If you think “I hate carrying around all those 2TB flash drives,” or “I wish someone made a hard drive larger than 10 terabytes,” then you’re in luck. A new drive designed by Dutch researchers promises to fit 62.5 terabytes on a drive the size of a postage stamp and is 500 times more dense than […]
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If you work with more than a few pieces of analog audio gear on a regular basis, you know how tedious the documentation can get. Trying to get the same sound back has been the bane of engineers for decades, and a variety of methods have been developed over that time period. Most of these […]
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It’s fair to say that AES president-elect David Scheirman is a live sound expert, since he’s done everything from mixing bands like America and Electric Light Orchestra to designing sound systems for the New York Philharmonic and the Atlanta Olympics. He’s also spent time on the manufacturing side as well in executive positions at JBL […]
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We live in a glorious age where we’re no longer tethered to large bulky hard drives for capturing audio and pictures in the field. Today, so much of our audio lives on the simple, yet not always understood SD card, a true wonder of electronic storage. The problem is that we’re faced with a wide […]
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Getting a great vocal take comes from having a comfortable vocalist, and most of the time it’s the little things and attention to detail that counts the most. Here’s a checklist from my Music Producer’s Handbook to follow before vocal recording that will help make sure your singer is as comfortable as possible to enable a […]
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FX Rentals in London has been open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week since 1992, and has been the place to rent any piece of audio or music gear (and more recently DJ gear) that your heart desires. The company was recently featured on PSN Europe and one of the most interesting pieces […]
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Universal Audio is one of those rare companies that excels in both hardware and software, so when it puts both together in a product, you know you have something worth a long look. If you’re a guitar player or want to offer guitar players more choices in your studio, then the company’s new Ox Amp […]
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Engineer Benny Faccone has won 17 Grammys for his work with Mana, Ricky Martin, Santana and Luis Miguel among many others, and I talked to him about that in depth way back in podcast #5. This time we discuss something that everyone can relate to – building your home studio. The difference with Benny is […]
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You’d think that all the engineer and producer greats would use the same vintage microphones that have become just as famous as they are, but that’s not the case. U47’s, C-12’s, U67’s – they all have a place in the hall of fame for good reason. That said, it’s interesting that some of the greats […]
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Although you may be great at recording drums and have a great sounding studio with an excellent signal chain, the two chief variables in the recording are the drummer and his drums. No amount of technique or gear can overcome a bad sounding kit or a drummer that hits inconsistently, hence the importance of sound […]
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It’s funny how life presents unusual opportunities that can sometimes lead us down a path that becomes our life’s work, yet we never had an inkling about it previously. That’s what happened to Mark Ballora. During the first year of his PhD, he was asked to turn heart rate data into audio, and he’s been turning […]
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There are tons of guitar pedals available, and so many in the distortion/overdrive category that selecting just one to use is almost overwhelming. That said, you have to take notice when a high-end pro audio manufacturer like BAE Audio introduces one. The company’s Hot Fuzz isn’t your typical distortion pedal though, and that’s exactly what […]
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Michael Bishop has been recording orchestras all over the world for a long time, first as chief engineer for the famed Telarc label, and now with his own Five Four Productions. Along the way he’s won 10 Grammy’s as well as a slew of other awards for his excellence. Michael’s my guest on this week’s […]
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Things looked bad for vacuum tube-based audio gear once upon a time as both American and British tube manufacturers shut down their plants to go solid state. Luckily, the slack was taken up by tube plants in Russia, China and Yugoslavia, and the audio and MI business never missed a beat. Things might get tight […]
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For an artist, musician or band, not all gigs are created equally, mostly because the stature of an artist and the purpose of the gig dictates the type of venue he or she plays. As a result, gigs can be divided into six general categories of duration; local shows, one-offs, fly dates, mini-tours, full tours and […]
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