There are a lot of plugins – both effects and virtual instruments – that are basically software versions of some hardware original. Much is made of how some virtual reverb effect unit or synthesizer (see our recent post about software synthesizers here: https://www.homebrewaudio.com/of-synthesizers-and-oscillators/ ) sounding very much like their physical counterparts. But what if the virtual/software versions sound nothing like the real thing, but still sound great?
Here is a post by Graham Cochrane that ponders that question:
http://therecordingrevolution.com/2012/10/05/who-cares-if-it-emulates-the-real-thing/
Home Recording Equipment
Microphone Used By Glee's Rachel and Blaine at Callbacks in The Breakup Episode – Shure KSM 9
In the Glee episode, The Breakup, Rachel and Blaine each do a song (Demi Lovato’s Give Your Heart a Break and Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream, respectively) at a New York club called “Callbacks.” The microphone they both use is the Shure KSM 9, and it definitely played a supporting role in both songs – with closeups with the model number front and center (which made my job easier this time;)).
This is a serious microphone, by which I mean seriously awesome. It is described by Shure as a premium vocal condenser microphone. Normally I would say that condenser mics are better off only being used in the studio due to their sensitivity and lack of ruggedness (you don’t want your bass player spitting beer into your Neumann U87, for instance) , but the KSM 9 is designed to do both studio recording AND live performance.
Sample Manager For Mac
Sample Manager is an application for Mac that, as you’ll see in the below article, can be a very useful and even “indispensable” part of your audio tool collection. The article, written by Matthew McGlynn, speaks of several reasons why the app is awesome. One of them is the batch normalizing feature. I agree about that being a handy tool. If you happen to have Adobe Audition on your machine, you will have that (batch normalizing) capability as well, and you can use it on a PC.
Anyway, see Matthew’s article here http://recordinghacks.com/2012/10/03/i-love-samplemanager/
Recording Apps for Chrome
Here is a list of several little recording apps – all shareware – for the Chrome browser. Most of them are audio recording apps, but at least one allows you to record both audio and the video of what is happening on the screen. I wouldn’t use any of these apps as your primary home recording studio program, but sometimes you just want a quick way to capture a bit of audio from your computer, or do a quick screen capture recording. You may find something useful in this collection.
http://softwaretopic.informer.com/best-chrome-audio-recording-apps/
AKG K 77 Circumaural Closed-Back Stereo Headphones
The AKG K 77 Circumaural Closed-Back Stereo Headphones are the kind of cans (the word all the cool kids use to mean “headphones”) that you can wear for hours without any discomfort. That word “circumnaural” means that the cups fit around your ears, so that they don’t get smashed against the side of your head. Your ears stay nice and “un-smooshed” with the leatherette padding resting against your noggin.
OK, so they’re comfy. What else is good about these headphones?
Well, the copy from AKG is that they provide professional quality sound for an affordable price – $49. That is a pretty good price, considering that the fancy cans a lot of folks are grabbing these days are in the $200 price range. But those (the expensive ones) are not typically used for recording and monitoring purposes. They are typically designed to compliment the audio (which you don’t want when monitoring recordings – you want to hear things “warts-and-all”), and most of them these days have iPhone and iPod controls on them, as well as noise-cancelling. These are things you don’t need in the studio.
They also boast a wide frequency range, accurate bass, single-sided cord, and 3.5 mm plug along with a 1/4-inch adapter for maximum compatibility with a wide range of gear.
These are an excellent choice for your home recording studio.