The Right Tech for the Professional Sound Engineer

A data disaster early in Simon Moro’s sound engineering career taught him some valuable lessons in the importance of understanding your tech.

Simon Moro - Recording Session
   Photo Credits to Carina Sze

Groucho Marx famously said: “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can never live long enough to make them all yourself.”

So what can you learn from music producer Simon Moro’s experience? Well, perhaps you can even relate, but hopefully, his tale of data we can help you prevent a similar disaster in your career.

NEVER AGAIN

Anyone who’s ever been in the throes of frantically trying to finish a project to meet tight deadlines knows it’s easy to make a mistake. And when that mistake potentially costs you the entire project when you’re just meters from the finish line, you can imagine the sheer panic that ensues.

“I was in the final days of an album I was mixing for a client early in my career as a freelancer,” says Simon. 

“I was using a hard drive with FireWire® and USB. The drive was connected to my studio desktop computer via FireWire, and, without thinking, I simultaneously connected it to my Mac laptop through USB. It clicked, and failed.”

“I had destroyed the GUID table. All the partitions were gone and the drive wouldn’t mount. It was the only copy of the project. If I was unable to find a solution, I’d have to ask the client for the files again and spend another week or so mixing.”

Thankfully for Simon, he did manage to find a solution that didn’t involve starting from scratch, but it still cost him valuable time.

“I found a command line tool that was able to recover the data. It took about 10 hours to recover 20GB of data. Never again!”

THIRD TIME’S THE CHARM

For Simon, the near-total loss of his work brought back some sage advice from his year 9 Info Tech class about best data practices.

“The concept with data is quite simple: if it doesn't exist in three places, it doesn't exist. I wish I had that front of mind when I started freelancing,” he says.

The experience did, however, teach Simon some valuable lessons that helped him to build redundancy into his workflow.

“After that incident, I kept regular backups. I have a work drive, and a backup drive that I copy to after every session.”

“Every time I touch a project, I backup to my onsite drives. This gives me two local copies: my project drive, and onsite backup. I backup to an offsite drive every week, or if I’m going to be away from my home studio.”

However, there was still room for improvement. Backups take time, especially when you’re talking about really large files. It was while working on a TV show recording the house band and orchestral ensembles in a Melbourne studio that Simon stumbled on a solution.

“These were big sessions, and the stakes were high, so data redundancy was critical. I was backing up after every session, but it started taking longer and longer to copy files, even if I’d only made a small change to one of the files.”

“I found a simple and cost-effective product called Synchronize! Pro X™. By scanning for changed files only, I was able to cut the backup time down from 30-40 mins to less than a minute.”

SimonMoro_2
Photo Credits to Carina Sze  

TWO TYPES OF SOUND ENGINEERS

There are two main camps music producers fall into these days, according to Simon: Mainly software-based, known as In-The-Box (ITB), or, a combination of hardware and software, known as hybrid.

“For most modern, and certainly aspiring producers, most of their technology is software-based, with very little hardware – perhaps an audio interface with built-in microphone preamps and studio monitors.”

“Hybrid music producers such as me often have just as much going on in hardware, as software.”

For digital-only setups, most of the troubleshooting happens in software, such as understanding how to install, register, update and uninstall programs.

Hybrid sound engineers, on the other hand, have to understand both software and hardware issues.

“These days, we often have to familiarise ourselves with other protocols that use Ethernet for connectivity too, as formats such as MADI and Dante have become popular for multichannel digital audio.”

“For me, knowing how to fix software bugs, and find workarounds is just as essential as troubleshooting problems with analog gear in the event it fails to power up, stops passing audio, or starts behaving in an unusual way, such as distorting, adding noise.”

THE DIY APPROACH

It’s this aspect of learning to troubleshoot your own issues that are paramount and an often overlooked skill for music engineers, according to Simon. 

“Back in the day, studios could afford full-time techs that could repair and troubleshoot things. These days, most studios are owner-operated in Australia,” he says.

“In my studio, I have to understand software, networking (for hardware/software controllers, storage and my SSL mixer), USB and thunderbolt protocols, analog audio (cable and connector configurations), and outboard equipment interfacing.”

“While I don’t need to know how to design and build the equipment, it’s vital to understand the fundamentals. Learning how to solder cables, terminate RJ45 connectors, replace fuses in equipment is really quite simple, and I think it’s a great place to start.”

“Learning about how your operating system works – whether OS X®, Windows® or Linux® is important, too. Learn where programs store software preferences-, configurations, and plugin files. For example, it’s common for third-party plugins to make DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations) unstable, so knowing how to temporarily remove them can get your session back up and running quickly…”

“If you have hundreds of plugins installed, and suddenly your system becomes unstable, think back to the last update, or install. Try removing that plugin, or reverting the update.”  

“Become comfortable opening a piece of hardware and locating the fuses, or checking for loose ribbon cables or internal connectors that just need a gentle tap to bring the gear back to life.”

WHAT’S IN STORE

Here are Simon’s tips for keeping your data safe:

  • Use a backup tool after each session: find a fast solution that can keep your backups synchronised with your project drive.
  • Keep multiple onsite backups: assume that all drives will fail at some point. I’ve never been concerned about having too much redundancy. When I complete a project, I copy it to my NAS (Network Attached Storage) before removing it from my project drive.
  • Keep offsite backups: fire, water damage or theft is unlikely to occur at two locations simultaneously.
  • Use cloud storage: this adds another level of off-site redundancy.
  • Periodically migrate onsite backups to new drives: assume drives will fail. Keep moving your data to new drives every year or so. It also means you’ll have more onsite backups.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email

Simon Moro

Sound Engineer

Starting his professional career in 2000 and gaining further training from industry heavyweights, Simon has developed a unique, emotion-driven style. He delivers mixes that speak true to the artist's vision by pouring his energy into connecting with the artist and his dedication to the art of mix engineering.

SHARE THIS POST

RELATED ARTICLES

Back to top

EVENTS CALENDAR

Are you sure you want to log out?

COMPETITION WINNER:

Franky Tsang

20230201-JessicaMichael-PW-0196-768x960

COMPETITION WINNER:

Prithvi Bhattacharya

DJI_0794-5-scaled

COMPETITION WINNER:

DIANA ABELEDA

diana_winningimage

COMPETITION WINNER:

NICK THAKE

nick thake

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

NGOC TAI NGO

ngoc.tai.ngo (1)

COMPETITION WINNER:

LEE RAPER

Lee Raper - Man On Rock

FIRST 300 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
WilliamLy
BrittanyLong
MaxThum
StephanieBinder
GeoffreyVillarosa
JoeHupp
MatthewHarris
JamesDent
AngieOCallaghan
JaneTan
AnnLee
BradleyPurcell-Fitt
AdiRex
ElyasDaud
MarcusVisic
AnitaMclennan
JohnathanDevereux
TessKanschat
gerrylu
DavidAcheson
OjuShah
MaireKivec
MaheshGanganarasaiah
WesleyPearson
GregMounsey
MarnieSilke
ArienneMaclean
GlenJenkins
NicoleHeyes
SamanthaShih
AGConway
ElmarAkhmetov
SharvinRagoobeer
GeraldinePadua
GeePadua
JosephUng
BrodyMarsh
MichelleGade
BenLocke
NeilHelmore
ClintColombin
DavidMurphy
AndrewPike
JaySmith
ClarenSo
MarkRamet
YiFanZhong
ChrisKopinto
LeighAnderson
AnilShahi
MichaelMcNeill
MichaelTan
TravisWhitehead
HeatherBarpalias
MichelleCheung
AlainAlford
LeoSantos
EleishaTurner
RegJanetzki
PatriciaMazur
MarisaPoulos
SarahCornford
KenWilles
BishalBista
ShawnCrowther
AnthonyMessina
RebeccaHansen
JamialArnol
RyanMathieson
AlannaMatthews
ArunaaRamakrishnan
AldrinRedolme
ShaunRichens
AmandaPhillips
DonnaTrickey
JoeyScollo
EliStrange
TristanWinter
KarlDu Preez
RyleyCrabbe
CassieDenney
LeanneKendall
BelindaThompson
StephenRetzlaff
ShawnaJames
JasmineMaguire
BrendanD’Silva
IanGeorge
NorzaChan
AnnWong
AaronCounsell
  
JiteshJayaraman
GregnApril
BarbaraMarshall
DeeDee
DIANAOZELIS
ErnieDonato
Paul-Leccaculo
Stronzo-Colosimo
PenelopeIssa
AmyClissold
KohenForrest
LeanneDodd
TanakornThongfuang
claudiaprice
HarleyWeston
MagdaleneSoh
JacquelineDodd
EddieUnal
JonDonovan
RobertMarriott
MatthewTang
CathieTranent
JulesParker
LeanneJay
JingZhang
OllieNguyen
JamesLam
DavidLee
JaswinderSingh
MichaelCasha
PatrickZahn
KayvanMirabel
PenelopeRieschiek
Jennypatrizio
PaulCavanagh
TracyMILLARD
JamesDong
TerenceKwong
SuleymanMaamari
ZahliBiggs
GregParker
SusanThorp
MykkyLuong
PaulPowell
MarkD
DerekTse
BrianSharp
RemyJi
SteveHarpley
ScottRose
JoshuaAllsop
GregRobinson
LuLu
anantsrivastava
JessicaChhai
jinjianwu
LuanaMoreno
HeathLow
LOUISE-ANNEPILSBURY
DillonQuintieri
Ying HaoAu
AdenMcKinley
MatthewIp
JoshuaAkers
BaljinderDhillon
EddyYang
ChristopherWalker
JustinCheung
StephenWebb
JimmyT
MichaelShaw
TrevorSpringate
AndrewGeorge
NaingLinn
johnni
LouBarwick
MohammedHammoud
RogerSun
rishinaik
JCCheak
GlennSanders
StazaSherlock
DeeReddy
FreddiTan
LloydHird
MatthewHill
TyJusten
GuyJackson
FelixChong
JenRobinson
StephenHoward
ScottLewicki
MickGillies
BenMcPhee
DavidHermit
davidcraker
DavidPham
AndrewCarlson
LoiHuynh
AshleySelf
KrishnaTripathee
IvanLazarus
BrendanLambourne
TaniaMarshall
JacquilineLaw
NathenSieben
JordynMontague
KirstyCollister
HannahJeffs
LisaGough
WilliamDillon
BenElliott
IvannaHo
JessPearson
AlanJennison
KelleyForrester
GaaneshPrasad
LawrenceDMello
AndreaCherie
SamanthaBainrot
MichaelKeenan
RijoshShrestha
jademerrilees
ElitaSo
IanHeywood
NeilMenezes
JayneCorrie
HowardChien
JaiMag
BrucePatching
MichelleAnstey
BenjaminShih
IainFoster
DanielLinnet
HashiliMuhammed Kunju Abdul
BrianHancock
JustinCannon
EiriniAlligiannis
JonathanFurlong
AidanLindsay
Su YiLow
MitchellPescud
EyreMamintada
RobertCooper
BoryKrouch
ShaneGrocke
DesmondWong
JanetWilliams
AlexDarius
ZiyiHuang
KylieMiller
BrianClark
MarkAlsop
KeithOgden
TerryLuo
BeauWalker
DuncanCadman
MateuszKrysztofiak
EugeneMeany
LynnGill
KevinThornhill
PaulineWong
NelsonRodriguez
JaysonRalston
SimoneKurtz
JaradGreenshields
ParadisePictures
StuartCoutts
JessicaBain
NickBasiliou
JasminVassallo
JagroopSingh
DarrenWoodward
Hsiang-MinLIU
CarolineLowe
LeanneVogt
Dasun NirmalaMalaarachchi
JosephCasserly
VanceErdmann
ROBLOXRoblox
RileyReynolds
SandhuSingh
KaydenCollins
ChannaHatharasinghe
HudsonMcGrath
vireshNatha
MaxJames
TranKim
TomTegel
AndrewRenton
FranMussared
WilliamTrang
NoeLegasto
MarkRamsden
BCOrchard
MaritzaLegasto
RamiRabba
KimNguyen
LucasDaly
SunnWynn
CianO’Reilly
ilyasesa
ZacharyHill
GavinLee
JewelHolly
ShaunHarvey
ScottStramyk

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

DAVID BRAYBROOKE

david

FIRST 200 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
MelanieMacleod
RodneyOlsen
ChristianCube
AnneLee
JohnLee
milantutic
VickiLaurie
PeteMorgan
MichelleHarty
DooksHan
FelipeMerola
LauraClarke
Ai Ping 
LeylaChoueiri
KarenMashford
JanelleVassallo
JamesWatts
DeborahOstler
SandraWall
MichelleFay
TaniaZheng
ShellHoughton
RichardMorton
TJWebb
JakePaint
ClaudioFagnano
JudithFoyster
SueWilson
DominiqueFouet
SophieElliott
MouryaDave
RebbeccaWatkins
NeilPhillips
JonNeaves
JMatheson
WallyJaskolski
MickGillies
TerryMaki
KarenHodson
LawrenceGapuz
Ann MareeSculley
AUDRAGADE
PeterBiggs
Marniesilke
AdamCarver
findlaystevenson
JieZheng
CalvinWard
JunDai
JulieMorgan
BlairHeading
Jasonknight
NicholasDorbie
IanConnon
RayRuhland
SunilShrestha
JohnMay
NgaNguyen
KashyapMarfatia
MichaelChaumont
JanetteChaumont
AllanShostak
SoniaLaws
BenWatson
MikeGiltrow
SaminaHasan
LynnRoberts
CarolynFoy
AlanBastick
GlenysLilley
JohnChubb
ParryCoker
MeganBrain
NatashaNguyen
roserose
NeilRough
TaminaPratt
RemyMoreland
JamesStrachan
JohnBourd
MargaretChafer
GraemeLane
DanielFernandes
WendyFernandes
NatashaMcDonald
MickMcMaster
ShaunLo-Ma
JohnHe
Daivik 
ApoorvKashyap
BrentLoy
SixianHuang
KennyDuong
EdwardWolfe
manojKumar
AndyChen
Kheriwala 
NuaymBudiman
GlebeZhivoglyadov
DayuLiu
RithikK
AnthonyDe Vincentis
PunitSingh
GarethPerry
RidhamShah
PeterHaynes
XIAOSULIAO
GaryLo
AndrewVo
DomLu
AlanBu
SujayShah
KelaSen
TerryLuo
WingChung
ArthurAung
KyleTan
TedLi
JimmyLim
VickyWu
JonathanTruong
JayChan
TianO
WeijianWang
Yuan weiFan
MahipJoshi
AndyChen
JosephWang
LeslieWong
JessicaMueller
JosephWang
HigorSilva
WayneLy
SamL
ChristopherSurendra
DanielLutz
YuLee
TommyGunawan
FreeSample
JoeFire
Kenny 
DerekYang
Justin 
KwongKiu
Sau ChunHo
JonathanTaleski
NeilJain
ZhengZhi
WinsSt
JulesF
Hok SumYu
SatishAitha
bruce 
DalbirSingh
JonathanBaptiste
Shanshan 
VinnieGulati
AdrianLee
LukeToohey
Phillip 
Jacky 
Mas199google
MichaelWong
NickoC
Hok YuKou
AsadM
StuartCOATES
ggsdgs 
JiaC
Lee 
MarkLockwood
HimanshuGoyal
HuiTeh
FrankDing
PaulScroce
HMing 
lucasJanson
LeoHadi
RohanSingh Kalkat
TegbirSingh
Dan 
ZoranMircevic
T.Y.Chua
LiangLiang
RakeshBalakrishnan
EllenorDay
RobertWong
AndrewTeoh
TullyB
ShanePerrott
KapilYewale
DavidClapper
AamirSheikh
DennisLam
DjunaediHadiwidjaja
JordanMessenger
Dao 
VisitOz
AndrewNg
SimonWong

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

TONY CHIK

FIRST 400 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
OwenDyson
CarlosCarrión
PerajeevPuleanthiran
AnthonyLee
VlastislavŠevčík
EmmaYuile
Yau-KwangHan
TodSheaves
JohnTraynor
MarkHarrison
DuncanDodd
FionaBirt
NarelleCrozier
FionaBirt
CharlesStinchcomb
ILLONATOBIN
StanleyAryanto
InaJ Photography
LynOsborne
ZoeMcGrath
JoLyons
MiaSpan
CristalCachia
KendalO’Reilly
ErinKing
KellyBarker
VickyWaistell
MickiWells
ErinSchwartzkopf
DaniMusicka
BarbaraBrady-Smith
PeterSharp
CarolineTelfer
JanineDavies
GarryGenova
LynnRoberts
DillonQuintieri
DaveFarringdon
ManalAmzal
TravisHope
UlrichMoshammer
RichardMillar
ManjilRanjit
BrettKelly
UgyenWangchuk
TylerXia
Frankpatterson
ChrisDillon
SabiShah
DipeenDahal
JonathanCousins
KevinWong
WesleyUng
AlexFarani
StefanusTambun
BrentonTripley
  
DanielCai
HarrisonSchaler
AaronMcKay
MikeGlazier
BirenThakali
KimKuhlman
GaryRoberts
KimMcAvoy
ValRoche
VincentLo
DavidMcKay
AhmadKhan
GerryDwyer
ShaneRichardson
SkyeForster
LeeSchatkowski
MattHassan
DanielGuymer
NealaGillespie
CraigGreer
SherryPfeiffer
TonyMcDonough
KaneYeomans
GustavoAcero
AlexChao
JasonWilliams
JayHall
EmmaLitchfield
DarrylDean
JoshNortheast
ScottBroad
ShonaRobinson
MalcolmEllis
MarkGarvey
AndrewLindner
SachaWalker
AliceMitchell
ChristinaLungo
DavidBraybrooke
DavidTurnbull
MatejPribelsky
WonjoonKim
GregBates
AdamGardner
DavidCarley
AlexChan
SeanDarcy
KevinWong
MichaelPotter
LaurenDean
ShaneBroadbent
JatinAnand
SumeetKumar
TamaraDaniels
Michael 
ShannanThyer
AngusPeady
ChristopherTung
AnneDavies
GeorgiaStone
JoshuaPalmer
JordanMitchell
AnthonyChung
TuLe
GaugeKrahe
BradMarlow
JosiahYounes
SherieKennedy
DavidHuynh
CyrilAu
MichaelLewandowski
jamessellwood
LucasMunday
DeanMackie
RemyHarmon
DemiKhong
Jhin JiacWong
AshleyHinds
BenjaminYates
ASAMIWEAVER
Se HongJeon
VijaySoundrapandian
ThomasHouse
BradleySwanson
AlexBoyd
JessicaHouse
RichardHuynh
JadeO’Shea
DesleyGeeves
IanHaigh
DanielO’Brien
BeauWyngarde
ArmandoGiaccotto
MarcoPham
JevonGuymer
KyleDavies
WilliamMurdock
SimonPotts
AngelaCox
PatrickMcMahon
PeteCochran
ScottGrant
AnthonyBennett
CoreyLee
MickHalls
AndrewLocke
MichaelPeng
SohanSilva
wingchan
BenBosanac
BaileyRowland
RodneyLindner
JulieCrisp
LanceMillan
RachelFerlazzo
danielapapalia
MargaretPritchard
AbdunMahmood
NaziaAhmed
JohnChubb
MikeXu
StevenCook
warrengirdlestone
MinaG
AndrewSparrow
JamesSharpe
tashawalker
TabathaMcCarthy
AndrewCai
TRAVISCaruana
XiaoLin
ShobhanaBommireddipalli
KenChiou
BradleyMichelbach
OliverDela Cruz
MartySparhawk
ChrisDaumann
PaulMiles
AdrianKonkol
RobertBarbarossa
ChrisLay
JoshDi Vincenzo
AaronWoodland
AlisterCurtain
KeithBuss
LaurenRuneckles
SonjaHolness
AlisonLee
jamesgartner
EmilyBallard
JoelManners
MathewGilgen
MichaelDulihanty
HandiSutanto
YongYe
ForestLin
Virgil Duane
Van Schoonhoven
MarkBacci
ChrisGotse
JamesTanzil
LesBartley
StevenTonkin
SimonDigregorio
LiamHumphreys
NicholasRuiz
BodenMatthews
KaushikaMihiran
RicoHohne
JeffHar
JasonWilson
lynsamuel
NigelWesley
PaulAgussol
WayneAhgow
StewartYates
MalcolmJoosse
RichardHarrison
IanChennell
CallumSimpson
BenjaminByrd
MarkMason
DarrenEarley
AndrewBailey
IanJaggard
AndrewBrown
KateClark
DannyChau
WarrenFischer
KieranFlynn
ScottCruse
PeterFertykowski
DanielBlack
YuenChan
JohnMelling
FordKilleen
RobertGorial
AdamRucinski
TonyCook
MarkMales
NathanCarra
JohnKruger
RayChan
BinLiu
RobertLoomans
StevenSokiasoglou
DylanPrava
MichaelLamrock
GregO’Brien
deanfooote
PerezArvidson
AdrianMifsudq
DominicThomas
SteveBonnici
PatrickBasister
GerardGrundy
RobertHudson
ChinChen
GeorgeAngelogiannos
JeffSandford
TheoKatzeff
BrianBurston
GoughLui
FrederickMiley
LindaHynson
KeirRoyle
LukeTregloan
TonyBellis
JoseLin
ThomasGush
BrianO’Keefe
ZacharyTomlin
GlenisOKeefe
RickyTirta
NealDownward
GeoffLucas
GarryMarshall
StephenDruce
JohnCarter
GauravVasdeva
scotbarker
Suzanne RonaBermudez
AndrewMcGuire
JasonMcClellan
LloydCastillo
PhillipCoxsedge
OrkunOlcer
PaulineStewart
PaulMonks
MarkPiekarz
BradSpeechley
RileyPerger
johnni
JeffPortlock
JohnPlavins
DMarr
KhaledNasser
ManojShapally
nangao
GregGreet
SabeehHussain
LucasMcAuliffe
DirkMcCrossin
ChristopherTownsend
IsmaelNunez
AndrewGoodman-Jones
AndrewHargreaves
GarySearle
DanLawrence
DeanElliott
BryantKoh
DenzelMok
allanmilnes
KeithLewis
DennisVeneruzzo
BryceCoxhead
nathanaeljames
AndrewSaffer
RobinDouglas
DaviSoesilo
MatthewDellios
LukeMalby
AlexQuartararo
MatthewDames
Kyung YoonPark
DavidBlight
IsaacWinter
PaulKoczwara
BenWu
ScottyTidey
LachlanKennedy Clark
ColinJones
AnitaChan
BenTravia
DavidBagini
GrantWard
LachlanPeters
DavidLe
GrahameKelaher
youngbeck
AngeloPeca
MartinBawden
ScottJewell
BB
MatthewHunter
DanielKaplon
ShaneMolnar
TonyChik
EthanLe
MikeFuller
JordanLovelle
MichaelRutherford
PeterCho
DolchaiJaroensudjai
StephenBarnes
AnthonyLai
PradeepHewavitharana
PeterCheang
NelsonBacorro
BruceStreeter
JohnYu
MatthewHenson
symosymo
Ying YingTan
KrisRossow
ThomasWilliams
AllanRutter
JoelSmith
MichaelThomas
NigelTaylor
RichardCash
DavidCornell
robertbates
StephenSchulz
FredMustica
RamalaChrystal
EdwardDekkers
JimNgoh
AlanRutherford
MarkArdagh
ClarkMei
DallasPlatt
ScottAtkinson
JinuSeok