{"id":24469,"date":"2016-03-08T17:32:20","date_gmt":"2016-03-08T21:32:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/?p=24469"},"modified":"2016-03-08T17:32:20","modified_gmt":"2016-03-08T21:32:20","slug":"sonar-mines-gold-from-pa-recordings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noelborthwick.com\/cakewalk\/2016\/03\/08\/sonar-mines-gold-from-pa-recordings\/","title":{"rendered":"Mining Gold from PA Recordings with SONAR"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"SONAR<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

by Craig Parmerlee – SONAR user since SONAR 7<\/strong><\/em><\/h3>\n

SONAR and other DAWs are used heavily to produce high-quality recordings, while other people use SONAR as part of a compositional process.\u00a0 I find that most of my SONAR usage is a little different, processing live recordings tracked in a concert or club setting.\u00a0 This usage presents various problems that aren\u2019t as apparent in a controlled studio setting.\u00a0 This blog will present a workflow and various SONAR features I have found valuable when processing live recordings.<\/p>\n

Objectives<\/h1>\n
    \n
  1. In most cases, my primary objective is to produce a recording that the musicians can\u00a0study<\/strong> in order to improve their performance.<\/li>\n
  2. In some cases, the performance and production quality will be high enough to serve as demo material<\/strong> to promote the group.<\/li>\n
  3. I try to deliver a mixed and mastered copy to the musicians within 48 hours, while the event is still fresh in mind, so speed<\/strong> and efficiency<\/strong> are very important.<\/li>\n
  4. Often a musician will ask for a further edit on one of the songs, for example, to include in their personal r\u00e9sum\u00e9.\u00a0 Flexibility<\/strong> and ability to recall settings<\/strong> are important.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Changing Expectations<\/h1>\n

    \"Tascam<\/a><\/p>\n

    Years ago, I did such projects using Audacity, which seemed adequate at the time.\u00a0 However, expectations have changed radically.<\/p>\n

    Today many musicians have a low-cost stereo field recorder such as the TASCAM DR-40.These recorders are the equivalent of point-and-shoot cameras.\u00a0 For around $100, they can produce remarkably good quality under ideal circumstances.<\/p>\n

    This has become the baseline against which many musicians judge other live recordings.\u00a0 Even though I want to produce quick results, if I can\u2019t do substantially better than a TASCAM DR-40, for example, then I am wasting my time (I should note I love those small field recorders and often use them too, but that is not the subject of this blog).<\/p>\n

    Fortunately, with SONAR I have found a work flow and a set of \u201cgo-to\u201d features that allow me to do much better than a stereo field recorder almost every time, using only the microphones that are already placed for the live PA system.<\/p>\n

    A Word About My Background<\/h1>\n


    \nI am primarily an instrumentalist (brass player).\u00a0 Musically I perform in and record symphony orchestras, concert bands and jazz groups from small combos to 18-piece big bands.<\/p>\n

    I have been around recording studios and live PA systems for decades, but never considered myself an expert, and still don\u2019t.\u00a0 I have been a very casual SONAR user since version 7, but have only started to become a serious DAW user in the past 3 years, so I still feel like a neophyte.<\/p>\n

    I will not be presenting any exotic techniques in this blog.\u00a0 My emphasis is on the overall process, not the processing per se.<\/p>\n

    The Case Study<\/h1>\n

    The ensemble for this case study is a full-sized \u201cVegas style\u201d jazz band that presents stage concerts.\u00a0 Specifically this group consists of:<\/p>\n