So often artists, engineers and producers are looking for a new sound, and as anyone who’s ever gone on that search knows, it’s not always easy to find. Then there’s the case where a mixer might be trying to get something to jump out of the track, but finds that the normal processors like EQ […]
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There are a lot of very cool audio tools available these days, and more are released every week. Thankfully we’re getting to the phase where developers are reaching for new capabilities instead of just replicating the processors of the past, but that’s another story for another day. One very cool new online audio tool is […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is the CEO of Merlin, Jeremy Sirota. Merlin is a digital rights partner for independent labels and distributors all over the world. It’s powerful enough that some now refer to it as the 4rth major label. Jeremy previously held a number of senior positions at Warner Music Group and Facebook, […]
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In the category of “Why didn’t someone think of that before?” we get another new plugin that takes an existing audio tool and makes it function better with some additional features. This time it’s the M-Gate, a multiband gate plugin from Mogwai Audio Tools. If you’ve ever struggled getting a gate to trigger just right, […]
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This is a fun one. For everything that thinks they know how to play The Who’s iconic “Won’t Get Fooled Again” guitar part, think again. Here’s the original isolated guitar track in all its glory and you’ll probably gain new respect for Pete Townshend as a result of a listen. One of the things about […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is 18 time Grammy-winning engineer Benny Faccone, who started working at the famous A&M Studios back in 1980 where he worked on records by Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Supertramp, Michael Jackson and many more. After Benny went free-lance, he quickly became the go-to engineer for […]
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It’s pretty common for a musician or artist to finish a mix and not know how it’s going to play against other songs in the real world. Yes, there are plugins that allow you to do a listening comparison, but most don’t give you much more information than level differences. That’s where Expose 2 from […]
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Whether you do it before you hit the studio or at the studio before the session, the drum kit will need some time to be prepped so it will sound it’s best. Here’s a simple checklist from my Recording Engineer’s Handbook to follow to prep your drums before you set up any mics. Have the […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is Barry Rudolph, who’s probably done more magazine gear reviews that anyone on the planet by a factor of 10. As an engineer, Barry’s worked on 15 gold or platinum records by artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall and Oats, Rod Stewart, Mick Jagger and many more. Barry has also written […]
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Did you ever want to copy the way a track sounds, but can’t quite do it even though you’re using the same plugins and settings? Did you ever hear a track and go “That’s perfect. I wish I could get my xxx (fill in the blank) to sound like that?” If you’ve run into these […]
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A major element of a mix is dimension, which is the ambient field that the track or tracks sits in. Dimension can be captured while recording, but it’s usually created or enhanced when mixing by adding effects such as reverb, delay, or modulation. Dimension might mean re-creating an acoustic environment, but it could also mean […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is Grammy Award-nominated keyboardist, composer, and record producer Jeff Lorber. Jeff has released more than 25 albums during his career and he’s considered one of the pioneers of the modern jazz genre. Many of his songs are featured on The Weather Channel’s “Local On The 8s” segments, and he’s contributed […]
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The very heart of a desktop studio setup is the audio to computer interface, but many times that’s overlooked in importance. As a result, the audio quality suffers until one day the user knows that it’s just time to step up to something better. A viable upgrade alternative is the new Antelope Audio Zen Q […]
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It’s easy to think that getting a good mix is just a matter of pushing up some faders, getting a reasonable balance, adding some effects, and you’re finished. Although that might work for a rough mix, there are still a number of intangibles that are vitally important to a great mix. Awareness is always the […]
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My guests on the podcast this week are president and founder Paul Hubert, COO Jim Rondinelli, and chief scientist JJ Johnston from the 3D mixing platform Immersion Networks. The company’s innovative Mix3 (pronounced “mix cubed”) software allows anyone to upload tracks and mix them in a three-dimensional environment. These mixes can be appreciated without special hardware and […]
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