Paul's Posts

One way to appreciate the past is through the playing of its instruments. Our friend, cellist Zuill Bailey, plays on a cello that was handcrafted when Bach was alive. Just... Read more...

Nearfield FR30 loudspeakers

The first round of FR30 loudspeakers are almost ready to be shipped to anxious customers. We're close. Very close. How exciting! Never ones to rest for very long, as we're... Read more...

Autotune

One of the more famous plugins available to recording artists is called autotune. Autotune allows a singer or instrumentalist's pitch to be adjusted to perfection. Is it cheating? Many would... Read more...

Polish before cutting

It sure is tempting to add the polishing steps to a system before finishing the basic cuts and steps. Kind of like seeing how the jewelry looks before getting fully... Read more...

Beyond the sides

The soundstage illusion is complex. Move your speakers far apart, point them towards you, and the soundstage appears like a hologram between them. Put them closer together, toe them towards... Read more...

The importance of measurements

Somehow the opinion that I am hesitant to embrace measurements as a means of determining sound quality has grown into a "thing". It's funny how ideas and notions can become... Read more...

Octave Studios

Grab a glass of champagne! Octave Studio is up and running. After months of construction, wiring, adjusting, and hair pulling (not to mention years of planning), we're finally recording in... Read more...

Single click help

One of the easiest ways I know of to help the planet, help yourself, and do something that makes you feel good, is as easy as a single mouse click.... Read more...

Stereo microphones

The deeper we get into the recording arts the more questions arise. For example, how did the recording industry settle into the idea of using mono microphones to record solo... Read more...

Precise language

Navigating through the different types of communicators inside and outside the company can be challenging. For example, when speaking to our engineering group we use what I would term precise... Read more...

Personal bias

People, like amplifiers, are biased. In an amplifier, the bias means we've turned on the circuit in a specific direction in anticipation of the signal. This, as opposed to no... Read more...

Watershed moment

A watershed moment is that aha! moment of revelation. The point where the proverbial light bulb has been turned on to illuminate the darkness. Watershed moments are memorable: like the... Read more...

YMMV

Car companies make great claims with respect to gas mileage and then they add a little disclaimer. Your Mileage May Vary. Isn't it the truth? No matter what we or... Read more...

Dander

Getting ones dander or hackles up in response to some statement or bit of information is an involuntary reaction. We haven't any control over it. Recently chatting with a friend... Read more...

Focusing on the center

The center image of a two-channel system is known as the phantom channel for a good reason. It is an illusion. It doesn't actually exist. Once you realize the center... Read more...

Live cheating

Here's an interesting question as posed by a reader. "How many microphones are allowed in a live recording to not be considered "cheating"? I think there at least two levels... Read more...

Scientific evidence

Evidence comes in a variety of flavors. What we see, hear, feel, learn, or experience. Most evidence we might offer up in a discussion is pretty easy to dismiss if... Read more...

Go for the gold

Today marks a milestone for Octave Records. We're launching two new killer discs, each produced on the FR30s, and each available as a 24-karat gold CD in addition to our... Read more...

Putting the crutches away

If you've ever had the misfortune of requiring crutches you'll know they can be addictive. Once you rely upon a crutch it's a bit of an ordeal to put them... Read more...

Bypass caps

48 years ago, in 1974, Stan Warren and I got an insider tip we considered at the time to be solid gold. Bypass caps. This was back in the days... Read more...

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