Another interesting change related to digital

[KevWind]

Thought this was interesting on how digital is indeed still changing many things in the music industry.

I in fact attended a "Recording Boot Camp" a few years back so this was of special interest to me

[Trevor B.]

Extremely informative video. He gives the term "modular" a whole new meaning.
Thanks for posting.

[Bob Womack]

I found it interesting as well. We made the shift a while back, dumping an SSL 4048E/G console.



We moved into a multi-use 96-channel digital desk in my control room with the controllers sitting on the elbow rail. The console doubles as a remote for the DAW offering motorize fader/mute/solo/select. However, we got into the technology before the drivers were solid enough for me to depend on them so I ended up learning to control the whole DAW with the mouse, keyboard, and a transport remote. While we have "money channel" outboard preamps, it doesn't make sense to have 20-25 of them for ensemble session because not every input needs a special preamp. So, we've got Apogee D/A and A/D for the money channels and everything else goes through the console and its D/A.



My room is still configured as a Live End, Dead End control room with a big producers desk hiding outboard racks behind me and Urei 813c speakers in the soffit powered by David Haffler TransNova amps. We've added surround featuring front speakers that can be set up on pedestals when needed or dropped when not. The console provides excellent monitor switching from mono through 5.1 and through multiple speaker systems as well.

Where the console shines is that EVERYTHING including inputs, outputs, routing, all controls, and monitoring can be saved as scenes and recalled in a second. I can go from music recording to 5.1 mixing to foley to dialog replacement to music mixing to mastering literally in seconds. Not half bad.

Bob

[DesolationAngel]

Very interesting. The more I learn, the more I want to learn...

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

I found it interesting as well. We made the shift a while back, dumping an SSL 4048E/G console.



We moved into a multi-use 96-channel digital desk in my control room with the controllers sitting on the elbow rail. The console doubles as a remote for the DAW offering motorize fader/mute/solo/select. However, we got into the technology before the drivers were solid enough for me to depend on them so I ended up learning to control the whole DAW with the mouse, keyboard, and a transport remote. While we have "money channel" outboard preamps, it doesn't make sense to have 20-25 of them for ensemble session because not every input needs a special preamp. So, we've got Apogee D/A and A/D for the money channels and everything else goes through the console and its D/A.


My room is still configured as a Live End, Dead End control room with a big producers desk hiding outboard racks behind me and Urei 813c speakers in the soffit powered by David Haffler TransNova amps. We've added surround featuring front speakers that can be set up on pedestals when needed or dropped when not. The console provides excellent monitor switching from mono through 5.1 and through multiple speaker systems as well.

Where the console shines is that EVERYTHING including inputs, outputs, routing, all controls, and monitoring can be saved as scenes and recalled in a second. I can go from music recording to 5.1 mixing to foley to dialog replacement to music mixing to mastering literally in seconds. Not half bad.

Bob

Yes when we stop and think about (even though it is somewhat the fashion now days to love to hate digital). The technology affords some pretty amazing things.

[Mobilemike]

It makes me a little sad to see more and more studios moving away from large format consoles. Yes, the recallability of digital boards is awesome, and yes studios need that to stay in business, but I just miss being able to work on a big SSL for music mixes.

Its the way of the industry but it always just makes me a little sad to hear of more and more places giving up their analog consoles.

-Mike

[Bob Womack]

I miss my big knobs. There was absolutely something deeply visceral about sitting behind a top of the line desk full of analog components. But I don't miss the reset problems when revisiting a project. The industry has indeed become quite fickle about decisions. We'll finish up a project, get approval from those supposedly in charge, go all the way through finalizing and mastering, and then some person in another city will object to some little detail. Before, I'd have long patching and reset sessions with the console and would have to align the 24-track. Now, I load the mixing preset on the console, load the project in the DAW, tweak the item in question, and re-export. Voile'.

I also don't miss the linear automation driven by faders. Writing and adjusting fader moves required a lot of dexterity and short-term personal memory. These days I do most of my automation via the mouse on the screen. It is much faster and much more accurate.

So, I'd love to have my Neve 8058 ad 8024 back for their preamps during recording but that's about all. We've plugged into Neve Portico modules so we've even gotten that back. Of course, there are those knobs.

Bob

[KevWind]

Can certainly understand the "feeling" of a big console. Never personally ran one myself but I have been in the live room or vocal booth while recording, then sat at one while the engineer mixed a few times . I have to say there really is something impressive and inspiring about the commercial studio atmosphere.

My experience with recording myself started with a Digi Designs 002 mini digital control surface w/ 8 automated faders, So I have never been without complete recall until now, in that I do actually have a two channels of outboard hardware pieces (a reverb and a comp) that I potentially have to reset manually. So I can only imagine the time it would take to first catalog a bunch of settings then have to go back reset a 24 to 64 + channel console.

And the good news for me is the reverb is a modern digital/with it's own onboard processing with not only has excellent default presets, but 4 user defined preset buttons that can be recalled with single touch . The comp on the other is totally old school and has "the big knobs " you speak of
Luckily PT has a comments box at the bottom of each channel so I can just make notes about the comp settings there. And of course not being commercial there are no time issues .