Add space to your recordings with these free reverb plu… - 5 Top Freeware Reverbs
LearningWe all know that reverb is one of the staple effects in a mixer's toolkit. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a recording or live mix without at least some reverb in it. But does getting a good r…
About Single-Coils, Dual-Coils and More - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 3
LearningTaking the pickup concept we've seen so far (the combination of one or several magnets surrounded by a coil), you get so-called single-coil pickups. This type of pickup produces a characteristic soun…
Podcast Production Basics - Part 2 - Editing, mixing and finishing your podcast
LearningIn the first installment of this two-part series, we looked at various options for recording a podcast. This time around, we’ll examine how to edit and assemble your podcast.
Using Reverb - Step by Step - A guide to mixing music - Part 56
LearningToday I'll describe how we will be proceeding to be able to work with reverbs in all tranquility.
A review of the Sonible Frei:raum EQ plug-in - Space Liberation
Written testInnovation awardLife as a writer for Audiofanzine has its pros and cons...Granted, if you're into audio, spending most of your days testing and reviewing the latest gear from the audio world can be really gratifying…
What Are Guitar and Bass Pickups Made Of? - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 2
LearningIn this second article of our series dedicated to guitar and bass pickups, we'll take a look under the hood.
Why Your Guitar Won’t Play or Stay In Tune - How to understand and deal with tuning and intonation issues
LearningWhat is there to say about being in tune? You turn on the tuner, tune up, and you are in tune. Would that it were so easy. The truth is, any experienced guitarist or repairman will tell you there is …
Space Invaders - The Whys of Using Reverb - A guide to mixing music - Part 55
LearningWe have now reached a stage where it seems appropriate to start unwrapping those nice little reverb plug-ins you all have lying around.
We interview the jazz/prog guitarist about the producti… - Jane Getter Burns it Up
Interview / PodcastJane Getter's powerful jazz/progressive guitar playing is the focal point of “On,” the new album from her band Jane Getter Premonition. The record also features the virtuosic keyboard work of her hus…
Podcast Production Basics - Part 1 - How to record a podcast
LearningPodcasts have become an important information and entertainment medium, and the best part is that anyone can get in the game. If you’ve ever thought about creating your own audio podcast, this two-pa…
How Magnetic Pickups Are Built and How They Work - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 1
LearningAn essential part of electric stringed instruments, pickups are surrounded by a mysterious aura, lots of rumors and charm. For some, the instrument's wood and craftsmanship are at the core of its sou…
MIDI Learn Explained - Control your software remotely with real knobs, buttons and faders
LearningI’m often surprised by musicians who use their mice or trackpads to change MIDI software parameters, and then complain that they miss using real knobs and buttons. I’m surprised because they could us…
Take a Break - A guide to mixing music - Part 54
LearningIn the first article of this mixing series I told you it would be a long journey, both for you and me. As with every quest, sometimes it's good to take a pause to let it all sit for a while and start…
A review of the Audient ASP800 8-channel mic pre and ADC - Why Not Add Eight?
Written testNot long ago we reviewed iD14, a two-channel audio interface from the British console maker Audient, which features the same type of mic preamps that are in its mixers. Audient recently started shipp…
Join us on a visit to one of Nashville's major studios - [Video] Inside Ocean Way Nashville
LearningIf you want to make a high-quality recording, nothing beats the gear and acoustics of a well-designed commercial studio. Unfortunately, the number of such facilities has dwindled down to a relative h…
The Perfect Cadence...and More - Harmony Basics - Part 7
LearningIf you think of music as a language, then you could say that it's made up of phrases, with cadences acting like punctuation marks.
How to Make Good Use of Presets - A guide to mixing music - Part 53
LearningTo close the chapter regarding dynamics processing once and for all, I'll give you my take on making good use of presets for this type of processors.
Get the Most from Your Album Release - A step-by-step plan for maximizing exposure when you release your album
LearningToday, it's easy to get your music distributed. But if you want to maximize your promotion, it helps to put together a timeline and plan your release. Promotion is time-sensitive, but if you can coor…
Ten Tips for Tracking - Helpful advice to make your recording sessions more efficient
LearningMixing gets the lion’s share of attention in how-to stories about the production process, but tracking —actually recording audio — is obviously quite important, too. It’s crucial to capture high-qual…
The Other Degrees of a Major Scale and the Minor Mode - Harmony Basics - Part 6
LearningAs we saw in the previous article, the I, IV and V chords of a major scale are themselves...major!
Expanders, De-essers, Limiters and Dynamic EQs - A guide to mixing music - Part 52
LearningIn this penultimate article dedicated to managing dynamics during mixdown, I'll briefly mention some other processing options sometimes used at this stage, as well as the reasons why I won't look int…
Your Ears, Your Music, Your Hearing - The Loudness War - Part 12
LearningIn this final installment of the series, we present a Q&A with Dr Thierry Briche, ENT specialist, and the former chief of the prestigious Val-de-Grâce Hospital in Paris, France. He was kind enough to…
If You're Thinking About Getting a Pedalboard - Part 2 - Pedal order, powering, and securing effects to the pedalboard
LearningIn the second and last installment, we’ll cover three main issues that you need to work out order to get your pedalboard up and running: The order of the pedals, how to get power to them, and how to …
If You're Thinking of Getting a Pedalboard - Part 1 - Whether you're buying or building a pedalboard, here's what you need to know
LearningWhether you’re upgrading to a new pedalboard, switching over from an all-in-one digital unit, or getting your first pedalboard, there are endless options. The aim here is to give you the info you nee…
Metering and Correction Software - The Loudness War - Part 11
LearningIn this, the penultimate installment in our series discussing the consequences of volume on music, sound and human ears, we look at tools for measuring loudness.
