Audio-Technica ATH M50 User Review (Anniversary Edition) (Updated)

I got the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s/LE 50th Anniversary Edition about a year ago when it was time retire my old Sennheiser cans which I reviewed here. The Audio-Technica M50’s have been around for a long time and people swear by them. This is a straight cable 50th Anniversary Edition which is in a metallic silver-blue finish instead of the regular black-grey. In all other ways, it is exactly like the regular ATH-M50’s and has the same specifications.

Audio-Technica ATH-M50s/LE Anniversary Edition

It was a big leap from the budget friendly Sennheiser’s that served me for many years. I have used various headphones on the road including Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, Shure SRH840 and more in the past few years, however I never tried an Audio-Technica ATH M50 which had numerous good reviews. Based on this, I had short listed the DT770 Pro and the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 as final options.

Make the most of Sound Check for a Chorale or Acapella

A reader asked me about sound check for a choir and acapella performances after seeing my blog post on sound check for bands. Because sound reinforcement for choral music works very differently, I realized the topic requires a separate blog post. I have worked with numerous gospel choirs and acapella groups and here are my observations on what usually goes wrong.

A few pointers before I dive in to the technicals:

1. Most musicians from choirs and acapella groups are also a part of rock/pop bands. They spend more time with the bands and assume things work the same way for a chorus on stage, but it doesn’t.

2. The reason you have a choir/acapella is because you intend to use ‘voices’ as an ‘instrument’. If you have an army of other instruments ‘backing’ your group, you better have voices that can be heard over them, of course without sounding like they are straining.

Audio Workshop for Musicians – A series starting in Bangalore

In all these years of gigging and traveling, I met many great musicians who were either partially or totally handicapped by technology. I tried to help many on stage, at the last minute, tweaking their tones and helping them with all the stuff that is “pro-audio”. I thank all those wonderful musicians who inspired me to come up with this special “Audio Workshop for Musicians” series aimed at enabling musicians to conquer technology and concentrate on music.

Rahul Samuel’s Audio Workshop for Musicians

Top 21 Mac OSX Apps

 My post on Top Apps for iPad was quite a hit. After searching around and not finding much, here are the apps I finally settled on my MacBook Pro acquired last December. These apps vary in functionality from Audio Recording to everyday apps.

1. Reaper – 60 days trial period and US$60 for discounted license for personal use and US$225 for full commercial license. This DAW comes with plugins for all your needs and works any VST,AU and JS plugins. Super stable and light program. Fully customisable GUI to make it behave like any DAW you are already familiar with. I personally prefer its native look and feel. Play around for 60 days and buy it even if you don’t like it.

Cockos Reaper – Best low cost DAW software

 

Product Review – Sennheiser eH150 Headphones

This will be the first of a review series I am writing. I was wondering what to start with after promising reviews in the last post about my tool kit. I decided to go with the most used and abused piece of gear I own, my Sennheiser eH150 headphones.

 

Product features

1. Supra-aural hi-fi stereo headphones for casual users and professional DJs
2. Dynamic, closed design enhances highs and mid-range frequencies
3. Ultra-lightweight, rugged housing enables comfortable, extended listening
4. Powerful neodymium magnets and lightweight diaphragms create 18 Hz to 18 kHz frequency response
5. 10 foot highly conductive OFC copper cable; 2-year warranty
6. 1/8 inch TRS connector with 1/4 inch TRS adapter

The Ultimate Live Sound Engineers Kit

This is a forever changing list. We sound guys are never satisfied with what we have! I had a post earlier that included my gig bag, a quick run through will tell you how much it has evolved.

Choose the tight tool for the job. (Pic courtesy – Industrial Interface)