Recording a hardware synth - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 17
LearningThis week we'll tackle a somewhat peculiar case: hardware synthesizers.
Tidy up! - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 16
LearningI'll dedicate the first article of the year in this series to tidiness in your home studio. I know it seems a bit off-topic, but trust me it is much more important than it appears at first sight.
How to automate your mix - A guide to mixing music - Part 109
LearningUp to now we've seen automation from a relatively theoretical point of view. That's all very nice, but the time has come to really take the plunge. And that's when the questions start to arise: how s…
Q&A with Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid - Four channels for a true pro
LearningLiving Colour guitarist Vernon Reid can pride himself of having influenced an entire generation of guitar players by establishing himself in the late '80s as as a household name in the "fusion" world…
Acoustic treatment for a home studio - Setting Up Your Home Studio - Part 5
LearningHaving a soundproof home studio is very nice. But that's far from enough to make a room ideal to record and mix music. Enter acoustic treatment.
Functional automation - A guide to mixing music - Part 104
LearningAfter addressing the "whys" of automation last week it's only logical that we start looking into the "hows" this week.
History of the Talk Box - A brief history of the Talk Box
LearningAlthough many hits have been marked by the Talk Box sound — take, for instance, California Love by 2Pac, Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi or Pigs by Pink Floyd — it still remains a little known effect.…
Introduction to automation - A guide to mixing music - Part 103
LearningIf you were to have the chance to look at the mix session of a commercial song you'd be more surprised by the sheer exuberance of automation lines than by the number of plug-ins used. However, most b…
The top small brands for guitar effect pedals - The best small brands for guitar effect pedals
LearningThe long-awaited poll regarding "small" guitar effect pedal brands is finally here! It's open season for anybody who likes controversy!
The best MIDI interfaces for less than $100 - The top MIDI interfaces for less than $100
LearningMany modern audio interfaces don't offer MIDI connections anymore. And yet lots of us still have MIDI keyboards and/or controllers we don't want to let go of. Fortunately, there are some inexpensive …
The top products featured at the 141st AES Convention - Best of AES 2016
Report / ShowThe recent 141st AES Convention really stood up to the expectations in terms of new products. Here's a small selection of some of the things we thought were most interesting.
Dynaudio LYD 7 Review - Back in white
Written testWe are the first to brawl about the lack of innovation among speaker manufacturers. Dynaudio is one of those brands with an undeniable know-how, but whose road map only seems to lead into a desert wh…
The top big brands for guitar effect pedals - The best big brands for guitar effect pedals
LearningDespite the explosion of the pedal market and the appearance of countless small manufacturers, the big names in the effects world continue to implacably dominate the business. Here's a list of the ma…
EarMaster ApS Earmaster 6 Review - Ear to Ear
Written testBest Product awardEarMaster Aps is a small Danish company founded in 1994 specialized in the development of a very particular software: EarMaster, whose goal is to train your musical ear and reading skills.
Plasma Loudspeakers - The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 8
LearningIn this chapter we'll discuss a not-so-widely spread category of transducers based on very amazing principles. They can make some people dream because they are freed from the mechanical stages of tra…
How to soundproof your studio - Setting Up Your Home Studio - Part 4
LearningAfter the theoretical review of the last article, today we'll start getting our hands dirty keeping in mind that there are as many different home studios as there are home studio owners.
A guide to mixing music - Part 102 - Questions to ask yourself before moving on
LearningDarn, is this series dedicated to mixdown long! But remember that Rome wasn't built in a day! Learning a new craft, regardless of what it is, demands a lot of time. That's the way it is, I can't help…
The best studio headphones for about $100 - The top studio headphones for about $100
LearningYou can get some pretty good headphones for about $150 and while 50 bucks may not seem like much of a difference, it's a bit too much for many home studio owners. But don't worry if you are one of th…
Modulation Effects - The Flanger Effect - A guide to mixing music - Part 100
LearningAfter having seen the chorus effect last week , today we'll discuss another beloved modulation tool, the Flanger.
The Top Brands for Guitar and Bass Cables - The best cables for guitar and bass
LearningCables are an indispensable element in any electric or acoustic-electric guitar or bass player's toolkit. They must not only transport the signal of the instrument with the least nuances possible, bu…
Piezoelectric Loudspeakers - The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 7
LearningAnother family of transducers, often put down by audiophiles, is that making use of the piezoelectric phenomenon. Sturdy and not particularly expensive, these transducers have found a place in many s…
iSolo Acoustic Guitar Microphone Review - Lone pleasure
Written testIf you are in the audio world you have surely noticed how crowdfunding campaigns have multiplied in recent years. Everyday there are news stories about "groundbreaking" products on platforms like Kis…
Modulation Effects - The Chorus Effect - A guide to mixing music - Part 99
LearningMoving forward we'll be taking a look at some modulation tools that, even if not that useful on a day-to-day basis during mixdown, they can come in incredibly handy in some situations. Today we'll be…
The top large-diaphragm USB mics - The best large-diaphragm USB microphones
LearningWhy buy a USB audio interface when you could simply get a mic to record yourself? That's what USB mics are for: you take them out of their box, plug them in and rock 'n' roll! We polled our French re…
Acoustic Treatment and Soundproofing for Dummies - Setting Up Your Home Studio - Part 3
LearningAs I mentioned in the last article, the ideal home studio must have good room acoustics and soundproofing. But, what does these two concepts mean? To answer this question we need to dive into some th…
