The Top Electric Guitar Tuners - The Best Electric Guitar Tuners
LearningIs there anything more annoying than a guitar that won't stay in tune? Most guitar lovers will say no. While there are several factors to consider, the quality of the tuning machines plays a crucial …
Getting acquainted with harmonic distortion - A guide to mixing music - Part 94
LearningThis week we'll continue exploring harmonic distortion.
Let's Get Small - Mini-effects pedals make configuring your pedalboard a whole new ballgame
LearningOne of the great things about pedalboards is that they give you the freedom to choose the effects you want for your rig. There is one caveat: Your pedalboard is a finite size, and you can only add ef…
Electrostatic Loudspeakers - The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 6
LearningAfter our previous discussion of electrodynamic speakers, we'll now move on to describing different categories of speaker transducers, starting with the equivalent of the condenser mic in the speaker…
Using Distortion During Mixdown - A guide to mixing music - Part 93
LearningThis time around, we'll focus on distortion.
The Enemy of the Good is Volume - How to keep excessive stage levels from ruining your band’s sound
LearningMany factors can negatively impact your band’s sound, from lack of rehearsal to bad acoustics to feedback to malfunctioning gear to burnt-out sound engineers. But perhaps the most consistent impedime…
The Right Place for Your Home Studio - Setting Up Your Home Studio - Part 2
LearningFrom the corner of a bedroom to the living room or a garage, the home studio always ends up adapting to the elements. As usual, it all boils down to your own needs, means and possibilities.
Using Buses to Make a Mix More Cohesive - A guide to mixing music - Part 92
LearningIn the coming weeks we'll discuss in detail the so-called "glue" effect, in other words how to make the mix more homogeneous using different procedures. Today we'll discuss a simple method to emphasi…
Unique Electrodynamic Speaker Designs - The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 5
LearningIn the last article of this series dedicated to electrodynamic speakers we'll talk about some unique and interesting designs. The biggest difference with these two examples compared to previous speak…
The Relationship Between Reverb and Delay - A guide to mixing music - Part 91
LearningTo close the chapter dedicated to the use of delay during mixdown, we'll look into the relationship between reverb and delay.
What is a Home Studio? - Setting Up Your Home Studio - Part 1
LearningHopefully, one day you’ll go to Abbey Road to record your music, just like the Beatles. But since recording in such a studio is prohibitively expensive for most musicians, you might want to consider …
Fill It Up with Delay - A guide to mixing music - Part 90
LearningThis week we'll look into a somewhat particular use of delay ─ as a way of filling up a mix. You certainly won't be able to use this technique every day, but it can come in pretty handy to "dress up"…
Ribbon Speakers - The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 4
LearningIn the previous article we discussed compression drivers and acoustic horns. Today we'll focus on a technology whose patent was issued in the 1920s and widely used for microphones. However, its usabi…
Using Delay Instead of Reverb - A guide to mixing music - Part 88
LearningIn this installment, I'll show you how to use delay instead of reverb to reinforce the sonic cohesion of your mix.
Drive it Home - The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 3
LearningTo finish with this overview of the most widely used type of speaker, we'll discuss electrodynamic cone models. To improve the performance in the high frequencies, the cone is usually replaced with a…
Top 5 reverb plug-ins for giving your mixes professiona… - My Favorite Reverb Plug-Ins
LearningOne of the most useful audio plug-in types in any computer-based studio toolbox is reverb. In this article, I’ll look at my five current “go-to” reverb plug-in choices. But first, a little background.
Slapback and Doubling with Delay - A guide to mixing music - Part 87
LearningThis time around, we'll look at two "classic" uses of the delay effect.
Multitalented producer Greg Wells talks about his craft… - Producing for the Art of It
LearningAlthough he spent most of his childhood playing and studying music, it wasn’t until Greg Wells was 18 that he got bitten by the recording bug. “I got my parents to co-sign a loan, and I bought a Mac …
Of Suspensions and Magnets - The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 2
LearningWe started this series by describing the cone diaphragm of an electrodynamic speaker. It obviously plays an important role in the final quality of a speaker, as the radiating element, but it's far fr…
The Use of Delay - A guide to mixing music - Part 86
LearningAfter closing the chapter dedicated to the use of reverb during mixdown, we will now focus on a relatively similar topic: delay.
We interview the author of “The Great British Recording… - The Golden Age of British Recording
Interview / PodcastIn the early 1960s, at the beginning of the British Invasion, the studio scene in England was thriving, but the British studios used different gear and got a very different sound than their U.S. coun…
Reverb Tools of the Trade - A guide to mixing music - Part 85
LearningToday we'll close the chapter on reverb with one last suggestion and a short list of plug-ins I personally like to use when working with sound spaces.
Good Vibrations: How Speaker Cones Work - The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 1
LearningSound is possible thanks to transduction, in other words, the transformation from one form of energy into another one.
Kick Start Your Playing Skills - A practical approach to improving your instrumental abilities — quickly!
LearningAre you in a rut on your instrument? Do you feel like you’ve been playing the same old stuff forever without any significant improvement? If so, and if you’re willing to commit an hour or so a day to…
Lateral Movement with Reverb - A guide to mixing music - Part 84
LearningThis week we'll discuss a swaying technique which will allow you to easily create the illusion of lateral movement using reverb exclusively.
