When Dusty Wakeman of Mojave Audio asked me to speak at Sweetwater’s annual Gearfest on behalf of the company, I jumped at the chance. I’d heard so much about the event over the years so it was something that I wanted to experience for myself. Like many of you, I’m a veteran of a lifetime […]
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Modeling technology has become pervasive in the audio world and has reached the point where it sounds so good that hardly anyone even blinks an eye anymore at a product that contains it. One of the last bastions for modeling has been microphones though, since that always seemed like hallowed ground by the pros. Those […]
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Music Connection magazine has been a bible for musicians, songwriters, artists, engineers, producers and music execs since its first issue in 1977. The magazine has grown from a local Los Angels publication to national distribution, and now features everything from revues of artist’s and band’s live performances and albums to extensive directories ranging from music […]
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Another classic instrument has flew past the half-century mark as the iconic Fender Jazzmaster celebrates it’s 60th birthday. Like the Strat and Les Paul, the Jazzmaster was once thought of as almost a product-line miss as interest was lukewarm at best. It’s now enjoying a massive revival though, and if you watch just about any […]
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The essence of mixing is the balance between instruments or mix elements. No matter how good you are at other aspects of the mixing process, if you don’t get the balance right, you don’t have a mix. Here are some questions to ask yourself as well as 6 exercises taken from my Audio Mixing Bootcamp book that […]
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Acoustic stringed instrument players have always suffered from amplification problems in a live environment. Place a microphone on the instrument and you’ll get at least some change in tonal quality and usually a lot of leakage, regardless of the quality of the microphone that you use. Resort to a pickup and the instrument no longer […]
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My guest this week is longtime Senior VP of Marketing for Warner Bros and current marketing consultant to both labels and indie artists Ted Joseph. Ted has been associated with over 100 gold and platinum recordings for artists in a wide range of genres, from pop and urban to contemporary jazz and country. He has […]
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Beatles producer George Martin was one of the first indie music producers, and after having many hits outside of the Fab 4, set up his own personal studio in the Carribean island paradise of Montserrat. When Sir George wasn’t using AIR Montserrat himself, the studio was leased out to a who’s who of 1970/80s music […]
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I often get asked what plugins I regularly use, so a few years ago I decided to share my plugin thoughts with a personal Top 10 list. Here’s my edition for 2018, which isn’t all that different from last year except that it has fewer compressors, since I’ve found myself using less and less compression […]
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We’ve all heard the pros and cons of extended warranties for everything from appliances to autos, and they’re certainly worthwhile for some and worthless for others. When it comes to musical instruments and audio gear, the manufacturer almost always offers some warranty, while the retailer might offer a third party policy for an additional extended […]
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Anyone who’s spent a lot of time recording knows that the type of DI used on a bass really matters. Use a cheap one and the bass will sound thin and dull; use one with a transformer and the bottom will be big and round, and use one with a tube and there’s a magic […]
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My guest on the Podcast this week is record producer, mixing engineer and songwriter Andrew Maury. Andrew is one of the few mixers who has made the transition from mixing live sound to the studio, and he’s had a lot of success, especially lately working on big hits by Shawn Mendes. In the interview we […]
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There have been entire books written about the guitars and basses that The Beatles played both live and in recording, and well they should, since their sounds have influenced guitar players even to this day. While we’re all familiar with the iconic Hofner, Rickenbacker, Gretsches and Epiphones that the band played during their prime, there […]
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Even if you never intend to record an ensemble larger than a standard rock, pop, or jazz rhythm section, a good grasp on the many techniques for stereo recording is essential and will come in handy sooner or later. One basic stereo technique is the spaced-pair, which is two identical mics placed several feet apart and […]
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I’ve been privileged to be invited to appear as a guest on three great podcasts recently that you might want to check out. Coincidentally, all of them posted at around the same time. The first is the great Working Class Audio Episode #180. Host Matt Boudreau and I spoke about artist/musician/engineer diversification, the state of the […]
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