Quality Plugins
It used to be that plugin was a four-letter word in pro audio circles. I’m here to tell you that time is past. But here’s the caveat: most still do suck eggs. There are only a small handful of companies producing truly professional quality offerings. Here’s who made my short list…
The first I’ll mention is [...]
The “Secret” to Making Great Recordings
When I was fourteen I rented a Tascam cassette four-track PortaStudio from a local music store, and my fascination with capturing and manipulating sound began. Over the past twenty-five years I’ve had the good fortune to record in a variety of professional studios based around various technology formats: all-analog two-inch, ADAT and ProTools. And what [...]
Independent Perspective
I’m a mastering engineer who works almost exclusively with independent artists. And as most of my peers in the professional audio community aspire to accrue more major-label credentials, I dig deeper into the indie trenches. Why? Anyone will tell you it makes more sense go after a handful of big fish than a school of [...]
Maybe You *Do* Get What You Pay For…
On my rant about “you get what you pay for”, here’s a good example:
Recently my friend (and DIY mic designer) Rick Wilkinson came over and we recorded some music with his latest ribbon creation (a stereo blumlein ribbon mic).
We ran the mic into an M-Audio DMP3 mic preamp. After the recording we started talking [...]
Obsessed With Resolution?
Are you obsessed with sample rate resolution? Gotta make all your recordings 24/96…32/192…64/384? Well, let me drop some knowledge on you. And this is free — on the house — advice: you’re wasting your hard disk space.
Even though just about any software program today can record at 24/96 or higher, the A/D converters that [...]
DIY Ribbon Microphone
So, to dovetail on the concept of the last post (Cheap Gear…), if you’re technically inclined maybe you should try building your own ribbon microphone.
A good friend of mine (and musician/engineer/mad scientist) Rick Wilkinson has created a DIY Ribbon Microphone plan.
To hear what one of his mics sounds like you can download a recording [...]
Cheap Gear…Is It any Good?
One interesting side-effect of the DAW revolution is that it spawned a huge interest in the retro market. Or, it helped create an interest in things that sounded warm and fuzzy.
You see, in digital there’s really nothing but what gets you in and out. The sources and converters. There is no “sound” to digital. And [...]
Volume Wars
Are the volume wars finally over…or settling down? Over the past few years I’ve noticed fewer and fewer clients obsessed with the overall volume of their albums, and more interested in sonic quality.
Of course, getting the volume in a “competitive level” is still a priority/concern of many artists. But I think I see a positive [...]
Preparing Audio Files for Mastering
One of the questions (or issues) I run into more than I can count is “what’s the best way to prepare audio files for mastering?”
Regardless of who masters your music, there are a few key things to be aware of. That’s why I wrote this article.
Take a read, and feel free to let me know [...]
10 Things You May Not Know About ZenMastering
1. ZenMastering is San Diego’s only dedicated mastering facility.
2. Owner and chief mastering engineer, Paul Abbott, has been featured as a columnist in EQ, Sound on Sound and Tape Op magazines.
3. Paul was profiled in Music Connection magazines 2002 “Masters of Mastering” issue.
4. Paul is a voting member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES).
5. We [...]
About This Blog
From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
We welcome comments from readers...pro or con!
