How to get the best results when you record vocals - 12 Tips for Better Vocal Tracks
LearningNo matter the genre, a lead vocal track is always the focal point of a song. As a result, you should approach recording vocals with forethought and planning. If you want the best results, you need to…
AUDIO RECORDING - ultimate guide (100 episodes) - Or how to become a pro sound engineer ;)
LearningOnce the mastering series is finished and now that the mixing guide is (finally!) arriving the end, it's only natural that Audiofanzine asked me to extend this tale told backwards with a new series d…
Headphone mix for the singer - Part 4 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 99
LearningIn this fourth part you'll learn how to fine-tune the cue mix for the singer by improving the ordinary in no time.
Headphone mix for the singer - Part 3 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 98
LearningAfter the brief detour last week to discuss a less conventional way to handle the cue mix, today we'll go back to the more traditional way, that is the use of a good ol' pair of headphones. We'll dis…
Headphone mix for the singer - Part 2 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 97
LearningLast week I mentioned the preposterous idea of using a speaker instead of headphones to send the cue mix to the singer. This obviously entails the mic picking up a lot of bleed, however as I implied …
Headphone mix for the singer - Part 1 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 96
LearningToday's article could've been easily included in the previous section because we are once again dealing with the comfort of the singer. However, I decided to make it part of a new, much larger sectio…
The comfort of the performer - Part 3 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 95
LearningThird and final installment of the chapter dedicated to the comfort of the singer during vocal recordings. Today, for the first time, we will discuss the gear used. However, before looking at it from…
The comfort of the performer - Part 1 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 93
LearningIn the previous article I mentioned the famous "comfort zone" of the singer. In the coming weeks we'll look into the material conditions around a vocal recording which are susceptible of helping the …
Singing or the art of performance - Part 4 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 92
LearningTo finish with the performance question, today we'll discuss a somewhat particular topic which was inspired by a comment posted in the French forum by ex-Moderator in Chief, Will Zégal, in response t…
Singing, or the art of performance - Part 3 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 91
LearningToday we'll continue exploring the art of performance with an installment that could be easily renamed into "Theatrics for Dummies." However, anyone who takes the time to put into practice these tips…
Singing, or the art of performance - Part 2 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 90
LearningAs you saw previously, the singer, as a performer, can be compared to an actor. However, unlike a "traditional actor," the singer must only rely on his/her voice to bring to life his/her character wi…
Singing, or the art of performance - Part 1 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 89
LearningIn this new installment of the chapter dedicated to vocal recording we will tackle the delicate issue of performance.
Taking care of the singer - Part 2 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 88
LearningSecond installment dedicated to the things to do to prepare better for a recording session. Once again, certain things I'll write here might seem statements of the obvious for some of you. That said,…
Taking care of the singer - Part 1 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 87
LearningToday we'll see how you can look after the singer during a recording session. Do note that for the sake of simplification, whenever I write "singer" in this chapter I will be referring generically to…
Recording vocals - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 86
LearningThis week we'll begin discussing one of the most important topics of this series: vocal recording. As you will see in this brief introduction, recording vocals correctly doesn't just mean putting up …
The art of dialog - Part 3 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 85
LearningThird and last part of this interlude dedicated to dialog within the framework of a record production. Today we will look at this topic from the point of view of the home studio loner.
The art of dialog - Part 2 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 84
LearningSecond part of this brief interlude dedicated to dialog within the framework of a record production. Last week I probably put the cart before the horse and this article should've certainly been publi…
The art of dialog - Part 1 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 83
LearningBefore we start another chapter of this ultimate recording guide, I decided to write this article inspired by some comments to previous articles...
Punch In / Punch Out - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 82
LearningThis time we'll look briefly into a recording technique which is as old as can be. In fact, chances are you already know it, but a brief reminder never hurt anybody. Besides, it will be the perfect o…
Recording by parts - Part 2 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 81
LearningIn today's article you'll see how to put into practice the recording by parts technique so that the end result is as natural as possible.
Recording by parts - Part 1 - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 80
LearningThis week I invite you to discover a technique that will allow you, in some specific cases, to significantly improve the quality of your recordings. As far as I know, this technique doesn't really ha…
Working with virtual instruments - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 79
LearningThe long chapter dedicated to recording electric guitar has come to an end. That said, the articles in the coming weeks will deal with topics that could easily be integrated into it. But I made the c…
Recording electric guitar - Alternatives - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 78
LearningEver since we started this series of articles, there's one thing we've repeated over and over again: the main flaw of almost any home studio is room acoustics. However, for some instruments you can b…
Recording electric guitar - Tips and tricks - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 77
LearningThis week I will reveal to you some very simple tricks that ought to allow you to get a guitar sound that is more "lively" or "produced," for lack of a better word.
Recording electric guitar - Amps in a home studio - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 76
Learning"S**t, I forgot that!" Have you ever had that feeling when you came out of a test or an important interview? I bet you have, surely at least the "s**t" part... Well that's exactly what I thought a co…