Last month we discussed the increasing demand for live recording. This month, we take a look at how to get your raw tracks or mixes to the producer and/or band for overdubbing or approval. (Overdubbing on a live CD? I never knew there was such a thing! Tell it to the judge.) Whether you realize it or not, you have likely already participated in a form of digital audio delivery: that iPod you've got strapped to your arm is probably filled with MP3s that have been downloaded from the Internet. Granted, MP3s are relatively small files, and Lord knows the fidelity stinks, but the technological idea is there. Of course, things get complicated when file size increases, and any audio file we might be interested in has got to be huge. In other words, audio at 44.1 kHz/16-bit requires a lot of data. You can't fit a lot of audio at 44.1/16 into your iPod. [It goes without saying that files sampled at a higher rate and bit depth — 192/64, for example — will take up even more space. Steve's statement in last month's column that 44.1/16 was the best frequency/bit depth to record at has been met with a little pushback from some FOH readers. For further commentary on this, see the feedback letter on page 2. In the meantime, look at the numbers here as those on the smaller end of the scale. –ed.]
After your show(s) have been recorded, the audio data will probably be living on a hard drive (plus a backup, of course). You'll have to figure out a way of distributing it so the band can listen to their work. Let's see… 30 tracks of audio at 44.1 kHz/16-bit for a 100-minute show. Do the math, and you'll come up with around 15,000 MB of data, or 15 GB. Do some more math and you realize that you'll need almost 30 CDs to hold this show or a couple of DVDs (depending upon whether they are dual or single layer). Of course, you have to multiply that by the number of people who need to get the files, resulting in a nasty boatload of blank discs, plus the time you get to spend duplicating them and sending them out. Oh joy.
Your alternative is to distribute the files using a different method, namely some sort of Internet-based delivery system. Unfortunately, AOHell (and every other ISP) is not going to let you email 15-GB files to anyone anytime soon (it takes up too much space in their system). You can deliver the information via the Internet using something known as an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) site. File Transfer Protocol allows two computers to connect using the Internet as the wire. The computer providing the data is known as the server. The computer receiving the data is known as the client. The server sort of has its ear to the ground and is always listening for a client who is requesting a connection, but it is the client who actually requests the connection by typing an FTP address into a Web browser. A smart server will then require a client name and password before allowing access to the server. Once the two are connected, files from either machine may be transferred to the other, regardless of what operating system the computers are using. Various roadblocks may be set up on the server, including some that allow the client to access only specific data or folders, so that sensitive data may be protected from unwanted snooping.
What you need to accomplish this is a computer that could remain connected to the Internet at all times, much like the server of a Web site (if the server is disconnected or turned off, then a client cannot access the information). This computer would house a hard drive containing the audio files, so any band member could download these files at any time (without bothering you at 3 a.m.). Ideally, you'd have nothing but the audio on this server, so if a Snooping Sam somehow stole your address, they would not have access to information like, say, your bank account.
Some hard drive manufacturers have recognized the need for this type of information transfer and developed something known as a LAN Disk. A LAN (Local Area Network) is a small group of computers living in one location, such as your home or studio. A LAN Disk is sort of a self-contained mini-computer that looks more like a hard drive and serves your information. Typically, the device has a built-in Web interface so that you can connect it directly to the Internet and then allow clients to access data (in our case, audio) without allowing the possibility of them sneaking around your main computer to steal valuable information. To make your life easier, a LAN Disk usually can connect to your main computer via Ethernet, enabling you to easily transfer the audio files from your computer into the LAN Disk, where they can be safely served to the remainder of the world. Typically, a LAN Disk does not care what OS you are using, so if you are on Mac OS X, your band is using Windows and the singer's grandma is using Mac OS 9, everyone can retrieve the files without a problem — all they need is Internet access. Since a LAN Disk does not care what type of data it is serving, you could also use it to share electronic photos from that last gig. To get your files onto the server, you simply go to your desktop and drag them from your main computer onto the LAN Disk. Done.
Our friends over at Digidesign have developed a sort of FTP server on steroids known as DigiDelivery, which can help serve Pro Tools files. A DigiDelivery server connects to your computer and provides you with automated delivery functions, such as sending an e-mail to each recipient notifying them that dinner is being served. The e-mail can contain a link for the download, a message from the sender and even an invoice so that the band can reimburse you for all that extra time you spent on your days off.
Now that's slick.
Steve La Cerra is the tour manager and Front of House engineer for Blue Oyster Cult. He can be reached via email at Woody@fohonline.com
