The Studio Rats Podcast

Episode 14 – What Goes In Doesn’t Necessarily Come Out!

hosts@finleysound.com — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:46:34 +0000

This podcast episode is all about Bandcamp and what happens to your audio files once uploaded to their site.

As an engineer and musician, I want to be able to deliver the highest quality audio files to my clients and fans. I thought Bandcamp was the best way to do this, until I discovered a major “gotcha” in their offering. In short, Bandcamp only supports 16-bit Apple Lossless files, even if you’ve uploaded a 24-bit source file.

I performed a number of null tests (listed below) to prove my findings. What does this mean? Listen to the podcast!

1) 24-bit source file vs. Apple Lossless (iTunes) = pass

2) 24-bit source file vs. Bandcamp FLAC = pass

3) 24-bit source file vs. Bandcamp Apple Lossless = fail

3) 16-bit source (with dither) vs. Bandcamp Apple Lossless = fail

4) 16-bit source (no dither) vs. Bandcamp Apple Lossless = fail

Note: It appears that the excellent TT Dynamic Range Meter plugin I mention in the podcast is no longer available.

Episode 13 – Neil Young; the savior of digital music?

hosts@finleysound.com — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:10:43 +0000

This podcast focuses on an interview with Neil Young and his discussions with Steve Jobs regarding 24-bit 192kHz downloads through iTunes. Related topics include Apple Lossless and FLAC files, HDtracks.com, Bandcamp.com and 16 vs 24-bit.

Here are links to the articles I mention in the podcast.

DigitalTrends.com - Neil Young’s plan to make digital music sound 20 times better

Geek.com - Apple wants 24-bit audio for iTunes music downloads

Episode 12 – Use Your Studio To Your Advantage

hosts@finleysound.com — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:03:28 +0000

Today’s podcast is all about using your home recording studio to your advantage. If you’re not paying hourly for studio time, why not take the time to get good sounds and solid performances?

Episode 11 – Workflow

hosts@finleysound.com — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:00:14 +0000

In this episode of the podcast I make the case for simplifying your workflow so you can complete whatever project you are working on. I briefly mention the Nord Drum, Moog Minitaur, iZotope Ozone and plugins with simple user interfaces.

Episode 10 – Improve Your Guitar Tone for 34 Cents or Less

hosts@finleysound.com — Mon, 23 May 2011 15:00:55 +0000

In this episode of the podcast, I discuss how to improve or drastically change your guitar tone for 34 cents or less. Yes, I’m talking about guitar picks. How does this relate to recording? Well, using the world’s best microphone and preamp isn’t going to help you if the sound isn’t happening at the source.

Skeptical? Check out the screenshots below to see just how different guitar picks can sound. For the test, I played one note, five times in a row for each pick. My goal was to get a good average response for each pick and to eliminate some discrepancies in my playing. I then used Logic’s Match EQ to “learn” the response of each pick in turn. The results confirmed what I heard and offers a nice graphic representation.

All samples were recorded one after another without changing any settings. The recording chain was a Shure SM-57, API 512c and Apogee Ensemble.

Listen to the podcast from more information and to hear the audio examples.

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Dunlop Tortex .88 mm

My old standby guitar pick – the Dunlop Tortex .88 mm. I have always struggled with a shrillness or bitey edge to my tone. No wonder. Compared to the other picks, note the almost 5 dB bump at 2k and the added bite just above 3.5k.

Telefunken 2 mm

My first test subject – the Telefunken 2 mm. This pick was a freebie that came with my Telefunken CU-29 mics. Note the improved low end and subdued highs. This pick didn t have enough attack for my taste.

V-Pick Large Rounded 2.75 mm

My new favorite guitar pick – the V-Pick Large Rounded 2.75 mm. Note the extended low end, fuller mids, and nice high end response. More tone and less annoying bite. Awesome.

Episode 9 – Consider The Source (Mic Preamps)

hosts@finleysound.com — Mon, 09 May 2011 15:00:27 +0000

In this episode of the podcast, I discuss the differences between “colored” and “transparent” microphone preamps. I explore why you might want to choose a “colored” preamp instead of a “transparent” preamp when mic’ing up a drum kit (hint: achieving a more analog sound).

For some additional reading, check out this blog post I wrote a few months ago – The Benefits Of Upgrading Your Mic Preamp.

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Episode 8 – Know Your Gear

hosts@finleysound.com — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:00:55 +0000

In this episode of the podcast, I expand on our discussion last week about gear shootouts. I explain why I think it’s time well spent to shootout gear you already own – not only for discovering what gear sounds the best, but also from a workflow perspective. In other words, what gear gets you the desired sound quickly and with minimal fuss.

Here’s a link to the Music Think Tank article mentioned in the podcast. And remember, if you are in a band, don’t forget to add a MUSIC link to your website.

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Episode 7 – Pushing the Limits

hosts@finleysound.com — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:00:09 +0000

In this episode of the podcast, I make the case for doing A/B comparisons of the tools you use to record and mix music. You’ll hear an example of some really bad limiter “pumping” and my evaluation of the following software limiter plug-ins;

Logic Adaptive Limiter
Sonnex Oxford Limiter
Flux Pure Limiter II
iZotope Ozone (Loudness Maximizer)

Click here to download the limiter test files mentioned in the podcast.

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Episode 6 – Is DIY Killing Your Creativity And Efficiency?

hosts@finleysound.com — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:15:07 +0000

In this episode of the podcast, Jeff and I discuss topics that are only sometimes tangentially related to the topic! Along the way, we mention; Mumble, Crane Song HEDD, George Lucas, the excellent book by Howard Massey called Behind The Glass Volume 2, Daniel Lanois, Brian Eno, stereo and mono guitars, panning, stereo delay instead of double tracking, the importance of arrangements, American Idol, networking, BARMMAP, AES, EARS, Steve Hindalong of The Choir, and finally, spontaneity and inspiration.

Special thanks to Mark Marshall for providing the music.

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Episode 5 – Recording Acoustic Guitar

hosts@finleysound.com — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 23:23:03 +0000

In this episode of the Studio Rats Podcast, Jeff and I discuss recording the acoustic guitar. We touch on topics such as microphone placement, the merits of recording that really horrible sounding direct output found on most acoustic guitars these days, and emulating the Beatles’ white album acoustic guitar sound.

Additiional topics include; our take on Apogee’s new Symphony I/O, the Ovation guitar as a paddle, why I remind Jeff of his Aunt, mixing Mumble, and King Never rehearsals.

Special thanks to the band Triangle Exception for providing the music.

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