Conflicted Sounds
Audio has an interesting history in human conflict. One of the open reel tape recorder’s first applications was by the Germans in WWII. And, recently, at the G-20 summit, police used high-decibel sound to neutralize and disperse protesters.
It’s About Lightness
I was in yoga this morning and, as much of the class’s feet came thumping to the ground after a balancing pose, the teacher reminded us that yoga is about lightness: finding balance so your practice is less force and more flow.
It reminded me that the same is true of mastering. The more I learn [...]
More Wisdom from TED
I watched this TED presentation today, about how sound affects us. Retailers take note: noisy environments and poor sound systems work against you. And now that at least one other person agrees with me, I officially declare myself not crazy!
DIY Ribbon Mics, First Production Run
I’ve mentioned before on this blog that my friend, Rick Wilkinson, has built some amazing ribbon mics. Sounds samples can be heard here:
Acoustic Guitar
Electric Guitar
Drum Kit
Rick has started selling kits of his microphones, and the first production run of the pre-assembled kits is for sale here. The kit makes an amazing sounding mic for a [...]
Competition and Compromise
I did a mastering sample for a potential client recently. Cool stuff…sort of JET meets Green Day. What I didn’t know (which I never know…or ever think about) is that he was getting samples from two other mastering studios in San Diego. Well, one recording studio that does mastering and another actual mastering studio.
He called [...]
A Shift
I’ve been mastering music for about 10 years. During that time, a shift has taken place in this segment of the industry. Mastering was always an esoteric — and somewhat inaccessible — service performed by a handful of mysterious people. You’d read there names on the back of album covers but had no [...]
The Finished Product Is A Summed Reflection of the Source Materials
We live in a society of hitting budgets and cutting corners. I was reminded of this recently when I had a problem with my guitar’s tuning machine. The machine seemed to be slipping and I couldn’t get it to raise the pitch past a certain point. It was actually the second time this happened in [...]
No Absolute Truths
A recent client, very happy with the results of his mastering, contacted me mentioning that on a few systems, some sonic elements were not perfectly represented.
I reminded him that the point of mastering is to ensure that the audio recording translates successfully to the greatest number of playback systems. This does not mean that an [...]
Reliving the Past
About 6 or 7 years ago, I mastered an album for a guy named Nick Thompson. The album was called Lend Me Your Ears…sort of a modern steel-string acoustic work. Very good stuff.
From time to time I hear from Nick. I knew he was a writer, and heard a piece of his on NPR once [...]
Recommendation
If you’re a musician and travel with your instrument, I recommend getting a Calton case.
I planned a trip to Italy and was considering taking my guitar. For years I’ve considered a good, lightweight professional travel case and finally decided to get a Calton for this trip.
Needless to say, I’m very glad I did. Especially [...]
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!
