SNL - Stu, Parody of Enimen's Stan with a Christmas Twist

Well done Pete, well done. Great production value too.

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Category: Music Mix

Published: 07 December 2020

Michigander - Let Down Music Video

Grand Rapids is in the house. When you have enough microbrews and alternative music you've got a scene of sorts. Feels like a KROC track.

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Category: Fresh Cut Fridays

Published: 20 November 2020

Earth Wind and Fire Live in San Antonio in the 80s

Earth, Wind & Fire was at the height of their musical powers during this recording. They're even better live. We found this reel to reel in our archives and fired up the Otari for you. If any music can help you through the ups and downs of a pandemic, the inspiring soul of Earth, Wind & Fire can. There is no better band in the universe. Enjoy this hour long mix of some of their greatest hits and spread some love. Featuring: Kalimba Tree Let Your Feelings Show In the Stone Fantasy Sing a Song Reasons Shining Star Look to the Sky Gratitude That's the Way of the World I've Had Enough Let's Groove

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Category: Music Mix

Published: 17 October 2020

Seal - Don't Cry

One of our favorite Seal songs. Like therapy during a long 2020.

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Category: Music Mix

Published: 14 October 2020

FMR Audio Really Nice Compressor RNC1773 Review

The Really Nice Compressor or RNC1773 from FMR Audio in Texas is just that, really nice. FMR has been making this little wonder for nearly 20 years and we can't believe we just got around to checking it out.

FMR's RNC1773 offers outstanding value in a 1/3 rack size and is the perfect form factor for a home studio and equally at home in a professional setting. Podcasters, producers, musicians and voice over artists can all benefit from this great sounding little box. It's an excellent compressor that controls dynamic sonic material in an effortless and transparent way.

If you own a Mackie mixer you'll especially love the ease of connecting the RNC to your mixer. 1 TRS cable per channel is all you need. We tested it with our trusty 1202VLZ Pro (we still prefer this vintage to the recent Mackie stuff) The RNC is a stereo compressor but there are no independent controls per channel. So it's very good for an overall sheen on a mix. We also like using it as an insert on our Mic channels. It's great for keeping our transients in check while recording in a very transparent way. You cannot hear the RNC working until you get really aggressive with the controls. It sounds really good because it's a really nice compressor. 

We played with the RNC in both regular and "Super Nice" mode, yes there's a "Super Nice" button, and it works great either way.  The controls work in both modes but "Super NIce" has the effect of multiple compressors in series which tends provide a more contained envelope of sound.  Again, there's no "right" way to use the RNC and we were able to get great results with and without "Super Nice" engaged. It could also be called the easy button. For voice over we liked having Super Nice mode engaged with the following settings: -5 threshold, 2:1 ratio, 3.5 attack, 1.0 release, with just a touch of output gain.

We prefer to do minimal processing as we lay down tracks into our DAW. However, it's very useful to have something like the RNC in the signal chain to prevent blowing out our levels in unintended ways. At a street price of $185, FMR's Really Nice Compressor packs outstanding value into its humble and we think beautiful test-bench-style casing. You will never regret owning one of these boxes and we love how the owners of FMR are still cranking these out in Texas after all these years.

Now you may be asking, well for a little over $200 I could pick up the dbx 286s which is a complete channel strip with mic preamp, compressor, gate and EQ/enhancing processing. Yes, you could and the 286 offers excellent value for the money. For many a podcaster that's a great unit where ease of use and the convenience of an all-in-one box is attractive and it's a fairly easy way to get that big radio sound.

However for a more transparent and musical approach we like the FMR RNC paired with a quality preamp. Our approach is to get the cleanest possible signal recorded without distortion and then do the rest of the magic in our DAW with plugins. The FMR RNC is fantastic for that.

See the full lineup of FMR Audio products here.

Great video and perspective from Steve Albini on recording with an RNC cameo

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Category: Production and Creative

Published: 09 October 2020

Colony House - Silhouettes

Released a while ago but never really go much play. Good track to bring you out of a Covid funk.

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Category: Fresh Cut Fridays

Published: 09 October 2020

Genie in a Bottle - Christina Aguilera ('60s Style Cover) ft. Brielle Von Hugel

Someone commented that this should be in a Taranantino film and we agree. A Tarantino take on a genie would be so fun. We're serious, like Pulp Fiction meets Alladin without all the Disney sap.

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Category: Music Mix

Published: 03 October 2020

Sara Bareilles - F*ck You/Gonna Get Over You (VEVO Presents)

We feel like this song sums up how we feel about 2020. F-you and we'll get over you. This is also one of the best live recordings and performances. Sara is awesome as usual and the audio engineers dialed this sound in perfectly. And how good is that band? So great.

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Category: Music Mix

Published: 03 October 2020

Simply Speakers Foam Speaker Repair Kit for JBL 4408a Monitor Review

A lot of our production and broadcast friends have these JBLs 4408a monitors and a Hafler P3000 in the rack. Well the foam surrounds wear out over time on these suckers but it's an easy fix. Simply Speakers has foam surround kits they sell for about $25.  It's very easy to do and they've created one of the best instructional videos that make it easy to tackle if it's your first time repairing a speaker surround. We highly recommend these kits.  This is the kit we tested. 

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Category: Production and Creative

Published: 27 September 2020

APRE - Without Your Love

Very 80s vibe to this one, like it could have been in the movie Better Off Dead.

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Category: Fresh Cut Fridays

Published: 25 September 2020