10 Tips for Better Rehearsals - Common-sense advice for rehearsing more efficiently
LearningRehearsal is an important activity for any band or ensemble. Learning and working out arrangements for new material and going over songs already in your repertoire are key to keeping your group fresh…
Take Your Pick - Alter your tone for pennies by changing to a different pick type
LearningIf you are like most guitarists, you are on a continual quest to improve your tone and/or discover additional tonal options. This can involve spending thousands of dollars on amps, guitars, pickups, …
Serial Compression - A guide to mixing music - Part 35
LearningNow that we've seen the basic usage of compression when mixing, I'll walk you through a couple of tips and tricks that I'm sure you'll find quite useful. This week we'll look into a technique that mi…
An interview with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Reuv… - Energizing the Mix
Interview / Podcast“For me, the most important part is for the music to sound alive and to have good energy," says producer/engineer Reuven Amiel, "and I always base the mix on that. No matter what type of music it is,…
Classic Gear Spotlight: The Les Paul - Part 1 - History of the Les Paul
LearningThe tale begins in Winter 1951.
The Art of the Deal - Negotiating tips for when you're offered freelance mixing or session work
LearningIf you’re skilled on your instrument or have developed strong mixing or other engineering skills, you may find yourself offered freelance work at some point. When that happens, it’s important to know…
Review of the Akai Advance 49 Keyboard Controller - Advancing the State of the Art
Written testInnovation awardImagine a MIDI-controller keyboard that lets you seamlessly switch between virtual instruments from different manufacturers, keeps all your patches together in a single browser, and automatically map…
The Opposite of Punchy - A guide to mixing music - Part 34
LearningToday, I invite you to continue exploring the possibilities of dynamics processing at the microdynamic level. After having dealt with "punchy" sounds, we'll use dynamics to go for the opposite — "rou…
Compression Has Consequences - The Loudness War ─ Part 6
LearningIn this new installment we'll continue discussing the consequences of volume on music, sound and human ears, and we'll see how digital technology has enabled the reduction of dynamic range in recorde…
Live Performance Tips for Guitar Players - 6 ways to become a better onstage guitarist
LearningAs a guitar player, you have many possible roles in a live situation. You might strictly be a rhythm player, you might also play lead, or you could even be the front person for the band, in addition …
Make Your Mix Punchy with Compression - A guide to mixing music - Part 33
LearningAfter looking at some applications of compression at the macrodynamic level in the two previous articles, we'll deal here with microdynamics, starting with how to get a "punchy" sound.
Sensomusic Usine Hollyhock II Review - Music in Bloom
Written testBest Product awardThere are lots of software solutions for live performance. Strangely enough, Sensomusic's Usine Hollyhock II doesn't come up on the radar as often as other products. And yet...
Top Australian engineer Klaus Hill on mixing, mastering… - Hybrid Mixing from Down Under
Learning“I've always mixed people's records,” Klaus Hill says, “it's just something I've always been very good at.” In the eleven years since he moved from England, Hill has established himself as one of the…
Weighing the pros and cons of DIY mastering - So You Want to Master Your Own Album?
LearningFor a long time the mastering process was a mystery for most musicians, even those with studio skills. But thanks to all the information now available online, it's a lot easier to learn about how mas…
Pulsar and Phase Distortion Synthesis - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 25
LearningWe are slowly coming to the end of this series!
