Recording March 2022 - 4

publisher: Thomas Hawley
associate publisher: Brent Heintz
EDITORIAL
i
FadeIn
Just do it!
If by chance you read my November 2011 Fade Out: Hey! Treat Your Room,
Stupid! (read it online here: recordingmag.com/fadeout-nov-2011) you will
know that I believe that spending your hard-earned income on recording gear
only to stick it in an untreated box is, well, kinda dumb!
Lately however, I have noticed a disturbing
trend, in which people who desire to take
their first room treatment steps are met
with, " That space is too small, too pointy,
the wrong shape, too narrow, too many
windows, " delivered with what one might
call an elitist brutality. These 'experts' are
essentially saying, " If it ain't perfect or ideal,
don't do anything, don't record music there!
Having a 2.5 car garage, a large basement with 10' ceilings, an old storefront
or the ability to build from scratch are fantastic. They can also be unrealistic
and out of reach for many recording musicians. Of course, people who want to
make and record music will make and record music with whatever they have,
wherever and whenever they can. So, if you desire to treat your room, hallelujah,
treat your room, whatever that room may hold. You need to be realistic for
sure, but just like our growth when learning to mix or play an instrument, seeking
improvement is always better than chasing perfection.
As you will learn in my review of the GIK DecoShapes acoustic panels on
Page 32, my family and I just moved into a quirky 1920s-era home. My new
home office / audio space is in a vintage brick basement with exposed joists and
a low ceiling. If I ventured onto an acoustics forum, I am sure many folks would
try and talk me out of it and tell me it could never be a viable mixing space. I
have zero expectation that this will be Abbey Road, Motown, or even a genuinely
professional space (I already am blessed with that about 35 minutes away). I like
the comfort, convenience and flexibility of working from home, and I just want it to
be a better space. As my friend and acoustician John Dykstra proved in my space,
this is possible-with a mere 50 square feet of acoustic treatment.
Like many of us, whether I treat it or not, this is the space I have to work with,
and it's where I am going to work. The room still has some known issues, like a
big open lounge / study behind it, but it's already a drastic improvement over
what it was a week ago. This is my advice to you: find your space, fill it with wise
gear choices, but before that, treat it to the best of your ability.
Acoustics and monitoring
This is, of course, our acoustics and monitoring issue, and we have some great reviews,
including a few world premiere exclusives! Our articles include first-time monitor
selection and treatment considerations. Marc Urselli tells us how he juggled sessions at
Abbey Road, and I am very excited about our interviews this month. When it comes
to acoustics knowledge, we have arguably the GOAT, studio designer Russ Berger!
Then Mark Hornsby gives us a tour of one of Russ's home studio designs. Our second
interview is with Nashville engineer Jeff Balding who shares his knowledge and experience
coming up on two years of mixing music for immersive and binaural listening.
And there is more, including a look at the iconic Royer R series of ribbon mics.
As always, I hope you enjoy the issue!
editor: Paul Vnuk Jr.
músico pro editor: Rodrigo O. Sánchez
CONTRIBUTORS
associate editor: Alex Hawley
copy editor: Mike Scheibinger
Joe Albano, David Blascoe, Mark Hornsby,
Marty Peters, Bill Stunt, Aaron J. Trumm,
Marc Urselli, Christopher Wright
SOCIAL MEDIA
Brent Heintz, Paul Vnuk Jr.
ART & PRODUCTION
production manager: Colin Courtney
art director: Colin Courtney
VIDEO PRODUCTION
Paul Vnuk Jr., Alex Hawley
Cameron Heintz, Lauren Hawley
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circulation manager: Tiffany Sepe
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director: Brent Heintz
classifieds manager: Colin Courtney
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accounts receivable: Thomas Hawley
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4 RECORDING March 2022
http://www.recordingmag.com/fadeout-nov-2011
Recording March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording March 2022
