Podcast: Episode 12

Introduction

Hey, this is Ronan Fitzgerald, from light audio recording dot com, the only dedicated resource for compact and affordable audio recording solutions. Thank you for tuning in to episode 12, of the light audio recording podcast. Today is September twenty sixth, twenty nineteen.

How’re’ya?

It’s been an odd month, that for some reason seems to be heavy on keys-related news. I’ll chat about a little model from Arturia, as well as the alleged Netflix for analog studio gear, and a couple of other bits and piece relevant to compact and affordable audio recording.

Hopefully, all of this will inspire you to plug in and make some music this weekend.

And just to note, all the stories in this month’s podcast came from the very excellent gear news dot com.

Item one

Firstly today, Arturia have released a keyboard MIDI controller called the Microlab.

It’s only twenty five keys long, and is designed specifically for musicians who are on the go, hence its compact design. But, I’m sure it’s just as applicable to musicians who record at home without much space.

To tie in with its spacial lightness, it’s also retailing at around eighty nine dollars. So that’s pretty sweet.

The Microlab is white, but its rubber protective case is available in black, blue, or orange. Here at light audio recording, we get tired of the amount of black audio gear, and alternatives are absolutely welcome.

You can store your USB cable in the rubber cover. But, even more impressive, is that the USB input is recessed, so the connection isn’t jutting out. So simple, so clever, so obvious!

Arturia include software that’ll give you access to 600 sounds, a specific grand piano software, and a basic DAW.

I think that’s pretty good going for eighty nine dollars.

Item two

Last month, we said that it was looking likely that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora – thankfully better known as CITES – was looking very much like it was going to be revised. There was one vote pending.

CITES is the thing that’s made transporting guitars with rosewood fingerboards difficult and expensive since twenty seventeen.

But, according to a report from NPR, thanks to some research-based lobbying from the musical instruments industry, CITES now excludes restricting existing completed guitars.

Essentially, the research shows that the regulation of guitars has had zero impact on rosewood conservation efforts.

Now, it’ll still regulate raw rosewood, and that’s great. But, it’s comforting to travelling musicians that they won’t have the fingerboard ripped from their vintage Strat.

Item three

A very curious website has emerged, alleging to be the Netlix of analog studio gear. Everything about this is curious, so I’ll try and explain it as best I can.

The website is called Access Analog. You can find it at access analog dot com.

From what I can make out, it’s a plugin that you launch with your DAW of choice. From the plugin, you can access and control, in real-time, all the analog studio toys you can imagine.

You manage them virtually, in the cloud. You can create whatever chains of gear your heart desires, and, you can save whatever settings you want as presets.

It’s pretty wild.

I don’t think it’ll work with BandLab, because I don’t think it allows external plugins. But, if you’re using a DAW that does allow it… it could be very cool.

Pricing is based on time, and during that time, you can do whatever you want. That pricing starts at nine ninety nine for thirty minutes, and goes up to twenty three ninety nine for three hours. But, they currently have an introductory sale, starting at five ninety nine for thirty minutes.

It’s not bad if you know what you’re doing.

Item four

And finally, because light audio recording means things that are light on your wallet, we’re open to using some pretty cheap microphones.

But, the worst thing about cheap microphones, is that they can sound cheap!

But, Soyuz Microphones reckon they’re here to help.

The Launcher is a little box that’s supposed to add some warmth and color to your cheap mic.

The box looks like it’s about the size of a guitar pedal, and has a simple XLR input, and XLR output. That’s it.

It launches October fifteenth, and is priced at one hundred and ninety nine US dollars. Personally, I think that’s a bit stiff. If I had an extra two hundred dollars, I’d probably just get a better mic.

But, that’s easy for me to say when I only use one mic.

Still, worth a look to give more character to your mic.

Wrap up

And that is all I have this month. I’ll be back on Thursday, October thirty first… wOOOOoooh… with episode thirteen.

If you haven’t already, please subscribe to the light audio recording blog at light audio recording dot com, where you can follow the exploration of recording music in an affordable and compact way.

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I’m Ronan Fitzgerald, this was episode 12. Have a great weekend recording your music, and I’ll catch you next time.