Getting Started guides & articles (16/24)

Tutorials

589 results found

Improve Your Studio on the Cheap - 9 free or inexpensive ways to make your studio better
Learning
The most direct ways to improve your studio are by upgrading the gear and adding professional acoustic treatment, but doing so requires a significant investment. If you're not ready or able to drop a…
04/07/15
Attack and Release in a Compressor - A guide to mixing music - Part 29
Learning
In this installment, I'll show you a way to set a compressor that helps you understand what each parameter does. This method is by no means the ultimate solution, however it ought to help you grasp t…
04/05/15
Frequency Modulation or FM Synthesis - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 21
Learning
In the fifteenth article of this series, I briefly mentioned FM while introducing the different forms of synthesis. Now, the time has finally come to discuss it, but before we do that I must first ta…
04/01/15
Panning to the Extremes - LCR panning can make your mixes come alive
Learning
Conventional mixing wisdom states that when panning elements in a mix, you’re free to utilize the entire left-to-right spectrum. With the exception of elements like kick, snare, bass and lead vocal t…
03/31/15
Understanding Compressor Parameters - A guide to mixing music - Part 28
Learning
Now that we've discussed the possible uses for compression, let's take a look at the way a compressor works. To do that, I'll explain to you, in a theoretical way, the different parameters commonly f…
03/29/15
The Different Forms of Granular Synthesis - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 20
Learning
In the previous article we introduced the concept of granular synthesis. Today we'll take a look at the different applications for it.
03/25/15
Why We Compress - A guide to mixing music - Part 27
Learning
In this second installment dedicated to dynamics processing during mixdown, we'll take some time to discuss the whys before moving on to the hows.
03/22/15
An introduction to Granular Synthesis - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 19
Learning
In the two previous articles we looked at the principle behind sample-based synthesis. Among other things, this allowed us to establish that, thanks to digital technology, the frontiers between the d…
03/18/15
Dynamics Processing 101 - A guide to mixing music - Part 26
Learning
This week we'll tackle dynamics processing during mixdown, a very thorny subject if there ever was one...To approach the topic in the best way possible, it's useful to begin with a quick rundown of t…
03/15/15
Sampling: Wavetables - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 18
Learning
In the previous article, we took a first look at sampling, from the point of view of Pulse Code Modulation (PCM). In this installment we'll study wavetables and sample banks.
03/11/15
Which Comes First? - A guide to mixing music - Part 25
Learning
Before we tackle the next major section of this series ─ dynamics ─ let's diverge briefly to take stock of where we are in the process, and cover an important issue involving effect-chain order.
03/08/15
11 Studio Errors to Avoid - Steer clear of these common studio mistakes
Learning
Learning by your mistakes is definitely an effective method, but it’s not a lot of fun. In this article, we’ll talk about some common mistakes that are made by home recordists and how to avoid them. …
03/05/15
Put Your Best Feature Forward - 10 cool and innovative features from 10 top DAWs
Learning
All DAWS are definitely not created equal. Yes they can all record and edit audio and MIDI, host effects and software instruments, and provide facilities for mixing. But beyond those bread-and-butter…
03/03/15
EQing Tools of the Trade - A guide to mixing music - Part 24
Learning
Now that we have analyzed EQing during mixdown, let's talk a bit about the tools capable of carrying out the task.
03/01/15
Sample-Based Synthesis ─ Bit by Bit - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 17
Learning
Some people might think it's weird to see sampling considered as a type of synthesis. Indeed, throughout this series of articles, I've been telling you all the time about the creation of sounds "from…
02/25/15
A Matter of Perspective - A guide to mixing music - Part 23
Learning
In this week's installment, we'll continue our focus on EQing during mixdown, with some additional tips and advice.
02/22/15
Additive Synthesis ─ Give me more! - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 16
Learning
In the previous article we saw what subtractive synthesis, the most widespread method of synthetic sound creation, is all about and we saw that it's based on the sound production and manipulation mod…
02/18/15
Trust Your Ears - A guide to mixing music - Part 22
Learning
To close this chapter dedicated to EQing during mixdown, I'll give you some tips and tricks that ought to help you adopt better habits.
02/15/15
Subtractive Synthesis: Straight to the point - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 15
Learning
Dear friends, now that we've become acquainted with the main components used, it's about time we get familiar with the main forms of sound synthesis. Oh, yes, there are several!
02/10/15
Create Space and Depth with EQ - A guide to mixing music - Part 21
Learning
Contrary to popular belief, panning and ambience are not the only tools to use for adjusting the location of a track in the sound field of a mix. We are about to see that the sensations of space and …
02/07/15
More Basic Synth Effects - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 14
Learning
In this article we'll take it from where we left off last week and continue exploring the main effects you can find on a synth.
02/04/15
And There Was Color - A guide to mixing music - Part 20
Learning
In this episode we'll discuss a pretty subjective application of EQing, namely, coloration.
02/01/15
Synth Effects - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 13
Learning
The previous two installments delved into the magical world of MIDI, including its modes, messages, and parameters. Now, in this and the following articles we'll take a look at the effects types that…
01/28/15
Lifting the Mask - A guide to mixing music - Part 19
Learning
Today we'll deal with frequency masking ─ what is it actually, and how can we solve it?
01/26/15
Understanding MIDI Modes and Messages - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 12
Learning
After having discovered the MIDI standard in our last installment, let's now have a more detailed look into it.
01/20/15

Getting Started guides & articles

Improve Your Studio on the Cheap - 9 free or inexpensive ways to make your studio better

Attack and Release in a Compressor - A guide to mixing music - Part 29

Frequency Modulation or FM Synthesis - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 21

Panning to the Extremes - LCR panning can make your mixes come alive

Understanding Compressor Parameters - A guide to mixing music - Part 28

The Different Forms of Granular Synthesis - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 20

Why We Compress - A guide to mixing music - Part 27

An introduction to Granular Synthesis - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 19

Dynamics Processing 101 - A guide to mixing music - Part 26

Sampling: Wavetables - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 18

Which Comes First? - A guide to mixing music - Part 25

11 Studio Errors to Avoid - Steer clear of these common studio mistakes

Put Your Best Feature Forward - 10 cool and innovative features from 10 top DAWs

EQing Tools of the Trade - A guide to mixing music - Part 24

Sample-Based Synthesis ─ Bit by Bit - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 17

A Matter of Perspective - A guide to mixing music - Part 23

Additive Synthesis ─ Give me more! - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 16

Trust Your Ears - A guide to mixing music - Part 22

Subtractive Synthesis: Straight to the point - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 15

Create Space and Depth with EQ - A guide to mixing music - Part 21

More Basic Synth Effects - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 14

And There Was Color - A guide to mixing music - Part 20

Synth Effects - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 13

Lifting the Mask - A guide to mixing music - Part 19

Understanding MIDI Modes and Messages - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 12