Farther back in time than I’d like to admit (or can believe), I was the president of my college’s Audio Engineering Society chapter. During one lucky semester, we were able to make a trip to the AES Convention being held in Los Angeles. In the process, we were fortunate enough to tour a handful of...
Royer Labs has been making quality ribbon mics for decades. They are no-compromise products that meet the demands of everyday use. The newer R-12 is a phantom-powered ribbon microphone that features the same 2.5 micron ribbon element as the R-121 [Tape Op #19]. It handles high SPL (160 dB at 1...
AKG has just released a new line of microphones that are aimed at the first-time mic buyer. You may ask yourself: Would these mics stand up to daily use by an experienced engineer in a professional-level studio? Absolutely yes. I really don’t care how much a microphone costs, and I certainly...
As an independent audio engineer who likes to have access to my projects wherever I am, headphones have become an essential part of my workflow, especially when I’m traveling or working outside of a traditional studio. They give me flexibility to check mixes in different environments, catch details...
I feel very lucky to be in the type of community where friends will sometimes contact me and say, “Hey, I have this cool thing I’ve been borrowing that you should hear. A buddy made it, but it’s actually really good!” That community is the New York Hudson Valley producer/engineer network, and in...
We’re already big fans of Josephson microphones at the studio where I work, Tiny Telephone. We have the C725 tube mic, the C700A, and four e22S mics that get constant use. Most of our collection is vintage; the Josephsons are among the few newer mics we’ve added over the years. It’s easy to get...
Do you get sent folders full of audio files from other recordists to mix? If you do, I'll bet there are frequently stereo audio files in there that are actually mono. Apple's Logic DAW seems to be the worst culprit, organizing sessions in an "always stereo" way that confounds...
Something that I look for when I select microphones is the translation from what I’m hearing in the room to what I am hoping to hear come out of the speakers when playback begins. It’s the challenge of being a recordist. It’s chasing a sound that my ears call “done” or “right.” I am constantly...
Since its release, the FabFilter Pro-C 2 has been one of the most used and beloved compressor plug-ins on the market. FabFilter’s latest update, the Pro-C 3, takes it from incredibly flexible to incredibly powerful, with new compression styles, character settings, Dolby Atmos compatibility...
The 1U rack-mount Universal Audio Volt 876 audio interface is on the bench! The larger cousin to the rest of the affordable Volt interface range, the 876 brings quite a bit of additional fit and function to the family. Notably, the 876 can be used as an ADAT expansion unit and features completely...
Universal Audio’s free DAW, LUNA, has a major update that just cleared the launchpad – LUNA 2.0 for both macOS and PC. It includes ARA 2 support, AI-infused instrument detection, and, if you own or purchase the LUNA Pro upgrade, a total of 29 UAD plug-ins, some new third-party ARA and MIDI effects...
For the past two decades, Rupert Neve Designs has delivered a steady stream of innovative and powerful analog audio processors, including the Master Buss Processor [Tape Op#89], the Master Bus Transformer, and the Shelford, Newton, and Portico series. Naturally, my interest was piqued when I heard...
What’s the best kind of microphone for recording electric guitar? On first glance, this seems like a straightforward question, but dig in a bit and notice the layers of sedimentation. The pat answer is that you position a Shure SM57 or other dynamic mic on the grill cloth, pointed on or near the...
Drum machines have defined and redefined several genres of popular music for nearly five decades. Many of the most recognizable electronic drum sounds originated in analog units manufactured by Roland in Hamamatsu, Japan. After six years of building pre-programmed models designed to accompany organ...
There has been a lot of talk lately about how music streaming platforms, such as Spotify, change the way we listen to and engage with music. As a sound engineer, it’s disappointing when the music I’ve worked on ends up sounding worse after it gets uploaded to Spotify. Their compression algorithms –...
Joe Orlandi did not intend to build microphones when he retired from his 20-year career in the film industry. He started collecting musical instruments and building a commercial recording studio in his quiet corner of Ohio. His focus began to shift when he unwittingly bought a knock-off of a...
ARC ON·EAR is a hybrid headphone amp/DAC with built-in EQ correction for popular professional headphones. Like most audio workers, I do a ton of work while wearing headphones. Spending hours a day critically listening in headphones is a big part of my job. Whether I’m using the old Apple EarPods or...
It’s always exciting when a company comes out with a plug-in that does something different and rethinks how we use some of our most fundamental tools. Eventide did exactly that with their new reverb, Temperance Pro. Loading up Temperance Pro into a DAW, it’s immediately apparent that it isn’t a...