Thank This!
On Thanksgiving, it’s traditional to say what you’re thankful for. I thought I’d follow suit with a studio-related “thankful list” — but with a twist — I’m also including things I’m not so thankful about. My apologies to any Thanksgiving purists out there.
So here goes, in no particular order:
I’m thankful for my DAW software, which lets me record, edit, and mix my music with great precision.
I’m not so thankful when my DAW crashes in the middle of a take or mix, and I lose precious data and time.
I’m thankful for pitch correction plug-ins that let me get rid of the flat and sharp notes on my vocal tracks
I’m not so thankful when producers and engineers tune the life out of vocalists removing the feel from their performance.
I’m thankful for software updates that give me new features and fix bugs.
I’m not so thankful when I have to pay a lot for the update, or when the update will only run on latest operating system for my computer, which if I upgrade to it, half my plug-ins will no longer work.
I’m thankful for my powerful audio interface, which gives me multiple ins and outs, both analog and digital.
I’m not so thankful when Apple changes the data format on its new computers, making my interface obsolescent, and consigning it to doorstop status in the near future.
I’m thankful for all the cool new audio software, including instruments and processors, which are available as iOS apps.
I’m not so thankful when I realize that I paid 10 times as much for software with similar functionality for my computer.
I’m thankful for the wonderful, flat-sounding studio monitors that make it possible for me to really hear what’s going on in a mix.
I’m not so thankful that even with those monitors, I still can’t mix like Chris Lord Alge.
I’m thankful that the internet makes it possible for anyone to get their music out to the public
I’m not so thankful that everyone and their grandmother now has an album out, making it harder for anyone to get noticed.
There’s my list. What’s yours?
I hope you’re having a great holiday weekend.
Mike Levine
U.S. Editor, Audiofanzine
