Upgrade Your Studio!
Old Standbys & New Standouts
Welcome to one of my favorite topics––Studio Upgrades! For some of us, a studio upgrade can be that boutique piece of recording gear we have been dreaming about for months or years. It could be a new plugin effect that inspires new musical directions, a microphone or two, or perhaps a new set of studio monitors. Then again, studio upgrades might not be about the gear at all––they could be a snazzy new set of monitor stands or a fancy new comfortable chair perfect for hours-long editing sessions.
You will find all this and more in the November issue of RECORDING Magazine.
Reviews
As always, November is packed with 19 upgrade-a-licious product reviews. On the hardware side, from Shure, we have the new SM4 condenser microphone, the Footprint03 studio 3-way monitors from Barefoot Sound, and the unique LUNA, a stereo, mid-side mastering grade width processor from MCAudioLab. New from Focal, we listen to the company’s just-released Lensys Pro closed-back headphones. Also, in the hardware upgrade arena, Arturia brings us two ways to add eight ins or eight outs to any ADAT-equipped audio interface with the AudioFuse X8 In and X8 Out expansion interfaces. Then, IK Multimedia helps us make our room sound better with the ARC Studio room correction interface.
In software, from KIT Plugins, we have the latest take on the venerable Fairchild compressor, the BB F66/67––now everyone can use Martina McBride’s personal compressor from Black Bird Studio. Also, regarding dark-colored foul and compressors from Germany’s Black Rooster Audio, we check out the company’s new VTC-2 and Omnitel-436C compressor plugins. Stymon also brings us a pair of new pedal-based delay plugins (the El Capistan and DIG) in its new Echo Plugin Bundle. From Toontrack, we check out the newly released EZ Mix3 plugin suite, and finally, in software, we check out the groove-based BAM from Imaginado.
Perfect for this month’s topic, we also have a One-Handed Boom Mic Stand With Tripod Base, Wood Studio Monitor Stands and new Wireless Mic Clip from On-Stage, and the PhantomFocus eChair from Carl Tatz Design. Our final review comes from Lauten Audio as we put its new Rim Mount to the test on toms and snare.
Interview
Our interview this month is with 2X Emmy Award-winning composer, music supervisor, recording artist and producer Michael Whalen. We discuss his favorite techniques and tools of the trade in the worlds of film and television composition as well as his latest album, Watercolor Sky. [GET IT HERE]
Features
In this month’s installment of RECORDING Field Notes, Giles Reaves talks all about studio upgrades as he digs into everything but the gear. [GET IT HERE] Mark Hornsby is back Inside The Studio, where he imparts the importance of creating a vibe. [GET IT HERE] Joe Albano brings us another round of processes and processors in Studio 101, as he instructs us on the best tools to keep our audio clean. [GET IT HERE] Dave Martin returns with his thoughts in Readers’ Tracks, and Aaron Trumm wraps up the issue with the thought that sometimes downgrading is the best path to upgrading in this issue’s Fade Out.
Get upgraded in the November issue of RECORDING Magazine.