Recording - October 2014 - 4

PUBLISHER: Thomas Hawley
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Brent Heintz

EDITORIAL

EDITOR: Mike Metlay
SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR: Lorenz Rychner
TECHNICAL CONSULTANT: Paul Vnuk Jr.
EDITOR AT LARGE: Beto Hale
MÚSICO PRO EDITOR: Fernando Curiel

CONTRIBUTORS
Paul Vnuk Jr., Joe Albano, Marc Urselli,
Paul J. Stamler, George Petersen,
Marty Peters, Barry Cleveland

The best of the best... and how to get there yourself
I'd like to open this issue with a special welcome to readers flipping through our
pages at the 137th Audio Engineering Society Convention in Los Angeles. As I write
this in late August, the Convention isn't that far away; I'm looking forward to meeting you, so please stop by the Music Maker Publications booth and say hello!
With the AES Convention comes a chance to look at the very best of the best in
audio, both past and present. In this issue we take a deep and fascinating look at
the Big Three of the music-recording process: tracking, mixing, and mastering.
While practically every issue of Recording has tracking advice (we could fill every
issue with nothing but miking techniques!), sometimes you have to step back and
look at the big picture before you press the red button. Joe Albano brings us a great
overview of the tracking process, keeping the path from idea to captured audio
clear of obstacles.
When I approached Marc Urselli about a flagship article on mixing, I wasn't sure
what I'd get but I knew it'd be good. With a shelf full of Grammys, Marc is the real
deal, and he also happens to be inspiring, funny, and insightful. I think you'll have a
blast with his quirky look at cooking up the best possible mixes in your studio "kitchen."
And then there's mastering, that sometimes obscure and arcane "final pass" that turns
your mixes into products that make listeners want more. This issue brings us phenomenal interviews and historical background on famous mastering rigs, classic albums
restored to new glory... and good solid advice for readers who want to try mastering
at home. I'd like to thank John Davis and Stephen Marsh for sharing their valuable time
with us, Paul Vnuk for teasing out hitherto-unnoticed details in the interviews, and Diana
Smethurst for transcriptions that made the whole process a lot easier.
I am thrilled to welcome George Petersen, Editor of FRONT of HOUSE Magazine
and former Editor of Mix, to our pages. George's wisdom and humor have inspired
me for decades, and I was intrigued when he approached me at last year's AES
Convention in New York with a story that you'll have to read to believe. His tale of
a flea-market discovery with an astounding history dovetailed beautifully with an
interview recently completed by our Paul Stamler. The result is a double-barreled
look at the beginnings of the Motown magic, from the perspective of the men who
literally built the studio in the early 1960s. Extraordinary stuff!
And speaking of former Mix folks with cool perspectives, check out Barry Cleveland's
back-page editorial on visionary engineer Joe Meek. Barry's book is a must-read for
anyone interested in how audio production got to where it is today, and his editorial is
a mere taste of the genius of an often-overlooked luminary of the audio world.
This issue's slate of reviews focuses on some truly amazing audio gear from
Antelope, Chandler, Dangerous, and Dynaudio... any one of these products could
help catapult your studio's sound to the next level. While it is and always will be
possible to create great music with very affordable tools plus a lot of skill, worldclass gear is an investment that pays dividends in quality and flexibility. I get a lot
of letters from readers who thank me for helping them over the years, gradually raising their studios from beginner status to working with a steady flow of happy clients.
That's a great feeling.
Conversely, I try to reassure readers who are at the start of their path and wondering how they'll ever get to the point of affording (and understanding!) this stuff.
I tell them: Many have done it before you and it's not out of reach... slow steady
steps will get you to your goal, and great gear will supplement and support your
ears and skills but can never replace them. Every person walking around the AES
Convention, no matter how famous, started out knowing nothing about audio engineering. Read, practice, and use your ears, and all things become possible.
Enjoy the issue!

SOCIAL MEDIA
Brent Heintz, Paul Vnuk Jr.
ART & PRODUCTION

ART DIRECTOR: Scott Simmonds
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Colin Courtney
WEB GOALIE: Colin Courtney

PLAYBACK PLATINUM SERIES
Lorenz Rychner

EDITOR/PRODUCER:

CIRCULATION
Tiffany Sepe

CIRCULATION MANAGER:

ADVERTISING SALES AND MARKETING
DIRECTOR: Brent Heintz
CLASSIFIEDS MANAGER: Colin Courtney
ADMINISTRATION
Thomas Hawley

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE:

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

PRESIDENT: Thomas Hawley
VICE PRESIDENT: Brent Heintz

SUBSCRIPTIONS/ADDRESS CHANGES:
1-954-653-3927
ADVERTISING/CLASSIFIEDS/MAIN OFFICE:
(303) 516-9118
RECORDING MAGAZINE
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RECORDING October 2014

Recording - October 2014

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