Recording Software

I'm sure everyone out there has their preferred way of doing things- including software preferences for recording. Although there are dozens of options available for professional quality results, I'd like to recommend a few software music production programs that have worked well for me. I will only post those products that I have used extensively, therefore you know my knowledge and opinion is based on real experience with the product. Keep in mind some software is platform exclusive to Mac or PC. However the majority is cross-platform.

• Ableton Live

  
  This versatile piece of music software can be used in so many different applications from DJs to remixes to sampling. It it driven by a powerful mixer with two views the standard horizontal track view, or the session view which is columns of clips that can be played in any order and arranged in realtime. One of the greatest features is the instrument and effects window at the bottom. It shows the signal level in MIDI velocity and audio pre and post effects.
  
  
  DJs will find the crossfader assignment (A/B buttons) easy to use for live mixes and in the studio. For the control freaks (or anyone with a midi controller, usb/firewire audio interface or control surface), the way to implement these controls in Live couldn't be simpler. Simply identift the parameter you want to control thru your hardware controller, say the Master Volume. By clicking the Key Map button, every parameter is highlighted orange and can be controlled. Choosing one parameter, then click on the MIDI Map to identify the controller for the Master Volume. You have now successfully set up a control for the Master Volume. With most MIDI controllers, they have presets of parameters, making swichting between sets where different parameter automations are required.
  
  Musicians and DJs alike have been complementing or even focusing their performances around Live for a few years now. At $499 for the boxed version, it is worth every penny. Also the Operator synth, a native integrated mappable synth in Live can be bought for a discounted price with Live.
  
  
  

• Steinberg Cubase

  
  In the highly competitive market of multitrack computer software, Cubase has always had their place in the game. With several versions of their renowned Cubase software from LE, to SE to SX, there are levels of knowledge and breadth of capability for all producers. Cubase also comes bundled with many pieces of hardware these days, such as the Alesis MultiMix Firewire mixers. Combining the analog inputs with an intuitive firewire interface, Cubase works seamlessly the mixer routing inputs and making recording up to 16 channels simultaneously easy. From experience I'd tend to doubt Cubase as I only saw it being used on PCs, but know I can attest that Cubase performs great on my MacBook Pro. If I had a larger multichannel interface like the MultiMix from Alesis, I would definately use Cubase everytime for recording. When I try Cubase more, I'll update to give the results of comparison testing with other software.
  

• Digidesign Pro Tools

  
  Usually "Pro Tools" and "Industry standard" are used in the same sentence, yet recent releases by other software companies have gotten a foot in the door of the music production software market held tightly by Digidesign. Pro Tools recently partnered with M-Audio to offer a more affordable piece of software for home musicians, called Pro Tools M-Powered. It has some limitations compared to the HD and LE versions, but the has plently for the beginner Pro Tools user. Similar is the Mbox system, a 2 channel USB interface with Pro Tools LE. I interened at a professional recording studio for 5 months in the beginning if 2006, and they used the Pro Tools HD system. The interface is straighforward, setting up channels and routing couldn't be easier. The Sony Oxford plugin suite integrated extremely with the recording. Most impressive was the power of Pro Tools- no lag whatsoever.
  

Apple Computers

To those few Macintosh users out there, (or the slightly larger percentage in the music industry)- I would like to tell how great the new MacBook Pro really is- even if its got a little Intel in it. I've been using Macs for 12 years, from the Performa 68000, Apple IICs, Powerbook 150, iMac, eMac, iBook, Powerbooks and now this beast. Now in college, I have full ownership of my Mac, and I take great pride in doing so.

Not only is is perfect for running Ableton Live, Reason, ProTools and any other recording software, but it is much easier than using the same software on PCs. being able to start so easily and have the MacBook Pro recognize the MIDI controller and FireWire output would equate to a half hour search for the drivers, installation and rebooting on a similar PC.

Included at a discount was of course the "free" iPod offer, where you get a $179 rebate towards any iPod. Being a content 1G Shuffle user, I decided I wanted a 30G iPod. From the regular price of $299 I got it for $90 with the rebate! I am thrilled. Just as amazing was the deal I got on the RAM upgrade. Certainly the 512 MB included does itself worthy, but I was looking for 1G total. Well the Apple Store at Crossgates was out of additional 512 memory, so they offered the additional 1G at half price! Only $150 bucks.

As I booted up, I was promted with the choice to transfer data from another Mac. I found my Firewire 400 cable and set it to work. 31 Gigabytes and about 1 hour later, my MB was looking just like my eMac interface. Very efficient how it just transferred everything. No more repeated updates.

Also a revolutionary event of the day was the installation of the wireless network in our house. WIth the AirPort Express and Extreme Card (for the eMac) it was running in half an hour. Still cannot get the printer to work...but we have 3 printers so I think we'll live.

Here's the picture:

Circuit Bending Part II

Once you become familiar with the basic setup of the keyboard, calculator, toy, etc. that you'll be bending it is time for true experperimentation to begin. This is where the implementation of parts comes in. Basic parts that I'd recommend to start with would be:

single pole switches- toggle one circuit on or off
LEDs- light emitting diodes to represent the power on, output level
resistors- lower the current flowing through the circuit
capacitors- store the current for an amount of time and releases it
variable resistors (also known as potentiometers)- a resistor with a range of resistance

To show what can be done with all these parts- here are the before and after pics of my Casio ML-1.
Before bend-

After bend-


The beauty of circuit bending is that each device can turn into something completely different, even if using the same starting device. The Casio bend above included:

-1/4" output
-potentiometer to control 4 pitchbend effects
-6 single pole single throw (SPST) toggle switches (from L-R: effect 1, body contacts on/off, effect 2, effect 3, effect 4, speaker on/off)
-green LED wired to output
-new paint job

Best list ever....

The 'Top 10 Strangest Music Devices' blog post above blew me away. Yes, most of the inventions on there are impractical and just for the sake or making it for the developer, however the Audiopad (#4) striked me as unique and profound. Audiopad, created by two MIT students, combines a computer based program with a projected table top movement based interface. It is the most physical way to control music, much like Tom Cruise controlled the computer with his hands in 'Minority Report'. Using antennas it coordinates the movement of 'pucks', the modules of the souds, microphone and effects. Each module is sensitive to others around it, and displays a rotating image on the table. My explaination of this does not do the Audiopad worthy, please watch the video below and visit the audiopad website.

Circuit Bending Part I

I've recently become very interested in this underground music making/rebel art/experimental electronics. Its pioneer, Q. Reed Ghazala became interested in taking apart toys in the 70s such as Texas Instruments' Speak and Spell and Speak and Math toys. Today, a vast variety of circuit bending festivalsand artists showcase their talent by circuit bending synthesizers. The only thing one needs to start off is a little creativity- no experience with music or electronics is required, which makes it easy for anyone. A few tools, coated wire, and soldering equipment are the basic requirements; parts and others come later.

A small keyboard, such as a Casio PT-100 would be simple to start on becasue it is fairly simple and can be found on eBay or a garage sale for a few dollars.

Take off the plastic housing with a screwdriver, hook up the batteries (duck tape in place if necessary) and get a piece of insulate wire, to test with.

[Important sidenote: Never attempt to circuit bend any device with an AC plug. The high voltage can easily kill you. The low voltage of batteries (around 6-9 volts) won't do more than a slight shock or spark in the worst case scenario. Don't be stupid and try it. I did for a few minutes without noticing, but I quickly stopped.]

Holding one end of the wire on the speaker leads (usually red and white), turn the keyboard or whatever on, and touch the free end of the wire to various capacitors, resistors, chips, or anything else that looks cool. Chances are the majority if metal/wire contacts you touch, little or no sound will be produced. Once you find a good sound however, touch more parts in that area to get a sense for whats good and whats useless. Familiarize yourself with the names of the parts written on the PC board. If you're organized you can record which parts do what, or mark the board with Sharpie.

First Blog

Welcome to this blog about all things audio production, the music industry, equipment, bands, home producers etc. This site will serve as the center for knowledge of the entire realm of music media, dubbed the "audio scene".

Anyone with suggestions for a better name let me know.

Now onto a little bit about me, the blog poster, audio scene master, musician, DJ, student: My name is Jeff Roeser, an 18 year old from Upstate New York. I have a passion for music creation, performance, and all the technical aspects of equipment such as mixers, speakers, amps and so on. In August, I'll be starting college at the University of Hartford- majoring in Audio Engineering Technology. What seems to be a near perfect fit for my interests, this intriguing major combines music theory, audio production, electronics, acoustics and some math and physics.

As I look forward to start school, I wanted to combine all my knowledge and share it with others (i.e. make a blog). Currently I have many separate websites, some defunct, that I would like to bring together. I do my own web design, and I have a small amount of web space so I teach myself basic HTML and get along most of the time with my browser.

So for all musicians, producers, or whoever else enjoys reading, thanks.