A year in review 2008

dav nagle

Well I think now that it is the end of 2008 this could be a good time to reflect on what element each and every one of us has fully grasped in the last year . I by know means know everything and thanks to boards and supportive friends I am a know it all now


There is quite a bit to understand about recording and for me personally speaking it has been a year of learning about outboard equipment and routing. I also learnt the importance of analogue to digital conversion and the sonic characteristics of microphone pre amps. I also picked up on why certain microphones are better at recording different instruments based on their pitch or frequency.

I will look back on this year as not as much of a lucrative year as an engineer, but more of a major stepping stone to significantly understanding my equipment and how it communicates along the signal path and chain.

So here is to 2009, new premises, grant, business plan and plenty of sell sell sell of course...
It's showtime!

So then, what have you learnt and what is so significant and important about what you learnt?

jtsuited

things I learnt this year

1. It is possible to make a living from music AND do whatever they hell you want.

2. Having releases played by international superstar dj's is inconceivably beneficial to your career.

3. Logic is in many ways, pure genius.

4. mixing with ridiculous amounts of headroom is one of the most pleasurable endeavours known to man.

Mars Bar

I finally understand some of the gibberish on this production forum...

PaulBrewer

mars bar wrote: »

I finally understand some of the gibberish on this production forum...

Gibberish, you say?:)

DamagedTrax

i finally found the confidence to start mixing other peoples stuff.
finally got around to going to college (only took 31 years!)
had some of my best gigs this year aswell now that im getting headline slots instead of supports.

on the down side, the label had to knock vinyl on the head :mad:

11811

I got a mac - highlight of the year for me....:D
oh and started learning about this music production crack in college.
also experienced the in and outs of releasing a single.

fitz

I learned the hard way that you should get everything in writing.
I also learned that working with people who are not productive, or delay things, is not something I will ever do again...my time is too valuable.
I learned my way around Logic, and a huge amount about mixing, but still wouldn't consider myself capable of doing anything but a demo mix.
And, importantly, really hit home how important it is to not let things slide if you have doubts about where things are going with your music. Sometimes being a control freak is ok.

johnnylakes

1. It's ok to be obsessed/obsessive...I am not alone
2. The importance of acoustics/monitoring set up/room treatment
3. There are no 'rules' (man)....

henessjon

i can honestly I only learnt this past fortnight to leave some headroom

theres so much more to learn


maybe next year

fitz

After working until 2am on Monday morning and then from 1pm Monday until 7am this morning, I've learned to never underestimate how long it will take to get through the final little things that need doing before you send something for mixing. Man am I tired.

Helix

1) setting up a record label is easy
2) running a record label is not
3) distribution companies are unreliable buggers
4) im still bored of djing
5) macs crash infinitely more than i remembered

DamagedTrax

Helix wrote: »

3) distribution companies are unreliable buggers

what you mean there are distros left? where are they? let me at em...

dav nagle

Cuddleworthy wrote: »

I got a mac - highlight of the year for me....:D
oh and started learning about this music production crack in college.
also experienced the in and outs of releasing a single.

You got a Mac well done at least someone is listening!! Lol :p:p

dav nagle

fitz wrote: »

After working until 2am on Monday morning and then from 1pm Monday until 7am this morning, I've learned to never underestimate how long it will take to get through the final little things that need doing before you send something for mixing. Man am I tired.

Yes had the same dragged out mixing experience getting my 'anul' album ready for 'nastering'

dav nagle

DamagedTrax wrote: »

i finally found the confidence to start mixing other peoples stuff.
finally got around to going to college (only took 31 years!)
had some of my best gigs this year aswell now that im getting headline slots instead of supports.

on the down side, the label had to knock vinyl on the head :mad:

Fair play

dav nagle

Helix wrote: »

1) setting up a record label is easy
2) running a record label is not
3) distribution companies are unreliable buggers
4) im still bored of djing
5) macs crash infinitely more than i remembered

Setting up any business is an outrageous undertaking especially a successful one in the music business fair play..:)

dav nagle

jtsuited wrote: »

things I learnt this year

1. It is possible to make a living from music AND do whatever they hell you want.

Defo still love to party!

2. Having releases played by international superstar dj's is inconceivably beneficial to your career.

Wow fair play Amigo

3. Logic is in many ways, pure genius.

Very true don't know it as well as you but do have it and I have been amazed by it many times, Trackmix is a beast on it I am sure you are to.

4. mixing with ridiculous amounts of headroom is one of the most pleasurable endeavours known to man.

Yeah it's virtual orgasms

PaulBrewer

I learned a lot this year -

The value of ergonomics in making music, having returned to recording on a big console.

The intimate interdependent relationship monitors and room have. Hooking up with international studio designers who approach studios from completely different directions but have a common goal gave me a much more complete insight into the whys and wherefores of speaker and room design, though my insight is still very basic.

The fact I've been involved is supplying highest-end products and acoustics to local guys here means there's still a desire to 'do it right' - and there is no technical reason why Ireland can't produce recordings to the highest international standards.

I learned that lads can get very hot up on forums (not just here) very quick - though I also learned at a slightly slower pace how to deal with that.

I also learned not to tap the back of your laptop to stop the fans rattling whilst uploading a track (oops, diskbolloqued!)

dav nagle

I have learnt that the music business is just like selling pork, it's sell sell sell. I have made friends in the business and I have made enemies in the business, but I am happy with who I am in the business, and that is what is important. I think this here music business rocks.

PaulBrewer

dav nagle wrote: »

I have learnt that the music business is just like selling pork

Make sure you're not adding bad feed

dav nagle

PaulBrewer wrote: »

Make sure you're not adding bad feed

I sell the freshest cleanest pork from my butchers Mr.P.

thebookofbob

Learned I liked Whiskey after 20 years of not drinking it..

Learned that drinking whiskey whilst composing/recording is not a good idea for productivity..

Learned why hardware synths are just so much better than their software companions

Learned not to deal with overseas companies when it comes to buying gear ( the hard way )

Learned not to leave candles burning on top of studio monitors!

Learned lots of legal side of label contracts, publishing deals etc.. yawn

Learned the amount of sales I'd need in order to replace my current wage..
Went back to the whiskey!!!

PaulBrewer

thebookofbob wrote: »

Learned why hardware synths are just so much better than their software companions

Learned not to deal with overseas companies when it comes to buying gear ( the hard way )

I'm fully aware of the latter but not the former .

On a synth that's essentially a app running on a 'puter if you can run the said same synth software (and me with a lisp!) on your computer combined with superior D2A conversion could a softsynth not sound better theoretically?

dav nagle

PaulBrewer wrote: »

I'm fully aware of the latter but not the former .

On a synth that's essentially a app running on a 'puter if you can run the said same synth software (and me with a lisp!) on your computer combined with superior D2A conversion could a softsynth not sound better theoretically?

Might not sound as warm though

jtsuited

PaulBrewer wrote: »

I'm fully aware of the latter but not the former .

On a synth that's essentially a app running on a 'puter if you can run the said same synth software (and me with a lisp!) on your computer combined with superior D2A conversion could a softsynth not sound better theoretically?

hmm this gets very difficult. theoretically of course any softsynth could sound better than any digital synthesizer (and digital synthesizer is key here. can't really compare softsynths with analog synths. different beasts altogether). But it's a question of how good the coding is in the softsynth. And to my ears the majority of softsynths absolutely suck.
Listening to their pure waveforms (no filter's or other messing), most softsynths sound about as charming as a brick.

I've compared my jp-8000 to a good few softsynths and the softsynths sound comparatively crap. Even though the jp-8000 isn't exactly the most charming digital synth ever.

Oddly enough, the softsynths that I rate as musically nice are the Arturia emulations of classics, and Imposcar and the Minimonsta. All emulations of analogue stuff, so I guess they really focused on getting the sound right (as opposed to coming up with a user interface, graphics, routing, etc.

One of these things i guess. Theoretically possible but right now, not there yet.

I've yet to use any of the big software synths (the ones that aren't emulations of classics) in a musical way (apart from 1 track, ironically my most popular).

You've never heard digititis til you hear some of the softsynths goin round nowadays. Most of them have ridiculously fancy presets but at their core is a very unimpressive sound dressed up in nice clothes.

I've probably said this before but I hate NI's Massive and that Zebra synth. And without causing too much of a consternation, most of the crap dance tracks out there feature those types of softsynths relatively more than the good (and more successful) stuff.

dav nagle

jtsuited wrote: »

hmm this gets very difficult. theoretically of course any softsynth could sound better than any digital synthesizer (and digital synthesizer is key here. can't really compare softsynths with analog synths. different beasts altogether). But it's a question of how good the coding is in the softsynth. And to my ears the majority of softsynths absolutely suck.
Listening to their pure waveforms (no filter's or other messing), most softsynths sound about as charming as a brick.

I've compared my jp-8000 to a good few softsynths and the softsynths sound comparatively crap. Even though the jp-8000 isn't exactly the most charming digital synth ever.

Oddly enough, the softsynths that I rate as musically nice are the Arturia emulations of classics, and Imposcar and the Minimonsta. All emulations of analogue stuff, so I guess they really focused on getting the sound right (as opposed to coming up with a user interface, graphics, routing, etc.

One of these things i guess. Theoretically possible but right now, not there yet.

I've yet to use any of the big software synths (the ones that aren't emulations of classics) in a musical way (apart from 1 track, ironically my most popular).

You've never heard digititis til you hear some of the softsynths goin round nowadays. Most of them have ridiculously fancy presets but at their core is a very unimpressive sound dressed up in nice clothes.

I've probably said this before but I hate NI's Massive and that Zebra synth. And without causing too much of a consternation, most of the crap dance tracks out there feature those types of softsynths relatively more than the good (and more successful) stuff.

Yes but what have you learnt from this? Are they better yes or no ?

jtsuited

dav nagle wrote: »

Yes but what have you learnt from this? Are they better yes or no ?

Hardware synths are of course better on average (doesn't take a quite so skilled engineer to design a softsynth, as to design a big expensive hardware synth).
But there are softsynths that easily sound great if not better than some hardware. At certain things.

For instance, the software minimoog emulations (the two i've used anyway) have a lot more of a balanced and defined bottom end than the original (the one I've played anyway).

But sometimes that's not what you want.

If you were to ask me the question how does a nord lead sound versus 99% of the softsynths out there (that aren't classic analog emulations), I'd say a lot lot better.

Then again, things like Arturia's modular V and Jupiter 8 are stunning sounding (never played a moog modular though so can't compare. i'm just saying it sounds beautiful).

A lot of people judge a synth on it's presets and I don't think that's a fair assessment at all. You wanna test a synth (hardware or software), initialize the init patch and get stuck in.

Personally I like using hardware because it easily introduces a bit of grit and noise into the recordings (everything else is pretty much in the box so sterile clean tracks are par for the course). Especially when I'm smashing something with a compressor and it starts sounding like it's breathing. yeah i like that i do.

dav nagle

jtsuited wrote: »

Hardware synths are of course better on average (doesn't take a quite so skilled engineer to design a softsynth, as to design a big expensive hardware synth).
But there are softsynths that easily sound great if not better than some hardware. At certain things.

For instance, the software minimoog emulations (the two i've used anyway) have a lot more of a balanced and defined bottom end than the original (the one I've played anyway).

But sometimes that's not what you want.

If you were to ask me the question how does a nord lead sound versus 99% of the softsynths out there (that aren't classic analog emulations), I'd say a lot lot better.

Then again, things like Arturia's modular V and Jupiter 8 are stunning sounding (never played a moog modular though so can't compare. i'm just saying it sounds beautiful).

A lot of people judge a synth on it's presets and I don't think that's a fair assessment at all. You wanna test a synth (hardware or software), initialize the init patch and get stuck in.

Personally I like using hardware because it easily introduces a bit of grit and noise into the recordings (everything else is pretty much in the box so sterile clean tracks are par for the course). Especially when I'm smashing something with a compressor and it starts sounding like it's breathing. yeah i like that i do.

Very cool

jimi_t

Summing your stems outside of the DAW is the way to go.

Dogs plus Active Monitors don't mix (I see I'm not the only one with monitor troubles )

M-Audio have the worst drivers in existence.

Looping triplets over 4/4 gets you DANCING.

Dedicated music computer = the schnizz.

Less is more. (Cliche and all, but its like a mantra now)

PaulBrewer

jimi_t wrote: »

Summing your stems outside of the DAW is the way to go.

Dogs plus Active Monitors don't mix (I see I'm not the only one with monitor troubles )

M-Audio have the worst drivers in existence.

Looping triplets over 4/4 gets you DANCING.

Dedicated music computer = the schnizz.

Less is more. (Cliche and all, but its like a mantra now)

Good Post Jimi!

M-Audio used have a good rep for drivers , no?

i57dwun4yb1pt8

I guess ive learned two things

1. im afriad good gear is essential to sounding slick

2/ the waves SSL 4000 plugins i have to buy cos i tried some demos
and they are amazing- a fcuking revelation in fact.

PaulBrewer

DaDumTish wrote: »

2/ the waves SSL 4000 plugins i have to buy cos i tried some *cough" demos
and they are amazing- a fcuking revelation in fact.

There were some interesting points being made about Waves SSL 4000 plugins and SSL's own plugins at our SSL day yesterday.

Firstly, neither sound like a 4000!

Secondly both sound good but different!

dav nagle

PaulBrewer wrote: »

There were some interesting points being made about Waves SSL 4000 plugins and SSL's own plugins at our SSL day yesterday.

Firstly, neither sound like a 4000!

Secondly both sound good but different!

Wasn't it the digidesign test that said you couldn't hear the difference with the SSL Plug ins?

tweeky

To be fair I think for the Waves SSL 4000 or SSL's 4000's to sound anyway authentic and accurate they would both have to be connected to a great sounding monitor section, an mbox into a €300 pair of powered monitors won't have the same effect as the centre section of a €200k ssl desk. The Waves plugs do sound SSL'ish enough to be really good IMO.

jimi_t

PaulBrewer wrote: »

M-Audio used have a good rep for drivers , no?

Everything from the fast tracks right up through to the various iterations of the mBoxes are crippled by choppy USB support and recognition and are plagued by IRQ errors. It really hit home when I got a lend of an mBox for a ProTools edit; you shouldn't come out of any mix session viewing your primary interface as a large overpriced Syncrosoft dongle... I could see MOTU or someone similar doing a great 500-600e protools integrated control surface and interface with *proper* support and drivers if M-Audio didn't have the Monopoly.

And their midi keyboards? I've gone through 2 Oxygen8s, 1 Oxygen8 v2, 1 Ozone and a Keystation 88es (I know, the Head says no but the wallet says yes). All were brutal without exception. I nearly failed my Leaving Cert Music Tech practical when my laptop wouldn't recognise the ****ing keyboard (a requisite was that you had to boot from scratch explaining the processes as you went).