LOTS of things go into having a console, or trying to simulate the “Console“ thing in your home studio. It’s MUCH more than just how they sound. So I hope some of you found this informative, or entertaining, or both if I’m lucky. Thanks for being here!
Hi, Colt. While watching this video, it came to me (when you were talking about EQs) that it would be great if you can make a video with your ESSENTIAL vsts. I don't know if you already did this, I might have missed it. You are doing a great job, thanks for everything. Love your voice, I sometimes just listen to you while working. :)
If you have not enough money to buy a new SSL, Neve, API, Audient or Neotek, you can still go for something like a D&R Orion X, recap and mod the whole thing for a great sound and summing, then add two or threee preamps for flavors. Lots of work tho, but it gets you very close. I have been through 5 or 6 consoles already. But then Issues in the analog domain is to keep noise per channel as low as possible. That implies star grounding, custom cabling, and that part will cost you even more than the consol and recap. Pure analog is powerful as fuck but it costs a lot as well, if properly. The digital option is imo protools + analog summing backbone and then preamps and eq racks. Not exactly the same tho, more like middle of the road thing. Many different solutions lately for that.
Hey Colt, great video! Lots of usable information here! In the 80's, I used to work at Powerstation in New York, and their layout for outboard gear was to install the gear that was constantly being tweaked on each side of there SSL so that the engineer didn't have to travel miles just to make a slight adjustment to the LA2A or whatever piece of gear was considered to be in constant adjustability. The 24 Pultecs in each room were located behind the engineer, as those would not be subjected to constant tweaking, in addition to other outboard gear. The tape machine locators were also to the side and they were installed according to what side the engineer needed the them to be. The equipment there never was powered down, especially the tube gear. The only thing that was powered down was the capstan motors on the Studers or the 3M M79's (depending on which room you were working in.) Everything, and I do mean everything, was star grounded by breaking off the third prong on the power plug and installing a common ground from a known clean ground from building steel. ProTools and DAW's in general didn't exist. Sometimes, we would mix using multiple bodies around the console, but some of the time, mixes would be done in sections and spliced together when multiple people were not available. This method was my preferred way of doing it as we could run multiple mixes of the same section with subtle differences and pick the sections we wanted to use to create a good mix. There were some of the big name engineers who used to set reverb times with their watches. That was an experience to see them carry out. I was there when they received the first Sony digital 24 track recorder. Madonna's Like A Virfgin was cut on that machine and mixed to a Sony F1 (I think.) The junior guys used to fight as to not work on those digital machines since all repairs were done on the premises. Many years later, when Avitar bought the place, I got to attend an auction in which they sold anything that was not leased or on loan from manufacturers. I ended up buying a pair of DBX 160VU's and a 165. Your video pointed to all of the super important details. Calibrated HVAC was of super importance. All of the racks had HVAC pumped into them, especially the tube gear. The price per hour was not cheap, but when a mix was played over the Westlakes from the quarter inch two-track mix, it left you numb! Keep those videos coming!
The bit where you should limit the things you have to choose from (i.e. EQs) is absolutely true. While I'm just a hobby musician, I found that the more plugins and instruments I acquired, the more it seemed to stifle and paralyze my creativity. The software takes up zero space in a room but can certainly clutter the mind.
Well said....I think that goes for every aspect/instrument of your studio....guitar effects/pedals, amps, drums, mics, etc... Most musicians that have a piece of gear in front of them, think that obligates them to use it. As as drummer, it took a long time, and a lot of maturity to grow out of that.
Dude! I’m a FOH engineer at a church, and finding you on UA-cam has changed my approach to my mix. You have helped me in ways you can’t possibly know. I love watching your videos. Those comments are bullshit, because you are seriously doing amazing work!! Thank you for all the wisdom!!!
That's right. I've engineered in commercial studios since 1972 with famous artist and those working on being famous and it all depends on your work load. If you got a studio full of musicians with 18 mic and D.I boxes feeding into the board you need a console. People that record and overdub one or two tracks at a time don't need a big console. You just need a couple of good preamps/convertors and some way to monitor the ins and outs. The last console I personally owned before I retired from commercial recording was a 32 channel API Legacy loaded with 550L EQ on every channel. I only record myself now and have a little 2 channel Audient interface and a lunchbox with a few mic amps.
I am so glad someone finally addressed the awe/prestige aspect of consoles, and of studio design/interior - and Colt you're 100% on point. I see many folks overlooking this, but whether we like it or not, recording is a business, and the presentation part of your business is a huge contributor to your price rate.
Excellent presentation, your emphasis on the salesmanship of the console is well put. Decades ago H.B.O. had an S.S.L. 9000 in the main room, clients were suitably impressed. They never knew that their projects were built on a Mackie 1604 in the room down the hall. My old timer hardass approach is this: "If you need this much equipment to sound good, maybe you should examine your abilities as a performer." And remember, every channel you open adds noise. Just my opinion, your results may vary.
Hey Colt thanks for putting the video together. There's some useful bits in here for sure. Especially your tip on running a 2bus through a decent pre. That said, most of us who follow your channel are mostly in the box, small home bedroom or office studio types. So getting that "console sound" is an ever elusive pursuit. I think what most people would benefit from is focusing on the arrangement and the production more so than mixing. Too many people are skipping musicianship, songwriting, and production and investing too much energy into mixing, which should be one of the last pieces of the puzzle. The console (or whatever alternative you choose) is responsible for the last 3% of the harmonic flavor. People don't fall in love with mixes, they fall in love with songs. I'd love to see a start-to-finish series on a song with an artist or how you like to construct a track. Keep up the great work!
Great video and touches on everything well! A few years ago I committed to building my studio around Rupert Neve hardware and wanted the big 5088 console sound without buying a 5088. It’s taken patience but I’ve grown it over time with two Shelford Channels, four 5211, eight 5051 comp/eq, MBP, MBC, and a 5060, and I use it all for both recording and mixing. I love it and haven’t looked back. I swore I’d get a 5088 someday and it’s still just a dream at this point, but as much as I’d love a 5088 I ask myself if going back to a large console would be a distraction more than a benefit. I do a lot more mixing than recording. Having everything at arms length is nice. When I used to work in front of a console for mixing I felt like I was always fighting ergonomics. I have a similar setup as you with my monitor on a VESA swingable arm than I can move to the perfect position.
Thank you for detailing the 'cons' as well as the 'pros'. You presented a very fair and complete assessment. I believe a console -- and any quality outboard -- is totally wasted on the undeveloped ears of today's listeners. 98 percent of them grew up listening to crap and they're perfectly content with music mixed totally in the box. Honestly, they're only going to listen to it in MP3 format on earbuds, or at best, in the car. I personally have an awesome selection of quality outboard gear, including top preamps, compressors, and EQ's from API, Retro, Chandler, Universal Audio, Daking, Drawmer, Millennia, etc., and I mix into a Rupert Neve 5059 -- but that's only for my own listening pleasure, because I listen to music on great monitors in a great-sounding room.
I had a Tascam M1516 with a Syncaset 238 and then upgraded to a Mackie 24&8 and an Alesis ADAT XT that was synced to my computer - synths were done through the computer and vocals and guitar were recorded on the ADAT. I loved that set-up. It sounded great. I listen to some of my old mixes and love most of them. I had outboard reverbs and delays and mastered through a TC Electronic Finalizer. I have higher quality outboard gear today with some great mic-pres, EQs, and compressors along with some very good converters and a nice summing mixer in my D-Box+ and I love my sound today but mixing on a console was very fun.
The problem that I have with this, as a 30 year plus professional recording producer, engineer and voting member of the recording academy, is that sadly, unfortunately, with the music that is popular today, none of the fans of modern music hear or give a f**k, and are incapable of hearing this level of detail in a mix. I agree, the console imparts a vibe reminiscent of long-past halcyon day of great recordings... but do many listeners today care? I do, personally... being a Boomer, I grew up with some of the greatest music ever preserved for humankind in analog-based recordings. But today... ? . I'm not without hope though, but it is much faded from decades ago. There are lights on the horizon, but I have to say this as a singer/songwriter/musician/composer/producer/engineer/pro studio owner & operator, I would love to own (and have room for) such a wonderful console. I fear that the difference it would make to today's audience would be negligible. You're in Nashville... (I lived there for a year '99 to early 2000. Met a lot of great people!). I believe that there may be a higher percentage of folks there that can appreciate this fine difference than the audience for most popular music today.. Thant being said... Thank you Colt, for this presentation! I'm not a cynic, I have hope! I've always enjoyed and appreciated your videos! I continue to bring depth, dynamic and real emotion to my music productions.
I agree with you 100%. At the same time, I think it is up to independent artists to make epic music they are proud of, regardless of mainstream trends. If that means going for a big console sound, then by all means... do it!
@@smtonlinevideos Of course, every artist should be absolutely pumped about everything they produce! I think I was just ranting a bit about how music standards (public expectations) have devolved to the absolute lowest standard. I see ads on UA-cam for programs where "...just drag and drop these chord progressions into your DAW ! I wrote and produced this entire song in just three minutes... and I know nothing about music..." (paraphrased from actual ad) I think that today's 'Mainstream" may perhaps be the most music-ignorant generation in recorded history. Okay, I admit... I'm a dinosaur boomer. But still...
@@jeffwoollen1366 I know which ads you're talking about LOL. I can't stand them either. I think the current generation is really missing out on excellent artistry. I feel like the only antidote is for artists to strive for excellence regardless. I guess you could call me a millennial boomer....
@@smtonlinevideos It's more than missing out... artists tend to incorporate that which they've heard into their own, meaningful art. But if a songwriter/composer has never heard the likes of Tchaikovsky or Beethoven, or any such music highlighting the more complex harmonic, melodic and rhythmic structures found therein, then from what influence does their new 'art' stem? From a preset chord progression chosen from some digital one-size-fits-anybody app.? It can only, and has, become worse. Again... I'm not without hope. There are artists who are hitting more dead-on the mark. But will they ever become as popular as 'quality' in music would hope? So far, indications are not too favorable... but again, I'm hopeful. One artist who gives me hope is Grace VanderWall, who has refused to 'Toe the line' but who's writing, musical, and vocal innovations are off the chart. Yet she remains relatively unknown. I guess time will tell! Thanks for responding, enjoying the dialog!
My Neve 5060 is the bees knees and gives you that big console sound in a smaller footprint. It sounds very close to the 5088. I’ve been using it for about 5 years now and couldn’t imagine recording or mixing without it. I can get from point A to B sound wise much faster. Rock on dude!
In terms of tidiness, I feel this. That’s because my studio desk tends to be a work desk, and the storage drawer has a bunch of small pieces that I use often. With that being said, this video is a reminder to organize the “junk drawer,” so it doesn’t look as chaotic.
I load at the beginning of a mixing session on each track an EQ and Compresor and send each track on reverb, delay etc. and then mute the send. When I then start mixing everything is usually just a mouse click away.
Hey Colt --- You should check out the Neve Genesys Black --- all analog, every single parameter digitally recallable and automatable within the DAW. It's amazing. Based on the 88R and includes up to 48 channels of mic preamps. Sweetwater sells them too.
Awesome, awesome video Colt. I can concurr most of this. I learned on tape in the early 90's (cleaning the heads early morning made the whole day a sweeter experience). I've spent years trying to replicate that console experience in a DAW. I can reccomend get a stereo pair on the master buss. Get as much analogue 'realness' on that front end as possible. The more living particles and components you pass that thing through before you make a digital facsimile of it the more 'alive' it sounds. Also limit choices and replicate an analogue work flow with proper gain staging. I've built a few 'virtual' studios in my DAW based off real studios from CLA to Blackbird and it helps a ton to preset that stuff and set it and forget it and ride the gain staging instead. Buy the stuff you need and ditch the rest. Again awesome video and real important for those guys who've never had the privilege of working on a big board before. 👍 Appreciate it Colt.
I used to play a trick with my, 24 track, 2 inch, Ampex, MM-1200's. If I wanted a clear sound. In my, 1978 studio. Back in 1978! That machine had some switches inside. That allowed you to switch the meters. To read,, record bias level. And by throwing that switch. It would remove the meter. From the playback output. Because if you are not recording. The meters would remain at,, zero, nothing, full down. And by doing so. It also removed the, bridge rectifier diode. Inside the meter.. Because the bridge rectifier diode, inside the meter. Would add both measurable and audible, Inter-Modulation Distortion. Which added a fuzziness, you could hear. To the sound. And by switching the meters off to read bias. When there was no bias to read. I switched off that fuzzy sound. Making my Ampex 24 track recorder. Have cleaner playback sound that was noticeable. The same was achievable with the old and legendary, Scully 280 recorders. Switch the meter to read, bias or erase current. During playback functions. And you have switched the meters off. And gotten cleaner output sound.. Back in my day. In the 1970s and 80s. Now I know this was a long-winded lengthy posting. Requiring more than one post. Because I get a bit long-winded with my passion.. To help others. Obtain the sound of their dreams. Because I am that miracle worker engineer. That knows how to change lives. For pennies on the dollar. So you've always known and read about. Wanting to know. How us old-timer engineers got what we wanted.. Those elusive, tips and tricks. You guys always wanted to know about! And here you go! Because I say.. FUCK those rich guys! I'm not a rich guy. Neither are you! And because I not only owned much of that premium equipment. I also worked for those companies.. Either as a full-time employee. Or on a contract basis. In a freelance way. Because everyone knew. Just how talented I was. And what an incredible problem solver I am.. Now while this posting has already gotten far too long. There is one other factor no one really knows. And this is another huge thing. That many find hard to believe. Until I turned them onto the difference. And that's with your control room monitor speakers. Even your headphones. A professional mistake has been made. With 99% of all of those speakers and headphones out there. With the exception of a single company. Which I will get to. In a moment. Here's another factory no one knows. Unless I've turned amount to it. Or they stumbled upon it by their selection of speaker. By accident. With your pair of control room monitor speakers. Some of you have passive speakers. With an outboard audio power amplifier. Most of you today. Have opted for,, self powered, control room speakers. And while you have followed your wiring diagrams. As per the manufacturer's, manuals. Which are all technically correct. What hasn't been considered. By the electrical engineers. And the acoustic engineers. Is that they are in, negative polarity. This does not mean they are out of phase, together. You would know that. They are in phase together. No question there. But while they are in phase together between left and right. They are both in negative polarity. Which is electrically correct. But acoustically wrong! Acoustically backwards! Which means. Instead of the sound protruding out toward you. From the front of the speaker. It is sucking away from you! You are merely hearing the negative polarity rebound, coming toward you. Of sucking sound! It's amazingly stupid! It's technically correct and acoustically wrong! But nobody has been properly able to think this through except one single company! And what company is that? Why, none other than one, JBL! Now I do not represent them. I do not sell them. I merely owned some for myself. The same model. That Bruce Swedien mixed, Michael Jackson's greatest hits on. The same one that, George Massenburg mixed, Earth Wind & Fire upon. So many countless others. At countless other studios. Back in the 1970s. When that was the primary speaker manufacturer of choice. Until morons all wanted better speakers! The better speakers are in fact better. But when you wire them as per the manufacturer's recommendations. They are in negative polarity. You will find. That 99% of all speaker manufacturers out there. They are all out of phase. Compared to that of JBL's. And nobody has ever figured out, why? Like I said this is incredibly moronic! Because they are technically right. And do not understand they are acoustically wrong. JBL got it! So did I. Back in 1978! Actually before that. But was confused before that. Until I realized. What I was perceiving. And the way my brain wanted to hear it. Because I hate and cannot tell what the hell I'm listening to! In these control rooms. With great speakers. That are in phase together. But they are in negative polarity together. And they are sucking away from me. You will find me all over the Internet talking about this. Right here on UA-cam. On many other channels. You will find me another Internet websites. Over the past 20 or so years. Talking about this. And this issue. Largely comes down to, people's religious beliefs. Whatever your religious belief is? Do you question or disagree with your Bibles? Hell no! No stupid FUCKER does. That would be heretical to do. And you would be an outcast if you did. And you want to be the same as all your friends. And so you also don't question your, audio Bibles and textbooks. Because you would never say they are wrong. When they are in fact, mostly right. But not 100% right. And where they all make the same mistake. En masse,, together. When it comes to speaker wiring. It's mindnumbing stupidity. But I am an agnostic atheist. I don't say there isn't a God. But I do question, what exactly is a God? What does it appear like? Has anybody ever seen one? Because if you have? I could recommend a nice mental hospital for you. Or sell you a bridge outside of New York City. The gets you to Brooklyn. Now don't think for a minute. I have been sitting here and punching this out on a QWERTY keyboard. No way! I might be old.. But I also like to keep up with modern technology. And live in the 21st century. So while I sit back in my bed relaxing. Looking at my big huge LCD screen on the opposite side of the room. I'm talking to my computer. And it's writing down everything I'm saying here. Which means I have no calluses on my fingertips. I'm not hunched over a keyboard. I'm not too close to the LCD screen. I'm comfortable! I'm sipping on my iced tea. I'm entertaining myself by watching these UA-cam videos. And I am Quality Controlling. All of this marketing idiocy. Along with stupid news and crazy political conspiracy theorists. Where I will keep my opinion to myself. And not tell you all. That, I think Republicunt's are all insane and lowlifes. So, I won't,, say such things. As a staunch Democrat. Who has voted for, intelligent Republicans.. Who unfortunately are a small minority today. Because I am personally attracted to, intelligent people. Of which most Republicans are not. Though they might be? Hitler may have been intelligent? But we don't need anymore Hitler's or Republicunt's like him. Did my computer spell that wrong? No! So what have I created here? This is a small free, Pro Audio, book. Only because. I want people. To be able to make recordings. That they love. That they could be proud of. And make no excuses. For anything that doesn't sound right. Because to make excuses is, unprofessional. And in order not to make excuses? You've got to know the same tips and tricks I know. It's that plainly simple. And I make things simple. Simple is good. Less is more. Keep it simple, stupid. You don't need a big audio console. You don't need the most expensive control room monitor speakers. You only have to have them wired correctly. And so even less expensive speakers can sound, stellar! When you have them in phase and in acoustically, positive polarity! And that fixed costs absolutely nothing to make! It's totally free! And you will need far less, additional acoustic gobbledygook on your walls. To correct for the poor acoustics. In your all too small, bedroom control rooms. That are little square boxes. That have flutter echoes, standing waves no,, Bass Trapping. Most of it largely unnecessary. Because they are all trying to correct for, in phase but out of polarity (negative polarity) wired monitor speakers! And so that way. It keeps all of these, acoustic modifier room control specialists. In business.. It keeps, acoustic engineers, employed. Most of which are unnecessary today. Because you can only do so much with a 10' x 10' x 8', bedroom control room. You can't create anymore, cubic footage or volume to the room. What it is is what you got. And no acoustic gobbledygook is going to change the cubic footage. They are just trying to compensate for negative polarity speakers. As though the joke is on everybody! (To be continued in next post)
Hey colt, great video. My experience with a console is this: while I can’t seem to get clients to accept the “old” way of mix approval (gathering at the end of the process for final tweaks and then signing off on it) the console sounds so great I just can’t part with it. So it’s primary roles these days are preamps, summing, headphone mixes and control room mix while tracking. The rest remains in the box to make it easy on the clients. Kind of a shame to not use those EQs (it’s a repurposed Midas live board - they sound great) but the clients dig the results. That works for me.
This video was right on time. This is why I like the Softube Console 1 and Fader 1 setup with the different channel strips. Speeds up your workflow. Kinda has a console feel to it. I like the idea of running stereo preamps on your stereo buss. I have a pair of Neve 511s for that. Ima switch em out though because they don’t have transformers in them so it’s a clean sound. Far as hardware. I do have the Shelford Channel and Lindell 1176. I do need a better desk for the hardware gear I have coming. Dope video.
Cool that he started on a Yamaha PM2000. I have a project studio in the works using an PM2000 and I've actually been able to get great results with it and some outboard processing. Speedy workflow and easier to patch in outboard gear. Would love to grow into Never/SSL tier one day, but it's a very functional desk that sounds great.
Cool. I do have a PreSonus stereo mic pre (ADL 600) wired in my setup to do just that on the mix bus as an easily available option. I need to revisit it! 😊 🎶
Great video! Man i miss mixing and tracking on consoles somedays. But, at the same time i do love the recall ability of Protools or DAW’s in general. Especially for TV! When i worked on consoles even with automation and recall you still had to go to notes for outboard gear. This was a blessing and a curse as y’all mentioned for creativity. Excellent points on outboard gear for our format of working mostly in the box as well!
Colt, first of all I wanna say I’m big on your channel, big fan of your work, aside from that I wanted to thank you for the effort on such a good looking and well put together video, having said that I must say that aside from the pair of preamps on the mixbus tip, not much of this almost half an hour is really usable or interesting especially when it comes to getting the console sound in your homestudio witch I think is the point of the video, so I’m just saying that because I know the amount of time to make such video and I don’t want you wasting your time with a content like that. I shouldn’t even say that and I’m already regretting, but I say that full of love and good intention ok, really like your work too and I’m “something of a UA-camr myself” that’s hard work for sure. All the best buddy!
I appreciate the feedback, and the kind words even while giving constructive criticism! I do feel like a lot of the points in this video are important to someone who’s really trying to run a professional studio, I’m sorry you didn’t agree, or felt like your time was wasted. That’s never my intent. Thanks for being here!
I would not buy a used-vintage LFC unless you have the tech skills and have done the research to be sure you can get replacement parts as many are not available. My 1st large - automated desk got the wow factor & paid for itself in 6 months. It was not worth repairing after 4 years. I started building CAPI's & haven't look back.
Yes, I’ve found that the combination of a Raven console used with flanking Analog gear has all thd benefits with few of the massive analog console benefits.
You young guys have just re-kindled my creative flow I used to have so now Im on the road to building my new studio. Ill shop Sweetwater (My favorite store) via your link to show you how well you have put together this video. You have also sparked a few memories I have when I was deep into the studios like that. Thanks for this great video and maybe catch you somewhere as I restart my interest in the industry.
If I may add about mixing into preamps. A friend of mine built me a stepped attenuator so I can control how hard I drive my preamps on the way in. (mixing/mastering) I also like to instead put the attenuator on the output so I don't clip my AD when I'm purposely clipping my preamp. (individual tracks, busses, in parallel)
buy a handful of neve/warm/bae/whatever preamps, some decent mics, big room with cheap crappy foam all around....some huge fisher speakers and replace the badges with JBL/etc, buy a cheapo mackie(Crackie?) 32x8 with meters and a sidecar 8ch for total of 40 channels. fiddle with knobs a lot in front of clients....actually do the mix on protools on a mac mini and you're done. Client is impressed....mix is all done thru fairly good pre's. DAW outputs run thru the line inputs on the mackie....so they can see you 'mixing'. could save at least half a million bucks this way. And if you couldn't tell....I'm being sarcastic. But it does seem some people try to do it this way just to appease the eye candy aspect that customers want to see.
Nobody's mentioned it so I have to mention the Silver Bullet by Louder Than Liftoff. It's made for exactly this, achieving a console sound with a single unit. Mix into it or even better, run instrument groups through it and then the mix into it... that's the good stuff.
Can you do a tutorial and/or explain more in depth about running everything through a pair of mic pre amps? I’m only intermediate stage of learning mixing but really don’t understand how this makes such a big impact and how you do it. I use Cubase personally but would really love to see a dedicated video to this. Thanks love your vids
Hi Colt, If you, or anyone wants a large console sound from your daw, I strongly suggest you try Harrision Consoles Mixbuss 32c daw,.... Its a perfect replication of the 32c console which thirller was recorded on and many others. Its gui is laid out just like a console. Try it for free, bring in one of your mixers thru it and see for yourself... Ed
Everyone has the wrong idea when it comes to analog colorization. That's part of it but, the real 'fidelity' comes from layered separation. When you sum in the box everything renders down to a perfect flat stereo image. It doesn't matter how many tracks you have, you always render down to a perfect flat stereo image. That doesn't happen when mixing on a large format console. Every channel adds it's own 'image' and sums into multiple layers. The sound is thicker, fuller and richer, but most importantly the instrument tracks have 'separation'. Ironically, you can hear the depth in the recording better on a high end stereo even more than studio monitors because they excel on a 'false' holographic image.
If this is true, then those passive summing boxes that are nothing more than resistor arrays are totally missing the point. What you're describing can only be caused by non-linearities, which means components that can saturate: transistors, valves, inductors, transformers. Otherwise, summing in the box and out of the box would give identical results, as it's all just maths.
I usually use softube console one and the SSL 4000E or 9000K channel strip to mix tracks and it works like a console within the DAW and I use a 27in touchscreen to mix on my DAW's mixing console
Solid video Cap. You’re channel helps me on my struggles as an engineer, I still have issue with the dreaded PT > Apollo > hardware latency issue. I’ve tried your way, and others and shit still delays! So I just use my hardware to record in, not mix :(
I"m running Cubase Pro 12 and I have a Presonus Studiolive series 3 mixer as my input interface. I have a lot of keyboards and other things and I don;t like patching and re-patching when I'm recording in my home studio. What I really want to be able to do though, is to mix on my mixer. Unfortunately. I have yet to find a working system that will allow me to do this. I"m only a bedroom hobbyist but I want to have the best sound and mixes that I can. Great video, by the way! Thanks for this one! Keep 'em coming!
there is only one "con-" ......The Electric -bill at the end of the month...if somebody else is picking up that tab then hell yeah i am going to buy a vintage console with extra buckets :-) cool video as usual Colt.. Cheers Bro. T
This is why I love mixing on harrison mixbus. Whether the DAW actually imparts any real analog characteristics is debatable but the analog console workflow is unbeatable.
@@CraigScottFrost the Saturation on the busses is nice and I do like the eqs on the channels for certain things. Bus comps sound decent for guitars and the channel comps are decent for quick taming of dynamics. I do use plugins but I just find I mix it faster and I get mixes sounding more cohesive faster. I also love the K14 meters I want some analog vu meters on ny desk at home
@@CraigScottFrost I've looked into those I've heard their hard to calibrate and otherwise aren't accurate to dbu parameters. Thinking of building my own
I guess it depends on the DAW. In recent days, software has grown in sophistication to do just that: look at ProTools HEAT, or the UA Luna which purports to intentionally impart analog tape sound per-channel, for just two examples. Of course, many if not most plugins are designed to impart a sound beyond just supplying nerd knobs to the engineer. I’d safely say the DAW imparts a sound. And they’re getting better all the time.
@@CraigScottFrost …check out decibel by process audio. Any kind of metering you want, to any scale. Can be thrown out to an iPad. Haven’t used anything else since.
@@johnvcougar everything else being equal, DAWs don’t impart a sound. That’s a thing of myth to me at this point… And if they do, it’s negligible. I’ve personally done tests on this, in a very controlled environment with excellent monitoring, and could not pick one daw’s bounce from another.
Every time I'd twist a knob or move a fader there would be a tiny little counter in my brain counting off another move towards the wear and tear that means service time. Mind you, I practice songs in guitar in different "in between" keys to save the more useful frets so perhaps that's just me.
Awesome video!! When using mic preamps into the main mix is that saying to use it like a send/return or take the master out/run through the preamp/use the premps outs as the main outs?
when you print your mixes, do you go through line in or mic in ? as the impedance is difference. what's your thought. and where you put the preamp, is it PRE or POST outboard gear such as comp eq etc.
how to get big console sound in your studio? step one run it through mic preamps (not in daw) step two during recording use analogue gear (not in daw). not sure if I want to watch the rest of the video, although those tips my really good 😅
I want to say something which is not intended to take away anything from this video - big console, woo wee, can't argue. But I made a record in a big studio in the mid 90's, recorded digitally, and mixed through a Neve board and great analog gear, run out through 1/2" tape and back in. The studio didn't master it and printed the mix to CD and locked the doors. The album sounded like utter shit. Complete total shit. A Neve console isn't going to give you a great sounding record. Its just true. No point in drooling over it. There's so many other factors. And then, in the end, your audience doesn't give a rip. And no one can hear what compressor was used, what board was used, if it was in the box or not. But, is it impressive? Oh yeah. Probably why I hired the studio I did was the gear. LOL. Again. LOL. Back in "the day", the point was to record the source with accuracy. The reason that Neve and SSL and API were used was not the "color" they added, but the accuracy and transparency they provided. Is that true or not? Yes it's true. Everyone loved how transparent digital was, except that it is missing the key to life: saturation. But I'm nobody, so don't listen to me if you don't want to. I'm just saying. This stuff isn't going to give you a great record. Its the song first, the performance second, the arrangement 3rd and the sound last. Bootlegs are proof of that. But this subject has been debated for 40+ years with no end in sight, obviously.
Yo Colt! Thx for great vid. Question-If I purchase a stereo mic pre that has both XLR and 1/4 trs line "inputs" would you advise on the side of XLR cables for the inputs? Ive read or heard that 1/4" trs line inputs bypass the pre amp which would defeat the entire purpose right? Call me stupid but Im self taught and dont have time to research a lot of this stuff. Spend most of my "FREE" time writing rather than mixing but here we are. THX in advance.
Colt great interview and topic I’m in the process of turning my garage into a studio can you talk about running mic pre’s through the same mixing board you are going to take out on live shows But than also use in your garage or home studio is that even possible thanks
i owned a large format console for studiowork but nowadays where changes to a mix happen so often its just not doable for me. il stick with a good daw setup and some analog magic on the 2 bus. the only situation where a big console could work is for my own music where i decide when its done and not some call at 3am ;D
Hey Colt - I dig your videos. Have you or would you do one that talks about different levels of home studios? E.g - very basic, intermediate, and advanced? What you recommend at each step? And the difference in sound quality you can get from going all digital to some outboard gear to almost pro studio? I know a lot depends on the talent of the musician and producer but there’s a bunch of us amateur/intermediate song writers and players out here wondering what it realistically takes to make radio ready music and whether that is even realistic for us. Thx!
YOOOOO!! I need the IO before I can try this, deciding between the Motu 16a or the RME Fireface UFX+ (Just dunno which one has better converters yet lol) BUT!!!! Could you do a quixk tutorial on how to make 2 mono preamps work in stereo on the mix bus? I needed to learn this for the Neve 542's I'm going to get but I can't find any answers on the internet as of yet... So a quixk tutorial would be LOVELY!
I'm confused...sorry. When you say to run the stereo pair across your mix bus, are you referring to the master bus? Like with a send/return? Sorry, I'm a noob! Thanks for the great videos, Colt!
Hi, loved this. I'm unfortunately in a bedroom only just coming up but love the idea of a large format console sound. I have the BX SSL4000 for $30 and some waves plugins for a similar price. are there any plugins I can use to simulate mixing through a pair of mic pre-amps on the master bus since I can't afford hardware at the minute. Thanks Marshall
Thanks for the feedback, using an on camera microphone to record two people simultaneously is never ideal, it’s just all I had to work with to get into the camera
how do you mix "into the preamp" ? your speakers are obviously not attached to the mic-pre? LOL or are you just bussing it out and recording the results? which wouldn't be mixing into the preamp. The technique makes perfect sense, it's the setup that I'm stumbling over.
Hey Colt. Mike here in Northern Ireland. Super interested to hear about mixing through outboard preamps- 2 Qs- 1 on a budget setup if I only have 2 decent mic pres, can I use my tracking pres for mixing (setup hassle aside) and 2 what’s the difference between dual mic pres and a summing mixer to mix through? Cheers, love the channel.
I DIY Microphones, cables and think I could probably swing a DIYRE box. BUT maintaining a console is a whole other realm and if you're not prepared to spend a lot of your time fixing stuff or paying someone else to do it...It is true, as Sean says, that a good engineer mixing at a console is a performance. I don't think it's that performance that most home and project studios are interested in.
LOTS of things go into having a console, or trying to simulate the “Console“ thing in your home studio. It’s MUCH more than just how they sound. So I hope some of you found this informative, or entertaining, or both if I’m lucky. Thanks for being here!
You should get a console! :-)
I know, VERY EXPENSIVE!
Hi, Colt. While watching this video, it came to me (when you were talking about EQs) that it would be great if you can make a video with your ESSENTIAL vsts. I don't know if you already did this, I might have missed it. You are doing a great job, thanks for everything. Love your voice, I sometimes just listen to you while working. :)
Good information.What about the console works in with Pro Tools ,or other DAWs. how is connect to console ???
Hi Colt, what about the SSL Big 6? could you please make a review or your thoughts about this option? Thank you!!!
If you have not enough money to buy a new SSL, Neve, API, Audient or Neotek, you can still go for something like a D&R Orion X, recap and mod the whole thing for a great sound and summing, then add two or threee preamps for flavors. Lots of work tho, but it gets you very close. I have been through 5 or 6 consoles already.
But then Issues in the analog domain is to keep noise per channel as low as possible. That implies star grounding, custom cabling, and that part will cost you even more than the consol and recap. Pure analog is powerful as fuck but it costs a lot as well, if properly.
The digital option is imo protools + analog summing backbone and then preamps and eq racks. Not exactly the same tho, more like middle of the road thing. Many different solutions lately for that.
Hey Colt, great video! Lots of usable information here! In the 80's, I used to work at Powerstation in New York, and their layout for outboard gear was to install the gear that was constantly being tweaked on each side of there SSL so that the engineer didn't have to travel miles just to make a slight adjustment to the LA2A or whatever piece of gear was considered to be in constant adjustability. The 24 Pultecs in each room were located behind the engineer, as those would not be subjected to constant tweaking, in addition to other outboard gear. The tape machine locators were also to the side and they were installed according to what side the engineer needed the them to be. The equipment there never was powered down, especially the tube gear. The only thing that was powered down was the capstan motors on the Studers or the 3M M79's (depending on which room you were working in.) Everything, and I do mean everything, was star grounded by breaking off the third prong on the power plug and installing a common ground from a known clean ground from building steel. ProTools and DAW's in general didn't exist. Sometimes, we would mix using multiple bodies around the console, but some of the time, mixes would be done in sections and spliced together when multiple people were not available. This method was my preferred way of doing it as we could run multiple mixes of the same section with subtle differences and pick the sections we wanted to use to create a good mix. There were some of the big name engineers who used to set reverb times with their watches. That was an experience to see them carry out. I was there when they received the first Sony digital 24 track recorder. Madonna's Like A Virfgin was cut on that machine and mixed to a Sony F1 (I think.) The junior guys used to fight as to not work on those digital machines since all repairs were done on the premises. Many years later, when Avitar bought the place, I got to attend an auction in which they sold anything that was not leased or on loan from manufacturers. I ended up buying a pair of DBX 160VU's and a 165. Your video pointed to all of the super important details. Calibrated HVAC was of super importance. All of the racks had HVAC pumped into them, especially the tube gear. The price per hour was not cheap, but when a mix was played over the Westlakes from the quarter inch two-track mix, it left you numb! Keep those videos coming!
The bit where you should limit the things you have to choose from (i.e. EQs) is absolutely true. While I'm just a hobby musician, I found that the more plugins and instruments I acquired, the more it seemed to stifle and paralyze my creativity. The software takes up zero space in a room but can certainly clutter the mind.
Well said....I think that goes for every aspect/instrument of your studio....guitar effects/pedals, amps, drums, mics, etc... Most musicians that have a piece of gear in front of them, think that obligates them to use it. As as drummer, it took a long time, and a lot of maturity to grow out of that.
Dude! I’m a FOH engineer at a church, and finding you on UA-cam has changed my approach to my mix. You have helped me in ways you can’t possibly know. I love watching your videos. Those comments are bullshit, because you are seriously doing amazing work!! Thank you for all the wisdom!!!
That's right. I've engineered in commercial studios since 1972 with famous artist and those working on being famous and it all depends on your work load. If you got a studio full of musicians with 18 mic and D.I boxes feeding into the board you need a console. People that record and overdub one or two tracks at a time don't need a big console. You just need a couple of good preamps/convertors and some way to monitor the ins and outs. The last console I personally owned before I retired from commercial recording was a 32 channel API Legacy loaded with 550L EQ on every channel. I only record myself now and have a little 2 channel Audient interface and a lunchbox with a few mic amps.
Dude your channels a fresh air to Home production. The videos on watching you build your set up to this. Theirs everything for someone.
Excellent advice to novices about not “getting lost in the options”.
I am so glad someone finally addressed the awe/prestige aspect of consoles, and of studio design/interior - and Colt you're 100% on point. I see many folks overlooking this, but whether we like it or not, recording is a business, and the presentation part of your business is a huge contributor to your price rate.
Excellent presentation, your emphasis on the salesmanship of the console is well put.
Decades ago H.B.O. had an S.S.L. 9000 in the main room, clients were suitably impressed.
They never knew that their projects were built on a Mackie 1604 in the room down the hall.
My old timer hardass approach is this:
"If you need this much equipment to sound good, maybe you should examine your abilities as a performer."
And remember, every channel you open adds noise.
Just my opinion, your results may vary.
Getting to watch Sean work in that room first hand was a treat. He's one hell of an engineer.
Hey Colt thanks for putting the video together. There's some useful bits in here for sure. Especially your tip on running a 2bus through a decent pre. That said, most of us who follow your channel are mostly in the box, small home bedroom or office studio types. So getting that "console sound" is an ever elusive pursuit. I think what most people would benefit from is focusing on the arrangement and the production more so than mixing. Too many people are skipping musicianship, songwriting, and production and investing too much energy into mixing, which should be one of the last pieces of the puzzle. The console (or whatever alternative you choose) is responsible for the last 3% of the harmonic flavor. People don't fall in love with mixes, they fall in love with songs. I'd love to see a start-to-finish series on a song with an artist or how you like to construct a track. Keep up the great work!
This, plus the fact that possibly the most in demand pop mix engineer Serban Ghenea works fully in the box :)
Great video and touches on everything well! A few years ago I committed to building my studio around Rupert Neve hardware and wanted the big 5088 console sound without buying a 5088. It’s taken patience but I’ve grown it over time with two Shelford Channels, four 5211, eight 5051 comp/eq, MBP, MBC, and a 5060, and I use it all for both recording and mixing. I love it and haven’t looked back. I swore I’d get a 5088 someday and it’s still just a dream at this point, but as much as I’d love a 5088 I ask myself if going back to a large console would be a distraction more than a benefit. I do a lot more mixing than recording. Having everything at arms length is nice. When I used to work in front of a console for mixing I felt like I was always fighting ergonomics. I have a similar setup as you with my monitor on a VESA swingable arm than I can move to the perfect position.
Thank you for detailing the 'cons' as well as the 'pros'. You presented a very fair and complete assessment. I believe a console -- and any quality outboard -- is totally wasted on the undeveloped ears of today's listeners. 98 percent of them grew up listening to crap and they're perfectly content with music mixed totally in the box. Honestly, they're only going to listen to it in MP3 format on earbuds, or at best, in the car. I personally have an awesome selection of quality outboard gear, including top preamps, compressors, and EQ's from API, Retro, Chandler, Universal Audio, Daking, Drawmer, Millennia, etc., and I mix into a Rupert Neve 5059 -- but that's only for my own listening pleasure, because I listen to music on great monitors in a great-sounding room.
I had a Tascam M1516 with a Syncaset 238 and then upgraded to a Mackie 24&8 and an Alesis ADAT XT that was synced to my computer - synths were done through the computer and vocals and guitar were recorded on the ADAT. I loved that set-up. It sounded great. I listen to some of my old mixes and love most of them. I had outboard reverbs and delays and mastered through a TC Electronic Finalizer. I have higher quality outboard gear today with some great mic-pres, EQs, and compressors along with some very good converters and a nice summing mixer in my D-Box+ and I love my sound today but mixing on a console was very fun.
The problem that I have with this, as a 30 year plus professional recording producer, engineer and voting member of the recording academy, is that sadly, unfortunately, with the music that is popular today, none of the fans of modern music hear or give a f**k, and are incapable of hearing this level of detail in a mix. I agree, the console imparts a vibe reminiscent of long-past halcyon day of great recordings... but do many listeners today care? I do, personally... being a Boomer, I grew up with some of the greatest music ever preserved for humankind in analog-based recordings. But today... ? . I'm not without hope though, but it is much faded from decades ago. There are lights on the horizon, but I have to say this as a singer/songwriter/musician/composer/producer/engineer/pro studio owner & operator, I would love to own (and have room for) such a wonderful console. I fear that the difference it would make to today's audience would be negligible. You're in Nashville... (I lived there for a year '99 to early 2000. Met a lot of great people!). I believe that there may be a higher percentage of folks there that can appreciate this fine difference than the audience for most popular music today..
Thant being said... Thank you Colt, for this presentation! I'm not a cynic, I have hope! I've always enjoyed and appreciated your videos! I continue to bring depth, dynamic and real emotion to my music productions.
I agree with you 100%. At the same time, I think it is up to independent artists to make epic music they are proud of, regardless of mainstream trends. If that means going for a big console sound, then by all means... do it!
@@smtonlinevideos Of course, every artist should be absolutely pumped about everything they produce! I think I was just ranting a bit about how music standards (public expectations) have devolved to the absolute lowest standard. I see ads on UA-cam for programs where "...just drag and drop these chord progressions into your DAW ! I wrote and produced this entire song in just three minutes... and I know nothing about music..." (paraphrased from actual ad) I think that today's 'Mainstream" may perhaps be the most music-ignorant generation in recorded history. Okay, I admit... I'm a dinosaur boomer. But still...
@@jeffwoollen1366 I know which ads you're talking about LOL. I can't stand them either. I think the current generation is really missing out on excellent artistry. I feel like the only antidote is for artists to strive for excellence regardless. I guess you could call me a millennial boomer....
@@smtonlinevideos It's more than missing out... artists tend to incorporate that which they've heard into their own, meaningful art. But if a songwriter/composer has never heard the likes of Tchaikovsky or Beethoven, or any such music highlighting the more complex harmonic, melodic and rhythmic structures found therein, then from what influence does their new 'art' stem? From a preset chord progression chosen from some digital one-size-fits-anybody app.? It can only, and has, become worse. Again... I'm not without hope. There are artists who are hitting more dead-on the mark. But will they ever become as popular as 'quality' in music would hope? So far, indications are not too favorable... but again, I'm hopeful. One artist who gives me hope is Grace VanderWall, who has refused to 'Toe the line' but who's writing, musical, and vocal innovations are off the chart. Yet she remains relatively unknown. I guess time will tell! Thanks for responding, enjoying the dialog!
My Neve 5060 is the bees knees and gives you that big console sound in a smaller footprint. It sounds very close to the 5088. I’ve been using it for about 5 years now and couldn’t imagine recording or mixing without it. I can get from point A to B sound wise much faster. Rock on dude!
You have successfully convinced me I need a console. Love the content.
That console is BEAUTIFUL and yes I would rock out with a console BUT it has to have recall and automation abilities! 🤟🏾
In terms of tidiness, I feel this. That’s because my studio desk tends to be a work desk, and the storage drawer has a bunch of small pieces that I use often. With that being said, this video is a reminder to organize the “junk drawer,” so it doesn’t look as chaotic.
I load at the beginning of a mixing session on each track an EQ and Compresor and send each track on reverb, delay etc. and then mute the send.
When I then start mixing everything is usually just a mouse click away.
If your mix/masters sound good, one should not care how it got there. Use your ears folks. Don't get distracted by the shiny things. 100%
Hey Colt --- You should check out the Neve Genesys Black --- all analog, every single parameter digitally recallable and automatable within the DAW. It's amazing. Based on the 88R and includes up to 48 channels of mic preamps. Sweetwater sells them too.
Awesome, awesome video Colt. I can concurr most of this. I learned on tape in the early 90's (cleaning the heads early morning made the whole day a sweeter experience). I've spent years trying to replicate that console experience in a DAW. I can reccomend get a stereo pair on the master buss. Get as much analogue 'realness' on that front end as possible. The more living particles and components you pass that thing through before you make a digital facsimile of it the more 'alive' it sounds. Also limit choices and replicate an analogue work flow with proper gain staging. I've built a few 'virtual' studios in my DAW based off real studios from CLA to Blackbird and it helps a ton to preset that stuff and set it and forget it and ride the gain staging instead. Buy the stuff you need and ditch the rest.
Again awesome video and real important for those guys who've never had the privilege of working on a big board before. 👍
Appreciate it Colt.
I used to play a trick with my, 24 track, 2 inch, Ampex, MM-1200's. If I wanted a clear sound. In my, 1978 studio. Back in 1978! That machine had some switches inside. That allowed you to switch the meters. To read,, record bias level. And by throwing that switch. It would remove the meter. From the playback output. Because if you are not recording. The meters would remain at,, zero, nothing, full down. And by doing so. It also removed the, bridge rectifier diode. Inside the meter.. Because the bridge rectifier diode, inside the meter. Would add both measurable and audible, Inter-Modulation Distortion. Which added a fuzziness, you could hear. To the sound. And by switching the meters off to read bias. When there was no bias to read. I switched off that fuzzy sound. Making my Ampex 24 track recorder. Have cleaner playback sound that was noticeable. The same was achievable with the old and legendary, Scully 280 recorders. Switch the meter to read, bias or erase current. During playback functions. And you have switched the meters off. And gotten cleaner output sound.. Back in my day. In the 1970s and 80s.
Now I know this was a long-winded lengthy posting. Requiring more than one post. Because I get a bit long-winded with my passion.. To help others. Obtain the sound of their dreams. Because I am that miracle worker engineer. That knows how to change lives. For pennies on the dollar.
So you've always known and read about. Wanting to know. How us old-timer engineers got what we wanted.. Those elusive, tips and tricks. You guys always wanted to know about! And here you go! Because I say.. FUCK those rich guys! I'm not a rich guy. Neither are you! And because I not only owned much of that premium equipment. I also worked for those companies.. Either as a full-time employee. Or on a contract basis. In a freelance way. Because everyone knew. Just how talented I was. And what an incredible problem solver I am..
Now while this posting has already gotten far too long. There is one other factor no one really knows. And this is another huge thing. That many find hard to believe. Until I turned them onto the difference. And that's with your control room monitor speakers. Even your headphones. A professional mistake has been made. With 99% of all of those speakers and headphones out there. With the exception of a single company. Which I will get to. In a moment.
Here's another factory no one knows. Unless I've turned amount to it. Or they stumbled upon it by their selection of speaker. By accident.
With your pair of control room monitor speakers. Some of you have passive speakers. With an outboard audio power amplifier. Most of you today. Have opted for,, self powered, control room speakers. And while you have followed your wiring diagrams. As per the manufacturer's, manuals. Which are all technically correct. What hasn't been considered. By the electrical engineers. And the acoustic engineers. Is that they are in, negative polarity. This does not mean they are out of phase, together. You would know that. They are in phase together. No question there. But while they are in phase together between left and right. They are both in negative polarity. Which is electrically correct. But acoustically wrong! Acoustically backwards! Which means. Instead of the sound protruding out toward you. From the front of the speaker. It is sucking away from you! You are merely hearing the negative polarity rebound, coming toward you. Of sucking sound! It's amazingly stupid! It's technically correct and acoustically wrong! But nobody has been properly able to think this through except one single company! And what company is that? Why, none other than one, JBL! Now I do not represent them. I do not sell them. I merely owned some for myself. The same model. That Bruce Swedien mixed, Michael Jackson's greatest hits on. The same one that, George Massenburg mixed, Earth Wind & Fire upon. So many countless others. At countless other studios. Back in the 1970s. When that was the primary speaker manufacturer of choice. Until morons all wanted better speakers!
The better speakers are in fact better. But when you wire them as per the manufacturer's recommendations. They are in negative polarity. You will find. That 99% of all speaker manufacturers out there. They are all out of phase. Compared to that of JBL's. And nobody has ever figured out, why? Like I said this is incredibly moronic! Because they are technically right. And do not understand they are acoustically wrong. JBL got it! So did I. Back in 1978! Actually before that. But was confused before that. Until I realized. What I was perceiving. And the way my brain wanted to hear it. Because I hate and cannot tell what the hell I'm listening to! In these control rooms. With great speakers. That are in phase together. But they are in negative polarity together. And they are sucking away from me.
You will find me all over the Internet talking about this. Right here on UA-cam. On many other channels. You will find me another Internet websites. Over the past 20 or so years. Talking about this. And this issue. Largely comes down to, people's religious beliefs. Whatever your religious belief is? Do you question or disagree with your Bibles? Hell no! No stupid FUCKER does. That would be heretical to do. And you would be an outcast if you did. And you want to be the same as all your friends. And so you also don't question your, audio Bibles and textbooks. Because you would never say they are wrong. When they are in fact, mostly right. But not 100% right. And where they all make the same mistake. En masse,, together. When it comes to speaker wiring. It's mindnumbing stupidity. But I am an agnostic atheist. I don't say there isn't a God. But I do question, what exactly is a God? What does it appear like? Has anybody ever seen one? Because if you have? I could recommend a nice mental hospital for you. Or sell you a bridge outside of New York City. The gets you to Brooklyn.
Now don't think for a minute. I have been sitting here and punching this out on a QWERTY keyboard. No way! I might be old.. But I also like to keep up with modern technology. And live in the 21st century. So while I sit back in my bed relaxing. Looking at my big huge LCD screen on the opposite side of the room. I'm talking to my computer. And it's writing down everything I'm saying here. Which means I have no calluses on my fingertips. I'm not hunched over a keyboard. I'm not too close to the LCD screen. I'm comfortable! I'm sipping on my iced tea. I'm entertaining myself by watching these UA-cam videos. And I am Quality Controlling. All of this marketing idiocy. Along with stupid news and crazy political conspiracy theorists. Where I will keep my opinion to myself. And not tell you all. That, I think Republicunt's are all insane and lowlifes. So, I won't,, say such things. As a staunch Democrat. Who has voted for, intelligent Republicans.. Who unfortunately are a small minority today. Because I am personally attracted to, intelligent people. Of which most Republicans are not. Though they might be? Hitler may have been intelligent? But we don't need anymore Hitler's or Republicunt's like him. Did my computer spell that wrong? No!
So what have I created here? This is a small free, Pro Audio, book. Only because. I want people. To be able to make recordings. That they love. That they could be proud of. And make no excuses. For anything that doesn't sound right. Because to make excuses is, unprofessional. And in order not to make excuses? You've got to know the same tips and tricks I know. It's that plainly simple. And I make things simple. Simple is good. Less is more. Keep it simple, stupid. You don't need a big audio console. You don't need the most expensive control room monitor speakers. You only have to have them wired correctly. And so even less expensive speakers can sound, stellar! When you have them in phase and in acoustically, positive polarity! And that fixed costs absolutely nothing to make! It's totally free! And you will need far less, additional acoustic gobbledygook on your walls. To correct for the poor acoustics. In your all too small, bedroom control rooms. That are little square boxes. That have flutter echoes, standing waves no,, Bass Trapping. Most of it largely unnecessary. Because they are all trying to correct for, in phase but out of polarity (negative polarity) wired monitor speakers! And so that way. It keeps all of these, acoustic modifier room control specialists. In business.. It keeps, acoustic engineers, employed. Most of which are unnecessary today. Because you can only do so much with a 10' x 10' x 8', bedroom control room. You can't create anymore, cubic footage or volume to the room. What it is is what you got. And no acoustic gobbledygook is going to change the cubic footage. They are just trying to compensate for negative polarity speakers. As though the joke is on everybody!
(To be continued in next post)
Hey colt, great video. My experience with a console is this: while I can’t seem to get clients to accept the “old” way of mix approval (gathering at the end of the process for final tweaks and then signing off on it) the console sounds so great I just can’t part with it. So it’s primary roles these days are preamps, summing, headphone mixes and control room mix while tracking. The rest remains in the box to make it easy on the clients. Kind of a shame to not use those EQs (it’s a repurposed Midas live board - they sound great) but the clients dig the results. That works for me.
This video was right on time. This is why I like the Softube Console 1 and Fader 1 setup with the different channel strips. Speeds up your workflow. Kinda has a console feel to it.
I like the idea of running stereo preamps on your stereo buss. I have a pair of Neve 511s for that. Ima switch em out though because they don’t have transformers in them so it’s a clean sound.
Far as hardware. I do have the Shelford Channel and Lindell 1176. I do need a better desk for the hardware gear I have coming.
Dope video.
Cool that he started on a Yamaha PM2000. I have a project studio in the works using an PM2000 and I've actually been able to get great results with it and some outboard processing. Speedy workflow and easier to patch in outboard gear. Would love to grow into Never/SSL tier one day, but it's a very functional desk that sounds great.
Some big names mixers, when done mixing, print the stems back into protools. then make small changes as the client ask for digitally.
cool I just got a Midas Venice 320 in my home studio the sound is so nice I love it
excellent conversation!! I inform people in my musical world of the same points you've touched on. Love that analog troopers still live!!
Cool. I do have a PreSonus stereo mic pre (ADL 600) wired in my setup to do just that on the mix bus as an easily available option. I need to revisit it! 😊 🎶
Great video! Man i miss mixing and tracking on consoles somedays. But, at the same time i do love the recall ability of Protools or DAW’s in general. Especially for TV!
When i worked on consoles even with automation and recall you still had to go to notes for outboard gear. This was a blessing and a curse as y’all mentioned for creativity.
Excellent points on outboard gear for our format of working mostly in the box as well!
Colt, first of all I wanna say I’m big on your channel, big fan of your work, aside from that I wanted to thank you for the effort on such a good looking and well put together video, having said that I must say that aside from the pair of preamps on the mixbus tip, not much of this almost half an hour is really usable or interesting especially when it comes to getting the console sound in your homestudio witch I think is the point of the video, so I’m just saying that because I know the amount of time to make such video and I don’t want you wasting your time with a content like that. I shouldn’t even say that and I’m already regretting, but I say that full of love and good intention ok, really like your work too and I’m “something of a UA-camr myself” that’s hard work for sure. All the best buddy!
agreed
I appreciate the feedback, and the kind words even while giving constructive criticism! I do feel like a lot of the points in this video are important to someone who’s really trying to run a professional studio, I’m sorry you didn’t agree, or felt like your time was wasted. That’s never my intent. Thanks for being here!
agreed, this feels like a 30 minute consooooomer advertisement. maybe itll help him out in his life though
@@jonathanbeny Colt is more of a sales rep for Sweetwater now more than anything. A busy engineer does not have time for videos like these.
I would not buy a used-vintage LFC unless you have the tech skills and have done the research to be sure you can get replacement parts as many are not available. My 1st large - automated desk got the wow factor & paid for itself in 6 months. It was not worth repairing after 4 years. I started building CAPI's & haven't look back.
Until I win the lottery I'll stick with my 5060, 5059s, & Chandler Mini Mixer! Plus, with the hybrid setup, I get instant recall.
Yes, I’ve found that the combination of a Raven console used with flanking Analog gear has all thd benefits with few of the massive analog console benefits.
Softube console1 is like having a large format console in your hybrid studio. Its quite amazing, actually.
Your video and light setup is looking sick AF! Tell us more about it. Thanks.
You young guys have just re-kindled my creative flow I used to have so now Im on the road to building my new studio. Ill shop Sweetwater (My favorite store) via your link to show you how well you have put together this video. You have also sparked a few memories I have when I was deep into the studios like that. Thanks for this great video and maybe catch you somewhere as I restart my interest in the industry.
If I may add about mixing into preamps. A friend of mine built me a stepped attenuator so I can control how hard I drive my preamps on the way in. (mixing/mastering) I also like to instead put the attenuator on the output so I don't clip my AD when I'm purposely clipping my preamp. (individual tracks, busses, in parallel)
Great questions and points. Thank you, Colt!
Great tips here. picked up some stuff on how to integrate bits and pieces of my hardware better. Thanks!
Thanks for the real world view shared here Bro!
buy a handful of neve/warm/bae/whatever preamps, some decent mics, big room with cheap crappy foam all around....some huge fisher speakers and replace the badges with JBL/etc, buy a cheapo mackie(Crackie?) 32x8 with meters and a sidecar 8ch for total of 40 channels. fiddle with knobs a lot in front of clients....actually do the mix on protools on a mac mini and you're done. Client is impressed....mix is all done thru fairly good pre's. DAW outputs run thru the line inputs on the mackie....so they can see you 'mixing'. could save at least half a million bucks this way.
And if you couldn't tell....I'm being sarcastic. But it does seem some people try to do it this way just to appease the eye candy aspect that customers want to see.
Nobody's mentioned it so I have to mention the Silver Bullet by Louder Than Liftoff. It's made for exactly this, achieving a console sound with a single unit. Mix into it or even better, run instrument groups through it and then the mix into it... that's the good stuff.
Can you do a tutorial and/or explain more in depth about running everything through a pair of mic pre amps? I’m only intermediate stage of learning mixing but really don’t understand how this makes such a big impact and how you do it. I use Cubase personally but would really love to see a dedicated video to this. Thanks love your vids
Amazing video. When you have a counsel, or desk, it really does something to the artist mind. lol. It's all about the look. p.s great haircut
Thanks just tried my mix through my capi heiders. Great!
Hi Colt, If you, or anyone wants a large console sound from your daw, I strongly suggest you try Harrision Consoles Mixbuss 32c daw,.... Its a perfect replication of the 32c console which
thirller was recorded on and many others. Its gui is laid out just like a console. Try it for free, bring in one of your mixers thru it and see for yourself... Ed
Love tip 1. I just got a stereo Heritage HA73EQx2 and I'm very interested to try it across the 2 bus since it has line inputs!
Another great vid Colt. Thanks for all the tips!
Everyone has the wrong idea when it comes to analog colorization. That's part of it but, the real 'fidelity' comes from layered separation. When you sum in the box everything renders down to a perfect flat stereo image. It doesn't matter how many tracks you have, you always render down to a perfect flat stereo image. That doesn't happen when mixing on a large format console. Every channel adds it's own 'image' and sums into multiple layers. The sound is thicker, fuller and richer, but most importantly the instrument tracks have 'separation'. Ironically, you can hear the depth in the recording better on a high end stereo even more than studio monitors because they excel on a 'false' holographic image.
If this is true, then those passive summing boxes that are nothing more than resistor arrays are totally missing the point. What you're describing can only be caused by non-linearities, which means components that can saturate: transistors, valves, inductors, transformers.
Otherwise, summing in the box and out of the box would give identical results, as it's all just maths.
Hi .I have the soundtracs Jade 48 console in my home. with noise gate.s and compressors built in. Realy nice and good eq
I usually use softube console one and the SSL 4000E or 9000K channel strip to mix tracks and it works like a console within the DAW and I use a 27in touchscreen to mix on my DAW's mixing console
Solid video Cap. You’re channel helps me on my struggles as an engineer, I still have issue with the dreaded PT > Apollo > hardware latency issue. I’ve tried your way, and others and shit still delays! So I just use my hardware to record in, not mix :(
When you use the stuff from acustica audio and the 3rd party plugins for their nebula, then you have the most possible analog sounding plugins ever.
Great content! I needed to hear this right now.
Hi! I discover how analog summing or console sound is so evident in consumer speakers... Api The Box would be the way for me... :)
Great video. You listed alot of things I've been doing lately and have me some more things to think about...💻🎧🎤🎙
For recall, there are solutions like the Neve genesys or there is Tom Elmhirst that is doing this phase inverted stems to recall the mix
I"m running Cubase Pro 12 and I have a Presonus Studiolive series 3 mixer as my input interface. I have a lot of keyboards and other things and I don;t like patching and re-patching when I'm recording in my home studio. What I really want to be able to do though, is to mix on my mixer. Unfortunately. I have yet to find a working system that will allow me to do this. I"m only a bedroom hobbyist but I want to have the best sound and mixes that I can. Great video, by the way! Thanks for this one! Keep 'em coming!
You’re giving away too many secrets Colt. I mix into C1LA- SSL9000eqs-And a secret preamp
there is only one "con-" ......The Electric -bill at the end of the month...if somebody else is picking up that tab then hell yeah i am going to buy a vintage console with extra buckets :-)
cool video as usual Colt..
Cheers Bro.
T
Very helpful! Thanks Colt!!
Could make a vid of how you set the preamps on the mix bus??? Like, do you apply gain? Thank you!
You mentioned using a pair of preamps on the mix bus to achieve a big console sound… well I the Neve Portico MBP ll. Will this work as well??
This is why I love mixing on harrison mixbus. Whether the DAW actually imparts any real analog characteristics is debatable but the analog console workflow is unbeatable.
@@CraigScottFrost the Saturation on the busses is nice and I do like the eqs on the channels for certain things. Bus comps sound decent for guitars and the channel comps are decent for quick taming of dynamics. I do use plugins but I just find I mix it faster and I get mixes sounding more cohesive faster. I also love the K14 meters I want some analog vu meters on ny desk at home
@@CraigScottFrost I've looked into those I've heard their hard to calibrate and otherwise aren't accurate to dbu parameters. Thinking of building my own
I guess it depends on the DAW. In recent days, software has grown in sophistication to do just that: look at ProTools HEAT, or the UA Luna which purports to intentionally impart analog tape sound per-channel, for just two examples. Of course, many if not most plugins are designed to impart a sound beyond just supplying nerd knobs to the engineer. I’d safely say the DAW imparts a sound. And they’re getting better all the time.
@@CraigScottFrost …check out decibel by process audio. Any kind of metering you want, to any scale. Can be thrown out to an iPad. Haven’t used anything else since.
@@johnvcougar everything else being equal, DAWs don’t impart a sound. That’s a thing of myth to me at this point… And if they do, it’s negligible. I’ve personally done tests on this, in a very controlled environment with excellent monitoring, and could not pick one daw’s bounce from another.
Every time I'd twist a knob or move a fader there would be a tiny little counter in my brain counting off another move towards the wear and tear that means service time. Mind you, I practice songs in guitar in different "in between" keys to save the more useful frets so perhaps that's just me.
Awesome video!! When using mic preamps into the main mix is that saying to use it like a send/return or take the master out/run through the preamp/use the premps outs as the main outs?
when you print your mixes, do you go through line in or mic in ? as the impedance is difference. what's your thought. and where you put the preamp, is it PRE or POST outboard gear such as comp eq etc.
He has to mean “line” right?
how to get big console sound in your studio? step one run it through mic preamps (not in daw) step two during recording use analogue gear (not in daw). not sure if I want to watch the rest of the video, although those tips my really good 😅
Thanks for the video. Please will this work using digital mixers like the xr18 as well?
I want to say something which is not intended to take away anything from this video - big console, woo wee, can't argue.
But I made a record in a big studio in the mid 90's, recorded digitally, and mixed through a Neve board and great analog gear, run out through 1/2" tape and back in. The studio didn't master it and printed the mix to CD and locked the doors. The album sounded like utter shit. Complete total shit. A Neve console isn't going to give you a great sounding record. Its just true. No point in drooling over it. There's so many other factors. And then, in the end, your audience doesn't give a rip. And no one can hear what compressor was used, what board was used, if it was in the box or not. But, is it impressive? Oh yeah. Probably why I hired the studio I did was the gear. LOL. Again. LOL.
Back in "the day", the point was to record the source with accuracy. The reason that Neve and SSL and API were used was not the "color" they added, but the accuracy and transparency they provided. Is that true or not? Yes it's true. Everyone loved how transparent digital was, except that it is missing the key to life: saturation.
But I'm nobody, so don't listen to me if you don't want to. I'm just saying. This stuff isn't going to give you a great record. Its the song first, the performance second, the arrangement 3rd and the sound last. Bootlegs are proof of that. But this subject has been debated for 40+ years with no end in sight, obviously.
Yo Colt! Thx for great vid. Question-If I purchase a stereo mic pre that has both XLR and 1/4 trs line "inputs" would you advise on the side of XLR cables for the inputs? Ive read or heard that 1/4" trs line inputs bypass the pre amp which would defeat the entire purpose right? Call me stupid but Im self taught and dont have time to research a lot of this stuff. Spend most of my "FREE" time writing rather than mixing but here we are. THX in advance.
In your honest openion who makes the best pro high end interface money is no object. Thanks🙂
Colt great interview and topic I’m in the process of turning my garage into a studio can you talk about running mic pre’s through the same mixing board you are going to take out on live shows
But than also use in your garage or home studio is that even possible thanks
i owned a large format console for studiowork but nowadays where changes to a mix happen so often its just not doable for me. il stick with a good daw setup and some analog magic on the 2 bus. the only situation where a big console could work is for my own music where i decide when its done and not some call at 3am ;D
Are those Gen 2 Rokits in the background going toe to toe with Focal's highly touted flagship Panty Remover Series monitors.
Great stuff...ty Colt.
Hey Colt - I dig your videos. Have you or would you do one that talks about different levels of home studios? E.g - very basic, intermediate, and advanced? What you recommend at each step? And the difference in sound quality you can get from going all digital to some outboard gear to almost pro studio? I know a lot depends on the talent of the musician and producer but there’s a bunch of us amateur/intermediate song writers and players out here wondering what it realistically takes to make radio ready music and whether that is even realistic for us. Thx!
YOOOOO!!
I need the IO before I can try this, deciding between the Motu 16a or the RME Fireface UFX+ (Just dunno which one has better converters yet lol)
BUT!!!!
Could you do a quixk tutorial on how to make 2 mono preamps work in stereo on the mix bus?
I needed to learn this for the Neve 542's I'm going to get but I can't find any answers on the internet as of yet...
So a quixk tutorial would be LOVELY!
I'm confused...sorry. When you say to run the stereo pair across your mix bus, are you referring to the master bus? Like with a send/return? Sorry, I'm a noob! Thanks for the great videos, Colt!
New to the channel! Do you have videos on routing and set up of your gear?
Could you go more indepth on how to do the mic preamp thing?
Hi, loved this. I'm unfortunately in a bedroom only just coming up but love the idea of a large format console sound. I have the BX SSL4000 for $30 and some waves plugins for a similar price. are there any plugins I can use to simulate mixing through a pair of mic pre-amps on the master bus since I can't afford hardware at the minute.
Thanks
Marshall
Greeting from Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. Do you by any chance have merch available? If so, do you have a link for it? Thanks and keep the good work. \m/
Can we please have a before & after running one of your mixes thru your Capi preamps?
Amazing! I first need to install Telegram and see how it works. Or is there any other way to contact you? I usually use whatsapp.
Hey Colt, click here:
photos.app.goo.gl/pzzUCjMkKMf9tWkPA
Thanks! That was inspiring.
I would probably get some type of control surface to give me more of a console feel.
love the channel Colt ! you got a decent amount of hiss in this video though , when I turn up my studio monitors its a bit annoying
Thanks for the feedback, using an on camera microphone to record two people simultaneously is never ideal, it’s just all I had to work with to get into the camera
how do you mix "into the preamp" ? your speakers are obviously not attached to the mic-pre? LOL or are you just bussing it out and recording the results? which wouldn't be mixing into the preamp. The technique makes perfect sense, it's the setup that I'm stumbling over.
damn what camera is this the quality and colors are amazing!
Thanks! Sony A7IV. And this video was shot with the 16 to 35 mm F1.4, and a 50 mm F1.8.
Question unrelated to video. How do you approach air conditioning in your studio?
Gear maintenance with outboard gear. Not as much of an issue itb.
Hey Colt. Mike here in Northern Ireland. Super interested to hear about mixing through outboard preamps- 2 Qs- 1 on a budget setup if I only have 2 decent mic pres, can I use my tracking pres for mixing (setup hassle aside) and 2 what’s the difference between dual mic pres and a summing mixer to mix through? Cheers, love the channel.
7:00 experience tells me what time we gain with analog during the mix, we lose it during recall….
how do you feel about the Warm Audio 273 neve clone for runing mix through via 3.23 mark
I DIY Microphones, cables and think I could probably swing a DIYRE box. BUT maintaining a console is a whole other realm and if you're not prepared to spend a lot of your time fixing stuff or paying someone else to do it...It is true, as Sean says, that a good engineer mixing at a console is a performance. I don't think it's that performance that most home and project studios are interested in.
Hands down would love to have api legacy plus or ssl 4K.
What do you mean, "run your whole mix out through your preamps and back in"?
What does that mean?
your so right