We all know Focusrite for building great computer interfaces, mic preamps and channel strips, but not everyone is aware of the company’s history building state-of-the-art consoles. Founded by none other than Rupert Neve after he left his namesake company, Focusrite didn’t build many consoles, but the ones that were built are highly prized and most […]
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Engineers that don’t work with horn players much often don’t understand the difficulties or the technique for getting a great sound. Here’s an interview with Jerry Hey, who may be the most widely recorded horn player ever, from my Studio Musician’s Handbook that explains things from the player’s point of view. Bobby Owsinski: I understand that you have […]
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If you’ve following this blog for any length of time you know that I pretty much stopped going to concerts because most sounded so bad. It’s like an entire generation of FOH mixers learned (incorrectly) that the most important thing on stage was the kick drum. Well, I finally heard a great one at the […]
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I like gear that’s build with a singular purpose in mind. Not because it’s fun to find alternate uses for (which it is), but because that one application is usually much easier to deal with when using that product. With that thought in mind, the new DPA 4097 CORE mic touches all those bases as […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is Jonathan Stone has had a long career as a director of creative services in music publishing at heavyweight companies like ATV Music, MCA Music, Quincy Jones Qwest Music Publishing, and Windswept. He now runs the disruptive music service Rocketsongs, that not only helps artists to find and license songs, but […]
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If you’re a Pro Tools user then you’ll want to read this. Avid announced on its Facebook page that it’s going to change its prices on July 1st. As would be expected, most of the prices are going up, but a few will actually decrease a bit. Here’s what the company said: We wanted to […]
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I’ve posted many times about how streaming has changed song structure, and how many songs are now written primarily for streaming distribution. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t stand by your creative impulses and take a song wherever it needs to go – it just means that you might have to do a bit of […]
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Virtually everyone on the creation side of the music business nows the name Rupert Neve, as well they should. Rupert’s consoles have been amongst the most beloved in the business, known for their quality and sound. In this excellent video from Sound on Sound, Rupert (who’s 89 and still sharp as a tack, by the […]
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Low end. We can never get enough of it, especially in many musical genres. Yes, you can EQ some of it in if enough of it is not there, but that often results in a bloated, fluffy bottom that’s not very satisfying in the overall mix. Another way to get that big low end is […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is Zubin Gadhoke, who’s a co-founder and producer for Olympus Projects, which is a management and consulting agency that provides artists with help in the day-to-day operations and development of their businesses. In the interview we talked about artist branding, building social authority, creating a new industry sound, the power of […]
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Our musical lives revolve around computers these days in at least some capacity, and those computers can be directly connected with a computer that made history and helped change history – the Apollo spacecraft guidance computer. Of course you’ll be reading a lot about all-things-Apollo as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11‘s moon […]
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After having worked on literally hundreds of platinum and gold records and mastered projects that have been nominated for scores of Grammys, Bob Ludwig certainly stands among the giants in the mastering business. After leaving New York City to open his own Gateway Mastering in Portland, Maine in 1993, Bob proved that you can still […]
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Los Angeles is lucky in that there’s a number of iconic recording studios that were built decades ago that still exist and thrive today. United Recording (formerly Oceanway), East West (formerly Cello), The Record Plant, and Henson Studios (formerly A&M) are just a few that remain busy serving high-end music clients, movie soundtracks, and just […]
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One of the things that every mixer struggles with is getting the low end right. Yes, even the A-list guys take their time working with the bottom. That’s because if you get it wrong, the mix will sound wimpy or bloated. Get it right and everyone smiles. Bassroom, the new plugin from Mastering The Mix, […]
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My guest on the podcast this week is Rick Goetz, who has been a a major label A&R exec, a music supervisor, an artist manager, a bass player, and record label owner. His label stints include Lava/Atlantic, Elektra, and EMI, where he’s worked with artists that include Kid Rock, Matchbox 20 and Sarah Brightman, and on television shows […]
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