Software.

Amongst a World of tangible hardware that populates our studio, we would be hard-pressed to find a working studio, broadcast or other, that doesn’t employ software to record, edit, manipulate or archive in some fashion. Even in the world of hardware, we are finding more software-defined and embedded code hidden behind traditional pots and meters.

While in studio, a good ole’ PC (or Mac) is hard to beat as a recorder and editor. With a robust display and capabilities that weren’t even thought of a decade ago, it’s easier than ever to turn that old desktop or laptop into a powerhouse audio recorder, editor or even composer.

My favorite recording and editing software is, admittedly, on the pricey side. Like many people, I have been using my favorites for years. Few people like change and my ‘go-to’ software just ‘fits’. I also use my editors and recorders on a daily basis, so it’s easier to justify their higher cost.

In todays economy, we have to stretch our budgets. I talk to a lot of people entering New Media that simply don’t have the budget to purchase expensive software, for business or personal use. There are a several alternatives.

A great deal is to get 2-for-1. By that, I mean to find a piece of (hardware) gear that you need anyway and be sure it comes with a working audio editor. I’m amazed at the number of products that ship with Cubase LE, which is an excellent multi-track editor. Bundles are becoming more popular all the time. I just received an amazing audio interface with all the software you would need for intense production.

If you already have the hardware and need a simple recorder, check out the legend in free, open-source, multi-platform recording and editing - Audacity. I’ve watched Audacity from the early days and I’m amazed at how far this project has come. Audacity offers many professional features along with an easy to navigate transport. If you find yourself using Audacity and it’s great feature set, they do accept donations through the link above.

As a long-time user of Acoustica products, their MixCraft multi-track recording studio is hard to beat. It is inexpensive, easy on your systems resources and always gets the job done. A true multi-track value at $64.95*.

A core 2-track recorder in Studio1A is Sony Sound Forge. The full-blown version will set you back a fair amount, but it’s worth every penny. If you want to tap into the power of Sound Forge on a budget, take a look at Sound Forge Audio Studio. This is a slightly trimmed down version of the full Sound Forge package. However, you still get that rock-solid Sound Forge performance and no-nonsense interface. At $54.95*, you get a lot of audio power.

As I looked around for the latest, there are many more options out there. I kept this list very short because these are the tools I’ve used, and frankly the ones that I like most …at least today.

As usual, this is an opinion driven editorial. I’d be interested to know what you use for casual recording and multi-track editing?

*Prices listed were at publish time. These are always subject to change.

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Best,
MarkJensen

Trade shows really haven’t changed much over the years. There is information overload, a lot of walking, bad and expensive food. …kind of like a theme park that can be used as a write-off?

The redeeming part of trade shows, and the reason to attend always comes down to the people and relationships. Products can be sent by UPS, but talking with old friends and meeting people that had only been a voice on the phone is priceless.

That sums up our relationship with MXL. MXL was one of our very 1st supporters back in 2005. I remember the beautiful V69 Mogami, which we still use today in post-production.

Fast forward to 2009 and the InfoComm show here in Orlando. The people are still great and the products just keep getting better.

This show will focus on the beautiful MXL V89 large diaphragm condenser. Inside the cherry wood, velvet-lined box, the XXL size of the mic body reminded me of an old tube friend.

However, the V89 is solid-state all the way. MXL went the extra mile and included a custom-fit, welded mount with a threaded mate to the mic. Dressed in grey and polished silver, it’s an impressive piece on the boom. A foam wind sock was also included, but I didn’t need it.

At 1.26″, this is definitely a Large condenser. The sound is very silky for an FET. It’s amazingly quiet, considering the sensitivity and dynamic range. The proximity effect is there, but it’s more subtle than I would have thought. While silky smooth, the V89 is not boomy.

Before I describe the sound too much, why not tune in and have a listen? I’ve warmed up the phantom power and we’re ready to light up a few hard drive sectors.

Street price at record time - $399

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Best,
MarkJensen

Outside, the sweltering Florida Sun beamed down on a huge expanse of buildings that comprise the Orange County Convention Center. Inside the huge halls, it was professional audio and video gear as far as the eye could see.

Just returning from InfoComm 2009, I came across some great audio gear - some new and some that I finally was able to demo in-person.

There were far too many good products to mention, but we will be talking about some of the GREAT gear.

Laura and I are still sorting through thumb drives, pens and business cards along with a very cool little USB boundry mic from our friends at MXL.

Stay tuned - Laura and I will be back on mic with the scoop from this years show.

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube NewMediaGear Channel and listen for NewMediaGear Tweets!

Street price at record time - $199

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…or, drop me a line with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Best,
MarkJensen

I’m almost getting used to that little iSight camera on the iMac. Today, I wanted to show you the TapeLinkUSB, a few classic pro cassettes and have a little fun.

Don’t forget to check out our YouTube NewMediaGear Channel and listen for NewMediaGear Tweets!

I’ll let the video do the rest of the talking…

Street price at record time - $199

Follow Studio1A on Twitter!

…or, drop me a line with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Best,
MarkJensen

Follow Studio1A on Twitter!

…or, drop me a line with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Best,
MarkJensen

USB mics and handheld audio recorders for audio, and now The Flip for video - all New Media legends.

As I record, the Flip is taking consumer and citizen journalism (not to mention entertaining videos) to new heights. A small, solid state device that records SD or HD video and can slip into your pocket. No cables to carry or software to load. Just ‘Flip’ open the side and a USB port appears.

The ingenious embedded software suite stays right with the camera! Mix clips, add transitions and backing tracks with a few mouse clicks.

We continue to use the great little Flip Mino with its internal battery, but the Ultra series (2x AA batteries) appealed to me even more since off-the-shelf batteries can be popped in any time. The Mino uses the USB connection for charging too.

I just had to try the little UltraHD. Besides the small issue of stabilization, any of the Flips are winners.

While my Panasonic pro camera can’t be replaced, I just don’t always have it with me like the Flip. Slip it in your pocket and you’re ready to catch video on the go.

Listen in as Laura makes an appearance and we talk Flip.

Street price at record time - $199

Drop me a line, any time with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Follow Studio1A on Twitter!

…or, drop me a line with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Best,
MarkJensen

Admittedly, this is an “all-in-one” podcast. I normally like to pick a piece of gear or a topic and stay (somewhat) on track.

Since the last cast, Studio1A (at least the Studios) have gone all Mac. I’ve tried that before, but just last week made the extra commitment of adding an iMac to our Mac Pros. This show is the first in some time that wasn’t created with my old favorite, Sony Sound Forge and an XP laptop. Today, I used Apples Sound Track Pro on the iMac along with SoundByte, which replaces BSI WaveCart as our main cart emulation, used mostly to play the intro and outro in real time.

Directly above this post is the Alesis TapeLinkUSB writeup. I also talk about the TapeLinkUSB during this show.

Join me as I break in the new hardware and software.

Talk soon…

Street price at record time - $199

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…or, drop me a line with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Best,
MarkJensen

There is something magical about audio tape. Maybe it’s the sound of saturation, or the challenge of finding the brand and type of tape that squeezes the most dynamic range and frequency response out of a cassette deck or reel-to-reel. How about the smell of isopropyl alcohol on a q-tip - methodically cleaning tape residue from those small and delicate tape heads.
…or maybe the droning buzz of a bulk eraser; music to my ears

Don’t get me wrong - I’d never trade in my hard disk (or solid-state storage) for studio recording. A few things I don’t miss about audio tape are the drop-outs, servo-induced jams and the inherent limitations of a mechanical linear transport.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, many of us have cherished memories on cassette tapes. Some (I won’t name names) have hundreds of ‘mix’ tapes. How cool were mix tapes? I still have a few made for Laura.

As we step back into the 21st Century, most of us have long forgotten the cassette. The folks at Alesis have not. The TapeLink USB is an ingenious device. Dust off your cassettes, plug the dual-transport (only side B records) TapeLink into a USB slot and you’re ready to digitize those memories onto your PC, without converting to analog first.

The TapeLink looks like a 90’s era dual-deck from the front panel. The standard transport buttons are all there along with an index counter to let you know ‘about’ where you are on the tape. DNR (dynamic noise reduction - no Dolby), a CRO2/Metal switch for tape formulations and the ability to dub at normal or high-speeds.

On the back of the TapeLink, you’ll find standard RCA phono connectors if you want to go analog. What sets the TapeLink apart is the USB connector. Plug the supplied USB cable into your PC or Mac and you’re ready to digitize those tapes at 44.1 or even 48kHz, 16-bit.

The best part about the TapeLink is the included software. On the CD, you’ll find the well respected BIAS SoundSoap SE application to ‘re-master’ your old works of art. Also included is the freeware audio editor Audacity and EZ Tape converter.

As a package, the TapeLink offers an effortless means of transferring old media to new. My only disappointment is the lack of Dolby noise reduction. However, the inclusion of SoundSoap makes up for it.

If you have a library of cassettes, don’t hesitate to capture them now. Tape is subject to deterioration over time, so your library will never sound better than it does today.

Check out the unique Alesis TapeLink USB and preserve those memories.

Street price at record time - $199

Drop me a line, any time with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Best,
MarkJensen

Looking for a great set of inexpensive, powered studio monitors? The M-Audio AV-20 Studiophile speaker system is well worth a look …and listen.

In Studio1A, we are fortunate to have some great reference monitors for auditioning. That isn’t the case when I’m away from the studio. The AV20’s were able to fill a gap in listening ‘off-site’ with my laptop. These powered speakers plug directly into your laptops 3.5mm line out. Unlike may other over-inflated specs, the manufacturers quote of a 5 watt amplifier is very believable. The clean 5 watts from these speakers will light up a room with no problem.

These won’t replace $1000-plus studio monitors, but they work wonders in the field (and in the office.)

Have a listen as we check out the M-Audio AV20’s. Great for everything from casual computer speakers to on-the-spot checks of recordings…

Street price at record time - $79

Drop me a line, any time with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Best,
MarkJensen

Are you building a studio from the ground up? Have you already built a studio – temporary or permanent?

If so, it is likely that you haven’t put a lot of thought into the acoustical treatment of that space. In the scheme of things, room acoustics simply aren’t glamorous like microphones, mixers and processors. However, if you are serious about your studio, acoustical treatment should be one of the first items on your list.

Acoustical treatment is critical to your sound in many ways. Taming and dampening unwanted reflections, refractions and other undesirable artifacts is the first step to having control of your recordings; whether you are mixing music or voicing a podcast.

Make no mistake, the art of acoustical design and engineering is far beyond this post. When designing the new Studio1A, I was mainly concerned about reflections. The building construction didn’t allow me to acoustically isolate the room into a large isolation booth. In other words, I just wanted a nice cozy and flat sound. If a helicopter landed on the roof while I was recording, you would still hear it loud and clear.

That’s an important point. Audio frequency isolation and dampening are two completely separate animals. Isolation is a much more involved process that completely removes the outside world (at least acoustically) from your environment. Think of isolation as that weird room you go into to have your hearing tested. That is usually an iso-booth and it is very effective at keeping outside sound from penetrating the “box”. Isolation booths are great, but they are extremely expensive and usually offer little comfort, not to mention space.

If you aren’t up to an iso-booth, a more practical solution are acoustical tiles. Tiles offer minimal isolation from outside sources, but are excellent at “flattening” a rooms acoustics. It’s best to stay away from the homemade solutions, such as stapling egg cartons or gluing foam packing material to your walls. Looks are one thing, but fire safety is paramount.

There are a number of manufacturers out there, but I have used Auralex for many years and decided to stick with what works.

A common misconception is that the entire wall surface needs to be covered in treatment. Computer aided design has maximized the effectiveness of the latest tile over the broadest of frequencies, so that even a small percentage of coverage can yield impressive results.

Studio1A is covered in the cleverly designed Auralex AudioTile product. The unique shapes of these tiles allow you to get very creative in your design. Plan ahead, and you will get great results. My tile floor was actually recommended my an Auralex engineer after I was convinced carpet would yield better results.

Check out the full spectrum of sound absorbing products from leading manufacturers. Plan ahead, ask questions and be sure the product works for YOUR space and requirements. Always follow the manufacturers directions for application and be sure you know whether it can be removed without leaving a mark.

AudioTile fit my needs. Talk to an expert to find out what will work for you. You will be amazed at the difference a bit of foam can make!

Drop me a line, any time with comments, thoughts and suggestions:
mark at newmediagear dot com

Best,
MarkJensen