09doublelove

So a friend just turned onto Pretty Lights. I dug a little deeper and it turns out you can download their newest double disc for FREE from their site.  There is actually a bonus second album on there as well. My weekend party set list is set! Get it here while it last. www.prettylightsmusic.com

So say you want to step up to the next level and take your recording or producing a bit more serious and actually try to record a band’s new CD. If you know what you are doing and have a knack for sound engineering you will quickly discover that these light or LE versions aren’t up par. Problems like thinness of the sound, limited track count, no consistency, poor mixing capabilities, limited editing power, will show through your final mixes.  The solution… invest a little money and upgrade our software.

Ok, great. What software and how much will it cost me? Well everyone one will tell you Pro Tools is the best, It’s what all the major studios use. Ok, Kool. how much? $25,000 for Pro Tools HD rig. Whoa! what? I am just a poor artist man. Well… you can buy Pro Tool LE with an M-Box for $500. And now you back to square one. Producing mixes without that Pro label sound.

The solution: PowerMac G5, Logic Studio, Apogee Ensemble. And for a Christmas present to yourself next year check out this control surface out: Euphonix

Assuming you already have a G5 like me. For an investment of $2,500, You could buy the Logic Studio, Apogee Ensemble and instantly have every bit the editing power, composing power, and sound quality that the $25,000 PT HD rigs have. The And for a bonus, You’ll get surround mixing capabilities, the ability to copy protect clients valuable work on CD, the notation programs, 192k/24bit resolution, 255 track count, and the virtual instruments and amp modelling programs!!! 

The Ensemble features 36 channels of simultaneous audio, including 8 channels of Apogee’s legendary A/D and D/A conversion, 4 transparent, digitally controlled 75db mic preamps, 8 channels of ADAT I/O, 2 channels of S/PDIF coax and optical I/O, and FireWire connectivity to and from the computer. And more.

Conclusion: Even if you don’t own a G5 you can find them for Under 3k which will still keep you way below a Pro Tools setup. Although Pro Tools is a very powerful program it’s not that practically for the poor freelance audio engineer. Logic has more than enough power & features to produce top quality recordings from your basement. It’s also easier to learn, use, and produce with. Your productivity level increase greatly and you will be doing what you love best instead of trying to troubleshoot your problems.  In the end it comes down to finding a setup that works best for your situation while not breaking the bank.

To get to my point it’s all a little overwhelming. Even my second time I still was overcome by the magnitude of this festival. I even had a plan of attack to hop from stage to stage to catch a glimpse of the bands I wanted to see but that fell apart the first day. I maybe caught 20% of the shows on my schedule. It was just to hectic to get to a stage on time. After drinking 3 or 4 $7 Heineken’s you need to find a port-o-potty which is an ordeal. Then trying to relocate your friends can be a whole another mess since there are 180 K peeps trying to text their friends at the same time. The signals were getting all jammed up for sure. After the show you are exhausted and then you need to find your car to wait for an hour to get out of the parking lot.

Anyway, maybe I am just getting older and less adventuress. If I was 18 again I would camp out for the 3 days and stay up all night long. Rave till the sun rises over the misty mountains. Either way it’s a life experience I am glad I have under the belt. I saw a ton of good live music, saw some crazy and cool people and was living and walking on the Earth. That’s what it’s all about.

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