In The Round On Current Tour - U2 360°: Redefining Stadium Sound
LearningGrand, colossal, gargantuan… Mammoth, immense, monumental… Promethean, towering, or just plain walloping huge - get out the thesaurus for more adjectives to adequately describe the size and scope of …
Harmonic and Structural Arrangement of Songs - Arrangement 101
LearningBefore getting into the meaning of arrangement, I want to take a moment to stress the importance of arrangement. Arrangement ultimately bridges the gap between the composition and the mix. Give that …
Surviving Technological Changes - Tech Gear Roulette
LearningLive by these 7 rules if you want your budget to survive technological changes.
Interview with Ned Douglas - Super Heavy Sound Made in L.A.
Interview / PodcastLast may, we heard that Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) and Mick Jagger had teamed up to form SuperHeavy, an international "superband" also formed with Joss Stone, Damian Marley and AR Rahman (film compos…
All About Dynamics Processing - Mysteries of Dynamics Processing Revealed
LearningA dynamic processor is something that outputs a signal, where the level of the outgoing signal is based on the level of the incoming signal. In other words, a loud signal coming in will come out diff…
World Class Mix Engineer Answers Some Questions - Exclusive Interview with Dave Pensado
LearningDave pensado is a man who requires minimal introduction. He’s a world class mix engineer who’s worked on countless hit records. He’s also a teacher & mentor to an entire generation of successful mix …
Composite Vocal Tracks, Compression, and Reverb - Vocals Processing Tips: Part 2
LearningHard disk recording techniques have affected every aspect of recording, including vocals. Although overdubbing vocals has been a common technique for years, today's programs let you do multiple track…
From the Basic to the Esoteric, Here Are Proven Ways to… - Vocals Processing Tips: Part 1
LearningIt was late at night, at a live-in-concert recording session in Germany. As several thousand fans waited anxiously, the vocalist walked onstage, and picked up a set of headphones. I saw him plug them…
Here's How to Fix those Pesky Timing Problems - Quantizing Guitar Parts with DAW Software
LearningEver play the perfect solo or riff except that one note was just a little bit early, or a little bit late? If you never have, then stop reading this article immediately, move to Los Angeles, New York…
Wimpy Snare? Muffled Kick? Lousy Drum Part? There's Hop… - Salvage Your Drum Tracks
LearningIf a pop/rock/dance track doesn't have a great drum sound, you're in trouble. Big trouble. The Drum Replacement 101 solution is to have a drummer come along and play with the original track, then era…
Optimize Your Reverberant Space for the Best Possible S… - Understanding Digital Reverb Parameters
LearningThere's nothing like the sound of real reverb, such as what you hear in a cathedral or symphonic hall. That's because reverb is made up of a virtually infinite number of waves bouncing around within …
Make Sure You Get the One that's Right for You - How to Choose an Audio Interface
LearningComputers can be pretty smart, but when it comes to sound, they need a translator that can convert sound waves into the digital language of ones and zeroes. Audio interfaces provide this translation.
When it’s time to mix a recording, you need a strategy - Mixing - The 12 Step Program
LearningMixing is not only an art, it’s the crucial step that turns a collection of tracks into a finished piece of music. A good mix can bring out the best in your music—it spotlights a composition’s most i…
Add that Final Polish to Your Mixes - Mastering Basics for Musicians
LearningThe article title alone is enough to cause some professional mastering engineers to run to various forums and start complaining. "That's what's wrong with this industry, these kids don't know how to …
And Mastering Loses... - Speakers Meet Mastering
LearningOne of the main functions of mastering is to make a mix transportable: In other words, it should sound good over any playback system