TECHNOLOGY FOCUS OUTBOARD GEAR
Expert Witness
A happy marriage between digital and analogue is the key to the modern studio, according to the experts at KMR Audio.
WHILE ‘HYBRID’ is not something often associated with recording studios, it is a word that can be used accurately to describe the modern version. By hybrid, we mean equipped with a blend of digital and analogue gear. It has become important in recent years for studios to offer both the flexibility and power of digital studio solutions (for example, DAWs, DSP devices, and the oodles of plug-ins now available) as well as the inimitable magic that analogue outboard imparts to audio. While once the debate raged between the two opposing forces of audio manipulation, nowadays it is accepted fact that both play a crucial role in modern studios. So what is it about
outboard that makes it more popular than ever? First, however good
software and digital devices are, however brilliant they are at doing a multitude of tasks quickly, efficiently, and recallably, they simply cannot recreate the magic, the essence, the ‘something’ that
36 October 2013
analogue gear can. Without wishing to debate the scientific basis of this assertion, this view is based on not only what our clients tell us, but also what they spend their hard-earned cash on time and time again. The modern studio is now a happy marriage between the efficiency of software-based recording, and the sonic flavours that only analogue gear can bring. Second, the very prevalence
of software and its inherent relative low cost has freed up budgets so that serious analogue gear can now be part of even the hobbyist’s home studio. With more processors being made than ever before, and without the need to buy huge tape recorders and consoles, quality mic-pres, EQs, and compressors are now more widely sought after than ever before. Look at the revolution in the 500 series format. You can now purchase genuinely quality mic pres, compressors, and EQs for only a few hundred quid. Because the source is always key to a great
recording, getting that signal recorded well means mic pres and channels strips are still the most popular items of analogue equipment. Unless someone is involved in purely electronic music (and even then mic pres are often used to impart character and tone to synths and even full mixes), every studio requires a microphone and behind every great microphone is a great mic pre. There are hundreds of
wonderful and versatile mic pres out there, offering every kind of sonic flavour you could want, and many that offer several sound characteristics in one unit. Most manufacturers make their own pre and pretty much all boutique-made pres are, these days, genuinely high quality. Many now even offer tone-shaping controls, such as harmonic distortion. Of course there’s Neve,
API, and SSL preamps, which stamp their sonic opinion with much familiar and loved ubiquity, while offerings from manufacturers such as Shadow Hills, A-Designs, Avalon, Crane
Song, UA, and dozens more demonstrate the range available. Yet because there is so much choice clients often worry about the sheer numbers of options. The current mindset is to try everything (sometimes dozens of pres), and while there’s nothing wrong with this, there’s really little to worry about. These days, as long as you stick with a recognisable name and buy from a reputable dealer, the unit is going to do good things for your signal.
SIGNAL SELECTION Two schools of thought seem to exist regarding recording signals. One says that getting a good, big, clean signal ‘to tape’ (to DAW) is key for manipulation later, whether by plug-in or more analogue processing. The other states that as finished an article as possible is key to a good recording, with everything else in the mix being made to fit, so judicious use of compression and EQ should be used to achieve this. Compression is usually
considered more important, Expert Witness
KMR was established in 2003 to provide a high level of service and support to all those interested in purchasing professional recording equipment. The staff members at KMR are experienced in all aspects of commercial audio engineering from acoustics, software and wiring to outboard, furniture, microphones, and monitoring and will be able to help from pre-purchase conceptual chats, to presenting a fully functional and bespoke studio.
www.kmraudio.com
as this can make your convertor perform to its best by getting the biggest signal to tape. EQ is more controversial, but experts at EQing before tape can produce bewildering results. Either way, whatever works
for you and your track, it can generally be agreed that it’s very difficult to fix a badly recorded mic signal in the mix. It’s so key to everything else, that if deciding what to spend your cash on, a world class pre or channel strip is usually the right unit to tackle first.
www.audiomedia.com
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