Conversations with Jim Anderson

[jim anderson]

AH. Gotcha.

Check out page 8 of the following document: http://home.flash.net/~mrltapes/choo&u.pdf

Should put you in the ballpark.

I wouldn't recommend loading them into a DAW 'flat'. If I'm reading all of this correctly.

You'll be loading them in with the NAB curve, because that's what your machine is adjusted to.

There is no 'flat' setting or the equivalent of turning off the RIAA curve on an LP playback.

The best thing is to realign the machine for CCIR eq with an MRL tape and transfer the tape with that curve.

At NPR, we had tapes from the EBU all the time and had a set of playback cards that had been set for CCIR playback.

You'll get the best result, that way.

[Chuck Nessa]

I meant to indicate the tapes were loaded without any adjustments.

[AllenLowe]

actually what I was getting at, Jim and Jim, in my prior post - was that I mastered my entire Deviln Tune historic project - all 36 cds - in my basement, did all transfers and restoration (with CEDAR and various software). Sounds as good as (or actually better than) anything I hear coming out of the big guys like BMG and SONY -

just trying to leech myself onto your story, Jim - (or Jim)

[jim anderson]

I meant to indicate the tapes were loaded without any adjustments.

Still, your playback machine would have been adjusted to the NAB curve for playback, thus affecting the CCIR playback

[jim anderson]

SIDENOTE: Jim, any chance of getting NPR to do a story on the home studio revolution? I have the perfect band/project for them to discuss. Using modern technology to record in an "old school" way, in the basement of a 100-year old house and getting professional results.

Sounds interesting to me.

Edited November 26, 2008 by jim anderson

[Jim Alfredson]

Thanks for trying, Jim. That story is from three years ago and what did that guy's record do? Ours hit #1 on the CMJ jazz charts and did fairly well on JazzWeek as well. But hey...

Back to IEC1 vs IEC2.

[AllenLowe]

well, with NPR, if it's cultural and it's featured, you can figure it was a big thing about 3 years ago -

[GregN]

Ned Wharton sent along this link

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4505242

Yeah, but does HE have an angry wife in high heels, tap dancing on the floor above, as his patient and wonderfully talented friend tries to record his debut solo record for a Spring release...(hypothetically speaking of course)???

Could be an angle...

[jim anderson]

For any Tec-Heads in the audience:

I wanted to alert you to this new service from AES:

AES JOURNAL PODCAST

Each month the AES Journal Podcast will quickly guide you through the contents of the Journal's papers, "back of the book" articles, and other Society activities. You can listen to the AES Journal Podcast on your computer or MP3 player. If you use an application such as iTunes you can subscribe to receive the AES Journal Podcast and have it delivered automatically to your computer each month. If you'd rather not subscribe, you can download each podcast episode individually. You can find subscribe and download links on the AES Podcasts page: <http://www.aes.org/podcasts/>

The AES Journal podcast is free and you can cancel at any time.

[six string]

Since I started reading this thread a couple of months ago I have discovered that I have a lot of cds with your name on them. Recently I purchased a cd, McCoy Tyner Play John Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard. What a great album and a superb recording. I'm starting to think that I can pick this room out of a recording on a blindfold test. Do you have any interesting stories (music not gossip of course) about that recording?

Everything that I've heard with your name on it has been truly great and I think it's great the way you take the time to explain the details of your work here. I'm not even in the biz and I enjoy reading that stuff.

[jim anderson]

Since I started reading this thread a couple of months ago I have discovered that I have a lot of cds with your name on them. Recently I purchased a cd, McCoy Tyner Play John Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard. What a great album and a superb recording. I'm starting to think that I can pick this room out of a recording on a blindfold test. Do you have any interesting stories (music not gossip of course) about that recording?

Everything that I've heard with your name on it has been truly great and I think it's great the way you take the time to explain the details of your work here. I'm not even in the biz and I enjoy reading that stuff.

Dear Six,

Thanks for the kind words. The McCoy Tyner album was part of a series of recordings that we did as live radio broadcasts for WBGO (jazz radio in NYC) celebrating the anniversary of Impulse Records (other evenings featured Dianna Krall, Donald Harrison, and some others) over the course of a week. The McCoy album was the only one from the evenings recorded directly to two track, with no multi-track back-up. I used some of the same techniques that I used in the past on other recordings from the Vanguard (Benny Green, "Testifying" or Bebo Valdez "Live at the Village Vanguard"). One of the keys to those recordings are the use of omni-directional microphones to pick up the audience. Those omni's help to give the sense of the room to the recording. It also helps that I've worked with George and Al, a lot in the studio and have a good sense of their sound, as well. It's one of the best rooms in NYC for a live recording and part of that is the fact that it's not a very lively room, in the first place and they tend to not use a great deal of reinforcement for the audience. I've really enjoyed hearing music in the Vanguard when a band like Phil Woods plays there and uses no microphones or amplifiers for their set. Now, that's acoustic!

Best,

Jim

Edited January 13, 2009 by jim anderson

[Chalupa]

Actually, I should be clearer: I do improvise but I've also sent in a prepared set up and input list in advance of the session. The assistants would really go ballistic if I didn't give them some direction ahead of time. It's the tweaks that come to mind when I'm in transit.

I like to remember the John Carter sessions of the late 1980's, when I think of improvisation.

We recorded 4 albums for Gramavision and they were classics of their day.

Before a take, John would talk down the piece before it was to be recorded.

Sometimes, it might take 2 or 3 hours for him to clearly describe to his musicians his plan before he'd run the piece for recording. This was 'free music' but with great elements of structure. It all worked because the musicians knew where they were starting and where they were going when tape started rolling.

In the end there was always one take!

Once I had a clock rolling in the studio. After a while, the producer asked me what the time showing on the clock meant.

I said "That's the last time we heard music." The clock was showing something like 2 hours 45 minutes.

Talk about improvising! And structure.

Thanks for that story. I was just listening to "Fields" yesterday afternoon. I was thinking that it sounded incredible and then I spied your name on the back cover. Excellent recording! I was lucky to find a nice vinyl copy for cheap. Anyway, I was wondering what you thought about "groove cramming" - seeing how both sides of the album clock in at over 30 minutes - is that a real problem or is it exaggerated? Oh and BTW, was this album recorded in analog or digital?

[jim anderson]

Thanks J.H. I'm proud of those recordings and happy to have been lucky enough to have been asked to be involved. At the beginning of the series, I really was just beginning my New York career and it was difficult making a name for yourself, back then, with all the great talent that was working in the studios. I recorded albums 2-5 of John's suite of recordings. "Castles of Ghana" was recorded digitally, 2 track (Mitsubishi), at Eras Studio, NYC, "Dance of the Love Ghosts was recorded also 2 track at Sorcerer Sound, NYC, "Fields" and "Shadows" were recorded multi-track at A & R and mixed at the Gramavision Studio. The final two would have been analogue productions. Bob Ludwig mastered all of the Gramavision recordings and did a spectacular job getting this material on vinyl. He was doing a lot of DMM mastering at the time and had the experience and knowledge of how to get that amount of time on a side. (I know of a couple of classical recordings that Bob was responsible for that had a side length of at least 38 minutes, but then again that was DMM) There's a wide dynamic range on the Carter recordings and the loud moments don't last for long, resulting in a side that can hold all of those grooves. It's the land between the loud grooves that takes up all the space and results in a short side.

Edited June 12, 2009 by jim anderson

[l p]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Tune

is there some kind of a unit that can be hooked up to a cd or cassette player to correct speed/pitch on pre-recorded music? i have pitch control, but would like something that automatically corrects speed/pitch.

thanks

[jim anderson]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Tune

is there some kind of a unit that can be hooked up to a cd or cassette player to correct speed/pitch on pre-recorded music? i have pitch control, but would like something that automatically corrects speed/pitch.

thanks

There are CD players that have variable pitch adjustment, as well as cassette players.

It wouldn't change the pitch automatically, you'd have to make the adjustment you require.

[l p]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto-Tune

is there some kind of a unit that can be hooked up to a cd or cassette player to correct speed/pitch on pre-recorded music? i have pitch control, but would like something that automatically corrects speed/pitch.

thanks

There are CD players that have variable pitch adjustment, as well as cassette players.

It wouldn't change the pitch automatically, you'd have to make the adjustment you require.

There are CD players that have variable pitch adjustment, as well as cassette players.

>>>>

yes, i have those, but is there a unit that senses incorrect pitch on cd's, and adjusts it automatically to the correct pitch.

i got a reply from the auto-tune people about their unit:

Auto Tune can only work with a single audio signal. It can pitch correct a voice, or another instrument, but it cannot pitch correct a track that has been mixed down. In other words, of you only had a vocal track, then you could use our product, the AVP-1, to pitch correct the voice. Although if the voice was accompanied by other musical instruments and a drum beat, then none of our product would be able to pitch correct the voice properly.

In short, what you are trying to do would probably not be possible with any product unless if you had a separate voice track.

[jim anderson]

As Auto-tune states, it's to be used on a track at a time.

It wouldn't know what to do using it the way you propose.

I've not aware of the program that you're referring to, sorry.

[l p]

There are CD players that have variable pitch adjustment, as well as cassette players.

It wouldn't change the pitch automatically, you'd have to make the adjustment you require.

one more related question, is there an electronic devise which will tell you when the music you're listening to on your stereo is not in correct pitch.

Edited August 30, 2009 by l p

[jim anderson]

Take a look at the Peterson Strobe Tuner and some of their other products.

http://www.petersontuners.com/index.cfm?category=67

It's much like the Conn Tuner that I grew up with.

[glennbrown]

Jim, I just wanted to add that all Royer ribbons are not the same, My favorite Royer is actually the re-issue of the Speiden Ribbon that David Royer licensed from Speiden. Royer calls this the SF1 and the stereo version The SF12. It is really a very nice Ribbon although extremely delicate and easy to damage. It has a very very thin ribbon and therefore has a very nice freq response and color. It sounds great on many things.. I was not so impressed with the Royer 121s and the active ribbons as much.. The 121 has an obvious rise in the low mids and darker mid tone overall a bit like the Beyer 160. It is a more robust ribbon and holds up a bit better if abused. I agree with you that the Coles or RCAs are very nice and will often win out in many situations.

About That question about FM amplifiers... They are very expensive, Have very high Damping Factor and work great as a Large Main Soffit Mounted Speaker amp.. I heard some on The older Hidley Sierra Eastlake TM2 monitors in LA. I thought that amp sounded great on the Low Freq drivers.. Great Damping Factor that resulted in a very detailed and Tight, Punchy Lows. They are extremely expensive though..All those precision matched MosFets.

Thanks for all your time and input on this Forum,

Glenn Brown

engineer/producer

GBP Studios

(home of the Muscle Shoals Neve 8068)

[kh1958]

Tonight I was listening for the first time to the new Jane Ira Bloom release on Outline, Wingwalker (with Dawn Clements, Mark Helias, and Bobby Previte), and in addition to quite liking the music, I noticed how beautifully it is recorded, especially her soprano. Very nice.

[Jim Alfredson]

Bumpin' this old thread because I miss have Jim around here. I finally made it to two AES shows and met Jim in person, which was great. Maybe he'll come back around? I'm sure his responsibilities at NYU and his position with the AES keep him plenty busy.

[six string]

On January 20, 2016 at 0:57 AM, Jim Alfredson said:

Bumpin' this old thread because I miss have Jim around here. I finally made it to two AES shows and met Jim in person, which was great. Maybe he'll come back around? I'm sure his responsibilities at NYU and his position with the AES keep him plenty busy.

I really enjoyed it a lot.  It was generous of him to spend the time he did and I'm glad he did.