Organize, Organize, Organize! (Sessions, Folders, Files)

I think I have always been somewhat organized. But I have learned to be very organized since running my studio. Things can get very unorganized very quickly.

If you want to save yourself some headaches down the road, grab 20-30 mins to take some time when you're not very busy and think about how you want to organize folders, files, sessions, and clients. 

Being able to find a client's session quickly becomes key. For instance, I have one client who came in a few years ago with just one project. As the months and years have gone by she has done a dozen or so different types of projects. I made the mistake of thinking what she was bringing me was a one-time project, so I just threw it in with another of her sessions. I have now done that so many times that when she calls and asks if I have so and so I don't know the answer. She is the exception for me. But her different projects are a MESS!!

So I had to develop a "system" of sorts to stay organized. Here's what I do:

I put the clients' last name first, then first name. So Tom Smith becomes Smith Tom. Bands are simply listed by the name of the band. I always capitalize the main client folder and the main folder for a song (i.e. Smith, Tom).  I usually put a sub-folder inside the client folder with the song title - and I do one folder per song. I do not put multiple songs in the same folder! If they have three songs, they get three folders. The folder for the song I put in caps, like "The Setting Sun". Then the session in that folder becomes settingsun. I always do 'Save As' with the sessions as I get something done, incorporating a number scheme. So the session I put settingsun_01 xxx. With the xxx being what was done during that session, i.e. vocal tracking, eq, rough mix, etc. Then settingsun_02,etc.

Although I don't always do it this way, it's good to know that 'year/month/day' formatted dates sort alphanumerically; 'day/month/year' (UK) and 'month/day/year' (USA) standards do not. Think about it: under the UK system, the 1st of December sorts in front of the 2nd of January because 1 comes before 2. And in America Jan the 1st 2008 comes before the December the 1st 2007 because 01 comes before 12.

This works for session files too. Versions of the same day get suffixed a, b, c etc.

Dates are more logical than descriptives like... 'final mix', 'final final mix', 'final final mix THIS ONE', new final mix, 'new new final mix unmastered reverb +EQ' etc., etc. I don't use descriptives this way.

If you use the YYYYMMDD format, they'll sort alphanumerically on a computer and you'll be organized!

I hope this helps!

Peace-

And remember - make it a great day!

Tim

6 Recording Myths - Busted!

It is hard to learn how to record and mix music today. With so much information available on the web, sometimes it is hard to know if the information is true or not - whether it can be trusted or not. Here are six myths that are not true! Ask anyone who really knows his stuff and is experienced and successful.

Myth 1 – You can’t use ribbon mics on loud sources

This myth is a good one to start with because like the best myths, there’s just enough of a grain of truth to it to keep it going. It’s true that the actual ribbon element can be more fragile than the diaphragm of a moving coil or condenser microphone. It’s also true that in the early days of ribbon mics, those classic RCA mics from the 1940s would fail readily if you tried to use them on a screaming guitar amp or a kick drum. However, that hasn’t been true for decades. These days, arguably the most venerated guitar cabinet mic, the Royer R-121,  is a ribbon mic. Ribbon mics these days can easily withstand extremely high Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) and can be used on any source. Some ribbon mics such as the Shure KSM313/NE utilize a ribbon made of Roswellite, a substance created using carbon nanofilm technology that is virtually unbreakable and can endure levels up to 146dB SPL.

Myth 2 – Always record as hot as you can

This is another myth that has roots in the early days of recording to tape. Back when your recordings had to stay above the noise floor of the tape, tracking too quietly could render your recording noisy and unusable. Not only that, but recording engineers realized that for rock music, slamming your recording levels produced a very pleasing tape compression and “heat” that could make things sound great. With digital recording, however, both of these are no longer true. With 144dB of dynamic range (24-bit recording) you can even record at -40dB and have 100dB of dynamic range. Early analog-to-digital converters (from decades ago) did sound better when recording near the top of their range but that is no longer the case. In fact, with digital recording, overloading your recording levels is decidedly unpleasant, resulting in a digital distortion when clipping that is ugly and abrasive.

Myth 3 – External digital clocking improves the sound of your audio interface

If you’re interconnecting a lot of digital gear you may want to use a master digital clock. Get the best clock you can afford, and make sure everything is connected properly via Word Clock cables. In many cases, the master clock won’t have a drastic influence on the sound; the uniform clocking simply makes everything work together without digital pops and ticks. Just taking your audio interface and hooking it up to an external clock isn’t going to improve the sound quality of its digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital converters unless the clock in your interface is really poor. If you really want to improve your recorded sound, get the best mics, preamps, and audio interface you can. Only buy an external digital clock after you’ve made sure the rest of your audio chain is the best it can be.

Myth 4 – Egg cartons or mattress foam are good acoustic treatments

No, not even close! And despite what you may read on the internet, they don’t sound-proof anything. Materials such as drywall, insulation, and acoustic foam can be great acoustic treatment materials. With these materials and proper construction and application methods, you can effectively tackle the two general aspects of studio construction: isolation and acoustics. First, if you’re concerned with keeping sound from getting in or out of your recording space, you’ll need to tackle isolation. This is best done with some form of mass-air-mass construction. A wall with drywall and insulation, empty space, then another identical wall with drywall and insulation will provide a great start. For controlling the acoustics inside your space, you’ll need a combination of absorption and diffusion. There are myriad ways and a long list of proper materials to implement this — egg cartons and mattress foam are NOT on the list!

Myth 5 – External hardware always sounds better than digital plug-ins

In the early days of digital, this may have been true, but definitely not today. Sure, there are hardware compressors, equalizers, and effects processors with a certain mojo that sound amazing. But there are also digital software processors that sound incredible and offer a level of precision and recall that you’ll never get with external hardware. There’s a reason that nearly every pro studio has a ton of high-quality plug-ins even if they already have and use great outboard gear. You may like the sound of a piece of hardware, but you may like, or even prefer, the sound of a digital processor. The days of digital being second best are far behind us.

Myth 6 – There’s a “correct” way to record

It might seem counter-intuitive after all these “wrong” myths to proclaim that there’s no “right” way. But it’s true! One way of doing things may not get you the results you’re after, but then there are multiple ways that will. The name of the game is experimentation! Never stop experimenting and searching to find techniques that work for you, your music, your musicians, your studio. If you wonder if something will work, even if it seems patently false, give it a go! At worst you’ll need to redo it. At best you may add another unique tool to your toolbox. And that’s what recording is all about!

These are truths that all of us can learn from. I hope this helps musicians and engineers alike get better at their craft!

Peace - and HEY! make it a great day!

T

Calculating File Sizes (How much hard drive space does it take to record a song?)

So . . .  you want to record a song and you're running out of space on the computer's hard drive? Wondering if you have enough room? Here's how to figure out if you do have enough space:

The sample rate and bit depth of the audio you record are directly related to the size of the resulting files. In fact, you can calculate file sizes using these two parameters:

-- Sample Rate x Bit Depth = Bits per second

Or, stated another way:

-- Sample Rate x Bit Depth x 60 = Bits per minute

In the binary world of computers, 8 bits make a byte; 1, 024 bytes make a kilobyte (KB); and 1,024 KB make a megabyte (MB). Therefore, this equation can be restated as follows:

-- (Sample Rate x Bit Depth x 60) / (8 bits per byte x 1,024 bytes per kilobyte x 1, 024 kilobytes per ---  megabyte) = Megabytes (MB) per Minute

Reducing terms gives us the following:

-- Sample Rate x Bit Depth / 139, 810 = MB per Minute

A lot of folks are recording these days at 44.1/ 24. That's a sample rate of 44,100 with a bit depth of 24 bits. Here is the calculation:

-- 44,100 x 24 / 139,810 = 7.57 MB per minute.

Here is a basic chart of different sample rates and bit depths:

44.1/16 bit  =  5.04 MB/minute
44.1/24 bit  =  7.57 MB/minute
48/  16 bit   =  5.49 MB/minute
48/  24 bit   =  8.24 MB/minute
88.2/16 bit  = 10.09 MB/minute
88.2/24 bit  = 15.14 MB/minute
96/  16 bit   = 10.99 MB/minute
96/  24 bit   = 16.48 MB/minute

If you figure a normal song of 3 1/2 minutes recorded at 44.1 sample rate and 24 bit, you can plan on it taking roughly 26.50 MB of disk space. I am starting to run a lot of my sessions now at 96/24 bit. So a 3 1/2 minute song is costing me 57.68 MB of hard drive space per song.

Considering that terabyte hard drives are now running close to $50 these days, all this math stuff is not nearly as important as it was just a few years ago. But I know a lot of guys who still aren't purchasing a whole lot of TB hard drives! It's still useful information if it's needed in a crunch!

Hope this helps!

HEY!! Make it a great day!!

T

Organize Pt. 2

Group Cabling
Keep cables grouped together by type (audio, MIDI, mains, etc.). This makes it easier to find faulty cables, patch equipment quicker and easier, and help reduce cable-borne noise problems. Putting a little distance between different types will reduce the potential for EMI (electromagnetic interference) problems, because mains cables can induce a 50Hz hum on audio cables. Always try to keep power cords of any kind separate from audio cables. If they do have to cross, try to do it at a 90° angle to minimize hum induction.

Use Cable Wraps
Using cable ties of some sort are definitely in order! Use Velcro or easy-release plastic ties. DO NOT use the infamous rock-n-roll duct tape! It will leave sticky residue once removed!

Label
Label Everything! I used to use the little string tags (and if I was to be honest, there are still some being used). But I did finally invest in a digital label maker. Good Investment! I now have 2 different tape sizes and label everything - patch bays, monitor control, hard drives, cables, wires, boxes, etc. You get the point!

'Faulty' Box
Get a large plastic box and label it "Faulty", "Not Working", "Needs Repair", "Bad" or something like this. You will end up with equipment that needs repair, faulty wires or cables, stomp boxes not working correctly, or just components that you can use later for recycling of parts. Almost everything in our studio can be repaired or used for parts. This helps keep unusable equipment from getting mixed up with the good. How many times have you reached for that cable that doesn't work or needs a wiggle when you use it! Throw it in the faulty box! When you have some time, get into the box and pick a project! Or better yet, sell the lot on eBay under 'needing repair' and get them out of your hair.

I now have initiated all of this in my own studio. I am much better organized, I have better workflow, waste less time and can focus more on my tracking or mixing. I hope this helps you too!

As always-
Make it a great day!

Tim