Paul Vnuk Jr.

I've heard both pieces of advice over the years...that it matters and that it does not. I store my AEA mics vertically as they came in cases that facilitate that, but I store my Royer, Cloud and sE Ribbons in their boxes horizontally in drawers.

As is our long-standing tradition here at RECORDING, July is when we focus on the art and craft of guitar recording. Whether you like your guitars screaming through a cranked-up amp and pedals, the sultry sounds of soft-strummed acoustic guitars or even perhaps you like your six-string sonics to be looped, sampled and mangled in your DAW––RECORDING has you covered! REVIEWS This month, we have 13 reviews. In the microphone category, we have the new ELM-T BM Signature Edition tube mic from Pearl Microphones, and we also check out the guitar amp-specific Integral Close Miking from SAMsystems. In the world of studio guitar recording, we crank up the Reformer 112 Studio Guitar Cab from Bareface Audio. Every guitarist needs a pedal or two (or three or four…), and to that end, we plug into the just released Strymon BigSky MX, the COSMOS Drifting Memory Station from SOMA Laboratories, the TONEX ONE from IK Multimedia and a pair of microphone preamp-equipped pedals named REX and ROXi from Grace Design. For your compression needs, we bring the clamp-down with a reissue of one of the most unique compressors of all time, the Eventide Omnipressor 2830*Au. To get our ‘git-box’ and more ‘into-the-box’, we have a pair of hot-off-the-presses audio interfaces on review this month: the CONNECT 2 from LEWITT and the Zen Quadro SC from Antelope Audio. Then, in the land or plugins, we bring you the K7D Tape Delay Plugin from Imaginado. Of course, every guitarist needs a solid beat to jam with, so we pound the skins on the Strata Prime digital drum kit from Alesis. INTERVIEW Savage Soul on Love Street This issue's interview is with one of the most iconic guitarists of all time, none other than The Doors’ very own Robby Krieger. Our editor, Paul Vnuk Jr., sits down with Robby to discuss his thoughts on guitar recording over the years. We also get a virtual tour of Robby’s Love Street Sound studio along with studio manager Marco Moir. FEATURES Two months ago, in our vocal recording issue, we welcomed producer and author Jenso Plymouth, who sat down with some of his fellow producers and engineers to share modern vocal production tips. This month, Jenso and his friends are back with advice on Crafting Modern Guitar Tracks. If you are a fan of digging into the “what and why” of tone shaping and guitar cabinet miking, Giles Reaves shares his findings in the issue’s installment of RECORDING’s Field Notes. In Inside The Studio with Mark Hornsby, Mark reminds us that bass players love effects pedals, too, and in Studio 101, Joe Albano digs into classic reverb effects. Of course, Dave Martin is back with another installment of Readers’ Tracks and in Fade Out, Aaron J. Trumm reminds us that Guitars are Still Awesome. Whether you strum, pluck, pick or stomp––the July guitar-focused issue of RECORDING will get you ‘amped up!’.

Woops 🙂

Immersive Audio Hear, There and Everywhere Welcome to our second annual Immersive audio-focused issue of RECORDING Magazine. I am proud to say that, over the past few years, RECORDING Magazine has been at the forefront of Dolby Atmos, Apple Spatial Audio, binaural mixing and more, offering some of the most coverage of the immerging immersive audio movement, and this issue is our best yet! Reviews A key component of any immersive system is the speaker, and in this issue, we lend our ears to the One25A from Amphion, the 8381A from Genelec, the HR3.5 and Pro3s models from Ocean Way Audio and the new ROKIT 5 Generation Five and ROKIT 8 Generation Five from KRK Systems. In headphones, we meet the immersive-focused Maxwell from Audeze, and we also check out the beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO X Limited Edition. Next, we check out the 4th-Generation 32 channel, Orion 32+, from Antelope Audio, and the TASCAM Sonicview 16XP & SB-16D Digital Stage Box. Moving in the box, we check out a great collection of immersive-focused plugins. From The Cargo Cult, we test drive a trio of plugins: Spanner, Slapper and Stem Cell. From Eventide, we have MicroPitch Immersive and Black Hole Immersive, and from PSP Audioware, we clamp down our spatial mixes with Aural Comp. Interview Talking Atmos with Richard Chycki Interview By Paul Vnuk Jr. Noted audio engineer Richard Chycki (Rush, Pink, Aerosmith, Dream Theater, Seal, Mick Jagger and more) has been immersed in multi-channel audio for over two decades. Sit in on our master class with Richard as he walks us through what he has learned moving from stereo to 5.1 to Dolby Atmos. Features Five of our six features this month are squarely on the topics of Immersive Audio and Dolby Atmos. In Inside The Studio, Mark Hornsby walks us through how Russ Berger Designs converted Crossway Studio (formerly Whitney Houston’s private residential studio) from stereo to Atmos. In RECORDING’s Field Notes, Giles Reaves goes out into the field to gather observations and advice from his friends Chuck Ainlay and Tom Davis who are immersing themselves in Dolby Atmos. Aaron Trumm brings us A Short History of Immersive Audio. Atmos expert Will Kennedy wants to talk about your low end in his article Know Your Lows: The LFE, Your Atmos Music Mix, And You, and immersive audio educator Alex Solano shares his expertise on Divergence, Low-End and Other Dolby Atmos Tips and Tricks. Our final feature this month is also spatially motivated as Joe Albano teaches us about Delay-based effects in Studio 101. …AND MORE Dave Martin is back with advice in Readers’ Tracks, and last but certainly not least, producer, studio and speaker designer Allen Sides shares his thoughts on immersive audio in this issue’s Fade Out. Please join us and immerse yourself in the June issue of RECORDING magazine.

I use XLD on Mac, as well as dB Poweramp. But I do all secure rips.

Still shocked by this. While I only met Steve once in person. He and his staff at Electrical Audio have always been gracious hosts and willing to help me with some gear reviews and tests over the years.

Wow. what a blast from the past. Despite being with the magazine for 20+ years, these are even before my time. You know they are "vintage" when you see the "Recordin@aol.com" e-mail.

Tracking Vocals: Microphones, Plugins & Processors Unless you are crafting purely instrumental music, a song's success rests on its vocal performance. The lead vocal can be bold, forward, and dry, or a breathy, distant whisper that draws you in. As a recording engineer, you choose the best microphone and preamp to capture the singer and pick the right tools to present it in the mix––tuning, compression, reverb, final levels, etc. Welcome to the May issue of RECORDING, which focuses on making the best vocal recordings possible! Reviews We have 15 new product reviews this month. Starting with microphones, we have the stunning V24 Stereo Tube Condenser Microphone from Vanguard Audio Labs. Next, we get to know the Crème Tube Condenser Microphone from Monheim Microphones. On the ribbon mic front, we have the Ohma Ribbon Mic, which you can customize for your look, sound and style. Also available in various colors, we have the highly affordable NT1 Signature Series Condenser from RØDE. To keep your voice perfectly in the “zone,” we take a look at the just-released LEWITT RAY and the also hot off the workbench TELEFUNKEN Elektroakustik Alchemy Series TF17––the company’s second large diaphragm solid-state condenser. Then we also "kick" things up with the just launched DM6 kick drum mic from Earthworks. Channel strips are a great way to get great-sounding vocals. For this issue, we look at the newly updated TCS-II Channel Strip from API and the just-released Channel One Mk3 and TrackOne Mk3 from SPL. To route your signals effortlessly, we check out the latest advances in digital patching from FLOCK Audio with its PATCH Series and PATCH APP DX. In this issue's Plugin Outlet, we check out the new bloom adaptive tone shaper from Oeksound. Staying "in-the-box," we have a pair of soft synths to accompany your great vocal takes as we play with the new Session Organ EKX from Toontrack and Atoms from Baby Audio. We control them with the new Keystage Poly AT MIDI keyboard from Korg. Interviews Producer Mark Hornsby brings us our interview this month as he goes Inside The Studio with GRAMMY Award-nominated, Dove Award-winning singer-songwriter, arranger, keyboardist and producer Michael Omartian (Cristopher Cross, Amy Grant, Steely Dan, Clint Black, Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston and many more). Features This month, we welcome author and Diamond, Grammy-nominated producer Jenso Plymouth (Chris Brown, Young Thug, and Gunna). He shares insights on the modern vocal production process, from tracking to tuning, editing and effects, with advice from some of his friends, noted engineers Simone Torres, Drew Sliger, Patrizio "Teezio" Pigliapoco and Shaan Singh. Joe Albano continues his walkthrough of popular recording processors and processes in Studio 101 with the fisrt of a two-part look at classic delay-based effects. Giles Reaves shares his thoughts and observations on the vocal recording process in RECORDING's Field Notes with a great selection of tracking and comping tips; Dave Martin is back with his insight in Readers' Tracks, with a track from Conor & The Wild Hunt, and Dave also heads up our Fade Out with his tips on “Talking To the Talent. The May Issue of RECORDING Magazine is the perfect place to make your voice heard!

Welcome to the April issue of RECORDING. This issue's focus is the not-so-humble centerpiece of every modern studio––the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Sketch, compose, process, shape, twist, tune, edit, mix and master––if you can musically dream it, the modern DAW can probably do it. Of course, it can also operate like a simple multi-track digital tape machine if you are so inclined. We have so much DAW-flavored goodness on tap for you; we can't wait for you to dive in. Reviews We have 13 reviews loaded up this month, including four new DAW updates (see, this is why it's our DAW issue). From Steinberg, we showcase the latest features in Cubase 13. Next up, our resident Ableton expert David Blascoe digs down into Live Version 12. David also checks out what's new in the AI-focused RipX DAW from Hit'n'Mix. Our final DAW review looks at FL Studio 21 from Image Line. Every DAW needs a solid interface, and to that end, we review the well-connected AudioFuse 16Rig from Arturia. And to take control of your DAW, soft-synths and more, we have a play with the Native Instruments Kontrol S88 MK3 MIDI keyboard controller. On the audio processing front, we check out Serato Pitch 'n Time Pro 3.1, smart:EQ 4 from sonible, and a creative recreation of the old-school TELEFUNKEN Echomixer spring reverb from Audiopunks. In the soundware department, we have the newest orchestral installment in the Spitfire Abbey Road One series––Soaring High Strings, and we get our bass on with the new Moog Mariana Bass Synthesizer. Our final review this month, fresh from the halls of NAMM 2024, is the latest HD 490 PRO headphones from Sennheiser, along with a look at the dearVR MIX-SE plugin from Dear Reality. Features For our headline feature this time, we reached out to our editorial team of recording musicians, producers and engineers and asked them to tell us about My Favorite DAW. Find out what they use and why, complete with some favorite workflow tips and favorite features found in many of the industry's top digital audio workstations. In last month's Studio 101, Joe Albano began teaching us all about dynamics processors. In part two, Joe finishes his look at compressions and limiters and moves into gates and expanders. This month, we welcome a new writer as noted video game composer Chase Bethea walks us through how he uses the Arranger Track in Cubase to create adaptive, interactive and dynamic music for video games and why those things are essential. In this issue's edition of RECORDING's Field Notes, Giles Reaves brings us his DAW-centric thoughts and observations that DAWs can do so much more than just song creation. Mark Hornsby is back in his popular Inside The Studio column with the topic, So Many DAWs, so Little Time, and Dave Martin offers his thoughts on this month's Readers' Tracks. Finally, Immersive audio/Dolby Atmos expert Will Kennedy is back with some closing thoughts in this issue's Fade Out. No April Fools here––From interfaces to plugins to soundware, controllers, and more, we hope you will join us in our "DAW-tastic" April issue of RECORDING Magazine.

Recording Instruments The techniques, concepts and the gear! Welcome to the March 2023 issue of RECORDING Magazine, with a focus on recording instruments. This issue is packed full of the techniques and tools to help you sonically capture your favorite instruments. Reviews This month, we have twelve product reviews on deck, starting with five microphones. In the ribbon category, we have the latest iteration of the classic beyerdynamic M160 (a long-standing favorite of instrumental recording for many decades), and we also check out the newest ribbon offering from the U.K.'s Extinct Audio, the BoRbon. In the condenser camp, we have the BT202 pencil condenser from JZ Microphones and the Sony C-80. Our final mic review loves working at a distance as we check out the latest shotgun mic from DPA, the 4017B. To help you get your microphones in the proper position, we put them on the FlexBar from Royer. In the world of virtual instruments, we walk through the new additions found in the Arturia V Collection X, and we have a play with the Benjamin Wallfisch Strings bundle from Orchestral Tools. Bridging the world of acoustic and virtual drums, we test out the new DW Soundworks virtual drum instrument and the new line of hybrid acoustic and digital DWe drum kits from DW (Drum Workshop). Also, in the box, we tackle your sibilance issues with the smart:de-ess plugin from sonible. For making tracks on the go, we plug into the AudioBox GO from Presonus, and our final review of the month is the new TapeIt app designed to help get your ideas down fast and professionally. Interviews Our interview this month is with a group of musicians who know a thing or two about crafting timeless classic recordings as we sit down with Danny Kortchmar, Steve Postell, Waddy Wachtel of The Immediate Family along with engineer Niko Bolas to discuss their years of studio experience along with the group's new album Skin In The Game and Immediate Family documentary streaming and in theaters now. Features Curious about Mid-Side (M/S) miking? Aaron Trumm has you covered. Class is back in session in the first of a two-part look at compressors in Joe Albano's Studio 101. In Inside The Studio, Mark Hornsby helps us consider what to know when buying a microphone. In the third installment of the new RECORDING's Field Notes, Giles Reaves reminds us that "the mics are always listening". Dave Martin is back with the latest Readers' Tracks, and Aaron Trumm rounds out the issue with some ideas on a minimal mic collection in Fade Out. Let the March issue be instrumental to your RECORDING success!

Monitors and Headphones—Listen Up! Welcome to the February issue of RECORDING Magazine! The focus of our second issue of 2024 is monitors and headphones. While these two tools have always been primary components of any music studio, they are even more critical in the rapidly expanding world of spatial audio. Reviews As this is our NAMM issue, we packed it full with 16 product reviews. We start with reviews of three studio monitors: The new Trio6 ST6 from Focal, the ADAM Audio TV5 and the latest version of the Tom Danley TDH-3. In the "on-ears" department, our team listens to the AONIC 50 Gen 2 from Shure and the open-back MDR-MV1 from Sony. For your "in-ear" pleasure, we have the Ultimate Ears Premier in-ear monitors and a new "Tri Amp Micro Speaker Management System" from JH Audio, the Pearl+Ruby. Then we switch things up literally with a pair of monitor controllers. We bring you the MC531 Monitor Controller from API and the R.A.M. 1000 from Heritage Audio. Equal parts audio interface and monitor controller we have the Neumann MT48 USB Audio Interface. Perfectly timed for our NAMM issue, we have the brand new TG Microphone Type L from Chandler Limited––the company's most affordable microphone offering yet. Next, in hardware, we look at a massive "beast" of a compressor, the 666 Studio Limiting Amplifier from Mercury Recording Equipment. To help control the sound of your room, we check out the Slat Fusor from GIK Acoustics. Rounding out this month's reviews, we have three plugins: AB Assist 2 from NUGEN Audio, the FabFilter Pro-R 2 reverb and a new reverb plugin still under wraps. Features Mixing engineer and spatial audio expert Will Kennedy returns to RECORDING this month with a look at Headphone Mixing Tips for Dolby Atmos. In Studio 101, Joe Albano continues his year-long lesson plan on audio processing with a look at the humble equalizer. If you are in the market for a new set of studio monitors, producer Mark Hornsby offers some well-timed advice on the subject in Inside The Studio, and Giles Reaves brings us his thoughts, observations and tips on learning how to listen in the second installment of RECORDING’s Field Notes. Dave Martin returns with a Readers' Tracks submission from Kristin Glasgow called “We’ll Never Stop Believin’, and in this issue’s Fade Out, Aaron Trumm considers the question, “Mons or Cans”. All this and more in the February issue of RECORDING.

Welcome to the January issue of RECORDING Magazine––Happy New Year! We are getting right in the groove as we enter into 2024 with our annual drums and percussion issue. This issue is packed to the “rim” with eleven new product reviews, two interviews, along with our regular RECORDING-focused columns and content. Reviews We kick into our gear reviews with two full sets of high-end drum mics––the Earthworks DK7 Drum Mic Package and the DDK4000 Drum Microphone Kit from DPA. Next, we have the boldly named Snare Mic from Lauten Audio, which totally takes the guesswork out of what source you should be using it on. For your front-end needs, we bring the 1977 Channel Strip from Drawmer. On the electronic drum front, we tap, twist and program the LXR-02 Desktop Digital Drum Synthesizer from Erica Synths and the Trinity Digital Drum Synth Array from Modbap Modular. We also lay down some grooves on the new, highly affordable Nitro Max Mesh Electronic Drum Set from Alesis. We also have the Push 3 standalone Live controller from Ableton. In the world of percussive virtual instruments, we have Frank Filipetti's Stories SDX from Toontrack, and to make your drum tracks sound their best, we have the SUBLOOM drum plugin from Mixland. Rounding out our reviews this month, we check out what's new in Presonus Studio One version 6.5 and the exciting Pro Tools Sketch from Avid. Interview Our first interview this month is with drummer John Fred Young from the heavy Southern rock band Black Stone Cherry. John Fred and engineer Jordan Westfall take us behind the scenes of recording the band's latest release, Screamin' at the Sky, including drum tracking in an old theater and more. Then we talk with multi-instrumentalist, drummer, and mastering engineer Nate Wood about his diverse skill set, his favorite tools for the job, and playing drums, bass, and keys at the same time! Features Producer Mark Hornsby is back for another year of his popular Inside The Studio column––This month, Mark gets into The Drum Zones with his thoughts on mic choice, EQ and compression. Joe Albano returns for another round of lessons in Studio 101. For the next two semesters, Joe takes a month-by-month look at the recording chain, beginning with microphone pre-amps. We also are pleased to announce the start of RECORDING’s Field Notes with multi-instrumentalist and noted audio engineer Giles Reaves. In this new column, Giles shares his thoughts, observations, tips, tricks and more gained from his years of experience recording and playing with a diverse range of artists ranging from Emmylou Harris, Brandy Clark, Patty Griffin, Tony Joe White, Tim Finn, Raging Fire, Amos Lee and many more. Giles was also an early adopter of the home studio trend back in the 1980s. In this issue, Giles shares his thoughts and observations on the beat, the drum, and the drummer. Dave Martin is back in Readers’ Tracks, and Aaron Trumm returns with some percussive observations in the issue’s Fade Out. Ring in the New Year with the January issue of RECORDING.

The Royer R-121 is an amazing mic and perhaps the most modem and versatile of the bunch. I purchased mine over 20 years ago and still use it all of the time on almost every session. it’s also impossible to argue with a pair of Coles 4038 mics. These ARE the classic British ribbon sound. I have used them often in the past, but still don’t own a pair. I hope to someday. While not a ribbon mic, the RE20 is a stone cold classic that every serious studio should consider owning. the only mics I am “meh” on are the Cascades. These are part of the “inexpensive ribbons as vibe” family. Usually this translates as dark and rich. I had a pair of Cascades years ago and eventually got rid of them for the simple fact of getting better ribbon mics that sounded amazing like a ribbon mic should vs just being vibey. Again, not bad mics but how often will you really reach for them with A list contenders like the Royer and Coles on hand. All that said, if this is a take it, or leave it package deal for a good price, then you’ve got nothing to lose on any level with all of the mics in this package.

Holiday Buyers’ Guide Time to Get Great Gear! Would you believe it’s less than a month until Christmas? So what will you buy the recording musician in your life? The December 2023 issue of RECORDING Magazine is here to help––even if those gifts are just for you. 2023 REC Holiday Buyers' Guide It all starts with our annual Holiday Buyers' Guide. This year, we may have gone a bit overboard with recording-focused gift suggestions. We bring you 52 products, including headphones, interfaces, plugins, microphones, processors, and more, all priced at $350 or less! Reviews We have nine feature reviews this month. On the hardware front, there is the new Shure SM7dB dynamic microphone, now with its own internal preamp. From Arturia, we look at its flagship analog synth, the Polibrute Noir and the just-released version 3 firmware update. In monitors, we look at one of the models in the newly redesigned Eris line from PreSonus. On the software side, we kick things off with a deep dive into the new Native Instruments Production Suite 6, including full-length reviews of the included Native Instruments Guitar Rig 7, Izotope Nektar 4 and iZotope Ozone 11. Next, we enter the PianoSphere, a new collection of cinematic virtual pianos from IK Multimedia. We then check out the first synth offering from Array Sounds, the Double Scoop. Finally, KIT Plugins returns us to Blackbird Studio with its latest channel strip offering, the BB A5. Interview Our interview this month is with songwriter, musician, and mix engineer Steven Wilson, who has just released his latest solo album, The Harmony Codex, in stereo, 5.1 and Dolby Atmos formats. Steven shares his thoughts on working in immersive audio, headphones and more. Features All this plus our regular features as we go Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby, who brings his latest project––which we started at Abbey Road last month––to fruition. In his final Session Log entry, Marc Urselli brings us Glasshaus Presents. In the latest lesson plan from Joe Albano in Studio 101, Joe reminds us of all the accessories that are critical for our sessions––they make great gift suggestions, too! Aaron Trumm is back in Fade Out with his stocking stuffer ideas, and Dave Martin rounds out the year with more of his sage advice in Readers’ Tracks with a classic Christmas song. We hope you join us in the joyous celebration that is the December issue of RECORDING Magazine.

I used to work with an artist (a Worship Director at church) who, every time he changed jobs and his local, would re-record his songs over and over. It was fun to try and improve on his past work, but often I would try and push him to move on and write new material. On the personal side, I have an entire album tracked that I had spent a year working on, and thanks to a catastrophic hard drive crash (which of course, taught me the value of backing up my work), I lost the entire project. Any time I consider going back and re-building those pieces, I usually end up just working on new songs.