I STILL Don't get a Dime...but you may get a deal.

A couple of good guys down in Carolina are trying to make things a little easier for you to write off some good gear for this year. (I am not an accountant and recommend you consult yours to take the most advantage of any tax benefits.)

Front End Audio's Last Chance Christmas Deals. Keeping It Simple and Focused
At Front End Audio, we value our relationship with you and want to offer you deals but keep them focused without a bunch of jumbled up misleading discounts. All deals are effective now until December 31st.

Peluso Microphones: 10% Off All Peluso Items + free Peluso XL t-shirt with microphone purchases! Hand assembled in the USA, Peluso is a stand out line with a unique offering. Use coupon code: Peluso10%.

Heil Microphones: 10% off all Heil mics! Bob Heil brings his mind into the microphone arena, and comes up a winner. Use coupon code: Heil10%

BLUE Microphones: 15% Off All BLUE Microphones and Accessories! BLUE has a wide variety of mics to cover all sources, rich sound and USA built. Use coupon code: Blue15%

Samson: 10% off across the board...! Patchbays, live sound, wireless solutions, mics & more. Use coupon code: Samson10%

Safe Sound Audio: Experience 20% Savings Due to US Dollar's Rise! British designed and built, the P1 and Dynamics Toolbox offer a "finished" sound. Use coupon code: SSA20%

AEA Microphones: 15% Off All AEA Items + free AEA XL t-shirt per order! Premier ribbon microphones and now, a maker of excellent preamps. Use coupon code: AEA15%

Chameleon Labs: $100 instant savings + $50 "Add to Cart" savings on mics, channel strips and compressors! Preamp / EQ, plus microphones and compressor offerings that deliver long on short money.

Audeum: 10% off PC's custom built for audio, plus duplicators and storage! Optimize your studio, let Audeum build a solid machine that well, just works right. Use coupon code: Audeum10%

Daking: Buy a MIC PRE / EQ channel, $1299 thru Dec 24th. Based on the Trident A Range strip, let Daking take your tracks to the next level. Use coupon code: Daking A Designs Audio: Buy (2) two 500 series modules, receive the HR500 power supply free! Superior 500 series preamps, transformer in and out, high gain goodness.

Universal Audio: "ADD TO CART" pricing on in stock items, real savings! UA products bring you back to the old school, with full warranty and solid build.

Want to Sound Good...It's in the Mix.

How many times have you tried to mix down a spot and just couldn't get the VO track to stand out like you think it should? You figure you need a new mic. Or maybe for now you can just bump up the 3,000 to 6,000 khz range or something. Well, it may be what you can subtract to make what you have stand out.
Steve Murphy addresses some examples in his recent Opinion Column in Pro Audio Review Magazine.

Ironically, the VO track – usually the focal point of the ad and the only of the sources recorded in a “controlled environment”—can be the most problematic. Instead of a decent recording of a voice that can be evaluated in the full mix and then treated appropriately, I’ve spent quite a bit of precious mix time digging out of the overuse of “radioready” voice processing (over-excited, overcompressed, over-sibilant and/or over-modulated) printed on the takes.

The first step is to pre-process the music tracks on the timeline by manually evening out dynamic changes in musical sections, turnarounds, hits etc. I do this by splitting the sections, adjusting the clip levels and applying generous x-fades to smooth the changes. I also insert a Waves L2 (or similar smooth-leveling limiter) to aid in the dynamic consistency of the bed.

Second, carve out a healthy EQ scoop across the music tracks centered around the VO range (typically spanning 700 to 1500 Hz and down about 3 or 4 dB)—this does wonders to free up space for the voice elements while retaining a good perceived music level.

Third, very gently duck the music (2 or 3 dB) with a sidechain from the voice subgroup. Subtly is the key—this duck is a building block, not the means to an end. Lastly, some automation of the music track will always be necessary, but by employing the above (with all plug-ins, EQ and the side-chain already set up in the template, of course), an effective voice-tomusic mix can be reached quickly and the amount of time spent on automation can be drastically reduced.

Read Steve's full article here.

Have You Sent Santa Your List Yet?

I've been looking for this:

Marantz PMD661 Field Recorder
A svelte new portable recorder from D&M Professional, the PMD661 ($599) improves on its PMD660, offering a streamlined form factor, new feature set, built-in stereo mics, 44.1/48/96kHz recording and SD card media.
Measuring just 6.5x3.7x1.4 inches, the PMD661 has switchable XLR mic/line inputs; a secondary unbalanced, 1/8-inch mini-jack line input; S/PDIF digital input; and stereo RCA analog line outs.
The PMD661 is compatible with SDHC cards (currently up to 32GB capacity), offering up to five-plus hours of recording time from four AA alkaline or NiMH batteries (not included).
The USB 2 port supports simple drag-and-drop file transfers, and the included Mark Editor software allows marker points on the recorded file to be adjusted post-recording, creating a new file so that basic editing can be carried out on a PC or Mac if desired.
For more information, visit www.d-mpro.com.
More Info Here

Need an Expert? New VO Tech Blog.

When it comes to putting together your "room" or "booth" you have thousands of factors and influences to consider. That's why we always ask each other, "how'd you do that, Man?"

Well, now we have a new resource from my go-to guy himself. George Whittam's new blog will answer some questions you didn't even know you had.

Be on the look out for a coming video and explantion on Joe Cipriano's new room. There's a story behind the story that will benifit us all. (George built it.)
El Dorado Blog

Hey, I'm Not Making a Nickel on This Deal!!

Hey Willie,
I wanted to let you know about a great deal we're running in conjunction with BLUE microphones. We have just received a limited supply of factory refurbished Baby Bottle condenser mics. They are in mint condition and still carry Sweetwater's exlusive 2 year warranty (parts andlabor). These mics normally sell for $499.97 on our site but we can offer these B-stock models at $349.97 and still include FREE shipping. Alsoincluded with the mic are a pop filter, shockmount, and cherry wood storage box.
I've had a Baby Bottle in my mic collection for quite a while now and go back to it again and again for acoustic guitar, and also on vocals. It also works very well on percussion instruments and drumkits. It has a very natural sound with an extremely smooth mid range. This is just a great all around mic to have, with a very friendly price point right now. This is easily one of the best mics for under $500, and now it's under $350! You can check it out at the following link:http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BabyBottleB/
Also, on any B-stock Baby Bottle that you order I'll offer the Blueberry mic cable for 25% off (offer available via phone only): http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BlueberryCab/
I offered this same deal in December of last year and I sold out extremely fast so please get in touch with me as soon as possible if you're interested.
Thanks again Willie!
Luke Herian
1-800-222-4700 ext. 1236
luke_herian@sweetwater.com