu), March 24, 1998.

>>ORTF Configuration<< >>Sax, Drums, Classical Guitar<<

Personally, I'd opt for a condenser on the classical and mic the rest in X-Y; while I've used ORTF many times, I think it lacks the depth and "space" of an XY array... and is more susceptible to phase problems.. I also believe that the success of this particular scenario is really going to rely on the musicians to balance themselves to a large degree... It does sound like a cool thing to record though...have fun with it.. I would.

Just a thought...

Donny

-- Donny Thompson (Donny269@aol.com), March 25, 1998.

Ken, what do you think of your NT-2? I have considered buying one, as I will soon be in the market for a new condensor, but haven't seen much on it in recent months. The NT-1 is talked about alot, but it doesn't seem versatile enough for what I want...

Drew

-- Andrew Mazzocchi (MeatWeasel@aol.com), March 29, 1998.

The Rodent 2 (the little critter) is generally a good microphone, with a 12k peak that, depending on what your tastes and applications are, could be a bonus or a deterrent. It can sound nice and open and airy on top and let a vocal stick out on a mix without using EQ at all, or it can be a little screechy on top. In my opinion, it records most male vocals and more intimate sorts of female vocals quite well. However, when some female vocalists really belt out, it can be a little shrieky on the high end. I think it really shines on shakers, bells and things of that nature. I've heard that they're nice on drum overheads, too.

I have heard that the manufacturing of them is inconsistent, and would therefore recommend that you try out a few at your local music store and choose the best-sounding one. Also, use a pop filter -- they're extremely moisture-sensitive. A blast from a vocalist's breath can fritz the mic out for as long as ten minutes. And finally, the shockmount is the biggest piece of garbage -- I am very gentle with my mic and related equipment, and I have already gone through two shockmounts. However, Freedman Electronics has been very generous in supplying new shockmounts and rubber bands.

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), March 29, 1998.

Is there a way to use the Eventual electronics NT-2 without the shockmount? Just wondering because you say it keeps breaking and I wonder what you'd do if it broke in the middle of a session. I've been thinking about spending the bucks on the NT-2 or the NT-1 but I have way to many things to buy first. The moisture thing scares me though because my studio is set up in the basement. The control room is finished with a drop ceiling and carpet (It was like that when I moved in) and the live room is unfinished. Even though I have a dehumidifier down ther it's still really moist.

-- Jay Kahrs (BrownSnd14@aol.com), March 29, 1998.

Okay, I finally got a monitor that works, so now I have a PowerMac 6115 in place in my little studio. It has a Nubus slot, and I am currently shopping for an Audiomendia II card for it, but have found the sound to be passable on it's own. I am running copies of DeckII and SoundEdit 16.

(My brother, who works in what should be called the University of Maryland Propaganda Department gave me copies of these. Amazing how much money they have spent on software that is now incompatible with all of their new computers. He also offered me a copy of Session, from Digidesign. Any opinions?)

Anyhow, I already have an ADAT, and was wondering what my syncing options are, if any? Can I sync the two to get 16 tracks? Or 15 if I have to run a track of SMPTE on the ADAT? What do I have to buy to do that? Are there any programs that can generate a SMPTE time code? Can the ones I have do that? (I haven't had time to fully investigate...) Any help or opinions are very much appreciated...

Drew

-- Andrew Mazzocchi (MeatWeasel@aol.com), March 30, 1998.

>> Anyhow, I already have an ADAT, and was wondering what my syncing options are, if any? Can I sync the two to get 16 tracks? Or 15 if I have to run a track of SMPTE on the ADAT? What do I have to buy to do that? Are there any programs that can generate a SMPTE time code? Can the ones I have do that? (I haven't had time to fully investigate...) Any help or opinions are very much appreciated... <<

First things first. Do you have a BRC? Do you have a SMPTE/Midi converter (Opcode or MOTU are the most common)?

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), March 30, 1998.

>>The moisture thing scares me though because my studio is set up in the basement. The control room is finished with a drop ceiling and carpet (It was like that when I moved in) and the live room is unfinished. Even though I have a dehumidifier down ther it's still really moist. <<

There's a big difference between the humidity in a damp control room/studio and the moist air coming out of a singer's mouth at 6" away from the lips. I have never had a problem with room humidity concerning microphones (although you are very wise to run a dehumidifier, because it does have detrimental effects on lots of things). I don't think that would cause a problem with the microphone though. The problem he refers to is actual moisture buildup on the capsule's diaphragm, similar to the sweating on the outside of a cold cup. It can cause a condenser mic to start sputtering and even shut down until the diaphragm dries off.

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), March 30, 1998.

I don't have a BRC. I have thought of purchasing a used one, because I have seen them for around $600-800, which would be fine... But, I had heard that unless one is running several ADATs, they aren't really as useful as all that. And since I don't know how long I'll stay with the ADAT format... Hmmmm. Damn obsolesence!!

Drew

-- Andrew Mazzocchi (MeatWeasel@aol.com), March 31, 1998.

I am strapped for cash that is which makes it hard in the music biz I need to record my vocals at home my walls, untreated no studio foam my wood tile floor is very pretty but for acoustics it's really (uhhhh you get the idea) I really need help to stop those reflections and really appreciate all your suggestions

excuse my corny 3rd grade poetry but I need to grab your attention. Thanks Chad

-- Chad (italdread@aol.com), March 31, 1998.

I have a session booked in a week where the band is tracking live. The only problem I have is what to do with the drummer. He wears a headset mike and they don't want to go back and redo the vocals even though I'm going to the mulit-track with it and not to DAT. I have no idea if I should compress his (the drummers) vocals, gate them etc. Or shold I just leave them as is?

-- Jay Kahrs (BrownSnd14@aol.com), April 03, 1998.

>>I have to track a band in about a week and their going live to multitrack and they don't want to redo the vocals. The only problem is the drummer wears a headset mike. I should I gate, compress or do nothing?<< GO 3DAUDIO: Wow, that's tough. I would be concerned about the mic quality and the leakage. The best you can do is to record it and then bring them in to show them how bad it sounds. And maybe you can get them to redo one vocal after the fact and show them how much better it sounds. Also, use dynamics on vocals as much as possible, because they typically have better rejection. The biggest problem will be the troublesome leakage. That and the sound of the mics. I can't imagine compressing or gating that mic, though. That would just accent the bad stuff. Gating would only eliminate the vocal probably because you'll get more drums than vocals in that mic.

But I would go along with them and then try to show them a better way. I did the Marshall Chapman album that way. Everybody live in the same room, and Marshall sang on a 58 with NS-10s for foldback to her. We kept all but one.

Also, if it's a budget consideration, then you may just need to go along with it, and do the best you can.

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), April 03, 1998.

<>

I've been using an Rode NT-2 as the primary mic in my project studio for over a year. I have found it sounds great on male vocals. I just finished a project where I mixed the vocals with no EQ after recording flat from the NT-2. It has plenty of warmth and outstanding highs.

I also love the NT-2 on acoustic guitar. It has an extremely clear, chimey tone. Likewise on other instruments with high end it is great (cymbals, shakers & percussion).

I once set up and A-B test with the NT-2 and a U87. The tone was remarkably similar and in many cases I preferred the Rode!

During recording, I did have a problem with the high end on a couple female vocalists. Once I had a female singer with a particularly bright and powerful voice to begin with. It recorded so bright I am sure I heard some distortion in the high end.

Nevertheless, I love my Rode. Anytime I can get a clear open sound to and from without touching EQ I am happy. And for the money I don't think the NT-2 can be beat.

-- Lance Gibbon (lgibbon@lkwash.wednet.edu), April 03, 1998.

It sounds like Lance's experiences with the Rode NT2 mirror my own. They are really good on acoustic guitar, and the high end probably adds a little lift that the U87 doesn't have. Regarding Jay's concern about the moisture, I don't know...the problems that I've had with it are when the vocalist breathes directly on it, rendering it inoperable for about ten minutes. With a windscreen, no problem. It comes with one of those moisture-absorbing gel-packs so you can store it together in the pouch. Will it work without the shodkmount? Sure, if you can figure out a way to mount it properly! If not, the shockmounts are about $30-40, something like that -- you can always get an extra one. Or if you're like me, you can complain directly to Freedman Electronics, who then send another one...they also sent me extra rubber bands for the shockmount. Or you can buy the Neumann shockmount, which is compatible, and spend $250, or whatever they cost, but be assured of a lifetime of service. That could be great fun -- having a shockmount that costs 50% of your microphone!!!

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), April 06, 1998.

" Or you can buy the Neumann shockmount, which is compatible, and spend $250, or whatever they cost, but be assured of a lifetime of service. That could be great fun -- having a shockmount that costs 50% of your microphone!!!"

I was talking to an engineer last night that told me the Neumanns were up to $375. Of course, he was needing it for his $4000 U67. Then, it's a little easier to swallow. I said "a little".

-Lynn

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), April 07, 1998.

>>I was talking to an engineer last night that told me the Neumanns were up to $375<<

I just spent $350 on mic stands for my whole studio!!! It would have been more but Sam Ash had a sale where you could get steel boom stands for $30 each. Not a bad price and they should last longer then those pesky plastic stands. Now if they'd only get here!!!

-- Jay Kahrs (BrownSnd14@aol.com), April 07, 1998.

Those peripheral items, such as mic stands, cables, more cables, snakes, etc. are a hidden cost that people often forget to factor in when purchasing studio equipment. And it's funny, too, no matter how many connectors and cables and mic stands I purchase, when it comes time for a big project, it always seems that I am one short of something.

I recorded a hardcore band. Couldn't find my other mic stand. Now, how do you *lose* a mic stand? I ended up using my Eureka vacuum cleaner as a mic stand by wedging a 57 between the hose and taping it there. It worked for micing a guitar amp, and truly, there's nothing like making a great first impression on a client!!!

-- Ken/Eleven Shadows (ElevenShad@aol.com), April 09, 1998.

Glad I'm not the only one that invents mic stands.....old bird cage stands (the thread is actually right), music stands, soft copper tubing (3/8" works great for a kick drum mic), and a camcorder stand....all have been seen with a mic attached to them at one time or another!

Mike M.

-- Mike Moncilovich (mrm917@aol.com), April 09, 1998.

I have one mic stand and cable for every mic I own, so I guess i'm just asking for trouble!!!

Anyway, here's a really basic question. Does anyone have plans or know of a website that has plans for things like bass traps and gobos? My live room is 11.5' by 25' with a 8' ceiling (not ideal but it's all I have) and I have a corner where I can throw a bass trap because it's shaped like a triangle. I remember something from school about hanging fiberglass from the ceiling, but is it mounted to plywood? Also something with a sheet covering the front and being hung from a 2x4 or was it build a 2x4 frame and cover it with a sheet while hanging fiberglass from the ceiling? I have no idea and any help would be greatley appreaciated.

-- Jay Kahrs (BrownSnd14@aol.com), April 13, 1998.

Try this place......

http://www.sysdevgrp.com/calc.htm

-- Matt fortier (MattFort@AOL.com), April 13, 1998.

< http://www.sysdevgrp.com/calc.htm >>

Wow, cool!!! I've gotta figure out my square footage and plunk everything in tonight when I have more time. Thanks.

-- Jay Kahrs (BrownSnd14@aol.com), April 13, 1998.

I've got a problem.......... some of my outboard gear is giving me hum..... does anyone have plans, ideas, diagrams, devices, etc that will fix this problem? i'm using standard 1/4" jacks on everything.... funny though, most of the hum was coming from my MIDI Express PC and that doesn't even plug in.... but there is still hum and i'm not about to shell out $60 a piece for 4 or 5 Ebtech hum filters..... can anyone help????

-Ben..:)

-- Ben Mesiti (dakingb@aol.com), June 09, 1998.

There's alot you can do to curb the hum without spending more money. Make sure that power lines and audio lines never run parallel to each other. If they do have to cross, make sure it's at right angles. You'd be amazed at how much that helps, espeacially if you're using unbalenced cables like I am. I shifted my rack one day and a power cable fell and caused all kinds of nasty hum. The other thing is to use the plastic washers on all your rack screws. You could go a step farther and get some foam rubber to put behind all of your gear. Just place it between the rails and your gear. I got a sheet of foam that was about 8x11" for $1.25 from the arts and crafts store a while ago when I redid a clients racks. 4 sheets were enough to do 3 20 space racks. Also try to keep a blank space between any gear and a PL-8 or any other rack mounted power strip b/c there just huge magnetic fields. Try this stuff first before you spend big bucks on balenced cables and Ebtechs.

-Jay Brown Sound Studios

-- Jay Kahrs (BrownSnd14@aol.com), June 09, 1998.

RE: "Getting it from here to there and back" Is ISDN the only way to go for real-time, hi-res remote audio exchange? What are yous guys and girls paying for it (initial set-up, ongoing costs). Thanking you in advance for the answer. Some call me "Harry", BuonHead

-- Angelo Michael Natalie (buonhead@aol.com), June 11, 1998.

JUST FYI - DO NOT DUPLICATE YOUR CD'S AT HEALY DISC IN CANADA!!!!!!!!!

A friend of mine had 500 tapes and 500 CD's made there, and they burnt him big time! First, they sent him 500 EMPTY jewel cases! when he called them to ask them about it, they told him to send them back. When he did they accused him of OPENING UP ALL OF THEM AND TAKING THE CD'S OUT!!!! After 2 months and a call from a lawyer, they admitted that it was a mix up in shipping and sent him another 500 CD's and said that the original 500 were completed, but were stuck in customs, and when they got out, they would send him those 500 for all of his trouble. WELL, he called the shipping company (Emery Shipping) and they said they had them in thier possesion all they needed to send the other 500 was a voice authorization from Healy Disc. He gave them the # and asked them to call and get authorization. They called back and said that Healy Disc absolutely would NOT give such authorization and ordered the 500 CD's back to thier plant. When my friend called Healy Disc back and told them what he had found out, they got EXTREMELY irate and said that just for checking up on them they were going to BURN all 500 CD's when they got them back to the pressing plant.

THIS IS NO JOKE!!!

Do not duplicate anything at HEALY DISC in Canada!

PASS THIS MESSAGE ON TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!! DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO ANY OF YOUR CLIENTS (or friends - in my case, both)

-- Ben Mesiti (dakingb@aol.com), June 14, 1998.

Lynn,

I just re-read your Mix editorial and I have to extend a hearty 'Amen' to you.

However, one obstacle I have encountered is the client with "a little knowledge". They know about the ability to make small changes and updates without spending much time and therefore money. And, to be fair, the whole process has changed drastically. My actual audio recording and mixing is fragmented over several sessions. In the good old days I would redo a commercial final from scratch (not using any of the demo recording). That demo/final line is blurry ... production-wise.

I guess one answer is to at least have a pro engineer for the final mix but that doesn't cover your well-taken points about tracking.

Any other thoughts?

Angelo

-- Angelo Natalie (buonhead@aol.com), June 22, 1998.

>>However, one obstacle I have encountered is the client with "a little knowledge". They know about the ability to make small changes and updates without spending much time and therefore money. And, to be fair, the whole process has changed drastically.<<

Ange, I understand exactly what you are saying. I think that a lot of the changes that are going on right now are indeed a result of economic realities, read cutbacks. I know we used to do demos that were sonically inferior and look forward to the chance to re-do them. Only to find out that the client liked the demo better. It's much easier to have a demo that is OK sonically and find out the client likes it, and then "doctor" it up. That seems to be more common these days, than going back in and starting from scratch.

And I really wasn't griping about the way things are. It was more of a wakeup call to engineers that things are going to be this way for awhile. It's not just a phase. It's the wave of the future. And it's happening in lots of industries.

I was talking this weekend with a friend who works at a major film studio, and he said that soon they won't even need location scouts to find locations for movies, because they will be able to manufacture all their locations on computer. They will only need texture libraries to sample from, just like sound libraries for music samplers. Pretty wild, huh? Instead of hunting for a location, they'll go out with a camera and just photograph the textures they need. (Don't laugh. This is not far flung. I went out "texture-scouting" with him yesterday, for a movie to be released in 2000.) Things are changing even faster than I realized.

Lynn Fuston

-- Lynn Fuston (go3daudio@mindspring.com), June 23, 1998.