Muff's Modules & More

MrBiggs

I'd like to see some recommendations for reading and learning at the next level, whatever that is, about recording gear and techniques. I've got 12U of modular, a standard keyboard synth (Micron), a cheap Behringer mixer, and a floor covered in guitar pedals. This works okay and right now it's what the budget allows and the music I make needs.
But now and then I run into terms, processes, questions and equipment that I just have no idea or understanding of and I feel like there's a "next step" or something that I'd like to grasp. I could google the queries and certainly find answers, but books are better since there are always answers to questions I didn't know to ask.

Some topics I've written in my notebook over the last few months are balanced vs unbalanced, normalization, impedences (where can I plug in my amp head and where can I not?), gain staging, understanding sends and aux returns. Stuff like that. Basically I was reading about a Thermionic Culture Vulture and some other high-end tube rack gear and realized that beyond the cost, I just have no idea what biasing does, when I'd use the balanced or unbalanced inputs, or even why I'd want or need this if I had a good tube amp.

I like knowing there's a whole pile of info that I know nothing about. And I like books and websites. Hit me.

pulse_divider · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 9:16 am Post subject:

Subscribe to tapeop, it's free. There won't be a whole lot of hard info as its mainly become about recording culture, but it's a decent read and there's always some columns on recording technique.
I have a book that is helpful but forget the title and will check when I'm at the studio later, I think it's called the Yamaha sound reinforcement enigneer's handbook.

pulse_divider · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:17 pm Post subject:

Okay, I'm at the studio now and in front of a computer so can give a lengthier response.

The book I mentioned is called "Sound Reinforcement Handbook" and is "Written for Yamaha by Gary Davis & Ralph Jones". Don't let the live sound title fool you, this book contains everything you'd possibly need to know about the technical side of recording in an easy to understand fashion. Totally worth the asking price.
http://www.amazon.com/Sound-Reinforcement-Handbook-Gary-Davis/dp/08818 89008/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331139428&sr=8-1

I've been recording for ~15 years now, it started out as a mild hobby with a borrowed 4 track and then about 10 years ago I started getting obsessed with it. I read Tape Op avidly and spent a lot of time reading the tapeop.com messageboard and learned pretty much everything starting out from that. At first I recorded my own band, then started offering to record friend's bands in my basement and it just snowballed from there. 4 years ago I opened a studio and now do it as a job.

My basic thoughts:
--- the best way to learn is do it (duh). Once you have basic competence, which it sounds like you already do, and enough tools (mics/headphones/whatever) offer to help record some of your friends. This will teach you faster than working by yourself just because the stakes are higher and you are usually faced with challenges you wouldn't normally have. EDIT: and also allows you to focus JUST on the recording aspect without worrying about the music.... perhaps the most import point
--- the technical stuff is very important but ultimately most of it's not that deep or difficult, and mostly just a matter of paying attention to details. What gear you are using is a very small part and is ultimately way less important than just minding your gain staging and signal flow
--- session flow is just as important as signal flow even if you're just recording yourself, so having good quality tools that you know well (and high quality interconnects/patchbays) is always going to yield better results than constantly swapping gear looking for a magic box.

I've got a large collection of Tapeop back issues I'd be happy to send you if you want them, just PM me your address.

pulse_divider · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:23 pm Post subject:

PS--- I originally had intended to offer to give you my Sound Reinforcement Handbook as I haven't cracked in 8+ years, but after looking through it I realize I'll probably step my game up if I read it again. Even after doing this professionally for a few years there's still a bunch I can learn in there so I'm gonna keep it. I found this book on a messageboard recommendation back when I was starting to get into it, and it was one of the best pieces of advice I've had!

MrBiggs · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks for that reply.
I just subscribed to TapeOp a month or two ago and was happy to get my first issue last month. It's actually part of what led to me noting questions. I've been playing with software for about six years now and once the modular stuff came into my life in 2009, I was suddenly faced with needing to know. A year ago was when I realized that I didn't know anything about gain. Everything I was making in Ableton was very very quiet, and I was normalizing it. So I decided to take a few days and quit bleeping and blooping and try recording stuff. Figured that out for the most part.

The thing that hit me today that finally broke the camel's back, so to say, was looking at some rack equipment online that has no discernible input or output on the front (it may have been Thermionic Culture...). I assume it's on the back. Having run across this before, I started thinking about how this would work and realized I don't know the first thing. Would the rack gear be permanently plugged into a mixer and used as a send effect? Or a patch board? What if you want to run it in series with other stuff? The site said that it has unbalanced outs to work with DAWs and I wondered why DAWs need unbalanced lines? And then the fact that this was a tube pre-amp distortion unit made me wonder if I could just use my Vox Night Train in the same way. Just take the output into my Ultralite rather than the speaker (though I have a feeling that the impedances would disallow this).

So I'll check out the book you linked. Might also make a run to the Philadelphia public library and see what's there.

Soy Sos · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 12:31 pm Post subject:

TapeOp

TapeOp

TapeOp

Just me · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:13 pm Post subject:

Do it. Do it some more. Tape op and record producer.com. do it some more. Get on a forum for the gear you are using. Don't sweat that you don't have $3K mics and Neve channel strips. Use what you have and learn to make it sound good. (Through practice.) Do it some more.

Babaluma · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:22 pm Post subject:

just read as many audio books as you can, read as many audio websites/forums as you can, and most importantly, PRACTISE what you learn as much as possible. it can take many years of experience to get where you want to be, but the journey is the destination, and you generally improve with age, like a fine wine. smile

MrBiggs · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 3:32 pm Post subject:

Hey I am doing it and reading it. I know I know! It was specific sources I'd like recommended -- books, websites -- or else I'll end up starting about forty individual threads here if i'm not careful.

I'm usually surprised and surprisingly happy with the results I get recording, say, my guitar, ukulele, and accordion in my spare bedroom with no sound treatments and no carpet, using a $150 Audio Technica mic and a MOTU Ultralite. That thrill has made me ambitious. I start thinking further and reading about expensive gear, and now that I'm considering a better, bigger mixer, questions arise...

vlk · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:14 pm Post subject:

drewtoothpaste · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 4:37 pm Post subject:

Read all you can, everywhere, and take EVERYTHING with a grain of salt. Those expensive boxes sound good, but sometimes they only sound 5% better than something cheap. Sometimes you can't tell the difference, sometimes you can. It's all subjective.

Many people will tell you sound treatments are "essential." Same with external converters, active DI boxes, expensive cables, balanced connections, etc.... nothing is essential except an idea and something to record it with.

MrBiggs · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:49 pm Post subject:

Thanks Drew. Good advice as always.

I am definitely schizophrenic when it comes to this stuff. I've made recordings I'm quite happy with with a $19 Radio Shack microphone into Ultralite to Ableton. And then I also have some nice pricey gear that makes an obvious difference.
With the need for a car, some summer camp payments, and a wedding in October, nothing expensive is coming down this pike (well maybe a Deusenberg guitar, maybe) for a while. But I would like to understand it and know what I need and how it would work from a physical connections basis at least. I know when I learned myself some gain stage stuff, it made a huge difference in how shit sounds. No longer like shit, for starters...

MrBiggs · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:53 pm Post subject:

Found this. It's a start. applause

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec99/articles/patchbay.htm

jonah · Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 8:45 pm Post subject:

In general studios are hurting these days and prices are often very reasonable. Call some places up say to you're just interested in learning, want to play around and get some guided assistance every once in a while. I think a lot of places would be thrilled.

CF3 · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 1:18 pm Post subject:

Modern Recording Techniques by David Miles Huber
http://www.modrec.com/

Excellent resource. Actually used as a textbook at some audio schools. in it's 7th edition.

MrBiggs · Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2012 1:49 pm Post subject:

Interesting suggestion from Jonah. There are two recording studios within walking distance of me. It might be weird, as I'm not intern-age, but instead 44 with two kids and whatnot. I might try anyway (the funny thing is my ex-wife's husband runs a small recording studio and always needs help. We're friendly but, I don't think so...)

So thanks to pulse_divider for sending a huge box full of TapeOps from around 2001 to 2005 I guess. Holy shit what a wealth of info. I've read five of them from cover to cover and it's like school. I've even discovered a bunch of music from the old Under the Radar section. I can't wait to get into my studio this weekend and start making use of the compressors and EQ built into my Ultralite, just to see how they work. (I'm googly-eyed over the API lunchbox 500-series format of stuff, but I'm not going there yet.)

Lastly, I got the Gary Davis Sound Reinforcement Handbook as well. Jesus that's dense. I came home from work yesterday and my 13 year old who wants to make Dubstep Bass ("You know, like Skrillex") with my Cwejman VCO6 was reading the table of contents. He looks up at me with wide eyes and says "the table of contents looks like the index." And it does. That's quite a book.

Okay off to learn. Thanks.