Featured Equipment Of The Week - Presonus AudioBox 22VSL

Presonus AudioBox 22VSL

The Presonus AudioBox 22VSL is a cool new portable USB2 audio interface with some great features. The AudioBox 22VSL introduces a new generation of PreSonus USB 2.0 audio/MIDI interfaces that take hardware/software integration to the logical next step. Using your computer CPU and PreSonus Virtual StudioLive™ (VSL) software, AudioBox VSL-series interfaces provide reverb and and delay effects and the same Fat Channel compression, limiting, semi-parametric EQ, and high-pass filter, as the PreSonus StudioLive™ 16.0.2 digital mixer— all with inaudible latency. Now you can monitor and record with or without real-time dynamics processing and EQ!
Find out more - Presonus AudioBox 22VSL

TOP FEATURES

• 24-bit / 96 kHz 2 x 2 USB 2.0 recording interface
• 2 dual-purpose front-panel input channels, each with:
• Combo XLR mic and balanced ¼" instrument input
• Class A XMAX™ mic / instrument preamp
• Individual channel-trim controls with 0 to +35 dBu mic gain range
• 48V phantom power for condenser microphones (global)
• Mixer control (blends the input signal with the computer playback stream for zero-latency monitoring)
• Headphone jack with level control
• Main-output level control
• LED clip indicator for each channel
• Studio One™ Artist digital audio workstation software included
• Virtual StudioLive™ (VSL) control software included; manages:
• Near-zero-latency monitoring with extensive signal processing
• 4 x 2 DSP mixer
• StudioLive™16.0.2 Fat Channel compressor, limiter, expander, high-pass filter, and semi-parametric EQ for each analog input and its DAW return
• 2 stereo effects buses with reverb and delay
• More than 50 Fat Channel DSP presets for enhancing instrument and vocal recordings
Get the Presonus AudioBox 22VSL at Revolution Audio!

Featured Equipment Of The Week: iZotope Alloy

iZotope Alloy
Alloy is six essential mixing tools for your tracks and busses, with unique MacroPresets that put the controls you need at your fingertips.
Add iZotope Alloy to your tracks and busses and bring them to life with six processors designed to add character to every element of your mix. Alloy gives you exceptional sound quality, vintage emulation balanced with digital precision, time-saving presets and workflow features, and a forward-thinking interface that puts just the controls you need at your fingertips.
Check out iZotope Alloy

TOP FEATURES

• Six precision tools for mixing in one integrated system – Equalizer, Dynamics, Exciter, De-Esser, Transient Shaper and Limiter
• Load one plug-in for all of the essential EQ, dynamics and sound-shaping effects you need on your tracks and busses. Save custom presets and effect chains to suit any need
• Phase Tools panel includes phase invert controls, and a zero-latency phase rotation control to improve waveform symmetry
• Zero-latency mode prevents sync problems in hosts like Pro Tools LE
• RTAS/ AudioSuite, VST, Audio Unit, MAS, DirectX 

Find out more about iZotope Alloy

Productivity tips for home recordists

Often our time to work or play in the studio is limited. There is nothing more frustrating to leave the studio feeling like you've got nothing accomplished. In this article I'll share some productivity tips that I use in my studio.

Don't blame the computer, it's your short attention span!

Remove distractions
If you find that you're spending more time on Twitter and Facebook than actually working on music, UNPLUG from the internet! Sometimes signing out and closing the browser isn't enough.  I do this when I really have to get something done on a deadline, otherwise it easily takes 5X longer. This will help avoid the urge to look online for new samples or plugins or DAW updates.
Next, turn off your cellphone or leave it in another room. It's just a good habit to get into. Besides being a potential distraction, a ringing phone can interrupt a recording and cell phones often cause interference in mics and guitar pickups.
Some people thrive in chaos. For me, a messy workspace is a distraction. I don't need anything on my desk except keyboard, mouse, and a cup of coffee or water. I like to do a 30 second clean up of my desk by taking a cardboard box and tossing everything I won't need into it. The box goes into the closet. Amazingly more than half this stuff never comes out of the box again.

Have a goal
If you go into the studio without a purpose, you probably won't accomplish anything. The goal doesn't have to be big, in fact it's better to have many smaller goals because it feels good to start and complete a task. Goals like "I'm going to learn Song X"; "I'm going to record all the vocals for my newest song"; or even "I'm going to play with this new synth plugin." It's ok to spend time learning a new technique or plugin, just try to keep the experiments separate from your 'work time'.

Be prepared
Make some songwriting templates so that you can get right into recording when inspiration happens. If you already have a bunch of songs recorded, you can remove all the audio files and save it as a template. Think about how much time you just saved!
A template for a heavy metal song would be something like 1 instrument track for virtual drums (already set to an appropriate metal preset), 3 audio tracks for guitars (panned Left, Right, Center) with high-gain amps on each and a 1/16th note delay on Center track, 1 audio track for bass, 2 audio tracks for vocals (with compression), 1 reverb bus.
An electronic music template could be several instrument tracks with your favorite synths on each and a few FX buses with your favorite presets.
Before you sit down to mix, make sure all the distracting timing and pitch issues are taken care of and all extraneous noises are removed. If you are going to replace some of the drums with samples, set up a few options ahead of time so when you're mixing, you're ONLY mixing, not editing and mixing.

Schedule breaks
This might seem a bit weird, but I've found this technique to be really effective, especially at crunch time on a project. I set a timer for 25 minutes, I work non-stop until the timer goes off. I do something else for no longer than 5 minutes. Then set the timer for another 25 minutes. After 4x 25 minute segments I break for 30 minutes. On the breaks you don't want to do anything that would fatigue you further. Washroom, snack, check Twitter, or just relax your eyes and ears. It really works!

What is YOUR distraction in the home studio?

FAQ: What is latency?

Latency
Latency is the time delay between input and output. The lower the latency the better it is for recording, however it is harder on the system and is not always possible.
Latency can make recording very difficult, wherever possible try to minimize it.
Firewire interfaces should be capable of near-zero latency (64 samples) and most USB interfaces have a zero latency monitoring control which sends the unprocessed input directly to the output. This is also called direct monitoring, I strongly advise against using this feature as you don't hear if there is a problem with the recording until it is too late. To adjust the latency of the interface you want to look for the ‘buffer size’ control. A higher buffer size is useful when mixing with a lot of plugins, and a low buffer size is preferable when recording, adjust as necessary.

Featured Equipment Of The Week: Presonus Studio One Artist

Presonus Studio One Artist
Studio One is a groundbreaking music-creation and production application for Mac OS X and Windows XP/Vista that makes audio recording, MIDI sequencing, and audio mastering ridiculously simple right out of the box, yet provides a wealth of professional features.
Fresh code, innovative drag-and-drop MIDI mapping and plug-in management, auto-configuration with PreSonus hardware, insanely good audio quality, unlimited tracks and plug-ins per track, and a powerful, inventive Start page that literally puts the whole project right in your hands are just a few of the compelling features that make Studio One the next generation in audio software. Far from just another music-production program, Studio One changes the rules of the game, giving you a complete, easy-to-use solution from raw tracks to finished master, while supporting the latest standards and technologies.
Studio One Artist Studio One Artist is not a dumbed-down, "lite" version of Studio One Pro. Rather, it's just one version of the same creative recording and production platform--with unlimited track count and the same intuitive interface.
Find out more | Presonus Studio One Artist

FEATURES

• Elegant single-window work environment
• Powerful drag-and-drop functionality
• Unlimited audio tracks, MIDI tracks, virtual instruments, buses, and FX channels
• Content browser with convenient sort options and preview player
• Automatic delay compensation
• Advanced automation
• 32-bit audio processing
• Easy-to-use sidechain routing
• Stunning virtual instruments
• User-friendly sampler
• Most intuitive MIDI-mapping system available
• Real-time audio timestretching and resampling
• K-System metering
• Compatible with any ASIO-, Windows Audio-, or Core Audio-compliant audio interface
• Works with key commands from Pro Tools, Cubase, and Logic.
• Native Effects™ 32-bit effects library with 20 dynamics processors, reverbs, modulations effects, amp simulators, etc.
• Four virtual instruments
• Native Instruments™ Kore™ Player with 150 instruments
• Native Instruments™ Guitar Rig LE
• Toontrack™ EZDrummer Lite
• Nearly 1,400 drum loops (1.4 GB!) by Bandmate™ Loops
• Free jambalaya recipe!

Find out more | Presonus Studio One Artist

Featured Equipment Of The Week: Radial ProRMP passive reamp

Radial ProRMP
Re-amping has been the 'secret weapon' for countless recordings by the biggest names in the business and the process is often used on guitars, bass, keyboards, percussion and even voice to create new textures! The Radial ProRMP is a 100% passive re-amplifier that lets you to take a pre-recorded track and re-amplify it through a guitar amp or effects pedals to create new and exciting tones.
Plug and play easy to use, the ProRMP connects from the recorder to your amp and effects units and does all the impedance matching for you. Just adjust the level to suit!

Find out more | Radial ProRMP

TOP FEATURES

Play prerecorded tracks through amps and pedals

Opens the door to creative new tones and textures

Eliminates repetitive playing during recording

On board level control for fine tuning the gain

Transformer isolated to eliminate buzz and hum

See all the details and buy Radial ProRMP at Revolution Audio

Recording Bass Guitar

Bass doesn't always get the attention it deserves in a recording situation. I see a lot of home recordists rush through bass recording, only to later be frustrated with the bass when it comes time for mixing. It's really too bad because it's the foundation of the song. A great bass will groove tight with the drums and support the guitars. Fitting it in the mix will take minimal effort and you will be loving life.

A great recording starts with a great source. When it comes to tracking bass guitar, the source is comprised of many factors:

• Musician:
• Technique and playing position - Playing with a pick or with fingers or thumb. Intensity, Playing close to the bridge, in the middle or close to the neck. Choose what is appropriate for the song
• What is played - playing bass lines that serve the song and don't clash with the drums or guitars rhythmically or melodically.
• Tuning - Check the tuning often

• Bass:
• Strings - new strings usually sound best and give you the brightest tone to start with.
• Electronics (Pickups and EQ) - The pickup selection and tone settings
• Wood and construction - The wood used in the neck and body really effect the sound. Maple and Ash are bright and punchy, mahogany is thicker and darker.

• Amplification chain:
• Cable - debatable how much impact this has, how about just using one that doesn't hum or crackle if you move it.
• Pedals - If a particular pedal helps get you the desired tone, go for it. I would hold off on spatial effects (delay, reverb) until mixing as they require their own attention.
• Amplifier and EQ settings - tube or solid state. As a starting point put all EQ knobs at 6.
• Cabinet - 1x12", 4x10", 1x15"
• Cabinet position - where in the room, close to walls, on the floor or elevated

Everything contributes to the sound you'll be recording, do whatever you can to get this close to what you need from the start. It won't be the same for every song so you may want to have a few options for basses, though a Fender Jazz bass or MusicMan is versatile enough to get you what you need 80% of the time. Rent or borrow what you don't own before looking for magical plugins to solve all your bass problems.

In my experience getting good bass gear for recording made my life so much easier further along in my projects. For recording you don't necessarily need a massive bass rig, I use a Sterling Ray 34 (Low-end Music Man. Swamp ash body, maple neck, humbucker pickup with active EQ) into a small Ampeg BX112 solid state combo amp with a single 12" woofer. Greatest bass recording gear ever? Ha, far from it, but it got me so much closer to the sound I was looking for. Prior to that I was fighting with a mahogany bass that was deep but had almost no midrange when recorded making it hard to hear clearly in the mix.

A great bass tone in the room is more likely to inspire a great performance. Now you need to capture and enhance it.

• The Recording Chain:
• Mic selection - Dynamic mics and large diaphragm condensers are most common for bass amps. Spend some time comparing.
• Mic position - distance and angle play a big part as always.
• Direct Box (DI) - A direct box allows you to split the signal from the bass, one side continues to the amp, the other goes to a preamp.
• Microphone Preamp - Every preamp has its own tone. A pad option may be required.
• Compressor - Optional but worth testing if you have the option. Its very common to compress the DI track while recording in pro studios.

Record at a conservative level, if you're really digging in for a grindy tone keep the peaks no higher than -6dBFS (DAW metering). An average of anywhere from -18dB to -12dB is all you need. Dynamics will likely be reduced and additional processing is inevitable by the final mix. A clipped signal is useless.

Can you get a great bass recording with just a DI (or plugging right into the interface)? Yes. Can you get a great bass recording with just an amp? Yes. Splitting the signal with a DI before the amp and recording to two tracks gives you more flexibility when it comes to mixing. You may prefer the sound of one over the other, or a blend of the two.

When you do blend the DI and miked amp signals in your DAW it is very likely that you will hear some phase issues. The problem is caused by the DI signal gets to the interface before the mic signal does causing a slight delay. Try inverting the polarity of one of the tracks. This will usually be a dramatic improvement in the low frequencies. This can further be improved by delaying the DI track, often just by a few milliseconds or even samples. You might find it easiest to start with the tracks 'out of phase' then adjust the delay until you have the most cancelation, and invert the polarity again (now in phase). You may not get it to be absolutely perfect but do try to find the best compromise.

By now you should have a good, very usable, better than average bass track recorded into your DAW. We won't get into processing and mixing bass in this article, if you really need info on that right now, check out the Sept 2011 issue of Sound On Sound, great tips on mixing bass in there.

Have a listen to the audio examples I've prepared. Compare the different playing styles, mic position, mic type. In the delay compensation file, notice how the tone changes quite dramatically just by delaying the DI in increments of 10 samples.

Bass Recording Examples by RevolutionAudio