studio
I interviewed Eddie Kramer and recorded this video for Waves on the new Kramer Master Tape plug in from Waves. It is hot!
In this video, producer/engineer Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones) provides an overview of the Kramer Master Tape and how it can help you warm up your mixes.
Developed in association with Eddie Kramer, the Kramer Master Tape plugin is modeled on a rare machine consisting of an Ampex 350 transport and 351 electronics. With adjustable tape speed, bias, flux, wow & flutter, and noise parameters, the Kramer Master Tape provides comprehensive control over the contours of your sound. And to top it off, we’ve added a flexible slap & feedback delay, ideal for rock, dance, dub, you name it. For recording, mixing, mastering, and more, bring the richness and warmth of real tape saturation to your DAW with the Kramer Master Tape plugin. It’s the reel deal.
The Kramer Master Tape Plugin Dream Team
Special thanks go out to Eric Schilling (Shakira, Gloria Estefan, Natalie Cole, Elton John) who provided us with the machine, Bob Olhsson (Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross) and especially John Haeny (Bonnie Raitt, Weather Report, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Jim Morrison, Tom Jones), who provided invaluable assistance in the development of the Kramer Master Tape plugin.
SPEED selects the simulated tape speed.
MONITOR selects the monitoring mode.
BIAS controls the level of the ultrasonic bias signal.
VU METER displays input or output level.
VU CALIBRATION controls the VU meter headroom calibration.
DELAY TIME controls the time of the tape delay effect, with settings for 7.5 ips (266 milliseconds) and 15 ips (133 ms).
DELAY TYPE toggles between delay modes.
FEEDBACK controls the amount of the delayed output signal.
LOWPASS controls the LP cutoff frequency on the delay path.
RECORD LEVEL controls the input level.
LINK I/O links Record and Playback Levels controls.
PLAYBACK LEVEL controls the total signal output level.
FLUX controls the level of simulated magnetic radiation emitted from the record head.
WOW & FLUTTER controls the speed and gain modulations and fluctuations.
NOISE controls the level of added modeled noise but not noise modulations and signal additive noise.
Tupac Shakur’s “Changes.” “Survivor” by Destiny’s Child. Notorious B.I.G.’s “Mo Money Mo Problems.” “Where is the Love’” by Black Eyed Peas. These are just a few of the massive hits that have helped shape today’s R&B/Hip Hop sound. And all were mixed by Tony Maserati.
One of the most respected mixing engineers on today’s scene, Maserati has played a major role in defining current R&B and hip hop aesthetics, and has mixed over 250 releases for dozens of superstars ranging from Sting and David Bowie to Macy Gray and Alicia Keys. A two-time Grammy winner, Tony was recently nominated for his third, for his work on We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things by Jason Mraz.
After completing his studies at Berklee’s program for production and engineering, Maserati got his start the New York scene in the mid-’80s and before long Tony had hooked up with early rap legends like Heavy D and Brand Nubian. Perhaps best known for his work on such hits as Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs,” Mark Anthony’s “I Need To Know” and R. Kelly’s “I Wish,” most recently Maserati has been hard at work on new releases from John Legend as well as Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas.
Maserati says “I have been using Waves plugins from the beginning of my immersion in digital workstations. I’m looking at my computer screen and more than half of the tracks are Waves plugins. From dynamics and EQs to special effects, most of the tracks that recording engineers send me have Waves plugins on them, making it easy for me to save their work and edit or just start from one of my presets.”
Read more: http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=5451#ixzz1QmqjYFqN
Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Kiss, David Bowie
Any producer is only as good as the music he helps create. By this standard, Eddie Kramer must be regarded as a legend. In the course of a production and engineering career that has spanned 30 years, Kramer has been behind the boards for the biggest names in music – The Rolling Stones, Traffic, Peter Frampton, Carly Simon, Joe Cocker, Johnny Winter, David Bowie, The Beatles and Bad Company, just to name a few. But he is perhaps best known for three long-term associations in which he not only helped create some of the most important music of the rock era, but also set standards for rock production that set him aside as a true innovator. His work with Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Kiss produced music which continues to influence rock musicians and producers today.
Born in South Africa, Eddie studied classical piano, cello and violin at the prestigious South African college of Music. At a young age, his interest switched from classical to jazz. He moved to England at 19, where he recorded local jazz groups in a home-based studio and installed hi-fi equipment as a hobby. In 1964, he joined Pye Studios, and recorded a variety of artists including Sammy Davis Jr., Petula Clark, and The Kinks, demonstrating a versatility, which Eddie possesses to this day.
In 1965, Kramer established the sophisticated KPS Studios, which, despite its rudimentary 2-track recording capability, gained such a reputation that in less than a year they were bought out by Regent Sound. They enlisted Kramer to oversee construction of their new four-track studio.
Getting “Experienced”
Kramer’s next stop was Olympic Sound studios where he developed a fantastic reputation among the bands of the time – Small Faces, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix, among others. His association with Hendrix was the most powerful one, and the one that lasted the longest. Kramer engineered every Hendrix album from “Are You Experienced” to “Cry of Love,” and after Hendrix’s death co-produced the posthumous releases “War Heroes,” “Rainbow Bridge” and “Hendrix in the West.”
In 1968, Kramer came to work at the Record Plant in NYC, engineering Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland” LP, and also worked with Vanilla Fudge, Joe Cocker, and NRBQ. In 1969, Kramer went independent, producing Johnny Winter’s first LP and engineering Led Zeppelin II, acknowledged by fans and critics alike as perhaps that bands most influential work. This led to work on five albums with the band, half of their overall output. This pairing provided some historic moments. As Eddie tells of one particular session, “Zep II was mixed over a two day period in New York, and at one point there was bleed-through of a previously recorded vocal in the recording of “Whole Lotta Love.” It was the middle part where Robert (Plant) screams “Wo-man. You need it.” Since we couldn’t re-record at that point, I just threw some echo on it to see how it would sound and Jimmy (Page) said “Great! Just leave it.”
Woodstock
Soon afterwards, Kramer was recruited to record the Woodstock festival for both the album and the movie. “I arrived at dawn and was struck by the sight of the sun rising over what appeared to be the stage. The show was scheduled to start by lunchtime. That panic pretty much set the tone for the entire concert. All of us in the crew had Vitamin B shots, so that we would be able to stay up for three days. The whole thing was recorded under the most primitive of conditions, but we got it done,” says Kramer. “Woodstock was 3 days of hell and drugs”.
Woodstock established Kramer as one of the most important live music producers of the rock era, starting a series of artists recorded live which would ultimately include Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, John Mayall, The Rolling Stones, Peter Frampton, Joe Cocker, Curtis Mayfield, Santana, David Bowie, Derek and The Dominoes, and others.
Electric Lady Studios
Hendrix quickly hired Kramer to build a state of the art studio. After 13 months and a million dollars, Electric Lady Studios was complete, and Kramer served as its Director of Engineering from 1970 – 1974. During this time, in addition to producing the posthumous Hendrix records, Kramer produced records by Carly Simon, Sha Na Na and Peter Frampton, and engineered albums for artists as diverse as Dionne Warwick and Lena Horne, David Bowie’s “Live at the Spectrum” and “Young Americans,” featuring “Fame” with John Lennon, and Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” and “Physical Graffiti,” among others.
In 1975, Kramer left Electric Lady Studios to work with the No. 1 band in America at the time and produced “Kiss Alive.” In addition to producing “Rock and Roll Over,” “Love Gun,” “Alive II” and “Double Platinum” for Kiss, Kramer worked on Ace Frehley’s first solo record, Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains the Same” (the album and the movie), Peter Frampton’s historic “Frampton Comes Alive” LP, and The Rolling Stones “Love Ya Live,” three of the most popular live albums of the rock era. In the last three decades, Kramer has produced countless bands from Anthrax, Motley Crue, and Twisted Sister to Buddy Guy, Sting and Carlos Santana. He produced the Hendrix tribute album, “Stone Free,” for Warner Bros., which features tracks from artists such as: The Cure, Eric Clapton, The Spin Doctors, Seal/Jeff Beck, Slash/Paul Rodgers, and others. The album has generated approximately $1,000,000 in charitable funds which have been donated to the United Negro College Fund as musical scholarships to The Berklee School of Music, Julliard School of Music, and The Dance Theatre of Harlem. Since 1997, he has remastered all of the Jimi Hendrix albums from the original master tapes for Experience Hendrix/MCA. Eddie won a Grammy in 2002 for his work with Carlos Santana and Michelle Branch on the single, “The Game of Love.” Eddie has also worked with Lauren Hill on her new album.
Eddie’s photographs may be viewed at www.kramerarchives.com.
Read more: http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=3385#ixzz1Qmoxf8yK
Andrew Scheps on the Waves Masters Tour at the Village Studios on March 13, 2011.
Visit Andrew’s site at http://www.scheps.com/
Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen
After graduating from the University of Miami’s music school, Andrew Scheps worked for Synclavier. Following that he toured with both Stevie Wonder as a keyboard tech and Michael Jackson as a mixing engineer. Eventually Andrew began concentrating on recording, and he found himself engineering for some of the most successful producers in rock: Don Was, Rob Cavallo, and Rick Rubin.
Andrew has recorded such diverse artists as Audioslave, Green Day, Johnny Cash, Jewel, Neil Diamond, Limp Bizkit, Alanis Morissette, The Rolling Stones, and Linkin Park. Artists such as U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, and Camp Freddy featuring Scott Weiland have taken advantage of Andrew’s talents as a mixing engineer.
Read more: http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=3545#ixzz1ItJYDgGL
Andrew Schep’s Discography
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Project
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Role
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The Duke Spirit
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Production, Engineering, Mixing
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Favez
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Production, Engineering, Mixing
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Audrye Sessions
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Production, Engineering, Mixing
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U2
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Mixing, Engineering
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Red Hot Chili Peppers
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Mixing, Engineering
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Metallica
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Mixing
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International Noise Conspiracy
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Mixing
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Weezer
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Engineering
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My Brightest Diamond
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Mixing
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Gogol Bordello
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Engineering, Mixing
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Our Lady Peace
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Mixing
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The Rolling Stones
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Engineering
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Street Sweeper Social Club
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Mixing
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Manu Chau
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Mixing
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Justin Timberlake
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Mixing
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Johnny Cash
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Mixing, Engineering
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Cass McCombs
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Mixing
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Blood Red Shoes
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Mixing
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Jay Z
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Mixing, Programming
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Linkin Park
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Engineering
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Neil Diamond
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Mixing, Engineering
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Audioslave
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Engineering
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Howard Tate
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Engineering, Mixing
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Iggy Pop
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Mixing, Programming
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The Mars Volta
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Engineering
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Toots Hibbert w/No Doubt
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Mixing
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Slayer
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Engineering
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Alanis Morissette
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Engineering
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Sub-bionic
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Production, Engineering, Mixing
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Robbie Robertson
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Mixing, Engineering, Programming
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Tom Morello/Wu Tang Clan
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Engineering, Programming
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Sum 41
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Remix
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System Of A Down
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Engineering
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Andrew WK
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Engineering
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Michael Jackson
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Mixing, Engineering, Programming, Touring
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Nil Lara
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Production, Mixing, Engineering
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The Ben Taylor Band
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Mixing
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Mike Ness/Social Distortion
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Engineering
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Ringo Starr
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Engineering
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Limp Bizkit
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Engineering
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Bjork
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Remix
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Rickie Lee Jones
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Pro Tools
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Alien Ant Farm
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Engineering, Trumpet
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Green Day
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Remix programming
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P.O.D.
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Engineering
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Pedestrian
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Production, Engineering, Mixing
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Wendy & Lisa
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Mixing, Engineering, Programming
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Doyle Bramhall
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Mixing, Engineering, Programming
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Ekova
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Trumpet
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Ziggy Marley
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Engineering, Programming
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Stevie Wonder
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Remix, Programming, Touring
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Nightwatchman
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Engineering, Mixing, Trumpet
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Barry Manilow
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Mixing, Engineering, Programming
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Sheila Nicholls
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Mixing, Engineering
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Beth Nielson Chapman
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Mixing, Engineering
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Automatic 7
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Production, Engineering, Mixing
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Garth Brooks
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Programming
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Douglas Fir
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Additional Production, Mixing
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The Picture
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Engineering, Mixing
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Plane Of Mine
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Mixing
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Randy Coleman
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Additional Production, Engineering, Mixing
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From a harp recording session by Brian Petersen with a piece written by Trevor Gomes on November 20, 2010.
Miced with a Neumann TLM 49 cardioid directional large-diaphragm studio microphone running to a UA LA 610 into Pro Tools LE8 running Waves Mercury Bundle.
People may ask, “How do I record a harp?” A couple rules always apply for any recording. I use a nice large room with high ceilings, a good player, good charts, and a good producer and engineer. I used two mics in with one pointing at the soundboard and the Neumann is bit higher aimed at the strings. I loved the result and will use this in the future.
Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen
From a photo session for Waves by Brian Petersen with Tony Maserati in Studio D at the Village Recorder in West L.A.
The man behind the sound of the Black Eyed Peas, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey, Puff Daddy, Beyoncé, Usher, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Jason Mraz, Macy Grey, Mary J, Blige, Rob Thomas, Sting, David Bowie, Tupac Shakur, Ricky Martin, Notorious B.I.G.
Read more: http://www.waves.com/Content.aspx?id=8873#ixzz13PWelf3l
Visit Tony’s site at http://tonymaserati.com/
Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image. © 2010 Brian Petersen
About Tony Maserati
Widely regarded as the principal architect of the legendary New York Sound, Tony Maserati is one of the world’s most respected mixing engineers. In a dazzling career with countless hit records for superstars ranging from Sting and David Bowie to Macy Gray and Alicia Keys, Tony has done more than simply make the songs sound great. He has played a major role in redefining the aesthetics of R&B, hip-hop, and pop.
After completing his studies at Berklee’s program for production and engineering, Maserati got his start at the legendary Sigma Sound Studios in New York during the mid-’80s, hooking up with early rap legends like Heavy D and Brand Nubian. Working closely with Bad Boy Entertainment’s roster of heavyweight talent—including Mary J Blige, Faith Evans, Notorius B.I.G. and Lil Kim—he helped create what became known as the sound of New York hip hop. It wasn’t long before he was leaving his mark on smash pop hits including Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs”, Marc Anthony’s “I Need to Know”, and R. Kelly’s “I Wish”.
Today, as an active producer / mixing engineer as well as instructor at Tisch School of the Arts / New York University, Tony mentors up-and-coming engineers and artists. He’s won two Grammy® awards, one for Beyonce’s “Crazy In Love” and one for Sergio Mendes’s Timeless, and is the recipient of a 2006 TEC Award. He is an active member of The Recording Academy, and this year received his seventh Grammy nomination, for Jason Mraz’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.
Maserati says “I’ve been using Waves from the beginning. From dynamics and EQs to special effects, most of the tracks I’ve mixed have Waves on them. Waves did an amazing job turning my personal processing chains into custom plug-ins.”
Selected Discography
- Marc Anthony: “I Need To Know”
- James Brown: JB (Best of the Best)
- Mariah Carey: “Honey,” “The Roof”
- Destiny’s Child: “Survivor,” “Bootylicious”
- R. Kelly: “Like a Real Freak,” “TP-2″
- Jennifer Lopez: “Play,” “Ain’t It Funny,” “I’m Real”
- Ricky Martin and Christina Aguilera: “Nobody Wants To Be Lonely”
- Maxwell: “Fortunate”
- Mýa: “Best of Me”
- Notorious B.I.G.: “Mo Money Mo Problems”
- Puff Daddy: “Been Around the World”
- The Simpsons: The Yellow Album
- Jessica Simpson: “Sweet Kisses”
- Tupac: “Changes”
- Vitamin C: “I Know What Boys Like”
- Anouk: “Hotel New York” Album
- Jason Mraz: “We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.”
Digi 002 portable pro tools rig at the Westlake Studios in West L.A.
Posted on July 27, 2010
by Brian Petersen 
0 
This digi 002 portable pro tools rig was used to track an album and pitch vocals while the main HD rig was mixing in P1 at the Westlake Studios in West L.A.
Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen
Isaiah recording at Westlake with Walt Harrah and Ted Blaisdell
Posted on July 21, 2010
by Brian Petersen 0 
Ted Blaisdell mixing the album, “So Much Joy,” in Studio E at the Westlake Studios
Produced by Walt Harrah
Engineered by Brian Petersen
Mixed by Ted Blaisdell at the Westlake Studios
Mastered by Robert Hadley at the Mastering Lab
Album design by John-Mark Warkentin
tedblaisdell.com/
Studio E is a beautiful mixing suite equipped with a 72 input SSL 9000J console and an extraordinary amount of outboard gear. Studio “E” has a roomy luxurious private lounge with many creature comforts including Internet access and dining facilities. The studio is also equipped with ISDN lines for Global Recording.
Westlake Recording Studios
7265 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
TEL (323) 851-9800
For booking availability, rates or any additional info
please contact Sara Clark or Steve Burdick
Email: bookings@thelakestudios.com
Console:
Solid State Logic 9072J Super Analogue Console
Monitors and Video:
Westlake HR1-X Mains
Sony 42” Flat Panel Plasma Display
2 Sony WEGA 20” Flat Panel Displays
Size:
Control Room 375 square feet
Vocal Booth 52 square feet
Isolation:
One Standard Isolation Area – One Variable Decay Isolation Area
Multitrack Tape Machines :
Digidesign Pro-Tools HD System with an Apple 21” Cinema Display and latest Power Mac.
Studer A-827
Sony PCM-3348 or 3348HR
Two Track Machines:
Ampex ATR-100
Panasonic SV-3700 DAT
HHB CDR850 Compact Disc Recorder
Apogee PSX1000 series AD/DA Converters
Outboard Gear – Time Based Effects
AMS-RMX 16
AMS-DMX 1580 DDL
EMT 140 Analog Plate
Eventide DSP-4000
Eventide H3500
Lexicon 480L & 960L
Lexicon PCM 70 (2)
Lexicon PCM 91
Lexicon PCM 42 (2)
Quantec QRS-XL
Roland SDE 3000 (2)
TC M3000
TC D-TWO
Yamaha SPX 90 (2)
Yamaha SPX 900
Outboard Gear – Dynamic Effects
Avalon 737SP
dbx 165A (2)
dbx 160x (3)
dbx 902 de-esser (1)
Drawmer DS-201 Gates
Emperical Distressors (2)
GML 8200 St. EQ’s (2)
Manley EQP-1A
Neve 33609 Stereo Comp
Summit MPE-200 EQ
Summit EQP-200A St. EQ
Summit 200 St Comp (2)
TubeTech LCA 2B St EQ
Tubetech PE 1C EQ (2)
Urie 1176
Waves L2 St Maximizer
Antelope Isochrome OCX external clock with a Digidesign Digi 002 pro tools interface.
Posted on July 28, 2009
by Brian Petersen 0 
It’s no doubt that the Digi 002 is now an industry standard interface and has been featured on numerous records. Its smaller size combined with the ability to portably record to pro tools makes for a win win combination. The units come in either a 3U rack mount version or a table top automated mixer version that I personally prefer. The only problem is that the stock A/D converters and the clock in the unit are not the same quality that would you hope to have on a major record using a more high end pro tools studio interface. Some companies provide modifications on the clock and the converters with the digi 002 units, but you can also do well by making these modifications yourself. I use higher end vintage mic pres and nice large diaphragm mics to compensate for the stock pres and the converters on the 002. More on the converters later, but one way to overcome the clock issue is to use a high end external master clock for your interface. Many clocks are available and widely discussed, but I have gone with the recommendation of engineers that are much more skilled and discerning than I am in the studio world. This article is a brief detail of how to use an Antelope Isochrome OCX external clock with a Digidesign Digi 002.
Just a brief side note here but the main connection used for the external clock with the Digi 002 is a RCA S/PDIF port on the back of the interface. Later Digi 003 models came with upgraded stock BNC clock connections. S/PDIF = Sony/Phillips Digital Interchange Format
Step One
Acquire a Digi 002 interface, an Isochrome OCX clock, and a S/PDIF cable from your favorite dealer, studio, or music buddy. I bought my clock from Joe Gilder at Sweetwater. You will also need the necessary gear and connections for setting up your monitor mix, computer, mic pres, and so on. This is assuming you already have your studio setup.
Step Two – Warning
I would highly recommend turning off your gear and muting your monitors before you start any of this. Also a warning here as I found that my interface and monitor setup emitted loud white noise when I tried to set the clock to a sample rate above 96k. The 002 unit does not work above 96k even though your clock will be able to go up to 192k. Do yourself a favor and mute your monitors.
Step Three
Connect a S/PDIF cable from your clock to your Digi 002 interface. You do this by plugging in the S/PDIF cable to the S/PDIF OUT on the OCX clock and connect the other end of the cable to the S/PDIF IN on the Digi 002 RCA S/PDIF port. It’s recommended that you keep your clock within 10 ft (3 meters) of your interface when using a S/PDIF cable.
Step Four
Connect the IEC power cable to the OCX and power it on. Set the sample rate by pressing the rectangle buttons just to the left of the main red LED readout.
Step Five
Connect the IEC power cable to the Digi 002 and power it on. Open pro tools. Choose Setups on the top right tab. Under Setups choose Hardware Setup. Now select the S/PDIF clock source in the lower box on the left side. Click OK.
Your external clock should now be setup. Make sure that your sample rate on the clock matches your pro tools session sample rate. Begin making beautiful music.
More about the OCX clock…
Antelope’s Isochrone OCX emerges as the new quality standard in professional master clocks. A master clock is the heart of the digital studio, essential to maintaining stability and preserving sonic integrity. It is crucial that a master clock be flawless, and the Isochrone OCX exists to meet this need. Uncompromised design has created the most stable, best sounding master clock available.
Oven Controlled Discrete Transistor Crystal
Oscillator for lowest jitter
Atomic clock input resolves to Rubidium clock for perfect stability
Jitter Management Module improves sonic performance
Sample Rates 32-192 kHz
Factory calibrated to better than +/- 0.02PPM accuracy via Atomic Clock
Can be recalibrated in the field to an Atomic Clock for better than +/- 0.02PPM accuracy
W/Cx256 “Superclock” output for Digidesign Pro-Tools systems
Outputs multiple, divisible sample rates
8 Word Clock outputs
2 AES/EBU outputs
2 S/PDIF output
http://www.antelopeaudio.com/en/products_iso_ocx.html
More about the Digi 002…
Digi 002 combines the features of a high-quality audio interface, a MIDI interface, a touch-sensitive control surface, and a stand-alone digital mixer, all in one unit.
Digi 002 provides the following input and output capacity:
• 8 analog audio inputs (4 with mic preamps), with A/D converters supporting up to 24-bit, 96 kHz audio
• 48V phantom power on mic preamps, switchable in channel pairs
• –10 dBV input pair for direct monitoring of tape or CD input sources
• 8 analog audio outputs, with D/A converters supporting up to 24-bit, 96 kHz audio
• Monitor Output pair (+4 dBu) mirrors Main Outputs 1–2 with dedicated volume control for direct connection to powered speakers
• Alternate Main Output pair (–10 dBV) mirrors Main Outputs 1–2 for direct output to –10 dBV devices.
• Stereo headphone output with level control
• Optical connectors for 8 channels of ADAT I/O (up to 48 kHz) or 2 channels of Optical S/PDIF I/O (up to 96 kHz)
• RCA connectors for 2 channels of S/PDIF digital I/O supporting up to 24-bit, 96 kHz audio
• 1 MIDI In port and 2 MIDI Out ports, providing up to 16 channels of MIDI input and up to 32 channels of MIDI output
Control Surface Features
Digi 002 provides an integrated control surface for software control that includes the following:
• 8 touch-sensitive moving faders and dedicated solo, mute and channel select/record arm controls
• 8 multi-function rotary encoders for operating pan, send, and plug-in controls
• Transport and navigation controls
• 10 scribble strips for channel information display
• Footswitch jack for punching in and out while recording
Brian Petersen and Jordan Tolentino in the studio for the King’s Men from Biola
Posted on May 24, 2009
by Brian Petersen 0 
This dude can sing!
Session signal path
Neumann TLM 49 microphone
Universal Audio LA-610 Tube pre / T4 Optical Compressor
Digi 002 Mixer
Digidesign Pro Tools
The TLM 49 is a large diaphragm condenser mic with a cardioid pickup pattern that sounds amazing on strings. It is transformerless and has the K 47 capsule with a boost at 2kHz.
Engineering by Brian Petersen
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpbp/3558975598/
Photography by Brian Petersen at www.brianapetersen.com
Email Brian Petersen for licenses regarding this image.
© 2010 Brian Petersen
In 1978 Yamaha first introduced the NS-10 design with the iconic white woofer. At that time they were marketed as home audio compact bookshelf speakers. And they did a terrible job at it. Long listening sessions proved fatiguing to the ear, due to tweeter-woofer alignment/phasing issues and the harsh quality of the tweeter, when used with the original crossover.
However, a couple of well known mixing engineers revealed by word of mouth that some of their recent multi-platinum productions had been mixed on NS-10s, instead of the Auratone cubes that were the untouched standard at that point. For a good reason, most purchases and decisions in the audio world are made according to what the more experienced and successful use, and how they use it. So, by word of mouth, more and more engineers started using them in their studios. They were the only speaker design with a contrasty white woofer on a black enclosure, so they were easy to spot and recognize in any control room.
But the tweeter was indeed too harsh, and some engineers started modding their NS-10 with some paper or cloth over the tweeter, to absorb and phase cancel the high frequency output, or even performing after market crossover modifications. (See also: “The tissue phenomenon”)
Yamaha, confused that engineers were more interested in their home speakers than home users grabbed the business opportunity and started catering to that new target market. – The NS-10M STUDIO monitors were born.
Engineers were using the speakers laying on their side on a console, and complaining about the harshness, so they addressed those modifications in a new revision, NS-10M STUDIO (M standing for Monitor). These had an improved crossover circuit with slightly less tweeter output, and were designed to be placed horizontally, with the logo turned 90 degrees and the tweeter shifted to one side (always in the top-outer corner).
And now they were selling like candy. Engineers were discussing about the best amplifiers to use with their passive NS-10M, and later even adding subwoofers to compensate for lack of low frequency response. The white woofers were being used as kick drum mics, and due to the fragility of the tweeter, prone to burnouts, replacement parts are constantly being traded on eBay.
Thousands of albums were made using the NS-10M nearfields as the main source of monitoring. Virtually every well-known mixing engineer in history (people such as Andy Wallace, Terry Date, Brendan O’Brien, the Lord-Alge brothers, Charles Dye, Dave Pensado, Ben Grosse, you name it) used them to make some of the most amazing production works ever. In 2007, they were awarded the Technical Grammy® Award.
But in the new millennium Yamaha started having trouble finding the wood pulp to make the white woofer cones, and they weren’t yet prepared to release a new model. Quickly they put together a new line of active black-woofer monitors, the MSP series. They were well built and great for mixing, but sounded smoother, and people were missing the NS-10 raw feel of present midrange – the “Yamaha NS-10 sound and looks”.
So why not do things right? Why not release a redesigned line of white-woofer, active nearfields, with improved technology and lower price for home studio affordability? That’s exactly what Yamaha did in 2006.
The Facts: why NS-10M became the standard
I love hearing the “little experts” bashing the NS-10 based on a 5-second listen, even more than I love hearing the clueless followers claiming that they sound “amazing and flat”. They’re both right and wrong. But they don’t know why, or how.
Myth: “The NS-10M have a flat frequency response.”
False. Their 2 kHz bump of + 5 dB and low frequency drop starting at 200 Hz is part of what made them a studio workhorse. Far from being flat, they “open” the frequency range with a midrange-based response that exposes the most problematic and worst-sounding frequencies. In your consumer hi-fi, the EQ preset that makes most music sound “better” (”Loudness”, “Rock”) is exactly the NS-10 frequency response, flipped upside down… Coincidence?
Myth: “The NS-10M sound plastic, harsh and ugly.”
That’s because you’re either speaker-spoiled, listen to bad mixes, or don’t know how to mix. They boost the uglier frequencies and hide the comfortable ones. They’re like the mixing version of Simon Cowell on American Idol. If you can’t mix, they will tell it like it is. If you’re too childish to accept that, you’ll probably leave the room cursing the speakers and promising to someday become successful and show them they were wrong! And that’s what happens to a lot of people. Similar situation, same effect.
Myth: “The NS-10M sound great!”
Well, they are defined in the midrange (see above) and very analytic – good if you’re used to clinical listening. But I wouldn’t use them in a living room to play jazz records at the fireplace.
The explosive popularity of the Yamaha NS-10M speaker system for near- field monitoring in professional sound studios throughout the world has resulted in the development of the NS-10M STUDIO model. The NS-10M SUTDIO maintains the quality and performance of the original NS10M, but has been refined and redesigned specifically for professional applications. To begin with, you can throw away the tissue paper. The high-end output of the NS-10M STUDIO has been modified – on the basis of extensive testing and feedback from the field – for optimum balance in the studio control room.
The NS-10M STUDIO retains the unique sheet-formed white-cone 18cm woofer of the original NS-10M, but employs a redesigned 3.5cm dome tweeter to achieve high-end response that is more suitable for studio use. Optimum woofer/tweeter matching and careful crossover design ensure smooth, natural transition between frequency ranges with minimum phase variation. Frequency response is remarkably flat from 60 Hz right up to 20 kHz, and superior transient response delivers crisp, transparent sound. The exceptionally tight, clean reproduction and precise overall response of this system is a must for accurate sound evaluation and image positioning.
While the original NS-10M was primarily a vertical design, the NS10M STUDIO has been remodeled to facilitate on-console horizontal placement. Overall construction is more rugged to withstand the rigors of nonstop professional use.
FANPAGE FOR YAMAHA® NS-10M
www.ns-10.net/category/history/
A Yamaha 7′ Grand Piano (built in concert grand factory) at the former Crossroads Studio in Costa Mesa. The drums and band from earlier sessions were run to tape and then to Radar and pt.
See the full size pic at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bpbp/2777435516/
Chris Taylor’s rig from Crossroads:
46 Inputs to mix custom built console with API out-put stage
12-Langavin microphone preamps
12-Custom built by Beno May microphone preamps
2-Tube-Tech microphone preamps (TUBE)
2-Quad Eight microphone preamps
3-API microphone preamps
6-modified Boulder microphone preamps
2-Summit microphone preamps
8-Aphex equalizers (Exact copies of B & B equalizer)
3-B & B equalizers
5-API 550A equalizers
5-API 550 equalizers
1-Stereo passive graphic equalizers
1-Two channel passive graphic equalizers
2-LA2A TELETRONIX LEVELING AMPLIFIERS (TUBE)
2-175B UA LIMITING AMPLIFIERS (TUBE)
1-175 UA LIMITING AMPLIFIER (TUBE)
3-1176 LN PEAK LIMITERS (UNIVERSAL AUDIO)
1-1176 LN URIE (Compressor/ Limiter)
6-DBX 903 (Compressor/ Limiter)
4-DBX 902 (DE ESSER)
2-DBX 161 (Compressor/ Limiter)
8-APHEX GATES/EXPANDERS
1-t.c. electronics INTONATOR
1-EMT 140 stereo tube driven full size plate reverb (TUBE)
1-Lexicon 480
2-Lexicon 224′s
1-Lexicon pcm 41
1-REV 7
3-Quadraverbs
Lexicon LFI-10 Digital Audio Format Interface
2-Stevens 24trk Analog Multitracks (Class A discrete electronics)
2-ATR100 2trk Multitracks
1-Pro Tools HD-3 system with 2-192′s , 1-888 interface and SYNC module
Pro Tools plug-ins-Waves Platinum/Auto-Tune/Pitch Doctor/Bomb Factory/Focusrite/and others
1-Radar24 with Nyquist converters
1-Yamaha 7′ Grand Piano (built in concert grand factory)
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Photo by Brian A Petersen
brianapetersen@gmail.com
LA-610 Tube Recording Channel pre, originally uploaded by Brian Petersen.
LA-610 Classic Tube Recording Channel
The LA-610 brings UA’s legendary vintage "all tube" luxury sound into a modern channel strip format by combining the 610 Mic-Pre/EQ/DI section and a T4 Opto-compressor into a single 2U unit.
The 610-tube preamp, DI and EQ is from UA’s TEC award winning 6176 and is based on the legendary console modules developed by Bill Putnam in the 60′s. Countless classics have been recorded using these preamps, noted for their musical character and warmth.
The simple operation and program dependent nature of the LA-610 T4 compressor provides the same extremely musical control that has made the LA-2A such a well-loved classic for over 40 years.
The LA-610 packs tremendous sonic versatility and is an ideal front-end for tracking with modern DAW’s and the serious project studio looking to get the UA sonic experience : real quality and character at an accessible price.
In collaboration with Dennis Fink, one of the original UREI® analog design engineers, the LA-610 was carefully designed to deliver the essence of the “LA” sound but without the costs of being an exact LA-2A component clone. The LA-610 uses three 12AX7A’s, a single 6072A and a single 6AQ5 tube for amplifier warmth and overall tonal balance.
After the preamp section, the LA-610 offers a new T4 optical compressor. The electro-optical detector or "T4 cell”, is the very heart and soul of the Teletronix LA-2A. The unique combination of electroluminescent panel and photo-resistors inside the T4 cell are the crucial circuit components that give both these compressors their signature sound.
Recording in the studio with the Biola King’s Men and Walt Harrah
Posted on April 15, 2009
by Brian Petersen 0 
Shots from the studio with Walt Harrah and Biola University’s very own a cappella group, the King’s Men.
The record was being produced by Walt Harrah and was engineered by Brian Petersen at Grace Evangelical Free Church in La Mirada, CA. The album has been recorded in Pro Tools 8 at 24 /48.00 kHz using Universal Audio Tube mic pres and Neumann microphones.
How to get great sounding drum tracks for your recording
By Brian Petersen at brianapetersen@gmail.com
Here is a video that has some shots of recent recording sessions.
Recording drums can be a daunting task and can even strike fear in the heart of any audio engineer. Most musicians have done some kind of recording with even a basic software program, but few have successfully recorded so many tracks at one time. That is what separates drum tracking from vocals, guitars, and other individual track recordings. A vocal recording requires one microphone, going into one mic pre, into one track in your software. A drum session requires eight microphones, going into eight mic pres, and to eight tracks into your session.
Before you start, you need to make sure that you have a software program with an audio interface that can record at least 4 to 8 channels of audio. XLR inputs with phantom power would be required unless you are using an external mixer and run your inputs as a line in level input with a tip/ring/sleeve ¼ inch connector from the mixer to your interface.
I begin the recording process by working within my software program. I prefer to work in pro tools but any professional software application or analog tape will work. I then set up the mics, cables, and pres while getting good sounds from the kit itself. Setting levels and getting a good monitor mix happens before your record, edit, mix, and master.
Set the meter and tempo in your session
This is often the part of the recording session that can take place before the drummer does anything, and the engineer can get to work far before any actual recording takes places. The engineer would make sure that the song session is set up properly and that the tempo and meter is in agreement with what the producer desires. This often happens in pre production when the producer works with the engineer to set the feel of each song and both set the tempo for each track. This is pretty important to get right up front so that you avoid re-recording your drums at another desired tempo at a later date.
Click track
Make sure that you create a click track that your drummer can hear during the recording process. This will also be used by other people who need to hear the tempo of the song during breaks and the acapella sections when the drums aren’t being played. I highly recommend that you record with a click so that all of your tracks are locked to a grid that can be easily edited throughout the production process. You can also use a loop or other support tracks that you created in pre-production. I try to get click tracks to my drummer before each session so they know the tempo and roadmap of the song that they are recording. This will help so that they can familiarize themselves with the song before they sit down to record at the session. The producer or songwriter will normally have charts of the songs before the recording session, and all you have to do is ask to get a copy of them. I mostly record with drummers that I know well and this also helps to streamline the process.
Set up tracks in your recording software
I set up tracks and signal flow inside of my session in this order:
Kick
Snare
Snare bottom (optional)
High hat
Tom
Tom
Tom
Stereo overhead mics
Room mic(s)
Set up mics, cables, mic pres, and get your sounds
Signal flow is so important! You must be able to follow the signal path from the instrument, to the mic, down the cable, to the mic pre, down that cable, to the input, and into your software session. You must then be able to route that sound through a drum buss, out of your interface, out a headphone mix for your drummer, and also a monitor mix for you the engineer. This has to be down with little or no latency in your computer software all while making sure that your levels are within their operable range. This is before you record anything.
I normally run each microphone through a high end mic pre before sending that signal into a recording interface. This gives a warmer or fatter sound to most of my inputs while reducing noise.
Have your drummer begin playing so that you can set your levels on the mic pres and on your interface inputs. Be sure that your drummer is actually playing the style and volume that they will be playing for the song that they are recording. Most drummers seem to sound check levels by playing something they did in the club the night before or play an epic drum groove that they learned recently. Make sure that they are actually playing the style and volume that they will be playing for the song that they are recording. It feels a bit odd to ask but few drummers actually play the style and volume that they will be playing for the song that they will be recording.
I normally rely on the drummer to get the sound from their drums that they like.I get asked about drum heads, tuning, and playing style, but I trust the drummers for all that. Sure I have my opinions and preferences, but I prefer to rely on the musician to setup and play their instrument well. As an engineer, I can also change/replace any of their sounds in editing or mixing at a later time.
I prefer to get the best sound possible while placing the overhead microphones and then add in the kick and snare. I will then add in the tom mics and pan them across the stereo spectrum while checking for phasing issues in a mono mix. I find that I don’t really use the high hat mic as it comes through the overheads, but I make sure that I have a good sound for that as well in case it is used in the mixing process. I add in my room mics for monitoring and continue to check levels and solo various tracks to make sure that nothing is clipping unless desired. I find that my best drum sounds can come from the room mics, overheads, kick, and snare. I prefer to not use any plug ins or reverbs while tracking and to monitor the inputs without any effects. Normally I only compress my room mics through a tube mic pre and compressor, while leaving my other tracks uncompressed.
Record
I record the sound check and continue to readjust levels throughout the process. When everything is setup and the producer and drummer are ready, you can start with your pre roll and begin recording. This is an important time to let your producer run the session and get the performance that everyone wants. You can stop and start at any time while make punches across your recorded tracks. Continue to watch your levels and check your monitor mix while recording. I make sure to pay special attention for soft passages in the performance where the drummer’s headphone mix might bleed into the overhead or room mics. I will also play back the whole drum take after the performance and carefully listen to make sure that everything is recorded as desired with no clicks or hit mics. It’s a great time to make sure that you recorded everything on the appropriate tracks and that all your sounds are properly routed in your session. It might be hard to explain to the producer and drummer that you recorded three tracks of the same tom because you forgot to route your inputs properly.
It seems that while recording to click tracks during sessions, most drummers seem to rush heading into drum fills and choruses, and slow down coming out of them.I make sure that the drummer sticks to the click as much as possible without me irritating the producer or drummer. This will help in editing the drums and while tracking all the other instruments that will be placed on top of the kit.
The Room
There are so many techniques on how to record drums and even more on the locations that can be used to record them. I prefer to record drums in a large “live” room with high ceilings. Churches are my favorite locations for numerous reasons. Make sure that there is no slap delay in the room and you can find this out by clapping your hands a couple times near the location where the drummer will be playing. You can use sound baffles or any kind of absorbent material to block such delays and tailor the sound to your desire. Check for crickets and other buzzing before you start recording.
Editing and Mixing Drums
After the initial recording session I listen back to the tracks and make any adjustments as needed. I trim off the beginning and end of the recorded tracks that could have the drummer or producer talking. I also fix any punches that might have been made and try to get the take to sound as natural as possible.
I like using samples for the kick and snare for most recordings. I find that I can get a better sound from a sampled kick or snare from logic than I can through a recorded microphone. This happens by using a pro tools plug-in to swap the originally recorded sound with the new sampled sound from an audio file.
There are many other ways to record drums, but I hope this is a start to getting great sounds while recording your session.