We’ve got a “Big Shot” in the studio.
Posted on | January 6, 2012 No Comments
No, we don’t mean a famous person.
Last week, we bought a Radial “Big Shot” ABY box.
What’s an ABY box? Its a simple splitter that allows you to send a signal to two simultaneous locations at once (we wanted to track two amps with the same musician to combine the multiple tones). But, we’ve found that the Big Shot to be much more useful than just signal splitting.
The Radial has a phase shift button. There’s also a ground lift. And a true bypass tuner insert. Bottom line, this little thing is really cool.
A few weeks ago, we were noticing an intermittent “buzz” with certain single coil guitars. Unfortunately, this can be an all too common occurrence for studios in metropolitan areas- a combination of dirty power, RF interference, and other factors can introduce a noise into instrument signals.
However, with the isolated transformer in the Big Shot, just by running our signals through this single pedal, all of our guitars and basses were silent.
In the studio world, its easy to salivate over gorgeous vintage mic pres, consoles, or compressors. They can be useful tools.
Truth be told though, it is often the overlooked $80 utility piece which saves the session day-in and day-out.
Here’s to the little guys. Thanks Radial.
‘Tis the Season… for updating your software.
Posted on | December 30, 2011 No Comments
Over the last few days, the world over has been celebrating. The Holiday Season is upon us, and like most human beings, we studio professionals retired to our familial domiciles for all sorts of merriment.
Now that the overindulgences and hangovers are behind us, we’ve slowly gotten back to work. On the docket we’ve got a few mixes to finish, files to edit, and other run-of-the-mill session work.
Yet, in addition to the current workload, there is also the inevitable studio maintenance and house cleaning that ensues. First on our list? Some software updates. We took the plunge- we’re running ProTools V10.
Its been an interesting season for ProTools. In October, with seemingly sky high expectations from the user community, AVID released a major revision to the venerable platform. New architecture, new HD cards, new features.
And, to the chagrin of many, a new price. The upgrade price for PTHD is a cool $1000.
Not surprisingly, since AES many in the community have been slagging AVID across forums and user groups. Our take? We really like PT10. Under the hood, the feature and workflow updates are pretty impressive.
In V10, after processing a region with any audio-suite plugin, you can drag the edit back and forth with your trim tool. Kinda slick. Also, anytime you create a new region, you have immediate access to clip based level control. And trust us, adjusting levels in clip based audio regions can save more time than you an imagine.
Not to mention, PT10 allows you to cache sessions in RAM, alleviating some of the load on your CPU. Running an HD Native system, we’ve seen our system usage drop on average by about 15%. That is not an insignificant gain in processor heavy mixes.
One week in and already we wouldn’t want to work any other way.
All in all, this is not an inexpensive piece of software. But all things considered, as users we’re reaping a pretty amazing benefit from the obvious time, thought, and investment that AVID has continued to put into our favorite platform. Well done gang, well done.
We want to weigh in on streaming…
Posted on | December 13, 2011 No Comments
There is one reason that we now own the new Black Keys album, “El Camino“, on vinyl. We streamed it on MOG last Tuesday and fell in love with it.
(Ed. Note- This really is a tremendous album and our hats go off to Messers Carney, Auerbach, Burton and all involved.)
That said, as last week progressed, “El Camino” was pulled from virtually all of the major streaming services including MOG, Rdio, and Spotify. It would seem that now, the only digital option for hearing the record in its entirety is iTunes.
By no means are we upset with the Black Keys per se. They have clearly decided to pursue a release strategy that is more sales focused, and with “El Camino” currently sitting amongst the top spots on the iTunes chart, this decision is probably paying off. Coldplay took the same approach with their newest release, Mylo Xyloto.
Instead, what we’re concerned with is a growing trend or perspective that views legal streaming services in a negative light. One of the things that we’re really excited about in today’s burgeoning Internet Era is accessibility- the potential to hear something, see something, or discover something new and exciting because it is findable, playable, and sharable.
Does Spotify cannibalize album sales? Probably. But maybe that is only for one sub-set of casual music fans? We, the voraciously music obsessed, still by lots of physical product. So do our friends.
Bottom line, for us, streaming can be a great way to discover new music. Spotify has become almost an indispensable tool in the studio to listen to tracks with clients and discuss sonic approaches to production. Could we follow our favorite artists on Twitter or other social networks and access new music directly form an artist’s website? Sure, but that would assume that we (and all music fans in general) are inherently socially connected to a diverse pool of artists wherein new music is automatically landing in our in-boxes.
The unanswered industry question is still about discovery- what about the music you’re not already “Following” or “Liking”? With Mog or Spotify, users can log into the system every Tuesday and start exploring new releases that they may not have been previously aware of. This opportunity can create new fans and lead to further monetization. And, streaming is still a financially compensated activity unlike file-sharing.
Granted, there are quite a few people upset about the payouts form today’s streaming services, but then again, when did anyone complain about the payouts from one specific radio station? And, we’re continuing to learn about the almost prohibitive costs of building a compelling music service. We’re lucky we have what we do…
This issue is highly complex and we don’t pretend to have an answer. We simply wanted to weigh in on the potential that music streaming, accessibility, and discovery can lead to new fans, physical sales and other income.
We love the Black Keys, we love music, and we’re excited about what our digitally connected world may hold for musicians, producers, filmmakers, educators, and creators of every ilk. Here’s to the technology that may support their careers in the very near future…
Our new coffee filters arrived today…
Posted on | December 1, 2011 No Comments
We bought what we thought was the “econo” box.
It shipped with 1000 units. Granted, we like our coffee, but this seems excessive.
That said, if you visit us anytime next year and notice that we’re running low on filters, please help us seek professional help from what has obviously become a notorious (and likely unhealthy) addiction.
Thank you.
Platforms not products. Is this a tipping point?
Posted on | November 30, 2011 No Comments
As we look around our vast digital landscape, we may just be witnessing some of the early seeds of the “Internet Utopian Dream” starting to mature.
Social is here. Facebook has over 800 million users. Youtube is tracking over 300 million uniques per day. Twitter is growing. Bands like the Vaccines are crowd sourcing videos through Instagram.
And now Spotify, a relative new-comer to the (US) streaming market, is moving from being just a service, to a more open “platform” allowing outside contribution and social development.
Early on, many were critical of Spotify’s lack of deep song and album filters like “Editor’s Picks”, or “Top 10 Lists” etc. This led to a natural question for streaming services as to how can anyone find great songs that resonate to them personally from a sea of millions?
Spotify has an answer. Ek and Co. announced this morning that they’re opening their system up to outside app communities. In short, 3rd party developers are going to be able to imbed their own recommendation engines and editorial content directly into Spotify.
Clearly, instead of creating this needed functionality themselves, Spotify has made the deft move to open the flood gates for others to add their own expertise, innovative models, and ultimately, ownership.
Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, the Guardian, and others are all on board. Plus, independents can create their own apps and submit them as well. Suddenly, Spotify is a group, a community, “ours”, not just a thing. Kinda cool.
This is the same approach Facebook took with integrating music into their social graph. Last month, Hypebot reported on some of the statistics currently available from music services post-Facebook integration of the Mog, Spotify, Rhapsody, etc and not surprisingly, interest in these services has skyrocketed. Steven Levy further discussed some of these points in this month’s WIRED suggesting that maybe the future starts “today” with such platforms finally allowing creagives to seamlessly produce, distribute, and share content around the world.
We like that idea, and maybe this is an idea whose time has finally come…
We’re kind of upset with @SoftubeStudios
Posted on | November 14, 2011 No Comments
Softube has developed an incredible and gorgeous sounding reverb, the TSAR-1 (True Stereo Algorithmic Reverb- its pronounced like “czar”).
Simply put, we love it. (Check out a nifty video demo here)
After meeting with some of their team at AES last month (a wonderfully kind, creative, and accommodating bunch of folks) we thought we’d give it a try. Now with a few weeks of daily use behind us, we’re finding it to be smother and richer than some of our other favorite alternatives. It’s the new studio “go-to” verb.
So what’s the problem you ask?
Well, with the TSAR-1 available, we might just have to go back and remix everything we’ve done since opening in 2010…
We’re building a Franken-Wurli.
Posted on | November 12, 2011 No Comments
It was a fateful phone call, “Hey man, I found something that says Wurlitzer, but it in a wood case…”
We screamed. Thatwould be the classic Wurlitzer Electric Piano, and its most likely a tube model- 112, 120, or a 145.
Wurlitzers have been one of the most celebrated electric pianos since their introduction in the early 1950s. Classics such as Ray Charles’s “What I Say” and Beck’s “Where Its At”, all benefited from the Wurli’s bell-like iconic vibrato.
The most common model, produced for over 20 years, is the 200 or 200A which came in a variety of eye catching black, green, red, and tan plastic enclosures.
We like the 200, and use ours regularly. Earlier tube models however, have a sound all their own. Softer, yet warmer. Finally, we found one…
But it was in rough shape. Once we opened it up, yep, “this is going to need four new tires”. Wurlitzers are notorious to tune and repair. Granted, great shops like Speak Easy Vintage Music are an invaluable parts resource, but every note on a Wurli needs to be tuned by hand- manually adding or shaving solder to each tine.
This one, in black, was beyond hope. And we were sad. Until another friend found us a 145, a beige one, in South Dakota last month.
We’re going to put them both under the knife (solder gun that is) later this week and see if we can bring one back to life.
Wish us luck…
And… we’re back.
Posted on | November 11, 2011 No Comments
Several years ago, a serious friend that we take seriously, reminded us that “All work and no play makes Jack a nasty so and so…”
Heeding such a dire warning, the NoWare team took a short break this fall after a marathon 9 months of projects. During the time off, we’ve had a wedding, a honeymoon, a European vacation, moved a place of residence, caught up on Breaking Bad, spoke at CMJ, attended the debut of ProTools 10 at AES, and even had a baby shower.
Needless to say, the past few weeks have been a wonderful and rejuvenating whirlwind.
That said, we’re back at it. There’s music to make, things to fix, and fun to be had.
Over the next several days, we’ll try to catch you up on the current goings on, rumors, and innuendo. But, please note, its up to you to figure out which one is which…
Great art will shine through the clutter.
Posted on | August 22, 2011 No Comments
The odds are already stacked against you. You should have a Plan B. Music doesn’t pay. You should get a “real” job.
We’ve heard these sentiments all our lives. Its almost tragically part of our cultural narrative. And since then, Tower, MusicLand, and Sam Goody have filed for bankruptcy. Piracy exploded. Target, Best Buy, and the other big boxes all shrank their floor space dedicated to music. Poor quality MP3s and stuttery streaming have replaced the depth and emotion of high fidelity audio.
Clearly, today, the odds are really stacked against you.
And, with the affordability of home digital recording, amateurs are flooding the market. While its estimated that approximately 32,000 some titles were released annually in the early 2000s, over 180,000 albums were released last year alone.
The pundits say you can’t win.
We emphatically disagree. For the last two months, we’ve been engaged in a national music search for one of our corporate clients. We’ve been talking with friends, scouring blogs, and researching cities all over the country looking for good music.
It’s out there. We have found truly inspiring artists that are making vital and relevant music throughout our target markets- Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, and Austin. And since we found amazing songs and performers there, we know there is also important music being made in Ames, Lawrence, Camden, Bismark, Madison, and everywhere else inbetween.
The songs and records we’ve found this summer have hit us equally with their raw emotion and bold sound.
Granted, the majority of these singers, performers, and bands aren’t generating the millions of dollars that the MTV superstars of yester-year may have flaunted, but they’ve all won life-long fans from our little company.
Amazing music is out there. It will be heard. And we will happily buy it even though its available on Spotify.
If you’ve got something to say, take heart. Record it. The world wants to hear it. Keep fighting the good fight and someone will take note.
Thanks for the inspiration everyone, this has been an eye opening summer…
Dear Waves, can we be friends again?
Posted on | August 13, 2011 No Comments
Within the first few years of the digital and DAW revolution, one company quickly became a pre-eminent forerunner in the field of digital plug-ins: Waves Audio.
However, as can often happen to an industry leader, there was a backlash. Their bundles were expensive. They were labeled the big “corporate” developer. Regardless of the validity of those statements, we weren’t immune to sometimes agreeing with the crowd.
In the ensuing years, we spent quite a bit of time in the analog world and rarely worried about plugins. Today, however, we’re finding that many of our commercial projects demand fast turnarounds and often require multiple revisions making the efficiencies of the digital environment critical.
As such, we’re begun to listen, review, and now use a bevy of new plugins. Our current favorite developer? Yep, Waves. After spending a few days with the CLA Compressors, created in partnership with famed mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge, we were hooked. Clearly, it is not 2001 anymore.
Today’s plugings are better, impart an astounding sonic realism, and exude all of the subtleties we used to love about analog gear. Unquestionably, the good folks at Waves are making wonderful tools that we’re starting to rely on day in and out.
We want to take back everything we said. We love you Waves. The Durrough Meters just saved a broadcast project last week, and the PIE Compressor and HLS EQs are making a current mix project literally jump out of the speakers.
It is a new world order. Our HD Native system, coupled with the HD I/O and a host of RTAS plugins is truly our workflow for the future.
Well done gang, keep up the good work.
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