New Music Gear Monday: United Studio Technologies UT-47FET Microphone

There are tons of clones of all the favorite vintage Neumann microphones like the U-87, U-47 and U-67, but one that’s more or less overlooked is the venerable U-47FET. It doesn’t get the accolades of the others even though it’s been a go-to outside-the-kick drum, bass amp and vocal mic by top engineers for a […]

Continue reading

Rush Seating, Rosewood Rules Relaxed, And Mastering Engineer/AES President Jonathan Wyner On My Latest Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Jonathan Wyner, chief mastering engineer and president of M Works Mastering in Cambridge, MA. Jonathan began his career as a mastering engineer in 1985 as the compact disc was becoming a reality, and he studied digital mastering with one of the pioneers in the field for 5 years prior to establishing […]

Continue reading

5 Techniques For Miking A Banjo

You read the title and I know what you’re thinking – “I’m not doing the type of music that has banjo in it (of course, this doesn’t apply if you’re in Nashville or the South).” You might be surprised when one shows up in your studio one day. After all, Elton John utilized Davey Johnstone’s […]

Continue reading

What’s The Difference Between Thunderbolt 3 And USB-C?

Computer ports. They’re always changing and they’re always causing confusion. At least most usually have different connectors, but I’m sure you’ve noticed that Thunderbolt 3 and USB-C share a common one. Talk about confusion – not wonder some peripheral devices don’t work all the time. Let’s see if we can sort this out. USB-C USB-C […]

Continue reading

New Music Gear Monday: LundHalsey Kontrol Command Console

One of the most critical pieces of any studio is the actual furniture that we do our work on. There are plenty of consoles available that cover a wide range of use situations and prices, but one of the most unique is the LundHalsley Kontrol Command series of consoles. These studio furniture pieces are aimed […]

Continue reading

Album Compilations Return, My Podcast Gear, And Post Engineer Jason Brennan On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Jason Brennan, who’s a re-recording mixer, supervising sound editor and sound designer with numerous feature film and television credits for Warner Bros. His 10 years of experience in music production and engineering gives him a unique outlook on television audio. Jason has always been on the cutting edge of the latest […]

Continue reading

A Look At That “Vintage Sound,” And How To Get It

A few weeks ago I posted a video of engineer Mark Linett speaking about remixing The Beach Boys and how it was to work with just 4 and 8 track master tapes. Since Mark has more experience with the recording techniques of the 60s and early 70s than anyone I know, I figured it would […]

Continue reading

The Class D Amplifier Module That Literally Changed The World

Over the past 10 years power amplifiers have gotten increasingly more powerful and lighter thanks to the now widespread use of what’s known as Class D. What most people don’t know is that it was all due to a single engineer at Philips who created the first inexpensive class D amplifier module that changed how […]

Continue reading

New Music Gear Monday: LouderThanLiftoff Chroma+ Customizable Buss Processor/Mic Preamp

When it comes to home studios, versatility is the name of the game. If we’re going to buy an outboard processor then hopefully it will fulfill multiple functions. That’s exactly what you get and more with the new LouderThanLiftoff Chroma+, a totally customizable 1U outboard unit that can act as both a dual channel microphone […]

Continue reading

FTC Gets Tough On Social Fakers, The Downside Of Free Plugins, And “The Ampeg Guy” Dino Monoxelus On My Latest Podcast

Dino Monoxelus is currently a senior product specialist and product planning manager for Ampeg Amplifiers. He’s affectionally known as “The Ampeg Guy” for his extensive knowledge about the company and its products, which he’s used as a working bass player for over 30 years. Dino spends a lot of time training salesman, conducting clinics and […]

Continue reading

How A Production Rehearsal Can Take Your Live Show To The Next Level

One of the things that all major touring acts do before going out on tour is have production rehearsals. These are literally weeks of rehearsals where the stage show, as much as the music, is rehearsed. A big show with lots of sound, lighting, pyro, video, moving stages, guitar changes, wardrobe changes, and a host of other […]

Continue reading

What Is The Most Difficult Piece Of Music?

What is difficult? Is a piece of music difficult because it’s hard to play or because of its conceptual virtuosity? Bassist Adam Neely took on the challenge to try to define what is “the most difficult piece of music,” and tries to explain what it means, and provide some examples. It turns out it all […]

Continue reading

New Music Gear Monday: Boz Digital Labs ProVocative Pitch Shifter Plugin

When the Eventide H910 Harmonizer first hit the street in the early 1980s, it didn’t take creative mixers long to discover that it could be used in an unintended way. Instead of trying to tune the pitch of a vocal, it could be used to thicken it in a way and with a sound not […]

Continue reading

Spotify Adverts, Gibson Loses Trademarks, And Michelle Moog-Koussa On My Latest Inner Circle Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Michelle Moog-Koussa, the daughter of the man who’s name is almost synonymous with the word synthesizer – Bob Moog.  Michelle has been the executive director of the Bob Moog Foundation for the 12 years since its inception. She has guided the organization through the creation and growth of  its hallmark […]

Continue reading

Thank You, Ed Cherney – Part 2

Over the years the engineer/producer Ed Cherney, who sadly passed away recently, contributed mightily to many of my books and podcast. You probably know this already, but Ed had deservedly great credits as he recorded and mixed projects for The Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan, Was, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Bob Seger, Roy Orbison, […]

Continue reading