A new standard? The EV RE320.
The audio industry is rife with products that you inevitably find in every studio around the world. The Shure SM57. UREI 1176. Distressors. Yamaha NS-10s.
Why are these products (and many others) so ubiquitous in today’s production environments? Quite simply, they work. Day after day. Some products are just so good at their particular application that nearly everyone uses them.
Over the weekend, thanks to a local EV rep that happened to stop by, we might have found another go-to… the new ElectroVoice RE320.
The venerable RE20 is one of those classics. We’ve been using them for years in voice-overs as well as guitar and drum recording. Well, they’ve got a new model. The RE320. And, its designed with two different uses in mind- traditional voice over and instrument work, then flip a switch, and a filter maximizes the 320′s response for capturing a kick drum.
Guess what? It sounds pretty great.
In multiple tests with kick drums we were really impressed. Tight low end and a punchy, articulated top. On a Leslie cabinet it was open and rich, just what we were looking for. We can’t wait to find out what else this mic can do. And as a bonus, it’s black…
We ran out of coffee, but @niceridemn saved the day!
Creative firms run on caffeine. Not only do we strongly believe that coffee can be incredibly motivating at 1:00 in the morning, it is also one of those things that from a client’s perspective, “you just got to have”.
We ran out. In the middle of a hectic 3-day session.
But thankfully, our coffee provider is only a few blocks away and with a $40 annual Nice Ride membership (seriously, its only $40 if you register before May 31st), we were able to effortlessly jump on a bike and pedal up to Espresso Services Inc.
It couldn’t be easier. Crisis averted.
And sometimes, that short break from the studio, a little fresh air, and a new pot of coffee can turn out to be the highlight of the day.
Thanks ESI and Nice Ride. We really love our city.
Its not lightning in a bottle, but what about inspiration in a pedal?
We have a “house band” here at NoWare. After hours, several members of our team and some of our immediate friends have started a band called The Remote Age. Over the last several months we’ve (almost) finished our debut record.
In preparation for an album release later this year, we’ve been planning out a live set. Unfortunately, there exists an all too common recording curse for bands who own studios- with a virtually unlimited production budget, one can endlessly construct truly diabolical sounds through effects, editing, and other electronic wizardry which are almost impossible to reproduce live.
Tragically, we too have reached that sonic dilemma. But, take heart, we have found a solution- buy more equipment.
That’s right, when in doubt, spend…
This past Saturday, The Remote Age visited some local music emporiums and returned with several new toys. Having recently wasted several hours with the Effectology videos on You Tube, we were inspired to bring home three Electro Harmonix pedals: a Cathedral Reverb, the new stereo Memory Man (with Hazarai), and a POG 2.
Oh my goodness. These things are simply gorgeous. One of these pedals alone has the potential to forever change our band’s sonic palette. With all three in hand, we’re truly beside ourselves, making noise with wild abandon. We might even have to re-record the entire album (but lets hope not).
Somehow, EH has clearly found a way to develop creative tools that possess so much character, they almost reinvent your current instruments and playing technique. Basically, if you’re a guitar player, buy the Memory Man. If your a keyboard player, you need the POG 2 (its the craziest multi-octave generator you’ve ever heard). And virtually every musician should get the Cathedral.
Seriously. Good work EH.
We’ll post some sound samples soon…
Don’t DIY, DIT…
Two weeks ago, Lee Blavatnik’s Access Industries purchased the Warner Music Group for $3.3 billion. Now, rumors persist that Blavatnik and Co. might also make a bid for EMI, which Citibank will likely auction off later this summer.
Amidst this activity, corporate restructuring at both Universal Music Group and Sony, and the continued decline in record sales, many are wondering about the future of record labels and their role within the music community.
Clearly, there is a growing independent voice which suggests that between ProTools, Facebook, iTunes, and other technological developments, music careers and “success” have been democratized. Unfortunately, we think that this notion is a little far fetched.
Launching a creative career, in any field, is hard. And for a musician or band to record, distribute, and promote their art while also touring, investigating licensing opportunities, connecting with fans through social media, and developing their merchandise, they’d likely need clones. At least seven.
Conversely, we firmly believe that when surrounded by a group of motivated like-minded individuals, amazing things can come to pass when the whole is greater than the individual parts. In short, don’t necessarily try to Do It Yourself, instead, Do It Together.
Last week, our friends at mono and Tellart accepted another award for The Real Good Chair Experiment at the ONE SHOW in New York City. As collaborators on that project (albeit in a small way- we helped with some sound design and composition), we’re amazed that critical acclaim is continuing to roll in. Yet when talking about the film’s continued recognition with some folks at mono, it dawned on us that the recipe for such a dynamic project was actually quite simple- teamwork. Teamwork with equal parts passion, sharing, and creative exploration.
Friendship over ownership. Partnership over control.
The impact of the Real Good Chair experiment can be directly linked to the sustained efforts of mono, Bludot, Supermarche, Tellart, Juan Pieczanski, and everyone else involved.
As such, artists might have a difficult time releasing a new record, but when supported by others, real traction came be made in breaking through the Internet din by utilizing today’s new tools.
The music business is not over. Nor is the publishing, television, or news businesses despite the continued encroachment from digital providers and new technologies.
Instead, we seem to be heading into one big “collaboration business”.
Bring what you have, with heart, and then find those complimentary fellow souls who selflessly want to help. Next, jump into the deep end.
For more evidence on the power of DIT, check out the next experiment that mono, Tellart, and Parsons School of Design have come up with. We think its insane. And beautiful. Well done.
Okay Apple, we’re ready, blow our minds (again).
So, Google jumped into the fray this morning with their recently announced cloud-based music service (which can hold a purported 20,000 songs at no cost).
This news comes only weeks after Amazon debuted their own cloud-based music locker.
And while Amazon and Google’s services are exciting and the thought of accessing our ridiculous music library from any mobile device is really compelling, we’re going to wait. For Apple.
We’d like to wager (or at least hope) that sometime soon, Apple will release an Internet based music system that somehow merges with MobileMe. And, we think it will probably be awesome.
Why? Because Apple was not the first to release an MP3 player, but the iPod killed. Apple was also not the first to offer either a digital download store or tablet computer. But iTunes dominates our industry and the iPad is sublime.
One of Apple’s greatest strengths is in understanding and evaluating the user experience and marrying that behavior with elegant and simplistic design. In short, if Steve and Co. announce an iCloud (a domain that they’ve actually purchased- thanks @billboardglenn), that system will likely be easy to use, stable, and integrate seamlessly with all of the devices we already own.
Lets just hope we don’t have to hold our collective breath…
What do you do on a rainy Saturday?
We get bored and do microphone shoot outs. Its okay, we already know we’re nerds.
As we’ve had some new pieces come into the studio recently, we were looking for a relaxed but controlled opportunity to really go from microphone to microphone (through both consistent and varying mic pres) in order to get a stronger feel for the nuances of our mic locker.
Our findings? Interesting. Yep, in all of our tests, the vintage tube Neumanns and AKGs won. But, we really are talking about nuances. Several of our newer and subsequently lower priced tube microphones performed admirably. All in all, we were pleased with the M-Audio Sputnik- a close competitor to the high end vintage crowd.
Further still, some generic tube microphones (built by a friend from a kit) sounded equally impressive.
Our brief and barely scientific conclusions? In the upper echelon of microphone collecting, you do get what you pay for. Many of the vintage classics sound unbelievable with that etherial “air” that so many talk about.
But, such character is truly subtle. And, if you don’t have a “vintage budget” (thank goodness we’ve owned most ours for years), there are amazing tools at the $600 and even $200 price point that sound pretty darn good.
Bottom line, we’re reminded that no one should let the pocket book keep them from recording the next tune that could change the world. The most important subtly is probably in the power of the song…
You have managed to find NoWare. We are a music based creative house located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
