I lied to you....

[@milanpolak]

I recently got more into mixing and noticed something: out of all the online communities the audio engineering community has got to be one of the most negative, antisocial and spiteful ones out there. If you don't like this guy or appreciate what he has to offer just move on. There are plenty of other YT channels...

[@mr_whyy]

Naaah we're not all like that don't worry

[@redbigapplefloppa302]

Honestly, from my experience the opposite is true. The online communities I am part of, KZbin channels/Facebook groups/Reddit subs etc, are actually very helpful and welcoming. Perhaps I just happen to follow the right people, but compared to some other communities I follow, the audio community is pretty chill

[@EddieKMusic]

Oh really? Try the software developer community

[@redbigapplefloppa302]

@@EddieKMusic Wdym, stackoverflow? Maybe musicians need an equivalent website 🤔 I'm a computer scientist/developer myself (still in esucation though) and I would agree that in terms of helpfulness, the IT community certainly is up there. But I don't really engage in the online community, since chatgpt 3 exists 😂

[@TheOrphicCreative]

@@EddieKMusic Yep, and the home improvement community 😄

[@Erik-Griffioen]

If i buy hardware, i watch youtube tutorials while i wait for the hardware to arrive. When i buy a plugin, i dive right in to it and only check a manual if i don't understand what i am doing after a lot of trial and error.

[@dominicbout]

New Plugin? Twist all the knobs and press all the buttons to see what they do. Then feel very stupid and reach for KZbin. Then if something unexpected happens try and find the manual.. But I agree; accessibility should be part of a review, as it accurately reflects the learning curve.

[@dalil260175]

I figured out that reading the manual BEFORE the actual purchase makes a lot of sense because a lot of times after the reading I realize that I don’t need that new plugin at all and that way I can fight my GAS syndrome.

[@tx3851]

Totally agree

[@The_Doc_Rocks]

Hi from Down Under, Wytse :) Being in a somewhat older age group, but having been in music and audio for decades, one topic that many people don't seem to comprehend fully is the changing of one's hearing acuity and frequency-selective hearing loss. This is due to many things, including ageing itself. But by far the biggest cause is high volume sound, and repeated exposure to volumes that are way too loud. This may be in the studio, and perhaps more commonly, in a band or listening to a band live. I played in bands for decades, and almost NEVER did we need to mic up the drums for a live gig, unless it was in a stadium-type setting, or for a live recording. There is NO need to mic up drums in a pub, club, or even concert hall setting in most cases. As a result, my hearing is now quite selectively poor on anything above 2.2KHz. Good up to there, not a lot above that at all. And this raises the main point of my comment: There would be a lot in similar circumstances to me, who have to mix using a combination of hearing and vision. The ability to use all these new plugins in a DAW, with fancy graphical interfaces, with frequency spectral lines whizzing about, and the ability to "see" what audio changes you are making with EQ, compressors, effects, etc is vital. This whole digital in-the-box DAW-based audio engineering thing is a life-saver for all those of us who have "wear and tear" damage to our hearing. Without the fancy plugin graphics etc, we would have had to give it all away years ago. Or put up with scathing reviews of our mixes. But I am still able to do a pretty good mix using hybrid audio and visual sensory input, and others with way better hearing than me still say the mixes sound good. So thanks to the industry for developing all the fancy visual interfaces, and thanks to you for exploring them on our behalf. :)

[@LaurenPassarelli]

I'm amazed with the options and experimenting with workflows and signal chains, how much I want to do in the DAW vs. on an analog mixer and outboard gear. When we spoke on my podcast you heard about the delay issues I was having in my hybrid setup. I have recently added two used Apollo x16s and that has made all the difference. No more delay issues. I'm often translating remembering how I worked on my Studiomaster Trackmix 32 Console vs now in Logic with the Audient 4816. One stereo output buss to a 2 track tape or digital recorder to capture the mix. Since individual and stereo tracks are going to the 4816 it's mute to have plugins on the Logic output buss. I could have a buss before the stereo buss that has plugins and also route that stereo pair to the Audient. And or have the Audient console output with all the parallel options with the Audient busses to my hardware and mix back into the same Logic project. Some engineers I've talked with have a separate computer setup as a 2 track machine to mix to. I have a CD burner I used to use. I'm excited because I have a lot of options and I will be experimenting with as many as I can think of as I finish, mix, and master my next album. I would love to hear your thoughts and choices with all of this. It is infinite and depending upon what the song needs, it varies. Fun and frolic abounds. Thanks, Wytse.

[@Furr-Tec]

when it comes to a new plugin, if i don't see a video from you, i typically wait or if it's really interesting, try out the demo (if available) and play around, ima tech savvy details type of person, so reading the manual helps a lot on gathering ideas on how to use it and what it's not recommended to use it for, from there try on a live mix and see the results for myself

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

I think this was the most riveting video of yours I've seen. Much fun. As for the Sony/MCI I believe it is, I have spent many hours repinning Molex's, cleaning relays, replacing meter lamps and removing corroded razor blades from the base pan that were not only used for editing but also to cut lines of nose candy in the studio. I can vouch for what an incredible, never ending pain in the ass those are once they have a certain number of hours on them. As for the psych ward I like to borrow from a very American automotive KZbinr, Rainman Ray, who says "We're all here because we're not all there."

[@soundman127]

I worked with MCI JH machines in the eighties, the molex connectors were just as problematic 40 years ago! I may have dropped some of those blades inside...

[@AlexReidStudios]

I read manuals when I feel lost with a plugin. I agree with you, an UI should be intuitive enough. I don't mind if for instance I'm using a very comples synth. But we all know what a compressor does, so why conplicate things more?

[@rcboy147]

i appreciate the reply on the kazrog video criticism and i agree with the UI/UX concerns, but often in these comments there is additional commentary around the audio material you use for particular plugins, i think its much easier to tell what is going on when we get a few different pieces of material to listen to, especially for us those of us that do not have extensive ear training. to be fair; most of these plugins have demos and we can do the same thing you are doing if we are further interested but i think its a good point that hasn't been mentioned by yourself yet. love the channel, keep pushing, cheers from australia :)

[@CarlosKTCosta]

I read the manual before buying as one of the stages of evaluating if something is worth buying. That applies to everything from plugins to TVs or gadgets. And yes, hybrid mixing is something that interests me a lot

[@AJOrpheo]

8 year commercial AV technician and sound engineer here. I adamantly disagree with any take on "not reading the manual". We are engineers. Your clients rely on you to understand your stuff. If i want a new piece of gear i skip the marketing and read the manual (there's already enough marketing in them anyway). It might be that i come from a more math and stem driven side of things but come on. I do agree though, the hidden menus and analog UI sucks, I agree with a lot of Wytse's takes on things.

[@p0dlyryszard]

Re: reading the manual, my suggestion would be to split the review in 2 parts. You can conduct the first part without reading the manual, to observe how intuitive the UI is and what feeling you get just "diving in". Then, pause the recording, read the manual, and continue. While this might take more effort, it would be the best of both worlds. A review in which you criticize a piece of software because it doesn't meet your expectations is not that helpful if those expectations were unfounded because the software was never designed to meet them. To quote Einstein: you shouldn't judge. fish for its ability to climb trees. This is what reading the manual (after the initial test) can help you avoid.

[@Whiteseastudio]

Been thinking about this

[@GalaxyTones]

Like you, I always dive into the plugin, but if I see anything unusual or something I don't understand, I refer to the manual. Love your videos by the way. I can see how much effort you put into it. keep it up as always 🙏

[@peptoattack]

I read some manuals, but it's not the first thing I do. When I try out a new plugin, I try to naturally get everything using the GUI, and that works most of the time, but there are quite simple plugins and others are very complex, and that's when the manual is handy.

[@ArneKopfermann]

I am very interested in hybrid mixing, since I have a mixchain with herchild, curve bender and SSL fusion. Gain staging is key, especially with instrument busses and vox and music bus before the 2bus. What I love about Studio One is the pipeline plugin that allows even to integrate a jpeg of the analog mixchain directly in the 2bus plugin. And allows level adjustments in 0.1db steps before and after the mixchain insert …

[@PekkaImmonen]

Ah must comment the acoustics part as well. I have a MSc. on acoustics and must agree that modeling or calculations are extremely heavy and complex. Like for mixing, I would recommend to "use your ears", preferably with reference tracks. Given of course that you have a good idea how the tracks should sound. There are some rule of thumb things, like working on first reflections and room resonances. Using both damping and also diffusion. Dead end / live end approach can be good as well, but it depends so much on the actual space, so "use the ears" is the simplest advice.

[@TonyMacaroni69_]

I would absolutely LOVE to get an in-depth look into your hybrid mixing workflow and how you go about recalling and printing tracks etc... I have almost entirely stopped using my analogue hardware (except my fully recallable Wes Audio bus comp) due to the fact that using the equipment slowed down my workflow so much

[@jhorconguero5808]

There is a total mix session where you can see all of his ways to do that on his channel, a very, very very long video😜

[@Whiteseastudio]

7 hours long!

[@TonyMacaroni69_]

​​@@jhorconguero5808 oh yeah, fair enough haha! I actually even watched a big portion of that video. But I think it would be nice to have a separate shorter video, where he explains his hybrid mixing approach in detail. For example, I still don't quite understand how exactly his printing method works in reaper. he always did it so quickly (and presumably with custom shortcuts?). Please correct me if I'm wrong, though!

[@Whiteseastudio]

Good idea!

[@weedwick9888]

Here's how I go about plugins as a regular user: I watch a review on KZbin, where people sat and made a lvl match demo on suitable material, quickly talked about all the features and maybe noticed some things, like: "Oh, guys, this plan just adds a smiley curve and a bunch of saturation with aliasing, don't waste your time!" And after that, if I'm interested in the product, I go test it myself. On the other hand, if there are no reviews for some plugin yet, and it attracted my attention enough that I decided to spend my time on it, I will still read the manual to know exactly what all these strange buttons do. Especially if they use some weird names or hide panels behind logos.

[@acousmatics]

Depends on the software/plugin whether I read the manual upfront or not: some plugins are made with a specific workflow in mind and reading TFM can help to get optimized results. Not everything with 'a learning curve' is to be dismissed just because the UI isn't completely self-explanatory. And even if every function in a plug-in or standalone app seems clear from first glance, at some point I reach for the manual just for some tips & tricks from the developers, or to see if I missed, or misunderstood something. Not all great minds think alike and I have to admit: some developers minds are even greater than mine....

[@theMarcoBarosi]

I always read the manual. I take for granted that the people who made the plugin are smarter than me and there might be features that I don't notice or don't completely understand at first glance. By doing this I've learnt tons. Read the manuals peeps, there's no shame in doing it :)

[@henrikfisch]

In this video you briefly mentioned the power connection of your studio and the building your in as a whole (ca. 9:34). It would be very interesting to know about this: Power source in general, batty backup (in case of power failure), safety systems for your equipment etc. etc.. Every single word from you about this would be pure gold.

[@bryanunderwood]

I always read the manual for my plug-ins and hardware. Whether I do it before or after I’ve played with the unit is random, but inevitably the manual gets read.

[@nicanthony7062]

The "Music is Love Forever" sign is visible ❤ I was hoping that stayed in the new studio. Best wishes

[@valiokeys]

Well, I do like to tweak with the plugin first and see whether I get the result I expect from it, and if I fail to do so or something isn't quite clear, or feels like I'm missing something, I do not afraid to do a bit of reading in the manual...and I do like reading it as long as it's well structured and detailed in explaining each individual component/feature, but never really is the first thing I would do before I even run it. And I agree on 100% that a good UI defeats the need of even writing a manual at all.

[@MarcTelesha]

I FORCE myself to read a manual after messing with the plugin for 5 to 10 minutes. I don't WANT to read the manual but I have learned it helps a ton!

[@helmanfrow]

Someone once told me that the difference between a regular user and a power user is that the power user reads the manual. I tend to agree. I'll jump straight into a new piece of hardware or software but at some point I'm going through the manual because there's often stuff in there that I missed.

[@gavinhammond3137]

I'm a professional audio engineer mastering engineer as well and reading manuals is one of my favorite things to do in my pastime. I recommend reading manuals to anybody trying to get into this business. So that way you can use your gear and software to its fullest potential.

[@mondojellykingsofficial6450]

RTFM! Yes - when first testing a new plugin, I load up a raw (baritone) vocal to see what it does; then, while still open I read the manual to see what I may be missing. Only fair way to judge, IMO.

[@desperateBeauty]

to answer your Q, I dive in like you and see if I can figure it out.. if it works like I thought, I may not read the manual at all. but often when I finally do, I find I missed at least one or two important bits or insights. so I really should more.

[@Zines]

I think reviews should continue to be approached the way you approach them, first by reading what it claims to do/give/change, then trying the equipement/plugin out, and then grabbing the manual to see how it is indicated there (if needed or if anything is misunderstandable/confusing). I wouldn't be able to watch a video starting with "alright so I already have read the manual and so should you, let's start now..", it would be much more public friendly to just get dived into something right away just like everybody would have done so and then providing precision when you are unable to provide them yourself in the first place when recording. And I think you're pretty good at that.

[@studioFiByfi]

I have learned to read at least a bit of the manual in the beginning to understand how not to harm the thing. I did this by misinterpreting the on/off switch behavior of a certain bit of kit that went against every other bit of kit in turning off procedure. I pressed more firmly thinking it was not responding BUT it was a timing thing. Now it is in the box of stuff that needs repaired.

[@matt_nyc_audioengineer]

Yes, I read the manual. Maybe not immediately. I may open the plugin or install the hardware and use it for a few minutes first but I almost always read the manual shortly after installing.

[@corneliuscch]

I would love to see a video on using guitar pedals for mixing! As a guitar player I have gathered so many pedals that I don’t use live (helix got rid of the need for them…) but still love them, and I’ve thought of ways to use it for mixing (and creative songwriting) but don’t know where to begin.

[@dans5529]

I would be interested in a hybrid mixing for complete newbs video. I plan to add some hardware pieces to my setup at some point, but I have no idea where I would start. Like, I know you need converters, but how do I connect the hardware to the converter? And how does it all connect to the interface? And what is a master clock? Then once all that has been set up, how do I integrate it all in my Daw? Once it’s been set up can I use a piece on my master bus in one song and for tracking in the next song, or does it need to be rerouted in some way? I’ve seen some explanations of those topics over the years, but they have all seemed convoluted and they assume like you already have prior knowledge of the topic. I think KZbin really needs an easy to follow A to Z step by step guide on adding hardware to your setup for the first time for people with zero knowledge about it. I also think you’d be the perfect person to do it because I’ve seen you break down complicated topics and explain them in simple terms before on this channel.

[@rbr2c]

You are the best and most forthcoming audio engineer I watch. Thanks for all that you do and don't change a thing! I love your channel. RBB 🎹

[@proxzi]

i recommend getting dente certified while it's still free, if you got spare time it's a rly cool challenge

[@enrifretless]

About reading the manuals/guides, sure, I always try to at least read about every control available on the UI, then after a few days I forget most of it😅 Thanks for the video, and please keep doing them 🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@curiousbrowza]

What kind of lie? Most people lie and don't know it. How can they not with all of the false infos out there? The fact that you are conscious and considerate to catch and fix it speaks volumes for your character. Thank you and have a wonderful Holiday Season! 😀

[@notgiven3114]

Yes, I do read the manual, pretty much entirely. I don't read the manual cover-to-cover before I install the software (or fire up the hardware.) But I like to peruse the manual first, then bring up the software and/or hardware, then read the manual in a "hands on" manner. By the way, I will never switch entirely to working in the box.

[@creativeheadroom]

Always RTFM. I always read manuals. It's really easy to misunderstand advanced features (or even basic ones, sometimes) and without proper instructions, a unit might sound bad because you're using it wrong. I like having a lot of control over various parameters. I'm ok with a steep learning curve. A good manual will help me get there.

[@mthomas1091]

Hells yeah on your algorithm/decision making findings. I’d love hearing what’s worked for you etc. 👍

[@yaire8648]

I was someone who read the manual first. Now I just want to touch shiny buttons and get the manual out when I don't know how to do something I want to do. Just got a Head rush mx5 and am surprised how easy the user interface is. And I had to dig into the manual as well a few times. I like the surprise of discovering things first. And I agree with you that a user interface should be easy. Also depends on how much experience you have with the type of gear you have in front of you. I have certain expectations that some things should be 'basic' and easy. If that is not the case then that unit will not be for my workflow.

[@AudiosphereX]

I used to not read the manuals until I started to take it more seriously. So, now when I open the pluging for rhe first time, I start testing it with the manual open in another screen to discover all the functions, but I have no idea if that's common practice. It would be a good idea to do a survey!

[@konjstip6156]

Hi Wytse, I believe unsmoothed low end has to be as flat as it can be prior any EQ, filters, room corrections and so on. Of course that should be coupled with even room decay, clean impulse response etc. Most people nowadays believe the frequency curve is everything because of the aggressive marketing for these room correction software . While the curve of course isn't everything, it is important. However, experienced mixing engineers can just learn and got accustomed to the sound of their room being threated on not and make great mixes... If I remember well both Tchad Blake and Andrew Scheps were working in rooms that aren't threated in their studios, I think your fellow Dutchman Junkie XL as well, and yet they are creating killer sound.

[@jamesgrant3343]

A compressor with labels on the knobs and dials - would never occur to me that it’d need a manual. Unless it was something visually that I didn’t understand or was ambiguous like ‘bias’ I’d be interested to read the intent to hear if what I thought made sense relative to the manual.

[@pywidem5823]

It’s really cool to see you upload more frequently!

[@GammelfarMusik]

I love that you skip the manual and fiddle around with the controls. You have such good ears and experience, that you usually guess it right. Its a review not a tutorial 😊

[@bfreitas456]

that Mac mini rant was the most ignorant thing I've seen in a while. the guy's stoped in time, Macs aren't really expensive anymore unless you want to, the base M4 Mac mini is a steal tbh. Also the audio drivers in macOS are simply the best available for low latency audio

[@moshpitnirvana]

I only check the manual if something doesn't make sense/have a specific question I think it could answer, which is not very common

[@TheFunkIsOn]

I Like these feedback video's! Sometimes it's good to clarify some things and even provide some extra info that wasn't in your other video's. I work in IT and we NEVER read a manual :) I think you can learn a lot more by discovering things on your own and it's much more fun that way. If i can't get something to work, i Google it, because the comminty had always better answers than a manual :) Keep on doin' what your doin', because i'm a fan of your honesty and directness.. I must be Dutch also (Yes, i am) :)

[@desperateBeauty]

I think it's cool how you dive in and reveal if the UI is intuitive. however it's kinda wasted if you then don't at least have a quick glance at the manual to see if you missed something obvious or interesting (I know you sometimes do it). I also see you making mistakes sometimes that you don't catch, such as on the smart:reverb review, setting a high Clarity value early on which ducks or unmasks the processed signal, and then leaving it like that for the whole review. I say this because I enjoy your reviews and trust your point of view, I don't always agree but I know where you're coming from which is useful either way. so it would be great to see what important features actually do.

[@baraksienra5288]

"Certainly, this part is very important. In my home studio, I was having signal problems because of too many devices connected, causing an overload since the household electrical system isn’t designed for studios. I ended up buying a power strip with a protection system to prevent equipment from burning out. Another point I found interesting in the video was when you said that the size of the studio doesn’t matter, but the vibe and how the work is done. This vibe is what people feel. Many famous people started this way. The key is to always do everything with maximum dedication and professionalism."

[@adalundhe]

^^ this! Back when I lived in Montana we had a small studio in Missoula that a lot of folks went to. They had nothing fancy but the vibes were *immaculate*. 🥰

[@baraksienra5288]

@@adalundhe in my opinion, you are 100% right.

[@maxbosoxfan171]

always telling it like it is .. thanks for the videos!!

[@natdenchfield8061]

I ALWAYD download the manual before I get the new bit of kit, ALWAYS . I only buy secondhand but still, if I can find it .. .. and then I pretty much never look at it and just dive in. Complex things like control surfaces may be different.

[@nrosko]

No i do not read the manual, only if i get stuck or i just do not understand what it's supposed to do.

[@alanbrucke]

I don't read the manual all the way through at first. But I do skip through it. Then later on I come back to it and dive into things I want to know more about.

[@nateyoung]

I’d love to see a video on hybrid mixing, sending signal out and in, A/D D/A, gain staging for analog processing, etc. It’s something I’m just getting into as I’ve always mixed in the box, before some recent (expensive 😅) purchases!

[@precursor4263]

I'm just starting to integrate a full hybrid workflow in my studio and I would love to get tips. I'm starting to go crazy with two interfaces and two patchbays..

[@OliverAmberg]

I never read the manual unless a problem appears. But I always try out the presets to have an overview what's possible and most of the time, good presets are like "the job is done". And I like screws and scratches 😉

[@Yuusou.]

If you need some network engineering support, please let me know. I have been in the realm for my whole career now and at home, I still mangle around with it. I even ordered Adam Audio A7V via Thomann (and hopefully with kickback to you) which has an Ethernet connection for remote control. I would never consider running audio synchronization over Ethernet because it adds a lot of latency differences as the mode of operation per processed network packet is as soon as possible, not as synchronous as possible.

[@frankbohle755]

To listen the monitoring, is it possible to buy a mastering session and sit next to you ?

[@abj358]

The "Manual" Question? Yes. I read them first, in a sort of "skimming the novel" way. I decided to do this long ago and I believe it is a reasonable trade off on time. Do not get me wrong, I don't "enjoy" reading the manuals. But after having done so, as I begin working with the gear I have a better feel for where I want to go with it, am versed in some of the specific nomenclature, and can find my way around the manual when I get stuck, which is a lot. I find it worth the effort, most especially when I decide not to bother and end up pulling my hair out over something which would have been apparent had I not wondered blindly off into the weeds, also something I do...a lot. For sure, some mistakes are delightfully educational. Others...not so much.

[@ArchaDaWizard]

I skim through the manual and read the most important things. When I encounter problems I usually read 2-3 times to fully remember and l don’t forget. 😅

[@jayrobarge3443]

Would love a video about levels of analog equipment going in. Like options for -10, +4 and high gain.

[@jeremylarue4503]

I'll only look at the manual if there's something specific I want to know. I've never read the manual before using a plugin and I've never read the whole manual for a plugin

[@Mitsch76]

As you say, there is more than frequency response. A bi big big missconception many people have about acoustics and speaker specs...good speakers don't have to be flat to be great sounding. It also matters very much how speaker cones move, their mass, how impulses transpose or what refelections come into play while the sound waves travel through the room. In the end it is all about what meets your ears. ;-)

[@TheGarageRecordingSC]

I’ve been recording since 2004 and I have never read a plug-in manual. If a plug-in was so confusing that I needed a manual, it would either gather virtual dust, or I would look for a KZbin tutorial.

[@PeterJaquesMusic]

I'd be very interested to learn about your solar power system in another video! Considering doing one myself, in Athens. You said you don't use a battery except for a few months? So direct from solar panels to the studio, you don't get fluctuations? anyway would love a tour if you like :)

[@Moonraker-xyz]

Equitech Balanced Power. Lowers noise floor an additional 10-15 db

[@davidbiangles7324]

Hi, I never read the manual until I find out something dosen't work in the way I expected, thenI grumble to myself and re-write anything that seem might be useful in the manual in to one single bullet-point list that I hope will prove useable. Manuals (not pointing at Kazrog) frequently repeat various poorley written segments in illogical order which dry me crazy and waste my time, energy and patience with those particular companies.

[@stripedelicstudios]

I usually don't read the manual for plugins. But I do refer to one if I'm stumped. I'm pretty sure I've got some plugins that have some cool features which I don't know about though, so I should read them more often. I definitely read manuals for my hardware synths front to back

[@EAPEntertainment1]

defiantly do a video of Hybrid mixing & recording, they both are important & I believe you have the skills to show/teach others..

[@dtek9470]

Please make that separate video you spoke of.. Love your POV

[@TValoy]

I agree 100% about your take on "read the manual". Use friendliness is so important. Hiding functionality behind a small logo seems absurd to me

[@AirDuern]

Honestly, I dive in the plugin right after installing it. It may happens that with synths I open the manual in order to get an overview of the interface and what the mouse click options could be. Yet, every plugin I buy, I do that way: download, install, drop it in my DAW and let's go! Prior to buy, I always watch a video demo-ing it, I like to see the interface and see if it makes sense. I hate plugins hiding features, 'cause it reminds me my first times on computer music softwares, searching for the DAW I need and just not having a clue of what I must do to just make sound with it!... Years ago, I tried Reason for 5 hours, gave up and never came back to it. I want to make it sound and not to spend hours understanding how to do it.

[@narrator-timothymckean]

Sometimes you use the Lewitt microphone and sometimes you use the Sennheiser MK4… is there a reason you choose one over the other?

[@JeanmarkRodriguez]

I don’t normally read the manual. I just go to KZbin tutorials after using it for a while on my productions

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

There is a danger zone in the middle. At first you read the manual because it's what you were taught to do. Then you reach an age where you think you kind of have the basics figured out and might not really bother to. Then you reach another age where you don't have a snowball's chance in Hell of using it without the manual. After that no amount of tutoring will help you.

[@tihinter]

I read the very first intro chapter of every manual first. I wanna know about the idea what it is, I‘m sittin in front of, and I want to read what the maker thought / wanted to implement / wanted to model and so on. I usually don’t read any further, though.

[@riangarianga]

I'm that guy that always quickly reads the manual before doing anything, then once again slowly after hands-on usage.

[@hireling9323]

Hi white, hybrid mixing video would be really cool, especially from you. Also I noticed that I can't play your early access videos in the background on my phone (yes I sold my soul for KZbin premium) it says this function is not available. I thought maybe there's an option to chnage that or something. Your videos are awsome as always!

[@Whiteseastudio]

That is really weird!!!

[@rnd815]

Is it possible to record speakers through Neumann KU100? I don't think you should because the price is mental, but can you maybe record something close to the real sound of your speakers?

[@PekkaImmonen]

Absolutely not reading the manual first. I do though occasionally, but then I usually have the thought that the UX design has not been the greatest success in that particular feature. I am a great fan of good UX ❤

[@Beatamins]

it would be lovely to know more about summing mixer as hybrid setup!

[@Analoque444]

3:08 In my opinion it´s not your fault & a good GUI in a VST should be intuitive and self-explanatory. Any advanced or expert settings can easily be made visible without overwhelming the user. The real question is: does anyone have the time to read an entire manual these days?

[@yoyoyayu]

I immediately dive into plugins and very very rarely open the manual, unless there's something I don't understand... Sometimes I regret not doing it because I discover some features years later, but frankly it almost never happens: I Agree with you that a good plugin should be self explanatory by interacting with the GUI and your ears alone... And also GAIN COMPENSATED xD

[@djcolinturnbull]

I think your initial impression without reading Is important. I think you should experiment with hardware and software first and then reference the manual if things are not making sense. Some hardware there are very important things specific to function or wiring that require reading.

[@rattfink9]

If I am looking for specific functons, I will read a manual before buying, otherwise I jump in and only go to the manual if I am not getting what I want out of any gear. If I read every manual, I would never actually get work done.

[@cubeaceuk9034]

I read manuals when I get stuck.😂👍 and I do get stuck now and then or miss a cool ability for months or longer. [Edit] At the end you said when you are mixing for the three or four days a week. What are you doing the rest of the time or do you enjoy long weekends?

[@Noammats]

We have hundreds of plugins and devices. They could have at least make the extra panel more obvious.

[@cefahprod]

Personally, I read the manual first, at least one quick read. Got a mixing and recording on repeat to us every day RTFM (read the f.... Manual) so I kept doing it

[@SugarTouch]

In modern UI/UX designers _mean_ you read manual. This is a trade : interface might be understandable for beginners but overloaded with all these buttons and labels. OR it might be clean and slim but 50% of features (especially for shortcuts and fast work) will be hidden somehow. All professional interfaces nowadays are made for most efficient work BUT with steeper learning curve. If you don't read manual you will NEVER find some features because software never make you any hint about its existence. Like in example your lovely "auto-gain" feature. It might be assigned on OPT-click volume knob showing you some kind of icon when activated. But you NEVER will find this without manual (or occasionally). If you like to jump right into the plugin - you're free to dive immediately. But read your freaking manual later because you'll find tons of useful features made especially for professionals you probably missed already.

[@delmixedit]

I read skim the manual when there’s no video available and it’s not self explanatory.

[@allankeenmusic]

Yes...I read the manual. So much easier and quicker to get the most out of any gear.

[@redbigapplefloppa302]

When I buy plugins, usually I know what they can do, either because I manually searched for specific functionalities I want or because I watched a KZbinr making a tutorial. If I don't know what a button does, I either google for it or consult the manual. That being said, I somewhat expect a person making a video about a plugin to know what it does/can do and give a fair representation. Especially if there is some kind of (personal) judgment involved. Otherwise it can be either unfair to the developer or misleading for the consumer. Also, I don't see the value of someone presenting something he or she doesn't know about what it really does or how it works, that presentation has no value to me.

[@mantaproject]

I don't need to read manuals here, I prefer to watch. I watch it on KZbin first and if the video is too long, I quickly go through it. I also look at the pictures on Google. They sometimes say a lot too.

[@ConfusioNIntrusioN]

i never read the manual. i just dive straight into it and if further understanding is needed i search youtube tutorials 😁

[@JuhaKuvajainen_JeanMirage]

To answer your q about how we approach new plugins: I am a huge fan of manuals. There are good ones and bad ones, but I always find them interesting. Whenever I get a new plugin, I always try it first without glancing the manual, but after a few minutes of tweaking the knobs and switches, I read what they actually are supposed to do and whether my conclusions about them have been right. In addition to that, many plugins have functions you would never figure out without reading the manual, and a well written manual always has tips and clues of how to use the plugin efficiently and creatively - especially now that many of the new plugins do not directly copy the hardware logic most of us are used to. So, thumbs up for manuals from here!

[@fractionalist]

It's tremendously satisfying watching someone with your wealth of experience & bank of knowledge fumble around discovering these Frankenstein plugins for the 1st time cold turkey, while I sit here groaning & farting.

[@nils-neumann]

a yes to the hybrid setup video!