Tips on How to Efficiently Use Pro Tools - Power Tips for the Pro Tools Novice — Part 2
LearningIn part 1 of this article, we looked at preference settings and key commands. Here in part 2, the focus will be on the Smart Tool, some important timeline options, and how to create customized sessio…
Power Tips for the Pro Tools Novice – Part 1 - Learn How to Produce Music Faster and More Efficiently with Pro Tools
LearningAvid Pro Tools features industry standard audio recording, editing, and mixing, along with a reasonably well-featured MIDI section. But with an application this powerful, getting up to speed can take…
Mastering at Home - Part 14 - Best ways to Use Dithering When Mastering Music
LearningIn this 14th episode, we will deal with a mysterious stage in the mastering chain: Dithering
Carmen Rizzo on the Post-Apocalyptic Music Business, Fi… - L.A. Renaissance Man
LearningTalk about multi-talented: L.A.-based Carmen Rizzo is a two-time Grammy-nominated producer/artist/electronic musician and composer whose credits include Seal, Coldplay, Paul Oakenfold and Ryuichi Sak…
Mastering at Home - Part 13 - Key Tips on Using a Limiter While Mastering Music
LearningThis week we will tackle a landmark in the mastering chain — the limiter.
Cheap Synth Apps with Rich Sound - Five Cool iOS Synthesizers for Under $10
LearningThe quality and variety of synthesizers available for your iOS device just keeps getting better and better. Although many of the top, name-brand synths will cost you in the range of $20 or even more,…
Quantizing Basics - Fix the Timing in your MIDI Tracks for a Natural Sound
LearningThe quantize function in your DAW lets you to clean up sloppy timing in MIDI recordings, and in many DAW’s, in audio tracks, too. It’s very powerful, but also very easy to overuse. Here, we’ll look a…
Review of Alesis iO Dock II - What's Up, Dock?
Written testThe iO Dock II is the latest version of the Alesis all-in-one audio and MIDI interface for iPad, and includes mic preamps, monitoring facilities and more, making music production super easy. Let’s s…
Mastering at Home - Part 12 - EQ Automation When Mastering Music
LearningBefore moving on to the next processor in the mastering chain — the limiter/maximizer — it's appropriate to talk about a topic often overlooked by many people learning to master: Automation.
Mastering at Home — Part 11 - Guide to Mid-Side Processing When Mastering
LearningIn this new installment of our article series dedicated to mastering at home, we will delve into the world of mid-side processing.
Studio in a Backpack — Part 1 - Interfaces to Help Build an Ultra-Portable, Battery-Powered iPad-based Music Studio
LearningDid you ever dream of a totally mobile studio, a compact setup that can fit in a backpack? A rig that you can carry with you virtually anywhere, and record and produce music, even where there's no AC…
Mastering at Home - Part 10 - How to Use Reverb When Mastering
LearningIn this tenth episode, we will tackle an effect that is seldom used by people starting out in mastering, namely, reverb.
Noises Off - How to Use Broadband Noise Reduction Software to Clean Up Music Recordings
LearningMuch as we try to avoid it, there are occasions when noise gets onto our recordings. It could be a live recording where the source was too quiet and background hiss was picked up, or a passage on ele…
Mastering at Home — Part 9 - The Use of Stereo Enhancers While Mastering Music
LearningToday, our journey across the mastering world takes us into the slippery terrain of stereo enhancers.
Mastering at Home — Part 8 - A Guide to Using Harmonic Exciters and Enhancers in Mastering
LearningThis eighth episode of our home mastering series will deal with harmonic exciters, harmonic enhancers and company.
Capo 3 for Mac Review - Shorten the Learning Curve
Written testCapo 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…
Mastering at Home - Part 7 - A Guide to Multi-Band Compression in Mastering
LearningIn 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.
Working with Drum Loops - Part 1 - How to Make Loop-Based Drum Tracks Sound As Realistic As Possible
LearningI’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…
Cut the Mud from Your Mix - Remove Low-End Clutter from Your Mix with High-Pass Filtering
LearningGuitars, 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 …
Mastering at Home — Part 6 - How to Use Compression While Mastering
LearningToday we will focus on compression, another important aspect of the mastering process that's often misunderstood.
Buying an Audio Interface - Part 2 - Help Picking the Best Audio Interface
LearningPart 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…
Buying an Audio Interface - Part 1 - Demystifying the Specs and Features of an Audio Interface
LearningShopping 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…
Mastering at Home - Part 5 - How to Use EQ when Mastering — In Practice
LearningThe latest installment of our Mastering at Home series deals with some common situations when using an equalizer.
EastWest Steven Wilson's Ghostwriter Review - The Ghost of Wilson
Written testEastWest'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…
A Review of Toontrack's Classic Amps EZmix Pack - Classic Amps the EZ Way
LearningToontrack 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…
