Sound Recording - the WellMixed.com Blog

The blog has not been well-tended recently, but now it will be even less so, as the WellMixedStore.com takes over the NavBar link on the main website.

However, this means the beginning of a new era, where the microphones that you want to listen to are available at WellMixedStore.com

News about all thing related to home recording will be more constantly posted on a little microblogging platform that you may have heard about called Twitter. Be sure to Follow @WellMixed there.

I’ve been playing around with several online music generators over the last year. Mostly, they are simple timewasters to help me avoid being a productive member of society. But with the help of Audio HiJack Pro from rogueamoeba these browser sounds have made their ways into ProTools on occasion.

5. BALLDROPPINGS.com

I can’t believe that the domain name “balldroppings” wasn’t taken. They put it to the best possible use. I’ve spent way too much time trying to create the most ambient or most rhythmic sounds, and just as much time trying to get the balls to bounce exactly straight up and down or in a certain line.

4. The Indian Music Generator

This one might be a little bit racist, and not all sounds sync up in rhythm.
But in a pinch it’s a fun introduction to Indian musical elements. If you’re already familiar with Hindustani or Carnatic Music, you can go here for an online Tanpura,.

3. Tiny Drums

It looks like Q*bert would be at home using Tiny Drum 3.0 with its 3-D grid of 16 x 5 blocks.
The y-axis is a pentatonic scale for Versions 3-5. Version 1.0 and 2.0 use drum sounds.
The x-axis is a standard 16th note grid.
The tempo is adjustable, though there isn’t an option for swing or for accents. You can also save your patterns in a text file by copying the number commands (like 4369-0-21845-17681 )

2. Grotrian Piano

Similar to balldroppings, the Grotian Piano is auditory and as well as visual and relies on a gravity effect. It allows a good deal of control over 12 tones. Then it lets things get out of control in very delightful ways.
The “Grotian” setting also includes percussive piano knocks and taps.

1. Hobnox Audiotool

This one blows me away and is sure to only get better as Flash, browsers, and computers speed up. Recording is built in, the sound is amazing, and the possibilities are great. The only problem is that the learning curve is not for beginners. For musicians who want to spend some hours with Hobnox, the rewards might be something special.

Did I miss anything? Please Leave a comment!

A technology that began as a DJ’s ideal solution for the digital age has ended in an out of court patent law settlement.

Digital Vinyl Systems are made by companies like Numark (and several other companies), and rely on modern technology to emulate the old.

[Via Create Digital Music]

The controversy over these digital vinyl systems developed when patent-holder N2IT filed a civil action complaint against provider M-Audio and its remarkably similar Torq technology. In its pursuit of monopolizing on its technology, some speculate that N2IT will also file suit against Serato.

The fallout from this legal settlement is sure to mean the demise of some popular digital vinyl systems that were found to be in violation of N2IT’s patent as well as higher prices for DJ’s who rely on digital vinyl technologies for their livelihood.

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MusFormation has this …. mod tip for those of you with SM-57’s.

I can’t recommend this, as it seems a little risky, so far as exposing the innards of any piece of audio gear is inherently dangerous for that gear. But if you’re micing drums and finding the angle to be restrictive check it out.

http://musformation.com/2009/03/flying.html

Alternatively, you can buy a bent SM-57 from Granelli Audio.

How much of a difference is there between a mic that’s $99 and one that’s $1199?

This (sorta’ old) link lets your ears be the judge.

Brandon Drury at Recording Review, created this on-line experiment. He mashed up several combination of preamps, AD converters, and microphones, then recorded a short excerpt of hard rock with each combination.

(Will you like the SM-57 or Royer 121 better?)

You get to choose which recording you enjoy more. His emphasis was on cost. There are several unavoidable flaws in the methodology, but in short he tried to make every take sound as platinum as possible.

http://www.recordingreview.com/quiz/signal-chain-form.php

Yep, Zoom’s new H4n allows you to record 4 tracks simultaneously. That pretty much makes it not only a great solution for traipsing around town and interviewing people, but also makes it a nice music production solution.

You can put a mic on your kick drum, a mic on the snare, and use the built in mics as stereo over-heads.

And although, it only plays back 4 tracks simultaneously, Zoom has included Cubase LE for stacking up tracks.

For more, check out:

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4n/index.php

[Via Sound on Sound]

This new Windscreen by Rycote is for most popular handheld recorders.

Reminds me of:

Called the “MiniWindjammer,” it is a lined fur cover designed to fit directly over the microphones.

Available Models:

• Edirol R09
• Marantz PMD620
• Nagra Ares M
• Zoom H4
• Olympus LS10/20/30
• Sony PCM D50
• Tascam DR1
• Zoom H2

More at their website: http://www.rycote.com/products/mini_windjammer/RycoteMiniWindjammersDigitalRecorders.php

Create Digital Music has posted a summary of all the hot new software synthesizers revealed at NAMM last weekend. It includes: minimoog V 2.0, Brass 2.0, Trilian, Largo Waldorf, D.CAM, and impOSCar 2.

Most intriguing to me is the Trillian Bass Module pictured below.

It won’t be available until May, specializes only in bass, and will cost MSRP $300. But the control for synth-o-holics looks to be pretty amazing.

Read more at Create Digital Music.

The theme of this year’s Winter NAMM is apparently “Come Together.” That’s right, the organizers decided to move into the future by referencing a 40 year old Beatles song.

Luckily there is a glut of cool new gadgets to look at that will surely change the way some of us make music. Most of this stuff was available before this show, but now is when the marketing push begins.

My favorite new toy has to be Electro-Harmonix Voice Box.

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Gig-FX has upgraded several of its pedals to offer “better than true bypass” technology. The company claims that this completely eliminates any noise introduced when the pedals are engaged for disengaged.

[via harmony-central]

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M-Audio Annouced a new line of USB MIDI controllers called Axiom Pro. They feature what the company claims to be a fast and intuitive link between the controller and your DAW. The company has branded this protocol as HyperControl. Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, and Reason are supported. The Pro line also offers more advanced features than the previous Axiom line like 50 different keyboard setups in memory and the ability to send ASCII keystrokes to your computer. The latter will allow you to do things like: copy and paste by touching F#.

Electronic musician Brian Green - http://www.myspace.com/seeyouinsleep - has superglued 2 iPod touches onto a guitar to create this interesting instrument. It seems to put a lot of sound possibilities right at the player’s fingertips.

Green writes:

The ipod closest to the guitar pick ups is running Itouch Midi’s Matrix app which I’m using to send midi to Ableton Live on my Macbook via wifi.

And the itouch near the bottom is running Bloom designed by Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers, Bloom is a generative music application.

He shakes the instrument to clear the current patch from Bloom.