The 7 Bad Frequency Gremlins You Should Watch For

There are certain frequencies that can definitely ruin the sound of a mix. Get too much of one of them and the result is some unpleasantness that is difficult to describe, but engineers try anyway. We’ve come up with a lingo that should identify a certain frequency band, but since the names aren’t truly universal, […]

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Ghost Songs, Illegal Tribute Bands, And Music Strategy Consultant Jay Gilbert On My Latest Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Jay Gilbert, who’s love of taking concert photographs eventually translated into being on the cutting edge of digital sales and marketing as an executive with Universal, Sony and Warner Music Groups. Jay has created and executed unique online marketing plans for a wide variety of artists, including Elton John, KISS, […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Acoustica Acqua Pensado EQ Plugin

Dave Pensado has been a superstar mixer from the time he entered the Los Angeles music scene more than 20 years ago. During that time he’s worked with some of the most revered artists (Michael Jackson, Christina Aguilera, and Beyoncé among them) but the fact is that every mix Dave does is a masterpiece regardless […]

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Don’t Look Now But Fender Has A New Owner

The words “Fender has a new owner” will put fear into the hearts of musicians as memories of the CBS acquisition and the debacle that followed loom large. The quality control went out the window and new instrument duds nearly doomed the company then, so don’t look now – Fender has a new owner once […]

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How Drum Construction Contributes To A Great Recorded Drum Sound

Probably the single most troublesome instrument to record may be the drum kit. Engineers obsess over the drum sound – and well they should, since the drums are the heartbeat of virtually all modern music. It’s a fact that drums that sound small in the track will make the rest of the track sound small […]

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Extra Tracks Strategy, USC Diversity Study, And Groove U Founder Dwight Heckelman On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Dwight Heckelman who, after a stint at Berklee College of Music,felt that music higher education needed to be held to a higher standard and would be a lot better if it were apprenticeship-based and relationship-driven.  He called on his experience as a graduate of Belmont University, at major and independent […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Austrian Audio OC818 Condenser Microphone

Austrian Audio is a new relatively new company out of Vienna, but in reality it’s one that you’ve known for a long time. A few years ago when parent company Harmon decided that it no longer needed the services of the people at AKG, it let the entire company go while keeping the name. Don’t […]

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The New Bluetooth LE Promises Better Wireless Audio

One of the problems with Bluetooth and audio devices is the limitations that it presents to audio, but those look to be in the past with the latest version of the standard – Bluetooth LE. This one’s different from other flavors of Bluetooth in that it was created specifically for audio. LE stands for “low […]

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Here’s How To Make Your Mix More Interesting

Although being skilled in applying the five elements of a mix (balance, frequency range, dimension, panorama, and dynamics) may be sufficient for many types of audio mixes, most hits require a mix that’s taken to another level. Although it’s always easier to achieve with great tracks, a solid arrangement, and spectacular playing, a great mix […]

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Winter NAMM 2020 Overview On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast

This week on the podcast I take a quick look at the recent Winter NAMM 2020 exhibition that just finished in Anaheim. NAMM was certainly different this year as it felt renewed and actually had its first buzz-worthy product in a long time. During this week’s episode I’ll take a look at: the mood of the show […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Universal Audio LUNA Recording System

Perhaps the biggest buzz around the Winter NAMM show in years was the launch of Universal Audio’s LUNA, the company’s new recording environment. There’s been speculation for years that UA could give Avid a run for its money should it ever release it’s own DAW, and while LUNA may not be the Pro Tools killer […]

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Streaming Slows, 13 Musical Emotions, And Engineer Dennis Moody On The 300th Episode Of My Inner Circle Podcast

Yes, it’s podcast #300! I never dreamed that it would go this long yet here we are, and it’s all thanks to listeners like you. I’ve said this many times and I really mean it – THANK YOU KINDLY for your support! My guest on the 300th podcast this week is Dennis Moody who’s the engineer of choice for […]

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A Guide To Alternate Mixes

Until most engineers joined the DAW revolution, alternate mixes were a way of life for the mixer to cover himself in case a change in the mix was deemed necessary at a later time. Renting the studio and then setting up an analog console and all of the outboard gear just to raise the vocal […]

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The Revolutionary Audio Chip Inside All Your Pedals

Something that I wasn’t aware of until recently is that most spatial effects guitar pedals are built around the same DSP chip. That’s not unusual in itself since so many audio devices are built around basically the same chip sets, but the source of this particular one, called the FV-1, is a surprise. The FV-1 […]

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New Music Gear Monday: Tonelux JC37 Microphone

One of the most revered vintage microphones that you hardly ever see cloned is the Sony C37a. It’s a tube mic that sounds distinctly different from those offered by Neumann and AKG at the time, especially in the midrange, but because of the unique construction of its mechanical assembly behind the capsule, not many current […]

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