| IARnetwork Event : Creator of Real Traps, Ethan Weiner, Speaks to IAR Alumni We do it at work, at home and online. We do it in the street and often in bars, and for some unfortunate IAR grads, we even do it on dates. Yes, it’s a true testament to our love of all things audio that when IAR alums get together it’s almost always for the singular purpose of what else, but talking about sound! On Wednesday, August 7th, 2012, over 50 proud IAR grads came home to 64 University Place to listen as one of IAR’s favorite Tech guys, Pete Gianguzzi, sat down with Ethan Weiner, creator of Real Traps® and author of The Audio Expert: Everything You Need to Know About Audio. What followed was a serious discussion between two audio gurus about acoustics, studio construction and why everyone should buy Ethan’s new book. There were several key points covered that night, including three of the most common mistakes that even the best engineers make. The first is ignoring the acoustics in your studio. Be sure to have bass traps and minimal absorption. The second is to be mindful of speaker placement. There’s nothing like sound wave reflections to obscure your mixing skills. Last but not least, you don’t have to spend a gazillion dollars on gear. A knowledgeable engineer can make great records with any halfway decent gear so long as they know what they are doing! Other points covered were Weiner’s hilarious recounting of some of the craziest and most ridiculous things that people do to try and improve the sound in their studios such as the infamous ‘teleportation tweak’, a sometimes expensive practice involving crystals and a telephone. He pointed out that in recent years people have started to rely on intuition over scientific fact, and that science in general is not as revered as it once was. They also discussed the never ending debate about what’s better, audio or digital. Weiner points out that digital sound has come a long way, and although analog is more accurate overall, digital comes pretty darn close. According to this reporter/IAR grad/vinyl record collector, I think we agreed that there are pros and cons to each! |
