Recording - August 2011 - 2

PUBLISHER: Thomas Hawley ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Brent Heintz

EDITOR: Lorenz Rychner ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Mike Metlay MÚSICO PRO EDITOR: Fernando Curiel

EDITORIAL

Learning This month we focus on learning. It is serious business. Our readers know that they can’t ever afford to stop learning, because, well, statisticians tell us that half the people in this industry are below average, and surely our readers don’t want to be in that half, right? So, all jokes aside, we looked at a myriad of ways—other than subscribing to this magazine—to keep up with trends, be on top of developments, learn new tricks and techniques, and we bring you the results of these efforts in the form of product reviews and book reviews. Most of those instructional products are aimed at the individual, designed for easy self-study, often with support files on the web that can be accessed to enhance on-screen learning or book reading. Just like those files that we have made available in the past on our site, to go with articles where you need to see and hear what the paper can’t deliver. After endless hours of evaluating tutorial videos and on-screen instruction programs, our Mike Metlay had to wear corrective eyeglasses to combat the squareeye syndrome. He found some instructional gems, but it appears that the user interface is not always what it should be, which is strange when you think that even back in the days of VCR tapes (show of hands—who remembers them?) it was no problem to pause and rewind for repeated viewing, something not found in at least one of the products he was evaluating. A fix is in the works, he was told... Books are still a valid vehicle for instruction—we’re reviewing some excellent ones. Now eBooks make their appearance in the world of tutorials, and we look at three of them. Don’t retire that “other” or older computer just yet—if it is capable of streaming or playing videos, you’ll find that watching the instructions on one screen and, where applicable, working on your own files on another screen or computer makes the process so much easier! Schools are always a learning option if you can afford the time and money it takes to attend. We invited a number of educators to chime in on the topic of education, together with a sizable number of other professionals from the industry—musicians, producers, engineers, studio owners, people working for audio equipment manufacturers—a veritable cross section of the industry. We asked them to assess priorities in getting an education for those wishing to enter the industry and make successful careers for themselves. In this context, by education we mean the vocational “how-to” instruction that enables the student to become a working professional. We realize that education can be discussed in entirely different contexts and terms, academically, historically, philosophically—but that’s for another day in another place. Here we simply wanted to explore what those on the inside have to say to those seeking access to the inner circle. Beginning on page 10, you can read the many contributions; not all are in sync, of course, but all provide food for thought and guidance. We are thankful to all those who took the time to respond and share their thoughts. We included a website with every contributor’s name and we encourage you to look them up! If you have comments, please address them to editors@recordingmag.com; we will share them and, where appropriate, provide follow-up. While the topics of learning and instruction dominate this issue, we also bring you reviews of new products for use in your studio—microphones from Shure, two portable recorders from Korg and Superscope, a dynamics processor from Slate Pro Audio, and a new DSP engine and plug-ins for your DAW from Universal Audio. May it all lead to— Happy Recording.

CONTRIBUTORS Paul Vnuk Jr., Todd Gascon, Bruce Kaphan, Marty Peters
ART DIRECTOR: Scott Simmonds PRODUCTION MANAGER: Colin Courtney WEB GOALIE: Colin Courtney

ART & PRODUCTION

EDITOR/PRODUCER:

PLAYBACK PLATINUM SERIES Lorenz Rychner CIRCULATION Tiffany Sepe

CIRCULATION MANAGER:

ADVERTISING SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR: Brent Heintz CLASSIFIEDS MANAGER: Stephanie King
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE:

ADMINISTRATION Stephanie King

PRESIDENT: Thomas Hawley VICE PRESIDENT: Brent Heintz

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

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RECORDING AUGUST 2011

Recording - August 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - August 2011