Layered Vocals Sound Tighter and Cleaner with these Tec… - How to Tweak Layered Vocals
LearningLayering vocals is a common technique to thicken a vocal part, whether applied to a solo voice or to a massed group of backing vocals. However, there are certain considerations with layered vocals th…
Members' Choice: Audio & Musical Gear that Made the Show - Best of NAMM 2013: The Top 10
LearningKeyboards and synths, is that what it was all about? This time Audiofanzine members had their say in choosing the Top 10 list. Rest assured that NAMM 2013 had everything for anyone willing to do th…
Get a good mix with headphones - Mixing Tips For Headphones
LearningMixing with Headphones can be a viable option to achieving great mixes. Although it’s always recommended to use high quality monitor speakers, sometimes they aren’t a viable option. It may be late at…
How to avoid ground loops - Banish Ground Loop Hum
LearningThere are a few different reasons why a musician might wish to use multiple amplifiers as part of their rig.
AudioFanzine met Studio One's technical director - Interview with the father of Studio One
LearningCoinciding with the launch of Studio One v2.5, AudioFanzine met up with Matthias Juwan, technical director at PreSonus in Hamburg, Germany, to talk about his career, the future of the Studio One sequ…
Mixing your drums Part 3 : the toms - Mixing Toms
LearningToms are an interesting part of the kit that often add flare and excitement to a drum track, just look at the intro to Enter Sandman by Metallica, or the fill before the chorus of Africa by Toto. The…
Focusrite Forte Review - Be Forte!
Written testOne year ago, Apogee introduced the Duet 2, a digital audio interface with remarkable sound and finish, but only available for Mac computers. Focusrite realized that it was an opportunity and present…
Mixing your drums Part 2 : the snare - Mixing A Snare Drum
LearningNext to the Kick Drum, the Snare Drum is the most important component of the Drum Kit. So its paramount that we get it to sound as good as its potential.
Novation MiniNova Review - Tiny Smurf
Written testTwo years after their comeback, Novation decided to strike a new blow with the MiniNova — a small, blue synth bomb based on the UltraNova. When mini means maxi...
Mixing your drums Part 1 : the kick - Mixing The Kick Drum
LearningIn most Genre’s the Kick Drum will be the Low End foundation of the song. So really we should treat it with respect and try and get the best out of it while mixing. If you have recorded the Kick Drum…
On Tour With Roland Hoffmann - Dynaudio Factory Tour
LearningThe AudioFanzine team went to Denmark to visit the Dynaudio factory. We met Roland Hoffmann there who showed us how the monitors are built.
Gain without pain: giving the guitar cabinets their own… - Isolating your speaker cabinets for the best guitar sound
LearningFor recording guitarists, one benefit of a head-and-stack configuration over a combo is that you can separate the amplifier from the speaker cabinet and run a long cable between the two.
How to get the levels "just right" - Recording Levels And Gain Staging
LearningOne of the questions that I get asked fairly often by neophyte recording enthusiasts is "how hot should I record?" The amount of signal you record per track can have an effect on not only the sound o…
How to Mix a Bass Guitar - Straight to the Bottom
LearningA good bass line, played on a good bass, can be made into a great Bass track. But you need to know your way around your Bass Guitar Processing. Lets take a look at giving your bass that extra little …
Sony Sound Forge Pro Mac 1.0 Review - Forging with the Mac
Written testSony's ineradicable audio editor for PC (bought from Sonic Foundry in 2003 when its creators gave up against giants like Avid, Adobe and Apple) has just been ported to the Mac — 15 years later.
Techniques for Mixing the Space - The Importance of Space in a Mix: Part 2
LearningSo you’ve recorded all your instruments and room captures, you’ve got a basic mix going, and you ‘ve selected your delays and reverbs. Now what?
Orange Jim Root Terror #4 Review - Orange and Black
Written testIt might seem incredible but, up to this day, Orange had never offered a signature amp. But now the Jim Root #4 has changed things for good! So it's time for us to put the focus on this small black a…
Tools for Mixing the Space - The Importance of Space in a Mix: Part I
LearningWhen entering a new space, how often do we consider it’s sonic characteristics. And more frequently, when building a mix, how often do we think of space(s) as its own sonic element?
A Survey of Kick Drum Microphones - The Mighty Kick Drum Microphone: Part 2
LearningOur survey of kick drum microphones through the years continues....
A Love Affair With Channel One - The Mighty Kick Drum Microphone: Part 1
LearningThough there are other conventions, it is generally agreed that the kick drum goes into the first channel of the console, and for time immemorial, inordinate efforts have gone into tediously adjustin…
Blue Microphones Reactor Review - Reactor's Studio
Written testThe launch of the Spark, which we had the opportunity to review here, generated a lot of excitement. But Blue Microphones shows no intention of stopping there and has introduced a new microphone with…
How to Acoustically Treat Your Home Studio - Acoustic Treatment for Small Studios
LearningWhether you’re a self-recording hobbyist or a professional mixing engineer, studio work is about making decisions. If the room you’re making decisions in isn’t a reliable listening environment, then …
Monster Beats Pro Review - Sounds Like You Mean It
Written testThanks to its partnership with Dr Dre, Monster's Beats Pro have become a grand success. But are we really talking about a new reference product here or just a fad? That's the question...
The Fundamentals of Different Synthesis Methods - Understanding the Basics of Sound Synthesis
LearningMany of those who use synthesizers in the modern technological world are not well versed in the basics of different kinds of synthesis. With the ease of computer-based synthesis, any synthesis progra…
Motu Track16 Review - Sweet Little Sixteen
Written testTrack16 is the latest addition to Motu's range of audio interfaces. The numerous features announced by the manufacturer are very appealing. Let's see how they translate in the real world!