Archive for the ‘Gear’ Category
Tuesday, August 10th, 2010
This is a guest post from Geoffrey Granka of Fresh Produce Productions. Find him online at www.freshaudio.ca and @gmgranka on Twitter.
Prior to the proliferation of independent recording studios that seem so familiar to us today, studios were owned by labels. EMI artists would record at EMI studios using equipment designed and manufactured privately by EMI engineers. The same went for Motown artists, Capitol records artists and so on. Some incredible equipment was designed this way (EMI TG consoles, Coles 4038s, Fairchild compressors, etc.) but as time progressed this vertically-integrated model began to make less sense. Recording artists were working stranger hours and desired more control over their recordings (old hat studios like EMI had strict rules for engineers). Independent studios began to pop up to fill this need.
Some of them (like London’s Trident Studios) had the budget and manpower to design their own equipment while others had to contract out to specialized engineers.
Like so many things in history, the legendary Neve 1073 preamp owes much of its fame to being in the right place at the right time. It was introduced in 1970 as a module in a console custom built for Wessex studios. In these days Rupert Neve ran around the independent studios of the world designing equipment for them on request. When Wessex was looking for a new console to satisfy it’s varied client’s needs, Mr Neve was asked to design what became the A88 console.
Rupert Neve designed a solid-state preamp with transformer balanced inputs and outputs (somewhat of a rarity for the time). This was done due to Neve’s history in broadcast and radio electronics where protecting the signal from degradation was critical. Also, because this was a console pre, the amp could not be source selective. It had to sound good on everything.
Wessex Studios was more than satisfied and news began to spread through the independent engineering world. Neve had developed a versatile console that was (brace yourself) affordable. The combination of versatile and cost-efficient resulted in Rupert Neve being a very busy man, installing consoles in virtually all of the independent studios. People began to connect the great sound they were hearing on records to the equipment that recorded them, and the 1073′s infamy grew.
Eventually Neve sold his company (which later merged with AMS) and started Focusrite (where he designed the ISA preamp). He seems to have settled for now at his own Rupert Neve Designs where he still designs extremely professional preamps. None of the amplifiers he has designed since the 1073 have been reached as much fame, except for maybe the 1081, which is a similar preamp to the 1073 with a more involved EQ section.
Recently Golden Age has issued a clone of the 1073 sans EQ (the PRE-73) which it sells for $299USD. Chameleon Labs makes a clone (7602) for it selling for $799USD. Brent Averill makes a clone for $3025USD (the 1028), while what became of the original Neve company (AMS-Neve) sells theirs for around $3000USD. Original Neve modules can cost upwards of $5000USD.
Even though they aren’t so inexpensive anymore, very few people will deny that Neve made an incredible pre that has outlasted its peers of the same era. The 1073 can usually be assumed to be apart of at least one vocal chain on any major label release. Worth $5000 or more? It’s debatable, but it’s legacy is undeniable.
Posted in Classic Gear History, Gear | 1 Comment »
Saturday, July 17th, 2010
This is a guest post from Geoffrey Granka of Fresh Produce Productions. Find him online at www.freshaudio.ca and @gmgranka on Twitter.
Wouldn’t it be lame if I said, “The history of the Shure SM57 is the history of rock and roll itself”? It’s a good thing I’m not saying that.
The Shure SM57 is one of the most popular (if not the most popular) microphones in the world. Virtually everybody that has heard a recording since 1965 has heard the sound of an SM57; on snare drums, on guitar cabinets, and on the Presidential Podium (that recording of Nixon saying “I am not crook.” was recorded by the SM57). So how did this cheap little microphone become so prolific? Let’s take a look at where it came from:
Before 1965, Shure had already made quite a name for itself in the audio industry. It was the most popular maker of cartridges for record players and had found microphone success in everything from securing the contract though making throat microphones for the US Air Force (allowing pilots to speak to each other over the roar of engines) to miking the man who brought rock and roll to mainstream America: Mr Elvis Presley.
Posted in Classic Gear History, Gear, Microphones, live sound | 8 Comments »
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
Novation Nocturn Keyboard
Features
- 49 keys with Fatar “Fast Touch” keys
- 8 Encoders (Infinite Rotation) with touch-sensitivity and 11 segment Led rings
- Touch sensitive Speed Dial
- 14 Buttons with integrated LEDs, 6 of which are lockable transport controls
- 8 soft feel Trigger pads
- Sprung pitch wheel
- Modulation wheel
- General Automap Operation Buttons (Learn, View, Browser Groups etc.)
- Octave up/down buttons with LED indicator
- Button to lock/unlock transport controls
- Sustain Pedal: 1 x 1/4 Jack Input
- Expression pedal: 1 x 1/4 Jack Input
read the rest of the review
Posted in Gear, MIDI, Review | 5 Comments »
Sunday, March 28th, 2010
What is drum damping?
Damping (or dampening if that’s how you roll) is controlling the decay and overtones of a drum. Damping the drum is NOT a way to deal with a poorly tuned drum. Knowing how to effectively control the sound of the drums through damping is essential for every drummer, producer and recording engineer.
In this article I’ll cover some inexpensive products, some Do-it-yourself options and then some kick drum specific methods. This article is dealing with recording live drums, not damping and muffling for practicing.
Commercial Products
Moongels -These are great inexpensive, reusable jelly pads that stick to the top head of the drum to control the ringing. Super simple to apply. I like these a lot. 2 sets should last you for years. These work best on the top head of a snare or tom and fall off the bottom. MOONGELS
O Rings/ E-Rings - The Evans E-Rings are my favorite method of damping toms. They are thin clear plastic rings that sit on top of the drum head. I love the instant gratification they provide. On snare it’s not always my favorite sound and can get in the way for brush work. These are also inexpensive and should last you a long time unless they get folded or bent. E-RINGS
Do It Yourself options
Gaffer tape or Masking/painter’s tape -NEVER use Duct tape or Electrical tape on drums, it’s just gross. Gaffer (Gaffa), masking tape or painters tape will apply and remove cleanly from the drum. There are a couple techniques for using tape to damp. Try making a loop of gaffer tape sticky side out, stick it about an inch from the rim. With masking or painters tape take a 4 inch strip folded so there is a small ‘handle’ for easy removal. I’ll tend to use tape on the bottom of toms if E-Rings aren’t enough. You can also use tape on cymbals if they’re too ringy/washy.
Reused O-ring made from an old drum head -Next time you change your drum heads cut them into O-Rings. Cut off the outer edge and the center. This costs nothing just some time. Troy made some Zero Rings here.
Cotton Balls – I once heard of putting a few cotton balls inside a tom to very naturally reduce the sustain time of the drum. Sounds like a good trick but I haven’t yet tried it.
Kick Drum Specifics
Pre-damped heads – There are a wide variety of drum heads available with damping built-in. One of the most common is the Evans EMAD 2 which is a normal drum head with a plastic ring and foam damping insert. I really like the sound of these heads. Aquarian and Remo also have nice pre-damped heads.
Inside the kick – From pillows to more advanced systems, there are a lot of options inside the kick drum. IMO all kick drums should have some kind of damping to sound good. You can take a blanket, fold it and place it inside so its just touching the batter head. Place something heavy like a sandbag or cement block on top so it doesn’t slide away during the performance. I’ve read that some people will partially fill their kick with shredded newspaper but that seems really silly to me. A chunk of acoustic foam will work nicely as well.
That’s about all I’ve got to say on this topic. Hope it’s been helpful, let me know if you have some favorite methods not covered here.
Posted in Drums, Gear, tutorial | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010
Last year JJ Blair posted a shootout of 5 pop filters over on the PSW Acid Test forum. The topic came up in the latest HRS episode, I thought it was interesting as it’s one of those things you don’t really think about. You likely use a pop filter for vocals as a rule without thinking about the effect on the sound. There is a subtle difference in coloration with each one. Download the file to hear for yourself below.
This is a listening test. I used 4 commercial pop filters, and Terry’s foam method. This is a blind listening test for the first number of days. All you need to know is that the first sample of my terrible singing is me, a Manley Gold, a Vac Rac pre, and no filter. The file is 44.1/16 aiff.
The filters used were the Pauly, the Pete’s Place, the Steadman (round one) and the Popper Stopper.
Answers
ɹǝʌoɔ ɯɐoɟ (9#
ʎןnɐd ǝɥʇ (5#
ǝɔɐןd s,ǝʇǝd (4#
ɹǝddoʇs ɹǝddod (3#
uɐɯpɐǝʇs (2#
ɹǝʇןıɟ ou (1#
I for one will not stop using a pop filter (I have far better things to do than edit out pops from vocals) but I’m more aware than ever that this choice affects the sound in a negative way.
What do you guys like for pop filters?
Posted in Gear, Shootout | 2 Comments »
