An all inclusive audio resort

I love Logic. It comes with everything. From synths to samplers to loops to drum machines to a ton of plugins. One of it’s best, and I’ll assume underutilized, is its plugin for Pitch Correction. If you’re confused by this tools ultra simple interface you are not alone.

That’s so simple it just might work!

The  plugin interface is so simple that I thought it can’t possibly be a “real” pitch correction tool. When I first opened it I wasn’t sure what to make of it. It has a piano keyboard layout, a couple of buttons and that’s it. So I of course headed over to YouTube to try and find a video about it and discovered that the guys over at Gearwire created a great six minute tutorial that outlines the plugin nicely. See below.

Other Gearwire videos

They also have a bunch of other great videos on subjects like Reason, Pro Tools, techniques like side-chaining and other plugins. Looks like they also do man-on-the street type of interviews as well. That’s kind of interesting. I’ll have to check one of those out.

I hope you get some use out of this tutorial. I know I did. The Pitch Correction plugin makes a lot more sense to me now.

Want to talk about this some more? Please leave a comment below.

Rafa Sardina with his Focusrite ISA8028 mic preamps

From MixOnline.com

Focusrite reports that Grammy Award–winning Los Angeles-based engineer/producer Rafa Sardina (pictured) relies on the company’s ISA Range of modules for production work in his studio, After Hours. His collection includes a rack of eight classic ISA110 modules from a Focusrite Studio console, and he recently acquired an ISA828 8-channel microphone preamp.

“My first encounters with Focusrite were with the Studio console at Ocean Way,” Sardina says. “I had quite a lot of experience in working on that board, and I was very fortunate to work in other studios that had them.”

Sardina’s client list includes Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Luis Miguel, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Paco de Lucía, and Alejandro Sanz. His diverse work covers everything from pop to R&B, to classical recordings and movie soundtracks.

Read the entire article here.

Leave a comment and let’s start a conversation.

For about two years now I’ve been working with a fantastic LA based indie/pop band named The Monthlies. Over the past few weeks we’ve been putting the finishing touches on their upcoming EP titled “Horror Flick“, which will include a very cool version of Dexys Midnight Runner’s ‘Come on Eileen’. If you search YouTube for this song you will see that several groups have covered it, but most versions are similar to the original. Not this one!

The Monthlies, in doing what they do best, have put their own unique spin on this 80′s pop standard. I won’t say much about what you’re going to hear other than if you are expecting an updated rehashing of the Dexys version you’re in for a big surprise. We hope you enjoy The Monthlies version of ‘Come on Eileen‘ and please leave a comment below if you’d like to share your thoughts with the band.

[See post to listen to audio]

The Monthlies are…
Wes O’lee – Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Jana Bonderman – Lead Guitar
Chris Hall – Bass, Backing Vocals
Nick Miller – Drums

If you like what you hear check out their MySpace page for more songs and a video of their last single, Hip Girl.

• Is this plug-in really necessary?

I guess this may work well in the broadcast world, but they’re pitching it as a mix tool for vocals. To me that means mixing, as in mixing music. Does anyone else feel that the engineer who uses this plug-in is just plain lazy?

Maybe I’m a little irked because a HUGE part of mixing a song with vocals, especially a lead vocal, is the human placement of the vocal within the track. That requires listening to all the parts of the arrangement and finding the best place for the vocal as the song progresses from beginning to end. That requires feel and emotion from the mix engineer. Can you get that from a plug-in?

Then again, maybe the real reason I so annoyed is because this could potentially put me out of a job. It’s like the Ronco Rotisserie of audio – “just set it and forget it”.

To me, I think this may be the laziest plug-in ever created. What do you all think? Feel free to leave a comment below.

You can read a description of Vocal Rider on the Electronic Musician web site.

(Side note: I actually have the Ronco Rotisserie and it is awesome! If this plug-in produces the same results I’m screwed.)

My heart and soul belongs to music. I mix and master records. It’s all I want to do. The more records I mix the better I get. The better I get the better it is for the artists I work with. So my question to you is…

How can I help you make a better record that you will be extremely proud of?

Contact me through one of my social profiles on the right or leave a comment below. Let’s talk about how I can help you.