I’ve had several audio engineer colleagues be surprised lately when they run into “big noise problems” in their digital recording environments. “What to do?”, I’ve been asked…
Well, maybe nothing, or…. Maybe, turn it up!
I did a remix long ago of the Nirvana track, Smells Like Teen Spirit. We got the 24 track tape and when I put it up, couldn’t believe how it sounded. Total JUNK! GARBAGE…
But that was the sound the band recorded. That was the sound of their hit. You can be sure none of Nirvana’s 16 year old fans wrote in and complained about the noise on the track.
With the onset of digital it has become practically necessary to add noise back in for character, color, and tone. Especially in certain genres. Tons of distortion and noise filling out many hip hop track still today. Others too.
And there’s the return of the electronic tube to the audio recording world. Adding 3rd harmonic distortion back in to get away from the clinical nature of digital. More on this in another post soon.
Happy recording and remember, There are no rules!
My beloved SoundWorkshop console just sold on eBay. More on Jesse in Portland soon… He’s the proud new owner.
We’ve been hanging out in the studio getting sentimental about the board. We’re going to start documenting and packing today. Some clients are getting very sentimental too so they’re stopping by… I hadn’t really expected that.
I’ve been into SoundWorkshop consoles almost as long as I’ve been into recording. I’ve worked in studios all over the world on almost every kind of console. And I always find myself yearning for the ease of good sound on APIs and SoundWorkshops when I’m not on them.
But time has changed recording styles and methodologies. I find having a 10 foot long console in the middle of the room just isn’t efficient anymore. Especially when trying to monitor audio for video and surround formats like 5.1. So out it goes and in I go to exploring new horizons and possibilities once again.
My plan now is to redo the studio as a more compact room with 5.1 and audio for video capability. The console will be replaced by a super high-end, discrete, input set-up. Probably lots of API in there. There are also many great new manufacturers on the scene like Chandler and others that I like. Even less signal path than the well designed SoundWorkshop… Hard to imagine, I know.
