I have high end console

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franked
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I have high end console

Post by franked » Mon Dec 09, 2019 1:19 pm

I want to really capture the quality of it's sound. How to showcase an excellent mixer?
Im thinking natural spaces, but Im really asking. What things in a studio really show that you are using a high end Pre with expensive transformers? Thanks

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joninc
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Re: I have high end console

Post by joninc » Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:07 pm

This is very subjective. What are your favorite albums that you think do this well?

Without knowing more, I'd say more generally:

- recording tracks well (mic placement/gain staging) - not too loud for causing distortion, or too low for causing increased noise...

- not mucking it up with too many overt effects or harsh processing (compression/eq) in your mix

- a solid arrangement with the space to hear the instrumentation clearly without lots of sounds competing for the same frequency spaces

This may also mean having good converters or well maintained tape machine to capture that source sound/pre/mic well.

This may also mean having decent monitors in a treated space so you can trust that what you are hearing is accurate and that you are making good decisions based on that.
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Magnetic Services
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Re: I have high end console

Post by Magnetic Services » Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:42 pm

What exactly is the question here?

It's a tool like any other; using it to create quality work should showcase it adequately!

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Re: I have high end console

Post by drumsound » Mon Dec 09, 2019 6:40 pm

What Dante and Jon covered it pretty well.

Make good records, that will show off your console, and your skill.

franked
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Re: I have high end console

Post by franked » Mon Dec 09, 2019 7:05 pm

Well, gee Pa. I guess i could reverse the question to bring the first one into clarity. Lets say I record a bunch of 8 bit synths in a great console or an average one. You won't hear much difference.

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losthighway
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Re: I have high end console

Post by losthighway » Mon Dec 09, 2019 7:33 pm

When I think of the folks who make pretty sounding records with high end consoles, they could make equally great sounding records with some nice odds and ends outboard stuff and some plugins. The big fancy console is "just" 24-48 nice pres and eqs. You could use a half dozen nice 500 series pres and one or two nice outboard eqs (or discerning use of eq plugins) and get similarly good fidelity.

The console instead- to me- seems to be central to a type of workflow. Routing options are at your fingers, racks of hardware are easily integrated into the workflow, decisions are made with physical faders and knobs and a mix down can happen as a performance with the engineer as a kind of conductor.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure summing in analog offers a certain something, especially if it's done to a well maintained 2 track machine, but that's not so far from someone who made all the right moves clicking the 'render' button from the dropdown menu in Pro Tools, or Cubase or whatever. Add an actual tube compressor and that's 'a little something' compared to the plugin, and then all of those analog moves that are a little something add up a bit. The console is a large commitment to those little differences being summative by the end of the process.

franked
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Re: I have high end console

Post by franked » Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:02 pm

Sorry I asked the question. Ill just search my heart and mind for the answer.

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markjazzbassist
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Re: I have high end console

Post by markjazzbassist » Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:43 pm

the preamps and eq account for about 10% of the sound in my opinion. so it's very hard to showcase that because its not a large part of the sound. as mentioned before a console is useful for workflow more than it's sound in most cases. the player and instruments themselves are going to make up 75% of the sounds and tones, that's what you should focus on showcasing.

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vernier
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Re: I have high end console

Post by vernier » Tue Dec 10, 2019 3:05 pm

franked wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:02 pm
Sorry I asked the question. Ill just search my heart and mind for the answer.
Which console do you have? . . I might be able to throw some ideas out depending on what it is.

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Re: I have high end console

Post by drumsound » Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:33 pm

franked wrote:
Tue Dec 10, 2019 2:02 pm
Sorry I asked the question. Ill just search my heart and mind for the answer.
You asked an incredibly vague question, and then complain when you get really good answers.

What were you expecting? Ask something specific. Give some actual details. There are a number of us here that are happy to dive into a scenario. They will give you real world examples, and possibly even link to recordings they've done. If you give us NOTHING to work with, we can only give you so much back.

And, people DID give you good answers.

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Re: I have high end console

Post by Recycled_Brains » Wed Dec 11, 2019 8:26 am

Nothing matters. :high:
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kslight
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Re: I have high end console

Post by kslight » Wed Dec 11, 2019 10:19 am

I can’t really tell what you’re asking, possibly English as a second language?

With that said, the best service you can do to show off your studio/etc is to make memorable recordings with it... I don’t speak for everyone but the way I consume music is...am I listening to a good song? Cool. Then...does the sound get in the way of the song? Cool.

I never sit there and say “this is a really good sounding song. It must have been recording through a high end console with expensive transformers.” There’s usually not enough information to put all that together. And in many cases, at least the bands I like...there’s often a “savvy DIY” aspect to the recording but if they had a little money to work with they may have had a pro mix it instead of their buddy. And even a lot of the major studio money records of recent times, I feel like it much of it still probably could have been recorded in a home studio of sorts through relatively humble gear and then mixed by a pro (sometimes...or sometimes a pro with poor taste).

There’s one band I’ve listened to for a long time with a few decades of material, and they were early adopters of the “savvy DIY” approach with their recording process...elaborate home studios with decent Pro Tools rigs and a handful of decent outboard...followed by a pro mixer and mastering engineer. This band has sold some records but never been mainstream huge...you can tell when the money stopped coming in...starting about 2008 I think they quit having a pro mix it...just the leader of the band then a pro master. It’s not the same quality...but that’s not why I quit listening to their later records...they just aren’t that great in their current form.

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Snarl 12/8
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Re: I have high end console

Post by Snarl 12/8 » Wed Dec 11, 2019 5:49 pm

Trying to record my 26", mostly unmuffled, marching bass drum has led me to throw out one mixer and I'm searching for a new one. So, you could try that.
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losthighway
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Re: I have high end console

Post by losthighway » Thu Dec 12, 2019 5:40 am

Snarl 12/8 wrote:
Wed Dec 11, 2019 5:49 pm
Trying to record my 26", mostly unmuffled, marching bass drum has led me to throw out one mixer and I'm searching for a new one. So, you could try that.
Did you try moving the mic?

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Snarl 12/8
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Re: I have high end console

Post by Snarl 12/8 » Fri Dec 13, 2019 8:50 am

losthighway wrote:
Thu Dec 12, 2019 5:40 am
Snarl 12/8 wrote:
Wed Dec 11, 2019 5:49 pm
Trying to record my 26", mostly unmuffled, marching bass drum has led me to throw out one mixer and I'm searching for a new one. So, you could try that.
Did you try moving the mic?
I spent about a week trying different mics, different positions, different bass drums etc. Until I realized that my mixer was basically like summing 16 rat pedals.
Carl Keil

Almost forgot: Please steal my drum tracks. and more.

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