The Didge
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Yeah, I know, I know—it’s been a long time. Trust me, it bothers me more than it might bother you. Thing is, I could either cancel sessions and work less often, make less money and then I’d have more time to podcast! Oh, wait… maybe not.
I did have a last minute cancellation which was quite welcomed, given my cold and so I did have an unexpected window in which to record this episode—a kind of “catch up” in the studio.
I have to say, when I started this podcast series, I figured that I would do a few such “catching up” episodes but now I’m thinking I might rather do it in blog form. Hmm… maybe I will. We’ll see.
Sooooooo– since last time, I did go to Atlanta for Dragon*Con which was a complete blast. I met so, so many people who were so friendly and were fans of the podcast. It didn’t hurt that I was hanging with George Hrab (http://www.georgehrab.com) and Donna Mugavero (@MsInformation) most of the weekend. I was invited to be on two panels in the podcasting track. It was so nice to finally meet derek & Swoopy from the Skepticality podcast. (http://www.skepticality.com
I couldn’t visit Atlanta and not give my friend, Brian Stevens (http://www.brianstevens.com) a call. We went to lunch at one of those Brazilian steak joints. Wow! I like to call our little meet up a “meat up” because, man—bacon-wrapped chicken, bacon-wrapped beef, bacon-wrapped bacon… It was fabulous to meet Brian in person and I really enjoyed the conversation. Hey, Brian: c’mon, let’s have another episode of the Music Pro Show! (Like I should speak about getting a show out…)
A couple of weeks ago, I flew out to San Francisco for a meeting at Digidesign. I’ve been working with them over the course of a few years to make Pro Tools compatible with the VoiceOver feature of Mac OS X. It’s been a long road and we still have a little way to go but we can definitely see the finish line. For more information on the accessibility of Pro Tools for blind users, please visit
http://www.protoolspetition.org
As usual, I did attend the AES show in New York. I must say, although they tried to spin it in a positive light, the show is so much smaller than it used to be. Hey, I’m glad it’s still around and I’m confident that it’ll grow once again but it really did seem quite a bit smaller than in previous years.
I tried to attend as many workshops as I could. Of course, there are so many good ones that are scheduled at the same time—it’s impossible to see everything one wants to see at these conventions.
One of the panelists with which I was quite impressed was David Josephson of Josephson Engineering. (http://www.josephson.com) David was so thorough in his explanations and so confident that it made me want to just go out and buy a Josephson microphone. David’s an impressive and knowledgeable man with high standards. . No wonder he’s chair of the AES Standards Committee.
I did get to see a bunch of friends and colleagues—some old, some new. I met Sydney Galbraith who came down from Toronto for the show. I know Sydney through Twitter (@sydneygalbraith)—really nice guy with, I’m sure, a bright career in front of him.
Speaking of bright careers, I got to meet the legendary Bruce Swedien. Wow, what a warm and gracious person he is. I think of him as the Walter Cronkite of the audio world. Man, what a giant in the industry and he couldn’t be nicer.
There were a couple of people I didn’t get to see in person and I was bummed about that. I stopped in at the A–Designs booth to see Ronan Chris Murphy of Ronan’s Recording Show (http://www.ronansrecordingshow.com) but he wasn’t around. I stopped in again the next day and missed him again and it appeared that he wasn’t checking Twitter so I didn’t get to meet up with him this time. Also, John Grant of Granelli Audio Labs (http://www.granelliaudiolabs.com) had a whirlwind of a day on Sunday (his only day at the show) but I had to leave early and missed him. Next time…
One of the engineers on a particular panel just rubs me the wrong way to such an extent that it makes me ill. (eyes rolling) He keeps referring to the Sony 3348 as “the didge” which drives me up the wall. First of all, the format is DASH (for digital audio stationary head) and, if anything, the competing format, Mitsubishi’s Pro Digi should sooner be nicknamed “didge.” Further, the fact that this guy uses a 16-bit machine when most people have been using 24-bit for years and years is just inexplicable. Yeah, right, there was a 20-bit version of the Sony DASH as well. Hmm… I wonder if he broke down and stepped up to 20-bit… Anyway, I can’t tell you how nauseated I was by this guy. Honestly, I’m usually quite easy-going but this guy just manages to irk me so…
Since the previous episode, I’ve mixed and mastered ‘Shay Salhov’s record. I would’ve loved for him to have it mastered by someone like Bernie Grundman or Greg Calbi. Unfortunately, I guess it was a financial limitation that led him to having me master it. Alright, I did a decent job but it’s too bad the project couldn’t have been taken to the next level. It sure deserves it.
I sent Carol Sudhalter’s album to be mastered in Rome by Alfa Records. I’ll have to put together an episode regarding Carol’s project. It was really a great pleasure to work on it and the musicians were all delightful. Can’t wait to hear the final release.
We’re done with the tracking and editing for Libby Richman’s album, “Open Strings.” Mixing begins next week. Again, a wonderful group of players on this album.
George Hrab’s long–awaited “Trebuchet” is in it’s final tracking sessions. We still have a vocal intro to record and a horn section on one tune and then we mix. Having begun this project in the Spring, this is the longest period of time from beginning to end for a Geologic record. George says he’s not even sure of everything he has in the can—it’s been that long since we began the recording. Can’t wait to finish it up and get it out there.
Ah, the really bizarre thing I experienced this month was an auction for a voice-over studio in Manhattan that was going out of business. I had gone there a month before the auction because a friend of mine was going to be bidding on the entire studio. Since he’s in L.A., he asked me to go over and have a look at the gear and the space. They had a really nice collection of mics, preamps, some vintage compressors, computers, monitors, etc. Unfortunately, my friend bid too low and the entire studio was auctioned off piece by piece.
I went to the auction to see if I could get some choice pieces. I was quite disappointed to discover that a lot of the gear was already gone even before the auction took place. Apparently, a bunch of it was snatched up by the old employees of the studio. It was slim pickin’s. I did manage to pick up a lot of three Atlas SB36W stands for $90 and four Grace Designs M101s for $225 each. All in all, it was a pretty good deal but, given the amount of time I spent on the whole thing, I’m not sure that it was so extraordinary. Oh well…
I almost forgot—two other things that recently came through the studio door were the Wechter Nashville Elite from Sweetwater Sound and a pair of Advanced Audio CM-12s.
The Nashville Elite is a really nice, colorful instrument specifically designed for Nashville tuning. I’m not crazy about the glossy finish but I’m really having a lot of fun playing it and I can’t wait to use it on some projects.
The CM-12s are actually fully-modified Apex 460s that I sent to Dave Thomas of Advanced Audio. I did do a quick shootout with a stock 460 and a vintage AKG C 12. I’ll save that one for another episode. For now, suffice it to say that I have a smile on my face 
Hey, you know how I’ve said that the show notes can contain some additional/different information than the podcast? Well, here’s a great example of how scatter-brained I can be: I went through great lengths to describe the IAC isolation booths on auction at the ACB voice-over studio and how expensive they are and all. Of course, after all that, I never mentioned the best part—only one person bid on one booth and won it for only $200—a $16,000 booth for $200! Man… I was thinking to myself the next day that I should’ve bid on the rest and simply taken off the doors and interior fiberglass acoustic panels and sold them and on Ebay. Too late. Oh well… next auction.
Tags: accessibility, Advanced Audio, AES, Atlas Sound, Brian Stevens, Bruce Swedien, Carol Sudhalter, CM-12, DASH, Dave Thomas, David Josephson, Derek Colanduno, Digidesign, Donna Mugavero, Dragon*Con, George Hrab, Grace Designs, Granelli Audio Labs, John Grant, Josephson Engineering, Libby Richman, M101, Mitsubishi, Music Pro Show, Nashville Elite, Pro Digi, Pro Tools, Ronan Chris Murphy, Ronan's Recording Show, SB36W, Shay Salhov, Skepticality, Sony, Sweetwater Sound, Swoopy, Sydney Galbraith, VoiceOver, Wechter
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Keep going with the Podcast.
You’re the Walter Cronkite of Podcasting LOL.
I enjoy the way you deliver the content only slightly more than the content itself.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Thanks John! Well, I’m in awe of your consistency over at the Home Recording Show http://www.homerecordingshow.com and I’ll try to get some out more often. Cheers!
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:42 pm
well worth the wait!
thx for the show
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Being very much an observer – listener, it’s very much the charm of the delivery with my very limited knowledge – although I thought initially this was going to be about a didgeridoo!
Twitter seems to have become a must-use when orchestrating when/where to meet people, I think more are using it than email at conferences.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:42 pm
Thanks, dave! And, Kylie, your didgeridoo comment made me laugh so hard — figures an Austraian would assume that with the title.
Yes, indeed, Twitter seems to be a great tool for meet-ups at cons. I’ll probably be at the NAMM show in January. We’ll see how it works there, with 100,000 attendees. . . 
November 4th, 2009 at 1:49 am
Slau, Awesome to hear your voice. Always entertaining listening to your perspective on things – even when you’re tee’d off, you’ve got such a smooooooth and humourous outlook. Fantastic episode – and don’t worry about the frequency, they’re always worth the wait!
- D
November 4th, 2009 at 4:52 am
Hey Mr. Chick,
Thanks for the words of encouragement. It certainly is such a pleasure and every time I manage to set aside some time to put an episode together, I’m always so glad when it’s completed. More to come soon!
November 4th, 2009 at 11:11 pm
Well, my Slau fix is finally satisfied for a little while longer. I know what you mean about annoying so-called experts. I think what’s so galling about it is when they say obviously pea-brained things (eg calling the Sony a Digi instead of the Mitsubishi) and people still esteem their opinions. *sigh* Whatever.
Glad your opinions are still rock-solid. Keep up the great show!
November 5th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Woo-hoo! New show! (I really need to optimize my podcatcher).
Regarding you and the podcast, I’m sure you know what I’m going to say. I am terribly consistent in this matter.
1. Do what you feel is best for you and your situation, even if that means switching to blog form, but…
2. I would prefer to see the podcast continue. I agree wholeheartedly with the vast heaps of praise other commenters have hurled upon you. Just putting in my “vote,” to continue the podcast, FWIW.
November 5th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
How could I forget to mention the meat fairies! I’ve only been to a Brazillian Steakhouse twice, but it was surreal, and wonderful.
November 5th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Hey Carrie,
Equally as predictable: thanks for the comment! Ah, I didn’t mean I’d stop the podcast—I’d simply consider augmenting it with a separate blog, which I might actually do. we’ll see. Oh, I couldn’t possibly give up giving my inflections in audible form—it’s gotta be a podcast, for sure.
November 6th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Best quote of the show: “I never get headaches, the occasional hangover perhaps, but never headaches…”
Good stuff!
November 6th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Great to hear your voice again! I’ve been self-medicating with The Weight of Words in the meantime.
November 6th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Hey James — Of course, I have to get a drinking reference in there once in a while
Ooh, Marvin — I’ll try to make sure you have something new to listen to in the new year
November 8th, 2009 at 7:04 am
Really sorry I did not get to see you at AES. Would have really enjoyed finally getting to meet you face to face.
I was blown away to when I found out that the engineer that makes you cringe was still using the older DASH machine. But he somehow manages to be the most commercially successful engineer in the world, perhaps of all time. I wonder if people were paying me up $20,000/day (plus points) to do what I do, the way I do it, if I would be resistant to change as well.
Fun show as always!!!
Ronan
November 8th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Hey Ronan,
Thanks for the kind words. I suppose I ranted perhaps a bit too strongly. True, he must be doing something right and I guess that when one has a formula that works, well… Still, I do shake my head in amazement.
Cheers!
November 9th, 2009 at 6:35 am
Slau, I do not think you ranted to strongly. You feel what you feel. He is a pretty polarizing figure. Both ends of the spectrum are pretty well deserved.
November 10th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Hey, Slau, I really enjoy your show. I’m not surprised it take you so long to put together an episode – it is possibly the finest produced engineering podcast on the web.
So, I had a question – you talked about a polarizing figure in engineering, and then later mentioned without comment another polarizing item – the Yamaha NS10. I’ve heard differing opinions on both sides of the argument, but…
Why do you like them?
Thanks, Rob (eagerly awaiting the next episode)
November 10th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Hi Robert,
I’m delighted that you’re enjoying the show and thanks for the generous compliment. Much as women dress for other women, I truly share my audio–related experiences for other audio engineers and audio geeks in general.
Regarding the NS–10s, it’s not so much that I like them, per se, but that I’m used to them. I know some people tend to despise them but those folks tend to also be on the younger side, generally speaking. I don’t think they sound that bad. True, they don’t sound fabulous either. Thing is, I’ve been using them since 1989 and I’m really familiar with them.
In addition to the NS–10s, I also use Genelec 8040As and a pair of passive avantone Mini Cubes. The Cubes are just for an extra reference for smaller, full–bandwidth (chuckle) speakers and the Genelecs give me a little more on the bottom and top—again, just for a secondary reference. I make all critical mixing decisions on the NS–10s.
I think that just about any engineer will agree that one can acclimate to just about any monitor, given enough time. I’d argue that a factor practically as big as the monitors themselves is the room. Lots of folks working in home studios get used to their own space and that’s cool. But it’s a real ear–opening experience to suddenly find yourself in another studio with different dimensions, different acoustical treatment, etc. For some, it can be a little sonically disorienting and people often second–guess everything. Luckily, I haven’t really experienced that kind of disorientation when working in other studios. Perhaps I’m confident about how I’m perceiving what I’m hearing and I’m comfortable with that.
Heh, I just realized something about the possible reason why I might be so irked by Mr. Didge. You know how people say that when something about someone bothers you it’s because you see part of yourself in them? Hmm… I wonder if it’s the overly confident attitude that I see in him that I recognize in myself. Hmm…
If there’s one thing that my wife has taught me, it’s that, no matter how absolutely certain of myself I can be, there’s always the unthinkable chance that I might be wrong. She’s proved it on many occasions. LOL Maybe I see that cockiness in him and somehow identify with it and I do believe it’s a dangerous trait to be so self-assured. Confidence is one thing and it’s a good thing but, taken too far, one can become careless and fool-hearty. that’s not something I ever want to be.
Anyway, thanks for the comment and for perhaps inadvertently giving me some food for thought!
Slau
November 26th, 2009 at 4:41 am
I guess what I wonder is if “The Didge” was something like… Garage Band running through M-Audio converters would it still be scorned so badly? I mean you can make great music on almost any format and as long as the people playing are good at what they do it will be a great recording…
If this guy can make it on an out of date system then charge the big bucks for what he does… Who can really say he is doing anything bad?
I mean… How long has 2″ tape been sort of an antique format? But somehow when you get a guy on a panel and he is asked what he uses to make his recordings and says
“Well I start with this late 70s Neve into a 16 track 2″ tape machine, mics are almost always going to be some old Shure SM57s on guitars and a U47 on the vocals right into the board, I mix everything on the box sending vocals to the EMI plate in my basement for a little space”
I mean if Mr. Didge had said that we would all be going “Holy crap that sounds amazing” but because he uses something sort of off the beaten path… We all want to scorn
My first “hit” was with a single EV 664 into a firepod running Garage Band 2.0 it won a lot of awards on sites like Garageband.com and got licensed for use in a computer games. It also is getting a fair amount of radio play on our local college radio station…
November 26th, 2009 at 5:00 am
Yeah, if it were Garage band and an M-Audio interface, he’d still irk me
I suppose that you’d have to hear him speak to truly appreciate the attitude which is what drives me nuts about this guy. Yeah, we all know that it’s about the performance rather than the gear. Whatever gear he might use, though, he’d still come across as an ass. Hey, he’s got plenty of money and fame so I guess he can afford to be the way he is and use the equipment he chooses to use.
I think I’ve gotten over it and gotten used to his cocky attitude. One could probably get used to just about anything—like a huge vice on one’s head a la Uncle Fester. LOL