Pensado's Place: #36 - Brian Kennedy

"GRAMMY award-winning Producer Brian Kennedy, best known for writing Rihanna's "Disturbia" and Chris Brown's "Forever", joins Dave and Herb in the 36th episode of Pensado's Place! "

Danfield Audio mx20vpr 500 series Mic Pre

The  mx20vpr is a hot swappable 500 series Mic Pre from Danfield Audio. As one of the first members of the VPR Alliance their products work flawlessly with API's 500 series racks.

"The design of the mx20vpr is based upon our famous mx20 transformerless rack system, originally designed for classical tracking applications."
"It is designed for the engineer who wants absolute signal transparency when multi-tracking with quality studio microphones. The front layout is like all Danfield Audio products - very simple and user friendly.

The mx20vpr module is fully hot-swappable during operation. This is very useful in live recordings, where downtime is unwanted."

$629 at Alto Music.
Also take a look at their MX30-t Recording Channel.

Thinking of upgrading your hard drive? Check this out.

SSD drives are all the rage these days and with good reason.
OWC (Other World Computing) is a company known for top quality products and great customer service.Their Mercury Extreme Pro SSD (Solid State Drive) hard drives are ranked as one the best and fastest on the market today. 
Take a look at this video comparing the launch times of a standard Macbook Pro and one with OWC's SSD drive.

Here's a comparison chart from OWC's website:




OWC Mercury Extreme Pro features:

• Designed & built in the US from domestic & imported parts.
• Intelligent "recycling" for advanced free space management.
• Best in class error correction (ECC) and SandForce RAISE™ technology provides RAID-like data protection and reliability without loss of transfer speed due to parity.
• SandForce® Processor with 7% over-provisioning maximizes read and write performance to greatly extend the endurance and overall reliability.

• Up to 100X greater data protection than the highest rated enterprise class conventional hard disk drive (HDD) provides.
• SandForce DuraClass™ technology with ultra-efficient block management & wear leveling offers highest endurance and performance in a SSD.
• Chip Based Data Encryption: 256-bit & 128-bit AES-compliant

Pensado's Place: #35 - All Q&A Episode

"In the 35the episode of Pensado's Place, Dave and Herb host an all Q+A episode with Corner Office questions from the Live Chat room as well as their Facebook fan page (facebook.com/pensadosplace)."

Magma Announces Three-Slot Expansion Chassis for Thunderbolt™ Technology

Magma recently announced the ExpressBox 3T which is an expansion chassis that uses the Thunderbolt connector on the new and upcoming Apple computers. This will make it possible to run your Protools, UAD, video capture cards etc. on computers that lack PCIe slots such as the iMac and Macbooks. It seems there might be an option to order it as PCI-X, PCIe or both. Should be available by the end of the year and comes with a carry case. I plan on setting up a mobile rig with a Macbook Pro and the ExpressBox 3T will make it much easier to do.

The price is rumoured to be under $1000.

From their website:

"ExpressBox 3T provides an 'outside-the-box' solution for using PCIe® cards with Thunderbolt-equipped computers. High-performance flows are possible by connecting a Thunderbolt equipped computer to a Magma ExpressBox 3T containing PCIe cards such as video capture, media transcoding, audio processing, and fast data storage. And because Thunderbolt is also based on DisplayPort technology, you can daisy chain a high-resolution display with your Magma ExpressBox 3T."

"ExpressBox 3T is a sleek anodized silver chassis with three PCIe 2.0 slots, a cooling fan, a 220W internal power supply, and travel bag for easy transportation.  ExpressBox 3T and up to six Thunderbolt devices can be daisy-chained including Thunderbolt and DisplayPort displays.  Magma is actively working with development partners such as Apple, Avid, AJA, Red, ATTO, Fusion-io and Promise Technology to validate application performance with ExpressBox 3T in broadcast video and pro audio environments."

Visit the website for more info and fill out the form if you're interested in the 3T.

http://www.magma.com/thunderbolt.asp#form

Waves H-EQ Hybrid Equalizer

Waves new H-EQ looks very interesting. I already have and use extensively their H-Comp and H-Delay. Both excellent plugins.


From the Waves website:
"H-EQ is a uniquely powerful hybrid equalizer, featuring vintage and modern EQ inspired by the finest British and American consoles; seven different filter types per band, including a newly-developed, one-of-a-kind asymmetrical bell filter; an intuitive keyboard graphic that lets you choose frequencies by clicking on notes; an exclusive MS Mode so you can apply different EQ to Mid and Side content; and a flexible real-time frequency spectrum analyzer with multiple display options."




Read more:http://www.waves.com/content.aspx?id=11818#ixzz1XHAvhzOF

JoeCo BlackBox Multichannel Recorder

As a foolproof way of recording and playing up to 64 channels of 24bit/96khz audio for live shows the Blackbox Recorder seems like a no brainer. No computer freeze/crash to worry about just connect and go. There are many different I/O options to suit your needs and it uses FAT32 7200rpm USB2 drives that are easily obtained at various locations:

"The BLACKBOX RECORDER is the first dedicated large-scale multi-channel recorder for audio acquisition and capturing live performance. Unlike many other devices, it doesn’t double as a studio recorder or a cut-down workstation - there are no plug-ins or effects to modify the captured sound. Quite simply, what you hear is what you get!

Available in both analogue and digital variants, the BlackBox Recorder family offers a choice of professional interfaces to any live mixing console. The recorder can capture up to 24 channels of 24Bit/96kHz audio in Broadcast WAV (BWAV) format. For large scale recordings, multiple units can be linked together."

General Specifications Sample Rates: 44.1kHz, 48kHz, 88.2kHz, 96kHzBit depths: 16bit; 24bitDisk interface: USB2Format: FAT32File type: Broadcast WAV (BWAV)Media: USB2 hard disk (7200rpm recommended),   USB2 flash drive - 200x minimum (except for   MADI and DANTE systems which have more   demanding data rates), SHDC (Class 10 with   suitable adapter except MADI and DANTE)Monitoring: 1 x 1/4” TRS jack socket,   headphone mix/soloPhysical: 19” rack mounted 1UDimensions: (425mm x 150mm x 44mm)Weight: < 2.4kg

Control and Synchronisation MIDI: 1 x 5-pin DIN (open loop) – MIDI time   code (MTC) and MIDI machine control (MMC)   protocolLTC: 1 x 1/4” TRS jack socket:   Frame rates supported: 30fps, 29.97drop fps,   29.97non-drop fps, 25fps, 24fps, 23.98fpsMachine control: 1 x 9-pin D, SONY PII protocolAudio clock synchronisation: 2 x RCA sockets   AES3 / SPDIF Format, also used for   communications to slave unitsFootswitch: momentary switch on ring of LTC   TRS socketKeyboard: 1 x mini DIN PS2 connector,   Standard 102 keyPower: 9v – 16V dc (< 25W). 2.1mm dc inlet.   PSU supplied

Analogue Inputs: Levels: -10dBu / +4dBu switchable Max input level: +22dBu = 0dBFS A-D conversion: 24bit, 96kHz 106dB S/N, 96dB THD+N (typical A-weighted)

Analogue Outputs: Levels: -10dBu / +4dBu switchable Max output level: +22dBu = 0dBFS D-A conversion: 24bit, 96kHz 106dB S/N, 94dB THD+N (typical A-weighted)

BBR1U Unbalanced i/o via 3 x 25way D-sub connectors (3 x ¼" TRS multicore looms supplied – TASCAM analogue format). Designed to plug across the insert points on a standard analogue console	Loop through outputs available on ch 17-24 on ¼" TRS jack sockets for connection to outboard equipment
BBR1B Balanced i/o via 6 x 25way D-sub connectors. Lower row – inputs; Upper row – outputs. (TASCAM analogue format, cable looms not supplied)	No loop through outputs. Power: 30W PSU supplied. Other connectors as BBR1U
BBR1A Lightpipe i/o via 3 x TOSLINK inputs and 3 x TOSLINK outputs (24 channels @ 48k, 12 channels @ 96k). Word clock input on BNC. Unbalanced analogue as BBR1U (cable looms not supplied)	Loop through outputs as BBR1U available on analogue i/o only. Other connectors as BBR1U
BBR1D AES3 (2003) i/o via 3 x 25way D-sub connectors – upper row. (Yamaha format pin out standard). Word clock input on BNC. Unbalanced analogue as BBR1U (cable looms not supplied)	Loop through outputs as BBR1U available on analogue i/o only. Power: 30W PSU supplied. Other connectors as BBR1U
BBR64-MADI MADI coax (BNC) in and out. MADI optical in and out. Wordclock in or out (switchable BNC). 8 x balanced analogue inputs on 25w D-type (Tascam format)	No loop through outputs. Power: 20W on 4pin mini XLR - universal PSU supplied. Other connectors as BBR1U
BBR-DANTE Standard DANTE Ethernet connection on RJ45 connector. Wordclock in or out (switchable BNC). 8 x balanced analogue inputs on 25w D-type (Tascam format)	No loop through outputs. Power: 20W on 4pin mini XLR - universal PSU supplied. Other connectors as BBR1U http://www.joeco.co.uk/main/index.html

New UAD v6.0 Software: Ampex, Brainworx, Pro Tools, SPL & Mac OS X Lion.

Login to UA    |    Help    |    Contact

The long-awaited UAD Powered Plug-Ins v6.0 has landed, with UA's stunning emulation of the Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder, Direct Developer plug-ins from Brainworx® and SPL®, significantly enhanced Pro Tools® integration, and support for Mac®OS X 10.7 Lion.
In celebration of this big UAD Software release, we've put together aSpecial Introductory Offer (see sidebar).

New v6.0 Software Features:

Ampex® ATR-102 Mastering Tape Recorder Plug-In
The ATR-102 plug-in can turn music recordings into records, faithfully replicating the unique dynamics, saturation, head configurations and tape formulas used on the best-sounding mastering tape machine in history.
Brainworx® bx_digital V2 EQ Plug-In
This integrated audio toolkit provides precise 11-band equalization and M/S (mid-side) processing — letting you add presence and transparency to mixes.
SPL® Vitalizer MK2-T Plug-In
A spot-on emulation of the popular tube-based hardware unit, this longtime staple works in both the time and frequency domains to effectively unmask overlapping sounds and bring life to mixes.
Significant Pro Tools enhancements
UAD v6.0 streamlines the UAD plug-ins workflow in Pro Tools, via removal of the VST-to-RTAS wrapper, and numerous control and automation improvements.
Mac® OS X 10.7 Lion compatibility 
UAD v6.0 software ensures that customers running Mac OS X 10.7 Lion will have a seamless experience with their UAD Powered Plug-Ins.
Click here to download UAD v6.0 software.
Then hurry to UA's Online Store because the v.6.0 Special Introductory Offer ends at 12:00 AM (Pacific Time) on October 1st, 2011. Enjoy.

 

Buy the Ampex® ATR-102, bx_digital V2 EQ, or the SPL® Vitalizer MK2-T plus a second plug-in, and you'll save 20% on the additional plug-in.*
Or add two more plug-ins to any v6.0 plug-in purchase, and you'll save 30% on the additional plug-ins.*
Hurry, this Special Introductory Offer endsOctober 1st, 2011.

*Note that the new Ampex ATR-102, Brainworx bx_digital V2 EQ, and SPL MK2-T Vitalizer are NOT discounted as part of this special offer. Only the additional (pre- UAD v6.0) plug-ins purchased during the transaction are discounted. For contractual reasons, discounts cannot be redeemed toward the UAD 4K/SSL Crossgrade offer.

Phone Support:

• USA: 877-MY-UAUDIO
•           [877-698-2834]
• Int'l: +1-831-440-1176
• FAX: +1-831-461-1550

Available from 9am - 5pm
Monday through Friday, PST

Online Support:

• General Inquiries
• info@uaudio.com
• Technical Support
• & Webstore Issues
• Support Request

Mailing Address:

• Universal Audio, Inc.
• 1700 Green Hills Rd
• Scotts Valley CA 95066-4926

Pensado's Place: #34 - Greg Wells

"Greg Wells is a two time Grammy nominated producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles who has worked with Mika, Katy Perry, Timbaland, OneRepublic, Pink, Jamie Cullum, Alexz Johnson, J Davey, The Deftones, Rufus Wainwright, k. d. lang, Otep, The Veronicas, Lindsay Lohan, Natasha Bedingfield, Ryan Cabrera, The Pussycat Dolls, Creeper Lagoon, Amy Correia, Jewel, Jesse McCartney, Michelle Branch, Anna Waronker, Celine Dion, Ozzy Osbourne, Jars of Clay, Aerosmith, Elton John, and Ahmet Ertegun. CD's featuring Greg's songs have sold over 60 million units worldwide."

Facebook music service launching 22nd September with Spotify, Rdio and MOG

I saw this article on TNW and it seems the rumours are true about Facebook's new music service.

"Facebook is reportedly launching a new music service on September 22nd, reports CNBC. That is also the date of Facebook’s annual f8 Developer Conference.

John Fortt of CNBC’s Fast Money Halftime Report is saying that ‘someone familiar with the plans’ has told him that  ”Facebook plans to launch its long rumored music service at the f8 conference on September 22nd.”

Fortt goes on to state that it seems likely that Facebook won’t actually host the music, but will “partner with others who do that.”

It seems likely at this point that the partnership will be with Spotify, who has been previously rumored to be launching a music service with Facebook, as we reported in May. Fortt suggests that Facebook will actually be partnering with Spotify, Rdio and MOG, so as not to play favorites, which is backed up by sources which have told the same to Mashable."

Read the full article on TheNextWeb.com

INWARD CONNECTIONS TSL-4 VAC RAC Stereo Tube Limiter

Inward Connections recently released the TSL-4 Vac Rac. It is a stereo tube limiter which follows in their tradition of great sound and ease of use. I posted about the earlier TSL-3 model a few months ago. It would make a great companion to their Magnum VU Mic Pre as part of your mic chain and their 690 Summing Mixer for mixing duties. "Nearly two decades ago, Inward Connections created the TLM-1 (Tube Limiter Module) for their Vac Rac modular processing system. The TLM-1 was highly favored by many of the world’s top recording engineers and when the modular Vac Rac was discontinued, the TLM-1 topology found life as a new standalone, dual-channel unit. Thus, the TSL series was born. The Inward Connections TSL-4 Vac Rac is the latest incarnation of this classic design. It adds new features without altering the sonic signature engineers have come to revere – Smooth limiting presented with the euphonic character and warmth of tubes. If you want to control the transients of vocals, guitars, bass or the mix bus, without tweaking a whole bunch of controls, the TSL-4 is exactly what you’ve been looking for. Inward Connections also offers the TSL-4V Vac Rac. The TSL-4V is the TSL-4 equipped with hand-selected and factory-installed NOS tubes. The TSL-4V is a special order item and subject to the availability of tubes required."

Features per channel: 40-Detent Gain Makeup Control – variable control of 14dB of output gain 40-Detent Gain Reduction Control – variable control of up to 40dB of gain reduction Bypass Switch – engages or disengages the gain reduction element Output Switch – Assigns meters to Gain Reduction or Output Hi-Pass Filter Switch – engages 100Hz high pass filter within the gain reduction circuit Link Switch – Links opto cells of both channels for stereo operation Large 3"x3" Illuminated VU meter Zero trim to calibrate the meter in Limit mode Tubes used in both input channels: Input stage - 6072A, Output stage - 12BH7A Power Supply: Pure Class A high voltage tube design with AC Voltage selector Unit dimensions: 3 rack space. 5.25" Height, 19" Width, 11.5" Depth Rugged, well-ventilated, 3U steel chassis design Classic vintage look Transformer Balanced, Line Level, XLR inputs and outputs Specifications: Gain Reduction: up to 40db Input Impedance: >100k ohms Frequency Response: +/- 0.5 dB @ 20Hz to 20KHz Output Signal to Noise Ratio: -85dB THD + Noise: .015% @ 20Hz (0dB ref.) .085% @ 20KHz (0dB ref.) .15% @ 20Hz to 20KHz (+30dB ref.) Maximum Input Level: +20dB Maximum Output Level: +20dBm @ 600 ohms +34dBv @ 10K ohms Output Impedance: 600 ohms transformer balanced output  $3550 at VintageKing

7 Effective Strategies To Get Your Music Noticed

DiscMakers who is well known as one of the premier companies for CD/DVD authoring, duplication and replication has a blog with a lot of useful info.

Here is an excerpt from one of their articles about marketing strategies for independent artists:

"Although most bands would like to have the kind of budget to promote their latest album on TV, radio, and billboards, they are more likely to have just enough to print up posters for the next gig. And yet indies can get the kind of attention that major label acts get. You just need to plan appropriately and implement a few tried-and-true strategies.

Here are seven effective strategies to get you and your music noticed. The good news is they’re easy on the pocketbook and can be acted on today. All they take is a bit of time and some thought about how to get your music directly in front of the people that are likely to be your new fans. While they may not have heard of you yet, if you follow these strategies, they will."

Read more: 7 Effective Strategies To Get Your Music Noticed | Echoes – Insight for Independent Artists http://blog.discmakers.com/2009/12/seven-effective-strategies-to-get-your-music-noticed/#ixzz1WY68KbHk

Make sure you visit http://www.discmakers.com/ to see all the services they offer including The $49 Mega Distribution Bundle which includes everything you need to start selling your CDs and downloads online

Read more:Digital Music Distribution - iTunes, CD Baby, Amazon and more!http://www.discmakers.com/services/WebDistribution.asp#ixzz1WYIM6a4F

Need a way to record no matter where you are? Get this.

Creativity can strike at any time and sometimes its not possible to get to the studio to lay down your song ideas right away. The ProStudioApp allows you to get the song down immediately and even export and send them to the other members of your production team/group/band.

The ProStudioApp - Mobile Recording Studio App V1.3.5 is literally like having a recording studio in your iPhone. The $9.99 app is very simple to use as can be seen from this video on their website:

“…new digital recording tools are going beyond the computer—into the pocket and onto the Web. The increasing power of smartphones means that musicians can now carry a complete digital scratch pad in their pockets, while moving the recording application to the Web allows simple collaboration with anyone from around the world,…”

Visit their website at http://novleg.com/ for more info and download it from the App Store here.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MJ

Today Is Michael Jackson's Birthday. He would have been 53 years old.

I feel no need to discuss the why and when of his passing as the media has discussed it at length.

What I would like to mention is the legacy of music he left behind that will intrigue, inspire and entertain  fans new and old for many years to come.

Thank you MJ for the many great songs and performances over the years.

You were both the consummate entertainer and an inspiration. Your Thriller album was one of my many motivations to be an engineer because I wanted to learn how to capture, create and mold the sounds I was hearing on that album.

I also want to thank the Jackson 5, Quincy Jones, Bruce Swedien and the many other (too many to list) talented producers, engineers and musicians who were involved in your music.

It would have been great to see you live on stage once more but sadly it was not meant to be. I know I speak for many when I say you are greatly missed.

Happy Birthday Michael,

May You Rest In Peace

MJ's Official Website

MJ's Wikipedia page

Own Maschine? Check this out.

Tempo Records and DJ Supply is currently selling a variety of faceplates and wood trim from Jesse Dean Designs for NI's Maschine.
The face plates are $24.99 and the wood trim is $54.99 and are available in various styles and colors.

Here's a YouTube clip showing how to install both products:

Visit Tempo Records website for more info and here's a link to a previous post showing how to do MPC style sampling on Maschine.
http://garynobleshow.blogspot.com/2011/06/mpc-sampling-and-slicing-on-native.html

Pensado's Place: #33 - David Kutch

"In the 33rd episode of Pensado's Place, Dave is joined by Mastering Engineer David Kutch of The Mastering Palace (http://www.themasteringpalace.com). David has mastered albums for such artists as Alicia Keys, Puff Daddy, John Legend, Yelawolf and Outkast. David answers viewer questions in "The Corner Office", and was kind enough to join us for "Batter's Box" as well! At the end of the episode, the guys announce the Avid Pro Tools 9 Week 5 Giveaway winner."

Aaliyah's Top 10 Billboard Hits

Billboard posted an article to commemorate the 10th year anniversary of Aaliyah's untimely death. She would have been 32 this year.
The article gives  a lot of info about each of her hits and includes the video of each song. Two of my favorites are "One In A Million" and "Try Again"

" Aaliyah staked her claim on the Billboard charts from the birth of her career. "Back and Forth" -- the first single off her first album "Age Ain't Nothing But a Number" -- skyrocketed to No. 1 on multiple R&B/hip-hop surveys two months after debuting. But it wasn't until Aaliyah met close friends Missy Elliott and Timbaland that her chart domination spread across the board. In all, Aaliyah totaled four No. 1 titles and 12 top 10s on Billboard's Nielsen BDS-based Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop radio airplay chart."


Read the rest of the article here.