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  • Alan Parsons' Art & Science of Sound Recording (Instructional Series)

    By Anderton |

    Can’t afford recording school? Then let Alan Parsons be your personal tutor

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    3-DVD set $149 MSRP, $134.10 street. Also available as 24 downloads ($99), individual section downloads ($4.99), and individual section stream ($1.99), www.artandscienceofsound.com

     

    by Craig Anderton

     

    You definitely don’t want to ask me to review an instructional video. Why? Because I make instructional videos, and while I wouldn’t say I’m hypercritical...well actually, I would say I’m hypercritical.

    So I also don’t review a lot of instructional videos, because I don’t want it to look like I’m dissing fellow travelers. We all do the best we can, and I’m sure people have learned a lot from videos I’ve considered not all that wonderful. Yet I’m reviewing this one, because it is, in a word, outstanding.

     

    ALAN PARSONS' PROJECT

    Much of what elevates this video above the norm is Alan Parsons himself. He doesn’t come across as “Alan Parsons the Respected Engineer,” but more like a neighbor who heard your band practicing, and came over to introduce himself and shoot the breeze about music. Or at least, a neighbor who knows a helluva lot about sound and recording.

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    But, it’s not a solo effort by any means. Parsons enlists many people who may not be household names, but are on the same level as he is in their respective fields—for example, I was pretty blown away to see Chris Pelonis talking about studio design. You may not know who he is, but I guarantee you’ve heard music made in studios he designed.

    The pacing of the video is relaxed—it’s not cut for the attention deficit generation—but there isn’t any wasted time, either, and the flow is consistent. Which brings up another reason why this video excels: the production. From the scripting, to the audio quality (not unexpected, I guess!), to judicious use of computer graphics to get points across, to subtitles that emphasize certain points, the overall approach blends sound, stills, animation, and live footage to create a well-oiled approach to learning. Yes, there are the occasional attempts at gratuitous humor, but surprisingly, quite a few of them succeed.

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    One more point before getting into the content: This isn’t just practical tips, or just philosophy, but a combination of the two. As a result, almost everything is given a context that’s bigger than just the topic being discussed. For example, when talking about how to optimize a space for a studio, it’s in the context of sound as much as it is recording, while referencing back to great studios of the past. As a result the video is friendly to beginners, while containing enough practical techniques to be useful to veterans.

     

    WHAT’S IN IT

    There’s a ton of information about what’s on the video at the home website for the project, www.artandscienceofsound.com. I checked over their descriptions of the various chapters (scroll to the bottom of the page), and they are both accurate and hype-free—which is in keeping with the nature of the project itself. So, while I’ll cover the topics that are covered, it will be more from evaluating how they’re done than simply describing them . . . the website covers that well.

    There are three DVDs that take about six hours to watch—and yes, I watched every minute. (You can also stream individual chapters à la carte, or stream all of them at a reduced price, from the ASSR website.) This wasn’t just out of a sense of journalistic duty because I was writing this review, but because it’s really interesting and educational (one great tip: track lighting is good in the studio because it minimizes the number of holes that go into the outside world). Sure, I know plenty about recording—but never thought about the subject in some of the ways presented in the video. For example, while I know you want to minimize sound leakage in a studio, the video expressed this as imagining your studio filled with water, and looking for where it leaks. I’d never thought of it that way.

     

    DVD 1 (TOOLS)

    After the introduction and a bit of history, the first “practical” chapter deals with studio acoustics. It combines theory with practical implementation, and manages to pack a lot of useful, and very specific, advice into a compact presentation. Even though you might not be building a studio from scratch, some of the concepts discussed here are suitable for retrofitting an existing space, down to recommending bookshelves packed with books as excellent diffusers. An acoustic expert from Auralex is brought in to discuss acoustics, but doesn’t plug his products once—you wouldn’t know he was from Auralex had he not been identified as such.

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    Does the video substitute for a complete book on acoustics? No, but it comes a lot closer to that goal than you might think, as it concentrates on those elements and principles that are most important.

    After acoustics, Parsons goes into microphones—including the usual nod to history, and explaining how we got to the current state of the art—while explaining the different types, and how they work. This is relatively basic, but of course, essential for those getting into recording. Given how many people now record direct into computers, it’s probably a useful refresher course. From there, he gets into mic placement and mic technique, but also includes a lot of information on miking philosophies—from ambience, to how much time you should spend auditioning mics—then proceeds to mic pres.

    Next up: Consoles and controllers. Parsons jumps right into analog vs. digital consoles, without advocating any particular agenda. This leads into a discussion of automation (including a cameo from Jack Joseph Puig, who appears several times in the video), with a nod toward in-the-box compared to an analog console. Again, Parsons presents both sides, without either the “digital fanboy” or “I’m-better-than-you-because-I-do-analog” vibe. He even gets into the DAW vs. analog summing controversy by setting up an A-B comparison. While he doesn’t talk explicitly about how to do A-B tests, he does exactly that and with his actions, demonstrates what is good practice for conducting this type of test. You then hear both in the box and analog summed mixes, and Parsons invites you to decide for yourself if you can hear a difference. (If you really want to get into it, full bandwidth, hi-res mixes are available online. I still think how good a chorus you write has a lot more influence on how people perceive the sound, but that’s my opinion!)

    Then Parsons examines the mixer, going through buses, EQ, aux sends, dynamics control, pre-fade listen, solo, mute, pre/post-fader switching, and so on. This is very much “overview”—type material, so if you’re into recording, you won’t learn much from this section but again, for those on a more elementary level this will tie together a lot of useful concepts. This segues into meters, and given that they don’t get the attention they deserve, the explanation here is both clear and definitive. Although he doesn’t get into inter-sample distortion, or the relationship in levels between channel faders and the master, he does explain you need headroom and shouldn’t consider digital 0 to be zero, but rather, a level below digital zero. He also gets into one of my favorite topics—why you want a control surface with DAWs.

    DAWs come next, and Parsons gives equal credit to Windows (his traditional choice) and Mac, which he also uses. This is mostly about the components that make up a system—computer, interface, and software. He then goes into digital interconnections, and even touches on dongles and authorizations before getting into all the pieces to work together, then closes out the section with the story behind software and touches very briefly on mastering (he goes to a pro, implying that maybe you should too).

    Next comes monitoring, and Parsons digs into it, including headphones, near-fields, directionality, and also considers critical listening.  This section will help de-mystify these subjects for a lot of people; the “man on the street” interviews are hilarious. DVD 1 closes out with MIDI, and Parsons covers the subject with reasonable depth—a good move, considering that many people watching this DVD were probably born after MIDI appeared, and thus missed the original flurry of books and articles.

     

    DVD 2 (TIPS)

    This moves from theory to practice, and starts with EQ. Parsons covers what EQ is, then different types of EQ, and moves into strategically important frequencies for a variety of instruments—bass, drums, guitar, wind, percussion, strings, piano, vocals, etc. He also dips into a Q&A format at one point about general EQ questions.

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    He then gets into specific problems that can be solved with EQ, like hum removal, making particular sounds stand out or recede more in the background, etc.

    So what comes after EQ? Dynamics, of course. Here Parsons gets into parameters and controls, as well as hardware vs. software, but also covers the application of compression to various instrument categories. Limiting, de-essing, and multiband dynamics are covered as well.

    Of course, no modern treatment of dynamics can avoid the subject of the loudness wars. But Parsons, always the gentleman, does so in an objective way that sheds more light than heat on the topic. While it’s clear where his personal philosophy lies, it’s also clear that he has an open mind about those who think otherwise.

    Next comes noise gating, and Parsons digs a little deeper than you might expect, covering sidechaining for both gating and noise reduction, using attack times to add swells, and ways to eliminate leakage between drums. The latter is done with a fairly extensive hands-on demo, which I’m sure those who haven’t used noise gates to reduce leakage would find instructive. Of course, gated reverb gets its due, too, as does using sidechaining with noise gates to create tremolo effects.

    As to reverb, Parsons covers springs, to halls, to digital, and delves into when you’d use pre- and post-settings, as well as several other considerations with send and insert applications. He also talks about which instruments are best-suited to reverb, and typical settings. From there it’s a short hop to delay, from tape to digital, but he also mentions tape loops and includes demos of delay-based effects including flanging, phasing, chorusing gets into the calculations involved in keying delay times to rhythm. The section closes out with applications and tips relating to delay.

    With processors out of the way, the DVD “zooms out” and gets into the process of tracking a band in a conventional studio session. This includes planning the session (where to position people, cabling, mics, separation, who goes in the isolation booths, etc.), considerations about arrangement and production, and shows the personal dynamics of a band doing live recording. This section is one of the few that drags a little bit—okay, the players are playing, we get it—but some of the comments about the value of playing together as a band, and the virtues of recording a live performance, are indeed worth mentioning. Also, probably quite a few people who buy this DVD series will have never had the opportunity to play sessions in a pro studio with pro studio musicians, and it might be a revelation for explaining why this approach produced such classic recordings.

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    Next up is vocals, and covers a lot about the importance of capturing the magic. This involves preparation (like determining whether the singer sings softly or loud, making sure you’ve chosen the right key for the singer, whether the singer has warmed up sufficiently, and the like). Part of it also covers how to make vocals more expressive, which of course has nothing to do with gear. Next up is the process of choosing a mic, part of which involves John McBride talking about what mics work well, and also where to put the pop screen and even gets a bit into optimal processing for different mics. One of the cool stories (and a good example of the kind of insights sprinkled throughout the DVD) is when Sylvia Massey talks about a blind test they did with Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins with about $30K worth of mics, and they ended up deciding the SM58 was the best.

    There’s some discussion of what makes a vocal chain, and managing dynamics with vocals—with an emphasis on using good mic technique (arguably the best way to manage dynamics, if the singer is good at what they do). And in case you wondered—Alan Parsons seldom goes beyond 10dB of limiting with vocals. The vocal section closes out with issues about headphone mixes with singing.

    The second DVD ends with coverage of internet recording. Parsons is honest about the limitations of latency and such, and mentions that this kind of technology is in its infancy. Still, it’s a worthwhile inclusion to give an idea of where things are going. As with the section on tracking a session, this wasn’t tremendously interesting to me, but I would think that for those who haven’t worked with producers or done typical sessions, having a glimpse into the workflow and process would be illuminating.

     

    DVD 3 (TECHNIQUES)

    The third DVD deals with techniques involving specific instruments, and is broken out into nine sections: drums, keyboards, bass, guitar, acoustic guitar with voice, recording a choir, approaches to live recording, mixing, and dealing with disasters. British drummer Simon Phillips is the go-to guy for the drums section, and talks about recording his instrument of choice with a personal, yet authoritative, style. Taylor Hawkins and Sylvia Massey pitch in with additional insights.

    The drums section covers kick, snare, toms, hi-hat, cymbals, etc., and includes really useful information about making drums sound good before you even stick a mic in front of them—although of course, it then gets into miking (not just individual drums, but overheads as well). If you’d never recorded drums before and watched this section of the video, you’d know enough to get by. Although a lot of Phillips’ material is based on his personal opinion, they’re informed opinions that have been proven over the years.

    Next up: keyboards, with a lot devoted to recording MIDI vs. recording audio, as well as a discussion of virtual vs. vintage instruments. There are some interesting comments from Dave Smith about why there’s a resurgence in analog synths. Naturally there’s info on miking acoustic piano, synthesizers, sampling, and the like.

    Bass follows, which starts with a cool little story from Carol Kaye (I won’t spoil it for you). It then goes into DI recording, but there’s a lot of emphasis on playing technique, picks, and strings. There’s also discussion of bass in a mix and recording context, like the “kick vs. bass” discussion.

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    After bass comes acoustic and electric guitars. There’s some interesting material about single-coil vs. humbucking pickups, discussion of amps/cabs/speakers, and the like. Parsons explains why he prefers condensers for miking amps over dynamics, as well as miking positions. He even covers hardware devices like the SansAmp and amp sims. Guitarist Tim Pierce talks about modelers and interestingly, talks about the “harsh frequencies” that have always bugged me, and I’ve explained how to fix in articles (maybe someone can introduce me to him at NAMM, and I can tell him how to get his amp sims to sound right!). Pierce also talks about issues involving pedalboards, and seems to have the same affection for dotted eighth note delays that I do.

    One interesting comment is how guitar solos fell out of fashion after Nirvana hit the scene, but is starting to return thanks to “Guitar Hero”-type games. The series has lots of little tidbits like this sprinkled throughout, but this one in particular struck me as worth mentioning.

    Of course they cover tuning, but some of the viewpoints relate to how to accommodate the fact that guitars can never be in tune.

    Interestingly, the next section is devoted to recording acoustic guitar with vocal—a common scenario, but I didn’t expect it to get its own treatment. This section is pretty compact, but helpful.

    Next up is . . . choirs, which of course, is not exactly something we record every day. But really, it was more about live recordings of groups, as you might find in schools and churches. He also uses this as a way to get into mid-side recording, as well as other miking techniques for the piano and various parts of the choir. If you’re tempted to skip this part, don’t—it’s loaded with useful information on various aspects of live miking, including room mics; the section involving how he mixed the various mics, and the choices he made as well as additional info on the mid-side recording, is both interesting and very real-world.

    The next section digs into live recording in more detail, including issues like the backline, how to deal with separation, the difference between mixing for the audience and the monitor mix, and the like.

    The next to last section is about mixing. It covers more than just mixing, though—there’s quite a bit about the current practice of transporting projects, and using other or even multiple mix engineers. Thankfully, Parsons brings up the topic of people who receive material to mix without notes; a small consolation I learned from this section is that it drives other people as crazy as it drives me (I just got an 85-track project in for remixing, with the only notes being the track names—ugh). Other topics include mixing in the box, automation, analog mixers, the order of adding sounds together (which of course is a matter of preference), stereo placement, processing, grouping, and the like. As befits the subject matter, this is a fairly lengthy section with lots of good advice; there’s even some time devoted to mixing to tape. The section concludes with the final mix (and video) of “All Our Yesterdays,” a song that was written specifically for this project, and used throughout for examples.

    The final “Bonus Track” is called Dealing with Disasters, which covers some studio horror stories. Fun stuff.

    The one curious omission is that mastering is not addressed at all, either as a discipline unto itself, or how to mix in order to give the best possible options to the mastering engineer. (Presumably this omission exists so that people will have to see my six "Mastering in Studio One" videos instead.)

     

    CONCLUSIONS

    There’s no doubt this is a highly educational video that’s loaded with useful info and insights, put together in a way that somehow manages to be both casual and professional at the same time. It really is a comprehensive overview, and aside from the mastering aspects, I don’t feel anything truly significant is overlooked or missing.

    But there’s something else about this video that provides a sort of hidden value. Many who are currently working “in the box” at home studios have never had the “big studio” experience—the collaboration among multiple talented people, using no-compromise gear, with a talented engineer steering the shop. ASSR gives an insight into that process, and if the DVD is an advertisement for anything, it’s an advertisement for the power of collaboration. Parsons practices what he preaches, bringing in luminaries not just for their names, but for their insights. All of them come across as real and sympathetic, not didactic people who are impressed with themselves and “know better than you do.”

    Just like Alan Parsons, and just like this video. They got it right.

     

     

    5318eebc49e23.jpg.c44265c92bbfa4d72a6a56226021bd00.jpgCraig Anderton is Editor Emeritus of Harmony Central. He has played on, mixed, or produced over 20 major label releases (as well as mastered over a hundred tracks for various musicians), and written over a thousand articles for magazines like Guitar Player, Keyboard, Sound on Sound (UK), and Sound + Recording (Germany). He has also lectured on technology and the arts in 38 states, 10 countries, and three languages.




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