If you could invent something...

[Savernake]

You clearly have vast experience with every tool of the trade. Have you always felt you had what you needed in front of you, or has there been a time you wish you could have invented something to help with the job? What would that be?

[Dave Pensado]

Yeah, most mixers and engineers always want "more". I love spatial stuff. I love to have things wider than the speakers. I use Impulse Responses almost exclusively, and would love to see that technology expanded. It also seems someone could invent a spectral analyzer or RTA for the beginning engineer that would help with ear training and how sound works. What are some of your ideas?

[JoeyM]

I'd invent a blackberry-sized computer outfitted with opaque-adjustable goggles which contain your computer monitoring.

Almost every time I went jogging or hiking etc I wondered if I'd see the day I'd have a personal DAW and deal musically instead of the usual left-foot right-foot walking/hiking.

You'd think there would be less sun glare because again the monitors are opaquable.

It's been a long time since the Sony Walkman allowed us to bring our music wherever we go, and a workout-proof computer affords exercise-loving people computational productivity.

Hell, make it ALL in the goggles, streaming exercise workouts from the web.

Terrible fun. It'll happen

[slaphappygarry]

A touch screen controller for DAW's.

Imagine grabbing faders and mutes and stuff and not using a mouse.

I know this is one step closer to a desk but it would be a pretty slick way of working.

G

[25ghosts]

Originally Posted by Savernake

You clearly have vast experience with every tool of the trade. Have you always felt you had what you needed in front of you, or has there been a time you wish you could have invented something to help with the job? What would that be?

A "Make it sound Great" Plug-In :-)

[Dave Derr]

Many years ago in the late 80's I remember hearing some song where the engineer did some phase inversion and panning and had a keyboard sound like it was way off to your left, out from the speaker. This was before any of the fancy 3-d software stuff, and it made me realize that most of the 3d stuff can be done with just a phase invert and proper panning and level setting. Stuff sometimes disappears a little though when you do that.

When I listen to some movies or stuff on TV now, I hear things popping way out beyond the speaker and its really cool.... or creepy depending. I love hard panning too, and things that don't sound mono. At Eventide, I loved playing with presets that had delays sounding way out on the sides of the speakers. One of the best things about the 90's grunge thing was where a guitars were panned all the way left or right. I guess I just like mixes and sounds that take advantage of more than one speaker. It really tickles your ear when a percussion part or voice or something is all the way over to one side.

[postdigital]

It also seems someone could invent a spectral analyzer or RTA for the beginning engineer that would help with ear training and how sound works.

that would be amazing...

i think that ear training and perception in general is so totally intertwined with feedback from the vision... i'd maintain that tuning an to a scope enough times will just make you better at tuning with your ears only after a while...

actually, my first time using a scope when building video and audio circuits became so much more productive... i mean, i don;t really know HOW the visual feed back was actually helping in the technical sense, wasn't making specific measurements, just keeping it running, but component selection, tweaking, and problem solving just became more intuitive and successful in the end.

what would an RTA ideally show do you think?

i made one which can show multiple sound input waveforms in reference to a fundamental frequency... nice for showing sounds and sound relationships that you can't actually hear but might be there.

maybe if it was, like, 8 channels and each waveform could be viewed all at the same time or solo'd or stacked and mixed with different colours for each. or something