Audio & music gear guides & articles

Capo 3 software for Mac ($29.99 via the App Store), from the awesomely named software developer, SuperMegaUltraGroovy, is marketed with the slogan “Reverse Engineering Rock and Roll,” and, indeed, it…

Thanks to "Doc" Emmett Brown, everybody knows that you need 1.21 gigawatts for a DeLorean to go back to the future when its flux capacitor runs out of plutonium.

In the previous article, we addressed compression within the context of home mastering with a classic compressor. It's time now to tackle multi-band compression.

Broken, worn-out or simply ugly-looking tuners are often the cause of complaints by guitarists. If changing them is unavoidable, here is some info that will help you understand the subject better.

I’m not a drummer, but I often produce tracks in my studio that include drum parts. Sometimes I’m fortunate enough to be able to use a real drummer, but in most cases it’s just not practical. Instead…

Guitars, vocals, pianos, drums or virtually any track in your mix, has extraneous low-frequency information that can be filtered out without compromising the sound. While you may not notice anything …

Today we will focus on compression, another important aspect of the mastering process that's often misunderstood.

Part 1 looked at how to interpret the specs you see in ads and listings for audio interfaces. This time around, we offer info to help you figure out the audio interface that best fits your needs, pre…

Shopping for an audio interface can be daunting, due to the countless models on the market and the variations in inputs, outputs, formats, maximum sampling rates, and numerous other specifications. T…

The latest installment of our Mastering at Home series deals with some common situations when using an equalizer.

The creators of key-detection software Mixed In Key and Platinum Notes continue their crusade to offer new tools for DJs. Here's their last baby: Flow. This Mac/PC-compatible application is designed …

Whether you play guitar, keyboard, saxophone or any other lead instrument, there’s more to being a good soloist than just having chops and knowing riffs. Playing fast is great, but speed by itself do…

EastWest's latest production, Ghostwriter, is a virtual instrument that's the result of a collaboration with Steven Wilson, a key figure in the prog and ambient music scenes in recent years. Is Wilso…

Toontrack recently released a new collection of amp models with effects called the Classic Amps EZmix Pack, which can be opened as presets in the company's EZmix 2 software. How do these emulations s…

You’ve probably heard the term “headroom” thrown around a lot. What it is, essentially, is a margin of safety between the loudest peaks of your track — or tracks, in the case of a mix — and 0 dB on y…

In mastering, EQing could be your best friend or your worst enemy. Which of the two depends on your grasp of the word: subtlety!

Here at Audiofanzine, we’ve covered many individual aspects of mixing, and offered detailed information on what to do in preparation for a mix. But we've also gotten requests for an overview of the e…

Almost a year after releasing the free Little MicroShift, SoundToys has finally introduced its bigger sibling, a plug-in designed to add space and depth to a wide variety of sources. MicroShift is al…

Just like painting, photography and, obviously, music — mixing is an art in itself. And, as such, it also requires some training.

Ashdown Engineering's PiBass head is the signature model of Polish bass legend Wojtek Pilichowski. I tested it along with the Mi12, a cabinet featuring a 12" speaker. The two products combine to make…

Sharing tracks over the Internet makes it possible for musicians to work together remotely, whether they're around the corner from each other or around the world.

Incorporating most of the sound engine of the Motif XF, the MOXF aims to redefine the standard of mid-range workstations. A sound change?

With our recent review of the Mutterstolz tube distortion in mind, the Audiofanzine editorial board decided to review some of the other models from Palmer's Root Effects collection. We've already pos…

In this third part of our Home Mastering series, we will write about the process to follow in order to make the right decisions at the right time.

In this installment, we'll offer some tips that will simplify your life when mastering.