Pro Audio 101

PipelineAudio wrote on 8/2/2000, 11:49 PM
I dont want to be insulting to anyone
Please read that again

It never really occured to me before, but now its
biting me in the ass: what are the kind of recording
industry experiences possesed by sonic foundry staff?
Go back to the top and read it again...I dont mean to be a
jerk.

Im just finally realizing, mostly from the posts about
panning, and the 6db gain it causes, that maybe people dont
really know some of the general guidlines about dealing
with an audio signal, so I am gonna spell one out, that has
ALWAYS served me well


*** *** *** *** THE PRIME DIRECTIVE *** *** *** ***

DO NOT alter, modify, molest, change or effect in any way
shape or form, ANY audio signal, unless absolutely necessary

IF audio is altered, BE AWARE OF IT

obviously, audio is altered desirably all the time,
compressors, eq, fx whatever, but that represents a
CONSCIOUS choice

With Vegas, I dont always know if my audio has been
altered...
You may not think its a big deal to turn a signal down by 6
dB after you pan it ( NEVER MIND the fact that you had to
pan it to get it out disctretely in the first
place!!!!!!!!!!!!) But I get very uncomfortable, when my
customers who DO know better, see me messing with faders
and such...when there is NO reason for it...they get
nervous, I get nervous, my wallet gets thin, I dont eat

An internal patch bay would be nice...some kinda assignable
something, because under rule number one, there is an
important sub-rule:

!!! extra gain stages are to be AVOIDED like the plague !!!

many inexperienced engineers will run their mic preamp thru
a channel of their mackie, then assign it to a bus, mess
with the channel fader, then mess with the bus fader then
bus it into their ADAT

This is BAD BAD BAD

now assuming each gain stage on that mackie had only one op-
amp( which in actuality usually has two or three) you have
just added noise, non-linearity, crossover distortion,
headroom reduction, and generation loss from THREE probably
class A/B Integrated circuit chips...NOT GOOD

get a patch bay and use the direct out

How does this apply to vegas? Well, it is disturbing to see
the number of faders, buttons, gain stages and such needed
to output a signal thru a discrete output...
Now I KNOW if you dont mess with the faders, OOPS WRONG cuz
they default to -3dB...ok if set the faders to zero, in a
digital app like vegas, nothing should be changed....its
the "should" that disturbs me

Comments

darr wrote on 8/3/2000, 12:02 AM
I agree.
This is an interesting issue for us as well.Like I have said before
we are patiently waiting for the next update,and have just worked
with our knowledge of daw systems to get work done.Still I understand
Aaron about the probs,but our sessions still go on.We make a living
doing this as well.I think our voices have been heard after talking
to folks like Peter.
I think we are going to spend less time on this forum.Too much
fun.Their is more
inteligent conversations else where.Yes I am still excited about an
excellent punchin on a difficult piece!!I will pit it up against the
other programs on our rigs.Vegas Video did a great job.I do agree
with your thoughts on the signal chain. Mp3 soon to come for all to
hear after clearing with
artist.
Let us hear more music!!
Peace and happy mixes.

Aaron Carey wrote:
>> I dont want to be insulting to anyone
>>Please read that again
>>
>> It never really occured to me before, but now its
>>biting me in the ass: what are the kind of recording
>>industry experiences possesed by sonic foundry staff?
>>Go back to the top and read it again...I dont mean to be a
>>jerk.
>>
>>Im just finally realizing, mostly from the posts about
>>panning, and the 6db gain it causes, that maybe people dont
>>really know some of the general guidlines about dealing
>>with an audio signal, so I am gonna spell one out, that has
>>ALWAYS served me well
>>
>>
>>*** *** *** *** THE PRIME DIRECTIVE *** *** *** ***
>>
>>DO NOT alter, modify, molest, change or effect in any way
>>shape or form, ANY audio signal, unless absolutely necessary
>>
>>IF audio is altered, BE AWARE OF IT
>>
>>obviously, audio is altered desirably all the time,
>>compressors, eq, fx whatever, but that represents a
>>CONSCIOUS choice
>>
>>With Vegas, I dont always know if my audio has been
>>altered...
>>You may not think its a big deal to turn a signal down by 6
>>dB after you pan it ( NEVER MIND the fact that you had to
>>pan it to get it out disctretely in the first
>>place!!!!!!!!!!!!) But I get very uncomfortable, when my
>>customers who DO know better, see me messing with faders
>>and such...when there is NO reason for it...they get
>>nervous, I get nervous, my wallet gets thin, I dont eat
>>
>>An internal patch bay would be nice...some kinda assignable
>>something, because under rule number one, there is an
>>important sub-rule:
>>
>>!!! extra gain stages are to be AVOIDED like the plague !!!
>>
>>many inexperienced engineers will run their mic preamp thru
>>a channel of their mackie, then assign it to a bus, mess
>>with the channel fader, then mess with the bus fader then
>>bus it into their ADAT
>>
>>This is BAD BAD BAD
>>
>>now assuming each gain stage on that mackie had only one op-
>>amp( which in actuality usually has two or three) you have
>>just added noise, non-linearity, crossover distortion,
>>headroom reduction, and generation loss from THREE probably
>>class A/B Integrated circuit chips...NOT GOOD
>>
>>get a patch bay and use the direct out
>>
>>How does this apply to vegas? Well, it is disturbing to see
>>the number of faders, buttons, gain stages and such needed
>>to output a signal thru a discrete output...
>>Now I KNOW if you dont mess with the faders, OOPS WRONG cuz
>>they default to -3dB...ok if set the faders to zero, in a
>>digital app like vegas, nothing should be changed....its
>>the "should" that disturbs me
>>