Recording - October 2010 - 28

In the first of two parts, Bob Emmet examines the process of sharing audio between studios. It’s gotten much easier in recent days, but it’s not foolproof just yet...
By Bob Emmet Audio Format Not Recognized: A Guide To Exchanging Files Between Studios—Part 1
these differences, and the ideal time is before recording. At the time of this writing, 24-bit/44.1 kHz files appear to be the most common. However, I sometimes work for video producers who want everything at 48 kHz—a consideration best addressed before recording. I’ve also had musicians send me files at 88.2 kHz and, occasionally, 32-bit resolution—which many DAW platforms cannot handle. Pieces of the puzzle #1: the offsite musician Musicians who provide tracks from their home studios can do a number of things to make life easier for the receiving studio. To begin, most producers will ask for all data—regions, punch-ins, etc.—comprising a single take to be merged into a single audio file, beginning at the exact start of the provided rough mix file. This may mean large files with huge gaps of silence, but so be it; most producers do not want to have to “fly in” parts, guessing at the intended timing. Alternate takes should each be provided as separate, full-length files. Also, exported track levels should be at nominal recording level, not the level of the track’s intended perspective in the mix. If you want the recipient to hear the balance you suggest, send a rough mix—but keep the individual exported tracks hot. If possible, tracks should match the DAW bar/beat grid. Record to the DAW click whenever possible and inform collaborators of the tempo. Finally, tracks should have correct stereo/mono file typing. A single-point vocal track rendered into a stereo file adds unnecessary file bulk and can make mix processing more difficult; a stereo synth part summed into mono will compromise depth and may create phase issues. This is especially important for Pro Tools users, as by default Pro Tools does not record stereo audio tracks. Although current versions can export interleaved stereo files, Brian Reeves, senior engineer at Jungle Room Recording in Los Angeles, defends this long-standing Pro Tools quirk, pointing out that if a stereo track with unequal L/R levels is controlled by a single fader, it’s impossible to equalize the levels without narrowing the stereo field. Many of these problems arise when users try to export tracks via the DAW’s “Bounce To Disk” option, which routes them through the master buss, eq and effects in stereo at the level of the fader position. A better option, when available, is the DAW’s “export track” feature (see screenshot), which will quickly export your tracks in accordance with the standards I’ve suggested here. (Note: Apple’s Garageband, somewhat mistakenly, refers to the bouncing process as “exporting.”) If bouncing is the only option on your DAW, here’s the process: Zero your track and output faders (consider saving this as a separate DAW document). Remove all buss processing from the master stereo buss (and possibly from the channel; more on this later). Check your bounce options to make sure the “mix” will be made in the appropriate file format, sampling rate, and bit depth, without dithering. Don’t forget to make mono bounces, if possible, for mono tracks. Tracks should be appropriately named, so rename them if your DAW calls them all “audio-1,” “audio-2,” and so on. Also, don’t put the song title in the filename. Some DAWs do this automatically; it helps identify tracks, but some DAWs have issues with long file names.

Exchanging project files between studios no longer needs to be a process plagued with incompatible formats and misaligned tracks. In the past few years, it has become a daily way of studio life for me and nearly every recording facility and musician I contacted in researching this article. The long-held musicians’ dream of near-realtime, worldwide collaboration is now a reality. When and how did this happen? This is now Two recent developments have rapidly paved the way for exchanges of large audio files becoming a viable option: First, the growing popularity and declining price of high-speed Internet; second, the emergence of the computer-based DAW as the winner among competing digital audio formats. This has narrowed file formats down to a select few, most of which can be read by any of the major DAWs anyway. Of course, exchanging entire DAW documents remains an option as well. Not every planned collaboration goes perfectly, however—there are still a number of practical pitfalls involved in this process. The following is our guide to steering clear of them. Why can’t we all just get along? In researching this article, I discovered that artists, musicians, engineers and producers do not all completely agree on file formats, sample rates, delivery methods or anything else in the collaborative process. Creative mavericks that we are, it is up to us to decide how to work out
28
RECORDING OCTOBER 2010



Recording - October 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - October 2010

Recording - October 2010
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
Cakewalk V-Studio 20
Abbey Road Sessions—Good Reasons To Be Prepared
AKG Perception 820 Tube Microphone
A Basement Conversion—The Borla/Mouse Basement Studio
DAW Details
SM Pro Audio P-Control, DiDock, and CT-3
Green Glue
Alesis PalmTrack
It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 7: Income Earned By Songs—Part 2
Reviewed and Revisited
Plug-In Outlet
Do It Yourself: Rack Panels For Under Four Dollars
Cockos REAPER—A Walking Tour
Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Readers' Tapes
Advertiser Index
Fade Out
Recording - October 2010 - Recording - October 2010
Recording - October 2010 - Cover2
Recording - October 2010 - 1
Recording - October 2010 - Fade In
Recording - October 2010 - 3
Recording - October 2010 - Contents
Recording - October 2010 - 5
Recording - October 2010 - Talkback
Recording - October 2010 - 7
Recording - October 2010 - Fast Forward
Recording - October 2010 - 9
Recording - October 2010 - Cakewalk V-Studio 20
Recording - October 2010 - 11
Recording - October 2010 - 12
Recording - October 2010 - 13
Recording - October 2010 - Abbey Road Sessions—Good Reasons To Be Prepared
Recording - October 2010 - 15
Recording - October 2010 - 16
Recording - October 2010 - 17
Recording - October 2010 - 18
Recording - October 2010 - 19
Recording - October 2010 - 20
Recording - October 2010 - 21
Recording - October 2010 - AKG Perception 820 Tube Microphone
Recording - October 2010 - 23
Recording - October 2010 - A Basement Conversion—The Borla/Mouse Basement Studio
Recording - October 2010 - 25
Recording - October 2010 - 26
Recording - October 2010 - 27
Recording - October 2010 - DAW Details
Recording - October 2010 - 29
Recording - October 2010 - 30
Recording - October 2010 - 31
Recording - October 2010 - SM Pro Audio P-Control, DiDock, and CT-3
Recording - October 2010 - 33
Recording - October 2010 - Green Glue
Recording - October 2010 - 35
Recording - October 2010 - Alesis PalmTrack
Recording - October 2010 - 37
Recording - October 2010 - It’s Your Music—Know Your Rights. Chapter 7: Income Earned By Songs—Part 2
Recording - October 2010 - 39
Recording - October 2010 - 40
Recording - October 2010 - 41
Recording - October 2010 - Reviewed and Revisited
Recording - October 2010 - 43
Recording - October 2010 - Plug-In Outlet
Recording - October 2010 - 45
Recording - October 2010 - 46
Recording - October 2010 - 47
Recording - October 2010 - Do It Yourself: Rack Panels For Under Four Dollars
Recording - October 2010 - 49
Recording - October 2010 - 50
Recording - October 2010 - 51
Recording - October 2010 - 52
Recording - October 2010 - 53
Recording - October 2010 - 54
Recording - October 2010 - 55
Recording - October 2010 - Cockos REAPER—A Walking Tour
Recording - October 2010 - 57
Recording - October 2010 - 58
Recording - October 2010 - 59
Recording - October 2010 - 60
Recording - October 2010 - 61
Recording - October 2010 - Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Recording - October 2010 - 63
Recording - October 2010 - Readers' Tapes
Recording - October 2010 - Advertiser Index
Recording - October 2010 - 66
Recording - October 2010 - 67
Recording - October 2010 - 68
Recording - October 2010 - 69
Recording - October 2010 - 70
Recording - October 2010 - 71
Recording - October 2010 - Fade Out
Recording - October 2010 - Cover3
Recording - October 2010 - Cover4
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