Dateline: April 6th 2010. Santa Cruz: The third batch of Sections, totaling almost 21/2 hours of brand new material from the ASSR series, will be released online week ending April 9th 2010.
The new sections, all featuring narration by the inimitable Billy Bob Thorton, individually examine the topics of Compressors & Limiters, Consoles and Controllers, Reverb, Recording Acoustic Guitar With Vocal, Mixing, and an Introduction to recording from Edison to the iPod. Details of each include:
Compressors & Limiters (31 mins)
A complex subject, and one frequently misunderstood and much argued about. Alan defines terms, explains parameters, provides instrument-by-instrument examples, and then explains the consequences. Universal Audio’s Bill Putnam Jr. is interviewed, plus there are wonderful insights into use and misuse from Steve Marcantonio, Niko Bolas, John Fields, and Allen Sides.
Consoles and Controllers (38 mins)
During one filming session in Los Angeles Alan is alerted to the whereabouts of the mixing board that he’d used when working with McCartney, Pink Floyd, and others at Abbey Road. After this emotional opening (he’d not set eyes on the board for more than thirty years) Alan examines conventional modern consoles, looking at each item on a typical channel strip in detail. Finally Alan assesses how they – and their cousin, the controller – relate to and can enhance the experience of using a DAW.
Reverb (22 mins)
This section traces the history and progress in artificial reverb technology, then takes a parameter-by-parameter look at digital reverb settings, hardware and software reverb products, and application of reverb to individual instruments and entire mixes. Interview clips from Elliot Scheiner, John Shanks, and others complete this highly revealing section.
Recording Acoustic Guitar With Vocal (6 mins)
A common recording conundrum is examined: How do you record both an acoustic guitar and a vocal simultaneously without one bleeding into the other? Alan Parsons discovers a new artist Matt Lucca – who would, subsequent to this session, go on to record an entire CD with Foo Fighters’ Rami Jaffee, and Paul McCartney’s Abe Laborial Jr., and Rusty Anderson – and explores the what to dos and what not to dos of this classic recording situation.
Mixing (49 mins) (Pt.1 & Pt.2)
The mix is where the rubber hits the road for any recording. Conducted primarily at LA’s Record One studios, where Michael Jackson’s last three albums were recorded and mixed, Alan takes us through every stage of a mix from preparation to delivery media in this fascinating and extensive section. Good working practices (consolidation, track sheets, notes and more) are proposed, along with the chance to see so many of the program’s previous technical sections – EQ, reverb, digital audio and computers – come to life. A variety of mixing settings, from working with an analog console to wholly “in the box” are shown and discussed in this substantial section – which is now being offered in two parts online.
This is the penultimate batch of Sections from The Art & Science Of Sound Recording, a landmark series presented and produced by Alan Parsons. This batch of videos offers yet another fascinating insight into the world of recording from a man who honed his skills at Abbey Road – the crucible of modern recording technology - as it developed in the 1960s.
Supported by extensive musical examples, custom diagrams, and interview clips, The Art & Science of Sound Recording takes a classic approach to recording and listening - followed by informed experimentation – and shows how this approach can live in the modern DAW-based environment. These are scenes that you can watch over and over again, and still enjoy nuances.
Those who have already pre-ordered or wish to pre-order the physical DVD at 30% off the regular price can simply go to their My Purchases and find the new sections as soon as this release is live.
The Alan Parsons’ ASSR Team.
Dateline: January 30th 2010. Santa Cruz: The second batch sections from the ASSR series is due to be released online the week of Feb 12 2010.
Although recording frequently – possibly mostly – now takes place out of a conventional recording studio, there is wisdom and value in whatever ‘space’ you use to generate or mix your music being suitable for the purpose. In this section Alan looks at the various properties of sound being played in small rooms and examines everything from soundproofing techniques to room modes as a ‘studio’ is seen being constructed.
During one filming session in Los Angeles Alan is alerted to the whereabouts of the mixing board that he’d used when working with McCartney, Pink Floyd, and others at Abbey Road. After this emotional opening (he’d not set eyes on the board for more than thirty years) Alan examines conventional modern consoles, looking at each item on a typical channel strip in detail. Finally Alan assesses how they – and their cousin, the controller – relate to and can enhance the experience of using a DAW. 
To all intents and purposes recording has become a computer-based activity. What can be learned from the veterans of the analog recording art and what knowledge can be carried over to the digital world? Alan takes us on an extensive tour of the equipment currently available – hardware, interfaces, applications, and software, and injects some old-world sanity into this brave new platform. 
Microphones are effectively the inverse of loudspeakers, a fact ably demonstrated at the beginning of this scene using the ‘two tin cans connected by a piece of string’ experiment that’s been beloved by kids for decades. The section goes onto look at the science behind microphones, from their various designs and applications to the art of using and placing microphones. Along the way Alan talks to many producers and engineers, including self-confessed mic junkie John McBride, at Blackbird Studios in Nashville. 
Keyboards have the widest range of sound and sensibility of any instrument ‘type.’ From a synth string pad on a plug-in to a sampled drum loop, from playing piano to programming… all can be required of the keyboard player. Alan discusses approaches to recording keyboards with Foo Fighters’ Rami Jaffee, and then looks at some specific approaches to miking specific instruments such as a grand piano, and B3/Leslie. 
The role of bass in rock, pop, and hip-hop is absolutely crucial. Alan discusses bass recording techniques with Nathan East during a live tracking session for a new Alan Parsons track, All Our Yesterdays and also meets one of his long-time bass heroes, Carol Kaye, who contributed to many groundbreaking records with Phil Spector, Quincy Jones, The Beach Boys and others in the sixties and seventies.
Tracing its development from tape echo in the 1950s, Parsons looks at modern delay devices, parameters, and applications. This scene features an extended free-form section where Alan uniquely twists, turns, and distorts delay effects on vocals. 
While almost every school, college, and church has wanted to record a choir at some stage, and most likely already have the equipment – most need the knowhow. In this scene, Parsons shows up for class one morning at a California High School and teaches them the art and science of recording a jazz choir. The result is pure magic. 
Situated in ‘currently-being-revitalized’ downtown Los Angeles, the GRAMMY Museum features interactive exhibits that let you monitor recorded sound quality from the wax cylinder to 96k Surround, and investigate everything from the role of the producer to the power of a plug-in. 