The Benefits of Upgrading Your Mic Preamp(s)

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If you are looking for a quick and easy way to upgrade the sound of your recordings, consider purchasing at least one high quality mic preamp - and use it to record everything! The differences between a cheap preamp and something like an API 512c may be subtle to some when A/Bing the two, but the difference can become quite profound when you start mixing multiple tracks. Believe me, it makes a big difference and can breath new life into the microphones you already own.

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Studio Rats Podcast #6 - Is DIY Killing Your Creativity And Efficiency?

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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.

Hypebot Hit Song Contest

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If you haven't caught word yet, the blog Hypebot is sponsoring a Hit Song Contest. What makes this contest unique is that the lyrics were written using the words most often used in the Top 50 downloaded songs for the year. Yes, a completely manufactured lyric!  The challenge is to write "the most stereotypical pop song" using the provided lyrics. And the lyrics are, well, awful in a funny sort of way.

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Studio Rats Podcast #5 - Recording Acoustic Guitar

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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. 

Additional 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.