Terminology and Definitions

Hi All,
There seem to be a lot of terms and gadgets talked about on this forum that aren't defined, like everyone knows what they mean except me. I'm not seeing this as a conspiracy, but as my general ignorance. I've tried Googling, but with only limited results.
 
For instance, SSL, from what I've found, means Solid State Logic, but is that how it's meant when talking about an 'SSL board?' And why is the 'SSL' part significant? Aren't all boards 'SSL?' I would think a tube-based board would be far too bulky to bother with, unless that's just something so outdated no one even talks about them any more.
 
Or am I really getting the wrong end of the stick here and SSL is NOT the opposite of tube? Not only that, but am I misinterpreting what is meant by 'board' as well? Is an SSL board not actually a mixer of some kind, but something else entirely?
 
Here are some other things I don't really get:
 
1) PC4K: is this a brand name, a third-party company that builds Sonar plugins, a device/gadget type (sort of equivalent to convertible, sedan, or sports coupe in the car world) or just a sort-of sub-brand of Sonar plugin?
 
2) Is "Concrete Limiter" a generic term or a name specific to a Sonar plugin? What's the significance of the 'concrete' part of this term? Is it equating the actions of this limiter to hitting a brick wall, like "nothing gets past this point," that kind of thing?
 
3) What exactly is a transient? I read several definitions, but frankly, I'm still leaning toward thinking it's a homeless person. Is it some part of a signal that needs to be controlled? If so, what part of the signal is it? How do I recognize it? Are transients to be feared? Why are they called 'transients?' Exactly how do they mess things up? Are they the initial attack? If so, why aren't they just called initial attacks? Or are they some other part of the signal that happens at a random place, not necessarily at the beginning?
 
And finally, is there a site, forum, book or PDF file that explains what various things are used for? Gates? Limiters (concrete or otherwise)? Exciter? Compander? Leveler? Trackbox? Shaper (isn't this just another name for an EQ)? Modulator? I'm working my way through "Audio Engineering 101," and it talks a bit about these things, but still seems to be leaving out some really basic stuff.
 
For now, I won't even ask about things like: A Generated Mess, BIG SWEEPY, Boomerang Hangover and Duck Duck Goose, but sometime soon, I think I'll have to.
 
Any information will be welcomed.

Kalle Rantaaho
I used to find a lot of useful info at www.tweakheadz.com when I tried to update my knowledge after a long break in DAW hobbying.

Thanks, Kalle. I'll take a look.
I'm facing more or less the same thing, coming back to DAW and music in general after an absence. Although I did do some recording about five years ago, I didn't really bother trying to understand any of this in depth, just hit 'R' and went for it.
 
As for music, I was a working musician off and on for about eight years and even made a living at it for about nine months. I also did a stint as a sound reinforcement specialist in a music store back then, but I really wasn't that educated in this stuff then, either. On top of that, I did live sound mixing for about a year or so, as well. It's amazing how much you can do just trusting your ears, but these days, after damaging my hearing, I find myself needing a deeper understanding so I can compensate.
 
Yeah, I know. You didn't ask.

Thanks, Brundlefly. That clears up a lot of questions for me.
 
I've read (and also heard in tutorials) that transients need to be 'tamed.' Is it fair to assume that would be done mostly with a compressor?
 

And finally, is there a site, forum, book or PDF file that explains what various things are used for? Gates? Limiters (concrete or otherwise)? Exciter? Compander? Leveler? Trackbox? Shaper (isn't this just another name for an EQ)? Modulator? I'm working my way through "Audio Engineering 101," and it talks a bit about these things, but still seems to be leaving out some really basic stuff.

 
I thoroughly recommend the following books:
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Audio-Concepts-Practices-Tools/dp/0240520688
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807
 
http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Your-Mind-Michael-Stavrou/product-reviews/0646428756
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-Audio-The-Art-Science/dp/0240808371
 
Between them, they cover everything you will ever need to know apart from pure audio theory & acoustics.
 
 

Bristol_Jonesey
I thoroughly recommend the following books:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Audio-Concepts-Practices-Tools/dp/0240520688
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807
http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Your-Mind-Michael-Stavrou/product-reviews/0646428756
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mastering-Audio-The-Art-Science/dp/0240808371
Between them, they cover everything you will ever need to know apart from pure audio theory & acoustics.

Cool. Thanks very much, Jonesey. Which, in your opinion, is the best to read first?

Leadfoot
Not only is compression on the vocals okay, it's standard practice. You definitely need to level out the soft and loud spots. Just don't overdo it. You need to maintain some of the dynamics to keep it sounding natural.

Thanks, Leadfoot.
So, what's a good rule of thumb for maintaining dynamics? What should the range be in decibels?
 
The reason I'm asking is that in William Edstrom Jr.'s "Mixing with Sonar" video tutorial series, he makes adjustments as small as one db when leveling the lead vocal track and to my way of thinking, that doesn't leave much room for dynamics. And this is a track where the vocalist was obviously going for dynamics in his performance.

Leadfoot
Well, the less compression you apply, the more dynamic range your vocal track will have. I don't really have a rule of thumb, so to speak. Every vocal track I do is different depending on the song. If it's a hard rock track, I'll put quite a bit of compression on the vocals so that they are at a consistent level that I can keep over the top of the rest of the instruments. If it's a softer ballad type song, I'll apply less compression so that the vocals maintain their intimate quality with softer and louder parts. Hope that helps.

Yes, it does. It sounds like it's mainly a matter of common sense. Thanks again, Leadfoot.

bitflipperBefore SSL was an equipment manufacturer, the term did indeed refer to RTL, DTL and later TTL transistorized (solid-state) logic gates. SSL (the console company) did in fact start life building solid-state logic circuits for pipe organs. At the time, "solid-state" was a widely-used marketing term as the electronics industry made the move from tubes to transistors, so SSL was capitalizing on broad familiarity with that phrase.

Thanks, bitflipper.

It emulates the characteristic sound of a specific console, like tape emulators emulate tapes and tape decks etc.

scook
Many of the plug-ins including the Console emulator have a pretty extensive description if you hit F1 with the plug-in in focus.

Of course. Why I didn't think of that, I don't know.
Thanks, scook.

Bristol_Jonesey
I'd start with the Mike Senior one, then Roey Izhaki's book.
Leave the Bob Katz until last

Excellent. Thanks again.

ATAnother good one is Waram's Studio Recording Handbook.  It was the texbook back in the 80's.

 
Wow; that one's a bit pricey. Maybe I'll wait on that one; can't find it at my local library.

ATLike the console emulations, there is precious little difference between the settings (for Neve, SSL and Trident).

 
Yeah, I wondered about that. Sometimes I listen to the "before" and "after" on a tweak in a tutorial video and hear no discernible difference. I was thinking it was either my hearing not being acute enough or the noise level in this room. Perhaps it's a bit of all three.
 

ATYour best bet is to take the time to buy and read Mike's book and get a subscription to Sound on Sound (they have Christmas sells).  Unlike Waram's book, you won't get as much basics and math, but a more modern take of the engineering business.

Yup, I was thinking that would be the plan: get Mike's book. The SOS articles are a good idea, too. I've read a few already. The subscription would get me... what? PDF versions of articles? More up-to-the-moment article releases? I'll have to look into that on their site.
 
Thanks for all the information.

bitflipperThe SoS articles are a great bang for the buck. Older articles may be read without a subscription, and there are enough of them to keep you occupied for months... Pensado's Place... Recording Revolution... The Home Recording Show ... Sonic Talk

Thanks. I've got them bookmarked and I'll check them out.
 

bitflipperI read Mr. Senior's book and was not impressed (although I like his articles and the SoS podcast). I guess because the title promised that some "secrets" would be revealed, but there were none.

Hmmm.... That's too bad. This book was actually on my to-get list, but if it's not going to tell me much (if anything) more than Audio Engineering 101, I don't see much point.
 
I did stumble upon a book by Craig Anderton, though (The Guitarist's Guide to Sonar) that looks pretty informative. I glanced through the few pages Amazon allows and it seems to cover a lot of stuff. And if Mr. Anderton's "Sonar X1 Advanced Workshop" and "--The Next Level" videos are anything to go by, that'll be a good one to grab.

Bristol_JoneseyI'm surprised that Dave (Bit) has dismissed the Mike Senior book so casually.
 
Sure, there aren't any secrets, what he writes is pretty much industry standard stuff (are there really any secrets anymore?)
 
But in my opinion, the book is well worth it just for the chapter on monitoring and his in depth analysis of all things reverb.
 
I learnt a lot from it, but like many, I still have an awful lot to learn.

Okay, perhaps this isn't so cut-n-dried. Thanks for jumping in on this point, Jonesey.

bitflipper
Now that I think about it, that may not have been the author's title at all and was likely imposed by some anonymous editor at the publishing company.

Good point, bitflipper, but a misleading title is still a misleading title and I, like you, was more interested in buying it because of the 'secrets' rather than the well-written coverage of what's already available in other books, videos, etc. Judged on those latter merits alone, it might be better than average or even the best of the lot. Who knows? And Mr. Senior's intentions were likely 100% honourable.
But, it was still a mistake to mislead the buying public with that title, IMHO. Basically, it amounts to marketing hype and I'm not a fan. I pay attention to word of mouth if it's available and I'm still grateful to you for pointing this out.