Re: Pro Tools. It became the “standard” because once upon a time, personal computers (Mac, Windows, even Amiga) just didn’t have the computational grunt to do multitrack recording, mixing, and effects on the main CPU. What Pro Tools brought to the party was dedicated DSP hardware - the main CPU is relegated to just drawing the GUI, and doing some file system management tasks (IIRC, the DSP card needed a compatible SCSI card - possibly part of the entire package, I just don’t remember - and did bus-mastering DMA across the NuBus; but the main CPU & OS managed the directory structure, etc). Then inertia set in, and, well, y’all know the rest…
Been using Live since 2014. Pro Tools was and is still a shitty program because it’s poorly written and poorly designed. Producers, hello. Keep using *your* DAW. I don’t have answers that you want to hear.
@Frenzied Unicorn Productions as it should. The "cake and eat it" crowd who want real tape, but not wah and flutter, valves with no noise or that "retro sound" that was actually created decade's ago by genius engineers working against the limits of their hardware.
Someone wanting to be unique makes them generic, because almost everyone wants to be unique. Accepting your true self and true interests is what makes you "you", and that's what makes you unique. And use the knowledge as a foundation not a copypasta sauce.
All the tech desk guys at my uni despised protools. "If you have to put 'pro' in the name, you know it's going to be a letdown". They made a point to put reaper on all the machines and half the tutors used reaper for their own work too.
@@SBMech Yeah, FabFilter definitely gets a pass and they can name their products whatever cliche name they want. lol But I still wonder why they didn't go with "Fab" instead: Fab-Q, Fab-MB, Fab-L, Fab-R, and so on.
@@adamkahn8645 I'm a dork with free time and I figured out how to make simple beeps and boops. First is knowing your audio hardware and learning how it interacts with your computer. Then you add tracks to record to, this is where you place MIDI tracks or tracks from your interface. Essentially, just play around with it and Google what you want to do. Don't just Google how to use the software but Google how to use VSTs, how to use the virtual MIDI keyboard, how to compress the audio tracks and so on. Reaper may be known for its complexity but you will have the issue of learning your DAW whether it's FL Studio or Logic Pro.
About glen: this man is sharing a lot of knolege for free, he's inspired by music and how it works. we all should be thankfull because he's sharing knowledge with us, this shared knowledge he exported took a loot of time (for years) and people are sharing it for free, he is helping musicians out, like making musicians sound better and making music more inclusive. I've been through home recording since 2007, when I had my firt computer, and then I decided to dedicate my life to music. As a musician I can say before you get to any studio you got to test if every thing is right, home recording is the way. Of course a home recording will not bring a gigantic result but knowing what it how it works from scratch helps a lot, even when you are practicing alone in your room alone. Even when you just want to play. Thank you Glenn, you're a great man and you are sharing preciou information. You inspire people to go on, and thats what matters. Thank you again, Glenn, you have a big heart. Cheers
Thank you for including hip-hop in the conversation. I know that the process of recording metal and hip-hop are two TOTALLY separate things, but it’s nice to have a little perspective on both ends ☮️
I’ve heard a few studio owners with large format mixers like Neves and SSLs say that they honestly don’t use the desk that much and they just keep it because it looks badass and gets them business. Fair play if you can afford the electricity bill.
I worked as a tech at an audio school with a 32 channel ssl 4040, and 90% of the time students just sat their laptop on the ssl and patched into the monitors. It was pretty funny actually!
My grandpa used to say all the time… “It’s like the guy who buys a Cadillac but then can’t afford to put gas in it!” 😂😂👌 But honestly, if you’re “rich” enough to buy an SSL console, please use it for other things than playback. And please make it sound as good as Hugh Padgham would. We’ve all known a bastard in high school who started to play guitar on Les Paul Custom and a decent stack he got for Christmas when all your parents could afford was a Jay Turser and a 10-Watt Crate amplifier with built-in effects. Chances are… you probably still play and he phased out of it cause he got bored and sold his gear
@@carlroberge7535 lol too true... you think people now don't want to take the time it actually takes to do shit 'properly' or at lease the understanding of what you're actually pressing and what it does to the signal path... microwave style... you can get a pretty good micro meal but i'm sure a chef that makes his shit from scratch will always be better. no recalls no imagery just your meters and ears.. 🤘
Out of context but, ad before the video goes: this is a switch bike, no this is a switch bike, no... *skips ad, this is a vintage Neumann u87 manufactured in Germany. So smooth
I have both a Mac and pc, I have gotten sessions by different people just because I had either as in "oh you have x you must know what you're doing" musicians never cease to amaze.
This reminds me of a story that my Linux system administration professor used to tell. He used to work in the University data center. One time, his boss tasked him with buying some new servers and said that the most important thing was to make sure the server had as many blinking lights as possible. This was because they had found from experience that when the congressmen would do their yearly tour, they were always more impressed and willing to give more funding, when there were more blinks lights.
The first thing I did after completing my diploma at the SAE was to forget all about Pro Tools as it was there that I got put onto Reaper best thing the SAE did.
@@0oTHEJACKo0 Don't think it was part of the course but several instructors showed it to us. May have had somthing to do with the Avid push to up grade the Pro Controll to what ever it got replaced with....
@@brianwilson2904 Pretty nice, that you got in contact with the best DAW in the world (not even kidding). When I suggested reaper only in a sidesentence, the maximum response I got was "we are well aware of reaper". -> continued to use pro tools :D But mostly the reponse was complete desinterest. It's impossible something could be better for 1/10 of the price of pro tools. It is called pro tools, so come on. It muste be pro.
😂😂 probably a cost effective way to do your coursework after spending 20k a year on fees... don't they still have the big arse consoles ? what's the point of going there to learn reaper ... after leaving SAE, however stupid their system was and sounds like still is, I landed me my first gig in a commercial studio with the knowledge of the 4000+ and Neve VR. granted it took some time to build up I didn't just go in and start recording madonna but slowly but surely 😉
Love this, and 100% accurate. I run a studio. U87? Check. Copy of PT that I don't use? Check. Wall of fancy tube amps? Check. Loud playback with sub? Check. Some of these things are genuinely useful tools. Some are not. All of them are client bait. One thing to add to the list - big collection of fancy guitars that most clients will not play (even when they really really should)
Morning Glenn, and the rest of the early risers out there, I was at a local recording school that charges wayyy too much for tuition the other week, they had that fake Pultec copy. called them out on it in passing and they get kinda weirdly defensive saying it sounded “just as good”, interesting choice coming from a place that charges 30k a year...
One suggestion: a video showing the recording of a song with the cheapest gear there is; mics, amps, axes, cables, drums, EQs, compressors, etc. Would the mix make the whole difference?
This is a great topic! I worked in a studio that dealt with a lot of hip hop guys and they always gave us a list of gear that they NEEDED to record. The Avalon preamp was always on that list.
@@rainbowkrampus I don't know if it's where it got *started* per se, but I remember Jay Z's engineer Young Guru say he tracked vocals with an Avalon 737.
So true with the “endless options” part of software. When I recorded my album, the engineer spent a solid hour in total just finding a keyboard sound for like 2 songs.
yes, it is better to dig through all the options that are available, select the best ones, then remove all the hangers on. digging through masses of plugins and sample libraries can be a real mission, and in the end... it is more of a detriment.
Wow thanks. This is some great advice for when I'm finally ready to record my newest hit record. I just gotta write it. And find a band. And get some singing lessons. And learn to play an instrument.
I'd say the controllers (“mouse”) do have an actual use: depending on your situation, it can be a huge plus to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome or similar issues (helps to not develop the issue, and to not work in pain if you have one). If you have pain sometimes, consider this option. This being said, you don't need a huge console. Their are way smaller solutions. (Check Loupedeck for example, though I don't know how good it is for music production.)
"Are those impulse responses and drum samples we're hearing?" That's a great question and something that I've had to resort to with my "studio" From the very first "song" that I recorded I noticed that recording music with quality components and real instruments was not going to be cheap, then found this thing called "acoustic treatment" Nowadays all the money I'm saving will be used to buy some panels and bass traps so I don't lie to myself with my "studio" and the foams I have, because in the end I still have to use impulse responses and drum samples for my projects.
In the late '90's I had many musicians spewing out compressor model numbers , mic numbers and labels , converter names . Here I am 2021 , with a ton of high end compressors , mic pres , mics , and Lynx Aurora converters , Genelec monitors and clients don't seem to give a shit .
The House of Kush made a very compelling case for DAW controllers by pointing out that they give the ability to adjust the fader and at least one other parameter at the same time. I can see how that would be a huge aid to the mixing process.
I've noticed the Spitfire Audio composers are almost always simultaneously manipulating *two* separate sliders while recording orchestra-type lines, one generally controlling "volume" and one controlling "intensity" (for lack of a better words).
I disagree with some of the hardware controllers not adding anything. Sometimes it’s helpful to be able to turn two knobs at once or move to other knobs quicker than a mouse
I do not record music, but I color grade. My color correction console lets me be three times as fast as working with a mouse, but I know that, despite the simplest one costing over a thousand dollars, it is just three mice and a pair of knobs that shouldn't cost more than 70 dollars. It's not the usability, is the cost is associated with it.
Yeah sometimes you need to move 4 or 5 faders at once, but with grouping, you can do that with one mouse move. Or you can use automation lines. The real deal with these controllers was to attract old farts who are used to large consoles. Even the way consoles are patched are modelled after how they work... The aux sends, the groupings in the faders, etc.
with some controllers you can to multiply moves in one go. Having the option to have 24 faders(that are motorised) and 24 encoders that will do the same in on any channel you select. The low or hi gain is always the same knob and while you turn the knob you listen to sound you don't even have to look at the screen, Whit a mouse you have to look at the screen and are therefor a potential victim of mixing by eyes. I do agree that controllers have no real effect on the sound and if they are intergraded badly into your DAW you will be going back to using the mouse because it works.
@@humancaos yeah that was the other benefit i forgot to mention, is being able to look down at the controller and use your ears rather than what the settings are
Even I, as a Latvian, haven't heard of that brand and didn't know that apparently they can outperform Neumann mics. I guess I'm also guilty of brand association. :D
MXL make good clones of Neumann for like 60-100$ I have a MXL990 - it's a truthful copycat of Neumann TLM 102/103 for 1/10-1/20 the price....they (MXL) also make MXL V67, it's a clone of Neumann U87 for like 150-200$
I remember having to do a Pro Tools module at uni (our standard DAW was Logic) and that module was the single most stressful module of my entire time at uni because Pro Tools is so horrid to use
In defense of the DAW controller boards, I have shaky arthritis hands. I save time not having to fix errors I made while accidently double clicking the wrong thing with a mouse on the screen.
in light of the title I agree that it is not 100% needed to get a good result for the client. But only because he couldn't figure out how to use his Mackie with his DAW does not make the Mackie a bad controller only he was to stupid to learn how to use it, it's often the case for bad experience with any device.
If you bought it back in 1984-2004 and still use Pro Tools & Digidesign 002 / 003 in 2021 chances are you have arthritis for you are an old geezer by now 😂
Glenn, I cannot describe how many bands were hesitant to work with me because I didn’t use Pro Tools. I’m a Logic user, have never had any complaints about my mixes or workflow on Logic and when the band works with me the sessions are always smooth. The fact that I have to do the whole “yeah, I don’t use Pro Tools, but…” shtick is ridiculous.
Depends on where you invest. Room treatment? Hell yeah. Monitors that work well for your ears and tastes? Absolutely. Invest where it actually counts and you'll outdo yourself.
I'm going to school online with Full Sail University for Music Production. I learned Logic in a previous class, and am now learning Pro Tools in my Audio Workstations class. I HATE IT. There's so many dumb little things wrong with it. It's so much harder to use than Logic.
Maybe because you learned Logic before Pro Tools? I can't stand Logic, or most other DAWs for that matter, thier work flow makes 0 sense to me after coming from Pro Tools.
Exact same experience.... they made us use a ProTools rig with an S6 surface... HATED it .... just found ProTools completely unintuitive... In my case I prefer Studio One, but to each his own... as long as it's not Slowtools ;-)
i felt that growing pain using Pro tools after learning Logic. Currently using Cubase as my rig is now windows, but Pro tools unlocks when you learn the shortcuts. but lets be real if you aren't vocal comping, or recording full live bands or orchestras. Pro tools is not the play. Especially if your world revolves around midi. Pro tools just integrates really well in a legit studio environment when you have the DAW act like a tape machine (not a creative tool), and once the person running the DAW is an expert with all the shortcuts during tracking. After I left the studio and went home I would open Logic or Ableton. In the end the DAW choice doesn't even matter. You can accomplish pretty much anything on any DAW out there. so whichever DAW makes sense and works for your needs is all that matters.
My last band recorded In a studio with really nice gear and preamps. We actually used a modded neve console. All real amps, only one re-amp due to our request for a different tone on one song. All vocals were sung through the classic Neumann. The engineer had protools only for clients who brought projects In that were recorded in protools. He called it slow tools as well. He used a combination of different cubase versions based editing functionality then mixed everything in Nuendo. It was a great experience. I'm proud to say none of the "garbage" gear listed here was at all present in this studio. He's on a PC not a MAC, and attracts clients no problem. One thing to Iook for In any studio is samples of previous work and a variety of genres as well as ones related to the music we are making to hear the quality of mixes we can expect from whichever studio we choose. Also it is good to book a tour and meet with the engineer/mixer to see if they are a right fit for you and your band. If the vibe isn't right book somewhere else. You're paying them, so make sure you will be able to achieve the results you want. They need to be easy to work with and so do you and your band. You're paying someone for their expertise to get you to sound your best. Let them do their job. Your job is to show up know your material have the instruments tuned and set up with new strings and gear that is working and sounding good, if not.... then you're paying studio time to use gear that is better than what you have. Great video.
Yep. I bought a PreSonus Faderport about 10 years ago because I thought automating my mixes by hand would add a "human feel" to my mixes. Turns out I was spending more time recording automation passes because I overshot them each time, and in the end I just clicked in the automation points I wanted with a mouse.
@PenileAugmentation Made me think of Ableton's Push, but it's kinda like the controllers mentioned in the video, it's just bringing controls that are on the screen into the physical realm. I mean, it's also a MIDI pad controller, but you can get most of it's functionality with a Novation Launchpad for half the price
I bruilt custom mains…12 inch woofers, 8 inch low mids, 5 inch high mids, and a horn tweeter. Built a custom 4way crossover and a nice custom cabinet…took me about $400 and a weekend for the pair…..clients seem to love them lol
There are so many great alternatives to Neumann mics. Lauten Audio, ADK, and Oktava are a few to mention. The reason why people wanna sing through them is because their favorite singers prolly sang through one. It's no different than wanting to use a Soldano SLO100 because he is a fan of Mick Mars. And also there is a bragging rights phenomenon when doing in-studio performance shoots when there is a Neumann U87. Personally I think the technology is not that expensive to get results close to, if not identical to a U87. Neumann is just living off the legacy they made.
I've done over a dozen classical concert recordings on my friends' pair of vintage Soviet MK012 mikes. Would I use better gear if we could afford it? Yes. But nobody complained about the recording quality yet. (Okay, I'm not a professional sound engineer and we did everything on a very tight budget, to put it in perspective.)
I agree with the daw controller point but personally I notice a faster workflow when trying to find a good balance as it allows me to close my eyes and mix, allowing me to focus on the sound instead of being bogged down by the visuals, don’t get me wrong I can achieve the same results without it but it makes it more fun and engaging to mix with your ears, just something to think about.
The name is why it’s “standard”. Brilliant marketing. Windows has been very stable in last few years since Microsoft refactored the kernel and embraced better practices. For the little bit I used a Mac at work, I was surprised at how many system crashes I had given the rhetoric about Macs. This has just become one of those things that is going to stick around forever, even if it isn’t necessarily true anymore.
Amen. I've been working with practically all Windows versions starting from 3.0, and the new 10 is a fine piece of software. Stable, responsive, handles memory well, and secure (there is a reason why hacker attacks these days focus on social engineering!)
I've never had problems on either Windows or Mac and enjoy using both (not as much as Linux, but I'd never fuck around on that with music production). I do appreciate MacOS from an OS architecture standpoint, though, I'm a sucker for the way UNIXy-systems handle permissions.
@@_Alex_Sander If you have problems with Windows, it's probably a hardware issue of sorts. When Windows 7 delegated drivers to the outer ring of the OS, not even a bad driver could bring it down. But whatever works as you said- I use Reaper and Live, and once those are open and fullscreen on a Mac, I couldn't give less about what computer it is. It's a tool.
@@_Alex_Sander I had only problems once, upgrading from 7 to 10 on an old laptop with proprietary hardware and BIOS. Turned out the System Reserved partition was too small for Windows 10, and it was not possible to change it without losing the Win 7 installation from which the upgrade had to be performed.
Glen, that was so informative and hilarious! I'm an old guy, session player from 1976 on. Always had my home studio but worked mostly in the biggies. I bet manufacturers shit themselves when you do one of these. What I really like is the idea of not wasting hard earnt money on BS. 👍. I laughed my arse off. Thanks.
@@paisleepunk I worked for Mike Vernon the British producer for year's. He did the Beano record with Clapton and also early Fleetwood Mac Focus and others. I played in Jimmy Witherspoon last studio recording.The blues whole blues and nothing but the blues. Eric Bibb,Me to you , Chris Youlden ex Savoy Brown, second sight . Sherman Robertson Texas blues Atlantic . I'm the man and Here and now. Roger Chapman from the band Family. Dana Gillespie, can't remember some of it. Not drug's just so busy back then. Did a bunch of tour's with Jimmy, Eric and Sherman. Went into teaching, have a couple of original bands with friends. Still love recording. Maybe we could chat sometime. I think you do a sterling job cutting through the BS. 👍
Glenn: It's what's coming out of the speakers that really matter. Also Glenn: IRs and drum samples? Find another studio. I'd be very interested in seeing an IR vs real cab shootout. Great video, though. Keep it up!
I think the point is, if they are just using a direct signal from the guitar or replacing the drums there isn't any need to go to them to record that. Record the guitar and bass at home. Then send it in and let them shape the tone and save a lot of money. Drums could be recorded from a single room mic or even just a cell phone so they have an idea of what you're going for and then programmed in as they were going to do anyway. Same result in the end.
@@andrewbillington5422 Makes sense in the case of IRs; it would be far wiser for the client to record it themselves (they'd be able to purchase the gear for the price of the studio time). So if it can just be routed through real cabs, why not just send the DI-files? I think Glenn was making a case against IRs themselves. So far, I've only come to respect the argument that everyone uses the same IRs, which speaks to a lack of variety. But considering that IRs are literally just EQ-settings (a bit more complicated, but not really), there's nothing that says you can't blend them around and make something truly unique. As for drum samples, which is one of my major disagreements with Glenn (though I respect his opinion), it still culminates to what comes out of the speakers. Many top-level metal producers sample everything to hell and back, and even more use blends (my personal preference, though not always necessary). There's a world of difference between good producers/mixers that use samples to their advantage on high-level performances and those that either replace everything with EzDrummer (in which case you don't even need that mic) or use 2D samples for everything - Glenn has to agree, because tasteful blending has been used on some of his favourite-sounding records. The reason one should ever be opposed to samples is when they sound like shit or aren't helpful, or when they actually kill the performance. If I pay for a studio, I want results, not principles - cue Glenn's vanguard against tonewood, magical tubes and fairy dust of the sort. If I were to revise Glenn's statement, then: "It's what comes out of the speakers that count. If you can get better results yourself, find another studio."
Gotta say, I do like me some hands on channel control in the form of an integrated controller keyboard. Faders, mute solo, transport controls etc. Control over soft synths etc.
Console one fader and channel strip is a great system in my opinion. That said I also use an MPC Live and a Tascam SD32 for songwriting. I agree with you though Glenn. I have a purchase rule for my studio I cap my purchases off at $600 for any one piece of equipment at any one time unless it is a main piece of gear that is needed. I do not operate a commercial studio but I do have clients that I seek out that I want to work with or they are current music students, other than that I am working on my own material and I am clearing my plate this summer to just focus on that.
