iPlod
As far as I know, I’m the last person in the world, 40 or under, without an iPod. What gives? Well, I don’t really have any interest in listening to .MP3-compressed music.
I’m a gear slut…but it’s gotta be audiophile. My computer’s sound card cost more than my computer, so that should tell you something [...]
Thoughts on Speakers
I did a post some time back on subwoofers…so I thought I’d take time to outline some thoughts on speakers.
Speakers (or, monitors in studio lingo) are the single most important component in mastering. They deliver the sound an engineer listens to and if they’re not accurate then nothing else really matters. Mastering legend Doug Sax [...]
Paul’s End Rant
Just a little teaser…the Nov/Dec issue of Tape Op (which should be out in a few weeks) will feature an article by me on the last page. The coveted Larry’s End Rant will actually be Paul’s End Rant for this issue. Though I’m not sure if they’ll change the title on my account.
I’m very excited [...]
Random Things Relate to Music
There are a lot of things in life that, in essence, have nothing to do with music or mastering…but have helped me become a better musician and mastering engineer.
When I got out of college I moved to San Francisco and got a job at Peet’s Coffee & Tea as a barista. At the time it [...]
What’s That Smell?
So, as part of my “I’ve learned from my mistakes” series, I’ll just say that if you’re going to bi-amp your speakers, make sure you removed the binding post jumpers. Otherwise, you’ll be feeding 60 cycles back into your amp and wondering what that smell is.
On a related note, I suggest to speaker manufacturers that [...]
Component Matching
You probably read a lot about properly matching components in audio; the right preamp for a microphone, the right direct box for a pickup, the best amplifiers for a speaker. With all the audio marketing that goes on, it’s hard to say what’s really valuable what’s hype. However, proper component matching is very important.
Probably the [...]
True North?
I was doing some casual listening tonight of a professionally mastered disc. At some point, I noticed that the DAW (a reputable company, but not my main mastering DAW) I was listening through showed the track had clipped. Here’s the image:
I thought that was strange. Surely a reputable mastering facility wouln’t let a [...]
Rhymes with Joe the Plumber
Mike the drummer
Sold my Hummer
Sticky summer
What a bummer
Dumb and dumber
Jaime Sommers
Woody lumber
Think you can do better? Let’s hear ‘em…
Value Proposition
In a business, how you differentiate yourself from a competitor is called the value proposition. In mastering, some studio’s value proposition is having a “secret sauce”. But I think that a value proposition that’s just as important is a “do no harm” credo.
This falls into the ZenMastering tagline “analog warmth, digital precision”. I deliver the [...]
A Little Experiment
This is part of an e-mail I received from a new client:
“In talking with my bandmates at practice this week, one of our
guitarists expressed concern about the overall tone of [one song].
Specifically, he was disappointed that it was too “cold” and “empty.” He had been hoping that the end result would have more “warmth” [...]
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!
