TRICK!!!: how to make your ME66 mic sound like a MHK416 mic

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Jose, all due respect intended, just because YOU don't hear the difference doesn't mean that others can't either. Nuances, inflections, and overall attitude of the mic and performance combine to create a special feeling and presentation that simply can't be created with plugins. Otherwise, we'd all be buying Shure SM 58's and using the Antares Mic Modeler. It sounds great, and even does a very good job of approximating the sound of various microphones.
It's kind of like a fine wine; some people can tell the difference between a well-aged and bottled Shiraz and a boxed wine, and others can't. that doesn't make either person right or wrong, it simply means one has more experience and training than the other.

[Ty Ford]

<<<-- Originally posted by Jose di Cani : Ty ford,

Exactly!! I f you can't hear which analog mixers or 10000 dollar digital workstations are used, then why PAY for them?

++OK. Playing Devil's Advoate; Many people can't hear the difference at first. Over time as they work more with audio and get better gear, they begin to be able to hear the difference. The huge growth of the semi-pro market has made this segment of the population larger than the pre-existing professional segment.-++

Digital has improved. Soundcards nowadays are soo good, almost perfect. The only thing that should happen is dropping of the prices. Look at firewire nowadays. That is inovation!

Alessandri is right as well, cause for me Digital sound is true sound and you can better add effects after you have recorded everything.

++ I don't know what, "Digital sound is true sound" means. Here's what I know; Good digital is better than bad analog and good analog is better than bad digital.++

BUT, if you add compression while you record, you have a lower noise-to-signal ratio, thus having more BITS and SPice. Too much and you will end up with ricky martin compressed stuff. Don't! Compression plugins are so sexy today.

++ I will disagree. Using a compressor at a high ratio to catch the peaks while recording is a very useful. You don't find the quality of circuits at the low end, but SOME of the better stuff makes a difference. ++

so basically you can make a ME66 microphone sound like a expensive one. IF you don't hear the difference, people won't notice it. I can fool people easily with my vocals. reallly I do. YOu don't hear the DIfference. -->>>

++There are definitely different design differences between an ME66 and a 416. If you can't hear the difference, it doesn't matter.

Regards,

Ty Ford

[Jose di Cani]

And how many people DO hear the difference? YOu guessed it. THe pro's! Why is it when you watch a movie, you don't hear the background music. At the end you are focusing on what you see. The rest is too increase tension and exitement. SOUND In movies is different from SOUND of music you listen to in bed or on a sunny day. NOWWW...close your eyes while watching a movie and you will hear some differences but it will be hard to notice them. That is why you dont need expensive audio hardware for movies.

TY ford said: 'If you can't hear the difference, it doesn't matter'

and I agree with him.

[Emre Safak]

Jose, your broad generalizations are only going to impede your growth as an artist. Film music is indeed mostly subliminal, but it does not have to be so. Do whatever the situation dictates.

Finally, an artist whose standards are only equal to those of the lay audience is not going to go far. Work to exceed everyone's expectations, budget in mind.

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Jose, I only regret now that I've spent roughly 3 million bucks on gear in the past few years while making music for films like "Last Samurai" "Black Hawk Down" "Finding Nemo" and many, many other films. If I'd have known so many years ago that I could create audio like my flute lead line heard in "Titanic" with an ME 66 and a 50.00 preamp because moviegoers couldn't hear the difference, I'd be stinkin' rich because I wouldn't have spent all my hard earned money on gear. But I'd probably still be married to my first wife, so I guess there is a silk lining to the mistakes I've made spending all my money and time learning so much, only to find out I've been cheating myself all these years.
I'm off to Best Buy, I need a new set of speaker monitors in our D studio room. We've got Hothouse, Genelec, and Mackie in rooms A, B, and C.
Whew!! Thanks for saving me so much cash!

Seriously though....as Ty commented...."just because YOU can't hear the difference doesn't mean others can't."

[Graham Bernard]

Ouch! . . Spot be candid . . say what you mean. Don't hold back.

What a resume . .I'm in total awe of your body of work . . . How do I strike a balance between making stuff and being satisfied? Or should I just throw up my hands and say, "Well, I know I can do better - I just can't get the cash together to get there - so I might as well not bother - and take up another pursuit?" . . a very interesting thread . . . I'm serious! I do really appreciate the very strong and informed points you make from "hard-won" experience.

So, how do I make a balanced view for myself? Please don't read this as me "whinging" about the little time I have left to myself to get to a higher ground of satisfaction with my work. I'm truly concerned as to how to balance the "real" need for quality versus my internal need for expression. Perhaps there is another book to be written and some "other" workshops to be done - "A Higher Ground - Expression and Quality for the Indie Filmmaker" .. . my title . . . .

BTW, love your book! Love the DVD and the samples and Loops . .already made some looped music projects . . well I like 'em . . . :)

Best regards,

Graham Bernard

[Douglas Spotted Eagle]

Grazie, my favorite saying about myself is that I've failed FAR more than most dare try. I'm good at what I do because if there are 10 ways to try something before finding the one way to do it right, I'll try 15 ways just cuz I'm dense.

Even a rock aspires to be a brick or a wall, or a chimney, or something more/different/better/special other than being a rock. It's nature, I think. That's evolution at it's best.

I've also learned to not be nearly as pigheaded or opinionated. As life has taught me a lot, I've now come to the conclusion that I shouldn't be selfish; EVERYONE is entitled to my opinion. :-)

I've been lucky. Damn lucky. I'm a tall man in a very small field of grass. There aren't but maybe 5-6 people who do what I do, and that's only because others haven't tried. Thank heaven for that.

There is no "too late to getting to a higher ground" thing.
I walked away from touring full time and recording full time after a personal tragedy a few years ago. I swore I'd never step foot on a stage again. Now, I'm climbing my way back to the biz, and even though I've got a recording contract with Virgin, I'm being treated like a new artist. At my age and with my past experiences, it's VERY humbling. Believe me.
Keep at it. Nothing breeds success better than several failures or runs at the target from the wrong angle. But when that first success comes, it makes all the hard failures seem petty, stupid, and small.

[Scot Stafford]

I played around with the Empirical Labs units (distressor 2 and fatso) for a very enjoyable afternoon last week on some of my recordings.

Wow.

For those searching for the "saturation without the noise" euphoria, this might be it as close as it gets.

[Bryan Beasleigh]

I'm cursed, I can hear the difference and I can hear it in blind tests. Ask Matt Gettemeier about that one.

[Scot Stafford]

I'm cursed, I can hear the difference and I can hear it in blind tests. Ask Matt Gettemeier about that one

The difference between ME66 and MHK416, plug-ins or no? Me too. Sorry - topic has been so derailed it's hard to know if that's what you are referring to.