Compressor 101

How To Use Compression To Solve 5 Common Mixing Mistakes

     Compressors are great problem-solvers when you mix music. But if they’re used wrong, compression can significantly color (and even mess up) your sound.So you need to know what you’re doing to make it work for you (and actually solve your issue).In this article you’ll learn 5 common mixing problems and how to solve them using compression.So get to know them and start experimenting with your own sound… You’ll be a compression expert in no time.First let’s dig into the basics!Compressors are funny creatures. 

They reduce the gain of your signal (‘GR’ stands for Gain Reduction on your DAW compressor). But they also reduce the dynamic range of a signal.

Dynamic range is the difference between the loudest and the quietest parts of a signal. When someone says a signal is very dynamic, it means that it varies a lot between quiet and loud parts–vocals are a good example of a sound with a wide dynamic range… like Mariah Carey!You might be thinking: but isn’t reducing the dynamic range a bad thing?

Well, compressors lower the volume of loud peaks–they even out the notes that stick out in the mix. That’s good because it allows you to bring up the gain of the whole signal without clipping.So overall using compressors right gives you a more polished and punchier sound without going in the red. Amazing, right?To get the most out of your compressors you need to know how to use the settings right.Alway keep a clear intention in mind with your settings. And always remember to use your ears too!

The main compressor settings are: threshold, ratio, attack and release.

Here’s what they do:

Threshold The threshold is the level (in dB aka decibels) at which your compressor starts to work. When your signal hits the threshold that’s when the compressor starts working.Drag down your threshold until you see the compressor working. You know it’s working when there’s activity in your GR meter.RatioThe ratio is how much your compressor will compress.Higher ratios give thump and punch, but can distort or add a pumping effect. Keep the ratios in the low to medium range when you’re looking for a more natural effect.At 1:1 there isn’t any compression happening.

Lower ratios (like 2:1 or 4:1) mean you’re applying low to medium amounts of compression.Between 8:1 and 20:1 you’re applying heavier compression. When’re close to ∞:1  (infinity to one) your compressor is basically a limiter– that means the parts of your signal that go beyond the threshold will not go further (in terms of amplitude).

AttackThe attack is how fast the compressor starts to work. It controls how much of the initial impact and transients of the sound get through.Slow attack is between 25 and 100 milliseconds (ms). It lets through a lot of initial impact so it gives you a punchier sound. But if your drummer played unevenly, that’ll be accentuated.

A medium attack is between 8 and 25 ms. It’s a good middle ground.

A fast attack (8 ms or less) makes your sound tighter and more even. It gives smoothness to the front end of the sound. But it also risks shaving off the initial impact (the transients) making it more dull and lifeless. So adjust the attack to suit your sound.

ReleaseThe release is how quickly the compressor lets go–in other words, the time it takes for the compression to stop working.A fast release (100 ms or less) means the compressor stops compressing quickly after it started. It’s a more aggressive, gritty sound. Overdoing it makes sometimes produces ‘pumping’ artifacts.

Medium release is between 100 and 400 ms.

A slow release (greater than 400 ms) gives you more dynamics and smoothness. But overdoing it can suck the life and impact out of the next sound. It can also mess up the groove and feel of your track.Keep in mind that all compressors are different, there’s no single formula for this. So Listen and adjust to suit your tastes!

Hot Tip: Look at the GR (Gain Reduction) meter. Set the release so it goes back to zero (the top) before the next hit. Otherwise you’re most likely over-compressing.Here’s a little cheat sheet on attack and release times (in milliseconds):Knowing why you’re using a compressor is key for getting the most out of it.Before you slap that compressor on your track ask yourself: what am I trying to achieve or solve?Here are 5 common problems producers have and how to solve them with compression:

PROBLEM 1: I WANT TO BRING UP THE LEVEL OF MY DRUMS BUT THEY START CLIPPING.

Solution: Use a compressor to smooth out the peaks

How to do it: Drag and drop your favorite compressor on your drum track.

1. Start with the ratio at infinity to 1 (inf:1) and your threshold at minus infinity (-inf). It’ll sound horrible but this will help you find the right attack setting.

1. Set the attack all the way down (close to 0 milliseconds) then play your drum track.

1. Slowly bring the attack time up until you start hearing a clear click–– the attack of your drums.

1. Now dial the ratio and thresholds back until your drums sounds natural again. What sounds best to me is a ratio at 5:1 and threshold at -16 dB. But your results will vary depending on your drum sound.

To tame the peaks on your drums, set your compressor to:

• Medium-High Ratio

• Fast Attack

• Fast Release

Why it works: The compressor reduces the gain of the peaks and lets you bring the level of your whole drum track higher. You get a more even and tight drum sound.

PROBLEM 2: MY KICK DOESN’T CUT THROUGH BECAUSE IT’S INTERFERING WITH THE BASSLINE.

Solution: Use sidechain compression

How to do it: We’ve done a step-by-step sidechain compression guide––take a look to revisit the basics.To start, feed the kick into your bassline’s sidechain compressor.Set your compressor to:

• Medium Ratio

• Medium Attack

• Medium-Fast Release — tune it to the feel/groove of the song by ear

Why it works: Sidechain compression lowers the bassline when the kick comes through.  That leaves space for the kick to get heard. Set the ratio to medium (say 5:1) to duck some of the bassline when the kick hits. Set the ratio to high (like 10:1) to cut out the bassline almost completely when the kick hits––this creates that noticeable pumping effect.

PROBLEM 3: MY VOCALS ARE TOO QUIET IN SOME PARTS AND WAY LOUDER IN OTHERS.

Solution: Stack two compressors

How to do it: Drag two compressors one your vocal track one after the other.Here’s how to set your two compressors:First Compressor:

• Low Ratio

• Slow Attack

• Slow Release

Second Compressor:

• Higher Ratio

• Fast Attack

• Medium Release

Why it works: The first compressor will be slow and natural-sounding. It’ll smooth out the dynamics and make the loudness more even overall. The second one is a faster compressor that’ll keep the punch of the sound.

Hot Tip: Sometimes having several (2-3) compressors doing a little bit of compression (much less gain reduction) sounds more natural than one doing a bunch of gain reduction.

PROBLEM 4: I RECORDED A DRUMMER PLAYING BUT IT SOUNDS WIMPIER ON THE RECORDING.

Solution: Compress the room mic recording.

How to do it: Record your drum kit using both direct mics and a room mic. Place the direct mics in front of each piece of kit. Place the room mic overhead. (more on mic’ing drums). Once you’ve got all the recordings in your DAW, apply a compressor on your room mic track.Set your compressor to:

• High Ratio

• Medium Attack

• Fast Release

Why it works: A compressor lets you make your instruments sound more lively. This’ll give the impression that they were played with more intensity. You’re not looking for a perfectly clean sound here–think rock drums. You’re after a punchier sound. Compressing the room mic gives you a cool aesthetic effect.

PROBLEM 5: I USED A COMPRESSOR BUT NOW I ACTUALLY HAVE LESS PUNCH.

Solution: Use parallel compression.

How to do it: To use parallel compression, duplicate your signal. The first signal will be your drier signal. The second signal will be your compressed signal. And because you have two signals, go extreme on the second one––lots of compression. Then mix the dry one in with just a bit of the compressed signal until it sounds right.

Here’s how to set the compressor on your second signal:

• High Ratio

• Slow Attack

• Fast Release

Why it works: You don’t have to worry about losing your dynamic range because the drier signal retains all the body and dynamics. The compressed signal with a slower attack will add the missing punch and energy. Apply some light compression on your dry signal if you need to.

Hot tip: EQ the compressed signal. Try putting a High-Pass Filter on it. This lets your dry signal be the main source of low end.Remember, compressors have personalities. Some compressors are more colorful than others. Some are more transparent. Get intimate with your compressors and know what each does best.Try this: put your favorite track in your DAW and put a compressor on it. Play with the settings–try drastic changes. Do some active listening to identify what they do.

References:

Trandafir, L. (2017, January 10). How to Use Compression to Solve 5 Common Mixing Mistakes. Retrieved January 12, 2017, from http://blog.landr.com/use-compression-solve-5-common-mixing-mistakes/

Compressors lower the volume of loud peaks–they even out the notes that stick out in the mix. That’s good because it allows you to bring up the gain of the whole signal without clipping.

Pentatonic - Major/Minor

Power Chords

The complete chord chart

Modern Vs Classical Music

   From the 12th century to the 21st century music has been vital to everyday life. Whether the music is coming from the trumpet playing an old time classical or from the beat boxer raping his favorite tune song; the creativity and passion for music starts to flow out of every person who lets it. Music had changed drastically over the years. Three ways music has changed is by adding instruments, changing the message, and by changing the purpose. A lot of people have been exposed to music, whether it’s classical or everyday modern.

          

  The basis of music has changed, since the early days of just playing one instrument and singing the thoughts that pop into the singers head. Music started out with little equipment and has only progressed since. Today, music goes through a process before it’s even heard. There is so much work put into having a song sound good. Back in the old days, music was played out of enjoyment. It came from the heart. Classical music is known to have a wide dynamic range and will often speed up and slow down at different times. While modern music often expresses emotion through the singer, there is more of an emphasis and variation that in classical music. From classical to modern music the amount of instruments has increased tremendously.

          

  In classical and modern music the message differs in each century. Whether the people know it or not music can affect their mood and influence their behaviors as well. Music had personalities, which can express what people feel. Each song touches someone through ways like teaching a life lesson or by touching you heart. Every generation has music that impacts the world by motivating people to do certain things or defines a person’s personality. Each had music sums up the generation. Classical music generally gives the message of relaxation and peace. Modern music has many messages depending on the genre. There is a song for every mood. Within each century the message changes through each passing mood.

         

   In modern and classical music the purpose for the songs written had varied. Classical music’s purpose is generally to entertain an audience and to excite listeners emotionally and intellectually. While some modern music is developed to stimulate in similar ways, it also diverges from classical music. Most modern music is developed simply for dancing, which is uncommon for classical music. Whether your purpose is to dance and jump around or to relax in bed, there are endless possibilities.

         

   Throughout the years, each music genre has been imperative to oneself. Music is what moves everyone, and without it, life would be meaningless. From an old hymn to a funky lyric; the intentions have changed but one thing still remains. Music has and will always be a way of life to our culture.  Music has transformed by adding instruments, changing the message, and by altering the purpose. Although music has changed through each passing year; it is still vital in how we view life today.

Hans Zimmer - THE MAN OF STEEL

A bold new approach by Academy-Award winning composer Hans Zimmer.  The result couldn't be more different than Williams' beloved and now more than 30-year old score.  Where John Williams used brass fanfares and snare drums accompanied by full symphony orchestra Hans Zimmer uses a 12-member drum band of renowned drummers accompanied by 8 pedal steel guitars, and synthesizers. 

Zimmer has composed two principle themes for this score.  The first is a theme representing Superman's hope and struggle to become part of human race.  This delicate piano theme was featured at the beginning of the third trailer for the movie released earlier this year.  Incidentally, the entire cue from the trailer is included on the album in track 17.  This theme, the Humanity Theme, finds liberal usage in several cues including the highlight cue, Earth, which presents several satisfying variations.  Like his theme from Inception, Time, the Humanity Theme is very simple, but it touches the heart in its intimacy especially played so tenderly on the piano.

Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel

The second theme is Superman's.  In composing this theme and anthem Zimmer has stated that he procrastinated for three months just feeling intimidation at the prospect of treading in John Williams' shoes.  For those like myself who have grown up with John Williams' epic theme and can whistle and air conduct it on command its hard to imagine anyone topping Williams' legendary effort.  That said I had high hopes for Zimmer especially since he has composed some amazing themes such as those for Crimson Tide, The Lion King, and Backdraft.  The result is a theme or really anthem, much simpler and shorter in construct than Williams' work, that will likely find popular appeal.

Superman's theme first appears in the Look to the Stars where it receives a restrained and very slow tempo treatment conveying a sense of reverence and nobility.  Some alluring vocals enhance the beauty of this cue.  The best performance of Superman's theme comes in the concert-fit piece What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World (that's a mouthful).  This cue begins with the humanity theme and then at 1:23 the drum march subtly begins.  Over the next minute the music continues ascending and building anticipation until at 2:41 the full on anthem explodes and you cannot help but envision Superman flying triumphantly through the air.  Chill inducing?  Yes!  Exciting?  Yes!  Inspiring?  Yes!  Zimmer's approach couldn't be more different than Williams', but at its core Zimmer's anthem inspires the same feelings of elation as Williams' theme.  Unfortunately, nowhere else in the score on album does that anthem reach those same heights.  This is Clark Kent and Flight do offer some swell, but short variations on the anthem.

Zimmer's Man of Steel Drum Band

Percussion obviously plays an important role in the score.  Oil Rig brings on the big drums in beat-you-over-the-head fashion.  The first minute of Terraforming features my favorite drum march performance on album.  Probably the most intense drumming comes in This is Madness! where the drummers go gangbusters for almost four minutes with virtually no other accompaniment.

The destruction of Krypton was an epic part of John Williams' score and so too for Zimmer's.  If You Love These People is a perfect merging of guitar, the drum band, and the chorus.  At its climax the cue recalls some of Zimmer's best choral action work from The Lion King.  The finale of the cue reprises the violin solo heard earlier during the cataclysm of Krypton's destruction with a beautiful solo violin.  Don't be surprised if you find yourself wanting to hit the repeat button when you come to this cue!

Knowing your rights

Copyright means the protection given by the laws of the U.S., as well as many other countries of the world, to the original works that a writer creates. The works can be songs, or underscore to films and television programs, or symphonic or electronic pieces, or advertising jingles or any other original creation of music, lyrics or both. 

The Copyright Law gives to the copyright owner (the writer, publisher, etc.) of a work, a number of exclusive rights which are good for a specific number of years. The law also puts certain limits on those rights. The exclusive rights include the right to produce a work in copies and records; the right to prepare derivative works; the right to distribute copies of the work; the right to perform the work; the right to display the work; and most recently, a limited performance right in sound recordings digitally transmitted. 

In late 1998, Congress passed the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act which changed the 1976 Copyright Act by significantly increasing the length of time a song remains under copyright protection. Different rules though apply for songs written prior to January 1, 1978 and those written on or after that date. 

For compositions written on or after January 1, 1978, the basic term of protection is the life of the writer plus 70 years. For example, if two 20 year old writers wrote a song in 2005, and one lives to be 50 and the other lives to be 100, the copyright protection for that song would last for 150 years from its creation. In this case, the protection would last from the time the song was written through the life of the last living writer (i.e. 100 years minus 20 = 80 years) plus an additional 70 years. 

For compositions written prior to January 1, 1978, and which were still under copyright protection as of the time the Term Extension Act was passed, an additional 20 years of protection was added to the old law's terms. As the total number of years of protection for most pre-1978 songs under the 1976 law was 75 years (28 original years + 28 renewal years and a 19 year extension), the term of protection for these works has been extended to a total of 95 years from the original date of copyright. 

As to "works made for hire" written on or after 1/1/78 (many compositions written for film and television fall into this category), the new law's term of copyright protection is 120 years from creation or 95 years from first publication, whichever expires first.

Genre Discussion - Country Dance Music

Country Dance Music

(aka CDM)

Introducing Country:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95aP0OWx4jY

Country Dance Music, 

• Basically a 4/4 beat structure
• Electronic production overlaid with folk or country melodies or vocals

CDM origin,

• What happens when you mix a Luke Bryan song with Eminem?

(Luke Bryan - new age country singer)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7HX4SfnVlP4

Results,

• Creates a RAGE in traditional country music fans.
• But answer is simple: PEOPLE DANCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHUbLv4ThOo

DJs in clubs,

• Nashville record labels are bringing it to MAINSTREAM
• Second life by remixing country witha thumping techno making them dance tunes.

(Carrie Underwood / Dolly Parton) 

https://vimeo.com/68089340

Reasons,

• Country music isn’t slow - it’s party music.

“We’re keeping the music, but just giving you a different way to listen to it” - Jason Aldean.

Pop and country is also blend together, challenging task.

Adding elements like,

 - accelerated dance beats

 - drums

 - keyboard

 - electronic sounds

keeping the original guitar track to maintain the root of the song.

Young generation market:

Huge trend toward hip-hop, EDM and other styles of dance music.

“I’ve noticed as much as people want to two-step and waltz all night, there’s a lot of people who just want to shake it.” - DJ DU.

COMBINE THEM.!!!! CRAZY PARTY

Current country singers, grew up listening to hip-hop as well as country. So a lot of their melodies have a hip-hop element to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmZ9xRO7M9M

Balance, keeping the country roots while adding new remix flavor.

Bibliography:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/country-goes-dance-why-musics-most-traditional-genre-is-adding-some-thump/2013/08/05/0089ba66-f869-11e2-afc1-c850c6ee5af8_story.html

http://www.maniacmusic.net/home/blog/5-new-music-genres-you-need-to-hear-in-2015

Reviewing Kontakt

 Native Instruments Kontakt 5 is a robust and versatile soft sampler that operates as either a standalone or as a plugin within your DAW. It delivers tremendous value for its price, but how much you get out of that depends on your musical goals and willingness to delve into the guts of the sounds you are working with.

                                                                                                      SAMPLER VS. SAMPLE PLAYER

Kontakt Player

There are a lot of sample playback engines on the market. NI’s Kontakt Player (which is a separate but related product) is among a strong pack including EastWest’s Play engine, Vienna Symphonic Library’s Vienna Instruments, Best Service’s Engine 2, and a whole lot of others. You can get good mileage out of simply buying instruments that come with their own playback engine, but what you will miss out on is the deep customization and sound creation power that a full sampler offers. Kontakt 5 performs all the functions of its little brother, the Kontakt Player, and goes far beyond that. It offers a full-fledged suite of tools for you to edit existing instruments or create your own from raw sounds. You don’t have to be an expert to benefit from these tools. It is easy to pick up the basics, and there are many resources available for those who wish to learn the deeper intricacies. Once you realize all the ways you can improve the instruments you own, or tailor them to your workflow, you may find it hard to go back to more restrictive sample players. It is worth noting that not all libraries that work in the full version of Kontakt are available in the Kontakt Player format. Many developers do not go through Native Instruments due to the costs involved in obtaining the license. The full version of Kontakt offers access to a far wider variety of sounds.

Kontakt with Orchestral Instrument

KONTAKT VS. OTHER SAMPLERS

    There was a time when Kontakt was the de facto standard format in which sample libraries were developed. It supplanted Gigastudio, the original king of the softsamplers, and for a while it was nearly the only game in town (particularly if you worked with orchestral sample sets). Increasingly of late, though, developers have shifted to their own proprietary engines like Play and Vienna Instruments to deliver their content. Despite this move, Kontakt has retained a massive cast of providers who offer top notch, cutting edge libraries which are unavailable in other formats. Kontakt isn’t the only softsampler available. Users of Logic have EXS24 at their disposal, Steinberg offers their Halion sampler, and other competitors dot the electronic landscape. However, none have nearly as broad or deep a community of developers as Kontakt can boast. This advantage translates into both more options for the consumer to choose from when looking for new sounds, and more resources for those learning how to create content.

KONTAKT VS. YOUR HARD DRIVE

Kontakt with effects rack

    Kontakt 5 comes with 43GB of instruments. Even in this day and age, that can be a big chunk of real estate on your drive. If your computer is current, you likely scoff at such trivial amounts. But if your machine is a couple years old that space may not be as easy to come by. Are those instruments worthwhile to have? If you are a beginner just starting out in producing sampled music: absolutely! The Kontakt library covers all bases, and if you purchase Kontakt 5 as part of one of the Komplete bundles, you’ll have even more sounds at your disposal. Orchestra, choir, world instruments, rock bands, synths, and more are all represented in the sprawling library. The instruments all have many parameters you can tweak and are of uniformly good sound quality. If you’ve been working with sampled instruments for a while, you probably have better examples of much or all of what K5 provides. None of what it offers could be considered ‘best in class,’ which can make it a frustrating decision trying to figure out if it is worth having 43GB of dead space on your drive. You may find a few useful patches interspersed throughout the library, an esoteric bit of this or that which your arsenal lacks. In my case, I rarely find myself reaching for anything in the Kontakt library, but I’ve also nearly bankrupted myself buying sample libraries.

SaxLab - a vst that makes you a brass specialist

  The original SaxLab was a software instrument that, with a bit of work on the user's part, was capable of producing not just decent saxophone sounds (of the soprano, alto, tenor, bass and baritone variety), but also a pretty good approximation of a flute.  In truth, it's never really been bettered, but that hasn't stopped LinPlug from attempting to deliver some improvements in this update. For the most part, SaxLab 2 sticks to its predecessor's successful blueprint, but adds a number of features that are designed to lend a breath of fresh air to your projects.

This is a sample-based plug-in, and sounds – which are monophonic – are produced using three layers: Main deals with the pitch, Keys emulates the sound of the saxophone's metal keys being played, and Air covers breath and airflow sounds. You can balance the levels of these layers in SaxLab 2's interface.

Next up is the Body section, which contains a filter that modulates the sound using an envelope, an LFO and real-time MIDI controllers. There's also a Deviation setting, which ensure that every note sounds subtly different – as they would if they were being played by a real saxophonist.

SaxLab Plugin

    Then there are chorus and reverb processors, a tuning section and an easy-to-use MIDI Learn system. At first glance, little seems to have changed on the SaxLab interface, but investigate a bit more thoroughly and version 2's improvements reveal themselves. In the Envelope section, the Velocity to Envelope control has been replaced by an Enhance control (this adjusts the attack transients of notes), while the Volume, Keys and Air controls are now routed in parallel.

The Performance section, meanwhile, has been totally redesigned, and offers many more control sources and destinations to increase realism. The Growl effect is a welcome addition, while the LFO boasts a new waveshape and a better attack characteristic. In the Deviation section, there's a dedicated control for the Air parameter, while there's an improved Reverb algorithm in the Effects menu. Finally, the microtuning system now supports TUN files, and LinPlug has included its preset management system. SaxLab 2 doesn't look or feel like a massive update, but then it didn't really need to be. The improvements in this version aren't exactly eye-catching, but should please both new and existing users. The supplied presets sound pretty good out of the box – it's possible to get some really beefy growl in the lower registers, while soft, sweet top-end tones are also easy to produce – and if you spend some time getting to know the more advanced features of the software, the results get even better. While we can't really recommend using this plug-in for solo performances, it's a winner when employed as part of a mix. It's also refreshing to find a 'real instrument' emulation that doesn't require you to install a huge amount of sample files before you can use it. SaxLab 2 is undoubtedly a specialised product – casual fans of the instrument will enjoy using the presets in their ROMpler of choice – but if you need to use saxophone sounds regularly, it remains an excellent buy.

MIDI Controller - 101 guide for a beginner

 MIDI keyboard controllers are becoming more and more popular today, seeing that technology continues to improve and musicians everywhere are slowly beginning the migration process of switching to a digital setup. I know people who still abide by analog equipment for mixing and mastering, but still use their MIDI controller frequently for various functions in their studio. We’re huge fans of keyboards and although we still love vintage synths and what not, you just can’t beat the cost-effectiveness and overall usefulness of a keyboard that is custom depending on which virtual instrument you’re using, creating an endless amount of possibilities for sounds and effects. Let’s review the top 10 best MIDI keyboard controllers available today — both for those who want the best of the best or are on a budget and want the most affordable.

How to choose your MIDI keyboard controller

First thing’s first: you need to take a few valuable questions into consideration when you’re choosing your MIDI keyboard controller. Here are some important questions to ask yourself before taking a look at what’s out there:

What is your budget? This is the most important question to ask. There are numerous choices for any price range, from under $100 to $500 or more.

How many keys would you like your controller to be? There are numerous options, such as: mini-compact 25, 32, 37, 49 (the most popular), 61, or even 88 (the highest — the equivalent to a real piano).

What type of key-make would you like? Whether it’s synth-action, semi-weighted, full-weighted or equipped with aftertouch, it all comes down to preference.

Is portability important to you? If so, you need to keep the overall size into consideration.

Do you want your controller to have MIDI pads? A lot of keyboards coming out nowadays include drum pads, typically within the 8-16 count range with 3-4 possible banks.

Are any other functions desired? Such as knobs, faders, buttons, arpeggiators, mod and pitch bend wheels, or various other performance controls.

Does the software bundle included with the keyboards matter to you? Some come with hefty programs and VST’s while others do not.

Is there a brand preference? Akai, Alesis, Arturia, Novation and Korg are quite popular, but there are also some lesser known brands who make high-quality MIDI controllers.

AVID ProTools

AVID PROTOOLS

"if you have protools and you're thinking of just saving for a digi 002/3 or some other digi interface. Just get the protools 10" 

Protools 10 & 11 with the Avid-Interface

Sound: Well, you can't really characterise the sound of the DAW, its all based on the D/A conversion from the interface. However, with an iLok PT9 can operate as a stand alone edit/mix/master DAW and the sound coming out of my monitors directly from my computer's audio out is pretty good, I'd still like to trust the conversion from my interface rather than from whatever driver PT uses between it and the computer's audio out, I'm using a Macbook Pro's 1/8th" headphone out as the line into my monitors for this example. Typically my interface is an Echo Audio fire 8 into my monitors and there is certainly a higher level of clarity when the interface handles the conversion. This Product COMPLETELY helps me to achieve the sound I'm looking for. I've been using ProTools since 7.2/ 7.4 HD and LE. My home studio (LE) is really hooked up with PT9, backwards compatible with all of these versions of PT and it works with everything flawlessly, edits, mixing, mastering. I love it. still getting used to multitrack Beat detective but its great great great! one of the questions is how does it sound Live versus a recording. Its a DAW. But with a digi002/003 console you actually could just make all aux tracks and use the ins from the digi and route audio to other aux's that have reverbs and compression and parallel processing. 

So long as your comp can handle that...you could actually do some great live mixing with ProTools 9 and an interface with line ins/outs and a multichannel power amp. I've used PT9 in two different rooms with monitors (same echo audio interface, different sets of monitors) and with some sony headphones and just the laptop speakers, works well across all platforms. my only tip to make this product to sound better is more of a complaint with the Echo company, PT10 only recognises the outputs of my interface as valid outputs, which makes sense. but my audio fire won't route the signal out through the headphone jack so monitoring overdubs of some solo guitar stuff or what have you has become a tedious task. I've had to route signals to my other outputs of the audio fire to a mixer and then sub mix that stereo signal to an aux for headphones...which actually wound up being a good way to get multiple headphones to do tracking live. Again all of this is mostly due to the feature of the Echo not having the Headphone out being recognised as an "output" in PT.

Feature: ProTools is the best. Thats why its called Professional Tools...its the best 

Ease of Use: Its protools. Mix window- Mixer! edit window-(if you will) Tape deck, for edits 

Quality: PROTOOLS! thats all there is to it. Value: Worth it. 

Manufacturer Support: Never needed it. there was a hang up with getting the ilok authorization. Don't use Chrome ilok's website doesn't support it just us Safari or IE 

The Wow Factor: always have to stay on the up and up with technology these days....especially with music production... if you're a musician, learning the language of protools helps when you get into a real studio, if you're and engineer than this is a must have. 

Overall: Its Professional Tools...or Nofessional Tools

My Favourite Audio Sites

Freebies:

http://hiphopmakers.com/ --- VST & Royalty Free Music

Zoom H5 - Tough & Durable

ZOOM H5 - Tough & Durable

The benefits to this H5 are:

Very small form factor. Hand held in the palm of your hand. 

Much better sound floor than the H4N.

Needs only two AA batteries. Unfortunately doesn't accept the new high capacity batteries

Modular mics that are pretty damn good

Gain control without zippers 

Real 4 channel XLR recorder/mixer with the optional plug in module

modular shotgun is actually pretty good!

Sound quality overall is pretty good! Definitely better than the 4N

If you need a recorder for both video shoots, and live concert situations, this is probably the best thing going without carrying a bunch of mics and a unit like the Tascam DR-60 or the Marantz PMD 661. A really good all around recorder. For the one recorder I'll carry when I need to do the job, it will be the H5.

For live recordings where I'm close to home, I'll bring the Marantz with it's better pre amps. For overall use on video shoots, I'll bring the H5n. For travel, it's a no brainer, the H5n. For live field recordings, I'll plug the Marantz into the board, and leave it be, attach the H5 to the video camera and do a dual recording with -12dB into the recorder, and then send it out to the camera. Will cover all bases that way. If, while shooting a concert, I get a chance to do an interview, will plug in a lav to the H5, and continue to spool out audio to the Marantz off the board while taping the interview on the H5. This will give me full coverage. Then when playing music with folks, can just set the H5 on a table top tripod and run it. Sort of a swiss army knife without tying up my cell phone recorder. 

Both the Marantz and the H5 are excellent performers with a slight edge to the Marantz on sound quality. If you want the best quality, then go with the Marantz or a better quality Tascam, like the 680 or just go buy a SD. They are the best quality sound and build. But for those of us in small outfits with a lack of audio engineering in the field, a H5 will not be a bad buy. 

The Tascam DR-60 is good, but you have to bring a mic, as it doesn't have one on the first generation units. But for what it does it does it well.

Basic operation is straightforward – you turn it on, select which inputs you want to record, set the level and press record, all of which is done using the front panel controls. The level meters start working as soon as you select the inputs and the protected volume controls make it easy to set the levels and get going. The screen is compact but uncluttered with all the information you need readily available, such as available recording time, battery status, file name, level meters (from -48dB to 0) and the chosen recording format (which defaults to 16-bit, 44.1kHz wav files). They’ve done away with the multi-track record mode and the effects unit, which, when used together, made the H4N a powerful multi-track recorder with various amp models and effects. My initial reaction is that this is a pity, but on reflection it’s sensible as very few people utilised this functionality.

You have a choice of two common file formats – MP3 and Wav. Wav files can be 16 or 24-bit with sampling rates of 44.1, 48 or 96kHz, although 96kHz is only available in stereo recording mode, as are MP3 files (which allow bit rates from 48k to 320kbps). Wav files are automatically time stamped and are thus Broadcast Wave Format (BWF) compliant. The H5 utilises SD and SDHC cards for storage and supports anything up to 32 gigabytes. The included 2GB card can store about 14 hours of stereo MP3s at 320kbps, three hours of stereo 16-bit/44.1kHz or an hour of stereo 24-bit/96kHz Wavs.

The pre-record function, when enabled, is continuously recording such that it can capture the two seconds before you press the record button, as well as an auto record function that can be set to record when the volume exceeds a user-defined level (and stop when it drops below a set level). 

And then there’s the potentially life-saving Backup-Record feature, which automatically records a duplicate set of stereo tracks that are 12dB lower than the original pair – although this only works when recording stereo Wav files at 44.1 or 48kHz. 

In operation the recordings are clean and clear. The default X/Y microphone capsule includes rugged rubber shock mounts, which help isolate handling noise and the X/Y configuration enables the capturing of a detailed stereo image while ensuring centre sources are clear and well defined; it can also handle sound levels up to 140dB SPL. 

The line inputs use the same high-quality preamp as the H6, and support professional line level input (i.e. +4dBu), which is an improvement on the H4N, whose balanced input was configured for -10dBV operation, which often meant you had to pad the output from professional gear (such as mixing desks) so as to not overload the inputs.

So overall it’s a very capable and straightforward portable recorder, equally comfortable perched on a mixing desk, in the palm of your hand or sitting on top of a DSLR camera (via the optional hot shoe mount adapter). The interchangeable capsules provide new levels of versatility and flexibility and the lengthy battery life make the H5 a very worthy successor to the much-loved H4N and a powerful handheld recorder in it’s own right.

- Roger Walker

19 Oct 2015