To quote Steve Jobs’ favorite songwriter: “The times they are a changing…”

If anyone is working on hardware upgrades and has any wisdom or warnings, please let us know. This will affect a lot of long time Pro Tools setups in smaller studios for sure.
–Damon

http://www.sontronics.com/interview_flood.htm

Damon
The Studio Files Team

Today I’d like to explore the benchmark performance of Pro Tools 9 (specifically Native HD – although since it’s still all native, it should be a fairly valid test of non-Native HD systems as well).  For me, the performance has been excellent and robust with few exceptions.

For the record, this is the computer I am using to test:

• Mac Pro (2008), 8-core 3.2 GHz, 16GB Ram
• Snow Leopard 10.6.6 (combo updater)
• Pro Tools 9.0.1
• UAD2 (PCIe) and Duende Mini (FW400) peripherals
• Separate internal SATA drives for OS, audio, and sample libraries
• Updated drivers on plug-ins
• Pro Tools Native PCIe card connected to an Avid HD I/O 16×16 analog

I chose to use a project file that was fairly processor-intensive when I was still on Pro Tools 8.  This is an 88.2/24 session, with 56 tracks.  One thing to note is that in Pro Tool’s Setup>Playback Engine menu, I do recommend selecting one less processing core than you have available (so in this test, since I have an 8-core, I choose “7 processors”).  This frees up one processor for OS and other processing and makes things run much better.  There is a lot of automation of volume faders, sends, and plug-in parameters. 

Plug-ins are running natively, on the UAD2, and on the Duende – here are the specific counts:

• 93 Native Plug-ins (including 5 of Avid’s “Eleven” amp sim, 2 convolution reverbs, 4 instances of Auto Tune, and 37 Waves SSL plug-ins including 3 stereo bus compressors)
• 9 Duende plug-ins
• 8 UAD2 plug-ins
• 1 Instance of Avid’s “Mini Grand”
• 1 Instance of Kontakt (running 3 instruments in total)

While I’ve seen/used sessions that are larger with more plug-ins, I feel confident that this is fairly close to a universally “large mix” for most home and project studio owners.  I also did have the (Short) Delay Compensation Engine running.

I set the buffer to 64 samples (which on the Avid hardware means unbelievably low latency for a Native system) and started playback – the whole song was OK.  From there, I started adding plug-in instances during playback to “jog” the system.  I had 1 or 2 momentary hiccups here, but nothing serious (no crashes etc. – I’ll talk about problems later on).  I also made new audio tracks and recorded 4 at a time in (more than I’d usually do simultaneously for post-mix overdubs) with no problems.

Below is a screenshot (of as much of the mixer as I could fit on a screen!) of a very intense part of the song with lots of automation going and the most tracks playing back simultaneously.  As you can see, we are just above 60% on CPU usage.

Pro Tools HD Native performance @ 64 Sample Buffer

 To be honest, I would rarely ever go to 64 samples during a mix – and with Low Latency Mode available for recording tracks, I could stay at a higher buffer regardless.  The purpose of this test was simple to push things to the extreme to see how they would fall.  Overall, I can’t ask much more out of this Native DAW – it performs extremely well.

Things that make HD Native have errors (as you’ll notice, they are all when playback is engaged):

• While inserting native plug-ins during intense playback has been fine thus far, I have gotten 1-2 buffer errors when inserting Duende and UAD2 plug-ins at that time.  Granted this has only happened with low (64/128) buffer settings and not at higher buffers as of yet.
• If the song is playing back and you add numerous new audio/aux tracks, I’ve seen a buffer error.
• The only time I’ve gotten PT HD Native to completely crash (close the program) is when, while in a processor-intensive song spot, inserting a plug-in and immediately saving (ctrl+s) while the plug-in is loading.  Pro Tools doesn’t like that, especially at low buffer settings.

In summary – just stop playback before making major changes, and everything will remain happy.  Pro Tools 9 seems more efficient than Pro Tools 8 in terms of handling computer resources.  It has been very stable with few errors and crashes.

Having problems with your system’s Pro Tools 9 performance?  Let me know about your system here and we’ll make it work!

Connor

The Studio Files

Those buttons (located at different parts of both the edit and mix window) turn on/off keyboard focus, which is an editing mode that greatly reduces the need for modifier keys (like ctrl, option, and command).  Each editing command is set to a single keystroke.

Try checking out this page for an article explaining keyboard focus

or

Click here for a few more related articles and videos

C

The Studio Files

While this article is aimed at artists and music producers who are passing files to an engineer, these techniques will also make over-the-internet collaborations much easier. AND – these are things that will help a lot even if you are seeing the project through until the end. ?Good session organization is applicable in any recording situation, analog or digital.

(sorry – I have some pictures ready for this article, but the uploader is being uncooperative…)

First things first – before you get started, make sure you have a way to get that Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase (etc.) session over to your engineer. Personally, I really like YouSendIt.com. For a small fee per month, you can send tons and tons of data at a high speed. There are other delivery services out there too, many of which are very good. ?Other options include FTP transfers, or even snail mail. Just make sure you open a line of communication with the person to whom you are giving the project, and find a solution that works for both of you.

OK – now for setting up that DAW file:

1. Label! Label! Label!

A session that has everything labeled makes for a happy engineer. If someone who doesn’t know your song opens up your project and sees a project full of ?”AUDIO 1, AUDIO 2, AUDIO 3…”

…chances are they are going to have to spend precious time figuring out what’s what. But, if you label your tracks (and include notes if possible) your mix engineer will have more time to spend sculpting the musical message. In reality, you shouldn’t have to spend time naming things, because you should be naming your tracks before you record onto them DAWs will assign names to audio regions based on the track name. It’s much more meaningful to have audio files called “Kick1″ and “SnareT1″ as opposed to a folder full of “Audio File 1″.

Markers and other notes in the timeline can help too. For example, if your guitarist really wanted a short, 1-bar solo to stick out, leaving a note/marker that says as much will prevent having to have the engineer tweak and rebounce later.

2. Mixed? Unmixed?

This is something you will want to discuss with the person to whom you are sending the mix. Sometimes, engineers will want to see a rough mix, to get an idea of a general direction. Other times, they would like to see a blank canvas of possibility. Unless you specifically know that the studio will have third-party plug-ins, its usually best to get this type of rough mix going with more generic (“stock”) plug-ins.

In almost all cases, don’t send your mix with any automation moves. Get your rough mix going without automation (as this should be true for any rough mix). The only time this wouldn’t apply is if there is a specific special effect that needs automation, or if the mix engineer asked you for an automation move. Don’t just automate and then turn your tracks off of “read” – this will cause a problem. When the mix engineer goes into automation, “read” mode will put the faders where their previous automation was written (which could wreck a mix). Also, don’t print (destructively apply) any effects unless the mix engineer specifically asked you to (or, if you do, be sure to also include a dry track, and leave a note about it).

3. Documentation

This is minor, but I like to see an email (or a note on the file transfer, etc.) that shows me some info about the session I am getting. Things like sample rate, bit depth, Pro Tools verison, audio file format, etc. are all important to have.

4. General Recording Practices

This is really a subject for another article, as it pertains to all recordings, but the absolute worst thing to send a mix engineer is a session full of audio files that are clipping. When recording, be sure that you have sufficient headroom, and are not even close to clipping.

Any questions, comments, or suggestions? Leave them in the comments here.

C

The Studio Files

Upgrading your recording setup is a very tricky and important process.  Spending the right amount of money on the right piece(s) of gear can be daunting.  The last thing you need is to be in debt on a piece of gear that you don’t actually need or to get an awesome deal on an insignificant upgrade.First things first – figure out your needs and goals!

Are you a studio that primarily does voiceover work?  Do you frequently record rock bands (specifically drum kits) and require 8+ channels at a time?  Are you mostly concerned with sound design or audio-for-video?  Your studio’s requirements will carry the most weight in this upgrade decision making process.  Figuring these things out is more important than figuring out your budget.  Also think about the future – if you normally do singer/songwriter recordings, but have the ambition (and space!) to start taking band clients, then perhaps that’s the path to take.

Second – Show me the money!

Now that you know your short- and long-term goals for the studio, you need to have the hard conversation: $$$$$.  Fear not though – great upgrades are available for almost any studio at any budget.  What I usually recommend is to figure out the maximum money you’d like to spend, and also consider what you have the cash for and what will be on credit.  Unless a piece of gear will absolutely be used to generate consistent money for you, I would not put it on credit.  While I am not a financial analyst, I do feel comfortable saying that fiscal responsibility is a very important consideration for studio owners.

Third – Start listing.

OK – so you know what features your studio needs and you know how much green you have available.  Time to open the catalogs and search engines and start looking for product.  But how do you know if a piece of gear or software is good/bad?  Start by doing internet searches for reviews.  While these reviews aren’t the end-all of information, they often can give you a general idea of how the product is accepted.  Also compare user reviews to those from magazines and distributors.  If this is a piece of gear that connects to (or installs on) your computer, check manufacturer’s websites for compatibility information.  Almost nothing is worse than waiting a month to get a piece only to find out it won’t work on your system.

Fourth – Compare and contrast

From here, I usually make an Excel spreadsheet that lists the features, pros, cons, and prices of similar pieces of gear.  Now it comes down to reviews, gut reactions, and hopefully demo experience.  Try to find a friend or peer that has used any of this gear.  Call your dealer and see if they offer demo periods on any of the products.  Find a local studio that has the piece and see if you can visit to check it out.  Plus – you can post on TheStudioFiles.com and we will be happy to help guide you through your purchases (more on that in a sec).

As far as questions like:

What do I buy first – converters, preamps, mics, etc? How much to invest in acoustic treatment? Should I upgrade my computer? Do I need new plug-ins? What’s the best studio upgrade for under 500$?

Unfortunately these are usually only addressable on an individual basis.  You will need to take into account a number of variables, most of which concentrate on the status quo of your existing setup.  Feel free to post your upgrade questions here (or elsewhere on the site) and we will help guide you through them.  If these are more significant upgrade questions (that would require longer conversations etc.) please feel free to email me.

C

The Studio Files

The outer frame serves to cover up the staples/fabric as well as provide some additional structure to this (heavy) gobo.  I opted to NOT use any glue or adhesive when attaching the outer frame or base.  Why?

This way the gobo is serviceable. You can access the fabric and innards just by taking out screws (rather than having to hack through dried glue/adhesive).  The gobo is plenty strong without the outer frame, so screws should do just fine by themselves.  The first time someone puts a mic stand through the front fabric, it won’t ruin the gobo.  You can take it apart in a few minutes, replace the 10$ worth of fabric and be as good as new.  I’m sure these things will take some abuse in the studio (as most equipment must), so I hope it proves to be a good idea.

Ok – so the outer frame is pretty easy.  Measure and cut the wood accordingly (to fit snuggly around everything) and just put on one piece at a time.  I opted to put the top and bottom on first, then the big sides.

Now the outer frame is on. Just a few steps left until a completed gobo.

When putting multiple gobos together, an “airtight” gap between them is ideal.  Since these are designed to be put together at angles (plus the fact that lumber is not always perfectly straight), I needed something plyable to join multiple gobos together.  I found some thin, “D-shaped”, non-porous weatherstripping that I am going to try.  It was approximately 6$ for a pack (which will cover both sides).  There’s no way to really test it until I build another one of these and put them together (plus to see if the stripping can take some abuse), but it looks promising so far.  (This is the only close-up I took of it, sorry).  Its just self-adhesive, and I ran it down both of the “absorptive-side” edges.

Now to get the base on.  First, I had to cut it out of plywood.  Its an octagon.  The center section is the wdth and length of the final base, and the edges come out at 45 degree angles.  I just marked up a piece of wood with a pencil and straight edge and cut it out freehand with a circular saw (rather than busting out a table saw).  If you go slow and are careful, you can get straight and accurate cuts.

Now I also decided to put carpet on the bottom (through the advise of others) so that it would slide on hard floors (as well as help keep the wood in good condition).  I had some scrap carpet around, so I just traced the edges of my base and cut it out with a knife.

Now time to screw the base on and attach the carpet.  Put the gobo on its side, then you can just screw the base right in.  (Again – I chose to not use any adhesive so I can take this thing apart if need be).  I think I used a dozen screws or so just to make sure it was REALLY on there.  For the carpet attachment, I used PL375 (the “heavy duty” construction adhesive).  I loaded it up, especially around the edges, and pushed the carpet on.  After using a somewhat mantis-like position hold on the carpet while it set for a few minutes, I quickly grabbed some extra wood and a bunch of clamps to hold it on while it dried.  I actually just left it like this for about an hour and then flipped the gobo upright (the weight of the gobo will hold the glue in place).  I did this rather than screws or carpet tacks because this is going to get dragged all over wood floors.  A stray end of a nail/screw with a 100 pounds pushing it down could bring HAVOC to floor in seconds.  I’ve been pushing this thing around my garage and the carpet seems to be holding just fine with the glue.

And finally ::drum roll::, the finished gobo!  I need to build another one to really field test it, but from my scientific initial “walk by it and hear what it does” test, I can say that this thing blocks some serious sound.

C

The Studio Files

So at the end of the last post, I had built the inner frame and attached the plywood backing.  Next up is the two layers of 5/8″ drywall.

Unfortunately, I forgot to grab my camera until after the drywall (and insulation support braces) were already in… Cut out two pieces of drywall (one will be ~2′x4′ and one will be ~2′x2′).  Lay down a bit of construction adhesive (I used PL400) and press the drywall on top of the plywood.  (Repeat for the second layer).

Then I caulked the edges (again, acoustic caulk is the best, but Alex Plus will work on a budget) and used a few 1″ drywall screws to better connect the two layers of drywall.  I would suggest leaving the box as I have positioned here (this side up, flat on its back) while the caulk sets.  This will allow gravity to pull it down into the seams a bit more.

(In these pictures, you will already see the wood cross braces, which I will discuss next… sorry)

Next, I need to install the wood cross pieces that will help keep the air gap between the 703 and the drywall (as well as provide additional structure and support).

I used a T square to measure down 4″ from the top of the frame (since I know that I will be putting 4″ of 703).  I cut five ~24″ pieces of 1×2.  Measure across the box for each of these pieces!  Wood is not an exact science, so there will be slight variations. I spaced them out evenly (3 in the big section, 2 in the small) and attached with a bit of wood glue and a screw on each side.  Just make sure that the top edge of the brace doesn’t go above 4″ down from the top so you have enough room for the insulation.

Now in the next picture, notice how the cross braces are not laying on the drywall.  They are only attached to the sides of the frame.

After the cross braces are in, it should be a breeze to just drop the 4″ of 703 in.  The large section of the gobo should fit two pieces exactly if you build the frame correctly.  For the top half, just carefully slice one piece in half with a razor (I used my level as a straight edge).

Ok – now all the insulation is in.  Time to wrap it with fabric.  There are a lot of options for fabric, a lot of which can be decided merely by budget.  Guildford of Maine fabric is probably the ideal fabric.  Unfortunately its 4-6x more $$ per yard than other average fabric.  If you have the cash, get that.  You can also go with a burlap or muslin covering.  I went with something a little different.  I grabbed some fairly low thread count cotton/synthetic blend that had a little stretch to it.  I did almost get chased out of JoAnn fabric because I was taking dozens of fabrics and blowing through them… which didn’t make the sales lady that happy.  This fabric passed plenty of air but seemed like it could take abuse.

Now – one thing this fabric is missing – anti-flammability.  If you don’t treat this fabric, your gobo could become a giant match in a split second.  Unless your fabric is pretreated, just grab a can of fabric fire retardant and spray it down.

2.5 yards will cover your gobo.

Covering these with fabric is a bit of an art form, and you will get better at it with practice.  I chose to lay the fabric down over the box and staple the top side completely across.  This will give me something to pull on as I (slightly) stretch the fabric around.  Note – I did give the frame a very light sanding job beforehand, in hope that no sharp edges would damage the fabric. After you get one side stapled, its a matter of working your way down opposite sides, pulling out any wrinkles as you go.  I put a lot of staples in, in somewhat of a random fashion.  Since I am soon going to be covering these staples with wood, I thought spreading them out would help defeat any tilt that might be imparted (and it did).  As I got more staples in, I just cut away the extra with a knife/scissors.

In the next post, I’ll show you the outer frame and the base. (aka the finish line)

C

The Studio Files

]]> http://thestudiofiles.com/?feed=rss2&p=810 0 http://thestudiofiles.com/?p=801 http://thestudiofiles.com/?p=801#comments Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:06:27 +0000 http://thestudiofiles.com/?p=801 The start of the gobo: the inner frame

The inner frame is made of the 1×8 board.  If you look at the original Sketchup drawing, you will see that the inner frame is essentially divided into 2 sections – a 4′ tall and 2′ tall section. Each of these sections is backed with plywood.  Now unfortunately its not as simple as just making the box and dropping the plywood in, especially since I am using store-bought sections of plywood.  Although they are sold as 2×4′ and 2×2′ pieces, they aren’t quite that dimension.  Measure each board, and design your frame around the plywood. The long sides are approximately 74.25″ long (48″ plywood+24″ plywood+3 board widths). The top, bottom, and center support are ~24″ long.

You can see in this picture that I have the plywood on the ground and am building the frame around it.  Note: The plywood is NOT attached to the 1×8 frame at this point. It is merely a reference to make sure I am making the frame correctly.  I used some wood glue and a few wood screws to make the corner, leaving the clamp on until its at least partially dry.

Here is a close up of the corner

When I put the other sides on, I did have the 2×2′ piece of plywood and center brace in there.  I took them out at this point to sand an edge down.

Finally, I put the plywood back in (for measuremeant purposes only!) and add the center support.

The plywood is still NOT attached to the frame.  I am waiting until the frame dries and is strong.  I found that it is much easier to get the plywood flush with a strong, dry frame.

Once dry, I used wood screws and glue to attach the plywood to the frame (flush with the back edge).  Then I caulked the inside edge.  Using true “Acoustic Caulk” is best for this – this type of caulk never becomes rigid (it stays rather squishy forever), but if you are on a tight budget, using a very elastic caulk (such as Alex Plus) should be OK.

Next – fill the frame with drywall.

C

The Studio Files

First was the design stage.  I like to use Google Sketchup for design work of this type (its a free program!).  I knew my design needed to

• Be sound isolating, and probably about 6 feet tall (so I could group several together for a quasi vocal booth)
• Be able to join multiple gobos at a variety of angles
• Have the option for a gobo with a window

I also wanted the gobo to have one absorptive and one reflective side (for added flexibility of use).

The most important property of sound isolation is MASS.  Typically, more mass means better isolation.  However, more mass means heavier and harder to move.  I decided that a layer of plywood and a few layers of drywall would be a good start for the “massiveness”.  The plywood would be exposed (for the reflective side), and the other side would be 4″ of Owens Corning 703 insulation.  An inner frame of 1×8 lumber will hold the “innards” in and be covered with fabric on all sides, except the plywood side.  Then an outer frame will go over that, for increased strength, as well as to cover the staples and fabric.  Again, this gobo design is purposely adapted for the use of multiple gobos at once.  This is why the gobo is only ~2′ wide.  This way, I can make multiple gobos and have them arranged in any arrangement I need (plus moving a 2′ wide gobo is a lot easier than a 4′ wide gobo).

I would use spacers to hold the 703 up as well as create an air gap in the middle (which should help slightly with the control of lower frequencies as well).

The pictures will show you the reflective side, the absorptive side, and the innards.  I do have a model of the gobo with a window as well, although I am not currently building that one.

The odd hexagonal base was chosen so that I can put two gobos together at up to a 90 degree angle without the bases sitting on top of each other.

Materials Cost:

• 3x ten foot, 1″x8″ boards  $25
• 1x eight foot, 1″x8″ boards $7
• 2x 2′x4′, 3/4″ birch plywood boards $30
• 1x 2′x2′, 3/4″ birch plywood boards $8
• 5x 2′ long, 1″x2″ boards $6
• 1x 4′x8′ piece of 5/8″ drywall $6
• 3x Owens Corning 2″ pieces $24
• 2.5 yards of fabric (cheapest is likely burlap/muslin) $8
• Various tubes of Wood Glue, Construction Adhesive, Caulk $10
• Wood Screws (1.5″) $3

Grand total – $127, aka I can build 3-4 of these for the amoutn of $ I’d spend buying one.  Plus, its more fun to make your own.

Its even a good deal if you don’t have all the necessary tools.  Even if you have to buy a circular saw, clamps, and a drill, you’ll spend less than buying a gobo.

The next post will show the start of the frame.

C

The Studio Files

Your room’s acoustics are extremely important!  Even the most expensive signal chain in the world can be greatly hampered if not used in a great sounding room.  Project and home studios can benefit greatly from even a small investment in treatment (such as absorption for first reflections and parallel surfaces plus bass trapping)

To make your acoustic dollars stretch even further (and to have a bunch of fun!), you can build the treatments yourself.

So what tools do you need to make your own treatments?

A lot of the treatments are fairly similar in construction.  You can make absorptive panels, clouds, and bass traps out of basically the same materials: wooden frame, filled with Owens Corning 703, wrapped in fabric.  Therefore, the most important tools will be those used to construct the wooden frame.  I actually built some today; here are the tools I needed:

• Saw – A circular saw is a great start (especially if you are experienced), but also having a miter saw around is really my preference.  For quick cuts (and, of course, miters) a miter saw is really convenient.
• Drill – Any solidly built, cordless drill will do just fine (not pictured, sorry)
• Clamps – I like to have a few small 90 degree clamps, a few medium alligator clamps, and some larger clamps available just in case
• Ruler, T, and level
• Wood glue (I like Liquid Nails for wood)
• Sandpaper, utility knife, pencils
• Hearing protection! (especially for cutting wood, its loud!)

Obviously, you’ll also need wood and insulation, but I’ll get into those specifics for each project.

In an upcoming article,  I will show you how to build is an absorptive panel (which I am going to wrap in fabric and hang for absorption above my mix position).  Alternatively, you could mount this on a side wall to tame reflections.  Later on, I’ll show adaptation for corner bass traps, and then I’ll give a step-by-step of my current gobo building project. EDIT: I’m actually going to start with the gobo due to a delay in getting some materials. As a quick teaser – the wood for the small cloud (2′x4′) cost around 8$.

Any questions on tools or techniques?  Ask them in the comments here -

C

The Studio Files

If you are using a desktop, its a good idea to install an extra SATA (or similar) drive and periodically (daily) backup your system.  At the end of your session, just drag the project folder to the drive (simple and easy).

Another option (this works for laptops too) is to have an additional external hard drive to use only for backup.  Just follow the same procedure as with an internal drive (back up at the end of the day).

For my setup, I use Carbon Copy Cloner. (Available here for free, with donations recommended).  This is a great program for formatting, copying, and general care of drives.  At the end of every day, I just clone new files from my audio drives onto my backup drives.

Another good option is Apple’s Time Machine. However, make sure its not set to “auto” backup, as a backup starting while you are recording can clog your system’s resources and give hard drives errors.  Just set it to manual, and engage the backup when its convenient.

Don’t choose to not backup simply because you’ve never had a drive crash.  This is a BAD idea.  Whether you are doing audio professionally or as a hobbyist, making sure your material is safe is extremely important.

If you need suggestions on an efficient backup for your system, let us know in the comments and we can help you out.

With the speed and efficiency of modern drives, I would recommend backing up every day, and ever

C

The Studio Files

Names!

When working in a studio, its likely you have new musicians coming in almost every day.  Remembering everyone’s name can be really hard.  But, calling clients by name rather than “Hey You!” is a good business practice.  When I am working with a new group of musicians, I often write their names in the sum track associated with their instrument.  For example, in the picture below, I write “Brian” in the aux track notes into which I am summing the drums -

As simple as it seems, this is a useful trick.

Mics/Signal Path

In the heat of a busy overdub session, its good to have a reference of how things are being recorded.  For example, if you hit acoustic guitars at the beginning of the day, but by the evening realize you need a few more punches, it would be nice to use the same signal chain.  Writing a few quick notes on the mic, preamp, and gain setting (etc.) can help you keep things consistent through a session.

Track Names

Now, if you are using narrow mix view (View > Narrow Mix), sometimes you may even want to write the track name again in the notes section.  For example, if you have lots of drum tracks (say a top snare mic, a bottom snare mic, and a sample), it may be beneficial to write this in the notes.  

More tips to come!

If you have suggestions on what to put in your notes, let us know in the comments.

C

The Studio Files

Cascade Microphones’ FatHead II is sonically the same as the original FatHead.  However, the FatHead II has slightly different stylings, a larger body, and comes with a shockmount.  Specifically in this review I will be discussing the FatHead II Stereo Pair (street price: around $400).  A single FatHead II retails for around $219.  The FatHead II is a figure-eight ribbon mic, and because of its symmetrical design (unlike earlier FatHeads), it has an identical frequency response on each side.  The FatHead II also comes in three different color options.

The packaging for the mics is top notch.  I received mine (packed securely inside a cardboard box) in a sturdy aluminum flight case.  In addition to the two microphones, the flight case holds both shockmounts (which are very robust), the Blumlein adapter and bar, and two polishing clothes.  All of these accessories are included for free, which is a classy way to go.  Before plugging the mics in, it was very good to know that Cascade is concerned with giving its customers quality accessories and cases without extra cost.

The first thing I did with the mics was to attach them to the Blumlein bar and fly them over top of a rock drumset.  (This was in a room with a tall, vaulted (and treated) ceiling).  Once I had the mics setup and plugged in, someone in the control room turned on phantom power (::yikes::).  Luckily the FatHeads are protected from 48v and were not damaged by this engineering no-no. (not that I would recommend trying this for yourself…).

The smooth transient response was very appealing, but the mics were a little darker in the highs than I would have liked on that source.  This was a very fast-paced drum session, so I decided to take the FatHeads down and replaced them with AKG 414s.  Instead, I just took one FatHead, put it in front of the kit about 8′ back, and positioned it so that the diaphragm was pointed straight up and down (in an attempt to have a room mic with little direct sound which I could crush with a compressor).  The mic responded phenomenally in this application.  While it didn’t end up being my first choice for overheads, I now go to the FatHead first for room mics (especially crushed, talkback-style room mics).  On a different drum session (say maybe a jazz or lighter rock session), I think the FatHeads will be a perfect choice.

A quick side note – one thing I realized as the day progressed (I always end up wishing I had more time to spend on drum mic’ing) was that the FatHeads sometimes need a little EQ on the way in.  I was tracking with a Vintech 473, and quickly realized that a little 3k shelf really opened up the top end of the FatHeads.  They can take a fairly substantial boost before beginning to sound harsh.

After drums, I tracked some loud electric guitars with the fatheads.  By the end of the day, the mic had been in front of a small (1×12) Fender, a big (4×12) Marshall, and a few other medium sized amps.  Verdict: This is an excellent guitar amp mic.  It can take an SPL beating (up to 165 dB SPL!!!) and really mellows out the top end of the amps.  I usually started with a FatHead and a 57 on the cab, in order to maintain a point of reference.  Most of the guitar tracks needed a little high-shelf EQ on the way in (often 3k, once in awhile, the 12k setting).  However, the mics took the EQ very well and really sounded fantastic.

The figure-8 pattern was also a versatile tool (as one would expect with most any ribbon mic).  By aiming the mic at different angles, a balance of more/less room tone could be established without changing the position of the mic.  Another convenient thing about this mic is its symmetry.  Once, I was using two mics on a guitar cab, and was in the recording room (with headphones on to listen) moving mics.  I heard that the 2 mics were comb filtering pretty badly, and rather than stopping, running into the other room, and hitting the polarity switch, I just turned one of them around.

I also quickly had a chance to track an acoustic guitar with a pair of these.  Once again, I had to EQ (sucking some out at 220Hz and boosting the hi-shelf), but the sound was very natural.  The mics were definitely a nice alternative to the faster, more present response of a typical small-diaphragm condenser on acoustic guitar.  While this sound wouldn’t be perfect in every application, it was favorable and natural sounding representation of the instrument for this particular track.

I did not have the opportunity (yet) to try the FatHead II out on brass.  However, Cascade has a page full of samples of various brass and other instruments.

I would highly recommend that every project or home studio owner pick up a pair of these.  They are great utility microphones, especially for loud sources.  I also found them to be great for “colored” microphone applications (such as the drum room mics).  You will want to pair them with a high quality preamp (the mic requires a fair amount of clean gain) with EQ (for occasional, necessary brightening).  The FatHead IIs also transport well (for the traveling/freelance worker).  The case is very sturdy, and the blumlein bar fits almost all other mics (it doesn’t work well on fairly tall mics, such as the Neumann U87).  The FatHead II has a sound far above its price point and is a great way for anyone to get into ribbon microphones.