GHOST IN THE MACHINE - A MUSIC GEAR BLOG BY DAVID KAKON
was lucky to start recording music before the advent of computers and computer recording. My first piece of music gear was a system called the 4 channel Fostex cassette recorder. The simplicity and clarity of it was the perfect first step into an often complex and layered world of recording.
All computer recording applications are based on real world models, mixers, busses, auxes, groups, inserts, etc... However this being a virtual world. all possibilities are available at any given time. Great? Yes. Easy? Yes. Intuitive? No.
For most people, loading up a computer recording software for the first time is akin to being thrown into a multimillion dollar music studio and expected to make it all come together. There is an interesting video blog on youtube by The Neptunes that describe what they would do if they were starting in the recording business today and had 10,000$ to spend. Their answer? Piano lessons and a 4-Track.I guess my Mom and the Neptunes have more in common than I thought!
In this BLOG about music gear, I will bring you back to a time before virtual reality when gear was really a soundwave moving through a machine and I will attempt to describe the signal chain of recording. There are steps and each link in the chain is a crucial element to getting a great recording. We live in the most amazing time to record music. The equipment that we have access to and the software that we have allows for amazing reproductions of what our ears have been doing for millions of years. Let's analyze the process. I'll spell out the signal chain here and will take the time to dedicate a BLOG to each step. From the source all the way to the destination.
Step1. The Source.
This is the most important step and requires much more attention than any other step. This is the performer, the performance, the instrument, the room. Most poor recordings of difficult instruments can be totally transformed by proper tuning and room placement.
Step2. The Mic.
There are so many amazing ways to capture sound using different (old & new) mic technologies: ribbon, condensor, electret, dynamic ... well go into the details of microphones and mic techniques.
Step3.
The Preamp. This step has been getting a lot of attention over the past few years and a whole slew of options have been made available for us to experiment with different palettes of sound.
Step4.
The Mixer. Who uses a mixer? Not many people anymore, but understanding the architecture and signal flow of a mixer will be like unveiling the deep mysteries of Recording Software. This will be a real eyeopener and will clarify a lot of the stuff we use in DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) but don't really understand.
Step5.
Recording Medium. Tape, Converters, Standalone recorders, Computers. Where do you record your masterpiece and how do you get it there. Another important topic to discuss here is backup formats. Will you be able to read your files in 5 years from now? Don't be so sure!
Step6.
Monitoring. Step6. Monitoring. This is the step that most people don't even consider till they set everything up, get all their gear in place and suddenly relaize they have no real way of hearing back what their playing! Most people depend on software monitoring. this is often a default but there are so many creative ways of monitoring that will allow for a more natural and hands on experience. Many newproducts have recently been developed to help the mixerless studio get the controlback to the musiscians mix.
Step7. DAWs. The wonderful world of recording software. Protools, Nuendo, Reason, Logic ... Who does what best and how do they interact.
See you next time! Next BLOG will be another exciting Step in the word of MUSIC GEAR! We will discuss STEP2, The mic!
David Kakon
Davidkakon.com
