If you’re like most producers and engineers, you’ve accumulated a lot of plugins over the years. That probably numbers in the dozens, maybe hundreds, from all different manufacturers, each with their own installers, license managers, and update systems. Keeping track of what’s installed, what’s up to date, and what’s compatible with your current OS can […]
Continue reading
While many believe that microphone technology hasn’t really improved in at least 30 years, a host of new mics have taken the technology to the next step. Some have even become classics in their own right and can be found as standard equipment in mic lockers the world over. In this excerpt from the 5th […]
Continue reading
On this week’s podcast episode, I talk with author, musician, and lecturer Craig Anderton for Part 2 of our conversation, this time about vocal production, mixing strategy, performance dynamics, and the deeper decisions that separate polished recordings from generic ones. From gain envelopes and vocal detail work to inside out mixing, minimal plugin philosophy, and […]
Continue reading
One of the most tedious tasks in any mix is dealing with level inconsistencies in a vocal or dialogue track. A singer gets excited and the level spikes, then backs off during a softer phrase, and suddenly you’re riding the fader constantly instead of actually mixing. Compression can help, but it changes the dynamics in […]
Continue reading
I’m sure you’ve heard me rant on about private equity funds that acquire companies only to sell them off for parts just to ensure their investors make a profit. These PE companies generally don’t care much about the users of the acquired company’s products, which is a shame since it usually means that a good […]
Continue reading
On this week’s episode, I break down the latest music industry news and production trends, connecting the dots between business shifts, platform power, legacy gear, and loudness myths to give you a better understanding of where the industry is heading. If you want a sharper view of the modern music business without hype, this episode […]
Continue reading
We live in a world where we can record just about anything, any time and in any place, thanks to our phones, tablets, and laptops. The problems come when we want to up the quality by adding a more professional microphone than what’s built into these devices. Yes, there are many small and portable audio […]
Continue reading
It’s not easy being in the music business. It never was and it probably never will ever be. We’ve all experienced a mental health incident during our careers, but it wasn’t until the last few years that people have felt comfortable talking about it. Ditto Music conducted an artist survey on creative burnout and mental […]
Continue reading
On this week’s podcast episode, Is AI really coming for your gig, or are most musicians worried about the wrong things entirely? In this episode of my Inner Circle Podcast, author, musician, and lecturer Craig Anderton breaks down what AI actually means for working artists, producers, and songwriters . . . . . . and […]
Continue reading
Like many mixers, I like to start my mix with three delays already set up: short, medium and long. I find this combination provides exactly what I need for almost any situation very quickly, from adding a little depth, to some glue, to a longer “throw” effect. If the setup is baked into a template […]
Continue reading
On this week’s podcast episode, what role do commercial recording studios really play in today’s home studio world? I sit down with Sam Rudy, founder of Pro Studio Time, to explore whether studios are still necessary for modern music production, or simply a creative luxury. From writing camps and residential studios to AI disruption and […]
Continue reading
The one thing we all hate is the inevitable troubleshooting that comes with having a studio. Sooner or later something won’t be working the way you expected, and trying to find out where the problem lies really sucks the creativity from a session. One little device that can make that process go a lot more […]
Continue reading
It’s hard to look at just about any publication or news feed and not see an article about AI these days. Yes, we’re all sick of the hype, but for those of us in the music industry, the real question is, “Just how much are musicians and producers actually using AI music tech?” Well, now […]
Continue reading
On this week’s Inner Circle podcast episode, I sit down with Adrian Weidmann, CEO and founder of Immersive Design Labs for an in-depth conversation about immersive audio. During the interview we talkabout why Dolby Atmos and immersive audio have left so many engineers scrambling, and how the real breakthrough is not technology, but clarity. Adrian […]
Continue reading
There was a time back in the early DAW days before dedicated monitor controllers when turning the level of your studio monitors up or down was all done in the app. It was a real pain back then, and we all yearned for a straightforward analog rotary knob like on hardware consoles. Today most every […]
Continue reading