Andrew Scheps has worked on mega-hit albums for a who’s-who of superstar artists such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, U2, Justin Timberlake, Jay-Z, the Rolling Stones, Linkin Park, Jewel, Neil Diamond, and Adele. We had an excellent chat that was included in the latest edition of my Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, and here’s part of […]
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Billboard Magazine recently posted a list of its top recording studios in the world. The article didn’t specify exactly how these studios were selected, but it seems to be built around how many hit artists use the facility. Still, it’s difficult to argue with their choices, as the ones selected are considered some of the […]
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One of the things that every DAW-based studio needs is a monitor controller, and the Mackie Big Knob has been one of the best sellers in the category for about a decade now. The series now gets an update with new electronics and a few new features. The thing about Big Knob controllers is that […]
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My guest on my latest podcast is television composer and author Rich Tozzoli. Rich has written an incredible 16,000 music cues that have been used on more than 10,000 cue sheets on 714 television series! Rich is not only a great composer but he’s also a talented engineer as well, and the author of several […]
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If you haven’t been following the news lately, American and Canadian diplomats in Canada were recalled back to their respective countries because many are suffering hearing loss and even brain damage as a result of a mysterious sound that even the FBI can’t identify. Earlier in the year, staff at the U.S. Cuban embassy and […]
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Mix engineers are called on to do so much more than ever before. Tweaking the track timing used to be done way before the mixing stage, but mixers now find it’s part of the job they’re expected to do. Here are some tips for tweaking track timing in you DAW from the Advanced chapter in […]
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Loud Technologies, owner of iconic audio brands Ampeg, Blackheart, Crate, EAW, Mackie, Martin Audio and TAPCO, has been acquired by Transom Capital Group, according to a statement from both companies. The new company will be called LOUD Audio, LLC, and will continue to be led by the current executive team of Loud Technologies. Transom has […]
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When you looked at the headline of this post and saw the word “Controller,” I bet you might have said to yourself, “The last thing I need is another one of those.” I must admit that I shared that view until I checked out Irijule’s new TheoryBoard, which is an entirely different kind of controller that’s […]
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My guest today is composer/arranger Dennis Dreith, who started in the business playing sax for The Beach Boys but soon turned to composing and orchestrating for commercials, television and motion pictures. Along the way Dennis wrote the scores for cartoons for Hanna Barbara, television movies of the week like Columbo, and motion pictures like A […]
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The phrase “Sex and drugs and Rock n’ Roll” has seemingly been around forever. In fact, Ian Drury even wrote a song with that title way back in 1977. We’ve heard the phrase so much now that we assume it’s correct, but are the ” Big 3″ really connected? Well, according to a new study […]
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Everybody loves compression. It’s not only the sound of modern music, but music in general, even orchestral these days. Compression beefs up the sound, brings up the quiet parts, and controls the transients, if you use it right. That said, there are 3 compressor tweaks that are critical to optimizing the processor’s setup in order […]
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Noted engineer/producer Andrew Scheps is not afraid to think outside the box when it comes to recording or mixing. Many of us (especially if we’ve been in the business for a while) sometimes have one way to do something and stay ridged in that approach. You can’t do that with music though, since each song […]
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Today’s mastering tools are better and better, but can also be much more complicated than the average engineer wants to deal with. That’s why some plugins are becoming smarter in how they operate thanks to incorporating artificial intelligence, and a perfect example is the Elevate mastering plugin developed by Newfangled Audio and distributed by Eventide. […]
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My guest this week is Grammy-winning producer/engineer J.J. Blair, who has a wide variety of credits that go from Johnny Cash to Rod Stewart to Weezer to the Black Eyed Peas, and many more. J.J. is an avid microphone collector and we spoke at length about his collection, his studio, and his techniques, as […]
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After learning at the knee of engineer/producer Tom Dowd during Atlantic Records’ glory days, Grammy winning engineer Jimmy Douglass (affectionately known as “the Senator”) has gone on to become one of the most sought-after engineer/mixers in R&B, hip-hop, and rock. One of the few engineers who can cross genres with total ease and credibility, Jimmy […]
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