Howie Weinberg Mastering Studio Tour
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- Опубліковано 10 вер 2024
- www.howieweinbergmastering.com
www.borzamastering.com
IG: @borzamastering
I don't think anyone has ever done a studio tour at Howie Weinberg Mastering and, being a mastering engineer at Howie Weinberg Studios myself, I have the unique opportunity to give you said tour!
This desk is not for the faint of heart! It took me disassembling and reassembling the entire thing before I actually fully understood the signal flow and what was going on underneath the hood (we had to move the whole studio about a year and a half ago, don't worry I wasn't just taking things apart all willy nilly).
Analog Equipment includes (but is not limited to):
SPL DMC Mastering Console (the old one)
SPL Masterbay (the old one)
dCS DAC and ADC
Mytek Brooklyn DAC and ADC
Sontec MES-432C/9
Sontec MEP-250EX
Waves L2 Ultramaximizer (hardware)
Custom SSL-type Compressor
Focusrite Red 3
Monitors:
PMC MB2S-XBD
Yamaha NS-10
KRK V8
Genelec 1032 (I think... don't remember the model off the top of my head)
Hope you enjoy!
This is the best video I've ever seen on UA-cam. UA-camrs forget that the only reason guys like me view channels is to understand at a detailed level but with a basic approach to the information. Sir you did this perfectly! Thank you very much!
man! keep doing this! finally someone that does not bring shady explanations. Loved this.
Ive seen 7 years worth of content on youtube and paied content, your vibe and attitude will get you FAR! Nice job(:
Yo! Hit me up man, let’s chat on IG or FB
The highs on that Sontec 432 is super sweet & musical, use mine everyday!
Bro...probably one of the best studio tours I've seen in years period. The mastering chain and process presentation was excellent. No over the top mumbo jumbo, you kept it very simple yet informative. You've earned a new subscriber.
José Silva thanks so much Jose! Hit me up on FB or IG!
This video is so informative, especially the routing options! Thanks a ton
Wow wish I would have seen it before! VERY cool! Just got the Acustica Howie Weinberg mastering console plugin. Very cool to see that the DCS is good for crunchy punk rock stuff since I do heavier stuff as well. Cant wait to try the plugin for that 👍
Nice perspective. Thx! Those PMC just look like the boss.
Dude, thanks for the tour, this was killer!!! Have a great weekend Will.
Howie's Mastering Console is gonna be awesome
It sounds GOOD!
One of the few videos that actually admit that they clip the analog to digital converters for extra level. I'm surprised that someone hasn't come out with a a fully modeled clipping plugin, because most people cant afford mastering converters. I know the Prism converters are known for pleasing harmonic distortion when lightly clipped also. Very comprehensive, thanks for this!
Pro tip: FabFilter Pro-L2 with no look ahead, attack at max, release at minimum, and stereo controls fully unlinked sounds just like clipping these converters. Switching between the different modes is like switching between converters!
@@WillBorza thanks man! I’ll try that
@@WillBorza also just subscribed, thanks again
Thanks!
@@WillBorza no. way. you're a genius man. if the video tour wasn't proof enough, I'm definitely subscribed to you now!
Very valuable video! thanks mate
whoever owns this setup must be very oldschool i have zero idea what any of those things are i can identify analog units pretty easily but this is like hieroglyphics to me
You missed the acoustic, cabling and electricity department! Good job anyway, thanks for sharing.
Will is back! more Will and more cowbell please! Well done Sir.
Thank you so much this helped a lot!!!! You saved my life
Yep Howie did mastering from two Colours,swim,and polythene.
Wow! This just made my day...Been looking at the Motu 8D for simply connectivity, AES/SPDIF, out of mini mac into my old Radar 24 used as a Master down deck. I'am totally ITB now..$$$ and your video really speaks to me. Thank You!!! Awesome job...j
Best video Award on UA-cam A+++++++ masterbay SPL used for anything?
Nope, just there because it looks better than an empty hole 😂
great vid
first time im not lost in the presentation :-)
great gear BTW . WOW..
Thanks for watching!
i love u so much bro, thanks very much
Going from digital to analog and back to digital with no SRC is such a cool trick
Hey! Thanks so much for this video!
I wish you had the model of the computer monitor bookshelf speakers...i'll keep wishing and waiting!
Excellent
@4:06 the combo to Will's luggage!
So the password to the air shield is... one two three for five...
Awesome video man!! Love the walk through as well as the nuggets of info! :)
Thanks dude!
Great video. Thanks so much man!
Thanks Matty!
whats the purpose of feeding the ADs to motu? I think I missed something while you were explaining the signal chain earlier..😒🤔 thnx.. nice narration btw..💪💯😎👍
Thanks! For DA, it’s Computer -> Motu -> DA. Because the motu can do USB to multiple AES out. Then on the way back in, it’s AD > L2 > Motu > Computer
@@WillBorza Oh I see..Multiple AES out equals multiple DAs..ok, it makes perfect sense..👍. thnx for turning me that soon..
Amazing Video
This was so helpful!! Thank you
I want to use those button-click sounds for my meditation, they are so sweeeeeetiee 😂🧘♂
thanks so much man
Thanks for the breakdown!
Have you ever noticed a difference in software used for playback?
For example do you test if pro tools versus korg audiogate, or just using Apple Music would change the sound of the music?
What is the model of the goniometer ?
Awesome !
i am. running from my Babyface Pro 96 into my Apollo X with toslink, wich runs at 48. The Apollo is converting it internally. Is that a bad solution, should i set the Apollo also to 96?
One conversion stage is typically better than two if you can avoid it 👍
Who'd a thunk the most expensive thing was a clock?
I like that there are things there to make the place look cool. Like somebody said, "you know if we have another impressive looking metal box with faders and buttons that match the other thing we use, it'll make people think we have a lot of expensive stuff." (ignoring that everything else in the room was an impressive looking expensive metal box of some kind)
Put more simply: “it’s for the ‘gram”
@@WillBorza Dope...oh, wait you mean 'Insta'-gram. Thanks for the info. I didn't know you could clip on the a to d. I though it only worked on analog. I know the video has a wider application, but for me this helped me conceptually figure out this new AA HWMC. Cool keys in the background music!
On The HWMC, C2 clips the way the real console clips :-) the Borza Start preset is how Howie’s console is used every day!
@@WillBorza thanks!
Thank you!!!! Loved it! Learned a lot :D
Great Video!
🙏
THX
Sontec no Disk version?
what is the small speaker next to the macmini pre-master setup?
this was nice.
Never had the pleasure to meet Howie but I interned at Masterdisk and knew everybody there in late 2013. Great studio. Great people. Super AWESOME tour!
No Howie weenyberg is a whiny egomaniac douche this is a put on for the camera. He’s a dinosaur now. Wouldn’t trust his ears nor his brain.
@@queenrothchild343 I have heard… LOL 😂
Damn team lol 😂
Great Video. Thank you for sharing :)
Great video..! One thing I want to ask, what DA do you use for monitoring final master? Is it Motu? Thank's
Antelope Eclipse for monitor DA
A big reason why I don’t like a lot of modern music production and mastering is because of that bullshit of competitive market requirements. It’s loud and 9/10 it sounds crushed, over processed and dull. I don’t buy a lot of CDs anymore, however in grand scheme of things Howie is an awesome mastering engineer.
Exactly; I do not appreciate flattening all of the transients in a track for the sake of LOUDNESS. I can not get behind that. Better quality music demands better quality playback equipment - we shouldn't compromise for the lowest common denominator with cheap earbuds. Nonetheless, the elaboration of the signal chain was not expected.
@@ssjlkrillin very well said. ☺️
Awesome
how is the monitoring comparing and level matching thing works there?? thanks
Hey! Most speakers have their own trim on the back, and the amps (Bryson) also have trims on them, so everything is pretty well matched in therms if apparent loudness! Dm me on IG or FB if you want more info 👍
Insane! Really cool spot man!
Not a bad office to show up at every day 😂 but I’ve seen your studio and your studio is badass too!
Very nice tour ! If I may add the Pyramix does the best src I ever heard better then the Weiss Saracon
Do you let it do real-time SRC or do you SRC offline before pulling a file into you session?
@@WillBorza offline - so upsampling to 96 and once all is proofed I downsample and then dither with Sakura - using 2 computers seems too complicated/cumbersome for my set up
I have used Weiss Saracon for years but the Pyramix sounds to me deeper and more detailed Curious to hear your Opinion
@@UdiKoomran src.infinitewave.ca/ is a great resource/rabbit hole for the topic of SRC. For the sake of speed, I find myself batch SRC-ing in Rx or Myriad more often than not. Does Pyramix have a batch-SRC? I never thought to look ha!
Kicking ass
Thanks for this tour! What you do when a client provide you a 192khz file? I known that the motu 8d only accepts up to 96khz
I downconvert to 96. Final product is gonna be 44.1 regardless.
Interesting that Howie is still using L2 Hardware, i’ve got one, but it hasn’t been in the chain for 10 years. Give Howie my best!
Do you want to sell your L2?
Thanks for this great Video Will. One Question please: You are going with the clipped Song into Pyramix and the L2 is pushing extra 4db. So far so good but where are the Transients aka the Dynamics of the Song? I mean Nobody wants a Song with -2db RMS fs. Do i miss something here? Thank you for answering ✌🏻
Hey there! I agree, -2 RMS is probably no good. But where are you seeing -2rms in this video?
Do you guys still have the Studers?
Sold it. Since Slate modeled his tape plugin on Howie’s machine, and since we only get asked to master tape once every two years or so, he doesn’t see much use for it. Costs more in studio real estate and maintenance than it’s worth really. So on the rare occasion we do get asked to do a tape transfer, we go over to NRG and then bring the digital transfer file back to the desk for mastering.
isn't a tube compressor sometimes needed?
Since this video, we’ve added a SPL IRON tube compressor 😀
Hey man, just found you and subbed after searching for the Mike Senior Mixing Home Studio book. I have a quick question, if you don't mind.
I make my own hip-hop. I have an okay mic (3U Audio Warbler) and a DBX 286 effects unit on the way in. Quality is decent by my ears, but not a U87 into a Neve or anything. My room is treated and isn't resonant. But it's way too small to mix in (think large closet).
I'm learning to mix and will do my own mastering. I have a couple grand in plug-ins, a pair of AKG 702s with an amp. I know it's not possible to make it as good as a commercial song, but can it sound decent and listenable?
Thanks for your time, and sorry you're criminally undersubscribed.
Cheers
Great insight and really honest, thanks man!
Great video! Thanks so much for this, Will !
Thanks for watching!
Would you advise sample rate converting up to 96 from 44.1 if I don't have other way to avoid sample rate conversion? Or master at 44.2
I would stick with 44.1 for now - with the exception of Distrokid, pretty much all distro companies will only accept 44.1 anyway, and I think Disrtrokid is doing some SRC on their end to prepare it for sending off to streaming sites. Frankly, I would trust myself doing the SRC more than the distributor. And if you're working at 44.1, no need to SRC at all. This may change in the future as bandwidth gets bigger and we can stream heavier files, but for now, 44.1 is the standard, so that's what I'm working at for my personal projects.
Great video Will! I'd imagine the SSL Clone gets hit on the occasions that there's not enough compression, meaning someone isn't already compressing their mixbuss (hopefully not to death) or already in the many SSL Style options and fashions... Question: About SRC... if you capture in 96, how and when is it getting to 44.1? Thanks and cheers! - Bahrum
Hey Bahrum! SRC is usually done either in Pyramix or Rx
And actually needing the compressor is very rare these days the way people are mixing
so he’s using the MOTU 8D to convert from USB to AES?
Yep. Routing the same signal to multiple AES outputs feeding several DACs 👍
that’s a Great solution to USB audio routing, just convert it to AES asap in the path! ordering one of those Now!
Curious to know if that Weiss (Harmonia Mundi) BW 102 is just a massive rack filler. Nice console!
Totally a rack filler. I think I mentioned that in the video no? It works, but it only does 44.1 and 48. We master everything at 96 these days.
@@WillBorza Nice collector item. Cheers!
Interesting how the red 3 inst the desirable input out transformer version.Even at line /key only, the early version sounds significantly better.
To be honest, we rarely ever touch this one anyway
So... magic. Got it. 😂
S U P E R......
I'm still confused on one point. You're obviously monitoring after the AD conversion, so you have another, extra clean, DA just for the monitor path ? How is that routed into the DMC ?
Fantastic video otherwise, wonderful to have such a detailed insight into an absolute top mastering chain!
Yep! Monitor out from Pyramix is the Antelope Eclipse, which feeds to the DMC “Source 1”
@@WillBorza Ah I understand, so how are you switching between the different ADs ? In the box ?
Jumper cables stashed under the console 😂 not really able to get that instant A/B comparison, but if you know how your converters sound, you don’t need to.
@@WillBorza Haha, that's great ! Thank you so much for the response !
Great video!
it's sad, that the Sontec 432 is now like holy grail ... You canot buy it. BTW, what You've said about sontec. Randy Staub use to put it kind of post master to make a final take on His mix, so if it's even that great to just play it throu - then we know How His mixes were so magical.
Thank you so much 😊
So basically he uses one EQ to master, plus the converters and that's it... I highly doubt it.
EQ is ITB 99% of the time
It boggles my mind why we haven't gotten to where everything is done at at least 192 these days.
😂 for the sake of what exactly? No human can hear above 20Hz, and if they can, it’s time to call the science community and re-write all the textbooks!
*I will NEVER understand why people put ANNOYING MUSIC in a video designed to educate... bro... turn off the cartoon music and let us hear YOU!*
For once, the software is actually really useful
wud love to work with u
all that limiting scares me 😂
Don’t look, just listen 😉
@@WillBorza truth!
I just realized, that is two Motu's for 2 computers)
Yep! Multiple DACs and ADCs call for something with a few AES options as a USB interface
@@WillBorza Really good tour! Thank you! I was searching for a second interface and it was two in one rack unit :)
Ah, yeap 2 next to each other fits nicely in a 1u space
The atomic clock is worthless, how does that feel? hee. good video. but yes it does nothing to improve clock. only degradation im sure. cheers
That music lol
Powered by Furman Sound......surprise surprise.
What do you recommend?
@@WillBorza The same thing you've got, I use a PL Plus C.
@@WillBorza Perhaps you can share your thoughts regarding the KRK V8 S4's, I'm looking at getting the V6 S4's for a smaller room.
The V8’s are just plain FUN to listen with. Fairly accurate, push a lot of air, highly recommended 👍
hahsdhahah good
All looks nice but I get fantastic sound without 85% of all of this stuff. It’s not necessary.
so you make money just adding an EQ curve, nothing else?? Oh i forgot you only have 2 EQs thats your full gear - fair enough.
surprised they use a Motu
Really it’s just an AES splitter and USB interface. It was the cheapest option we could find for going from USB to multiple AES outputs/inputs. All the actual conversion happens downstream from the Motu
@@WillBorza thank u
anna-vlog lol
Audio butchers, he tells us "We dont use compression".....and then you clip it through the L2 maximizer
no wonder everything sounds flat line, without dynamics, no wonder everyone buys crappy tiny speakers instead of dynamic big concert speakers, because you produce flat lined boring brick walled garbage. why bother with a good stereo when "the market demands" flat lined transistor radio damaged audio.
Also why the double conversion into Analog world, everything can be done better in digital software...AUDIO criminals
Ok
Hey! Thanks so much for this video!