Learn From Other Mixes - How to Analyze a Mix
LearningJust like painting, photography and, obviously, music — mixing is an art in itself. And, as such, it also requires some training.
Protect Your Hearing - Don't let your ears get damaged by high sound levels onstage
LearningDid your ears ever ring after you played a gig, and not stop for a day or two? Now imagine that same scenario, but the ringing never stops. Pretty scary, right? And that's not an uncommon circumstanc…
Ashdown Pibass -240 and Mi 12 Speaker Review - π = 240 Watts
Written testAshdown Engineering's PiBass head is the signature model of Polish bass legend Wojtek Pilichowski. I tested it along with the Mi12, a cabinet featuring a 12" speaker. The two products combine to make…
Long-Distance Collaboration - Work Together Remotely via DAW File Sharing
LearningSharing tracks over the Internet makes it possible for musicians to work together remotely, whether they're around the corner from each other or around the world.
Yamaha MOXF6 Review - Changing of the Guard
Written testIncorporating most of the sound engine of the Motif XF, the MOXF aims to redefine the standard of mid-range workstations. A sound change?
Palmer Kaputt Review - Kaputt
Written testWith our recent review of the Mutterstolz tube distortion in mind, the Audiofanzine editorial board decided to review some of the other models from Palmer's Root Effects collection. We've already pos…
Steely Dan’s Producer Talks Recording, Mixing, and More - Gary Katz on Producing
LearningDuring Steely Dan’s original incarnation, the band produced a string of classic albums that are admired equally for their smart and catchy songwriting, amazing musicianship, and state-of-the-art reco…
Mastering at Home - Part 3 - A Great Workflow for Mastering Music at Home
LearningIn this third part of our Home Mastering series, we will write about the process to follow in order to make the right decisions at the right time.
Mastering at Home - Part 2 - Prepare for Your Mastering Session
LearningIn this installment, we'll offer some tips that will simplify your life when mastering.
Zoom iQ5 Review - iPhone with a Higher iQ
Written testIn addition to its H1, H2, H4, and H6 recorders, Zoom has created a microphone compatible with Lightning-equipped iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad models.
Comparing Two Approaches to Drum-Track Creation - MIDI Drums vs. Audio Drum Loops
LearningIf you’re not a drummer, but you need drum tracks for your productions — and assuming you don’t have the budget and facilities to hire and record a real drummer — you’re going to need to use either M…
AudioTouch C-Buss Review - The Analog/Virtual Symbiosis
Written testInnovation awardIn terms of hardware compressors, the latest products are too often expressions of the same theme, variations on a mythical device that has already proved its worth. Fortunately though, on rare occas…
Before You Buy that Acoustic Guitar - Tips for Evaluating an Acoustic Guitar Before Purchase
LearningBuying a steel-string acoustic guitar is an investment that you don’t want to go into lightly. Unless you plan to purchase a super-cheap entry-level model, you’re likely to spend a fair bit of coin f…
The 10 Top Brands of Musikmesse 2014 - Best of Musikmesse 2014
LearningAfter a big NAMM, you would've expected a quieter Musikmesse. Notwithstanding, Europe's largest audio trade show had a couple of nice surprises in store.
Toontrack EZdrummer 2 Review - NextGen Virtual Drums
Written testInnovation awardEight years after releasing the first EZdrummer, Toontrack introduces version 2, which gently revolutionizes the virtual drum market. Far from trying to grow in terms of gigabytes, EZdrummer bets on …
Mastering at Home - Part 1 - An Introduction to Mastering Audio
LearningIf you're fortunate enough to be able to afford professional mastering with a dedicated engineer in a well-designed and equipped mastering studio, that's clearly the route to the best quality results…
Adjust and Process Groups of Tracks at a Time - Control Your Mix With Subgroups
LearningOne easy way to improve your mixing efficiency is to use the flexible routing capabilities in your DAW's mixer to create subgroups. Also referred to as "submixes," they let you create custom subsets …
Minimize Drum Bleed in Your Home Studio - Reduce or Eliminate Leakage When Tracking Drums and Other Instruments Together
LearningSo, you’ve got a band, you’ve got some recording gear, and you’re ready to start cutting your album in your home studio. If you’re recording with a drummer and you want to do a “live” basic-tracking …
KRK Rokit 8 G3 Review - The Return of the Yellow Cones
Written testRokit speakers ─ the entry-level product range of Californian manufacturer KRK ─ have found their way into numerous home studios for many years. But until the recent release of the third-generation o…
Universal Audio Apollo Twin Review - Twin Sound
Written test"It would be ideal if UAD offered a less expensive Apollo with only two mic preamps," we wrote in our review of the first Apollo almost two years ago, and also, "Given the choice of transparent-sound…
Panning Strategies - Advice For Placing Elements in the Stereo Soundscape
LearningPanning seems like a simple enough task. You turn the panning knobs to the positions you want your tracks to be situated in the stereo image and you’re done, right? Well there’s more to it…
Korg Kross Review - Entry-Level Redefined
Written testTwo years after Kronos, Korg keeps on developing its workstation range ─ this time with its most affordable model yet.
iZotope BreakTweaker Review - Tweaking the Breaks
Written testThe partnership between artist BT and iZotope has resulted in a new plug-in, the BreakTweaker. Is it just another drum machine or a more advanced tool than it seems?
Phase – The Solutions - Everything about Phase Problems - Part 3
LearningAfter having seen the theory and the cases where you could have phase issues, in this final installment we will see different ways to identify eventual problems. And we will also go through the vario…
Helpful Advice for Before, During, and After the Show - 10 Tips for Successful Gigging
LearningAs a musician, you've probably experienced the near-euphoric feeling of playing a gig in which everything is going right: you’re playing well, the crowd is into it, and the sound is good. Conversely,…
