RMS755 Super Stereo Compressor from Roll Music Systems

Looking for your first piece of analog gear?  Tired of the brittle sound digital mix bus compressors provide over your mix downs?  An affordable & high quality stereo mix-bus compressor might be your ticket to turning your lifeless digital mixes into something quite fantastic.

Production Tip: Using Two Delays With One Send

I've decided to start a series on production & mix-down tips for producers.  Each post will be a brief yet informative explanation & real world example of a mix-down or production technique.  I'm hoping these can be efficient little tips you can all quickly glance at, learn, & then creatively use in your own productions.  I'll start this series off with an old school delay trick. (modified for DAW's) If you use this trick tastefully it can really help to add a nice spacial touch to just about anything you're working on.  Even though this trick has been used on countless records you can still make it your own especially considering we have the gift of simple automation in modern DAW's.

Pictures From AES 129

Hey everyone!  Here's a little album of all the pictures I took while I was in San Francisco at AES 129.  Hope you enjoy & thanks again for the continued support of ZeSoundSuite!



Best,

Nick

World Exclusive! The All New Blue Spark: Cardiod Solid-State Condenser Microphone

Here's a world exclusive look at the all new project studio perfect Condenser Microphone from Blue Microphones they've dubbed the Spark. I was at West LA Music's Recording expo when I got a look at what the Blue Rep said was the only Spark currently available in the world. Revel in it my friends, this is after all my first World Exclusive/Sneak Peak featured @ ZeSoundSuite.

Blue's all new Spark is a cardioid solid-state condenser microphone featuring a custom capsule with the typical flare & build quality you're used to from Blue. The Spark features all Class A discrete electronics, the high-end components used in Blue's products facilitate the Spark's uncolored, detailed response that's perfect for use on just about anything you can record in your project studio.  There's no doubt the Spark would be right at home capturing just about anything natural; vocals, acoustic guitars, drums, brass, woodwinds, pianos can all be accurately transduced by the Spark.

A very useful and proprietary feature to the Spark is Blue's Focus Control.  Focus Control is essentially two separate roll off filters set by Blue for easy control via a button on the rear of the microphone. If you're using normal mode (dis-engaged) the Spark's has a much deeper low end response for capturing impact heavy yet still defined and natural material.  IE: Snare Drum, Trumpet, etc.  The Spark's "Focus Mode" (engaged) rolls off low & high end frequencies to provide even more clarity and detail to whatever it is your recording.  Focus mode would be ideal for recording vocals in your home. Furthermore, focus mode would be a great feature to engage on a pair of Sparks being utilized as over heads when tracking drums. If you had two you could use both on practically anything; one with focus mode engaged and one without, after tracking you could blend the two recordings for a beautifully balanced representation of real world sounds.

There isn't much detail from 3rd party sources as to how the Spark sounds yet because it's not yet available to the public.  However, I feel like this is a great microphone for those of you looking to enter the project studio tracking world.  Blue is a trusted brand with a legendary reputation. They produce everything from desktop USB microphones perfect for podcasts to world class microphones used in the worlds top recording studios.  Give the Spark at look at Blue's website. The Spark can be pre-ordered now for $199.99 from any authorized Blue dealer.

Best,

Nick

What is an Optical Compressor?

I'm not an electrical engineer, when people start getting super electrically geeky regarding audio I usually get lost rather quickly.  The gritty important details fly over my head before I can even think about absorbing & understanding them.  Keeping this in mind I'll make this simple enough so that anyone who understands basic compression can understand how an opto-compressor works on an electrical level.  After all, it was the simple explanations that taught me what I know about them.  Once you know how it works, you'll know more about compression in general.  That way when you do go analog compressor shopping and you'll be better informed when making your audio investment.

An optical compressor (also known as a leveling amplifier) is a compressor that uses an electro optical attenuator & a photo conductive cell to monitor and control the dynamics & amplitude of processed program material (audio).  Already lost?  Wondering what the hell an electro optical attenuator & photo conductive cell is?  Keep reading you don't need to know what they are, only what they do. 

An electro optical attenuator features a light source. (in newer products these are LEDs)  This light source's intensity is directly proportional to the input signal of the material you're compressing.  So, as input level rises the LED shines brighter & with more intensity.  Conversely, as input level drops the LED shines with less intensity.  Well that's all fine and dandy but...  How does a flashing light source compress audio?  Here's how: The amplitude dependent light source is just one part of an optical compressor, we also need something to monitor this light source.  This is where the photo conductive cell comes in.  It monitors the lights source so the unit knows how loud the incoming signal is via the light's intensity.  Remember, I said earlier that the intensity of the light is directly affected by the level of input signal.  That's really important for understanding the larger concept. 

A photo conductive cell's job is to watch over the light source and then adjust resistance based on the intensity of the light.  When a louder signal is pushed through the optical compression unit the light shines brighter, the photconductive cell picks up on this brightness and in turn reduces its resistance being applied to the given signal.  This then tells the amplifier to reduce it's gain thereby creating a form of compression.

Unlike other compressors that allow you to choose attack & release times, an opto's release time is program dependent.  You can't choose the attack & release, they will change based off the material they are processing. (this is what makes optical compressors desirable)   Since a light doesn't just shut off and instead dims as it goes out, the release time is directly proportional to the level of the incoming signal which is simply being represented as light in an opto-compressor.  The same is also true for the attack times of compression when using a opto-compressor. This is why many people believe opto-compressors sound better.  They're said to be more musical because their response is non-linear, just like music is.  Other compressors have set response times (you adjust the attack & release) that are linear and exact.  With optical compressors the response (attack & release times) is set internally.  This response as I stated before is based of the properties & responsiveness and quality of the light source & photo conductive cell being used in the optical compressor.

Most Compressors you've seen also usually have a makeup gain control.  We need this control because when we apply compression to something we're working on the amplitude decreases.  We use makeup gain to return the material to it's previous amplitude with the compression applied.  Opto-compressors do not have a makeup gain control.  Their makeup gain is set and built into the circuit.  For every dB above the chosen threshold the signal hits the gain will increase by just less than a dB.  This can make using an optical compressor tricky because a lot of people aren't used to the gain adjusting as they adjust compression.  However this also means there are less controls to adjust and it's just a matter of getting used to this new way of manipulating compression.

Hopefully this all made sense to the folks in audio layman's term land.  Like I said before you don't have to know exactly how each part functions, only what each electrical component does to understand how it works.  Now that you know a little bit more about optical compressors when you're ready to buy a nice analog compressor to fatten up your own sound you'll be more educated about the wider process of compression! 

Best,

Nick

ADAM Professional Audio: The Highlight of my Trip to AES 129

I had the pleasure of attending the Exhibits at the 129th AES Convention in San Francisco on Saturday. Needless to say I was floored by just about everything I saw there. I spent hours walking around and around the convention floor. I talked with representatives, played with gear, spoke through microphones, put on countless pairs of headphones & was thoroughly enthralled with just about everything I saw and experienced. However, there was one experience that stood out from the rest.

If the title of the post didn't give it away I'll let the cat out of the bag now.  At the ADAM audio exhibit I heard & saw something that cemented ADAM's awesome reputation with me forever. If you're not familiar with ADAM Audio I'll spend a quick minute explaining what they do and who they are, before I tell you what I heard and saw.

ADAM Audio is a relatively new loudspeaker manufacturer that was founded in Germany around 11 years ago. I say relatively new because it's taken some companies at least twice as long to create & brand something as trusted as ADAM. So, they are in fact new compared to brands like: Neve & Neumann & other greats however, they've already built a brand as reputable, in my opinion. It all started with ADAM's ART (Accelerated Ribbon Technology) Tweeter.  ART Technology revolutionized the studio monitor game & it hasn't taken long for ADAM Monitors to find homes in many of the world's most professional & reputable studios.

This particular post really isn't about the history of ADAM or even their product line for that matter. (I'll save that for another post)  This post is basically my opinion of what I heard @ AES & why it made me absolutely certain ADAM is in fact the best monitor company in the world. I will never buy another brand of Monitor... Ever.  If you continue reading I'll explain why.

In the pro audio world change is often met with speculation & sometimes even harsh criticism. Don't change something that works. IE: The best gear you can buy is modeled from very old vintage gear. ADAM kicked this idea to the curb and completely re-developed their rock solid reliable ART tweeters.  Before I got to AES I hadn't heard their new A7X's. Being that I own their A7's I was obviously thrilled & a little skeptical about the opportunity to hear ADAM's new "AX" line of studio monitors.  It took me 3 seconds to realize the A7X's were far superior to the original A7's. The first thing I noticed was the low end, the A7X's are DEEP! While I enjoy the lighter low end response of my A7's, there is no doubt in my mind one would quickly get used to the new "boom" ADAM Audio has created. The second thing I noticed was how much clearer the top end was. This is obviously where the new tweeter design comes into play. My A7's will punish you at high SPL's, I also enjoy this, they are very bright and as a result quite detailed.  The new A7X's completely blow mine away though, the stereo spread is even better in my opinion & the top end clarity without the bite is evident within moments of hearing these new beauties sparkle.

ADAM's old A7's are wonderful monitors and were no doubt selling quite well, they could have left them alone and continued to sell countless pairs of monitors.  They didn't, they care about sound and obviously want to improve the delivery method of it for everyone. Not only did they change them, they addressed every concern of the foolhardy A7 critics and corrected any issue an engineer could have possibly complained about.

I respect and support companies that produce products because they genuinely care about sound. ADAM took a big risk, they changed something that worked and was selling quite well. Any new product is met with intense scrutiny in the pro audio world, ADAM knew they had something that sounded better and they took the gamble. It paid off, not just for ADAM but for everyone who owns a pair of their new AX line of studio monitor.   If your buying monitors for your project studio and you don't buy ADAM's...  You're cheating yourself out of hearing what the music you work on really sounds like.  Do I love my A7's? Of course I do! I wouldn't trade them even for the new A7X's. I'm used to them and quite comfortable with how they perform in my project studio. However, if I were buying monitors for the first time again and had a choice between the A7's or A7X's.  I'd go with the A7X's and not even think twice..

Why was this the highlight of my adventure to AES?  Because, after listening to the A7X's I knew I made the right choice with my monitors.  I chose a model from a rock solid brand that refuses to remain stagnant in an industry that often times rewards tradition.  The change between the two models really is quite incredible, I can't even explain to you how amazing the A7X's sound.  There's no doubt in my mind ADAM will continue to be an innovator and forever set the bar for professional studio monitoring.

I'm working on a post detailing the ADAM Audio AX Series Monitors and will have it up here in a bit so be sure to check back if you're interested in knowing more about the ADAM Audio line.  Until then, be sure to check out ADAM's website for all the ADAM info you can handle.

Best,

Nick

Pro Tools 9 Uprgade from LE Today!

Sorry posts have been a bit delayed, I've been way too busy with freelance work & my other project (www.easyloverecords.com)  Back in the blog game now though & I'm off to AES 129 in San Francisco tomorrow so I'll keep this one short & sweet.  Without further ado I give you: Pro Tools 9...

Avid has just released Pro Tools 9!!! I'll let you all absorb that for a minute. Essentially, Avid has finally removed the hardware restriction from their Pro Tools LE & M Powered versions. (iLok still requred) Pro Tools 9 can be run with any audio interface! (or without one) While this will be most advantageous for producers using Pro Tools to compose tracks on the run, I'm sure mixing engineers will be more than pleased with some of the new features included in Pro Tools 9. Here's a quick rundown of what's been changed from LE & M Powered.

-Automatic Delay Compensation: If your a mixing engineer and you use outboard gear to process certain tracks within your mix you know how important ADC is. With Pro Tools LE you used to have to check the amount of delay a plug-in introduced & then make the proper time adjustment using Avid's delay compensation plug-in. No more of this time wasting garbage, Pro Tools 9 finally features Automatic Delay Compensation.

-Multi-Track Beat Detective now Standard: Pro Tools LE had a beat detective option but you needed to own the Production Pack to unlock the multi-track collection mode. It's now a standard option with Pro Tools 9.

-EuCon Support: EuCon is an ethernet based communication protocol from Euphonix. Euphonix Artists Series controllers (MC Mix & MC Control) use this communication protocol, up until now you had to control Pro Tools with HUI. No more though Pro Tools 9 features EuCon support just like Logic.

-New Variable Stereo Pan Depths: According to avid this allows the user to have greater spacial control over mixes with upgraded analog style precision & accuracy.

-7.1 Surround Panning: This is a big one folks, 7.1 surround control now available in a native form from avid. Add this to the fact that Pro Tools 9 now supports OMF & AAF file types and one can clearly see they are taking aim at Apple's Logic Studio.

-Standard MP3 Export: With Pro Tools LE you needed to upgrade to the Music Production Pack to export MP3's. (Ridiculous) They've finally made it standard with Pro Tools 9.

-More Audio Tracks Available: Pro Tools 9 supports up to 96 simultaneous audio tracks, this was only possible with LE through the installation of Avid's Music Production Bundle.

This is just a few of the features bundled with Pro Tools 9. Be sure to check out Avid's Website for all the info you can handle regarding the release of Pro Tools 9. Bottom line... Avid pretty much addressed everything Pro Tools LE users complained about and removed all the BS restrictions & required upgrades. I was seriously contemplating making the switch to Reaper.  However, with the relase of Pro Tools 9 I think I'll be staying with Avid and my beloved Pro Tools!

Quick Note: LE Users can Uprgade for $249.00 & M Powered Users can Upgrade for $349.00

Best,

Nick