Putting Together the Puzzle - A guide to mixing music - Part 5
LearningSometimes the best way to make people really grasp an idea is to resort to a fitting metaphor. That's why, today, I'll show you a way to visualize a mix that ought to allow you to understand the whol…
Go Safely and Back Up - A guide to mixing music - Part 4
LearningBefore getting into the heart of the matter, I deem it necessary to deal with a subject that isn't only limited to computer music, namely backups.
Review of Eventide UltraReverb - More than Just Another Reverb
Written testEventide’s UltraReverb is an algorithmic reverb plug-in that offers impressive sound quality, sonic control and flexibility, making it a potent contender in the reverb plug-in wars. Not only does it …
The Living Colour guitarist on film scoring, DAWs, amp … - Vernon Reid Talks Tech
LearningWhen you hear the name Vernon Reid, your first thought is probably of his work with Living Colour, featuring his speedy and inventive guitar playing. But Reid is also an accomplished composer, scorin…
The Prerequisites for a Relaxed Mixing Session - A guide to mixing music - Part 3
LearningThe simple act of clearing certain technical and practical tasks in the earliest stages of the production of a song can have miraculous effects, not only in terms of efficiency, but also from a creat…
A Demo of Native Instruments' Innovative New MIDI Contr… - Video: Komplete Kontrol S Series Keyboards
LearningWe recently visited Native Instruments' Los Angeles office, an impressive place where you can see the famous “Hollywood” sign when you look out the window. Though the view was dramatic, we were more …
A Video Demo of the New Apogee Thunderbolt Ensemble - A Visit to Apogee's HQ in Los Angeles
LearningApogee just released the newly redesigned Ensemble audio interface for Mac, a 30x34 unit featuring Thunderbolt 2 connectivity. We visited Apogee HQ in Los Angeles on the day it was released to video …
Mixing with Myself…or Not! - A Guide To Mixing Music - Part 2
LearningWe'll devote this second installment of our mixing article series to a bit of advice that is worth its weight in gold: Whenever possible, let someone else mix your songs and/or recordings
A noise-removal tutorial with the Spectral Repair Modul… - A Unique Tool for Cleaning Up Audio Glitches
LearningThere’s no such thing as magic, but after using some of today’s amazingly powerful DSP software, it sometimes seems like there is. One product that definitely has the magic touch is iZotope RX, an au…
Review of the PreSonus AudioBox iTwo - A Versatile Audio Interface for iOS and Mac/PC
Written testMore and more audio interfaces are hitting the market that are capable of connecting directly to an iOS device or a computer. PreSonus recently released two such units, the AudioBox iTwo and AudioBox…
An iPhone, iPod touch, and Especially an iPad, Can Grea… - iOS Onstage
LearningWith the right apps and accessories, an iPhone, an iPod touch and especially an iPad can be a real boon to your live performance setup. Your iDevice can function as a sound source, effects processo…
Getting Down to "Bassics" - Create Authentic Sounding MIDI Bass Guitar Parts
LearningIf you're a recording musician who doesn't play bass, creating realistic MIDI bass guitar parts can be a challenge. The tips and techniques offered in this article will help you put together authenti…
Improve Your Mix with A/B Referencing - Part 1 - Compare Your Mix to That of a Professional for Valuable Sonic Guidance
LearningReferencing your mix against an existing recording via the process known as “A/B-ing,” is a great way to check the quality of your work and help you overcome inaccurate studio acoustics. Here in part…
Mastering at Home - Part 22 - How to Use Volume in Mastering
LearningThis penultimate article in our series dedicated to mastering at home is surely the one you've all been waiting for. Indeed, today we will talk about a couple of tricks to get a really HUGE sound. Bu…
A channel strip that's ultra useful - Review of the Eventide UltraChannel
Written testUltraChannel is more than just your average channel strip. It also features Eventide's signature delay and modulation effects, and is almost like an entire effects collection in a single plug-in. Rea…
Mastering at Home - Part 21 - Best Audio Formats When Rendering a Mastered Track
LearningIn this antepenultimate installment, we'll discuss several points that you need to bear in mind to get an optimal final result, depending on how your music will be distributed.
Six iOS Amp-and-Effects Modelers Evaluated - Which iOS Modeler is Best for You?
LearningModeled amps and effects can be found in many applications, including outboard modeling processors, DAWs, dedicated computer plug-ins, and, now more than ever, iOS apps. Your iPad, iPhone or iPod tou…
Mastering at Home - Part 20 - Tips for Using the Oscilloscope When Mastering Music
LearningTo finish with the helping tools for mastering, in this installment we'll talk about the oscilloscope — very often underestimated by home studio owners — and a utilitarian plug-in, which, even if not…
Mastering at Home - Part 19 - Audio Norms in Mastering Music
LearningToday we'll talk about a delicate — but very useful — subject, namely the firewalls that can help you avoid being yet another victim of the loudness war.
Software amp-and-effects simulator for studio and stage - Review of Audiffex AmpLion Pro 1.1
Written testAmplion Pro 1.1 is the latest version of this amp-and-effects modeling software from Audiffex. Can it hold its own with stiff competition in the modeling software field?
Mastering at Home - Part 18 - Plugins to Help Analyze Levels When Mastering Music
LearningIn this installment we'll talk about plug-ins that allow you to visualize levels correctly — after all, whether you like it or not, mastering has become synonymous with volume, so it's a good idea to…
Getting Into Inter-App Audio - Make Music With Multiple Apps on your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch
LearningIntroduced with iOS 7 and available on all iOS devices, Apple’s inter-app audio feature allows compatible apps to share audio streams and MIDI with each other, making it possible to work with multipl…
Mastering at Home - Part 17 - The Stereo Image in Mastering Music
LearningFollowing up on our series of articles dedicated to useful tools for mastering at home, this time we will focus on plug-ins that allow you to analyze the stereo image.
Mastering at Home - Part 16 - How to Use the Spectrum Analyzer in Mastering Music
LearningThe time has come to explore the territory of analyzers of all sorts, which will prove to be very helpful within the context of mastering at home. This week we will deal with the spectrum analyzer, a…
Mastering at Home - Part 15 - Tips for Using Headphones While Mastering Music
LearningNow that we have covered the entire mastering chain, let's move on to different tools that are useful in the context of DIY — like headphones.
