TEKSERVE
Last month I walked into Tekserve to see if a new battery would fix my iPod. I walked out two hours later with a brand new MacBook.
I've long been hoping to upgrade from my zip-disk eating 8-track to a mac laptop/mbox pro tools setup, and I'd found a good deal for an mbox on craigslist a couple weeks earlier. I was also a week away from trip down to my parents' place; they have a baby grand piano in a room with beautiful acoustics, and they were off in Europe. I envisioned myself sitting at the piano, drinking red wine, stuffing my own tip jar, and recording everything.
Back to Tekserve. A few days before I got there, Tekserve employees told me Digidesign had released a new version of Pro Tools to work on the Mac Book Pro (which I know Misanthrope's been waiting for--has he got it?). After weighing the Mac Book against the pro, i realized that the 'Pro' really refers to video capability; the Pro comes with a better video card and more RAM, but for audio there doesn't appear to be much advantage.
I also figured that even though Digidesign isn't supporting ProTools on the MacBook yet, it'll happen. So I made the plunge. It seems to be a pretty popular machine, too -- pretty girls stop to talk to me more often when they see I have a macbook.
At one point the sales tech next to me thought I called the macbook 'cute'. He lit into me. Apple salesmen ain't no glamour boys - they're fierce! This guy looked like Manson meets Paul Giamatti meets every hairy geek you've ever met in your life: let's call him 'Dungeon Master'. He stood 5 foot 3 and at one point reached for a broad sword that didn't exist. Eventually, he agreed that Digidesign would come through on the Macbook, though.
After saving $200 by opting for the white Macbook over the black (am I a racist?) I had a rudimentary setup. And it turns out that the new version of PT does work. There are performance issues that shouldn't be there, but most of the problem is learning a new, infinitely more sophisticated system.
Anyway, I'm curious to see how others make out with the new line. And any advice on how to get better sounds is greatly appreciated.
One last note: I used to think that digital recording was supposed to empower musicians like me to be able to forgo the studios and get the sounds I wanted in the comfort of my own home. This is what I've been shooting for - I've spent thousands of dollars in my lifetime in recording studios.
But there's a mindset to recording music that differs from making music. I write when I'm impulsive, but recording requires me to be patient, and I'm not so good at patience. I've done some impulsive recording in the past (I recorded an EP in two weeks), and it was fun as hell, but it doesn't sound terribly good. Also, I don't think I'll ever get there technically. I understand some of the concepts, but I will never understand what dithering is.
But I still have the MacBook. I can cart it to our rehearsal space and record studios, and with its ultra-fast boot-up time I can get songwriting ideas down quickly. And because it gets so unbelievably, Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-melting face hot, I can use it to make pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches.
I've long been hoping to upgrade from my zip-disk eating 8-track to a mac laptop/mbox pro tools setup, and I'd found a good deal for an mbox on craigslist a couple weeks earlier. I was also a week away from trip down to my parents' place; they have a baby grand piano in a room with beautiful acoustics, and they were off in Europe. I envisioned myself sitting at the piano, drinking red wine, stuffing my own tip jar, and recording everything.
Back to Tekserve. A few days before I got there, Tekserve employees told me Digidesign had released a new version of Pro Tools to work on the Mac Book Pro (which I know Misanthrope's been waiting for--has he got it?). After weighing the Mac Book against the pro, i realized that the 'Pro' really refers to video capability; the Pro comes with a better video card and more RAM, but for audio there doesn't appear to be much advantage.
I also figured that even though Digidesign isn't supporting ProTools on the MacBook yet, it'll happen. So I made the plunge. It seems to be a pretty popular machine, too -- pretty girls stop to talk to me more often when they see I have a macbook.
At one point the sales tech next to me thought I called the macbook 'cute'. He lit into me. Apple salesmen ain't no glamour boys - they're fierce! This guy looked like Manson meets Paul Giamatti meets every hairy geek you've ever met in your life: let's call him 'Dungeon Master'. He stood 5 foot 3 and at one point reached for a broad sword that didn't exist. Eventually, he agreed that Digidesign would come through on the Macbook, though.
After saving $200 by opting for the white Macbook over the black (am I a racist?) I had a rudimentary setup. And it turns out that the new version of PT does work. There are performance issues that shouldn't be there, but most of the problem is learning a new, infinitely more sophisticated system.
Anyway, I'm curious to see how others make out with the new line. And any advice on how to get better sounds is greatly appreciated.
One last note: I used to think that digital recording was supposed to empower musicians like me to be able to forgo the studios and get the sounds I wanted in the comfort of my own home. This is what I've been shooting for - I've spent thousands of dollars in my lifetime in recording studios.
But there's a mindset to recording music that differs from making music. I write when I'm impulsive, but recording requires me to be patient, and I'm not so good at patience. I've done some impulsive recording in the past (I recorded an EP in two weeks), and it was fun as hell, but it doesn't sound terribly good. Also, I don't think I'll ever get there technically. I understand some of the concepts, but I will never understand what dithering is.
But I still have the MacBook. I can cart it to our rehearsal space and record studios, and with its ultra-fast boot-up time I can get songwriting ideas down quickly. And because it gets so unbelievably, Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark-melting face hot, I can use it to make pancakes and grilled cheese sandwiches.
posted by stinkrock at 2:06 AM
11 Comments:
To me it sounds like I'll still be able to wring cash from you, but when you show up, you'll have a demo that we're magically supposed to re-create the goodness of, while improving those aspects that your impatience made you leave for us to mop up.
Thanks!
Really.
Best comment ever. Yeah, that's it in a nutshell.
Warning - long comment.
Digital recording wasn't supposed to make it possible for you to record at home - 40 years ago you could have recorded at home with some Revox tape machines, and lots of musicians did.
Les Paul's been recording at home for like 90 years. He's also a genius.
Digital recording on computers was created to allow manufacturers to sell you more crap, not to allow anyone an easy way out. Capturing sound is voodoo.
Making records is collaborative, like making a film. You are one of those people who actually could do it alone, but that's quite rare.
Digital at home is relatively cheaper, but once you add in the computers, drives, software, and time, you're not that far ahead. Don't forget that in four years you'll need to update the software, replace the computer... on and on. Count in mics, monitor speakers, soundproofing, amps, cables, maintenance... you can see that to replicate a studio environment you'd essentially need to build a studio. And we haven't even gotten to the sounds themselves.
My advice for getting better sounds is to record constantly and really listen to what you're getting. I've used many of the same mics, preamps, drumkits, and amps for years, but my stuff sounds better now than it did two years ago, mostly 'cause I've fucked up so many times and slowly learned. You're already well on your way (that EP sounds pretty damned good).
Hopefully in a studio you also get an engineer who's heard what good drum sounds and shitty drum sounds actually sound like when they're soloed. Same with bass, guitar... it's really hard at home because there's no reference until you start getting sounds you like. Something that's good on its own might not mix with other things correctly, or something that's a problem could slip by you just because you haven't heard it before.
What's great about your having ProTools and a mac is that you can do preproduction at home and easily bring in tracks for us to build on. You can take the raw sounds home and mix without time pressure, with tracks that (hopefully) were recorded correctly. Instant reference. You can do your own postproduction, editing... and save a bunch of money. You can take your sessions anywhere. But if you want to make records as we know them, you need a link to the craft, which you get from a good studio.
(Please note I'm not implying that any of these things can actually be achieved at Smoke and Mirrors.)
Other things that are a bit intangible....
Studios attract musicians and engineers. The amount I've learned from having other engineers around simply can't be learned in a vacuum. I've picked up an enormous amount from George Vitray (the most talented engineer I've ever worked with). He learned the traditional way, by working as an assistant to an established engineer/producer. This is really the only way to learn how to use mics, preamps, and compressors. Again, there's no reference without outside help. It's the way it's always been done simply because there is no other way that works. Recording something that sounds the way you want it to sound is a craft, like carpentry. A lot like carpentry.
It's interesting that you use the word "empower" when talking about recording with digital at home. Try not to think of it as you vs. them (or us!). A good studio and a sympathetic engineer should empower you just as much, if not more, since playing music and engineering a recording are different tasks. Letting someone else deal with the bullshit of setting up a compressor will save you time and money in the long run - you won't go around in circles alone.
As you imply. the computer and software won't change your mindset in terms of the patience and time it takes to record. That's OK, since sometimes you are a pure musician and sometimes you're a pure engineer.
You truly have the best of both worlds. Use them together, use them in peace.
In addition to what Chrispy said, a good mic and a good preamp will go a long way.
Oh yeah, what you did, walking in for a battery for your iPod and coming out with a Macbook, is why my wife follows me into Guitar Center.
Congratulations, stinkrock - looking foreward to hearing new fruits of your musical labors.
I disagree with Chrispy, who wrote: "Making records is collaborative, like making a film. You are one of those people who actually could do it alone, but that's quite rare."
I've been recording my own stuff a few years now, and it sounds alright to these ears. So I'm not entirely convinced that 'making records is collaborative' - if a stubborn songmaker like me can do it, anyone can.
But conversely, having a group of musicians present those songs live is essential. I hope to get there in 2007.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Chrispy, thanks for the thought-out comments. I have some ideas here I'll try and flesh out later tonight.
TA, I am definitely in the market for a good, not too expensive, versatile preamp. Any recommendations?
And that's hilarious about Guitar Center.
Responding to Chrispy:
I'm certainly not trying to recreate a studio environment in my home, far from it. I know I can't do that.
While I understand that what audio engineers do is craftsmanship, I don't think the carpentry metaphor holds up. If you build a chair 'wrong', it doesn't stand. But if you record a sound, and do it 'wrong', you may like how 'wrong' sounds. You still have a sound. (Stooges: Raw Power)
I love a bunch of music in my collection that were made with what I'm guessing would be considered audio problems. An easy example is the Shins. They recorded their first album on the same VS that you and I both have. I know I've gotten better sounds out of mine, and I'm sure you've gotten better sounds with yours. But because the songs were so good, they've made it.
I've only recorded in a half-dozen studios, but in every situation there's been an instance where what I wanted to try was compromised or eliminated because it's not the 'correct' way of recording. As you point out, working with a sympathetic engineer is key, and I consider you the most sympathetic I've ever worked with. But there is, of course, no barrier to complete experimentation with my own setup. If I want to record drums through headphones in a home studio, I can do that without having to convince anyone it's worth trying. Well, maybe my neighbors.
At one point you mention running into problems. My guess is that you and I perceive problems as two completely different things. To me, recording mainly serves the purpose of getting the spirit of the music being recorded across, regardless of phase, regardless of surface noise, etc.. As a studio guy, you might hear 100 things as problems that I don't hear.
Your advice about getting better sounds by trying and trying again is golden and I will take it to heart.
For mics, can't go wrong with a good ole' Studio Projects C1, although Chrispy or Jackson were talking a good game on another inexpensive Chinese made mic I can't recall. The C1 you can get for $200 retail, maybe save $50 off of that going eBay.
Pres are another story. I've got a highend expensive one (Focusrite ISA 440) and I've copied the S&M signal path ART stereo VLA pre, chained together with an ART leveler compressor/limiter. There maybe better cheap pres out there, but Chrispy gets some badass sound out of the C1/ART combination and that signal path will only set you back $600 for the whole shootin' match (I think you can get the VLA and Leveler for $200 each). Start with the VLA only and see how it goes.
That's my analog view of the world. Of course, you got access to the masters themselves, although George might tell you that unless you get a Avalon your wasting your money, Chrispy might be able to steer you towards some newer ideas in the digital interface relm.
Good luck with it!
Very cool design! Useful information. Go on! » » »
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