Reviewing Chapter 3 and Studio Time - Posted on 2014-09-09 by Justin Bruckerhoff

On Wednesday, 9/6, I went into the studio to review Chapter 3: Digital Audio, with Jeff. I expressed to him how overwhelming the chapter was for me, as far information overload goes with multiple terms that were covered. I came prepared with questions which he answered promptly with good explanations and reviewed the key concepts of the chapter, such as pulse code modulation involving sample rate and bit depth. We also discussed the Nyquist Theorem and he made sure I understood everything before moving on. He says he doesn't like to leave me with a puzzled look on my face. I give that face a lot, but he gets me to understand if I find myself lost or confused.

After covering Chapter 3, we moved in front of the computer and mixing board, kind of where we left off from my last lesson. Before we got started with Pro Tools, he had me get out my iPod and pick a song, which I picked "Space and Time" by City and Colour. He discussed tip/ring/sleeve (TRS) plug-ins and adapters before hooking up my iPod. He also explained the inputs and outputs on the patch bay and explained the signals on the digital interface.

With me as the pilot and Jeff as the co-pilot he helped me steer the Pro Tools train with the song I selected. He showed me how to record the song onto Pro Tools, guiding me, but also allowing me to make mistakes where I could then troubleshoot different issues, like I wasn't hearing a playback of the song. He showed me different key commands on the computer keyboard, how to cut different parts of the song, add fades and cross-fades, and so on. 

He showed me Reason and how that operates. I was blown away with all of the options that program provided. He went into Melodyne Editor and showed me how he could break down and manipulate the song I had earlier selected. That was impressive! We discussed TDM and RTAS. He also showed me the power of the BBE Sonic Maximizer, explaining how it delays the mid-range frequencies and allows us to hear the lows and highs, in result giving us richer and more crisp sound. He had me play his Axiom 61 MIDI and recorded a melody that he then showed me how to change the sounds produced RTAS.

Last night was 3 hours well spent in studio. I will say my head felt like it was about to explode, though!