| MusiciansNews | GuitarsMusicGear | BassMusicGear | DigitalPianosKeyboards | DrumsMusicGear | SingingSongwriting | GuitarSheetMusicTabs | DJmusicEquipment | CRMAV | LiveSoundPASystems | RecordingMixingMastering |
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturers | Behringer Peavey Samson Yamaha Roland DigiTech River String Fender Sarulean sE Electronics Korg Ibanez Gibson Hartke Alesis Shure Boss Epiphone Mackie Zoom Akai Marshall Focusrite M-Audio Vestax SKB Silvertone Novation AKG CBI Martin Nady Fostex |
| Guitar | Bass | Drum | Piano | Keyboard | Singing | Songwriting | DJ | Recording | Artists | Music Gear | Forums | Reviews | Musicians Wanted | Chords | Sheet Music | Tabs | MIDI |
|
Nick Blundell: Mel Gibson, Richard Attenborough and the case of the missing mixing desk.Nick Blundell is one of the UK's most respected sound engineers. He has worked on many critically-acclaimed albums and, in post production, on some of the biggest films of the last 20 years. This man has worked in the best studios in the world, but when it came to setting up his own, out was the idea of a big desk and in came quality Focusrite channel strips instead. With Nick Blundell's career, it really is a case of 'been there, seen it, done that'. While at Virgin Studios in Oxford he worked alongside the likes of Steve Nye and Mike Stone and helped to produce David Sylvian, Simple Minds and many others. He then worked at Great Linford Manor and The Wool Hall with acts like Culture Club before transferring his talents to the field of post production joining Twickenham Film Studios. After working on films including Richard Attenborough's Chaplin and Shadowlands, Mel Gibson's Eyes Without A Face and several Merchant/Ivory productions and Hollywood blockbusters, he set up a freelance Pro Tools facility which features two Focusrite ISA430s and a Focusrite Compounder supplied by Digital Village. "The ISA430s are used mainly for recording as a front end for Pro Tools," says Nick, "but they have also proved themselves useful for mixing and mastering. I wanted a versatile front end that was warm with a nice transient response for all types of recording that would work well with our mic collection as well as various synths and samplers." And Nick has praise for pretty much every element on the ISA: "The mic amp is superb at getting the best from any of our mics with its load switching, be it a vintage tube or modern dynamic. It is amazing what it can squeeze from an SM57. It can cope with any source and has bags of headroom too. The mic Air feature is great for getting that natural airy top end without using EQ. Strapping the two compressors together gives a nice mix buss comp and the blend facility is so useful for preserving dynamic range when compressing. The new Vintage comp/limiters have a pleasing coloration and can get surprisingly raunchy when asked. The De-Esser is also worthy of a mention as it performs its task well and is pretty invisible, just perfect. The EQ and filters are great for sound creation or just gentle enhancement but always remaining musical to the ear." So it's fair to say that Nick likes just about every feature on the ISAs, but even more important is the fact that the units save him a lot of time. "They speed things up when checking out different compressors and external outboard gear by using the two inserts. This saves a lot of repatching and the split function is useful in mixing. Having large VU meters on the ISA is so helpful when working with digital DAWs as I kinda miss having the console VUs for checking levels. Now it's easy to monitor input, gain reduction and the insert return levels - a big confidence factor as it lets you know what level you're sending through the digital converters, and you can read them in dim lighting conditions." And one final pointer for anyone missing those monster desks: with an ISA front end, you really don't need them! "These days it's not always possible to own and run a large traditional console alongside today's DAW recording setups," says Nick, "but having channels like the ISA430 MK2 with its comprehensive functions and VU meter switching is just about the nearest thing to having the convenience and sound of a real console while recording with Pro Tools." Nick's top production tips . Move and adapt with the times and keep a careful eye on the technology as it can move fast. . I try to offer the best mix of technology past and present. . The acoustic environment can make as much difference as the choice of mic. . Always try and experiment with both positioning and microphone types. . Pay attention to your mains power supply, particularly the earthing to avoid ground loops and hums. . Always try and let the song come through in the mix.
|
5) Guitar Music Theory Basics, Sheet Music, Tabs, Chords and Scales 6) Mandolin Scales Book PRO and Mandolin Scale Charts 7) Mandolin Chord Book PRO and Mandolin Chord Charts 8) Mandolin Chords + Scales PRO: chord and scale dictionary book 9) Music Theory Made Easy! 10) Music Theory Made Easy! 11) Piano Keyboard Music Theory 12) Piano Keyboard Music Theory 13) Melody Writing Course: Learn how to write catchy melodies |
Europe Gear Shop
| [Contact] [©1999-2009 Musiciansnews.com All rights reserved] [Advertising] |