"I'll fix it in post"

"I'll fix it in post" is a common phrase we hear in recording projects. This refers to the editing works required to fix a particular track after the recording phase. In many cases, tracks that are heavily post-processed lose its signature characteristic and often do not live up to what the editor hope to craft during the post-production process.

I am not expressing any displeasure in post-production editing / mixing, as one of the most crucial processes in any music production is to really craft the song into something iconic and polished. Maybe many have heard of extraordinary stories in the production magic audio engineers have used to create wonderful sounding vocals even though the vocalist is totally out of tune. In today's technology, something like this is possible to polish into a fine piece of music (for this case, with the help of Melodyne). However, in my own opinion, it will rarely become a piece of music that impact the listeners' emotions or last through the test of time.

Funny video that exaggerate the "post-production magic" 

A particular phrase is often quoted in the industry for people who are practicing recording arts and that is "Garbage in, Garbage out". This crude sounding phrase refers to the idea where if the recording element does not sound good in the first place, it will never ever sound good after it is being produced. The recording process is the time where the engineer and artiste will try and capture the best performance possible and not be contented for second best.

As a recording engineer, always try and experiment with the hardware you are working with to get the sound characteristics that really define the song. This includes trying out different miking techniques or miking up with different microphones. Miking techniques you get from course books or online forums are a good starting point if you have no experience with the instrument. However, these techniques are best considered guidelines and you should not follow them blindly. The recorded sound should determine the actions you take. If the sound is not to your liking, then something can be done to improve it before you even start recording. In my recent post of the "Wonderwall" cover, the kick drum was miked up with an SM 57 instead of a Beta 52 as the drum kit originally sounded very fat in the low end and the Beta 52 was not able to provide the attack I needed. By switching it to a SM 57, I was able to pick up more attack as the microphone has more "bite" in its frequency response—a simple and easy way to rectify a problem.

Of course, there are plug-ins that lets you modify the attacks or bass resonance characteristics of a kick drum in post-production, such as the Waves MaxxBass. However, the purpose of post-production mixing is to enhance / craft the recorded track, not to "reproduce" a sound because the recorded track was flawed.

The cost of recording has dropped significantly as you practically have an unlimited amount of recording takes due to the available storage space inside a computer. This might be one of the reasons why people might not pay much attention to recording anymore, as the cost of a recording is simply just the duration of time spent. Having a test record is understandable as that gives you a good gauge in terms of your recorded signal strengths (make sure they are at healthy levels) and your sound pickup. A recording should be done when both the engineer and artiste are on form, where each individual have practiced their parts and are ready to deliver the job well. Although having multiple takes of a song is common in order to capture the best representation of the music, having a second take in a live event / performance is often impossible as that will disrupt the show. Ironically, sometimes the flaws captured in the recording during a live show will be the iconic part of the recording itself.

Recording is the art of capturing the moment, the performance, and the emotion of the artiste at that particular point in time. Post-production should only then enhance and craft out the iconic parts that will signify the song.

YWFU

Which DAW should you use?

Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) softwares are often used for recording, editing and producing audio files such as music, spoken words or even movies. These applications are ubiquitous in the market and in today's world, having the competency in operating a DAW is essential in any project.

As compared to the analog counterpart, such as the tape recorder, DAW softwares have better functionalities and efficiency in software operations. The overall cost of owning a DAW software has been affordable (e.g. Reaper at $60 USD), hence many have adopted the use of DAW over analog media.

It puzzled me when I received some queries on which DAW you should use to produce the best quality for your music project. To be honest, technology advancement has reached a point where it is common for DAW softwares to have the same type of operational features, for instance, being able to add memory locations or third-party plug-in support.

That being said, different DAWs have notable differences such as software navigation, editing tools or codec support. Unless you are really desperate for a particular feature, which is unlikely if you are trying out this craft, alternative workarounds are usually easy to find with the help of a search engine. Essentially, your DAW is a tool for you to record and produce; your knowledge on the software is the limitation to its capabilities.

There were a few considerations that I have to contemplate with before making my very first purchase of Pro Tools from Avid. Back when I was schooling in Ngee Ann Polytechnic, I was introduced to Pro Tools for my music production-related modules. The concept of producing music tracks on your laptop was definitely intriguing, as that allows an individual to have the ability to produce music at a very affordable price. Having a number of friends who were already Pro Tools users was a factor for me to consider as that will smoothen out the learning curve as I can simply ask them for help regarding any operations in the software.

Additionally, the Pro Tools workspaces are very dominant in the Pro Production market, hence exchanging, transferring or collaborating session files from different stations are relatively easy. It is not impossible to transfer your recorded files among different DAWs (e.g. from Pro Tools to Studio One). Nonetheless, transferring all of your session data (e.g. insert presets, memory locations or route settings) is usually a chore.

Many engineers use third party plug-ins to help enhance their craft in their respective DAW. Therefore, the software support for the plug-ins you owned has some definite importance as it will affect your system reliability. The last thing you want is to have an unstable system crashing, which results in the loss of all your hard work.

Last but not least, if you are pursuing this field, you would definitely require an audio interface for your recording and mixing applications. In such a competitive market, many manufacturers have often bundled DAW softwares together with the audio interface, for instance, Steinberg with Nuendo or Avid with Pro Tools. This might be the most influential element when you are considering buying any DAW. In my case, I was comfortable and competent in using Pro Tools and therefore, deciding on the Mbox series audio interface was quite straightforward to me as it met my I/O and processing requirements; a full version of Pro Tools was included in the package.

To recap, your knowledge limits the capabilities of your DAW and upgrading or migrating from one to another without serious consideration will just obstruct the fun in producing music. My best advice is to pick the DAW that people around you are using as it will smoothen the learning curve drastically. Most likely, you can even try using the software even before purchasing it. If you are really uncomfortable with one particular DAW, you will at least have some prior knowledge in the functionalities of editing tools, and exploring other DAWs might be easier.

The purpose of DAW is to produce music. Do not be bothered by all the unnecessary bells and whistles. Any DAW has the ability to produce good music.

YWFU

Investing in your audio system? (Part 3)

One of the most important and often forgotten component in an audio system is a power conditioner. It does not look as fanciful as compared to a vinyl player, but the features it provides will substantially affect your system performance. Buying a power conditioner is similar to buying one-time payment insurance for your audio system. Once you owned one, you do not have to put thought into it again.

As the name applies, a power conditioner "conditions" incoming AC power for your audio system. In engineering terms, it means that it filters and cleans out unwanted noise from the incoming AC circuit. There are many causes of unwanted noise induced into a circuit, for example, machines with a motor such as a fan or a refrigerator. In general, a power conditioner will regulate the incoming voltage and improve the quality of power that will be utilised by your audio system.

Audio hardwares tend to be more sensitive in nature and their performance and quality will be greatly affected by inherent noise from the incoming power supply. To illustrate, have you ever experienced buzzing sounds from your speakers whenever a certain device is turned on, or do you hear any hissing sound coming from your speakers (no music playback) even when the level of your output is really low? This can be caused by AC noise, but it can also be a cause of noise induced from an unbalanced cable (if you are interested to know further, do let me know in the comments).

Many of us take this for granted when we ignore the fact that our residence power circuits have been shared by many appliances of different loading requirement. Chances of your audio system's AC supply being clean are relatively low and will cause unnecessary inconvenience towards your user experience.

Commonly, power conditioners will also include a surge protector feature in order to safeguard your hardware's longevity from unwanted power spikes. Do take note that a surge protector does not provide backup power in case of a power failure (e.g. blackout) as that is a job for an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). However, a surge protector will limit the spike in voltage power so as to prevent any chances of overloading in your audio hardware.

I am using a Furman AC 210A E power conditioner for my Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) due to its small footprint, though it is a little bit pricier as compared to its other counterpart that provides roughly around the same features. I chose the Furman's power conditioner as it provides conditioning and surge protector features in a compact chassis. The fuse can be replaced easily and is widely available for me to purchase in case of a power surge. For this particular model, the power output uses IEC connectors, and you might have to take that into consideration as it is quite difficult to find power strips with incoming IEC connectors. Despite that, fabricating an IEC power strip is relatively easy (if you have some electrical knowledge) as IEC connectors can be bought easily at Sim Lim Tower.

Furman Desktop Power Conditioner (IEC connector), my personal fabricated IEC Power Strip.

A common misconception I often hear is that people often associate power strips that come with surge protector with the ability to "clean up" incoming power. One would have to be mindful that a conditioning filter circuit requires a number of circuit components and chances of all of these dedicated conditioning components being packed into a compact size are quite low. Therefore, do not assume that a generic surge protector power strip will have power conditioning features.

Belkin 6 outlet surge protector power strip, a very common product available at local electronic stores. Good for protecting your hardware from power surges but does not filter unwanted noises. 

If you are willing or have already invested an amount of money into your audio system, perhaps you should consider a power conditioner. Not only will it help to optimise your system performance, it also prolongs the longevity of your hardware.

YWFU