Recording Tools That Completely Change the Way You Work
Gear that changes your approach to recording and mixing.
We look at recording tools that provide you with a different way of thinking when using them in your workflow for tracking and mixing applications.
In this Article:
One of the most exciting things about making music is the fact that there isn’t only one way of doing things. Whether you work completely in the box or prefer creating sounds with hardware, there is always another way to approach the recording process that can open new doors creatively.
To help you find the best solution for your unique workflow, we’re going to explore a range of different options that can introduce a new approach to your setup. While working with plugins certainly gets the job done fast, it isn’t always as fun as working with hardware. So hopefully, this will provide a different perspective.
Recording Tools: Ferrofish Pulse16 AE
Nothing changes the way you work quite like shifting from an exclusively DAW-based workflow to mixing outside the box, and a multichannel digital converter like the Pulse16 AE is the first step in the chain that enables you to do this. The primary difference between a converter and an audio interface is that, because it’s designed for a hardware-oriented setup, it doesn’t have mic preamps.
There are a few different ways to approach hybrid mixing, such as mixing in the box and using hardware inserts, using analog summing, or mixing through an analog console. While each of these methods has strengths and weaknesses, the fundamental difference is that, unlike the DAW environment, hardware systems have finite channel counts that we need to adapt to.
With the Pulse16 AE, you have 16 analog TRS inputs and 16 outputs, which is enough for a basic summing or mixing system. Meanwhile, the added flexibility of ADAT I/O allows you to add an ADAT mic preamp to your setup for multichannel recording applications, in case your mixer doesn’t have direct outs on every channel.
Recording Tools: SSL SiX Series Mixers
Whether you insist on recording every song you write as a love band or ensemble, or every sound is meticulously crafted with your collection of hardware synths and drum machines, an analog mixer can make your workflow more flexible. While there are many ways to get preamps and channel strips into your workflow, the SSL SiX (and BiG SiX) mixers provide unparalleled routing options in a compact format.
If you have loads of hardware and instruments to connect or only a few select items, the SiX becomes the central connectivity hub of your studio, making it easy to expand your setup with a patchbay. Besides the routing features, the SiX mixers also have impressive monitor sections, giving you precise control of your levels.
While the SiX and BiG SiX differ in size and channel counts, the BiG SiX also has a built-in audio interface that lets you easily send signals to and from your DAW. Overall, the SiX presents a different philosophical approach compared to simply plugging things directly into an audio interface, with analog flexibility that fuels this way of thinking.
Recording Tools: Zoom H4essential
A handheld recorder like the Zoom H4essential is a great way to supplement your workflow with your own collection of unique sounds recorded in the moment from an infinite range of sources, both indoors and outdoors. Besides using the built-in condenser microphones, you also have the option to add external microphones like shotgun mics to your portable recording rig.
This lets you capture sounds at a distance, and the directionality of the microphone isolates the source from other sounds in the surrounding area. The H4essential provides 32-bit 96kHz recording across four channels, and also functions as a 4×2 USB audio interface, so you can record directly into your DAW of choice if required.
While field recording is often seen as a niche in terms of its relevance in music production, a handheld recorder is also ideal for capturing songwriting ideas in situations where you don’t have access to your studio. In this way, the H4essential becomes a useful sketchpad for artists who create riffs and rough arrangements on acoustic instruments that can be restructured later.
Recording Tools: Radial EXTC
Whether you’re into glam rock or electronic music, chances are you have one or more effects pedals lying around in your home studio. These pedals can also be used as hardware inserts in your DAW, but the problem is that they use unbalanced instrument-level inputs, and the signal strength varies depending on the manufacturer and era.
When using external hardware inserts, you want the best possible signal-to-noise ratio, so luckily companies like Radial Engineering have considered this when they created the EXTC range of reamping devices. Available in mono and stereo pedals, as well as a mono 500-series module, the EXTC lets you run your pedals on an unbalanced effects loop and converts the signal to +4 dBu.
This ensures that whether you’re running the latest, most technologically advanced pedals in your chain or a couple of vintage thrift shop specials, your signal is optimized for use in your DAW. What’s more, the blend control lets you use your effects loop in parallel so you can destroy signals completely and then dial them back so the effect is only a texture on top of your original sound.
Recording Tools: Empirical Labs Distressor EL8
If there is one piece of gear that can shift your approach from simply recording at the correct gain to shaping and coloring signals on the way in, it’s the Distressor. Because it can recreate the behaviour of classics like the 1176 and LA-2A compressors, the Distressor is likely to find its way into every recording session, and its simple control set makes it quick to dial in your sounds.
In addition, the Distressor can also introduce saturation in the form of tube-like 2nd-order or tape-like 3rd-order harmonics, allowing you to enhance the natural character of a sound to add texture and depth. This provides another way to approach tracking and mixing, whether you’re trying to use the Distressor subtly or completely obliterate certain sounds.
The Distressor can also be used in a linked stereo pair, making it ideal for drum bus processing. For this specific purpose, however, there is an enhanced version called the EL8X, which features a more advanced stereo linking system that preserves the stereo image more accurately, and a “British Mode” setting that recreates the famous “all buttons in” mode on the 1176.
More about Recording Tools:
*Note: This article contains affiliate links that help us fund our site. Don’t worry: the price for you always stays the same! If you buy something through these links, we will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
This might also interest you
