Comments on: WHY DIGITAL STINKS, PART 01: USER ERROR http://blog.mixonline.com/audiobites/2006/11/07/why-digital-stinks-part-01-user-error/ Mix magazine's George Petersen's rants, musings and general commentary about recording, live sound and professional audio in general Fri, 05 Sep 2008 17:31:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1.3 by: Iakovos http://blog.mixonline.com/audiobites/2006/11/07/why-digital-stinks-part-01-user-error/#comment-8088 Mon, 31 Dec 2007 12:58:30 +0000 http://blog.mixonline.com/audiobites/2006/11/07/why-digital-stinks-part-01-user-error/#comment-8088 Cool. Cool.

]]> by: RobS http://blog.mixonline.com/audiobites/2006/11/07/why-digital-stinks-part-01-user-error/#comment-124 Wed, 29 Nov 2006 19:45:51 +0000 http://blog.mixonline.com/audiobites/2006/11/07/why-digital-stinks-part-01-user-error/#comment-124 Indeed it is crazy. I had gone to recording school in late 80's and learned one thing. Left the industry, became a software engineer and recently came back to do my own recordings at home. Working with digital proved interesting. My first recordings were totally lifeless, flat, sounded like I had recorded them on a 4 track tascam from 20 years ago. Then did a little reading and got myself some good rules to work with my hardware. I work with a Rosetta 800 at home as my one and only audio interface, my preamps are Focusrite ISA220's. SO my hardware is not the problem. My mics are Neuman and Rode. All go into Logic. My rules are simple:<br> <br> 1- Get a level on the ISA from the Mic using the ISA's VU meter. I understand what this level means :) I let it hit 0 there, and if sometimes it pops barely over it, I'm OK with that, it rarely does though.<br> <br> 2- After the VU reads OK, adjust the sends on the ISA so I hit -4 to -3 (first yellow) on peaks. If by any chance I happen to nail a note that is hotter I usually don't go higher than -2 to -1, never 0.<br> <br> 3- Don't compress on the way in unless I absolutely HAVE to. I much rather work with the full dynamic range and let the 24 bit and huge digital headroom work its magic, then compress on mixdown if I need to for the right reasons.<br> <br> 4- (This is ONLY used as a last resort if I really can't get the singer or the source instrument to sit tight) On the Rosetta 800 there is a soft limit button which does an incredible job of allowing to flirt with 0 without going over, and it sounds very very musical. Now most folks who work at home won't buy an Apogee, so the first 3 rules still apply.<br> <br> To me these are simple rules that I follow and I get recordings that are full of life, body, dynamics, and warmth, that are very malleable if they need to be on mixdown. I think in general we tend to over complicate the process with digital when it doesn't need to be.<br> <br> Dunno if this seems like a novice approach, it seems to work wonders for me :)<br> <br> Thanks for a great blog.<br> <br> R Indeed it is crazy. I had gone to recording school in late 80’s and learned one thing. Left the industry, became a software engineer and recently came back to do my own recordings at home. Working with digital proved interesting. My first recordings were totally lifeless, flat, sounded like I had recorded them on a 4 track tascam from 20 years ago. Then did a little reading and got myself some good rules to work with my hardware. I work with a Rosetta 800 at home as my one and only audio interface, my preamps are Focusrite ISA220’s. SO my hardware is not the problem. My mics are Neuman and Rode. All go into Logic. My rules are simple:

1- Get a level on the ISA from the Mic using the ISA’s VU meter. I understand what this level means :) I let it hit 0 there, and if sometimes it pops barely over it, I’m OK with that, it rarely does though.

2- After the VU reads OK, adjust the sends on the ISA so I hit -4 to -3 (first yellow) on peaks. If by any chance I happen to nail a note that is hotter I usually don’t go higher than -2 to -1, never 0.

3- Don’t compress on the way in unless I absolutely HAVE to. I much rather work with the full dynamic range and let the 24 bit and huge digital headroom work its magic, then compress on mixdown if I need to for the right reasons.

4- (This is ONLY used as a last resort if I really can’t get the singer or the source instrument to sit tight) On the Rosetta 800 there is a soft limit button which does an incredible job of allowing to flirt with 0 without going over, and it sounds very very musical. Now most folks who work at home won’t buy an Apogee, so the first 3 rules still apply.

To me these are simple rules that I follow and I get recordings that are full of life, body, dynamics, and warmth, that are very malleable if they need to be on mixdown. I think in general we tend to over complicate the process with digital when it doesn’t need to be.

Dunno if this seems like a novice approach, it seems to work wonders for me :)

Thanks for a great blog.

R

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