Auditions: Snapshot Product Reviews
Feb 1, 2008 12:00 PM
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Understanding Bass Management
With Bob Hodas, November 20th
Brought to you by Ex'pression College for Digital Arts and Mix
Bob Hodas explores best practices for Bass Management in your studio, explaining how to set up a bass managed system, what features to look for in a Bass Management box and much more.
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Our December issue will focus on mastering. We'd like to hear from mastering engineersÑtell us about your most interesting mastering project. E-mail us at mixeditorial@mixonline.com.
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Avid Presents: Remix Hotel Los Angeles| Dec. 4-6, 2008 |
Hot off an incredibly successful event in Atlanta, Remix Hotel is gearing up for its final event in 2008: Remix Hotel Los Angeles. We're busy putting together a killer weekend of panels, production and more. Keep it tuned to remixhotel.com for registration and schedule details, and be sure to check out all of the amazing videos from Atlanta and New York! .
This Month in Mix
CAD TRION 7000
Studio Ribbon Microphone
The passive CAD Trion 7000 ribbon microphone offers a figure-8 pattern, ships in a sturdy aluminum case and comes with a shock-mount. This short mic with a bulbous top uses twin ribbon elements, and the nice thing is the $479 list, although I've seen it priced as low as $279, which is right where this entry-level mic should be.
The 7000 has a low-frequency bump (a few dB) from 40 Hz to about 150 Hz. From there, it flattens out until 4 kHz, where it starts diving, ending up -10 dB down at 10 kHz. Output impedance is 940 ohms, and as it's a ribbon this can fluctuate greatly when your source material approaches the ribbon's resonant frequency; a preamp with an elevated input impedance is recommended. (For more info on this, check out “Wes Dooley on Ribbons” at mixonline.com/news/audio_wes_dooley_ribbons.) The bottom line: If you're loading down your mic by running it through a preamp with a lower impedance than the mic puts out, it will result in increased distortion and a thinner sound.
Like most ribbons, this mic can take a boatload of SPL, so I first used it on a kick drum. Placement was about four inches from the front head with a pop filter in front of it to protect the engine. I paired it with a Shure Beta 52 placed about four inches from the beater head inside the drum. The 7000 added a nice, round and compressed ribbon-like sound to the track. The top transient was shaved off as the ribbon moved beyond the magnetic field — beautiful. This pairing was used on a number of different sessions with the same results.
I next used the 7000 to record a guitar through a Fender Supersonic amp. It was placed in front of the speaker where the dust cover meets the cone and was paired with an SM57. While the 7000 sounded a bit dull by itself, in combination with the SM57 it worked great, providing a nice bottom-end component that the 57 lacked as it starts rolling off where the 7000 starts boosting the bottom.
The Trion 7000 provides a great way for entry-level engineers to get into a ribbon, not to mention a nice, inexpensive extra mic to have in the arsenal for any studio at any level.
CAD Professional, 800/762-9266, www.cadmics.com.
— Kevin Becka
Modern Recording and Mixing
This 2-DVD set will show you how the best in the music industry set up a studio to make world-class records. Regardless of what gear you are using, the information you'll find here will allow you to take advantage of decades of expert knowledge. Order now $39.95
Mastering Cubase 4
Electronic Musician magazine and Thomson Course Technology PTR have joined forces again to create the second volume in their Personal Studio Series, Mastering Steinberg's Cubase(tm). Edited and produced by the staff of Electronic Musician, this special issue is not only a must-read for users of Cubase(tm) software, but it also delivers essential information for anyone recording/producing music in a personal-studio. Order now $12.95
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