Phil O'Keefe

I like ribbon tweeters, but Adam's customer service has been suspect of late, according to http://www.gearslutz.com/board/moan-zone/419337-adam-audio-customer-service-no-good.html I have three pairs of ADAM monitors - S3A / A7 / A5 - so I'm obviously a BIG fan of their sound. I hadn't heard about the CS issues. But all of those are apparently things that have come up since ADAM and Dave Bryce parted ways. CS while Bryce was running ADAM USA was fantastic. :phil:

I'd possibly use compression to "even things out" a little, but I agree - it's primarily a leve issue, and you'll probably need to adjust your faders to get the mix right instead of trying to get it to work with just compression alone.

Welcome to the spam thread. There are some new rules, so please read this first BEFORE posting! FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE RULES WILL RESULT IN A TEMP BAN. **** The Rules: I'll try to close the previous week's spam thread sometime each Sunday evening / early Monday morning. At that time, the previous week's spam thread will be unstuck and locked. Everyone will be able to still read it as it drops off page one, but it won't be "bump-able". One post per person, per weekly spam thread. If the details have changed - for example, a item or two on your list has sold, you've lowered your asking price, or you no longer are looking for a new XYZ Toobyeller cheep - EDIT your original post. ANY and all exceptions to the one post, per person per weekly spam thread rule need to be approved by me PRIOR to the second post. This thread is for "want to buy", "want to sell" and "want to trade" posts ONLY. If you have a question about an item that's listed, please contact the seller via PM or email - don't ask questions in the thread. New pedal announcements from builders go in here too. The "one per week" rule applies. No discussion or questions about announcements in here. If someone unaffiliated with the builder wants to start a separate thread asking about it, that's fine, and the builder can respond - but we're getting way too many builder started "announcement" threads lately, so we're going to try this for a while instead. If you have questions regarding a certain pedal brand / type, or its suitability for various purposes / tasks, please do a search or start a new thread for that discussion. If a seller is asking too much (in your opinion), don't slam them for it in the thread. Yes, it might be helpful to some buyers, but OTOH, buyers should take the time to research anything they're considering buying... HC does not have any involvement in sales between private parties, or members and builders, and this ongoing weekly thread is posted as a public service - as always, caveat emptor!

Do you have a picture of the desk you're talking about? I had a Studiomaster Mixdown 16-8 for a while back in the day... must have been late 80s or early 90s. It wasn't a bad board - at least not at first. Not for the day anyway... but the EQ is a bit limited, and the noise specs are not that great by today's standards. Most troubling though, was a tendency for the knobs to "freeze" and "grab". If you didn't move them regularly, the knobs would practically lock up and require quite a bit of force to get them rotating again. I've noticed that on several Studiomaster boards over the years. Personally, I wouldn't really recommend them. Look for a used Soundcraft or something like that instead.

Welcome to the spam thread. There are some new rules, so please read this first BEFORE posting! FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE RULES WILL RESULT IN A TEMP BAN. **** The Rules: I'll try to close the previous week's spam thread sometime each Sunday evening / early Monday morning. At that time, the previous week's spam thread will be unstuck and locked. Everyone will be able to still read it as it drops off page one, but it won't be "bump-able". One post per person, per weekly spam thread. If the details have changed - for example, a item or two on your list has sold, you've lowered your asking price, or you no longer are looking for a new XYZ Toobyeller cheep - EDIT your original post. ANY and all exceptions to the one post, per person per weekly spam thread rule need to be approved by me PRIOR to the second post. This thread is for "want to buy", "want to sell" and "want to trade" posts ONLY. If you have a question about an item that's listed, please contact the seller via PM or email - don't ask questions in the thread. New pedal announcements from builders go in here too. The "one per week" rule applies. No discussion or questions about announcements in here. If someone unaffiliated with the builder wants to start a separate thread asking about it, that's fine, and the builder can respond - but we're getting way too many builder started "announcement" threads lately, so we're going to try this for a while instead. If you have questions regarding a certain pedal brand / type, or its suitability for various purposes / tasks, please do a search or start a new thread for that discussion. If a seller is asking too much (in your opinion), don't slam them for it in the thread. Yes, it might be helpful to some buyers, but OTOH, buyers should take the time to research anything they're considering buying... HC does not have any involvement in sales between private parties, or members and builders, and this ongoing weekly thread is posted as a public service - as always, caveat emptor!

That was a nice read, many of the points there contribute to why I record everything (even a practice run) you never know when the best take will happen. Especially now. I mean really - what does it hurt? I've never regretted recording something when it didn't work, but I have regretted not capturing something that happened. But I learned from my mistakes. Always roll tape*. Always. * "Spin disk" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Read, then discuss.

I'll be using my newly acquired drumkat percussion pad to trigger synths, drum samples, etc. out of Ableton Live. Right now I'm using a Mac Mini that has a 1.5Ghz Core Duo processor with 2GB RAM and it is barely keeping up with basic sequencing. I'm also using the built-in audio and I can only get the latency down to 128 samples at an 80% CPU load. Live measures this as an overall latency of 20ms. No real surprise there and I don't expect to get super low latencies with this setup. You'd most likely get better, more stable performance with a different audio / MIDI interface than you would with the onboard sound in your Mac Mini... however, something is strange / off with those latency readings. If you're running at 44.1 kHz, and are at 128 samples for the buffer, that's not going to result in a 20ms latency time - or at least it shouldn't. Now, I'm looking to do live performance and need a setup with low latency and rock solid performance. I do plan on sticking with a Mac for a computer. I just don't know if I should do a laptop or a tower. A laptop would be the cheaper solution of the two. I just wanted to get some opinions because I can't afford to waste money on something that isn't going to work. Thanks! I'd think you ought to be able to do fine with the Mini, but with a decent firewire interface instead of relying on the onboard sound. That's what I'd recommending trying first - that way, it's still going to be of use; even if you find you still want a faster, more powerful computer, you'll still be able to use the interface with it. How many tracks of audio are you running simultaneously with the MIDI sequencing? Are you using the internal drive, or do you have an external connected to it (for audio) too?

PS As far as the latency of PC card audio interfaces vs firewire or USB, I honestly do not know. Sorry.

So by "fastest", you're referring to lowest latency? Most modern USB / Firewire interfaces will do fine with very low buffer settings (which has a huge effect on latency) if you're only going to use it as a sound source and are not taxing the system with a ton of tracks and plugins. The bigger issue will probably be the MIDI interface... I'd look for a simple USB MIDI interface and connect the 5 pin MIDI out from the controller to that, and plug that into a USB port on the laptop. I like the M-Audio MIDI interfaces - they've been trouble free for me, and are very reasonably priced.

You need a C64 then Ken... 8 bit beeps and boops.

Right now, I have the best of all worlds. I have a Mac Pro with 10 gigs of RAM, that triple boots into OSX, Vista64, and XP 32. It is awesome. That's one significant advantage in a new Mac's favor - another one is the ease of setup and configuration - there's little or none of the jumping through hoops that you frequently have to do with a PC, and for those who want to spend more time making music and less dinking around with their computers, that's a serious point of consideration.

Yes. Why, I've even heard of some people who have gotten 8 1/2 years of service life out of a single-processor computer!!! Yes, scientists call them "Neanderthals". :poke: Mac or PC - either is fine, both can get the job done, and FWIW, I use both computer types... including the seven year old Ti Powerbook G4 laptop I'm typing this on. Now, to get serious for a second, and not in an effort to encourage or instigate any "platform warz", there is a legit reason why I personally prefer a PC in the studio, and summed up in a few words, it comes down to ease and speed of repair. When you rely on your computer as the central hub of your studio, and you use it daily, then reliability is a must, but let's face it - any computer can die on you. Hardware breaks. Computer software issues arise (more often on the PC than on the Mac in my experience... ) and other issues come up that can take your system offline. When that happens, I want the ability to get it fixed and back in action fast. Apple's customer service is actually quite good, as I recently experienced first hand when I had a kernel panic and needed some software disks. Apple got the disks to me in a matter of a few days, and were outstanding on the phone. I was seriously very impressed. But it still took a few days to get the machine back in service. A good friend of mine is a musician and graphic artist / web designer. He has several Macs. In the last year or so, he's had three major hardware failures, on two separate computers. Apple Care took care of all of them. In one case, they sent him the parts to DIY the repair, and that only took a few days. In two other cases, he had to send the machines back to Apple for repair, and that took upwards of two weeks for the turn around time. Fortunately, he has other computers that he was able to use to continue working... But for me, I would need a really nice Mac tower in order to run PT HD on it, and that's not exactly pocket change, so I wouldn't want to have to buy two in order to have one serve as a backup machine. Of course, if you buy a pre-configured DAW PC, or a Dell or other name brand, you're probably in a similar situation insofar as support and repair... but I don't go that route either. I build my own DAW machines. Heck yes, it's more work, and requires a certain amount of effort in order to research everything and make sure it's all going to be compatible and work together, but the upside is, at least to me, quite significant: If something breaks, I can run down to the local Best Buy (or one of several other computer stores in the area), or hit newegg.com and order the parts and have them sent to me overnight. Worst case scenario - I'm down for a day or two, maximum. Oftentimes, I can get back up and running the same day the problems arise. I can't afford to be shut down for any longer than necessary, and I can't really justify the cost of a backup computer. Therefore, being able to build / repair my own computers means a lot to me. YMMV.

Not only can you use the faders (real hardware controllers, or on screen virtual faders) to write in or touch your automation moves, but you can also use the mouse to edit the track's volume / vector display. That can be really useful for several things. For example heavy compression can accentuate sibilance and breath noises; you can use the faders to not only ride the gain, but also to dip or drop it completely to reduce or eliminate those problem areas. And if the problem area requires more precision than you can manage with the fader, that's a good point to switch over to the mouse for fine tuning. I normally prefer the "feel" and (IMO) musicality of mixing with hardware faders, but I also spend a lot of time with a mouse in one hand and hitting keyboard shortcuts with the other... IMO, both have their uses. Back to compression - riding the fader and compression are both useful, and each technique has its own set of advantages. Compression can be useful for not only dynamics control, but also envelope shaping - reducing or accentuating the perceived attack of the singer's notes, etc. It's also useful for bringing out intimacy or "breathiness" in a singer. Riding the faders can accomplish the control of the dynamics, but it's less appropriate for those other tasks; however, when done really well, it can sound more natural or transparent than many compressors can in terms of dynamics control. As with hardware faders and the mouse, sometimes the best approach is a combination of the two.

Windows XP computers can only have 4GB of RAM, and anything over 3GB is a bit of a sticking point... you can "get back" some of it, but the maximum that will normally be available is around 3.2 - 3.4 GB, depending on what hardware you have installed on the machine. I'm not sure what the current Mac RAM limitations are under OS 10.5. I would imagine that, like Vista 64 bit versions, it's higher though. I have 4 GB of RAM on my dual core Athlon 64 PC / PT 7.4 HD 2 Accel system. I did see some improvements when I bumped up from 2GB to 4GB, but mostly in terms of elastic audio performance and stability. In terms of max simultaneous native plugins, the best thing I ever did was to go to a dual core CPU. That made a BIG difference. If you use a lot of simultaneous VSTi's or RTAS-i's (virtual instruments) that have high RAM usage, 4 GB is highly recommended. IMO, a fairly fast dual core CPU and 4 GB of RAM (on either a Mac or PC) should be sufficiently powerful to provide a good 2-3 years of service life, even for users who place fairly high demands on their system.

What Ken said - start with a 2:1 ratio, and don't slam it hard - and don't use too short of a release time. Adjust to taste. PS Don't forget the fader / automation - that's some of the best "compression" you can get right there - ride those faders

ADAM A7's go up to 35 kHz.

By the way, does the forum still have polls? Yes, you can still post polls. On the issue of "why?", it's mainly due to the fact that there is a considerable DSP / computer processor "hit" when running at higher sample rates, and storage requirements also increase with higher sample rates. Since almost everything I do goes to either CD or MP3, 24/44.1 is sufficient for my needs.

24 bit / 44.1 kHz. It's very rare that I use anything else, although our setup is fully 96 kHz capable.

. Not to hijack the thread (but since I know the moderator, I just might be able to get away with it ), but I'd love to hear more about that. I'm generally not a huge fan of transformerless mikes in general... give me the iron, and no one gets hurt.

I own a Brick, and I think it's fantastic. It's my "go to" for bass DI duties, coupled with a FMR RNLA. I don't use it as often as a vocal preamp. It works fine as such IMO, but you need to be aware of some of the limitations of the unit. It has no metering on it, so you're going to have to (GASP!) use your ears to set it and to know if you're overloading anything. There's no HPF, and no pad on it either. Gain maxes out at about 55 dB, so it's not an ideal choice for use with most ribbon mikes. It does have phantom power though, so it will work fine with condenser mikes that require that. My SP modded 414 sounds pretty sweet through it - at least on my voice. Thick, chewy, and yet detailed. IMO, it's the lowest priced "true" tube mic preamp, and by far the best sounding budget tube mic pre on the planet - and unlike some low budget "toob" products, this is the real deal - large transformers, real tubes (three, IIRC) and high plate voltages - none of that starved plate trickery. Even if you only use it as a DI, at $400 (or thereabouts), IMO, it's a no brainer. The first two preamps I recommend to people on a budget are the Brick and the FMR RNP. Both are real overachievers and great bargains IMO.

I was just wondering if there are any pres/mics combos specific to the loud volume vox. I'll definitely look into your suggestions, and I greatly appreciated the post! Yeah, it was a good post, but no surprise - Ken's known for them. Loud vocals have other attributes besides just being "loud", and depending on the variables, one mic might work great, while another might not. For a loud, thin or reedy vocalist, or a thinner sounding screamer, try a SM7b or a RE20 into a Neve (or Neve inspired) preamp.

Fletcher is more likely to say that an NTK is a crappy toob Maocrophone sold at Banjo Mart and it's not possible to make good recordings with it. I would think he'd say it's not his favorite mic, and that YMMV, but I'd rather let him voice his own opinons rather than to put words in his mouth or guess. I own an NTK. It's a nice mic IMO. Not a bad mic at all, but not my first choice for most singers. It has an "excited" quality to the top - not as harsh and brittle as some budget LDC's, but it can be too much for some singers. In my experience, it does like to be pushed; it can handle pretty high SPL's very easily. On baritones, it fares better than on tenors IMO. And I think it is at its best as a bass mic - especially on upright. As Fletcher would say, YMMV.