SS64 Where Is The Confounded Rec Transport?

[Todd R]

I don't do much recording with SAW; it's mainly mixing

Since getting SS64, I have very intermittent positioning of the REC transport. I have a 2k screen and a 1980x1200.
I've obviously set up many workspace views and have been able to get all the off-screen SAW windows into my workspaces.

The REC transport however is an utterly moving target. I get a ghost position "somewhat" attached to my mouse when
alt-tab between programs....but then the transport will disappear and for the life of me I can't figure out how to place it.

hmmmmm, now I'm writing this, I realize that I need to save FKeys when I do get the transport placed where I want it
....which I haven't successfully done yet. OK, I'll see if I can track it down that way...

[Todd R]

Hmmm, what is happening is the transport is tied to my cursor/ mouse arrow about a third of a screen width to the left.
My SF and MT windows are positioned to the left, so I soon as I drop the transport it is off screen to left.
There has to be a solution for this...I suppose I'll put my 2nd monitor to the left while tracking....see if that workaround is digestible

[Todd R]

I seem to have sorted this out; had to save one F key workspace and now the transport appears on every F key view similar to the Video Track viewer.

[Ian Alexander]

Todd,

Thanks for posting your question and follow-up. It will help other members.

[jmh]

Ian,

I was just watching a video on the Fearn site, and a guy with your name appeared. Is that you?

John

[Ian Alexander]

Ian,

I was just watching a video on the Fearn site, and a guy with your name appeared. Is that you?

John

It is, John. I was very fortunate to have a 1985 internship at KISS-100 in Philadelphia, where Mr. Fearn was then Chief Engineer. In addition to sending prizes to listeners and wearing the mascot suit in August, I chopped weeds at the transmitter site and helped rebuild the air and production studios and, over time, Doug and I became friends. He has been a mentor through decades of building and refining a VO studio and recording choirs, orchestras, and occasional bands. 37 years later, he's designing very high-end tube-based outboard recording gear and I help with recording sessions at his place. It has been wonderful to have his guidance all these years and at this point, I have a pretty good idea of how to choose a mic and where to point it. The internship also led to my first job, when the KISS sales manager bought a small AM station and needed a midday announcer. That boss also introduced me to my first several freelance VO clients and that began a 33-years and counting career in a field I didn't even know existed.

Keep an open mind. You never know.

[jmh]

It is, John. I was very fortunate to have a 1985 internship at KISS-100 in Philadelphia, where Mr. Fearn was then Chief Engineer. In addition to sending prizes to listeners and wearing the mascot suit in August, I chopped weeds at the transmitter site and helped rebuild the air and production studios and, over time, Doug and I became friends. He has been a mentor through decades of building and refining a VO studio and recording choirs, orchestras, and occasional bands. 37 years later, he's designing very high-end tube-based outboard recording gear and I help with recording sessions at his place. It has been wonderful to have his guidance all these years and at this point, I have a pretty good idea of how to choose a mic and where to point it.

So far, I'm lucky enough to have learned to plug the rear end into a VT-2.

I was making a bit of money in a side business and bought (with advance payment) what at the time was the forthcoming Fearn channel strip (I was told the serial number would be something like 3). After a while the store I bought it from, told me that Doug had opted not to make the strip into a product but convinced me to get the VT-2 instead - which turned out to be quite remarkable. The dealer told me Doug, who he knew, wasn't satisfied with the channel strip - which perplexed me. Anyway, after using the VT-2 for a while - you appreciate it as a piece of art in itself, and in this case, its an amazing (and unlikely) blend of minimalism and opulence.

Still, I'd bet I wouldn't have been disappointed with a Fearn channel strip!

[John Ludlow]

other John - I was not familiar with Fearn products, and so I looked them up - and it was immediately clear why I hadn't crossed paths with them. At that price I presume that your side hustle involved sunglasses and standing on street corners in bad neighborhoods.

As Dave would say in situations like this, "I hope you know I'm kidding". lol

Anyway I went out to the Fearn site and downloaded the VT-1/VT-2 manual and read it. It's a pleasant read and makes the preamp sound really impressive. But one paragraph in particular caught my attention. It had to do with an explanation as to why tube-influenced sound is attractive to us. In the past the explanations included that they produce even order harmonic distortion. OK..., I would think - but why would distortion of any type be interpreted as 'pleasing' by us? In the paragraph it points out that real world instruments also produce primarily even order harmonics. Our brains associate that with 'musical'. When you begin to push a tube, it gradually distorts in even harmonics, just like, say, a cello - which our brains conclude is 'musical'. And you can control how much musicality is added by how hard you push the preamp - resulting in even order, 'musical', harmonics that weren't originally there. That explanation makes sense to me.

[Mike Bizanovich]

Very cool story, Ian. Thanks for sharing!

Mike

[jmh]

When you begin to push a tube, it gradually distorts in even harmonics, just like, say, a cello - which our brains conclude is 'musical'. And you can control how much musicality is added by how hard you push the preamp - resulting in even order, 'musical', harmonics that weren't originally there. That explanation makes sense to me.

If you turn the knob up all the way, you'd swear you are listening to a terrific cello player!

....

Actually, I just had an interesting experience along these lines. We recorded a song that ended with a terrific drum part - but the drummer suggested some lead guitar layered on top. I took a few shots at it, but just couldn't get the right feel, and had a friend do trumpet instead. I was using a Royer 121 mic into the VT-2. We liked one of the early takes the best, but he wanted to punch in a couple of phrases. In the process of walking back & forth to the daw, Bruce was probably moving in on the mic, and I may have been turning up the gain too (certainly since the track that was kept). I wound up with some sizzling phrases (from the pre-amp gain perspective) that were out of context. Fortunately, when I dragged around a few of the phrases to reorder them by tone intensity as an experiment, it turned out that my screw-up wound up integrating nicely with the drum build-up.

A good horn player into the ribbon to the tube pre is a fine combination. I had the gain all over the place and it all sounded fine - although I'll have to remember to stay aware of the continuity aspect as to how the tone is impacted.