December 2021 - 72
FadeOut
Don't Wait-
Create!
Guest Editorial by Aaron J. Trumm
Long ago and far away, in wood-paneled control rooms and
expensive temples of tone, making a record meant booking
time in a professional facility. Most artists with pro-level home
studios had the cash, the cred, and still had access to pro
facilities. Affordable recording technology for all didn't exist
yet-now it does! But that doesn't stop many of us from getting
caught up in the 'I need this before I can start' syndrome. Some
of our would-be recording brethren wait years before they dive
in for fear that their gear just isn't good enough, professional
enough or expensive enough.
I just need one more thing...
Online discussions are rife with singers looking to purchase
the perfect microphone for their voice. Drummers pine over
interfaces and preamps with that sound. Guitarists have more
pedals than riffs. Beatmakers spend more money on drum machines
and software than on their own kids' educations-never
to release a track. Don't get me started on the synth collectors,
who need just one more keyboard or module to fill some imaginary
sonic hole.
If this is you (and in truth, all of us are guilty from time to
time), our message is simple...
Don't wait-create!
Now is an exciting time to be a musician! You can get started
with a funky old laptop and inexpensive, even free software.
[see Inside the Box on Page 42 -Ed]. Even the most inexpensive
interfaces do an amazing job, and if you haven't shopped for
microphones lately, you're in for a pleasant surprise. You can
do quite well for under $150. [for both, see our 2021 Holiday
Buyer's Guide on Page 10 -Ed.]
Back at the dawn of digital
Gear envy and elitism is not a new thing. When the Alesis
ADAT first appeared, debates raged. " Can you possibly get
a professional-sounding product with this new digital multi72
RECORDING DECEMBER 2021
Aaron J. Trumm is known as the MacGyver of recording as of now.
Talk about jury rigs, cheap and expensive gear, and creativity
with him at aarontrumm.com
track? " Digital recording at the time was indeed in its infancy,
and there's just something about analog tape. But of
course-people did. Artists and producers started releasing
hits on this new, cheaper technology, many of them previously
barred by resources from stepping into a $200-an-hour
analog studio.
Remember 'Regulate' by Warren G. and Nate Dogg? ADAT
recordings. Outkast's 'Players Ball', Pork Soda by Primus -
Alanis Morrisette's Jagged Little Pill? Yep.
We've come a long way, baby!
Today, tech has come a long, long way. No doubt you've
heard that pretty much everything Billie Eilish has done with
brother Finneas was recorded in his bedroom, and those
aren't just hit songs-they're beautiful works of art.
And yes, Billie Eilish's records now are mixed and mastered
by name engineers in world-class facilities-but they weren't
always, and the point is, it's the art and the craft that made the
breakthrough records, not the tech or the rooms.
The golden age?
So, is this the golden age of affordable yet pro-sounding
recording tech? Probably. Indeed, some tech will continue
to get smaller and cheaper, but all of it will advance. We
may see new formats emerge (such as Atmos) as well as
technology with which you can create at home and mix
online in real time with an engineer in a pro studio (check
out our interview with Still Woozy on Page 26 -Ed). Bottom
line: it's getting easier and easier to record with outstanding
quality. Perhaps this is merely the beginning of a long
golden age.
Now, does that mean every song you record will be gold?
Sorry. You'll still have to exercise your creative muscles. And
now you have a lot more competition. That's not a bad thing,
but it does mean you can't just throw money at a recording
project, toss it online and expect it to kill.
Now's the time
We love toys, and cheap or boutique, you should have the
gear that inspires you. After all, outfitting a studio is fun! But
when the time comes to create, don't sit around pining over
the equipment you don't have. Just create! Right now! Because
you can!
http://www.aarontrumm.com
December 2021
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2021
Fade In
Fast Forward
RECORDING’s 2021Holiday Buyer’s Guide
Arturia: MiniFuse 2
AKG: Ara Professional Two-Pattern USB Condenser Microphone
A day in the head of Still Woozy: Making modern pop and beyond
Austrian Audio: Hi-X15
Plugin Outlet: Black Rooster Audio OmniTec-67A
Inside the Box with Joe Albano: Free and Entry-level DAWs
ART: Project Series USB Pre IV Audio Interface
Plugin Outlet: Reverb Foundry Tai-Chi
Audeze: Euclid Closed-Back Planar Magnetic In-ear Monitors
Session Log: The AngelHeaded Hipster, Part 12 Mastering and Beyond: The Final Steps…
Genelec 8361A
Focusrite: Clarett+ 8 Pre
Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby From the Studio to The Stage
Pioneer DJ VM-80 Active Monitor Speaker
Fade Out: Don’t Wait—Create!
December 2021 - Intro
December 2021 - Cover1
December 2021 - Cover2
December 2021 - 1
December 2021 - 2
December 2021 - 3
December 2021 - Fade In
December 2021 - 5
December 2021 - 6
December 2021 - 7
December 2021 - Fast Forward
December 2021 - 9
December 2021 - RECORDING’s 2021Holiday Buyer’s Guide
December 2021 - 11
December 2021 - 12
December 2021 - 13
December 2021 - 14
December 2021 - 15
December 2021 - 16
December 2021 - 17
December 2021 - 18
December 2021 - 19
December 2021 - 20
December 2021 - 21
December 2021 - Arturia: MiniFuse 2
December 2021 - 23
December 2021 - AKG: Ara Professional Two-Pattern USB Condenser Microphone
December 2021 - 25
December 2021 - A day in the head of Still Woozy: Making modern pop and beyond
December 2021 - 27
December 2021 - 28
December 2021 - 29
December 2021 - 30
December 2021 - 31
December 2021 - 32
December 2021 - 33
December 2021 - 34
December 2021 - 35
December 2021 - 36
December 2021 - 37
December 2021 - Austrian Audio: Hi-X15
December 2021 - 39
December 2021 - Plugin Outlet: Black Rooster Audio OmniTec-67A
December 2021 - 41
December 2021 - Inside the Box with Joe Albano: Free and Entry-level DAWs
December 2021 - 43
December 2021 - 44
December 2021 - 45
December 2021 - ART: Project Series USB Pre IV Audio Interface
December 2021 - 47
December 2021 - Plugin Outlet: Reverb Foundry Tai-Chi
December 2021 - 49
December 2021 - Audeze: Euclid Closed-Back Planar Magnetic In-ear Monitors
December 2021 - 51
December 2021 - Session Log: The AngelHeaded Hipster, Part 12 Mastering and Beyond: The Final Steps…
December 2021 - 53
December 2021 - 54
December 2021 - 55
December 2021 - Genelec 8361A
December 2021 - 57
December 2021 - Focusrite: Clarett+ 8 Pre
December 2021 - 59
December 2021 - Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby From the Studio to The Stage
December 2021 - 61
December 2021 - Pioneer DJ VM-80 Active Monitor Speaker
December 2021 - 63
December 2021 - 64
December 2021 - 65
December 2021 - 66
December 2021 - 67
December 2021 - 68
December 2021 - 69
December 2021 - 70
December 2021 - 71
December 2021 - Fade Out: Don’t Wait—Create!
December 2021 - Cover3
December 2021 - Cover4
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