Before You Buy A High End Preamp

After recording pretty much full time sense 2001, I’ve made about one hundred billion mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes of all has involved preamps. Yes, I know that just about every recording forum on the planet goes on and on and on about how important preamps are. They talk and talk and talk about the differences between one Neve 1073 clone and another Neve 1073 clone. This is all fine and dandy. If everything in your recording chain is so perfect that the difference between one 1073 clone and another 1073 clone becomes significant, than you are SMOKING!! In fact, if your chain is that good, your next recording should have no problem competing with major label recordings. You should probably look into booking major label caliber talent immediately.

The truth is there are very few singers who deserve to get to sing through a $2,000 preamp. Let me reword that a little bit. There are very few singers who will sound noticeably “better” through X preamp. A bad singer sounds bad through anything. The only time, in my opinion, a great preamp even matters is when the singers is GREAT! When I say “GREAT”, I mean that this singer sends chills down your spine. I mean you really think you’ve got something completely magical in this person and you feel lucky to record them. Few “local” singers are going to have what it takes.

If you think you are going to make up for a piss poor performer by switching to a $2,000 preamp, you are out of your mind. It’s just a volume knob!!!

My First Preamp

When I do something, I try to do it right. I always end up falling short of the goal, but that doesn’t stop me from going all out. I was reading on forums back in 2001 trying to figure out the gear I needed to start my recording rig. I stumbled on some threads about preamps. I was led to believe that if I didn’t have a great, professional preamp Continue Reading...

Most of these are old school tricks but can be impressive, if there pulled off right.

Using Two of the Same Records to Achieve a Reverb or Delay

Take two records of the same song and get them in beat with each other so that the songs are literally over layed exactly on top of each other. Once you have this draw the base out of the record you are about to mix in and bring the track in. Now slowly bend the pitch ever so slightly and a reverb effect will occur. Now repeat the same procedure except slip the record out of beat and fade in and out for a delay effect.

How to Play a Record Backwards

This trick may not work with all turntables but it defiantly works with the Vestax PDX-A2’s that I use. Take an ashtray a little thicker than the cartridge on your turntable, and place it upside down and centered on the slip-mat. Now take a piece of gum and stick a record centered on top of the ashtray, the gum helps hold it in place. Now you Continue Reading...

More and more People are building home recording studios because of the simplicity involved in recording music today. All it takes is a common home computer rigged up with a few audio hardware accessories and you’ve got a project sound studio worthy enough to create a demo tape, or independent music release.

Managing your home recording studio to be functional and bug free can be difficult. So here are a few tips for keeping your studio in good order and being ready for common problems.

• Always save back up files I can’t stress this enough its a very basic rule, but hard drives are known to crash for no reason, and with no notice, so why take the chance.

• Listen to your track on several different stereos and in various environments, then go back to your studio and make any final adjustments to the song. It may sound good in the recording studio and then like crap in your car stereo, or portable mp3 player.

• Avoid distractions like a telephone or television in your work environment.

• If you’ve hit that frustrated point with software, always check the help option in the program it may seem simple but 9/10 it will solve your problem. If this doesn’t Continue Reading...