More New Gear For The New Year FastForward takes a peek at some of the digital goodies you can treat yourself to this holiday.
By Jim Brett
As audio technology changes with each passing day, not many of us have the time to research all the new products being dropped into the marketplace. So we’ve asked some audio pros to do the work for us.
This month, FastForward interviewed Ray Arsenault (VP of Nashville’s renowned Corner Music store), producer/engineer Dan Grigsby (instructor at New York’s Institute of Audio Research and 2007 Grammy nominee), and Philadelphia-based producer/engineer Brian McTear (who owns Miner Street/Cycle Sound Recordings and plays in Bitter Bitter Weeks). We asked for some opinions on what’s hot for indie musicians, home studio owners, and hobbyists. What we got was not only a discussion of gear, but a discourse on recording and performance philosophy.
L-R: Zoom’s H2 Compact Digital Multi-track WAV/MP3 Recorder, M-Audio’s MicroTrack II, and Korg’s MR-1.
Get the show on the road – mobile recording for the masses Mobile digital multi-track recorders have found many fans among musicians, podcasters, and audiophiles alike. It’s no surprise. These nifty, all-in-one devices are to the digital age what the TASCAM 4-track was to the generation before. They provide the ability to record audio in multiple applications, anywhere you go. Most come bundled with software to allow for easy listening and editing of the WAV or MP3 files you record.
When it comes to mobile digital workstations, Ray Arsenault digs the price and accessibility of Zoom’s H2 Compact Digital Multi-track Recorder.
“For $199, you have the ability to record and transfer files to a computer for further editing, or do on-the-fly podcasting. Not to mention rehearsal recording, guitar lessons, or a hundred other things. This is truly affordable digital recording for everyone.”
The H2 features four mic capsules in a W-X/Y configuration and records up to 96 kHz/24-bit in WAV format, and up to 320 kbps in MP3.
Arsenault also pointed to M-Audio’s MicroTrack II, which retails for $299 and features extended input gain range, an analog input limiter, a super-fast file transfer rate, and seamless recording of files larger than 2 GB. At the top end, Korg’s MR-1 ($699 retail) features a 20 GB hard drive, a stereo electret condenser mic, and an intuitive, menu-driven interface. It also recognizes a maximum of 200 projects, offering up to six hours of recording at 1-bit 2.8224 MHz stereo (or 30 hours at CD quality). Aresenault says, “The MR-1 and MR1000 bring direct stream digital recording to the handheld world. With quality that rivals 2” tape – what’s not to like?”
Get the show online
All this mobile recording brings us naturally to podcasting and video blogging. Name the topic and someone is out there talking about it, recording their comments, or making videos of themselves making comments – and everything is available for download.
Mobile recorders provide the ability to grab a laptop and recorder and basically create instant content wherever you go. Educators, stand-up comics, musicians, worship leaders, journalists… the list of users goes on. Many podcasters and bloggers are actually turning profits from sales of their content or selling advertising during their broadcasts or on their websites. It’s become a healthy new revenue stream for many in the audio industry.
The Alesis USB Mic Podcasting Kit combines everything you need to get started.
If you want to record a podcast and be able to adjust levels during the process and mix down, old-school style, Alesis’ USB Podcasting Kit ($99 retail) is making things easy. The kit includes an 8-Channel USB Mixer, dynamic microphone, mic stand, headphones, carrying case, and Cubase LE recording software. The mixer can send up to two tracks (eight channels of input mixed down to stereo through USB) of audio simultaneously to your computer.
“I would love to teach an audio/video podcasting class,” says Dan Grigsby. “With one or two digital cameras, a good A/V setup, some software, and some real talent, you can produce a good product. I think podcasting is great. I love it! ”
You still need microphones
No matter what kind of recording you’re doing, you still need good microphones – there’s just no getting around it. With the proliferation of relatively easy podcasting, USB microphones have become increasingly popular, even for the more experienced studio pros who simply may have a need for a more mobile solution.
“A lot of USB products are as close as you can get to plug and play, making them fairly easy to use,” says Arsenault. “Rode and SE seem to be the favorites.”
The Rode Podcaster USB mic and SE’s USB2200a.
The Rode Podcaster USB microphone retails at $229 and sits at the top of the podcast-specific list. This is a broadcast-quality, studio dynamic mic with great A/D converters, which allows it to be plugged into any computer with no in/out boxes and no pre-amps. All you need is a USB cable, which is included.
SE Electronics’ USB2200a ($399 retail), based on their standard sE2200a, records directly to your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and features zero latency headphone monitoring, mix control playback/record path, and simultaneous analog/USB feeds. As always, good old fashioned XLR studio microphones are still hot among consumers right now. Says Arsenault, “Heil Sound ushers in a new era of dynamic microphone technology, bringing some of the qualities of high-end condensers with few of their problems – like low gain before feedback in live and recording situations.”
Heil Sound’s workhorse, the PR-20 ($149 retail), is designed for a wide range of professional applications, including live sound and commercial broadcast recording. The PR-30 ($249 retail) was designed to sound like a ribbon mic while withstanding large amounts of SPL (sound pressure level). With its wide frequency response and natural mid range, it excels in guitar amplification. The PR-40 ($325 retail) takes things one step further, producing the widest frequency range available in a dynamic microphone, making it perfect for natural voice response.
Back to where it began
Even with all of this hot selling, technologically advanced equipment, one of the more prominent things these days doesn’t relate to any specific piece of gear. It’s more of an overriding philosophy.
L-R: Heil Sound’s PR-20, PR-30, and PR-40 microphones.
“What I see at all the commercial studios I go to – whether they are large, world famous rooms or great ‘Mom & Pop’ facilities – is the use of more and more analog gear in front of digital formats,” says Dan Grigsby. “Old Pultec EQs, 1176 Compressors, LA2A and 4As, Neve EQs and preamps, etc.”
With all the advancements in technology and the movement toward digital devices and equipment, there are still many pros and amateurs alike who feel that recording is not as pure as it was when analog ruled. Maybe some of it is nostalgia. Maybe some of it is a true love for the that saturated sound of analog tape you can’t exactly replicate with digital. Maybe some of it is the loss of a required degree of skill that has been replaced by a computer.
As Brian McTear puts it, “The saddest thing about digital recording is that you barely have to know how to play an instrument, or play with a group, or even work with another human being. And, still, you can end up with an album.”
What can be labeled an advancement or a setback is arguable on many levels, but our professionals agree that nothing beats good work, development of recording and playing skills, and a commitment to producing a quality product based on proven recording techniques and practices.
“DAWs have come a long way,” admits Dan Grigsby, “but the important thing is the quality of your work at every step of the process. That requires great songwriting, production, recording, mixing, and editing skills.”
Plenty of audio technology companies thrive on this belief and manufacture products that cater to analog enthusiasts.
According to McTear, “The analog gear that sounds great usually does so because it has high quality electronic components. They are simple designs and are hand-built. A lot of companies are even making DIY kits. To me that’s exciting. The Seventh Circle Audio people are making very highly-respected kits.”
Seventh Circle Audio provides professional-quality electronic kits for “handy” audio recording engineers eager to build their own preamps. They provide a full range of colors for any application and are in daily use all over the world. Each kit is thoroughly documented with instructions and schematics and it’s all available via their website, so you have time to study before your kit arrives.
Grigsby says, “There are guys out there that don’t have the latest and greatest gear but are doing wonderful work and getting a great sound. There are also those who have the best gear you can buy and yet their work is substandard. The gear is important, but the operator makes all the difference!”
