I just got an iPod a week ago, and the VSL podcast is one of the first I subscribed to.

I'm really enjoying them, and they are getting better and better as you seem to becoming more and more comfortable as a broadcaster, and as you get wider and wider input.

Here are some ideas for content;
- get Herb and co to do a documentary of a typical recording session (I know, lots of effort and co-ordination)
- a shoot-off of different reverbs
- run a composition contest, and use the show to podcast the entries
- a weekly audio-diary from Herb (you know something like Peter Jackson does for his films) - though I guess this would be anathema to whole way VSL interact with their customers.
- are their any forum members able and willing to give mini tutorials on orchestration techniques
- adverts (yeay !)
-

and just a word of encouragement .... I think it will get ever more popular, once a few more people have subscribed, it will get talked about more and more .. if Herb an co. can provide some good quality content it could really snowball ....

the more popular it gets ... the more people will want to submit good content for it ... and the more popular it will want to listen to it ... etc etc

hang in there, and keep bugging VSL for some content. [:)]

great show

Hey Drew,

That's some great ideas there, I'll be sure to plow into them. I've been pluckingup the courage to ask herb for an interview for a while now, and what's stopped me the most is just deciding what to ask him, so your suggestions should go a long way to that.

And Thanks PaulR for complementing my 'Journey to Ra' piece. It still work in progress but I was stuck for something to end the show on.

As for other people donating tech tips as audio comments cool, send 'em in. Todd has done some great stuff and shown the way for tech discussions, and certainly there's nothing worng with getting even more technical .. I think the more the better [:D]

Podcasts are very addictive .. I listen to several .. mainly mac news based .. (the maccast, the macreviewcast, and twit (This week in tech). Though I do that cos I'm out here in Germany where I don't yet understand a whole lot what people in the radio and TV are saying [:P] (I'm learning though).

Anyways, thanks again. Keep your trousers on cos I'm working on new stuff. Oh yeah .. just to announce .. I'm going on holiday in 2 weeks time .. for 2 weeks so obviously there won't be a show during that time .. but no doubt I'll make it up to you when I get back.

Hi Hetoreyn,

In your discussion about panning, you gave some specific numbers for how you panned your strings in Logic. From this, it sounds like you merely used the channel strip pan contol. If so, two questions...

1. Did you use the EXS instrument in stereo or mono?

2. If you were working with a stereo instrument, did you alter the width of the stereo field using the Direction Mixer or some other plugin?

In the "incorrect" example you played with the strings hard panned left and right, it sounded like there was some stereo information missing from the signal which leads me to believe that perhaps you were merely adjusting the L/R balance of the stereo signal (via the channel strip). Thus "panning" hard left would mean the right channel was almost completely muted.

However, I was listening to the show on earbuds with my iPod, so i could be mistaken.

Jason

Ah I see what you mean. I was using only the pan control on the strip. And the insturments are in Stereo, with now widening or narrowing, I do use the Dir Mix processor but only on the woodwind and brass tracks.

I'll try to be more specific in the future with all these little details.

Ans your right if you hard pan left it cuts out the right channel info, (though frankly I'm not aware of any other kind of panning [:P]). I mean, panning and balance are the same thing .. at least on the control strip. If there's a way to pan hard left or right, and still keep the stereo info .. let me know cos seriously I don't know how to do that.

... and so what exactly are you doing in Germany?
Whats the quality of life like down there ?

@hetoreyn said:

I mean, panning and balance are the same thing .. at least on the control strip. If there's a way to pan hard left or right, and still keep the stereo info .. let me know cos seriously I don't know how to do that.

I don't believe there is any other way to handle stereo panning via the control strip in Logic since there is indeed only the balance control. The only solution would be to use the Dir Mixer, Waves S1, or some other stereo contol plugin.

It would make for an interesting show segment to get several people's opinions and examples on how they like to handle stereo panning. There may be several opinions and it could be left to the listener to decide which techniques are most convincing.

JJP - Good point. In all my studio enginnering time and dealings I've just taken it as red that hard panning crushes stereo info and there's not mch I can do about it .. but as you say it's a good point to wonder if there actually is something you can do .. it never occured to me to use the Dir Mix plugin to pan all the instruments .. I'll try that on my new piece.

Drew - Well I moved to Germany with my partner cos we both fancied life outside of Britain for abit. And I wanted to write my second album in quiet surroundings .. we live in a nice lake covered area with forests so it's a very nice place to work. shame there's no mountains .. that'd be awesome.

Quality of living in Germany is pretty damned good, though the Euro isn't doing as well as it used to .. things used to be cheaper [:(]

Oh well. Anyways.

Hi everybody,

thank you hetoreyn for the great Podcasts.
i know the piece "Return to Alanda" from http://www.kirkhunterstudios.com/v2demos.html played with KHSO Emerald of course. If you're interested in Emerald a comparison might be useful.

Regards,
Justus

PS: I live near Hamburg, BTW

heh, Interesting listening to that piece done with a different library. Though I think I prefer the woodwinds from the VSL, however the brass (trumpets) did sound better from the KHSO, but from my personally experience with trumpet stac note is that you really have to get the reverb and depth right with them or they sound bloody awful.

I usually dub trumpets with Trombones doing the same melody but an octave lower.

Still thanks for pointing this out. Two very interesting versions of the same song. Though the Voices of the apocalypse add quite a bit to the VSL version .. I so wanna buy them.

Perhaps the people who heard the VSL piece on the show would like to comment on what they thought between the two versions. I think I like the VSL version overall, in my own opinion.

Please listen to the piece "Follow me" on the same site. It's wonderful!

PS: Yes, the Solo trumpet is lovely as far as I know (I don't have Emerald, just listened to the demos)

@hetoreyn said:

JJP - Good point. In all my studio enginnering time and dealings I've just taken it as red that hard panning crushes stereo info and there's not mch I can do about it .. but as you say it's a good point to wonder if there actually is something you can do .. it never occured to me to use the Dir Mix plugin to pan all the instruments .. I'll try that on my new piece.

Drew - Well I moved to Germany with my partner cos we both fancied life outside of Britain for abit. And I wanted to write my second album in quiet surroundings .. we live in a nice lake covered area with forests so it's a very nice place to work. shame there's no mountains .. that'd be awesome.

Quality of living in Germany is pretty damned good, though the Euro isn't doing as well as it used to .. things used to be cheaper [:(]

Oh well. Anyways.

Hetoreyn,

My compliments on the shows. I've been rather busy lately, but wanted to say thanks for the efforts you're putting in, and the quality of the output. As you will know, the show automatically updates in Itunes, and i've been looking out for the new shows as they appear.
Great idea that is already good, and will no doubt mature with time.

Interesting you've moved out of Britain. Lot of it going around!

Regards,

Alex.

Hetoreyn, I'm enjoying all your VSL podcasts. Thank you for investing so much of your time in this.

I also wanted to say that I really enjoyed Matthew's Romantic piece!
Excellent work!

Best,
Jay