In this week’s podcast, Julian is joined by by James Richmond and John Cornfield to discuss DAW choice.
John Cornfield
John Cornfield has been in the music industry most of his adult life. An apprenticeship in electronic engineering and an early interest in audio set him up for a career as house engineer at Sawmills studio in his native Cornwall, a studio he’s been working at since 1985. During that tenure he’s mixed and produced bands such as New Model Army, Supergrass, Catatonia, Razorlight, Muse, Wet Wet Wet, Robert Plant, Stone Roses, Ride, Ben Howard and enjoyed a fair amount of chart success. He now spends most of his time working from his home studio and touring with live shows.
James Richmond
James Richmond is an Oxfordshire based producer, engineer and multi-instrumentalist. He has worked for Solid State Logic and has written for a number of Australia publications since the 1990’s. Previously he was an IT networking consultant.
Arturia
Arturia has a wide selection of software effects, including 3 Compressors, 3 Filters, 3 Preamps, and 3 Delays You'll Actually Use. The latest release, 3 Delays You'll Actually Use, includes Delay TAPE-201, Delay MEMORY BRIGADE, and the unique and experimental Delay ETERNITY. A bundle of selected effects, called the AudioFuse Creative Suite, is included with all AudioFuse audio interfaces. Visit arturia dot com to find out more on the Effects You'll Actually Use.
Talking Points
What is your current DAW of choice? What led you to it?
We can see flashy features in DAWs we don’t know well but not realise they don’t have crucial features without getting to know them well. Which other DAWs do you think you know well enough to have a rounded opinion of them?
Is there anything in your DAW of choice which would be a deal-breaker if you weren’t already committed to it?
When we see new feature requests we often see people wanting a feature from their second favourite DAW transplanted straight into their DAW of choice. Its easy to say “just use the other DAW then” but if you could introduce a feature into your DAW of choice from another DAW what would it be?
Busy people are too busy to learn all the things they would like to. From the “outside” which DAW that you don’t know well do you sometimes wish you’d learned when you had the time?
Pro Tools still dominates the studio scene but as studios move increasingly away from the old ‘Big Studio” model towards collaborative online work and e-mixing, do we see more variety these days? Logic based studios are increasingly common and not always with Pro Tools as well. Cubase too. What about Studio One, Digital Performer or even Ableton or Reason?
Is there a similar tribal element to Digital Mixers in Live sound? Are live engineers forced to be more flexible?
If you were advising a new aspiring engineer, which DAW would you tell them to learn? - Why?
Source Elements
The Production Expert Podcast is made possible using ‘Source-Connect Now' from Source Elements, the free way to record high quality audio over the internet. Need to record an interview, or a podcast like this one, remotely? With 'Source-Connect Now', you can. Using a Chrome browser, you'll get ISDN equivalent quality audio, without the need to install any additional software. Register for your free account at the special page on the Source Elements website
Find Of The Week
James - Trinnov Room Correction
John - Tradewinds - Tribute single to Al Hodge with Leo Sayer. Find out more here
Julian - UAD API 2500
RSPE Audio Solutions
RSPE Audio Solutions design, sell and install professional audio and video equipment. Their team are available by phone, live chat, or email to receive and process orders. They have everything you need to build or upgrade your home studio to ensure you can continue to work from home. If there is anything they can do to help, reach out or shop online at RSPEaudio.com