Do you need a separate mic pre? | Austrian Audio OC18 Giveaway | FAQ Friday

➡️➡️Enter to win an OC18 here: producelikeapro.com/blog/do-y...
mic-pre/
➡️➡️Learn more about Mic Pres here: producelikeapro.com/blog/do-y...
mic-pre/
FAQ Friday questions:
Do you need a separate mic pre along with an audio interface or can you connect the mic directly into the interface? Are there benefits? Or drawbacks to either? (7:54)
Can you tell. Me again what cables you use at your studio? Do they matter? VoVox for example? (17:17)
Today’s featured question is: “Do you need a separate mic pre along with an audio interface or can you connect the mic directly into the interface? Are there benefits? Or drawbacks to either?”
I spent a lot of time researching and talking and trying out different interfaces and we use all kinds of interfaces! We have Apogee, UAD, and of course we use a lot of the Audient stuff! We also love and use the Steinberg because of its connect ability. When we go to other studios and record from different consoles we need something with tons of inputs! - The Steinberg, being a German design, is superly heavily engineered.
The reality is, I’ve done many demos using the ID14 or the ID44 from Audient, which is totally inexpensive. 90% of my life is recording 1 or 2 microphones at a time. As much as I love recording drums, I’m not doing it 8 - 10 hours a day!
With the interfaces, we usually just go straight in. When we’re tracking on an inexpensive interface, we’re using the mic pres. We’re big fans of the Audient mic-pres. They take a lot of their technology from their more expensive consoles and put it into that. However you look at it when you’re talking about inexpensive interfaces, if you don’t go over about 65% on a level, you’re never really going to hear any audible clipping. You’re printing a good clean level! Which is a wonderful thing. With a nice clean level in there, you can start applying all of the dirt on afterwards.
So why am I highlighting that? Well, if you’ve got a nice mic, something that’s not colouring it too much, and then you check your mic pre that’s built into your interface, and you print something that’s very clean with no colouration, you have the world at your fingertips!
Why do you think every week someones bringing out a new tape emulation? Saturation - Waves have got 5 brand new saturators! We love them all! Everyone’s doing really great stuff!
The new console emulation that we just tried out last week with Brainworx, the 9000J - All of these things have characteristics and sounds.
You want to print something very clean going in so that you can then choose how you want to do it afterwards. Not even necessarily afterwards- you can have that plugin running while you’re tracking. One of the wonderful things about UAD is that there is almost zero latency and you can track through their plugins.
The answer to this question is: How do you want to record? Are you someone who wants to go into a great drum room or own a great drum room and have a beautiful selection of mic pres that have a characteristic and a sound, and you want to print through it? If you are, I totally get it! I’ve got a ton of outboard gear!
Having said that, I know I could get a great result with a great singer through an Audient, through my Steinberg, through the Apogee, through the UAD! I know that I can get that result using the built in mic pres! These days it’s all about what exactly is your methodology. What do you want to achieve, and how do you want to achieve it?
❤️My Favorite Plugins:
➡️Waves MV2: waves.7eer.net/c/1205870/2868...
➡️Waves RBass: waves.7eer.net/c/1205870/2868...
➡️Renaissance Vox: waves.7eer.net/c/1205870/2868...
➡️Renaissance Compressor: waves.7eer.net/c/1205870/2868...
❤️GEAR:
➡️Stealth Sonics: stealthsonics.com/?aff=3
➡️UK Sound 1173: vintageking.com/uk-sound-1173...
➡️Apollo x16: u.audio/apollox16-plap
➡️Apollo Twin: u.audio/apollotwin-plap
Join the community here:
Facebook Group
/ producelikeapro
Facebook Page:
/ producelikeapro
Instagram
/ producelikeapro
Twitter
/ producelikeapro
❤️❤️Free 3 Part Mixing Course:
• Happy Christmas! Here'...
Sign up here to get exclusive videos and content producelikeapro.com
#MicPre
#ProduceLikeAPro
#HomeRecording
Giveaway Winners: www.producelikeapro.com/givea...
Produce Like A Pro is a website which features great tips to help the beginning recordist make incredible sounding home recordings on a budget.

[@Producelikeapro]

Do you use a mic pre? If so, what are you using?

[@learnerforever6933]

Golden Age Project Pre-73 MK II, low cost but good quality 👌🏼 better than my built-in interface pres.

[@rudolfbaethge282]

I have an Mtrack II from MAudio. It's not The pre but still can record stuff with it at 48Khz on Cubase 6.5

[@Producelikeapro]

@@learnerforever6933 thanks for sharing!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@rudolfbaethge282 wonderful!!

[@philigran4852]

I use a Neve 1073 SPX and two LAWO VT976

[@paulEmotionalaudio]

In this crazy time and still giving away a schnizzle tonne of top notch gear as well as courses and multitracks and ALL the great stuff in the academy. Love your work. Hope to one day get in on one of the masterclasses! Amazing. Rock on! 🤘🎛🎤🤩

[@rudolfbaethge282]

Love the simple message : " ....you can still do it...". Nothing beats creativity, passion and common sense. One of the things I'm learning with you videos is How To Listen. BTW, you mention the giveaway contest but can't find the link for that. Cheers Warren and once again thank you for your dedication

[@zachary963]

I love how people like Warren remind us that we have better stuff at our fingertips now, than even existed when our favorite records were made. We don’t have to worry about stuff. We can just be artists.

[@VOByRobbins]

bought my audient id44 because of your channel and just got my soyuz 017Fet mic too-- you have helpful insight for recording and mixing, thank you!!

[@johncore363]

Warren. You never let us down. Your videos are so uplifting. Thank you.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much John!

[@abemillettmusic]

Oh, and I’m quite happy with my audient Id22 and you are so right to get a nice clean signal and tweak it after the fact. And I love the Brainworx stuff. Love the 9000j. It’s legit. I have a good friend who is a fellow pro musician that uses the revstars. They sound amazing. I personally love my squier jazzmaster - sounds great and plays in tune. I get compliments on my tone all the time. You have most definitely saved me money- love your advice. Love the channel!

[@UncleWalter1]

One of the best investments you can make for yourself as a sound engineer is learn how to use a soldering iron. I was lucky, my step dad taught me when I was a kid. Anyone can learn it. So if I need good cables, I can just make them and I can make them just how I like them. Canare Star Quad, Neutrik connectors. None of the have failed. I especially like that I can heatshrink label them as mine and I can use those Neutrik coloured boots to designate cable length in resistor colour codes: green for 5m, brown for 1m and 10m, red for 2m and 20m, orange for 3m.

[@delvenhamric1200]

This is especially handy if you are building your own project studio. Custom cables, to hook up between your external equipment and your patch bay, are very expensive and you can build better ones at a fraction of the cost. Also, knowing how to solder can save recording session.

[@ORACLEBALL]

Where did you learn to make your own cables?

[@delvenhamric1200]

@@ORACLEBALL I actually got started in my electronic carrier back in Jr High School, by a neighbor that had a Ham Radio setup. I pursued electronics through High School and into the military. When I got out I went to work as an electronic repair tech for the government until I got bit by the computer craze, where I moved to computer programming and support. In retirement I still tinker around in electronics by building cable snakes and repairing guitar amps and peddles. So I have been soldering for over 60 years now.

[@ORACLEBALL]

Delven Hamric That’s awesome! What would be a good resource(s) to look into for building cables? I’ve done a little bit of soldering to repair equipment, would love to use it more

[@delvenhamric1200]

@@ORACLEBALL Prep work first! You need to decide why you are making the cable, to figure out what type of plugs that you will need on each end and how many cable pairs that you will need! Then you need to figure out the length that you will need. Be sure and consider the proper dressing of the cable run, not just point to point. I always add an extra foot or so for plug connections. Cables usually come in 1, 26, 51 pair sizes. I find that 26 pair works well for patch bay connections, but you may want a 51 pair for a long stage snake. All of the electronic stores have closed around here, so I buy on line now. Just buy quality plugs and cable and they should last for a long time. Don’t forget the plug covers and the different sizes of heat shrink and your end product will last a long time and look professional. Good luck.

[@TenisDimants]

Bought a cheap guitar cables of aliexpress and one end broke first time plugged in the amp, with the part stuck in the amp.. Had to pick apart the whole amp to get it out. Im never doing that again. Another great episode, thank you for introducing me to Wilko. Amazing!

[@flavanthensome]

Warren, I really appreciate how you seem to always answer my questions. Thank you for all you do.

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow! Thank you ever so much!! Glad to be able to help!

[@patrickkreman5424]

The performance is the most important everything else is secondary. Thank your for the great content Warren!

[@Producelikeapro]

Absolutely Patrick! Agreed 100%!!

[@williamwhite5960]

Thanks for all the positive vibes and all the knowledge you share. Very much appreciated these days. Cricket references are also fine.......but don't think us Americans will understand very many. Mention the Queen as and when you feel necessary!

[@back2the80sradio]

This is such important information. We all sometimes get caught up with the tools more than with being creative. Thank you for the content!

[@MarcBecker_Music]

Great FAQ video. Thank you, Warren. I can't wait to see your video using the Austrian Audio OC818. I fell in love straight away with the design. Looks vintage and modern at the same time. Some might say that it it's all about the sound and not the design but I always have the feeling that you can get a little bit of performance boost out of an artist when she or he thinks they're using cool and good looking gear.

[@srobson2797]

you're right it's about trying to create your own sound your own style of mixing and what works for you this is something I have been working on and struggling with 4 years I still doubt myself everyday but I know eventually I will find my sound my mixing Style and technique so thank you

[@HitTheRoadMusicStudio]

"Don't let anybody ever tell you, what you are doing is wrong !" 👍👍👍Thank you Warren, your words are amazing and motivating!!! I Stopped wasting my time on forums, getting directions and "no-go's" from people I never heard and switched to PLAP Channel :D 🤘 Don't limit yourself and get creative, that's how new methods get invented :)

[@mropeel]

I absolutely love your candid way of explaining things. There's far too much gear snobbery out there. .. mainly from people who dont know what they're talking about ... and it affects you if you get criticised for the quality (more like pricepoint) of your mics or preamps, even if you know they're talking rubbish. I used to crave expensive guitars because that's what you're meant to use as a professional ... wrong ... I have Gibson's and fenders etc but my squeeze these days is Harley Benton ... They do what I need them to do. My studio gear does what I need it to do ... I think ...lol I know how to work it. Thanks for this video. It's just what I needed today.

[@vm3699]

If the polar pattern can be changed after the recording it is an outstanding concept those guys have put into work .I never thought that would ve been possible

[@RC32Smiths01]

Always happy to see these on the Weekend! Cheers and hope you are doing well!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi RC32 thanks ever so much my friend!!

[@RC32Smiths01]

@@Producelikeapro You are always welcome my man!

[@kingdan6776]

Thank you for clearing that up for me. I keep trying to find a good mic pre thinking that will give me the cleanest signal. I appreciate the advise of 65% interface gain. I have tons of plugins that emulate mic pres but I was getting alot of bad advice online about how to get the most pro sound. I will continue working on what I can afford like my mic booth and just use what I have for now.

[@Handd4u]

Wow, I always appreciate folks sharing knowledge. Those seeking info about Mic preamps - skip to 7:50. The beginning 7 minutes consists of a dancing sales job about microphones.

[@squoblat]

I bought myself a few channel strips with variable impedance that I use as pres, had good results but rolling in compression and EQ on one strip is quite nice. Had good results with a pair of modified ART Pro channel II's feeding into the line ins on a Focusrite 18i20. Preamps definitely gave me way better results than the standard Focusrite mic pres.

[@Take-the-Ticket]

Thanks for the reminder of freedom. GAS sometimes intimidates me. I'm sure the producers of plugins and hardware like that...sometimes the lack of everything convinces me of inability and I want to hear a message like this, especially from a pro that could have nearly anything.

[@Jeremy_Kinsey]

Excellent reply to the mic pre question, talk about a genuine answer! Keep em coming, Warren ~

[@tootory9506]

Just want to let you The new lighting looks fantastic. Warm, cozy and classy!

[@LetMeDieLord]

Warren thank you SO💖 SO💖 SO💖 MUCH for that long answer to the mic pre question!!! I truly love you for that!! You're the best!!!

[@Producelikeapro]

You're very welcome! I'm so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren

[@GarryNichols]

That's exactly what I always say, track it clean. You can always colour it later.

[@KeenApollo]

Not the same as running your signal through a transformer etc though. I tried forever to just use a interface and plugins and it sounds good but I was looking for that depth so I went ahead and invested In external preamp

[@legacyShredder1]

@@KeenApollo I agree with you, but in regards to the video we can still add transformer and tube saturation after the fact by running it back out of the I/O.

[@nugetta]

Hello, what model?​@@KeenApollo

[@jim2010mopar]

Anytime I doubt my methods and or equipment I tell myself Warren or Chris could make it happen so I keep recording and mixing. Thank you for saying it.

[@Producelikeapro]

Yopu're very welcome Jim! I'm so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren

[@1verzhn]

Great video warren. I like you endorsing the audient stuff. I recently bought an id44 abd i love it! But all the comments about not listening to what others tell you is whatt i need to hear. We just did our 12 song album on cheap presonus mic pres, so its good to just get it out there and let the world let you know whats good.😎

[@MartinLuxen]

Thank you Warren! Marvelous questions, love the first one and of course the answer. Anyone these days, even on a tight budget, can make great music! Even if you only can mix/record on headphones and need to do everything in the box because of noise/neighbors! So much wonderful digital stuff (emulations) these days! Do I need my Fender Deluxe Reverb tube-amp? Probably not, not even live, but I love it and I don't mind dragging it around!

[@davebeingdave]

Hit the nail on the head. Covid binge watching your channel, good stuff 💪 Subscribed

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!! I really appreciate it

[@SupraphonicsSurfCombo]

Just getting into outboard mic pres. Spent a long time just using pres in the interfaces. My RME interface has lovely pres. I use the outboard ones for character and specific sounds. Many are great and not expensive. My new fav is a $200 unit (Soyuz Launcher... wow great on SM7 mic). And the saturation plug-ins (e.g., URS saturation) can add color after the fact regardless. Love what PLP is saying here. Everything has its place. Don't need to spend a lot to get great sounds. Most important thing is to make the sounds with whatever you got.

[@back2the80sradio]

I have learned so much from you for the radio show. Thank you for all the information. Greetings, Warren from Back to the 80s radio!

[@graxav]

Cheers for that Warren! My problem is gain. Presonus seems to lack gain on the input, so I run dynamics through my old Roland VS880 just as a pre and may iclude a bit of eq .. gonna have to get something less of a hassle with 48v for my Cmic. Love that Austrian!!

[@splashesin8]

Reassurance since it's awhile that I recorded. Everyone asked what I used and I wrote back, "a microphone and line in." That was all. I had no idea how to use anything else. Thanks to you, there's so much more I can do now next time if I want. It's just nice to know that I don't particularly need a mic pre. It's kind of like secretly knowing that this is, my natural hair color. 🙂

[@cozmovox]

working around things is an excellent learning process, and in the end if you're passsionate enough you'll end up buying hardware knowing how to use it. I bought external quality preamps and now I'm finally rid of some working around because they give me the sound I want and I'm looking for.....same goes for plugins...once you have hardware and know how to use it things get pretty easy and inspiring. We're living in a time where those things become affordable for those who want to go for it.....

[@manicstations1790]

Love the videos and the knowledge you share! Thank you for everything you do, really helps me develop my own skills for my own work with what you share!

[@neovxr]

Thanks for mentioning these Austrians! (I visited their office together with a friend who knew some of them well, in the old times before the company got sold. Very happy to see this kind of comeback.) But shouldn't we say _these_ are true experts? ^_^

[@andynonimuss6298]

I'm happy to now know about Austrian Audio mics!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much

[@RicardoTolbert]

I always try to use external pres when I have the chance. Plus doing so made me understand the emulations better.

[@jackstanton1091]

Thanks, Warren. Fantastic insight as always

[@KenjiKitahara]

I agree about the gear thing. It can take the focus away from the music... apparently Bruce Swedien was raving about some new great sounding cable he got, and Quincy Jones said out aloud to everyone in the session "Bruce is having an AES convention!". And later he said to Bruce, "it's ALL important"... what I get is that great gear is important, but don't forget the present moment we're capturing. But as for my favourite cable, I like Evidence Audio. I recommend trying the Lyric HG as a XLR lead, and for guitar/bass.

[@delvenhamric1200]

I feel that having different mic pre's would be the same as having an expensive mic for your studio. Being able to say that you offer these may be a draw for clients to your studio. But you are right that by just getting a quality recording is the most important thing, you can add character in the box.

[@danialdevostmusic]

Love hearing about the Austrian Audio mics, especially the single capsule one. Get the sound of an old 414 for a third of the price of a new one? Brilliant!!! Also some interesting crossover in technology with Lewitt

[@demantim]

It's not exactly the sound of a vintage 414. It's a little more transparent. I like it more actually! (This is from an OC18.)

[@J-DUB-F1]

ABSOLUTELY!!…...use what you got, and get to getting!!. No excuses.... Create!! All my mics, pres, compressors, and 90% of my drums....all are at a friends place where we record. Since We're all quarantined I'm not getting it all. I dug around at home and found an old Radio Shack PZM, and it works fine. I'm going to use it in conjunction with my Zoom Q2n. I'll adapt and make it work! ;:-)

[@sonicsquare]

Just bought this mic yesterday. Man the sound is crisp and translates just awesome. Guitars sound magical with the dual capsule recording capability. I was going to buy Townsendlab L22 with kind of the same features and changed my mind when I heard that it can't utilise the Unsion Technology of the Apollo. More over this Mic sound extraordinary for its price.

[@altbouch]

Warren you are amazing! I don't know if I publicly acknowledged my appreciation for what you did on our Blue Coupe record (Million Miles More) but your mixing was on the level of the best mixers I've worked with, and as you already know, I've worked with some great ones. I also want to thank you for this Produce Like A Pro channel because I binge watch you every time I'm compelled to mix something. The idea of how you feel about the tool your working with is something I was just talking to Richie Castellano (Blue Oyster Cult) and he was saying that he got an EVH style guitar and it was one of the nicest playing and sounding guitar he ever had. It made him play better. I had the opportunity to play that guitar in 2016 during the BOC AOF anniversary recording when the string on my SG broke and… I felt the same way. The guitar was so nice that I felt like I was playing better. I had the same experience using a Manley Gold Reference. It made sing better. Another mic might have made someone else sound just as good as this one did but I have it in my mind that this is the best mic I have ever heard for my voice. I think having that belief makes me sing better. It might be just the way you hear things. I have however sung in many great mics with amazing engineers getting my sound and having used this mic for an entire 12 song album my feelings about it haven't changed. Still best.

[@Producelikeapro]

Wow! Thank you ever so much my friend! Thank you for your incredible compliment! That means so much to me! Thanks ever so much for sharing your experiences with us, it helps so many people!

[@DavidD-un5oy]

I love the id44. Mic pres are great, lots of connections, two headphone jacks. Can’t beat it.

[@ctnb_ph1577]

Hi Warren... I'm so thankful to you for refreshing my memory as I saw Wilko Johnson in concert in Brussels back in '76. On the day after, my brother bought a second hand Telecaster. Dr. Feelgood was so huge on stage. "...Come along with me ... That's - a stupidity!"

[@Jamespendle]

We just recorded an album with the OC818 version with my band Millie Manders & The Shutup. Unbelievable sounding mic!

[@Hassan_Omer]

Before I got seriously interested learning about audio engineering I once had the chance to record songs on a Rupert Neve Portico II Channel Strip, everything i recorded through that strip sounded better to me than my recordings through a audio interface which was a RME Fireface UCX. Besides the colouration from the channel strip all my mixes sounded so good even after knowing little about proper mixing. The sound was big and the vocals were upfront. This i never was able to achieve from any audio interfaces i used before. So it made me believe that high end pre amps do make a big difference. All the sounds fitted so beautifully jelled together that was a huge surprise for me. I have a focusrite 6i6 2nd Gen right now but i always find that if i record especially vocals by setting it's preamp gain at around 65% i hear clipping in the recording which sound quite bad. In this case i think the performance of the singer was always great and we always did take care of gain staging. I am still learning to get the best results possible through my Scarlett interface but i am also going to get a 500 series module of Neve 511 pre amp.

[@Shadowsreach1]

awesome channel! I love the positive attitude and all the great information! Thanks!

[@You4Final]

I guess that was the longest but also clearest answer I ever heard about that question. Thanks for not saying "you need to buy this and that, ..." At the end it´s always creativity, I agree 100%

[@ytb917]

we don't need to buy a $250,000 console anymore. so the least we can do is spend some money on some first rate preamps and mics. get a neve for coloration, a millennia or gml for clean, a fearn if you also want a tube preamp, and you are suddenly quite competitive with the big studios at that point. they still have you beat on room acoustics and monitors, but they don't have you beat on signal chains.

[@Producelikeapro]

Yes, rather well said indeed!

[@videoriatto2011]

Good Philosophy

[@lovecraftmusic8717]

What mix-pre if I wanted to record a guitar amp and achieving an old school 80's rock-metal clichè sound like Boston or Iron Maiden?

[@derwinkle]

Both room acoustics and monitors can be offset by working in the box. Also with necessity to "mix for the listener" and the listener spending an average of $60 on headphones....there's almost no use in heavy spending on headphones if you want an honest representation of what the audience will hear

[@derwinkle]

Signal chain and good pair of ears is 90% of studio success. I happen to know that one of the recent Grammy performances was mixed and mastered in protools with a Scarlett 2i2

[@EddieVanAidan]

I’ve got a DiMarzio and a Neutrik jack cable that have lasted 12 years. Saved me a few quid for sure!

[@adammusic1124]

I "Really Needed" to hear your confirmation Warren, on being able to make clean sounding recordings, sound like they went through high end gear... Interestingly enough, I had a recording done over 10 years back now when I knew nothing of recording at all, and when I first got into home studio recording, could never get that "magic" that this one album had (albeit it was done by a top engineer as a prize I won, never could afford that level otherwise) and I reference those tracks, to mine done at home, I could never get the vocal sound until I come across Antares Mic Mod, which modelled the Neuman U87 they used, and then I used an emulated Neve Mic Pre, a Puigtec EQ and 1176 and 2A compressor and went ... OMG that's 95% the tone!... I've since been obsessed with getting that magical tone of hardware imparts from various plugins, at my humble little home studio, and am just blown away at when you know the "mechanics" of what's going on with settings and HOW these great engineers (including yourself Warren) are doing, whether on plugins or hardware, that experience IS the real "Magic" not the gear... There was a mix of yours I was learning from in your academy one time, and I did everything you did move for move at one stage and still couldn't get the sound out of my computer, yours just sounded "BETTER" as close as they were, but I put it down to your experience and doing something I missed, there's no replacement for experience...

[@nefdsnet]

Warren, please make sure to appropriately compress/EQ/highpass/whatever the _Wiener Schnitzel_ out of your tracks recorded with Austrian Audio microphones. 😂 Greetings from Austria! 🖖

[@BullFunkZoo]

Great video as usual Warren! On another note, I also use a hybrid setup running into a 32 channel summing box with a bunch of outboard. My question is or can you make a video explaining how you have routed your hybrid setup into your SSL? How is it routed from your convertors (how many channels) into your SSL? How is it going out of your SSL (how many channels) back into your convertors? How did you organise your sum outputs? example my 32 channel summing has kick, snare, kick-snare comp, bass into mono outputs. Drums, Lead Vox, Backing Vox, Gtrs, Loops, Percussions, Keys, Acosutic guitars, Vocal effects, Drums effects, rear bus comp into stereo outputs... What is the work flow you run on? I have not found or have not stumbled upon a video with the above. Would be awesome if you can do that. Happy Mixing and stay safe :)

[@crosstownsound]

I mostly use the mic pres included on my RME interface. They are clean and uncoloured. I also have a Focusrite Octa-Dynamic and an Audient ASP 880 connected via light pipe which are used when recording a whole band. When I do want a bit of tube colour, I have a dual channel Sebatron mic pre. But I find the mic and it's placement makes for more of a difference over the pre. But of course the performance of the players and the instruments themselves are the biggest influence on the sound, not the mic nor the pre. When I started out, I recorded pretty much everything with SM57s and 58s because that was all I had or could afford.

[@TheSuperUnknowns]

love this vid and always get inspired by Warren...trouble is half way through every vid I find myself loading up a project and digging in to it haha

[@paulphilippart7395]

My favorite guitar is an Aria procat II,from an animal rescue second hand shop,£15.00,got it to brush up on fret dressing skills,did the electrics replaced bridge pick up,it turned out so well its my go to guitar everyday I love it,the tuning stability is unbeleivable.

[@learnerforever6933]

Question for next FAQs : any tips or advice for studio cleaning and maintenance? How do you clean cables, desk and especially areas behind racks & patchbays!!! I have a small studio but suffering from dust 😭 can’t imagine how you can keep things clean gently without damaging knobs or faders, or without pulling wires from some devices by mistake 😅

[@PuRe_AdDicT]

If you don't want to move anything , a handheld hoover and a can of compressed air, but you should move and clean everything, the dust will eventually kill something.

[@johncox2552]

I use Lysol wipes to clean my cables ( I was freaked out over how nasty they were,... seriously!) and those wipes do a great job. Then I use Armor All wipes to add some protection and you can feel it making the cables more "supple ", or "flexable", and then shiny. As far as connectors you can purchase Deoxit (an electronics cleaner) at big box stores. There are other brands. I found some in Walmart's automotive section. Just spray the TRS cable's tip and wipe. You can spray this into the TRS jacks on electronic equipment then work a TRS plug in and out for a few seconds. Then wipe clean.

[@learnerforever6933]

Thank you very much Paul & John, appreciate your ideas 👌🏼

[@Martin-kn6vc]

I used to get so hung up/stressed out over gear in my early 20s thinking that I needed to get the expensive stuff to be a "real" engineer. Now I don't care about buying new gear at all really - I'll only buy something if it solves a problem for me or improves workflow. A few external mic pres/outboard pieces are cool for sweetening the source tone, but really the performance and backline is the most important, in my opinion.

[@mdoyleproductions9358]

I love the message that we don't need expensive gear to record with. It's very true. I try (and it is difficult) to stick to the mantra that you have what you have...so just go use the shit out of it and stop worrying that you can't accomplish what you want to because yours isn't "expensive" enough. It doesn't matter. Performance and good playing is the key ingredient, above all. Now, that being said...hearing yourself through an awesome mic or pre-amp, or both can be insanely inspiring (especially vocs, where most people are the most insecure with themselves). So, I say split the difference - get some gear that WILL be quality and make you sound better AND play better, right out of the signal chain...but don't live beyond your means, nor let price fool you into total paralysis. Either way...just keep doing shit. Eventually, you'll piece together what you always hoped for.

[@TxBassMan31]

I could really use a nice microphone! Thank you Austrian Audio and Produce Like A Pro for the opportunity. Good luck everyone! :)

[@dustinf11]

Man I like this guy. So likable and inspiring.

[@borndrumming1972]

Great video as usual. Sometime back I purchased an a r t m p a 2. It is a 2-channel preamp with all kinds of cool little bells and whistles. When I got it home I did an upgrade to the tubes. I don't process everything through it but I love the sound of an overhead mic warmed up just a little bit. I also love to route my DIY guitars through the preamp. By doing this I am defeating the instrument cable altogether going into my interface. So my guitar plugs into the preamp and on the back side it is coming out balanced XLR. The unit will allow you to choose the proper decibel rating for the output as well. This gives my di a little bit of tube flavor before going to an amp Sim. I never use it on Kick snare Tom auxiliary percussion or any other line instruments. Mainly just the ones that you want to add that color and flavor to like vocals and guitars/ Bass and definitely over heads or a flavor enhancement to a room mic. For a hundred and fifty bucks plus the cost of new tube I have been completely satisfied with having at least the one channel of tube saturation for particular instruments and voices. Great video is always cheers.

[@borndrumming1972]

Also one other point. When using the preamp to bypass the instrument cable or mic cable input on the interface with the art unit, I am able to adjust for different Mike impedances. If I take a microphone and plug it straight into the interface I am stuck with the mic impedance that they have chosen for General use and purpose. But, by going into the preamp first I can choose the proper mic impedance and then that signal is processed and then routed into the interface. This allows one more level of honing in on the richness and flavor of the microphone.

[@richardaling5278]

In fact i do track drums most of the time, i'm a drummer;). And i track 21 channels at once (17mics, 1 metronome and the stereo out). I use the Soundcraft Signature 22mtk at 48K. Nobody ever mentione that interface and i love it! I only drum with headphones on and it sounds great! 4 kickmics (e901, d6, at2035 resohead and subkick), 3 snaremics (top and bottom Audix i5, otk-mic at2035), sidesnare, 4 toms, ride, overheads and roommics... For the rest i use the Behringer UMC1820 with the Midas preamps. Also great! I cannot imagine using an other interface for recording drums and having the best monitoring on my Beyer Dynamic dt770pro!

[@LoudOgreStudios]

I wonder how much I have to study to become as good as you!! Btw great vid, you are really inspiring!! And you "Mix in the Box" was reeeally amazing!!! Helped me a lot with my mixes for my YT Channel!!!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much my friend! I am so glad to be able to help! Have a marvellous time recording, many thanks Warren

[@raymiller8487]

Warren, I am using an ID44 interface. Knowing that you’re a guitarist, experienced engineer and use that very same interface, you are the perfect person to ask: when recording DI electric guitars that may or may not be re-amped, do you use the DI on the interface or a separate DI box?

[@TheOnlineBusker]

Hi Warren, with a SDC such as the Lewitt LCT 140 Air, should you ALWAYS close mic the acoustic guitar? I am getting a better image by moving it back a bit, aiming it on the overlap of the fretboar where it joins the body, like you would with a LDC mic, this goes against all your advice for recording acoustic guitar.....thanks for any words of wisdom!

[@MarkHolden73]

Great points made once again. When using shared effects would you print the solo effect for blending in or just leave everything going through the shared FX channel. For exmaple you might have a vocal going through a reverb as well as Guitars etc. Would you print the FX channel to its own track with just the Vocal going through then just the Guitars etc, so that you have tracks of just the single reverbs. I would assume one reason for doing this would be reduce cpu load when working in the box. Would there be any reasons for doing this to help the mixing process.

[@andreasarneth607]

Using Audient ID44 which is awesome. A Focusrite ISA One sounds very nice along with it! And I actually use a red Fender Curly cable... so what probably can go wrong?😃

[@JackalovichMokov]

Hey Warren. Thank you for your videos. You are great help.

[@Alien-qw5ks]

I make all my cables myself, when you're on a budget and you know how to solder, it is the best option. You can make high quality cables for a fraction of the price, just order neutrik like connectors and signal cable with a inner wire diameter of 0,5mm2 and you will have made yourself hi conduction cables. Carbon shielded cable is even better but more expensive. For speaker cable it is best to use oxygen free copper cable, or silver coated cable with a diameter of 2,5mm2

[@enado18]

I like the idea of recording flat and altering on the computer. Would you have microphones to suggest that work well on vocals with this approach?

[@abemillettmusic]

As always- love your channel!

[@bradbarbour23]

When I record guitar through my sm57, e906 and audio technica condenser through my focusrite scarlett 2i4 it sounds like there is a blanket over the mics, and not a full enough dynamic range. Would a better interface or Mic pre through my 2i4 help? P.s I'm trying to record my vintage amps and guitars that sound amazing and I'm trying to capture some of that magic. Cheers

[@ivanmaskov]

Hey warren should monitors have depth or "wall of sound(soundstage)" ..what is easier to mix on?..if you know what i mean

[@Delamere_Music]

Hi Warren, thank you for your videos and awesome advice. I just have a question.. I currently own a Neumann Tlm 102 and a UAD Apollo twin interface. They sound great, but I would like to upgrade my sound and start adding analog gear to my studio. My question is, if I was to purchase a Neve 1073 Pre Amp, would the sound quality be the same going through a UAD Apollo twin as it would going through a Focusrite 18i20 as I will be using the Neve Pre amp instead of the UAD or Focusrite? Thanks for taking the time to read my question. Thanks, Ben.

[@Wizardofgosz]

I would recommend making your own cables. Go to Markertek or a company that sells bulk wire and Neutrik connectors, and you can learn to solder making cables, and get world class cables for half the price.

[@vm3699]

You are the first thing that I see after waking up today what a way to start a day . U are my guruji 🙏🙏

[@Producelikeapro]

You're very kind my friend! I'm so glad to be able to help!

[@asabrown1430]

Great info, very inspiring, God bless to you and yours 🙏🏾✌🏾

[@pablopicasso7343]

Hi! I use an Analogue-Addicts-Preamp (Stereo), made of EMI-Parts from the 60s (REDD-Type). And I am very happy with it! It is also a luxury D.I.-Box for Bass ...

[@nathanvleugels1]

So you mentioned a couple of times the importance of a good microphone. I have some alright equipment but after watching some of your video's I feel like I should buy a nice condensor microphone (instead of some rack gear) that I can use for vocals and guitar. what would you recommend? what are some of the best allround microphones for under €300? thanks

[@tarkett8529]

just use what you have or can reasonably afford, you'll get better results by improving miking technique and training your ear. Can't fault the Audient gear (been using a ID44 for a while now) and have a Golden Age Project R2 which sounds pretty nice on a cab with a Sennheiser e609, both of which cost me less than £200 together.

[@ConnyConrad]

since I'm starting soon with some Vocal recordings for a project, to win that mic would really help now :)

[@darrenross9168]

Hi Warren, always great advice, Thank you, all the best.

[@lancediesi]

How do you have a remote recording session with someone somewhere else? I would love to know how to do a live recording session. I’ve been trying to look it up. Even just being able to send a friend a song and he does a part and sends it back to me. We can’t seem to figure it out. Does it have to be the same DAW? Can it be a PC to a Mac or vise versa? Can a version of pro tools be too old from the one that’s sending it? Any help with this would be GREATLY APPRECIATED. Thanks!

[@alcatrazkidz1982]

Hi Warren. Love the videos. I'm looking to record an E.P on my old tascam digital portastudio and get the best quality sound from it. I want to do as much as I can with hardware before I put it into my DAW and mix it. What would you recommend using, ie outboard eqs and compressors.

[@chrisdixon7321]

Re: cables - Check out Audio Envy out of Fort Collins, CO. In a world full of over-priced snake oil, they're making amazing cables at a reasonable price. Thanks for this video! It answered a lot of questions I've been mulling over. Cheers!

[@tedpaine1465]

YES! I found the Audio Envy build quality and sound to be above industry standard, so natural and surprisingly cut down on mixing fatigue... Just excellent:)

[@tomkennedy2415]

These videos are great, Some man for one man Warren!

[@TheBobyMusic]

Awesome, as always! But what kind of camera are you using, because it's looks amazing! Thanks Warren!

[@Chris-kj3bp]

Thank you for making this video. I'm a long time drummer and industry person (production designer on tours,) and now I'm for the first time getting into recording myself on drums. I have Cubase and a Behringer UPhoria 8-channel interface as well as Audix Mics (I5s and D6) on the kit. I'm happy with it because I've been learning all this for the first time - but I want to know if a Pre-amp will help give my drums that "colour" you're talking about. What do you think? I don't want to spend a lot, and if it's best to just use the current pre-amps in the UPhoria interface then that's totally great. Lol. But yeah, I would like to have some better sound coming from the drums and maybe a pre-amp will help?

[@grsfhhytff]

Wilko Johnson.... LEGEND! I once spent a bit of time trying to emulate his style (without the pick doing the sharp chops up and down)! It HURTS, haha! He's probably the best living Rock 'n' Roll guitarist! A mad, energetic genius!

[@Producelikeapro]

Fantastic! Yes, I'm a huge fan!! One of the best live shows I've ever seen!

[@grsfhhytff]

@@Producelikeapro There's some good footage of him playing a festival with Madness! He's had some life! He wasn't even supposed to still be alive right now and he still tours!

[@DanielMoscarda]

Hey Warren, thank u for your very motivational speech, like always .. Have a good time

[@greengo9]

Great video. You look marvelously well!

[@mdp303]

Thinking about what you said about getting great tracks from great performances rather than the need for high cost gear. It would make a great series here to look at some of the classic studios and their respective house bands and analyse why they produced such great sounding tracks with limited recording gear (by today’s equivalent). I’m thinking Stax, Muscle Shoals, Motown, American Studios etc. I was listening to vocal recording of Clean Up Woman on Aston Records and as well as a fantastic performance the vocals sound great. How much is performance and how much is production and engineering?

[@peterbrandt7911]

It's a shame, that AKG moved. If they had built a second workshop for more inexpensive stuff, ok, but giving up the company tradition is sad. I wish Austrian Audio the best of luck. I still love my 414, which got fixed and maintained by an ex AKG guy in Vienna not long ago and with this new company this craftsmanship will stay alive over there. Regarding mic pres, I just like to have one with character and a real tactile feeling, although I also print clean or with an Unison plugin.

[@ChrrZ]

exaclty peter, its really a shame!

[@kristapspucens]

I have a question about ADAT and Word clock... I want to expand my presonus 1824 with more channels throu ADAT, but do i have to connect word clock too? There is a mixed (ha ha) replays on internet and i would like to hear your professional point of view. Thank you, i have learned a lot from you, really really appriciate it!

[@CaffeineFC]

I wasn't expecting a Wilko Johnson reference with the curly cable. Figured we'd get another Brian May dissertation (which I'd have been grateful for haha) . IDK if you've ever answered this on a FAQ Friday but - you often reference Geoff Emerick as being 19 or 20 and inexperienced when he started working with the Beatles. Is there anyone on the other end of the age spectrum (ie early 40s-ish lol) that a person like me can look to for inspiration as someone who got into mixing/engineering later in life? I've long been fascinated by the process but for a variety of personal reasons just never took the plunge. Is it too late? Thanks for being a fantastic resource and educator. Your infectious passion is really what's got me thinking about trying to learn this stuff. Stay well.

[@The_Absurdistt]

I'm in my late 40's, been changing careers to audio engineering for the past 5 years... it's a huge struggle but well worth the effort to pursue ones passion. It's never too late. Let nothing/ nobody stand in your way, especially yourself. Cheers.