Archives for March 2018

Review: Rob Papen SubBoomBass 2

March 27, 2018 by Jake Weston Leave a Comment

Review: Rob Papen SubBoomBass 2

The vintage and quality renown Rob Papen brand recently introduced the latest in their line of circuit and music boards, that of the SubBoomBass 2. The new machine provides producers with vastly better sound quality, increasing functionality and features for increased effectiveness, and new modes that will allow music producers to conduct an array of different tones and depths based on the needs of their artists and what they believe sounds best when they finish.

Key Takeaways:

Papen's SubBoomBass 2, the next generation reboot of a long-time crowd-pleaser, was recently reviewed for Ask.Audio by Noah Pred.
The reboot features a new pair of Karplus strong oscillators, great for physically modeled string tones, capable of both dynamic stand-up bass and almost farfetched surreal tones, worthy of scifi.
With so many plusses to this tweaked version of a classic, the only con noted was a lack of alternate GUI skin options for those who might be a bit sour on orange.

“Fundamentally comprised of two core oscillators featuring pulse width modulation, symmetry, and sine or square sub oscillators, this meaty synth has been expanded with a number of spectrum waveforms and selectable samples for unconventional layering.”

Mastering Engineer Bob Katz Utilizes PSI Audio Active Bass Traps – ProSoundWeb

March 26, 2018 by Jake Weston Leave a Comment

Mastering Engineer Bob Katz Utilizes PSI Audio Active Bass Traps – ProSoundWeb

When it comes to the music industry, perhaps nothing is more important than the legacies that have been made by some of the legends in the game. PSI Audio understands how having such an icon on your side can do wonders for your product and business, and has enlisted the help of renowned mastering engineer Bob Katz to promote their newest AVAA C20 speakers. Katz claims that the new equipment provides engineers with a deep focus unlike any other.

Key Takeaways:

PSI Audio is partnering with music engineering legend Bob Katz.
PSI Audio launching new AVAA C20 Active Bass Traps speakers.
The quality on these speakers is unmatched by most anything on the market.

“Aggressive or soft, analog or digital – Katz’s key to a good sounding record is the use of microdynamics.”

VoiceOver Jobs From Home: New Training From Home Brew Audio

March 25, 2018 by Ken 2 Comments

Is it possible to record professional sounding voice over jobs from home? It absolutely is. And it is easier and less expensive than most people think.
However, despite how affordable it has become to buy good quality microphones, landing and recording voice over jobs from home involves a bit more knowledge and and effort than you might expect.
I think the gap between having the gear and getting a professional sound is where most people get frustrated. “I have a decent microphone and software, and I can easily record my voice. Why doesn’t it sound professional?”
A lot of people decide they need to buy more expensive gear and software. But when that doesn’t immediately make the difference, the result can often be more confusion and frustration.
But here’s the good news. There are things you can do to improve your audio quality with the gear you probably already have. And those things are pretty easy for anyone to understand, especially if you have the right teacher ;-). I believe I can help you there.

New Course For Recording Voice Over Jobs From Home

We started a course in April, 2018 called Professional Talkers – How to Record High Quality Audio For VoiceOvers, Podcasts and More. I interviewed lots of people who are currently recording voice overs from home to find out what the biggest frustrations and challenges are. I was able to come up with a list of common problems people are having. Things like:

- “Thin” or “muffled” sounding audio
- Noisy audio (computer drives, room echo, mouth noises and other background noise)
- Too much “room sound” – echo and reverb – in the audio
- Difficulty getting the audio loud enough
- Audio has uneven volume – it might be loud enough in places but not loud enough in others
- Not fully understanding the software
- Not understanding audio editing tools like EQ, compression and normalization
  - Need better understanding of the workflow – what to do and in what order, etc.
- Myth: Thinking you MUST apply audio effects to make your voiceover sound good
- Wanting to know the best kinds of microphones and interfaces, and
- Not knowing about the many tips and tricks available for getting the best audio quality

Based on the problems these people were having, I put together Professional Talkers – How to Record High Quality Audio For VoiceOvers, Podcasts and More to answer those common questions directly. The course is 5 weeks long, meeting weekly and taught live. I was also available to answer students’ questions both during each live session and via phone and email. In addition to that, I offered students individual one-on-one sessions to help solve a problem they might be having trying to record high quality voice over jobs from home.
Here is the current outline of the course topics:

Week 1 – Overview and First Steps

Goal of the course – You will be able to create professional quality voiceover recordings on your computer, enabling you to land and produce voiceover jobs from home. You can achieve this by learning about microphones, mic techniques and editing techniques using affordable software (a free program called Audacity, and a $60 Reaper). And you can do all of this without having to buy expensive gear or software.
Basic mechanics of recording”
The most common problem in home voice recording

Week 2 – Microphones and Accessories

Different types and Why the difference?
Room Sound & how to reduce it

Week 3 – Software and What To do With It

DAW vs Editor
Fixing mistakes
Effects – just explain what these are first and get into more detail later:
- What is EQ
- What is compression?
- What is normalization?
- Noise Reduction

Week 4 – How To Avoid And/Or Fix Common Problems and Optimizing Audio Quality

Week 5 – Part 2 of Techniques for Optimizing Audio Quality and “Final Exam”

Continue wherever we left off above
Students record a sample script and get feedback from me, as well as the other students

That first offering of the live course in April 2018 went very well. The students said they loved it, and I also learned a lot more about what folks want and how I can best help. Here is what some of them had to say about it:

Home Brew Audio’s “Professional Talkers: How To Record High Quality Audio For VoiceOvers, Podcasts and More” class was one the most practical, hands-on and effective classes in VO I have ever experienced. Much of the benefit in the class is based on Ken’s personal communication style and strong VO and recording knowledge. Participation in the class strongly motivated me to learn more about the VO craft and to extend my knowledge on recording skills and equipment.
– Derek Kenner

Before this course, I had heard of concepts like compression and normalization and had I general idea of what EQ was and what it was used for. But the ability to ask questions as the tools and concepts were being explained was great! Ken knows how to break these concepts down in to easy-to-grasp pieces. Also, and maybe even more importantly, he tells you what to NOT worry about.
– Jason Arnold

A powerful benefit of this course, for any future participant, is the bite-sized chunks of concepts that Ken delivers, in a logical scope and sequence, with the built-in time to digest and apply the new learning, between the weekly virtual meetings.
– Dale Latham

When Will You Give The Course Again?

We are running the next session starting the week of January 28th, 2019. If you want more details about the course, and possibly sign up, go to the page here:

The 'Spire' portable recording studio is all about spontaneity

March 25, 2018 by Jake Weston Leave a Comment

The ‘Spire’ portable recording studio is all about spontaneity

One can never know when that genius lyric or the right idea for the next song is going to pop into your mind, but the one thing that we can do is be prepared for whenever that magic moment comes. The new Spire Studio device acts as an on-the-go studio for people who have limited time available to get in the studio, and just so happen to be hit with musical genius whenever they're out and about.

Key Takeaways:

IZotope's Spire Studio is a slightly pricey portable recorder with some solid plusses.
The studio has an easy to use app, pro-grade audio ports, it's easy to set up, and is battery operated.
On the less positive side, it is oddly shaped and does carry a slightly daunting 350 price tag.

“for folks who write music, it's a surprisingly simple to use 8-track recorder that hooks up to almost all your gear.”

How to Set Up Your Audio Interface to Record Audio | Ledger Note

March 24, 2018 by Jake Weston Leave a Comment

How to Set Up Your Audio Interface to Record Audio | Ledger Note

As technology begins to wrap itself around nearly every industry and disrupts it unlike anything before, musicians are starting to feel the heat to stay atop the latest digital and tech related trends to benefit their music making abilities. If you decide to record your own audio without enlisting the help of a professional, it is absolutely crucial to know your way around various audio interface softwares in order to give you the know-how on how best to setup the track.

Key Takeaways:

The Ledgernote.com bloggers intercede for those experiencing audio interface problems that may require troubleshooting.
One home visit, made to try to discover why a recording was badly distorted, proved puzzling until it was found that the recording was inadvertently being done through the laptop mike.
Even should you own a modern plug and play interface system, the reality is it's never as easy as plugging in your interface and getting signals.

“Being a musician usually involves learning an instrument and some music theory, but rarely do we anticipate needing to learn our way around computers to enhance our hobby.”