Distributed in 94 countries, Mix is the world's leading magazine for the professional recording and sound production technology industry. Mix covers a wide range of topics including: recording, live sound and production, broadcast production, audio for film and video, and music technology.
Internet shopping is a modern marvel. There’s the convenience of turning to CDbaby.com or Amazon.com to find the latest music releases, or visiting eBay when you’re looking for Elvis EPs or repro cards for an MCI JH-24 multitrack. You name it, and you can find it somewhere on the Net.
However, one area of Net commerce that’s become increasingly problematic is the importing of gray-market goods. Unlike black-market retailing, where products are smuggled, stolen or counterfeit, gray-market merchandise is defined as items manufactured abroad and imported without the consent of the trademark holder.
Gray-market gear is common in the electronics, computer and photographic industries, yet for consumers surfing for great prices, it can be difficult to tell a legitimate, authorized dealer from a gray marketeer–and sellers of such merchandise typically don’t go out of their way to advertise this fact.
So who cares, especially when shoppers are looking for the best price? The dark side of a gray-market bargain may be that the product you bought was not built to U.S. standards (such as UL approval), or might have originally been manufactured for a different voltage or line frequency, and has been modified by some unknown person to operate on domestic current. Also, equipment made for use in Japan–where the AC standard is 100 volts–may operate for a while at the U.S. standard 117 VAC, but over-voltage will certainly lead to a shorter lifespan for many products. Granted, the AC problem is less common these days, particularly with the proliferation of devices equipped with switching power supplies, which will operate at any line voltage, or wall wart adapters that are easily substituted to match local power requirements.
Assuming fairness ever entered the mindset of a bargain-seeking consumer, the unfortunate aspect of gray-market retailing is that such sellers compete with legitimate importers, who often are the ones paying for the ancillary services we all need, such as printing brochures and catalogs, maintaining informational Websites, technical support (e-mail and/or phone), and sponsoring tradeshow displays, clinics and seminars.
More directly troublesome to users is the reality that gray-market goods rarely carry the U.S. manufacturer’s warranty, so obtaining guaranteed service may entail the cumbersome process of shipping the product back to the country of origin for repair. If you’re a pro and depend on a product, then you should know that the first-class perks of loaners and fast service turnaround are not going to materialize with your gray-market bargain.
Caveat emptor.
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.
Last week, an industry friend of mine sent me a sad and disturbing link to a article in last Saturday’s Seattle Times (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2003480664_stormdead16m.html) that recounted the story of noted audiobook performer/producer Kate Fleming, who drowned in her studio during the recent flooding in the Northwest. Evidently when her basement project room began filling with water, she went down to salvage some of her gear when a sudden water surge filled the room and trapped her inside. Like many home basement studios, Kate’s room was a single-door, windowless design that left no exit possibilities in case of disaster.
Certainly this was a tragic freakish accident that’s hardly the norm, but how many of us work inside maze-like confines with no outside windows and behind heavy studio doors that may be difficult–if not impossible–to open in the case of flooding? More likely, perhaps is a situation where we could be trapped in case of fire, which could come suddenly when fueled by sources such as natural gas leaks, heating oil or simply a vehicle rear-ending a gasoline tanker in front of your facility.
Whether you have a mullti-room recording complex, rehearsal facility or small project studio, taking a few minutes to review disaster preparedness plans is good advice. Are exits marked? Are there exits at all? Are exit doors chained shut for security reasons–we’ve all see that one more than a few times. Besides alarms and extinguishers, sometimes an available large axe or two can provide lifesaving access or egress, especially when dealing with double wall construction.
Thankfully, most of us won’t be in a studio flood, fire or other disaster. But a more very real danger is crime. The studio biz has odd hours, often with a single engineer working alone in a room filled with thousands of dollars of highly desireable, easily fence-able equipment, making studios a target for thieves. Here, the solo project studio owner, is especially vulnerable, especially when taking bookings from people they don’t know. Several years ago, this exact scenario played out at a small project room, where the owner was shot dead and then the room completely cleaned out. I know of a dozen of so instances over the years in which such robberies have taken place (fortunately rarely with deadly force), but often with studio employees being beaten, tied and one handcuffed to a water pipe while the thieves took their time and loaded out everything in the place. These aren’t pretty stories, but it’s better to be prepared than a victim.
Be safe, be healthy, be street smart and have some great holidays.
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.
Long ago, Albert Einstein was correct when he told us about relativity and the various relationships between energy, matter, space and time. But back then, nobody realized that he was actually talking about audio!
It’s all so simple.
MATTER is all that junk — er, gear — that we accumulate to create and capture sounds.
SPACE can either refer to the acoustic spaces for recording or the constantly expanding/shrinking universe known as the control room, the size of which is governed by the amount of matter we accumulate.
TIME is something we’re constantly concerned with, whether it’s checking phase for mono compatibility (something we used to do before surround systems became standard in every consumer device), dealing with latency issues with software synths, or watching the taxi meter run in a commercial studio while the bass player complains on and on about a slightly anticipated 1/64 note in the middle of a 128-bar solo.
ENERGY? A few minutes with a prima donna vocalist, a helpful A&R guy with some new “ideas” or an unsteady drummer can quickly drain anyone’s energy reserves.
Unfortunately, after spending a lot of time earning the dough to buy all of that cool matter to fill up your space, you may not have enough energy to record anything. This brings up a major flaw in Einstein’s understanding of the cosmos: He forgot to mention money, which, as everybody knows, is the force that makes the world go ’round.
Given these infinitely complex relationships, what can the creative producer do, faced with a limited amount of time, matter, space, energy and…money? Assuming you don’t have a rich uncle or a generous sugar daddy to fund your projects, a sensible alternative is the desktop studio. Here, for a relatively modest investment — at least compared to the big-ticket version — your dream studio can become a reality.
Once in the virtual confines of your PC, Mac or stand-alone DAW, you can have rooms of multitracks, a console of astronomic proportions, libraries with performances by top session players, and plug-ins offering the finest acoustic recording spaces and expensive, rare signal processors. Instruments? No problem with easy disk access to thousands of sounds via samples and virtual instruments, with re-creations ranging from electric and grand pianos, combo and tonewheel organs to classic and exotic synths of every style. Even the most mundane performance glitches don’t present an obstacle. A slipped note, vocal-pitch problem or tempo irregularity may be just a mouse click or two from perfection. Clams are so passé.
Does all of this virtuality make big studios, great acoustic spaces, real players and collections of classic instruments obsolete? Hardly. Creativity can’t be canned, bottled or looped, and virtual tools are simply another way to work. For example, in my studio, we have routed a Native Instruments B4 Hammond clone through a multimiked (real) Leslie and return that through the analog desk on its way to Pro Tools or multitrack. Sometimes, we use a simulated rotor, which leaves us more time to ponder queries such as what kind of slammin’ grooves Einstein would have tracked if he had had a PC and some hot loops.
Too bad we’ll never know…
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.
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So what do YOU think?
Would the world be different had Beethoven, Mozart, Holst (or Robert Johnson, for that matter) had access to a well-equipped PC- or Mac-based studio?
After writing last week’s selection of fun audio holiday gift suggestions, I thought of a bunch more, so here—in no particular order—are a bunch more cool, affordable (and not-so-affordable) things just about anybody in audio could use.
+++ Shure 55SH Series II “Elvis” Mic (about $160/street)… This puts a modern SM58-style dynamic capsule in the coolest housing around, one that just makes anyone just wanna get up and sing. I bought a couple a few years back, just cause they’re so (hound) dog-gone much fun to perform with on live gigs. www.shure.com
+++ Optiquest Q19wb 19″ LCD Monitor (about $200/street, depending on rebates)… With flat-panel LCD monitors coming WAY down in price, now’s a great chance to retire that heavy, energy-wasting CRT and upgrade. From Viewsonic’s Optiquest line, the Q19wb 19″ widescreen LCD has a slim, black bezel and integrated power supply (no wallwart!), decent picture quality and a low price. The built-in speakers are crummy, but hopefully already you have some better speakers in your studio. www.viewsonic.com
+++ AC Outlet Analyzer (under $10)… A must for anyone who plays live in funky clubs, these simple outlet testers have three LEDs that glow to indicate correct wiring, open ground, open neutral, open hot, hot-ground reversal and hot-neutral reversal fault conditions. It’s a nice way to avoid those nasty 110 VAC shocks when you step up to the mic. Tripp Lite’s is model CT120, but generic versions are plentiful and available from lots of vendors, Home Depots, etc.
+++ Manley VoxBox ($4,000/list)… This is one of those products I reviewed and then shed tears when I boxed it up to send back. Basically it’s the sweetest tube mic pre//EQ/limiter/opto-compressor around—and it’s not just for vocals—it makes almost any signal better. At $4k, this mono channel strip it ain’t yer typical stocking stuffer, but going first-class never was cheap. Besides, you gotta get something for yourself, and aren’t you really worth it? www.manleylabs.com
+++ Frontier Design Group TranzPort ($249/list)… Providing wireless DAW control from anywhere in your studio, TranzPort can arm, mute and solo tracks, adjust monitor levels with real-time metering, create and navigate markers and more, including standard ffd/rwd/stop/play/record transport controls. Yeah! www.frontierdesign.com
+++ Alesis DM5 Electronic Drum Set (about $499/street)… Believe me, there are better (meaning way more expensive) electronic percussion kits than this, but for sheer cheap fun, this one rocks. The hardware is not the type you’d wanna gig with night after night, but the REAL key to this deal is the included DM5 drum module. One of the great unsung studio bargains around, the DM5 module has an ultra-fast trigger-to-MIDI converter with 12 trigger inputs, great sounds and four audio outputs. In the studio, it’s great for layering or as a drum replacer or just for its 500+ onboard sounds. www.alesis.com
+++ Hosa PWC-400 AC Cables ($25 to $70/list)… Don’t laugh, but if you’ve ever done a live gig and put a powered speaker on a tripod stand, you’ll understand why an AC cable can be cool. The stock 6-footers that come with the speakers seem pretty silly–even useless when they dangle a foot or so off the floor. Hosa makes 14-gauge standard Edison-to-IEC AC power cables in 15/25/50-foot lengths that really do the job right. www.hosatech.com
+++ SSL LMC-1 Listen Mic Compressor Plug-in (Free!)… Short on cash? Try this software version of the Listen Mic Compressor first used in Solid State Logic’s classic E Series consoles. Originally designed to prevent overloading the return feed from a studio communication mic, this comp’s fixed attack and release curves are ideal for tracks such as ambient drum mics. It’s offered free as a download for Mac or PC DAWs. www.solid-state-logic.com
+++ Autographed Fairlight CMI Keyboard ($100,000+)… As a fundraiser for Witness, a nonprofit founded by Peter Gabriel to document human rights abuses, Fairlight is auctioning a vintage model CMI keyboard with signatures from 41 top artists and producers, including Bono, Mark Knopfler, Kate Bush, Stevie Wonder, Thomas Dolby, Todd Rundgren, George Martin, Steve Winwood, Barry Gibb, Brian Wilson, Herbie Hancock, Annie Lennox, Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, David Bowie and more. The special eBay auction ends Dec. 11, so hurry! www.ebay.com
+++ MixBooks (priceless)… Still stumped for holiday gift ideas? The all-new MixBooks page has dozens of great ideas, from our popular CLASSIC TRACKS book to tutorials on nearly every aspect of audio and music production. Check it out! www.mixbooks.com
When not working on Mix stuff, George Petersen records and performs with the SF Bay Area-based rock band ARIEL. Check ‘em out at www.jenpet.com.
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So what’s your “dream” gift?
What are your suggestions for inexpensive sticking stuffers for audio pros?
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