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• Review: Cubase 6.5
• by Hollin Jones
• Cubase, one of the most widely used cross-platform DAWs, recently received a rather tasty update. Now at 6.5, there are new synths, effects and features which Hollin Jones explores in this review.

• Review: iZotope Iris
• by Rounik Sethi
• The biggest instrument release of the year so far has been from the clever people at iZotope. Ozone and RX have been lauded for their mixing & restoration abilities. So, how does Iris fare as a synth?

• Review: iKlip Studio (An iPad Stand For Everyone)
• by Rounik Sethi
• If you rest your iPad on your lap or lean over it lying flat upon a desk, the new iKlip Studio stand is designed for you. It’s a sturdy, adjustable desktop stand compatible with all 3 iPad models.

• Review: Waves BassRider
• by Darren Burgos
• Mixing bass can be a struggle, especially when slapping a standard compressor on the track doesn’t even things out. Darren Burgos tests out BassRider as an alternative to manually riding faders.

• Review: IK MultiMedia DJ Rig iOS App
• by Mo Volans
• Mo Volans got hands on with IK Multimedia's DJ Rig app for iPhone and iPad and was hugely impressed with the innovative features, effects and possibilities.

• (The) Art of Audio Recording
• Touring An SSL Console
• DAW virtual mixers are modeled after “classic” analog mixing consoles. Take this SSL tour and learn how a full-blown classic Solid State Logic Duality console actually works...

• (The) Art of Audio Recording
• The Mix
• Mixing is a complicated “mix” of art and science. In this Singing Canary tutorial, follow top engineer Clint Murphy as he takes you on a 60-video, step by step mixing journey...

• Media Composer 6 104
• Working With Audio
• Learn how Media Composer 6 manages sound in this audio-centric tutorial by expert editor and MPV trainer Jeff Greenberg...

• (The) Art of Audio Recording
• Recording Strings
• Learn how to record a live string section in this informative new tutorial by expert audio engineer, Clint Murphy, at Modern World Recording...

• Cubase 6 105
• Working With Audio
• Want to record audio in Cubase? Let Matt Hepworth show you everything you need to know about Working With Audio in Cubase 6...

• Pro Tools 205
• Elastic Audio
• Warp beats, pitch shift, and match recorded audio to the tempo of your track ... elastic audio is the tool for you!

• Pro Tools 10 103
• Recording Audio
• Master the art of recording audio in these AVID Learning Partner tutorial-videos by one of macprovideo.com’s lead trainers, Scott Freiman...

• Pro Tools 10 104
• Editing Audio
• You’ve recorded the tracks. Now let’s get into editing! Get the basics of audio editing in Pro Tools 10 in these AVID Learn Partner tutorial-videos by MPV’s Scott Freiman...

• Reason 6 105
• Working With Audio
• Reason now records, processes and samples audio! This tutorial by Reason 6 expert Hollin Jones shows you just how seamless working with audio is in Reason 6...

• (The) Art of Audio Recording
• From Demo to Master
• In this extraordinary video documentary tutorial witness top UK producer, Greg Haver, as he transforms a rough demo song into a final release-ready master...

• Final Cut Pro X 105
• Working With Audio
• With Final Cut Pro X, video editors now have the powerful combination of audio tools and bundled plug-ins that can make your audio sound like it went to a $450/hour Post Production studio. Let Michael Wohl show you how to use them...

• (The) Art of Audio Recording
• Recording Vocals
• Whether you’re working in a world-class audio environment with a million dollar console, or your spare bedroom with a beat up old ball mic, this tutorial shows you everything you need to know to record platinum sounding vocals into your DAW.

• Universal Audio
• UA: All About Compression
• Learn all about compression from the company that practically invented the compressor: Universal Audio!


• (The) Art of Audio Recording
• Recording Drums
• In this tutorial the audio experts at Singing Canary reveal the secrets of getting those platinum sounding drum sounds every band covets ... elevate your tracks to next level with this 2-hour tutorial!

• (The) Art of Audio Recording
• Recording Guitars
• The electric, acoustic and bass guitars are the foundation of most modern music. This tutorial teaches you everything you need to know to record guitar tracks that will jump out of your mix and blast your tunes to the top of the charts.

Preview these Pro Tools Tutorial-Videos

One thing I learned from doing field recordings over the last several years, and one thing I learned from various mentors of mine that use field recorders is that you want the best audio possible, in the simplest package possible. Besides the main factors of simplicity and audio quality there are a few other factors to throw in there:

• Rugged
  
• Durable
  
• Portable
  
• Reliable
  

Well, if you put all of those features together, and then you list off some of the main qualities of the iPhone, then it’s a no brainer that a recording app for the iPhone is a great thing. After all, the iPhone is:

• Portable
  
• Durable (with the right case)
  
• Reliable
  
• Rugged
  
• Simple to use
  

Since the creation of the iPhone, there have only been a handful of field recording apps that have really caught the attention of the pro audio community. The main app leading the charge has been Fire, by Audiofile Engineering. And, in truth, Fire is an extremely hard act to follow, as it heartily lives by the features above: Simplicity, rugged, sounds good, etc. Well, there is a now a serious contender for the position of best field recording app in the form of Pro Audio to Go. 

Intuitive yet Powerful

It’s hard to believe that an app could be made to behave simpler than Fire, but Pro Audio to Go really pulls it off... Almost to the point of going overboard. For example: There are no visible waveforms being created as you record. Instead you just have very simple, but responsive digital PPMs informing you of your levels. Then, there are also a few other nuggets that I found to be very handy...

For starters, you can choose to name the file before the recording begins, a huge plus for journalists, and sound designers doing lots of sessions who want to keep things orderly. There’s also access to Mic EQ presets. If applied, the EQ settings are actually applied to your audio through rendering once the recording stops. 

If you’re worried that the EQ presets are proprietary and un-editable, fear not! Through the Settings Page, you have access to the High, MID, and LOW bands, as well as Gain, which can be especially helpful when connecting an external Mic. 

Speaking of microphones, RevUp Transmedia offer optional cable adapters for your new portable field recorder. Connecting through your headphone jack, you gain an XLR input, and a headphone connection so that you can monitor during recording, listen after recording, etc.

Pro Features

Back to the main page, one feature I’ve grown especially fond of is the portion of the display that gives you a highly accurate depiction of how much overall recording time you have left on your iPhone. Let’s face it: Apple has never made it easy to determine how much space, time, etc. is left. The only way to really gauge it is through hooking up to iTunes. Pro Audio to Go actually fills you in with the hours, minutes and seconds. Nice!

Also of huge importance to me was the ability to save directly to an FTP that you have access to. Simply enter the FTP site, your name and password in the settings field, then it becomes a save option later on... And it does work well. One thing I would like to see is the password field encrypted. Currently, if you go to the FTP Sites page in the Settings area of Pro Audio to Go, your login and passwords are fully visible. Not a pretty thing if your phone gets jacked. 

Conclusion

All in all, I was highly impressed with Pro Audio to Go. The 48kHz recordings coming out of my phone sound great and on the website as well as the FAQs, the developers have stated that more options are coming, like the ability to record in Mono, as well as Stereo. The price of Pro Audio to Go could be seen as suspect: $29.99. However, with the ability to easily get audio back and forth from your iPhone, even as remotely as an FTP site, the convenience and simplicity does make up for it. And, if journalism, or field recording is how you make a living... Well, that’s another write-off, right? 

Check out Pro Audio To Go here.

Preview these Pro Tools Tutorial-Videos

G.W. Childs IV

Sound Designer, Musician, Author... G.W. Childs has worn many hats. Beginning in the U.S. Army back in 1991, at the age of 18, G.W. began learning electronics, communications and then ultimately audio and video editing from the Department of Defense. Upon leaving the military G.W. went on to work for many exciting companies like LucasArts, Lucasfilm, Propellerheads, Cakewalk, Midway, MTV. With all of these exciting companies he's either worked as an editor, or sound designer, even sometimes as an actor. G.W. is currently working as an author for Cengage Publishing. He has written the titles 'Creating Music and Sound for Video Games', 'Rewire: Skill Pack', and 'Using Reason on Stage: Skill Pack'. As a musician G.W. has played for years in the band Soil & Eclipse on COP International Records. Additionally, he's worked as a remix artist for acts like Gene Loves Jezebel, Ray Charles, James Brown, Chiazm, Razed in Black, and more.

Field recorder, IPhone audio recorder, Pro Audio to Go

Comments

Jan 23, 2012

Gary Hiebner

Will this also work well on the iPad, G.W?

I'm keen to use my iPad as a field recorder instead of forking out for one.

Thanks for the informative article.

Reply