I believe in Acoustic Sciences Tube Traps.....

I have a bunch of Acoustic Sciences tube traps. (Actually, I don't know how many. I will count them soon. Not now...) I will not go anywhere without them. I started using them on Michael Jackson's "BAD" album and don't record anything without them. I am a firm believer.... Also.... my old pal Art Noxon has helped me out a couple of times, in tricky Acoustic Situations.... I've seen some Do It Yourself renditions of the mighty Tube Trap. I don't know... I hope they don't sound as bad as they look.... Hmmmmm... Bruce Swedien

And your point is?

Anders.... Kanna.... I guess all I am saying is that I'm a big fan of Acoustic Sciences Tube Traps..... No problem with that is there??? Bruce

I guess the time line is correct but who is Michael Jackson't ?

xSpace wrote:

I guess the time line is correct but who is Michael Jackson't ?

A very BAD boy who give's me the thrills.. ;) Hai Bruce, welcome to this mighty forum. So euh, you won't leave the house without them tubes eh... so? Now show them pix to prove it :p (yeah, there's some phun in there.. but seriously, pix?)

xSpace wrote:

I guess the time line is correct but who is Michael Jackson't ?

Spelling corrected.... Thank you... Bruce

Ro wrote:

xSpace wrote:

I guess the time line is correct but who is Michael Jackson't ?

A very BAD boy who give's me the thrills.. ;) Hai Bruce, welcome to this mighty forum. So euh, you won't leave the house without them tubes eh... so? Now show them pix to prove it :p (yeah, there's some phun in there.. but seriously, pix?)

Pix of Choir and Tube Traps in place coming in a couple of weeks.... Thanks for your patience... Bruce

Ro wrote:

xSpace wrote:

I guess the time line is correct but who is Michael Jackson't ?

A very BAD boy who give's me the thrills.. ;) Hai Bruce, welcome to this mighty forum. So euh, you won't leave the house without them tubes eh... so? Now show them pix to prove it :p (yeah, there's some phun in there.. but seriously, pix?)

Here's a photo of me in my studio waiting for the choir... [See Ethan's reduced version of the photo below.] Bruce

Help!!!! Can someone help me get my photo down to right size???? So it fits??? Bruce

Bruce Swedien wrote:

Can someone help me get my photo down to right size????

Heh, you have to do that before you upload it. I reduced it (and brightened it up a bit), and posted it below. So you can just edit your post to remove your photo. As soon as you remove yours, this thread will go back to looking normal. --Ethan

dahnielson wrote:

And your point is?

xSpace wrote:

who is Michael Jackson't ?

Wow, tough crowd. :? Lighten up guys. Art and Bruce are legends in acoustics and recording respectively. You young kids may not be not aware, but Art Noxon is a pioneer in small room acoustics, and he is the first person I know of to mass-market effective bass traps and absorbers. Art was also the first person I know of to evangelize the importance of bass trapping in small rooms, a topic we all now understand thanks in no small part to his efforts. --Ethan

Ethan Winer wrote:

dahnielson wrote:

And your point is?

xSpace wrote:

who is Michael Jackson't ?

Wow, tough crowd. :? Lighten up guys. Art and Bruce are legends in acoustics and recording respectively. You young kids may not be not aware, but Art Noxon is a pioneer in small room acoustics, and he is the first person I know of to mass-market effective bass traps and absorbers. Art was also the first person I know of to evangelize the importance of bass trapping in small rooms, a topic we all now understand thanks in no small part to his efforts. --Ethan

Ethan...... Thank you. You are a deinite gasser of the first water.... Could you please change those photos. I can't make it happen.... Many thanks for your kind words..... Bruce

I am very aware who they both are..I'm light and tight..just trying to be a believer :)

Bruce Swedien wrote:

Could you please change those photos. I can't make it happen....

I can't edit your post to remove your large photo - only you (or a mod) can do that. Click Edit, then near the bottom of the screen there's an option to remove the attachment. I'm pretty sure that if you remove your attachment all will be well, and only my version of the photo will remain. The only other thing I can think of is to call me on the phone and tell me your login info. Then I can log in as you and edit the post. I'm here all day at [removed] Eastern time. --Ethan

Mr. Swedien, Most people are doing all kinds of sophisticated audio recording builds these day. Room in a room and treatments from hell!!! JohnSayers website hosts some of the best brains in the various disciplines of maximum quality audio related room builds. Looking at your pictures, here and other environments I have seen you work from coupled with such a stellar recording history, I ask you this: Most seem to place a super high degree on the ability of thier room to help in the recording process. But you have had remarkable achievements working in simple rooms. Other then you being so good at working engineer magic, how important is the room to you? Are we, as a grassroots audio room building niche, giving entirely too much power to these rooms that we fret over? Thank you for your time, Brien

Thanks to my old pal Ethan Winer you can now see my studio in proper size.... Is it gorgeous or what???? By the way - I don't believe in secrets... My vote goes to Ethan Winer as the NUMER ONE GASSER of the month! Bruce Swedien

xSpace wrote:

Mr. Swedien, Most people are doing all kinds of sophisticated audio recording builds these day. Room in a room and treatments from hell!!! JohnSayers website hosts some of the best brains in the various disciplines of maximum quality audio related room builds. Looking at your pictures, here and other environments I have seen you work from coupled with such a stellar recording history, I ask you this: Most seem to place a super high degree on the ability of thier room to help in the recording process. But you have had remarkable achievements working in simple rooms. Other then you being so good at working engineer magic, how important is the room to you? Are we, as a grassroots audio room building niche, giving entirely too much power to these rooms that we fret over? Thank you for your time, Brien

Brien..... You sound like a nice guy. Remember when I said I don't have secrets.... I meant that.... I love your question "Are we giving entirely too much power to these rooms that we fret over?" I would say that these rooms that we fret over are important, but they are only part of the real adventure in recording music.... So think about this for a minute.... Let’s talk a little bit about 'Critical Listening' and how it pertains to developing our own individual “Sonic Personality”. Sound as a stimulus is the arena of the physicist, sound as a sensation is the arena of the psychologist. We, as professional music recording people fall somewhere in between these two areas of expertise. In actuality, it may help us to be a little bit of both. So, with the little bit of the psychologist that I think is present in all of us, I think I can help you discover your own "Sonic Personality". I think the first step on the road to developing our own "Sonic Personality" is to find a benchmark for our mind's ear that has as it's basic component true 'Reality' in sound. From that stark, uncolored point, we can then add a new viewpoint for the listener, that we can call truly our own. Many producers and recording engineers spend a lot of their time listening to and trying to learn their craft from recordings. In my opinion, this is a significant mistake, and is precisely the reason why there are so few engineers and producers in the industry today that have a truly unique sonic character to their work. I do feel it is true that a certain amount of stylistic intelligence can be gained by listening to other people's records, however my problem with this approach is that one's own "Audio Personality" is short-circuited. In other words, if you try and learn about music mixing by listening to other peoples mixes, in actuality what is happening is that you are hearing the music, or sonic image of the music, with someone elses' "Audio Personality" already imposed on the sonics of the music. I firmly believe that it is true that we must listen to records to keep up with sonic styles and trends. Personally speaking, I am a bonafide, card-carrying record buying junkie. When I hear a record, on the radio, or on television, that has an interesting music or sonic hook, I am off to the record store in a minute to buy a copy for myself. Listening to records seems to be a very neccessary part of our development as music recording people, especially if you are in the 'Pop' music recording field as I am, because it helps us keep up with current sonic trends and styles. However, to have an "Audio Personality" that is truly your own you must start your personal sonic development with a knowledge of natural, acoustical sounds. To take that line of thought a step further I think I should say that I feel that the best way to develope your ears' 'benchmark' is to hear good acoustical music in a fine acoustical setting. To fully undestand this concept, let's talk about acoustical support as it relates to music... All music is concieved to be heard with some sort of acoustical support. This does not neccessarily mean long "Concert-Hall" type reverberation. It can mean very short closely-spaced early reflections and minimal reverb content. Any of these components comprise acoustical support. Once we know what music sounds like in a natural setting with good quality acoustical support, we can then take that "Audio Benchmark" and through our work, give our sonic images our own distinctly personal touch. Let’s imagine that we are hearing music for the very first time. An engineer or producers listening ability does not descend on him in a single flash of inspiration. It is built up by a variety of listening experiences. I think we must make a real effort to hear music and sound with as open a mind as possible. One of our most important abilities as a professional listener is judging balance. So let's consider balance as the first thing to listen for. The balance of the instruments of the orchestra, in a fine acoustical setting for classical music, is the sole responsibility of the conductor. In our work-(recording music)-that resposibility is transferred to us. It doesn't matter whether the orchestra is acoustical instruments or whether the orchestra is represented by a synthesizer. We must be able to judge balance. Over a long period of time, if we have the native ability, we will develop a seemingly uncanny sense of hearing nuances of balance and sound that would pass unnoticed by the inexperienced. This ability seems to be aquired almost by osmossis through thousands of seemingly insignificant listening experiences. This random approach is effective and vital. The antithesis of balance is imbalance. The next time you’re at a concert in a good hall or room, listen carefully for any imbalances that might be there. I have always thought that to have ones own unique "Audio Personality", you must start your personal sonic development with a knowledge of natural, acoustical sounds. To take that line of thought a step further I think I should say that I feel that the best way to develope your ears' 'benchmark' is to hear good acoustical music in a fine acoustical setting. When attending a concert in a good hall, always ask for very good seats. This way you should be able to judge not only balance but many other sonic elements with a certain amount of accuracy. Listen for spectral balance first. In other words, how well balanced is the frequency spectrum of the orchestra. See how your ears and psyche react to the over-all volume level of the orchestra. Particularly at extremely loud dynamic levels. How does the orchestra sound at extremely soft dynamic levels? ____________________________________________________________ Make REALLY GOOD recordings..... Bruce Swedien

Ethan Winer wrote:

dahnielson wrote:

And your point is?

xSpace wrote:

who is Michael Jackson't ?

Wow, tough crowd. :?

Sorry if I came across as impolite (it was a late friday night here in Sweden).

Yea, I didn't know if it was who you said you was :) So I too hope you can forgive my irreverence Mr. Swedien.

Bruce Swedien wrote:

Brien..... You sound like a nice guy. Remember when I said I don't have secrets.... I meant that.... I love your question "Are we giving entirely too much power to these rooms that we fret over?" Bruce Swedien

Yes sir, thank you for that. It's late and may I rephrase the question because I may never have this opportunity with a man of your talent again. While the world gets smaller around us opportunity to exhibit the audible >fingerprint< you have mentioned is hampered if nothing else but by shear numbers. I'm not an engineer at audio or at my profession. I am, if one were to ask "what are you", a carpenter would be my answer...well, prefaced by a smile and a questioning look. Falling short of the ability to have a good set of ears will a good room help to compensate for this shortcoming? edit: And what is your definition of a good room.

xSpace wrote:

Bruce Swedien wrote:

Brien..... You sound like a nice guy. Remember when I said I don't have secrets.... I meant that.... I love your question "Are we giving entirely too much power to these rooms that we fret over?" Bruce Swedien

Yes sir, thank you for that. It's late and may I rephrase the question because I may never have this opportunity with a man of your talent again. While the world gets smaller around us opportunity to exhibit the audible >fingerprint< you have mentioned is hampered if nothing else but by shear numbers. I'm not an engineer at audio or at my profession. I am, if one were to ask "what are you", a carpenter would be my answer...well, prefaced by a smile and a questioning look. Falling short of the ability to have a good set of ears will a good room help to compensate for this shortcoming? edit: And what is your definition of a good room.

I have only one question for you!!! "Do you LOVE music? Or better yet "Do you LOVE to record good music?. If we could only stick to those issues.... Bruce

>It’s All About The Music< ____________________________________________________________ Someone said this to me the other day: "Great art is clear thinking about mixed feelings..." That thought keeps coming back to me. Perhaps it is because I have always felt that I am an artist at what I do... My pal John Klett said something very interesting to me the other day: “Don’t ever go for some piece of equipment just because it’s got a better number, or because people say this is the thing to do”. (I can't get his statement get out of my head either) Think about this for a minute... “It is possible for the human ear to quickly analyze complex musical sources and sounds far more quickly and much more accurately than any known test equipment.” How does this Phenomenon apply to Recording Equipment and Music Recording Studio Design? This fact has always been fascinating to me. I have talked to highly skilled technicians who will say that when you test music mixing consoles with very sophisticated test equipment, two different consoles will measure essentially the same, yet when you send the same musical sound source through these two mixing desks, our perception of the musical quality at the output of the two mixing consoles will be very different. In fact, I have found this same occurrence to be true when comparing all music recording equipment. I believe this dilemma is a good example of the necessity for us to not place our confidence in either the objective or subjective schools of thought when it comes to judging music recording equipment. In this case what I mean by objective thought, is the comparison of sound equipment as an impartial and unbiased process. The word objective is defined as being characterized by honesty, justice and freedom from improper influence. By subjective thought, what I mean is that our analysis of such sound comparison as an intellectual or cerebral process. This is, as you can see, two sides of the same coin. I think when it comes to equipment comparison, it really goes far deeper than that. To me it really involves our basic instincts and emotions. The reason I am making such a big point of this one issue is that I see a good number of people in our industry who take equipment manufacturers specification statements at face value. I don’t mean to infer that equipment manufacturers specification statements are deliberatly falsified. Not at all. It’s the fact that there are so many ways to interpret a technical statement that we absolutely must reserve the right to make an evaluation with our own needs, abilities and emotions as part of the process. Please don’t let the printed page totally influence your judgement when it comes to evaluating music recording equipment. The specificatons that a manufacturer states as to how his equipment will perform is merely a starting point from which we will select what equipment we want to consider. After we make the initial choice about what equipment we want to assess, we must listen to it with our ears and our hearts and make the final evaluation with our instincts. Making equipment choices must be a very instinctive and personal process. We must develope a willingness to follow our instincts. Gut reactions translated to music recordings are the most believable. This may be more true in our work than in any other field of endeavor. If we have good instincts to begin with, we must learn to listen to that little voice in the back of our heads, or behind our belly buttons, or wherever it resides and do what it tells us is right. If you analyzed all the frequencies and combinations of frequencies in the tone of a few notes from a violin, and then wrote a program for a computer to indicate that sound exactly, could you tell from the resultant computer print-out what kind of a violin it was? The human ear can discern such subtlies almost instantaneously. The human ear can tell from exclusively subjective means, much more quickly and accurately than any known test equipment. It's like the old musical intrument makers. They didn't measure, they just listened. Stradivarius didn't have a computer. Perhaps his violins would not have been as wonderful sounding if he had had a computer. ____________________________________________________________ Please try to keep in focus the fact that - It’s All About The Music!!! Bruce Swedien

dahnielson wrote:

Ethan Winer wrote:

dahnielson wrote:

And your Sorry if I came across as impolite (it was a late friday night here in Sweden).

Dahnielson.... Your reply to me was far more than merely impolite... It was the reply of an overly arrogant Swede.... What does, "it was a late friday night here in Sweden" have to do with the topic I thought we were talking about? Bruce Swedien

dude... :oops:

Ro wrote:

dude... :oops:

What? Bruce :oops: