Verdanta

I have been working so hard lately, recording and editing, recording and editing.  But as I mentioned in my last blog,  something has changed: I now have an extra set of ears to bounce my results off of.   Actually two new sets, in a manner of speaking. 

My first new set of ears come with a plug.  See, I’d decided that I needed a new pair of headphones.  My original pair of semi-open AKG K-242 HD’s sounded great, and were super comfortable.  But it turns out, you really need closed back headphones to monitor and edit, especially when you record and edit in the same room.  Otherwise, when you listen to playback, you can’t tell if the noise you’re hearing is on the recording, or just in the room.  On the recommendation of a friend (who shall remain nameless… at least until the next paragraph)  I ended up buying a pair of Sennheiser HD280 Pro’s for $70 from Guitar Center.  (I took advantage of their price matching policy.)  They have made an ENORMOUS difference in the quality of my work.  It turns out, my AKG’s were bad not just because they were “semi-open,” which simply means letting outside noise in through the headphones, but also because they weren’t completely flat.  I couldn’t heard the difference when I bought them, but my ear has gotten “smarter” over the past couple months.    BTW, “flat” just means that the headphones play back exactly what was recorded, without boosting any of the recorded frequencies.  My AKG’s, it turns out, were boosting the bass.  Which is why I liked the way I sounded when I used them.  I didn’t like my voice at all when I first go the Senn’s, it sounded tinny, and well, flat.  But it turns out, that was exactly what I needed. 

Of course, the other set of ears belong to my new friend on the other side of the world, Hans Peterson of VoicesDivine.  We’ve only just “met” (Thanks, Ellen!) but I think we’ve already made a huge impact on each others lives – just by knowing that the other person is out there.  There’s more to it than that, of course.  You know how some people in this world don’t know how to take constructive criticism?  Not me!  I love it, because that’s the only way I know how to improve.  And I am so grateful to have someone who knows what he’s talking about,  who isn’t afraid to tell me what he’s thinking, and who knows how to do it in a way that doesn’t make me defensive. 

Thanks, Hans –  I’m looking forward to working with you for a very long time to come!