Setting up the headphone mix - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 11
LearningAs we saw in the previous article, the comfort of the musician is crucial to getting a good performance, and hence a precondition for every good recording. And this comfort depends largely on the sub…
Artistic automation or what you can learn from movies - A guide to mixing music - Part 107
LearningSo, what can you learn from the movie analogy from last week? That's what we are about to see right this moment!
The importance of pre-production - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 10
LearningIn this week's episode we will discuss something that ought to precede any attempt to record your music. Considered optional by some, pre-production is often ignored by beginners. And yet they are th…
Artistic automation - A guide to mixing music - Part 106
LearningAfter having discussed the functional aspect of automation, it's time to look at it from an artistic point of view.
Look after the musicians - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 9
LearningHaving the best gear in the world and being an audio engineer without equal is very nice, but unfortunately that doesn't mean you'll be able to make the best records.
Alternatives to functional automation - A guide to mixing music - Part 105
LearningThe smartest among you might have realized, after reading the previous article, that most of the problems addressed with functional automation can be solved in other ways, which is something we'll lo…
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.
Recording a flute - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 8
LearningToday we'll see how to record a transverse flute.
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.…
Talking technique with one of the top jazz engineers in… - Todd Whitelock on Jazz Engineering
LearningThough he has a Music Production and Engineering degree from Berklee, Todd Whitelock says it was on-the-job training that helped him become one of the top recording engineers in the jazz world. White…
Recording a saxophone - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 7
LearningInvented by a great Belgian clarinet master around 1840, it is just as widely used in classical music as it is in pop or contemporary music. But it's definitely in jazz where it has gained more promi…
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!
Recording a trombone - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 6
LearningThis week we'll start with the first practical case: tracking a trombone.
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 …
Working at the source - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 5
LearningYou'll fix it in the mix... right? Wrong! That's why I'll try to make sure that this phrase never makes into your home studio.
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.
Recording levels - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 4
LearningThis week we'll take a moment to discuss the delicate issue of levels during tracking.
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…
Consonance and Dissonance - Harmony Basics - Part 23
LearningIf you want to start making up melodies and bass lines from chord inversions, as I promised in the last article, we must first address the thorny issue of consonance and its evil twin, dissonance... …
What format to use? - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 3
LearningToday we'll discuss a topic that's very important in the all-digital age, namely which format you should use to record your takes.
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…
The gear to use - The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 2
LearningAs I told you in the previous installment, this new series dedicated to recording is aimed at the average computer musician. Consequently, it would be incongruent to make the sample clips that accomp…
