My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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Do microphone preamps make a difference in a recording? They certainly do for me. In this episode, I discuss why preamp quality is important, and the reason why different mic preamps sound different.
You might think that these differences are only detectable by engineers with “golden ears,” working with top-notch equipment. How could that have any impact on the average listener? I argue that it does make a difference, and improved sound helps everyone be more successful.
 Here are links referenced in this episode:
 Doug Fearn and Corrie Lynn Green talk about the making of her album, “Day 4 of living on the Edge.”
https://youtu.be/9rv0m94nq8w?si=Z0mawTYiKCX1PohD
 Why Vacuum Tubes Sound Better for Audio:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/episodes/4721579
 Gain Staging:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/episodes/19067208
 Mic Preamp Design:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/episodes/4998686
 Listening
https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/episodes/11165606
 Why Different Gear sounds different:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/episodes/11564815
 
email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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We use the term “ground” frequently in the studio, but what does “ground” actually mean?
It can be confusing, because we use the same word to describe many different things. For example, we say that the shields of our audio cables are “grounded.” Or we may think that “grounding” our equipment will eliminate the electrical noise we hear in the audio.
I attempt to clarify some of the misconceptions about “ground” in this short episode. The main point I try to stress that is that a connection to the Earth is not necessary for our equipment, or any electronic or electrical device, to work. The purpose of “grounding” electrical things is for one purpose only, and that is safety.
Consider this an overview of a complex topic. I focus on things that matter in the studio. The true story would take much more explanation, and probably be of minimal interest to most recordists.
One of the topics I mention is the “Pin 1 Problem” that is found in some otherwise excellent professional audio products. Here are links to an excellent explanation by Jim Brown, an electronics engineer who devoted his career to professional audio. He also co-wrote many of the AES standards that make our gear sound as good as it possible can.
http://www.k9yc.com/Pin_1_Revisited.pdf
http://www.k9yc.com/Pin_1_Revisited_Part_2.pdf
http://www.k9yc.com/SurgeXPowerGround.pdf
You will find many more useful references on Jim’s web site, if you want a deeper understanding of many noise and grounding topics.
This is the last of the 6-part series on Basic Electronics for Recording Engineers. I may add additional episodes later, but I think this helps people understand some of the electronic principles as they relate to our job.
email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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This is part two of a 2-part series contrasting recording to tape versus digital recording. In this episode, I look at the strengths and weaknesses in digital recording. And then I summarize both episodes with a comparison of the two approaches, in a number of categories like sound, ease of use, maintenance, and cost. For each comparison, I share my conclusion about which is better.
email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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A tape machine was the only way music was recorded for about 40 years. Then, in the 1990s, computer technology made digital audio recording possible. There was a period when both technologies were in use, but the advantages of digital were overwhelming. The cost of a digital recording system, using commodity computers, was less than a tenth the cost of a multitrack tape machine. This vastly expanded professional-quality recording availability.
Digital recording has many advantages. But recording to magnetic tape has never disappeared entirely. In this first part of a two-part series, I talk about the practical aspects of tape recording.
In part 2, I will contrast the two technologies, and offer my opinion on the advantages and disadvantages of tape and digital.
I will return to the last episode of Basic Electronics for Recording Engineers after this short series.
Thanks for listening, commenting, and subscribing. I can always be reached at dwfearn@dwfearn.com. I enjoy reading  your reactions, suggestions for future episodes, and hearing your personal stories.
email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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In electronic equipment, a schematic diagram is used as a map to show how all the various components are interconnected. This is useful for troubleshooting and repair. And following the signal path through a circuit gives us a deeper understanding of how the equipment does its job.
Schematics in the past were beautifully drawn and easy to interpret. But today, most electronic equipment is not repairable at the component level, so manufacturers have mostly stop including schematic diagrams. And those that do usually describe circuitry built on printed circuit boards. The software used to design those boards do not care about the readability of the schematics, so the diagrams are difficult to interpret.
In this episode, I describe the various symbols used to represent the most common parts found in audio equipment. I hope it will be helpful should you ever need to see how a circuit works, for repair or just education. And you can learn to draw your own schematics, even if only to show how your studio is wired.
Since this an audio podcast, I cannot show how the symbols actually look. This link leads to a good reference of schematic symbols, including many variations you might encounter:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_symbol
 
email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/