Another shameless plug for barefoots

[rll]

Yes it has happened, we have joined the penguins and jumped off the cliff. We got the MM27's about a week ago and fell sub, woof and tweeter. Sorry for the bad pun.

The first thing we noticed was that they were very forgiving as far as set up. Our room does not have a huge sweet spot in terms of speaker placement, but they seemed to sound identical in various positions. This was weird as we have auditioned several speakers and never found this to happen before.

Next was the sub. After doing a lot of tracking and mixing on ProAcs and NS-10's, it took some getting used to hearing so much more low end information. But the great thing was how connected the sub sounded to the rest of the speaker. Suddenly a drum set sounded like drum set--the whole thing. You no longer had to fill in the blanks, and you could actually hear the most detailed nuance about your kick, everything from the attack to the sustain. And just as important, what all that low end info was doing to the rest of the sound. It was also very easy to tell depth of field and where each instrument was sitting in relation to others.

One of the initial problems was listening to CD's for pleasure. There are many schools of thought about monitors, one being that you should be able to monitor on something that is enjoyable to listen to, and another, that speakers should tell the whole truth and this often means having to endure some pain. One of the pleasures of working on ProAcs is that we have found them very easy to listen to and that they translate well. (However, it was always a bit of a guessing game when it came to the bottom end.) The first few CD's we listened to were difficult on the Barefoots, as they made records I'd listened to for years a bit less enjoyable. They sounded like I remembered them, except there was some glaring extra information that I prefered NOT to hear. I knew there was a problem here, since most AE's want to hear as much as is possible, or so I thought. On the otherhand, we know that many have mixed on, for instance, NS-10's for years, and have made it work great. So in dealing with the Barefoots, it's defintely a new thing for us, and led to many discussions between all of us at the studio about different philosophies about listening.

So we have taken the plunge and so far it has made our jobs much easier-- we hear more, can make more accurate decisions and work faster. It’s like an electron microscope. A big added bonus for us is the volume. Our main room is old school with no seperate control room, so after a take, the band could be a bit frustrated not hearing back their take with the same intensity. The Barefoots get as loud as a jet and never break up. But there’s an added benefit: the feeling of playing a drum kit in the room, and then walking over towards the Barefoots and hearing not just the same sound you played, but the depth and intensity being the same. You FEEL like you are standing in the front row of a club with a drum set being pummeled right in front of your eyes. The realism is freaky-deaky.

Another thing I’ve noticed in reviewing various CD’s, is that as you go through the years, there definitely seems to be a brightness factor happening, especially as you hit the digital years. It’s great being able to finally distinguish this with confidence. Not to mention, when you crank or cut eq, the Barefoots really reveal the character of the eq. Crap gear seems to not hold up as well on these.

So the initial reaction is overwhelming. Also have to mention that Vintage King and Barefoot have been especially great in the customer service department—a huge benefit when dealing with a new product.

Please excuse the long raving rant here, I hope this helps some of you sitting on the fence.

rll

www.mavericksrecording.com

[yeloocproducer]

I had a real similar reaction to mine... certain de facto mix reference standards and modern "classics" didn't sound as good as they used to in regards to sonics (not fun)... which sort of freaked me out at first. But other titles in my collection, both modern and vintage... still sounded incredible. As I listened more, part of it is what you're noting... that as L2 and the digital stuff comes in... many records have a lot of grunge and edge in the upper mids and highs. Some records have been able to avoid it, but others... well, they're just edgy. And with these speakers you can hear that. It's not that you're going to start mixing darker... but you can dial in the highs in a more flattering way that will translate better overall. You can still get a competitive, bright, cutting sound if that's what you're shooting for.

Also, I will say that I think the speakers need a few days to break in a bit, which is normal. So if you buy a pair, be prepared to let them settle in and get used to them. It was a pretty huge adjustment from Dyn BM15s/ NS-10s for me, but I'm now getting stellar results when mixing. I'm finding that I work harder during a mix, but I'm also mixing faster than ever (full mix plus fx and rides in around 4 hrs.) It sounds contradictory, but when you can hear what you're doing properly... it makes sense.

The low end extension is awesome. Should I hi pass at 20 or 30? Now you know. Plus the register btwn 80-150 is great... just the right amount of punch with no funny crossover stuff going on as far as I can tell.

They get loud... but they also get quiet too. I've been able to mix accurately at very low volumes. They remain flat in the low end as you turn them down. That alone is worth the price of admission.

I've had mine for 3 wks and wanted to let the dust settle a bit... but I'm super pleased thus far.

[Tetness]

Bobby. glad you like the speakers. Very cool studio you have there!

[Matthew Murray]

+1 on the shitty sounding records bit.
One of the albums I usually test with is Radiohead's OK Computer, and when I first got the Barefoots, I popped it in and sat back and listened with awe. It's modern sounding and well compressed for certain, but it's beautiful, and the Barefoots showcased it.

Then I popped in the new Dears album. Hmm. The Barefoots revealed a number of problems there that I hadn't fully noticed on my home stereo. Very muddy sounding record, and the barefoots made it sound like ass.

These two comparison albums helped me deduce the same realization you guys have come to -- the Barefoots simply tell you the truth.

I must admit, as an indie rock lover, it's a truth I'm having a hard time hearing sometimes

[barefoot]

Originally Posted by rll

www.mavericksrecording.com

Thanks for the thoughtful post Bobby. I really like it when folks honestly share both the pros and cons like you have. I know for some people the MM27 is a bit of a shock at first listen. However, when I was developing the basic design concept with the MiniMain12, I felt like there was a sort of overwhelming inevitability to it. Everything just added up and the logic of the design was simply inescapable. And I feel like most everyone who hears the MM27 and works with it recognizes that inevitability as well.

Btw, your studio looks fantastic! I can just imagine the lively warmth it must have. I don't know much about this "old school" one room approach. Seems like you could get a great vibe being in the same room with the players. But how do you handle the logistics of monitoring, especially when you're making mic placement decisions and such? Would you mind telling us a little about that?

Thanks!
Thomas

[yeloocproducer]

Lanois is pretty big on that approach at times as well... get tones in headphones and GO...

[True North]

Nice Studio Rll. I went over to your website and went to your equiptment list, i loved the last equiptment list item;

"Other stuff people leave" thanks for the laugh

[rll]

Originally Posted by True North

Nice Studio Rll. I went over to your website and went to your equiptment list, i loved the last equiptment list item;

"Other stuff people leave" thanks for the laugh

I'm laughing too-- for example, I've had a beautiful Martin acoustic in there for 2 years, I call the owner every few months to remind him, and it's still here, ending up on about dozen records so far!

[Drumsound]

I got to the Barefoot 27 at Gravity in Chicago. I was really impressed and instantly noticed the solid center image. Doug McBride (Gravity8058) told me he's been very happy with them.

[rll]

Thanks guys (and gals) for checking out the room. It really is a dream come true. It’s like a club house, and all the wood just sets a great vibe. I’ll try and keep this short and to the point, but I may ramble a bit to give you the whole picture, so please excuse me if I drag on.

The concept for me comes out of my experiences as a drummer, especially playing on the west coast where I am from. A lot of the studios in California had larger rooms than say NYC where I’m located now, and often the whole band was in one room to track. For playback you walked into a totally different room and the Fender Reverb your guitar player was just cranked through and the bass that moments ago was pumping through a B-15 were suddenly coming at you through a pair of NS-10’s or if you were lucky some old JBL’s. When you cranked the big speakers it was fun, but sounded nothing like what you had heard while playing. So I knew that for me, something was not right.

As ADAT’s happened we found ourselves recording in rehearsal spaces and living rooms which I enjoyed. We could all hang out together and play and record, and it was a much more communal thing, like playing music. I thought, huh, if you want to be “scientific” about this, you really should build a control room that is as close to identical as your live room. Of course this seemed impractical for a lot of reason, but it got me thinking in several directions. First off, I got really sick of getting up from the drums and going though 2 or 3 doors, and situating myself in front of some speakers that did not represent the sound of the room I was just playing in. It broke the vibe. What if you were tracking and the musicians didn’t have to wear headphones, (the engineers did!), and you could sit where you were, or move a few feet to get directly in front of the monitors? I also got sick of jazz records where the band would go play a bunch of dates and then go into the studio and be put in phone booths with headphones on. I was tired of hearing the snare drum so pristine and in your face that it felt like the whole band gets shoved up your ass. Throw in the “digital revolution” and you had a bunch of high end that was annoying at best. Cymbals began to sound like microscopic snapshots of tin. A genre of music that was born out of playing together has evolved into the opposite for the sake of sonic clarity. Not my bag.

On the rock side of things, I started hearing about people doing overdubs in control rooms, even vocals without headphones. So why build a separate room? I realized that my aesthetic seemed to be different then the norm. I was sick of hearing pristine vocals that seemed disconnected from the performance. And the reality is that it was. Albums that were recorded in not only 20 different studios, but usually 20 different closets. When I was younger, I would hear a lot of live albums and I found myself digging those records. Then came Song Remains The Same, Frampton Comes Alive, etc., and I was blown away. I was always a huge fan of the Who, and came to find that many of their records were recorded with the basic tracking done in the same room, even the early Stones and Beatles worked this way. Now I am also a huge fan of Pink Floyd, and records like Dark Side and Animals certainly weren’t live takes with no overdubbing affairs. So I wanted the ability to have that kind of a lush recording as well, but I needed accuracy in monitoring to get there.

As far as the problem of monitoring and mic placement in a one room sitch, it has been pretty easy. The Barefoots have made it even easier. First off, the engineer throws on the headphones and gets basic levels, watching the meters, etc. Then you get to sit back and LISTEN. A good engineer can tell very quickly what changes need to happen, phase issues etc. It really is odd how easy it is. Plus, I see engineers in separate facilities often walking around a drum kit being played, placing mics. In our studio, he doesn’t have to go through 2 doors to get back to the board. What is so cool is that you are listening to the band and the playback in the same room. It dawned on me that this made perfect sense—if you could get the monitors to really capture realistically what was happening, you would know what you are hearing! I can’t emphasize this enough. And this is where the Barefoots have become a major part of figuring this puzzle out. They are the first monitors I have ever heard that when I get up from the drum set and stand or sit in front of the Barefoots (their sweet spot is huge) holy shit, that is my drumset! It sounds like someone just moved the drum kit and put it on top of the console! I am not kidding. They are loud and move some air,

As far as separation between instruments, it just cracks me up how little time engineers (especially younger ones) will spend trying to figure out a room. They’ll spend 8 hours comping a vocal, but a few hours moving instruments and mics around? Any decent room with a bit of space can give you excellent separation. You might have to gobo a little, or angle things in a way that seems to not make sense, but it’s a lot easier to crack than many think. One of the bands I play with recently tracked with an engineer who had never worked in the room before. It was bass, drums, and electric autoharp (which sounds like 5 gtrs on steroids), and vocals. We tracked in a circle and with a few adjustments and a couple of gobos, we played without phones and almost no bleed. The bleed that was there was beautiful and phase coherent. Granted this AE is one of the best, but it shows that it can be done without anymore hassle than a “regular” session.

As far as overdubs, we often track guitars, vocals, everything in the same room—it absolutely makes the final recording glue together much better. And the communication is better between everyone. If you need to change something out you are right there. We track with phones, listen and adjust. Other times it’s no phones, just the monitors and moving around a bit till we find the spot that works. Again, the Barefoots make us feel so confident in what we are hearing that we are now free to go after specific sounds, and know that if we hear them in the room, they will be in the monitors and will translate.

I certainly don’t want to pass judgment on how others should work, but this works for us. That being said, I am very opinionated about how records are made. And frankly, I recognize that many of the recordings I love have been made in a way completely opposite to how we work at Mavericks.

[barefoot]

What a great post! thumbsup

I really like the way you've thought through your approach. And I'm happy to hear my speakers are helping you fulfill your vision!

Thomas

[Gravity8058]

Yep, Tony's right, we're loving them. I think we got one the first pair, so we've been working with them for quite awhile. The thing that comes back to me is how well mixes translate to the "outside world" The first thing I noticed -- and continue to notice -- is that when I mix (or anyone in studio A on the Neve) and I bring the mixes into our mastering room --- they have no issues. When I master stuff mixed primarily with NS-10s I hear certain commonality to the "issues", same with 1031a's. With the Barefoots it sounds well balanced and, THANK goodness, is free of the "muddy yet harsh" syndrome I hear coming from so many mix rooms. I really believe thatany engineer with good ears can benefit A LOT from tracking and mixing on these speakers. In our mastering room I still like the B&W's but I would be interested in hearing the new Barefoot mastering model at some point.

[rll]

Thanks Thomas, I think you guys really are on to something. It is so rare that I see ALL the engineers that have worked in the room since I got them, not only get blown away, but spawn some amazing discussions about sound and listening. You're turning the staff into a bunch of philosophers!

rll