When I was building out the space for our new studio, one thing started to annoy me. The studio was constructed as a production studio, with a separate control room and nice big tracking room. I loved the layout, but I spend a lot of time tracking... myself. In the old space, the DAW was in the primary tracking room - it was a working musician's workshop - so I could, for example, set up the drums right at the computer, and run the rig from the drum kit. But in this space, with its dedicated control and tracking rooms, I would be forced to trek back and forth from the recorder to the instrument whenever I was recording myself. What I needed was a remote. Back in the day, we had remote controllers for our recorders. Whether this was a simple "record" button attached to the deck by a wire, or a complete remote unit on the ADATs, you could generally remote control the recorder from anywhere in the studio, if you had enough wire. But, now that the recorder is a computer, how is one supposed to handle...

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Five years ago or so, Ocean Way opened a facility in Nashville. They bought an old stone church at 1200 17th Avenue South. They converted it into a recording studio, and took what I assume was the rectory next door, and turned it into offices. The main room is where the pews would have been, and the stained glass windows are still in place. This lends a very nice light in the space, though everyone who looks out the windows might not approve of the religious images that they see. The woodwork is a light and airy raw sienna color, and is quite attractive. The space that would have housed the altar and back have been converted into a control room holding a large Neve console with GML automation, a machine room, a booth holding a grand piano, and various smaller rooms. Today, just in front of the control booth glass is a temporary stage made from risers, a center stage podium, and a table and chairs to each side. Flanking the riser is a PA system made up of Genelecs and small traps. Today there is...

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Showtime! The first thing that we should say is that the attendance was huge, breaking last years numbers. So anyone who chose not to show at the Summer NAMM definitely lost out. In fact, even Sunday was jamming. Yet Sunday is a day that is traditionally slow in the trade show market because it is the last day and a lot of attendees leave early. The poor economy has caused an impact in almost every part of the country, and the musical instrument business is no exception. This impact has manifested itself as a move to conservatism in product and product releases as businesses try to support and expand on successful products. Though there was no shortage of new products, there were fewer wild and crazy products, and more practical and well thought-out products. Garry and I are a particularly good fit for a show like this. I tend to run around, get an overview of the whole show, and select what I want to check out from what I have seen and from what I already knew that I was looking for. I tend to make snap decisions and judgements, and I fly on instinct a lot. On the other hand, Garry is very methodical. He goes into a booth and slowly chews his way through the information one booth at a time, digests it, and makes his decisions. He also has very good instincts and between the two of us, we tend to see what is good and what is not so good with most products. I know that I can always rely on Garry for a balancing opinion. We don't always agree, but we always watch each other's backs, so to speak, each picking up on things that the other might have missed about a product or solution....

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ATI - The guys from ATI show up with their high end products and just make me drool every show. I bought an ATI mic pre last year, but I've been hot for an API for a long time. Though the models haven't changed, they still warrant your attention. The 512 module is a classic mic preamp and daddy of the 500 series of signal processing and racking choices. The 200 series is a more affordable and smaller solution, with it's own racking options. The 7600 Input Module channel strip and the 7800 Master Control Module are single rack space pieces that can be chained to suit your needs. Of course, you can opt for the Legacy or Legacy Plus full-blown studio consoles. http://www.apiaudio.com. Garry: Moog - Moog introduced the Piano Bar, a MIDI controller for acoustic pianos. The Piano Bar rests just above the keys on the piano and senses their movement and velocity using infrared technology. I attended a demo of the Piano Bar after the show on Saturday. We were in a small...

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Audio-Toys, Inc. (ATI) made a name for itself in the past decade with its series of Paragon mixers, which have earned high marks as monitor and broadcast mixers. With the 8MX2, ATI is earning high marks for its mic preamps. The 8MX2 was apparently designed primarily to be a front-end system to an DA-88: it has 8 mic inputs, feeding a single DB25 output jack. The 8MX2 provides limiters on every channel, making it an ideal candidate for a live remote rig. Additionally, the 8MX2 offers some limited mixer capability, rounding out its usefulness as a front-end to an 8-channel digital tape machine.



The front panel controls are fairly straightforward. Each channel has a pair of dual knobs which control input gain, limiter threshold, mix level, and mix pan. Switches are available on each channel for phase and phantom power. Another pair of switches control the mixer input selection and cueing selection. It's easiest to understand the functionality by...

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Chick singers are a dime a dozen, expensive at that price, and mostly downright forgettable. There are a handful of female artists who can rock my world, but most are from the past or distant past. Yes, I still play the occasional Joni Mitchell CD, and even Judy Collins seminal "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" gets a spin now and then. Janice and Grace get played some, too. But Melissa Ethridge and Mary Chapin Carpenter are about the only contemporary female artists that I listen to with any regularity. Enter Mary Fahl, definitely NOT a ‘Chick Singer". Most certainly an Artist of the finest caliber. Live…. I had been a fan of "The October Project", and I missed my chance to see them before they broke up. So when I saw that former "T.O.P." lead singer Mary Fahl was appearing locally, I made it a point to go and see what she had to offer. Her show was a couple of days after my birthday, in the middle of a celebratory multi-Gemini group-abuse week, and I almost did not make the performance. Life issues...

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I have had the pleasure of reviewing several of Shure's KSM line of studio condensers, and generally speaking, I have found these microphones to be sonically accurate and all-around useful mics. The KSM line includes the KSM 27 and 32, which are side-address large diaphragm cardioid condensers, the KSM 44, a multipattern large-diaphragm condenser, the 109 and 137, which are small-diaphragm cardioid condensers, and the latest offering, the KSM 141, a multipattern small diaphragm condenser. I received a matched pair of KSM 141's in a functional plastic carrying case. The case lacked the sophisticated feel of the elegant case provided with the KSM 44. Inside the case were two mics, a pair of windscreens, and mic clips. The mics were finished in the same champagne finish as the rest of the KSM line, and had an elegant, utilitarian look and solid feel. The first thing you'll...

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"Colorful" mic preamps have been the primary focus of the preamp market for the past few years, and with good reason. Many recordists who moved from analog tape to digital media during the 1990s found that they missed the natual compression and coloration of tape, and sought relief in vacuum tubes and colorful overdriven circuitry. I have to admit that I am quite a fan of colorful preamps, and own a few that range from "pretty and warm" to flat out "rack-mounted stompboxes". Most of my recordings require some character, and I like to be able to crank up some tubes and get a little hair on my signal when the urge strikes. But what about those times when you need to be clean? What do you do when you need a straight wire with gain? Enter the True Systems Precision 8.

Great Numbers, and a Couple of Frills The Precision 8 is a no-nonsense 8 channel preamp with a few cool features and tremendous sonic purity....

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Miracles happen. UPS managed to get a package to my door despite the fact that the shipping label had been torn completely off. And inside that package was a string library for GigaStudio that managed to make grumpy old me giggle like a little girl. Ever since Giga-technology redefined sampling, symphonic libraries have themselves transformed. They’re huge now, getting bigger every day. Sonic Implants Symphonic Strings weighs in at a hefty twenty CDs, packed with the most used articulations, bowings, and effects used in symphonic music. The mastermind behind the Sonic Implants product line is Jennifer Hruska, perhaps best known to industry folks as one of the dynamo sound designers behind some of Kurzweil's most praised products. After a nine-year stint there, Jennifer founded her own company; and after rolling a couple of other family-run businesses together, the combined effort emerged as the present Sonic Network--the parent company of Sonic Implants. Until recently, Sonic Implants was probably best known...

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I open the package. A beautiful black binder. I open the binder. Lovely cover page, inscribed, "The Maestro's Manual, presented to Maestro Bruce Richardson." OK, I'm impressed. Garritan Orchestral Strings is the second GigaStudio library produced by harpist, composer, and producer Gary Garritan. His previous library, the GigaHarp, was among the first proof-of-concept libraries which thrust Nemesys (now owned by hardware giant Tascam. hmmm...TascSys? NemeScam?) and its "streaming sampler" into the limelight. Garritan Orchestral Strings is a much larger effort; a collection of just about every sound you can make with a string section. You get a hefty manual that's almost an orchestration text, elegant and detailed mapping guides, and the aforementioned personal fluffing. Maestro indeed. Who doesn't feel good about that?

Down to the Nitty-Gritty Spread out over eighteen CDs, you'll find the main instrument...

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I’m a big Rush fan. Yeah, I know. Me and 50 million other drummers. I’ve been listening to this band since they showed up on my radar in the late 1970s, and have always followed their tours and new albums. I admit that I fall into the camp of wistful fans who yearn for a return to the art-rock glory days of the band (which pretty much makes me an old burnout) but I still like to hear the new stuff and see what these dudes are up to. And, Rush’s return to a more guitar-oriented (and acoustic-drum-oriented) sound has reignited some of my interest in their performances. Rock music is all about the guitar, and few people are as interesting to listen to as Alex Lifeson. And don’t even get me started about Neil Peart. The other interest I have in this band is that they have always been at or near the forefront of recording technology. They were one of the first bands to jump into digital recording, where they definitely learned some tough lessons, but the engineering work done on their CDs has usually been top-notch. I can almost always learn something about engineering from listening to the production of a Rush CD....

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I've been upgrading my studio for a couple of years now. Each improvement and change has brought other weaknesses to light. Each improvement has been a double-edged sword, bringing both the joy of better audio and the curse of finding yet another area that could be addressed. All along the way, various friends have remarked upon my lack of a world-class large diaphragm tube vocal microphone. I have an eclectic and interesting mic collection, and there is little to complain about. But when it comes to large diaphragm condensers, my choices are middling at best. I have a Neumann U-89. I have a pair of AKG 414s, one with the C-12 capsule, one with the newer capsule. These are my main choices. I have an Oktava 219 and a pair of Cascade M-20s, none of which I have ever used. It is easy to see that my options are not horrible, but not up to par with the rest of my system, and there is nary a tube to be found in the bunch. I look at mics the same way that I look at guitars, amplifiers, and mic pres. This...

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After a Fung Shui makeover for my studio, things sounded bad. Velly bad. My seven year old Sonex, besides being butt-ugly and crumbling into dust, was hardly up to the task of controlling my now pristine and reflective surroundings. My chi was on crack, my dragon was swimming down the river. My computers, once effectively silenced by my piles of junk, were screaming so loud I couldn't hear anything. Enter Auralex and RaXXess, with solutions that surpassed my every expectation. Too good to be true? I'd seen Auralex in many friends' spaces and appreciated its clean and non-crumbly look. In my new desparation, I figured I'd pick up some odds and ends to supplement my existing Sonex. I was thumbing through their slick little catalog when my glance fell upon an interesting offer. Plot my room dimensions and gear placement, it said, and Auralex would compute its deficiencies, then devise an acoustic treatment plan which would give me a world-class space. For free. Wow. Free. Good. Lightbulbs. Then...

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Every so often a product comes around that justifies a real rave. The Sonitus:fx R3 plug-in package is a perfect example of a product that I just have to praise loudly. Sonitus:fx is a PC-based (DirectX and VST) plug-in bundle that offers a very usable assortment of innovative and practical plug-ins at a value-conscious price. This new version 3 release sports an updated user interface, enhanced metering, several new plug-ins, and some new optimizations. The bundle is available on-line directly from Ultrafunk (http://www.ultrafunk.com), or you can buy each plug-in individually. However the whole package is so damn useful you're better off with the whole bundle. What's in the Bundle? The package features ten individual plug-ins: Compressor, Delay, Eqaulizer, Gate, Modulator, Multiband, Phase, Reverb, Surround, and Wahwah. Each one offers 32-bit floating point processing, VST automation support, A/B comparison switch, and a host of cool presets. The package has...

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So, I've been tied up a while, and not as available or hanging around as much as usual. I've been both on the road sporadically, and swamped with work. Now this has never stopped me from participating on line before, so what has been the problem for the last few months? After all, all the hotels and venues are wired… I've had a nice little Sony 505HS for a few years now. Great little machine, with a 500 mHz Pentium III processor, 128 megs of RAM, large hard drive, nice screen, and every type of interconnection I could imagine. Less than an inch thick, and under 4 pounds, it has been my constant companion. I even have done some minor recording projects on this machine. Anywhere that I might be, I could write, work on any of the corporate jobs I might be involved with, or hook up to the internet and keep in touch with all of my friends. Sure, the floppy and CD drives were loose and connected to the computer in a variety of ways, and there was a docking bar needed to get to the video, parallel port, and serial port, as well as gaining access to more USB I/O. So if I wanted to carry all of the accessories and a few blank disks I was really talking about a lot more weight than just 4 pounds....

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The Aardvark Direct Pro Q10 is a 10-input / 10-output 24 bit PCI combination preamp and soundcard for Windows and Mac. The system features 8 balanced audio inputs and outputs, MIDI I/O, and S/PDIF I/O on RCA jacks. Supported sample rates include 44.1KHz and 48KHz, and an upcoming driver update will give the soundcard 88.2 and 96 KHz capability. In addition, the Q10 ships with a free copy of Cakewalk Pro Audio v.9. What's in the Box The system includes a small PCI card and a breakout box. Like other Aardvark products, power for the breakout box is provided by the PCI card, which means no power cord or wall wart - a nice feature. The PCI card is dominated by the large shielded cover which has a professional look and feel. Aardvark Direct Pro Q10 (front and back)

The breakout box utilizes eight combination XLR / 1/4" Neutrik inputs on the front panel, and eight 1/4" balanced outputs on the rear panel. The rear...

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Okay, so you know that I have just got the new studio to the point where I can start to put gear into it. I'm chomping at the bit (heh heh, bit…. What, you aren't going to byte on that one?) to get some recording done. But I have other issues. First I need to put in the speakers, run some tests, take some measurements, and properly treat the room. I have done much of this work myself, and with the help of my friends and particularly with the help of my brother Bob. I'm just not up to tackling another DIY project for the studio right now. In the past I have either built all of the studio furniture myself, or contracted out to have it custom built. The new layout requires new racks and a new desk. I did have one custom rack shopped out. Built from all birch, it is a dual 12-space rack with a birch tabletop, on 4-inch wheels. Still, I need a new main desk, and a couple of more rack spaces wouldn't hurt. So I look at the pre-fab offerings. I'm not too excited about any of them, but I was sort of attracted...

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I was asked last year to review the new 3.0 version of Waves Native Gold Bundle. Anyone familiar with my work knows that I am a vehement advocate of Waves' products, and have used Waves tools on virtually every project I have ever done for the last five years. Of course I offered to do the review, and I figured it'd be easy. After all, how hard is it to review a product you love? Waves Native Gold bundle offers a huge host of great processors, including EQ, compression, reverb, chorus, flange, dithering, and the highly acclaimed L1+ Ultramaximizer limiter. These plugins run the gamut from the practical - such as the surgical Q10 EQ - to the utterly zany - such as the totally wacked-out Enigma. The new version 3 processors sport a pretty new user interface, which gives them a nice, 3D look as opposed to the tired, flat, sterile look and feel of the previous versions of plug-ins. Many of the processors have been optimized to offer superior performance versus the previous versions when used on modern CPUs...

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Gantt Kushner is owner and recording engineer of Gizmo Recording Company in Silver Spring MD. For the past 14 years Gizmo has recorded many artists local to the Washington DC area, among them Al Williams, Junior Cline and the Recliners, Dan Reynolds, O.A.R., Quintango and many more. Before recording full time, he played guitar professionally for about 30 years in genres ranging from Rock'n'Roll, Country & Western, R&B, to lounge gigs, show bands, and society gigs. He has also worked as an electronics tech in both music and non music related settings. I met Gantt on line when I sent him questions on gear issues. He is one of those terribly smart, terribly nice guys that you just feel glad to know. His unassuming, laid back demeanor and expertise have made him a favorite with those who have worked with him. TN: You worked for many years as a performing musician in such a wide range of styles. How did you end up in the business of recording? Was it a natural outgrowth from recording your own bands? GK: I began...

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I sold off my pair of Yamaha DSP Factory soundcards earlier this year and was looking for a simple, reliable soundcard with rock solid Win2K drivers - preferrably with WDM drivers for use with SONAR. I wanted decent sounding stereo analog in and out, Lightpipe in and out, S/PDIF in and out, and MIDI in and out. I couldn't find anything that exactly fit my needs, so I decided to give the RME Digi 96/8 PST a try. RME soundcards had been getting lots of good reviews from users, so I contacted Tom Sailor (North American distributor for RME products, http://www.xvisionaudio.com ) about getting a Digi 96/8 PST for a test drive. The PST provides everything I was looking for except MIDI and WDM drivers. The RME MME drivers were supposed to be pretty fast, and my Yamaha SW1000XG has MIDI in/out, so on to the test drive. What It Is All manner of feature info, specs and manuals can be found on the RME web site (http://www.rme-audio.com),...

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