LETTERS

Oct 1, 2001 12:00 PM

DIGITOTES?

As the owner of a commercial studio, I'm always amused by the “studio-in-a-box” claims of manufacturers, but now the media have fallen victim to their marketing ploys! Marty Cutler's assertion that these boxes “promise practically all of the features of a full recording studio” (“The Incredible Shrinking Studio,” July 2001) makes me wonder when he was last in a full recording studio. In the article's 13 pages, he never discusses the audio performance of these units. Am I to assume that they all sound the same or that their features more than outweigh whatever sonic differences there might be between them? Part of being in the music-recording business is worrying about how things sound.

I can understand why folks want to buy these portable studios: they're powerful and inexpensive. However, they can't promise half the features of a professional studio. If you forget about high-end monitoring, mic and preamp choices, acoustic environments, regulated instruments (pianos, organs, and so on), and great-sounding ancillary gear from amps to outboard, don't forget that there's an engineer who knows how to run all the stuff. Do any portables come with expertise?

Can we call them “recording workstations” or “digitotes” so that people won't believe that a $2,000 investment in gear will make them studio engineers? Regardless of what music stores would have us believe, you can't buy your way into being an engineer (unless you're a second and you make the first an offer he or she can't refuse). Is it possible to make a good recording on a portable? Absolutely. But that depends on your engineering chops and the gear you put before the inputs and after the outputs. Unfortunately, that other gear doesn't come with the “studio” you buy in the store, and the good stuff doesn't come cheap.

What frustrates me is that the well-known companies that want to sell me professional gear are spending oodles of money telling people that a 30-pound box can do what an experienced engineer and brick-and-mortar studio can. It just isn't true.

I'd also like to correct Cutler's use of the term dither. One does not “dither to lower sampling rates”; one converts to lower sampling rates, quantizes word length, and adds dither (possibly noise shaped) if appropriate. Dither does not change word length or sampling rate.
Tom Eaton
Newburyport, MA

Tom — In my experience, each recorder provided clean, punchy, professional-sounding tracks. I am not saying they sound as good as high-end digital-audio workstations, but make no mistake: readers with professional-level skills can produce professional-level products with them.

You disagree? The fact is, these devices are used to create professional recordings every day, including an occasional major-label release. When Rob Shrock (Burt Bacharach's music director) was producing an album for Dionne Warwick, the band was on the road, so Shrock used the portable Roland VS-1680 to record part of the album. (Shrock reviewed the VS-1680 in the April 1999 issue.)

I never claimed that using a portable digital studio is the equivalent of renting time in a high-end commercial facility. Obviously, commercial studios have many advantages over personal studios, but that is completely beside the point. EM is a magazine for musicians who record in personal studios, and these units are easily a match for some home studios our readers have used for years. The best portable digital studios are indeed complete studios in a box — except for transducers and sound sources. All of the other pieces are provided, and you can always upgrade by adding higher-quality outboard gear.

My apologies for my misuse of the term dither; I meant to say that the unit in question does not add dither when it is converting audio from 24-bit to 16-bit resolution. — Marty Cutler

SO KANT SAYS TO HEGEL…

Although “Final Mix” in the July 2001 issue was quite thoughtful, the subject matter at hand deserves at least one correction and one expansion from someone arguably more familiar with philosophical matters. First, the correction: the distinction between information and knowledge, though not drawn by the cited dictionary, is surely not one for which Larry the O may claim credit, though he may claim credit for his presentation thereof. Philosophers have long distinguished the mere facts of a matter, which Larry considers information, from the various beliefs one might form from them as well as the knowledge to which they might ultimately lead.

Second, the expansion: the subdomain of philosophy known as epistemology recognizes distinctions between kinds of knowledge, separating propositional knowledge (knowledge that something is the case) from working knowledge or know-how (knowledge associated with a process or task), and so on.

For those intrigued by the points made in the column, I suggest picking up some basic texts about epistemology. One's beliefs and knowledge are quite literally the most important thing in life. As such, having some modicum of understanding of the issues involved therewith is as important as it is practical. Kudos for a nicely written and interesting “Final Mix.”
John B. Williston
via e-mail

EARTH TO GEAR MAKERS

I enjoyed your wiring article (“Battling Medusa,” June 2001). Now I have a bit of advice for the equipment manufacturers.

Every piece of rackmount gear should have the AC power cord/supply come out of the same side of the rack! Imagine how easy it would be to keep power lines separate from audio if all your gear had the power cables on the same side. It should be a standard, like 44.1 kHz. Regardless of make, model, or price, everything should be the same.
Michael Palmisano
Cincinnati

NOT JUST BLOWIN' SMOKE

On behalf of the International Wind Synthesis Association, thanks for Scott Wilkinson's excellent article “The Wind Cries MIDI” in the May 2001 issue. It nicely covers the field of wind controllers and wind synthesis and presents a balanced and accurate assessment of the art.

Readers interested in additional information about wind controllers may consider looking at the following Web sites: the Wind Instrument Synthesizer/Controller Page (www.ucs.mun.ca/~andrew/wind/); Ken Barry's site (http://kbspace.com); Art's Wind Synth Page (http://members.aol.com/whitfiel/artwind.htm); and Norton Music's WX5 Tips and Tricks (http://nortonmusic.com/wx5.html). Thanks again for the excellent article.
Art Whitfield
Boston

HANGING ON EVERY WORD

I am a professional guitar teacher, a performer, and a struggling songwriter, composer, and home recordist. My first subscription to EM was a gift from one of my students several years ago. At first, I assumed that the magazine was for keyboard players and that I wouldn't read it. I now eagerly await the arrival of each issue! It has something for everyone. The articles help me tremendously in my personal studio.

One recent article had a sidebar with a list of books and resources. It would be helpful to see more of those kinds of lists. I'm interested in finding books that would help me with compression, parametric EQ, songwriting, and so on.
Brian Moore
via e-mail

SYNTH YOU ASKED

Two thumbs up for April's “Something Old, Something New” modular analog synth face-off. As someone who worked extensively with the Buchla 200s at Cal Arts and who owned a six-panel Serge for years, I surely appreciate Gino Robair's observations. I am considering the purchase of more modular equipment in the near future.
Peter Grenader
via e-mail

TERRA INCOGNITA

July's “Working Musician: Uncharted Territory” was timely in that we are simultaneously releasing three Jimmy Mack (www.jimmymack.com) albums. It would be even more helpful if the author could tell us how to find out which radio stations, retailers, and clubs are reporting to the specific charts — as recommended on p. 136. It's a great idea, but how do we do that?
John McIntosh
via e-mail

John — Sorry about the oversight. In every issue, CMJ publishes its reporting stations in the magazine's “Airplay” section. Gavin sells a directory called The Record and Radio A to Z Phonebook ($79.50; tel. (415) 495-1990; Web www.gavin.com), which gives the phone and fax numbers of reporting stations and the addresses and phone and fax numbers of many record labels. Gavin also has a mailing service that sends CDs to reporting stations. The price of the service varies depending on the charts you are interested in targeting. Billboard also makes its reporting stations available through its directory, the Radio Power Book 2002 ($115; tel. (800) 344-7119 or (732) 363-4156; Web www.billboard.com). — Mary Cosola

THE OL' ONE-TWO

Excellent article about studio monitors (“Good References,” June 2001). It could be part of a textbook. With that article and April's “Mysteries of Mixing,” it looks like Brian Knave is on a roll nowadays, doesn't it?
Paul Ferguson
via e-mail

LAZY NEOPHYTES

Recently, I made my way through the May issue (reading each issue thoroughly takes time, and I'm a few issues behind). One letter complained about the technical levels of the articles. The termination of your back section in which manufacturers and professionals answered reader questions is a true loss. However, filling the magazine with articles for novices would mean repeating information that the rest of the readers already know. Novices cannot remain neophytes forever; targeting a transitional demographic alienates the professionals and aficionados who enjoy the magazine as is.

With the abundance of online recording and electronic-music resources, there is no excuse for ignorance of terms and concepts. As a 23-year-old with no background in electronics, music theory, synthesis, or software design, I see no reason why the relevant concepts cannot be mastered merely by taking advantage of existing online resources.

Please don't change because some people are lazy.
Dan Steinbok
via e-mail

WE WELCOME YOUR FEEDBACK.

Address correspondence and e-mail to “Letters,” Electronic Musician, 6400 Hollis Street, Suite 12, Emeryville, CA 94608 or emeditorial@primediabusiness.com. Published letters may be edited for space and clarity.