Continuing my cliche list of stuff I thought was cool this year, we move into the Top 5. This was a fairly easy countdown for me because this stuff pretty much spoke for itself. I had to refrain from making an iPad app heavy list, but I’m just so impressed with what developers are doing for this device I initially talked a great deal of trash about. I did however refrain from calling the iPad the best piece of gear for the recording industry, but I did feature one app in the top 5 so shoot me. I’m really hoping NAMM brings more great gear for 2011. AES did decent but I did expect a little more out of it. Anyways, lets get on with this countdown. For the previous 5 click HERE.
East West: Ministry of Rock II Collection
We all dream of becoming rockstars, but instead, our parents made us take piano lessons and tried to make us wear girl clothes for the first 6 years of out lives right??? No?? I thought that was a normal part of a child’s development… hmmm. Well now those piano lessons can pay off in the studio.
A modern rock virtual sequel coming 1.11.11
Hollywood, CA (December 30, 2010) – EASTWEST, the industry leader in virtual software instruments, announces QUANTUM LEAP Ministry Of Rock 2, a modern rock toolkit produced by Nick Phoenix, will be released January 11, 2011.
Ministry Of Rock 2 was put together with one goal in mind: to create a virtual (software) instrument capable of producing sounds that could actually produce a hit record or film score without any live drum, bass, or guitar overdubs. The articulations and programming were all reverse engineered from actual performances. The 57 gigabyte collection features LIVE technology which makes multi-sampled drums sound like a live performance.
“Rock music is always in a state of evolution,” said Phoenix. “Ministry Of Rock 2 will give users the latest software tools to produce finished tracks. Ministry Of Rock 2 takes the Ministry Of Rock concept to a whole new level of playability and impact.”
Guest Post: Graham Cochrane
I’m not the best at figuring out what to write for tips and tricks for recording, but today we have an actual credible professional writer in our midst. He’s written a book, The #1 Rule of Home Recording, and many videos on the subject of recording. They can be found HERE and he posts regularly on his site, The Recording Revolution. I actually check the site regularly personally for great tricks, especially on Pro Tools. He’s even made it as far as to make it on Avid’s Pro Tools newsletter. Pretty impressive right? No no we all KNOW he’s impressive. I’m talking about me here! How bout these sweet connections I have. Actually, I just emailed him and he found it in his heart to post here for me. So I’m going to let him take the stage now and teach us a valuable lesson that you might even call a Recording New Years Resolution.
Become A Better Engineer By Finishing Projects
If you’re like me, you want to get better at recording and producing music. Most of us truly desire to increase in skill and ability and thereby produce music of high quality. So what do we do to accomplish that end? We buy more “professional” gear, join online recording debates, and watch a lot of tutorial videos on YouTube. The videos hopefully are helping (heck, I hope MY videos are helping you), but the first two are usually a waste of time. I have a better way for you…finish your projects.
Unfinished Business
If you never complete a recording or mixing project it becomes very hard to improve your skill as an engineer. Let me explain. Because of the freedom of time and money afforded us by powerful computer recording we aren’t ever under any real deadlines.Therefore our tendency is to work on projects, never pronounce them complete, and then fiddle with something else. We’ll then come back to the original project and tweak some more. Sessions become a continuous work in progress.
However, if you instead force yourself to do your best with what you have and what you know, print a mix or master and call it a day, then you create a unique opportunity for yourself. You now have something tangible, that you created, that is complete, which you can evaluate and learn from. You can listen back and highlight what you think you did well (and would like to recreate in future projects) and what you did poorly (and how you would like to do things better the next time). This process of evaluation is so critical to growth as an audio engineer. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you will somehow improve without it.
Always Your Best Work
My wife is always hearing what ever projects I’m working as I tend to use her for feedback on mixes a lot. And if you ask her, she’ll attest to the fact that I’m always saying that the most current project I’m working is “my best work yet.” This should be the case! It may not always be, but really if you are completing projects and setting them aside, whether it is your own music or a client’s record, you have something to compare it to. You can look at your history of work and see how you have improved and what specifically has gotten better. This acts as a barometer for your ever improving skill as a producer.
Don’t Plateau
Whatever you do, don’t be “normal.” Normal home studio people buy a bunch of stuff, read a lot of other people’s opinions on forums (or blogs like this one), play around in their DAWs, are either overly confident in their skill or never feel like their stuff will get any good, and then they plateau. They never go anywhere from there! I don’t want that to be you. I want you to give every project all that you have, finish it, and then move on. The next time you produce music, look back at your most recent work and try to improve from where you left off. This, my friends, is the key to becoming a better engineer.
Rode NT2-A Mic Package
Here ya go. You really want to kick off your mic collection with a bang, not with the cheapest thing you can find. Plus you need a pop filter, dust cover, shock mount, mic cable, AND a 10 year warranty right??? Rode has the solution. I completely back this product. 1) because if comes with everything and 2) because a Rode was my first actual studio mic and they are fantastic. You can get all of this for $400, making this a perfect mic to cross over into the big leagues.
The NT2-A carries on the tradition forged by the legendary RØDE NT2. A professional large capsule (1″) studio microphone incorporating three-position pick-up patterns, PAD and high pass filter switches conveniently located on the mic body, the NT2-A is at home on an incredibly diverse range of sound sources.
The frequency and transient response of this transducer has been voiced to complement today’s modern recording techniques, and yet still evoke the silky smooth character of the legendary microphones of the 50’s and 60’s. Its superlative audio characteristics combined with the included SM6 shock mount with integrated pop filter, 3m (10′) XLR cable and dustcover, make the NT2-A one of the most versatile condenser mics available.
- Large 1″ (25mm) HF1 gold sputtered capsule
- On body control of polar pattern, HPF and PAD
- Three position variable polar pattern – Omni, Cardioid or Figure 8
- Three position variable High-Pass Filter – Flat, 40Hz or 80Hz
- Three position PAD – 0dB, -5dB or -10dB
- Ultra low noise, transformerless surface mount circuitry
- Wide dynamic range
- Internal capsule shock mounting
For the price, you can’t beat it. Just look at all of those features. Very seldom do I really push a product but I’m all about this mic.
For more info, click HERE
To buy, click HERE
IK Multimedia iKlip Released
I know I’m a little late to the party on this one but I wanted to make sure the news was official from IK Multimedia before I jumped the gun on this one. We all know I’m pretty impressed with the iPad. That’s a given. So any app or accessory that makes my life easier is greatly appreciated, and the folks at IK Multimedia never disappoint. Here we have the iKlip. This lets you clip your iPad to a mic stand that can be used with apps such as THIS and especially THIS… and maybe even THIS… ok well maybe not as much that but still… This seems perfect even for the non-musician. Even though its made for a mic stand, I’m sure you could mount it somewhere else too with a little thought and ingenuity. Just don’t get too crazy with it.
IK Multimedia is pleased to announce that the iKlip™ universal microphone stand adapter for the iPad is now shipping from the IK Online Store and IK Retailers worldwide. The new iKlip for iPad makes it easy for anyone to use an iPad in any live setting — on stage, in the studio, at school or in the boardroom. With the iKlip, you can securely position any iPad for optimal viewing and accessibility, while all controls, buttons and connection ports remain free from obstruction.
iKlip features:
· Sturdy thermoplastic construction with six secure touch points holds the iPad without scratching or marring it
· Universal stand clip securely attaches to virtually any microphone stand
· Multi-angle adjustment allows precise positioning for optimal stage or studio viewing
· Quick-snap clips provide fast, secure iPad insertion
· iKlip installs on mic stand in seconds with the twist of a knob
· All iPad controls, buttons and connectors are accessible
· Provides both landscape and portrait orientation of the iPad
· Can be mounted on the vertical part of a mic stand, or on a horizontal boom for limitless positioning
· Designed and manufactured in Italy
Countdown: Gear Of The Year 2010 Part 1
2010 was full of all sorts of surprises for the recording industry and some great stuff was released, so while you’re still rolling around on the ground from all of the food you ate this holiday season, I was lazily throwing together old posts to fill up space on this site tirelessly working at Everything Recording HQ putting together a list of some of the best things to make their way into the world of gear. Fun fact: Did you know Everything Recording HQ isn’t accessible by car, airplane, or even steamroller? That’s because its located right here *points to heart…. ahahahahahaha that’s horribly awful, but its really not, its on a VERY large boat, True story. So without further stalling, here’s the list and its purely based on what I thought was awesome this year. This is MY site so what else would you expect?!
Oooo Gangsta(?)
I suspect honkies were involved with the naming of this and the only reason I post this is because of how utterly ridiculous this product looks. I swear it better make up in quality of samples. Where to begin on the packaging… Ahh, We got stock photo of the “OG” looking at the camera like :I KNOW my REP is shot after this, but I need the cash” and of course you need graffiti because we all know its the 90’s and to top it all off, the looming text with “Gangsta Beats” to put the bow on this under budget hot mess. Let’s see what the makers of this exquisite product have to say about it.
‘Gangsta Beats 3’ brings you another set of 10 fine construction kits designed to give Urban and Hip Hop producers all the elements they need to create club smashing hit tracks, including MIDI for all melodic parts. These multi-format construction kits are royalty free, and ready to drop into your productions.
Mix and match these slick kits in any number of ways to create fresh new productions. All of the instrumentation you’d expect to find in Urban dance floor fillers is here, including:
- Bass lines
- Drum and percussion loops
- Piano/keyboard phrases
- Synth and pad loops
- Strings
- Brass
Akai MPK Mini Controller
Nice to see you all back! Did Santa bring you anything great this year? Lord knows he didn’t over here at Everything Recording HQ. I guess he didn’t appreciate that letter I sent to him when I was 9 years old.
Dear Santa,
How are you? I am fine. In the light of last year’s present of the KettleWorx system I get the hint, I’m a bit overweight, but did you have to leave gift cards to Golden Corral as well? That doesn’t seem very nice to me and whats with the Lane Bryant clothes too. I’m not a girl and while we’re on the topic, there was a letter in my stocking that said, “I wanted a daughter.” I’m sorry you an Mrs Claus don’t have one but what does that have to do with me? Now I’m pleading with you not to be a douche this year and get me a Super NES system.
Needless to say, he only gives me Bally’s gym memberships and makeup to this day….
What? Santa isn’t real? It’s actually your paren…. ohhhhhhhhh now it makes all the sense in the world!
Well now I don’t really feel like posting anything after that walk down childhood lane but oh well. AKAI mini something something keyboard USB *runs off sobbing.
Portable Software Control
The Akai Pro MPK mini is an ultra-compact mini-keyboard with an impressive array of buttons, knobs and pads to provide “hands-on” performance and production control no matter your location. MPK mini strikes the perfect balance between portability and comprehensive software control by melding together the complete control offered in the popular Akai Pro MPK family with the grab-and-go convenience of the LPK25 and LPD8. With a 25-note keyboard, 8 back-lit, MPC-style pads and 8 Q-Link knobs, the MPK mini is the ultimate portable controller to get your music moving.
The MPK mini keyboard is ideal for quickly entering notes and phrases into your computer. The velocity-sensitive keys allow you to accurately express dynamics, while accessing different pitch ranges is done instantly through dedicated Octave Up and Down buttons. Create sparkling, staccato leads and driving bass-lines in a variety of time denominations and patterns with MPK mini’s built-in Arpeggiator. A Tap-Tempo button gives you the ability to quickly adjust the Arpeggiator clock which is essential if you’re looking to stay in sync with a band. A Sustain button holds notes after releasing your hand from the keyboard allowing you the opportunity to easily pound pads and twist knobs, with no pedal required.
*Stops sobbing and lifts head up. Pounding pads? What a sexy description!!
You can pick one of these up for $99
For more info, click HERE
To buy, click HERE
Exclusive: Vintech 500 Series Pre
Oh the things I do for you guys. Here is a first look at Vintech’s 500 series pre-amp based on the Neve 1073 circuit. If I were to guess what its going to be called, I would say its going to be the VA573. Astute observation huh? You know this is why you visit here! So basically this is in the works but they are allowing people to beta test it so if you have a 500 series module, contact Dallas Upton at 813-982-9026 and he might hook you up. Here’s the tip I got from the good folks at Vintech
We at Vintech have begun producing a 500 series mic preamp and d.i. The preamp is class A, all discrete, transformer balanced and is based on the 1073 circuit. The unit also features a new discrete high impedance d.i. that goes through the input transformer. The units are hand built in the U.S.A. by us. This unit contains no I.C.’s and no surface mount components and contains three all discrete class A amplifiers as in the original 1073.
We ask that anyone interested in beta testing these units please contact us by phone at the number on our website. The beta test units will require a refundable depost of $400 for each module.
So there we go. There’s your exclusive for the day. Now go make me a sandwich!!!
Amplitube 2 For iPad Upgrade Is Here!!
Just in time for Christmas the folks at IK Multimedia have released the very anticipated upgrade to Amplitube 2 for iPad. I’m sure quite a few of you will be getting iPads for Christmas so this will be the perfect add on given you buy the iRig interface to plug the guitar into.
IK Multimedia is pleased to announce the new version of AmpliTube for the mobile guitarist and bassist: AmpliTube 2 for iPad.
This new version of AmpliTube for iPad has many new features designed to streamline and enhance the mobile guitar and bass playing experience: from the creation and naming of guitar signal chain tone presets to importing, recording and exporting audio. Players will hear the difference in the improved sounds of the gear models, and more importantly, record their performances quickly and easily with the new built-in recorder.
