Psychology is a bit of a nuisance. You may think you’ve completely isolated yourself from marketing gimmicks and equipment sales hype, but that is never really possible. Expectations can have profound effects on our perception of quality. This is true for wine just as much as it is for audio equipment. Yes, there is some downright terrible wine in the world, just like there is some downright terrible audio equipment. There are also bottles that are the epitome of perfection in a certain style, and audio equipment that really does perform up to its price point. As demonstrated in the article linked below, sometimes the differences between good and great gear is exaggerated in our minds.
You can read the article here: http://audioundone.com/loudspeakers_winer
Archives for January 2013
Audio Compression And Data Loss
Compression can refer to either dynamic range compression (DRC) or data compression. Data compression can also be either “lossless” or “lossy”. Lossless compression keeps all parts of the original file (.zip or .rar are examples) while lossy compression does not. For example, .mp3 files only have about 10% of the pre-encoding data. All of these types of compression are important to various stages of the home recording process in their own way. Learning about each may help you avoid some of their shortcomings.
You can read the full article here: http://productionadvice.co.uk/what-is-compression/
Fader Woes
For an inexperienced audio tech, the sound board can be quite overwhelming. There are knobs and switches, sliders and lights. All of them seem to work together in some sort of harmonic miracle. Depending on the tech’s personality, he or she may play it safe and only adjust what they absolutely know to be benign. The new tech may also be a know-it-all and want to change everything, regardless of how the output was to start with. In either case, remember that you were new once as well. Take some time to teach what you know and your team will benefit.
You can read the full article here: http://www.prosoundweb.com/article/worship_basics_fader_rider_vs_fader_raider/
How To Structure A Dubstep Track
If you aren’t familiar with the term dubstep, here is a basic definition. It is a sort of sub-genre of electronic dance music (sometimes abbreviated as EDM). Dubstep is a slower tempo than what we might sometimes think of as club dance music in that songs are almost always about 140 beats per minute (BPM). The basic structure of a dubstep track is consistent and predictable, but there is still plenty of room to let your creativity shine. Try to at least somewhat stick to what listeners will be expecting (length of intro or other parts of the song). The guidelines in the video below aren’t set in stone, but they’re worth hearing.
Watch the full video for some great tips and information.
Estrima Released From WOK
WOK has released Estrima, a plug-in that puts the vintage sound of a string quartet at your fingertips. Available for an introductory price of €9.87, or just a bit over $13 US, it wouldn’t hurt to have these sounds in your library. Take a listen to their samples, this plug-in may be just what you didn’t know you needed.
You can read more about Estrima here: http://www.kvraudio.com/news/wok-releases-estrima—easy-string-machine-for-windows-vst-21257