Chase & Status vs the Black Eyed Peas – Time’s got a feeling

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Fred

The Chase & Status – Time remix competition was already closed when I found out about it but fortunately the remix stems are still available :
http://www.chaseandstatus.co.uk/remix_time/

Here’s a mashup of the song together with the vocals of Black Eyed Peas – I got a feeling :

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Pro Tools 9

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Fred

In case you didn’t notice, Pro Tools version 9 has been released, I decided to upgrade from version 8 (LE with MBox2 interface) last week.

The update went smooth and so far I cannot report any bugs/irregularities. Therefore I’m loving the new features and in particular :

  • Automatic delay compensation for non-HD systems. Finally I no longer have to spend time to adjust delays caused by different systems at home and in the studio !
  • EuCon support for Euphonix control surfaces, works much better (for me) than the HUI protocol supported in v8 !
  • Multitrack Beat Detective, great for time corrections on drum tracks !

Happy New Year to all of you !

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Recording Groovylicious part 2

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Fred

One of the SAE assignments was to record a complete band (in this case: Groovylicious) in the SSL studio during multiple sessions. The following songs were recorded : Long Train Runnin’  (original by the Doobie Brothers), Superstition (original by Stevie Wonder) and So Lonely (original by the Police).

[mixes are in progress and will appear here, or on the band site sooner or later... :-) ]

  • vocals : Simone Saes & Esther Brouns
  • keys : Rens Meesters
  • guitar : Paul Lenders
  • trumpet : Eric Waajen
  • sax : Erik Brouns
  • trombone : Ruud Brouns
  • bass : Joep Hoebers
  • drums : Ralph van den Waardenberg

Recording engineers : Paulo do Livramento & Fred Peek

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Recording Groovylicious

Posted on February 28, 2010 by Fred

Last weekend I did a recording session with members of Groovylicious as a part of my SAE SSL recording assignment.
Check out the results below! (and their website of course! http://www.groovylicious.nl)

I want you back (live), original by Jackson 5

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Vocals: Simone Saes
Backing vocals: Esther Brouns
Acoustic guitar: Paul Lenders

If I ain’t got you (live), original by Alicia Keys

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Vocals: Esther Brouns
Backing vocals: Simone Saes
Keys: Rens Meesters

Engineered & mixed by Fred Peek on SSL AWS 900 @ SAE Rotterdam

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Recording Surface Noise

Posted on December 3, 2009 by Fred

As a preparation for our SAE SSL recording assignment, my classmates and me recorded the song Freddy Chicken Dragon by Surface Noise.

Update december 2010 : This and other songs are now available on the album “Molded”. Check the Surface Noise website for additional info.

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Acoustics

Posted on September 20, 2008 by Fred

After installation of all the gear and furniture, it was the right time for an acoustic measurement.

Initially a frequency- & impulse response were scheduled to determine the problem area’s and which acoustic trouble (room modes? early reflections? etc) had to be dealt with.

The software that was used and I can highly recommend for this task is RPlusD from ETF Acoustic (go see their webpage for details).

After the initial measurement it appeared that low frequency room modes and lots of reflections, especially at the mixing/mastering desk, were the key problems.

The following solutions have been applied:

  • room modes are handled by moving the monitors & listening position across the long way of the room and installing bass traps (Auralex SonoColumns) in the corners
  • reflections are handled by installing absorption panels (Auralex SonoFlat Panels) on the side walls (about 40% coverage)  and Studiofoam Wedgies on the rear wall.
  • to prevent the room from being too dead, several diffusion panels (Auralex Q’Fusors) have been applied to the rear wall.

The bass traps, absorption- and diffusion panels are part of Auralex’ SFS 184 room kit.

A second measurement was done, the acoustic treatment appeared to be effective to keep the room modes and reflections within acceptable boundaries.

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DJ booth

Posted on July 17, 2008 by Fred

Practically nothing new here for those who visited the previous (claustrophobic) booth at the first floor. Kwantum’s closets with roller doors are still there, just added a new angled desk for the CDJ’s and a laptop with DJ software

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Mixing & Mastering console

Posted on July 11, 2008 by Fred

Thanks to John Sayers’ Recording Studio Design Forum I found this thread with a DIY mixing- & mastering console that suits my needs. I do not own (yet) a tremendous amount of 19″ gear so I did not create the cutouts that are present in the original design. Nevertheless I’m very happy with the result :-)

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Construction

Posted on July 11, 2008 by Fred

The construction phase can be viewed in detail in the “verbouwing” category (sorry, in Dutch only), this is the sound isolation summary:

  • Elimination of transmissions through the building structure are accomplished by using floating walls and floor.
  • The floating walls are made up from a framed wood construction containing 12,5 cm Rockwool insulation layer on the inside and a double layer of 12,5 mm gypsum board on the outside.
  • The floor is made up from Fermacell Estrich floor elements (insulation layer + double gypsum layer) on top of a new floor construction with transmission isolation (Auralex U-Boat construction) at the underlying floor & the adjacent neighbour walls.

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Planning

Posted on July 11, 2008 by Fred

The first chapter regarding building this studio is about the planning of construction, sound isolation and acoustic treatment.

  • First of all start with the requirements and intended use of the room: this will be a typical mixing/mastering room, no live instrument/vocal recording intended so isolation requirements are to minimize sound transmission to- and from the outside world as much as possible. This is explicitly not a complete airtight construction.
  • The room should be as neutral as possible, therefore a low reverberation time (RT60) is required. Acoustics will be measured & handled once all the furniture & gear is in place.
  • Because the studio is a new floor on top of the current building I am able to design the construction from scratch, this is an advantage (at least it is to me).

For all of you who are planning a similar project, or are just interested I can recommend the following sources:

If these sources are talking rocket science from your point of view, hire an experienced professional!!!

Otherwise you might want to follow the DIY approach:

  • Read all (and possibly other/more) of these sources carefully and get an impression of what you might need.
  • Read them again, and again (yes it’s a lot) and decide on what you really need.
  • Make your construction-, electrical- & acoustic plan.
  • If possible, ask for 3rd party reviews (for instance Peek-A-Boo Music :-) ) and adjust your plans accordingly.
  • Start the construction phase
  • Adjust your electrical- & acoustic plan according to the changes (yes, you will face changes) that were introduced during construction phase.
  • Start the electrical phase
  • Install all the furniture & gear
  • Do an initial acoustic (frequency- & impulse response) measurement to determine your problem categories & area’s
  • Add acoustic treatment to your room, (re)move furniture and gear.
  • Do the extended acoustic (frequency-, impulse- & psychoacoustic response, RT60, etc) measurement to verify the effects of your acoustic treatment
  • Adjust the acoustic treatment, move your stuff and repeat measurements until you’re satisfied
  • Start making music :-)


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