Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 112 i AudioTechnology

I’ve always been a bit of a slow guitar player. I came to it a bit later in life — putting me behind from the start — and haven’t really caught up since. I grew up a piano kid, but my dad had a lawsuit Ibanez SG in the closet that I’d pull out every now and again to fiddle with the Bigsby. I only started picking up guitar when I was a teenager. I said I wanted to learn guitar, so dad plonked me down on the couch with a nylon string (I wasn’t ready for the SG) and pulled down a chunky paperback of classic songs from the shelf. It was one of those books with the chords in tab at the top of the page and a…

APOLLO TWIN’S USB SIBLING Expect to pay $1649 | uaudio.com/twinusb If you were keen on dipping your toes into the UAD world with the Twin but a Thunderbolt connection was conspicuously absent from your computer, UA has just the box for you. The 2x6, 24-bit/192k Apollo Twin now comes in a USB 3 option for Windows-based recording systems. Taking advantage of super speedy USB 3, the twin of the Thunderbolt Twin might have arrived late, but will still keep up. It allows Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 users to record in near-realtime (sub-2ms) latency with UAD-2 Duo processing onboard. You can track through the full range of UAD Powered plug-ins from Neve, Studer, Manly, Marshall, API and more. The interface also features Unison technology, which lets users track through a…

David Rogers from Reservoir in Victoria recently won our subscription prize, taking home a brilliant AEA Nuvo N22 phantom-powered ribbon mic. Greg Walker reviewed the N22 in Issue 107, describing it as “a thoroughly modern mic made by people who love vintage gear.” David: “I’d like to thank AudioTechnology, AEA and Mixmasters for sending me the AEA Nuvo N22 ribbon mic. I've been making my own records for 20 years on cassette four-tracks, stand-alone recorders and now computers but it's only in the last year or so that I've branched out to make recordings for other people. I've been wanting to add a ribbon microphone to my collection but have always had other priorities to take care of in my studio. I can't wait to try the N22 on guitar…

Listening tracks: Carolina In My Mind – James Taylor I Should Have Known Better – The Beatles Seconds – U2 Transcendental Blues – Steve Earle Sweet Old World – Emmylou Harris A Showman’s Life – Buddy Miller As a producer, you’ve decided you want some acoustic guitar in your track. But what sort of acoustic sound are you after? Is it a nice and close James Taylor-esque vibe, or a ‘John Lennonin-1964’ heavy strum, or the more ambient War-era U2 acoustic guitar bashing? Behind these choices are three very different approaches but each starts with choosing the right instrument. While electric guitars come in a variety of shapes and configurations that are easy to delineate from each other, acoustic guitars generally all have a similar configuration — body, sound hole,…

The Skyhooks owned the Australian album charts in 1975. Up until that point, most Australian albums struggled to make it to No. 1, let alone stay there. Pipped by UK and US acts, musical soundtracks (we loved musicals), and Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass Band noodling away on the Spanish Flea. Daddy Cool’s Daddy Who? Daddy Cool spent seven weeks there in 1971, but was a rare bright spot in the Aussie album chart almanac. No. 2 and 3 were as high as Billy Thorpe, Johnny Young and Stevie Wright could get up to that point. Then along came Skyhooks — a glam band with songs as wide-ranging as their bell bottoms — who dominated the charts. Living in the 70s held down No. 1 spot for 16 weeks,…

My Windows 10 write-up in AT111 gave it a cautious thumbs up, with a caveat that serious audio users ought to hold off until an initial raft of issues associated with certain Audio and MIDI software and hardware have been resolved. However, since then another issue has emerged that seems to have split opinion between quiet acceptance and total outrage. I’m referring to the Windows 10 habit of sending your personal data back to Microsoft servers. What happens is that when W10 is first installed it assigns each user a unique personalised advertising ID tied to the email address that you’ve used to download W10, and uses this ID from then on to personalise ads. These ads will appear when you surf the internet, and as long-time Windows Solitaire users…

DO-IT-ALLS — Two XLR/instrument combi inputs on the front panel give easy and quick access when hooking up a mic, line input (keyboard) or guitar/ bass direct, with Line/Instrument input switchable in Focusrite Control. MAKING GAINS — These eight pots control the 57dB of gain for each built-in preamp. MIX IN THE CANS — You can create a separate mix for each of these two headphone outputs using Focusrite Control. AIRTIME — The row of yellow lights show you which channels have ‘Air’ activated; a circuit which models Focusrite’s ISA preamplification. HEAR WITH YOUR EYES — LED metering on the front panel for the eight built-in inputs. Great for gaining up a bunch of mics quickly, without having to look over at your screen. NEED TO KNOW PRICE Expect to…

NEED TO KNOW PRICE SU 017: $5350 SU 011: $1840 SU 011 Matched Pair: $3060 CONTACT Studio Connections: (03) 9416 8097 or sales@studioconnections.com.au PROS Wonderful sonic performance with a hint of harmonic colouration Fairly strong proximity effect offers tonal options Fantastic build quality & looks great Easy power status checks via PSU LEDs CONS Cardboard packing cases No bass roll-off or attenuation onboard Fixed polar patterns Expensive! SUMMARY The Soyuz microphones back up their good looks with bulletproof engineering and great performance. They excel at all the main applications while delivering tube colouration that is tonally balanced and very musical. There are loads of engineers out there seeking the timeless tone of mics like Neumann’s U47 and U67, with one caveat — it has to come at a fraction of…

1 GINGER STUDIOS Ginger Recording Studios has been extra busy this month, with The Biebs spending some time behind closed doors. Peter Farnan has been in and out with various artists who will guest-appear on his forthcoming album including Tim Rogers and a duet from Paul Kelly with Rebecca Barnard. Missy Higgins dropped by to shoot an interview for a documentary about the work of legendary music photographer Tony Mott. Mott is rock royalty, having shot plenty of famous photographs of artists like Missy, Silverchair, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, The Stones and Bob Dylan. DELUXE MASTERING At Deluxe Mastering, Tony ‘Jack the Bear’ Mantz’s Jack the Bear Foundation raised $1000 for The Big Umbrella to assist Nepal’s rebuilding program after the recent earthquakes. When he’s not promoting a good cause, Jack…

With the top prize worth over $13k, the Remix Comp from AudioTechnology Issue 100 was one of the biggest we’ve ever held. Ben Allen (aka Broadwing) from Alice Springs, NT, claimed the blue ribbon, with the judges rating his mix of The Occupants’ Wonderland the hard-fought winner from a shortlist of deserving entries. The takings included a Pro Tools HD Native Thunderbolt system with an Omni interface, Avid Artist Control, Event Opal monitors and three Rode microphones — a K2 and a matched pair of NT5s. It was a lot to get his head around, so we let Ben get on with it and bed in the new setup. Just over a year later, we asked Ben how he’s going with it all. Ben: “It’s definitely legitimised my operation a…

Okay, I think my search is over. I’ve been looking for the cheapest, smallest mixer on the market that I could confidently put on stage and cart around with me without fear of knobs falling off or it sounding like crap. I’ve recently had the Mackie ProFX v2 mixers across my desk — great devices with some of the cleanest preamps I’ve encountered (maybe at any price), onboard effects, and a USB port for recording. The smallest unit retails for about $250. Great value but a bit steep and over-spec’ed for my purposes. So the search continued. Then, almost like that picture book ‘Dear Zoo’ where the zoo keeps sending a kid exotic, yet unsuitable, pets in a crate until finally sending the perfect pet – a puppy; I took…

PRESONUS ADDS CHANNEL STRIP US$80 | studioone.presonus.com Presonus has released the Channel Strip Collection and Studio Grand add-ons for Studio One 3 Artist and Studio One 3 Professional. The RC 500 channel strip plug-in provides a preamp, compressor and EQ, and models Presonus’ popular RC 500 hardware channel strip, which includes a solid state Class A mic preamp, FET compressor and semi-parametric EQ. The VT1 plug-in is comprised of an EQ, compressor and tube preamp. Both plug-ins have been designed to sound musical and deliver tasteful results even at extreme settings. Presonus has also released the Studio Grand Piano instrument presets and sample content for Presence XT. This contemporary seven-foot concert grand is the same instrument included in the Presence XT Core library for Studio One 3 Professional but offers…

Listening Tracks: Mr Tambourine Man – The Byrds Know Your Enemy – Green Day Santa Monica – Everclear Remedy – The Black Crowes Alabama – Neil Young Conceptualisation is just as important with electrics as it is with an acoustic track. There’s simply a bigger arsenal: guitars, pedal boards and amplifiers, both real and virtual. The tonal combinations a good guitarist can access is astounding. GEARING UP When I’m called in to do sessions, there are some default colours I need to have covered. For an album project, it wouldn’t be unusual to take at least six guitars. REMEMBER, THE ACTUAL GUITAR IS YOUR FIRST PHYSICAL POINT OF CREATIVE CONNECTION WITH THE PART YOU’RE ABOUT TO PLAY. IF AN INSTRUMENT INSPIRES YOU TO PLAY IN A WAY THAT SUITS YOUR…

The first day of school can be rough; no friends, unfamiliar surroundings. It’s easy to just duck your head, go to class, and keep the interaction to a minimum. SAE’s Melbourne campus used to be a little like that. Cosy, sure, but light on the breakout areas. It was very much a come-and-go kind of place full of small studios and classrooms attached to a rabbit warren of corridors. But over the last couple of years, SAE has been rebuilding its campus and rethinking the way SAE students learn, with a focus on facilitating collaboration. After securing the adjoining building, it not only allowed the campus to double in size, but rethink the layout to add more space as well as new facilities. Corridors are wider, ceilings are higher, breakout…

Seemingly out of nowhere, and little over six months since its last major update, Logic 10.2 has just dropped. But before we get to that… THE NEW IPAD PRO Although Apple hasn’t gone full hog like Microsoft and introduced universal apps. More and more we’re seeing software manufacturers deliver companion apps for iOS or releasing a desktop app for Mac rather than just relying on a web interface to accompany their mobile app. Adobe recently launched a raft of new mobile applications that take advantage of touch but also bring more professional features to the mobile environment. Audio applications have typically been heavily sandboxed; either iOS apps that control desktop DAWs, or DAWs that only exist on iOS. Presonus is the only one putting in real effort to bridge this…

C414 CAPSULE — Inside the grille is the same one-inch, dual-diaphragm capsule as the current C414 XLS and the same on-board suspension mounting. These diaphragms are computer-analysed to deliver high polar-pattern accuracy in single mics and determine which mics are to be sold as matched pairs. BODY CONTROL — The C314 design is understated when compared to the relatively flashy, lit-up C414, but it still looks like an AKG; silver grille on the front and black grille on the rear. The colours and finish are the same as the new AKG D12VR with a strong steel frame, scratch-proof finish and double-layered metal grilles front and rear. PATTERN CHANGE — You get physical switches to select from four pattern choices; omni, cardioid, super-cardioid or figure-8. On one side of the mic…

With a background in industrial design, building a custom studio was always on Jim Moynihan’s bucket list. So when the ideal piece of land presented itself, he seized the opportunity. Nestled in the hills of St Andrews, Victoria, MoonSpoon Studio currently features a 3.5m x 4.5m control room which Jim says is the best sounding room he’s worked in. Primarily functioning as a creative kitchen for his own music, the space was designed from scratch with his needs and great audio in mind. Vertical standing waves are eliminated by a convex-shaped ceiling. The 13 trapezoidal 800mm x 1200mm bass traps fit snugly into the room corners, an extra five 600mm x 800mm traps are placed around the room, and a large bass trap built into the back wall. He used…

Who are you currently touring with/mixing? RÜFÜS, Seth Sentry, The Delta Riggs and The Preatures. What are some other bands you have worked with? Alpine, SBTRKT, Bluejuice, Kingswood, Saskwatch, The Rubens and Stonefield. How long have you been doing live sound and how did you get started? I started out mixing live sound for friends’ bands over 15 years ago. What is your favourite console and why? I have always been an analogue enthusiast, but for the past few years I’ve toured with digital consoles, which has been far more practical. I usually take out Digicos (SD9, SD10 and SD11 on smaller gigs). I find Digico makes the most intuitive digital consoles to work on. Along with Digigrid and UB MADI, I can use all my Waves plug-ins as well…

Listening track:  Kiss A Girl – Keith Urban Double tracked acoustic guitars Twangy telecaster lead lines Long, timed, tremolo strums throughout Big grunty chords in the chorus; double tracked ‘Scene change’ Leslie guitar line in the bridge Guitar solo Imitation reverby ‘pedal steel’- type guitar throughout Banjo line in verses Mandolin in breakdown verse Whenever you’re facing a situation with as many creative variables as guitar recording, the most important thing to do is not do anything. That’s right. Before you go plugging anything in, just stop! Spend a minute or two mapping out what you’re trying to achieve with the live take and any upcoming overdubs. Let’s take a country track as an example. Rather than just diving into the guitar tracks, stop and conceptualise them first, then make…

Holidays were done differently in 1982; quite a bit differently under Gregory Scott’s guidance. 10-year old Gregory’s parents had bundled the kids into the car for a guided cassette tour of Nova Scotia. Its running commentary steering the Scott’s on a course between significant Canadian landmarks… mostly lighthouses. Young Gregory had just requisitioned his first tape deck but had no material to try out his new contraption with. Then it dawned on him that they’d been listening to a tape all day; a tape he could record on. Blithely he popped his parent’s cassette out of the car console as they pulled in for the day. Later that night, beneath the doona cover he slipped a piece of tape over the erase tab and began playing it back, stopping every…

FRONT PANEL — As with all portable field recorders designed for over-the-shoulder operation, panel space is at a premium and the F8 wastes none of it. It’s a tight fit and therefore a little fiddly, but Zoom has managed to keep it acceptably fiddly. A clearly numbered record-enable button, rotary gain control, six-segment LED level meter and PFL button are all neatly partitioned for each channel and accessible enough. Just to the right of the power switch is the built-in slate microphone. All of the push buttons and switches have a firm and positive click, and none of the knobs feel loose or wobbly. Overall, very reassuring. SCREEN — To give you clear-as-day operation outdoors, the full-colour backlit LCD screen can be switched to an ultra-bright monochrome mode. Immediately to…

REFACE CP The Reface CP emulates a number of vintage electric pianos including the Fender Rhodes, CP80, Clavinet and Wurlitzer. Of the four, this keyboard probably made the biggest impression. It dynamically responds to touch with a sensitivity and maturity that far surpasses its toy-like exterior. And to really get the most from the sounds, the CP has a sustain pedal port on the back. Don’t let the minimalistic and retro controls fool you — tons of tones can be pulled from this thing. Wind up the Drive knob to get some tasteful break-up when you dig in, or flick the Wah switch for some groovy funk jams. Yamaha has nailed the analogue delay emulation — chuck on the Wurlitzer sound and dial in a slap-back setting to be time-machined…

What got me started in audio? ’60s soul music. By 1970 I was doing sound for bands and had built my first loudspeaker. It was all bit of a chance occurrence really. We were listening to music and generally spacing out, when my brother picked up a smallish PA box and faced it into the corner of the room. Of course all the HF content was eliminated but the bass had gone up. Within a matter of days we’d built a 2 × 18-inch box facing into a corner with a lid on it. I’m not saying that sub was revolutionary, but it set the direction we’re still on: working empirically. We check things as we go. Sure we use sophisticated measurement equipment – in fact, we built a huge…