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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 6, 2021 20:49:46 GMT -6
Why bother even participating in this thread guys?
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 6, 2021 20:46:53 GMT -6
Even better Sean.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 6, 2021 14:52:31 GMT -6
I was helping a friend choose from a bunch of different brand small speakers, so we went to B&H and listened to a half dozen of the usual lower priced suspects and the little Genelec 8010's crushed them all. The mixes done on them have translated well.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 6, 2021 14:30:48 GMT -6
I think Saturday would be a better choice because Friday is still a part of the work week. The last Zoom party was good fun, I'd love to do it again.
Being a musician, as soon I typed "do it again', I started hearing the Beach Boys singing it!
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 6, 2021 7:33:10 GMT -6
Dang, since I only have plug-ins, I've used the CLA 1073 for guitars. I've tried many others, and usually the CLA plugs are last on my list, but for guitars, it's good. But now you guys have got me thinking I'm missing something by not using an La3a, so now I'll have to investigate.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 5, 2021 8:27:28 GMT -6
Covid has interrupted so many lives and destroyed many businesses here. I think in Chile, (where Stam products are made), the shutdowns have been even more severe than NY.
I do wish you could all get an SA67 easily. I hadn't done any tracking since Covid began. My buddy needed a vocal last week for a track of his, so I plugged in the SA67 and was seriously taken aback. It sounded so damn good it was ridiculous. As soon as I can, I'll do a comparison with a U67, but right now, I feel really lucky to have it here.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 4, 2021 9:42:48 GMT -6
I didn’t do shit since Covid began. Maybe the depressed circumstances outside in the world affected me more than I thought. Other things were happening, I had multiple surgeries, that made me quite tired, but I was still capable of doing my own work if I felt like it.
I think the main thing that changed my workflow was my wife was home and working online in the space where I usually record. Typically, I will get up in the morning and have some coffee walk my dog, look at my email and somewhere between 11 and 1 o’clock, I’d get some creative work done. If things went well I would continue recording until about 3 o’clock. So my natural creative workflow was interrupted.
Fortunately some work came in a few weeks ago. It was unexpected and I had to get myself going regardless of the situation here. I mixed a track for a friend’s new single. Then I wrote and recorded some music for commercial purposes.
Then I got a call from another friend that he needed five tracks in the style of different bands for a documentary about a DJ who took a radio station here in New York from being the worst rated station in the country, to being the worlds biggest radio station.
I had to record tracks in different styles, complete with drums, bass, guitars, keyboards, so I really had to get back in the game and start my engines again. It’s going well now and I’m almost finished, and now my friend I mixed the track for asked me to mix and co-produce his next album.
So even though money is 90% less than it used to be, it’s still something, and greatly appreciated. Hopefully this will translate to my own creative work and I’ll get some new things done soon.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 3, 2021 20:43:53 GMT -6
My friend loaned me two U47 FET's. At that time I only had a Blackspade UM-17R. It's kind of a cross between an M49 and U47. My wife was singing, we tried both U47's, and she said, "give me my mic", meaning the Blackspade. She was right, the U47 FET was a dull affair. No wonder it got relegated to the kick drum. It's perfect for it, and bass too I would guess.
I haven't used one in that context yet myself, but I sure wouldn't think of it as a vocal mic, I don't care who used one for vocals. Paul Rogers used an SM57 for Bad Company records, so obviously something unusual can work on occasion. But generally, a U47 FET is not the workhorse all arounder a U87 is.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 2, 2021 7:54:30 GMT -6
Cool, thanks Dan.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 1, 2021 18:12:47 GMT -6
Dan, are you saying the 545 Mk II modded is better than a 545 Mk I modded? What kind of mods are you referring to?
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Post by Martin John Butler on Apr 1, 2021 8:01:02 GMT -6
I doubt prices will get lower. The only time I've seen that happen is when a new model is coming soon and they want to dump the soon to be previous version.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 31, 2021 13:36:47 GMT -6
Fender guitars have risen 35% since then and paper towel prices have doubled. That's since covid. It could be real or just gouging, or a little of both, but it does suck.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 31, 2021 8:43:24 GMT -6
I used a 200 W. Adcom back n the day for a decade, sounded great, never failed. I borrowed some NS 10's last year back and bought the little 50 W. Adcom. It sounded great. I sold it when my buddy needed his NS 10's back. I would have kept it and bought his NS 10's, but they had brown stains all over the white cones. Even though they sounded fine, those stains just bugged me to look at right in my face every day.
Here's what isn't so well known about Adcoms.The manufacturer purposely made them to sound exactly the same no matter what the wattage. It was said in many audio reviews and interviews, and was tested by audiophile magazines ages ago, and they came to the same conclusion. Of course. more headroom is still a good thing.
I'd go Adcom kcat.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 31, 2021 8:31:48 GMT -6
The same thing has happened with guitars and lots of other things. Mexican fenders went for $499 since forever, now they're $799, $849 or higher. It all has something to do with covid, transportation, parts supply shipping, gouging, etc. I don't believe it's inflation at all.
Charmin paper towels I like went from $1 to $2.29, and the big roll from $2 to $4.
It's not just ATC, it's a mess everywhere. I just don't buy unless I have to.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 28, 2021 20:57:45 GMT -6
Earlier, I forgot to say the IK Multimedia Ampeg bass plug is not only the B15, but it also came with a bunch more of Ampeg's bass amps. I like the one called..I forget the exact name, but it ends with 500. I use it all the time. The EQ is the closest I've ever heard to the way the real knobs react on their hardware.
For those suffering with Ocean Way, I feel that. It was very expensive and for a long time, I never used it. But I have heard tracks from a friend who uses the re-mic features, and I actually thought he went to proper high end studio. The thing is, I went to great lengths to get the mics I have, I sure don't want to switch them out.
But, that said, I now use the Ocean Way reverb on bus 1 for every track. If you carefully dial it in so the reverb isn't obvious but you hear the room, it warms up the tracks in a good way, EQ-ing the low end out a little. I then vary the amount of it on certain instruments, like a little more on drums, and it helps with the drums sounding like they're a little further back in the soundstage.
One of my most irritating purchases was Slate's FG-X. Hype was big then, the best mastering compressor ever, etc. After struggling for months, I went to try one of Logic's free compressors instead and it sounded significantly better. There was a comparison posted of a dozen mastering compressors back then, the Slate wasn't even close. That was a long time ago, and I from that experience and a few others, I learned to be much more patient about getting new plug-ins.
Once you have a lot of them, you need less and less. I can think of a $50 mic I'd like to try instead of a new plug-in.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 28, 2021 20:25:28 GMT -6
I went to 3 with no problems at all. Maybe you'll have to update some things, but it will be fine. Don't forget, you must get the iLok License manager first.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 28, 2021 17:03:59 GMT -6
I understand, but in a way, the solution is still simple. You need a newer mac that can run new versions. I don't mean to be flippant at all. I struggled with a 2012 mac i5 for a long time and a few years ago bought a used 2015 iMac i7 with 32 gigs memory and haven't had a hiccup since. I do understand sometimes money is tight.
I hope you can find a workaround, it's frustrating when you get shut out by Apple's updates, I know all too well.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 28, 2021 13:13:09 GMT -6
This was a lot of pages for something easily solved. Just get a used computer with Logic, load the Garage band tracks into it, send them to your DAW of choice. Or.. just get Logic and use it. Well, actually this long thread uncovered quite a few ideas on how to deal with a thorny, moving target problem. I guess throwing $1000 at another Mac and Logic is an "easy" solution. I'm a working musician/studio owner and any expense over $500 is not easy for me. I get that there is an opportunity in meeting the customer where they are, regardless of how challenging that can be at times. But personally I don't mind a little grumbling and commiseration amongst us if it leads to solutions that get the job done. . Why do you need "another mac", can't you put Logic on your current computer? Also, I'm sure there are some used MacBooks well under $500 that could do the trick. I just took a look at facebook's Marketplace, and found a dozen MacBooks under $500, I'm sure some of have the specs that would do the trick. I still think you would do well to get Logic. Good luck whichever way you go.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 27, 2021 8:13:35 GMT -6
This was a lot of pages for something easily solved. Just get a used computer with Logic, load the Garage band tracks into it, send them to your DAW of choice. Or.. just get Logic and use it.
I don't do lots of client/mixing, only a few things occasionally. I did work with clients every day in the mid 80's for 12 years though. I've read in music biz magazines that a lot more top songwriters work with Garage Band than you'd think. I'd be thrilled if one of them sent me a Garage Band project to work on!
With Logic, using Garage Band is usually a no brainer. You don't need the newest fastest mac in history. I'm using a 2015 iMac with 32 gig memory with Catalina 10.16.7 for years now and I have zero issues with it.
Now, I can appreciate how frustrating it is to deal with inexperienced clients, but there's two ways to see that. First, it's a PITA and yet you need clients. Second, you get to solve a problem, get a client and potentially have them bring you more and more work if all goes well.
I know a major league producer, like.. top ten in the world producer who takes the second point of view. He gets projects sometimes that are a huge mess, 150 tracks recorded all over the place with different levels and plug-ins, and the client likes some of the sounds, sort of. Other producers turned the work down. He sees that as an opportunity and got work other big shots passed on. Those clients work with him a lot now, and the money made from those clients will buy him a new condo now if he wants one.
One thing I think Dr. Bill is expressing is you still must keep your dignity as a professional. It can be done with tact and patience, and your client list will grow. Occasionally, you must be willing to let a client go. You need that energy which PITA clients will sense and it will help you through.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 26, 2021 17:21:52 GMT -6
I bought Slate's FG-X mastering compressor/limiter ages ago. It was quickly outperformed by other plug-ins. Slate promised a version II to version one buyers, and eight years later still hasn't delivered. I've used Waves L2 a lot, but would like something like that, just a bit cleaner.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 24, 2021 12:53:00 GMT -6
Hearing of other people's journey helps me navigate my own. Knowing some of the guys here and knowing some of their music, it helps me set my own sights. Of course you have to check things out for yourself, but it can help if you're being pointed in the right direction. Occasionally a great tip comes along and really helps me improve a mix or a purchase decision.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 23, 2021 19:51:55 GMT -6
I think there's a middle ground. Unless you hit the lottery or are a major league producer with A last clients, I doubt you really need to have a Neve, API or SSL console. Still, I've almost always preferred analogue when I hear ITB vs. Analogue shootouts.
If I was starting over and had a good budget, I'd get good monitors like the small ATC's. I'd be sure to have a serious but limited mic collection, a couple of great preamps or a Silver Bullet, one or two good compressors and then something with high end conversion, like the Dangerous Music 2 Bus +. To me, that thing gets you 30% -50% of what an analogue board can.
Add a few choice plug-ins and you should be good to go, unless you're tracking bands live.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 22, 2021 14:22:19 GMT -6
That's interesting Peter. I've only ever used the ATR-102 on the 2 Bus, and rarely tried Oxide on each channel or a bus. Sometimes I had thoughts I should have a tape sim for each track, the same way a multi-track tape would work, so I'm curious what made you stop using it? Sounded better when I removed it ...lol It's been so long I just don't remember, but that's probably why I never used it!
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 22, 2021 7:18:53 GMT -6
That's interesting Peter. I've only ever used the ATR-102 on the 2 Bus, and rarely tried Oxide on each channel or a bus. Sometimes I had thoughts I should have a tape sim for each track, the same way a multi-track tape would work, so I'm curious what made you stop using it?
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Post by Martin John Butler on Mar 20, 2021 8:00:26 GMT -6
Vincent, my good friend Dusty Wright did a couple of albums using his Focusrite Clarett to track and my Apollo to mix, and it came out nicely.
He just bought an Apollo desktop and it is better overall than the Clarett. I recently heard few tracks of kcat's using the Lynx Aurora, and that was in a different league.
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