Category Archives for "Production"
Through the years, specific woods have been the basis of fine acoustic and electric stringed instruments. Sitka spruce, Brazilian rosewood and swamp ash were just some woods that have been used to achieve excellent sounding instruments, all of which are endangered today. If you were to name an all-time excellent sounding stringed instrument, one made […]
Continue readingGetting really good drum sounds can take some time, even for experienced engineers. That’s why many resort to samples to speed things along. But what if there was a smart channel strip dedicated just to drums that could do much of the work for you? That’s what Melda Production MDrumStrip is – a smart dedicated […]
Continue readingWhen you’re recording basic tracks, especially in an expensive commercial studio, it’s easy to get off track in a way that not only causes you to waste time, but money as well. These 5 session tips from the latest edition of my Music Producer’s Handbook will ensure that not only your tracking session, but all […]
Continue readingI think every musician has a field recorder these days because they’re so useful. Recording song ideas, rehearsals, personal memos – it pays to have one to catch those moments that you don’t want to forget. While Tascam and Zoom (with Sound Devices on the high end) have dominated the market for quite a while […]
Continue readingUsing the EQ can be one of a mixer’s most in-depth exercises, and it’s not uncommon for engineer’s to fiddle with at least one channel throughout the entire course of a mix. One of the coolest things about the latest generation of EQ plugins is that their operation is becoming easier, as a lot of […]
Continue readingI love to present news about acoustics breakthroughs and there are plenty of them every year. Very few make it out of the lab though, and even the ones that do don’t usually become a commercial success. While this new ionized air noise reduction method might fall into the lab-only category, I feel it’s my […]
Continue readingPhase cancellation is the killer of good sounds, and once it’s happened it’s difficult to straighten out. Yet phase alignment is too often overlooked by recording engineers of all skill levels, especially if you’re in a hurry to get a session up and running. Worries about phase alignment and polarity might be thing of the […]
Continue readingThere are a lot misconceptions about AI music, mostly because of all the click-bait headlines about AI that one sees almost every day. After working with more than 100 AI apps, plugins and platforms, there are a number of things that I’ve learned that definitely bust some of the AI music myths that you might […]
Continue readingOne of the big differences between mixes done by a pro and those done by someone just learning is the vocal level. A pro will know to make sure that the listener can hear every word of the vocal, while the mix of a beginner will have the words and phrases dipping in level so […]
Continue readingSound absorption material used in recording studios is thick by necessity, but that cuts down on the available room space as a result. Because most studio space is at a premium, the race has been on for many years to come up with thinner, more efficient sound absorption materials, which for the most part have […]
Continue readingMany plugins come to life because an engineer wants to emulate the sound of an analog processor that can’t yet be duplicated in the digital domain. The latest of these is the new Gold Clip mastering processor plugin from Schwabe Digital that features the pleasant overload saturation of some favorite digital convertors, and then adds […]
Continue readingWe’re seeing more and more revered companies in the audio and musical instrument business fading away as they’re soaked up by conglomerates or holding companies. Some of the latest to experience those type of big changes are Moog Music, Blue Microphones, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Sonible. which now join the consolidation ranks. Brands Acquired For […]
Continue readingTo some degree, we’ve all learned how to live without a console during mixing or content creation. That said, mixing with a mouse can be downright boring and quite a bit slower than using a dedicated controller. The problem is that most DAW controllers have either limited functions or a clunky UI, not to mention […]
Continue readingIf you’re over about the age of 40, you’re probably noticing that your hearing isn’t what it once was. It’s even worse if you’ve received any hearing damage through the years due to a high volume levels. That’s because we’ve damaged the hair cells in our inner ears, and the problem is, they don’t grow […]
Continue readingIf you’ve ever listened to my podcast or workshops, you’re hearing my voice from a Shure SM7B through a Rupert Neve Designs Shelford channel strip. The Shelford is priced at around $4,000, but worth every penny and I love it, but the price is beyond the pocketbook of many home studio owners. The good news […]
Continue reading