Harmony Basics - Part 23
LearningIf you want to start making up melodies and bass lines from chord inversions, as I promised in the last article, we must first address the thorny issue of consonance and its evil twin, dissonance... …
The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 3
LearningToday we'll discuss a topic that's very important in the all-digital age, namely which format you should use to record your takes.
The best big brands for guitar effect pedals
LearningDespite the explosion of the pedal market and the appearance of countless small manufacturers, the big names in the effects world continue to implacably dominate the business. Here's a list of the ma…
EarMaster ApS Earmaster 6 Review
Written testEarMaster Aps is a small Danish company founded in 1994 specialized in the development of a very particular software: EarMaster, whose goal is to train your musical ear and reading skills.
The Operating Principles of Loudspeakers - Part 8
LearningIn this chapter we'll discuss a not-so-widely spread category of transducers based on very amazing principles. They can make some people dream because they are freed from the mechanical stages of tra…
The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 2
LearningAs I told you in the previous installment, this new series dedicated to recording is aimed at the average computer musician. Consequently, it would be incongruent to make the sample clips that accomp…
The ultimate guide to audio recording - Part 1
LearningOnce the mastering series is finished and now that the mixing guide is (finally!) arriving the end, it's only natural that Audiofanzine asked me to extend this tale told backwards with a new series d…
Harmony Basics - Part 22
LearningIn the previous article we discussed inversions within the frame of enharmonic modulations. I will take this opportunity to explore with you in this and the following article the different ways in wh…
Andrew Scheps talks compression, plug-ins, panning, EQ and more
LearningWelcome to Part 2 of our interview with renowned mix engineer Andrew Scheps. This time around, Scheps offers more details on his mixing techniques, and talks about why he transitioned away from his p…
Setting Up Your Own Home Studio - Part 4
LearningAfter the theoretical review of the last article, today we'll start getting our hands dirty keeping in mind that there are as many different home studios as there are home studio owners.
A guide to mixing music - Part 102
LearningDarn, is this series dedicated to mixdown long! But remember that Rome wasn't built in a day! Learning a new craft, regardless of what it is, demands a lot of time. That's the way it is, I can't help…
Harmony Basics - Part 21
LearningBefore I begin I most warn you that this article might seem a bit grueling for some of you. But if you've been following the other articles in the series up to now, you shouldn't have a problem with …
A guide to mixing music - Part 101
LearningThis is the last episode dedicated to he use of modulation tools during mixdown. Today we'll discuss the Phaser effect.
The top studio headphones for about $100
LearningYou can get some pretty good headphones for about $150 and while 50 bucks may not seem like much of a difference, it's a bit too much for many home studio owners. But don't worry if you are one of th…
Harmony Basics - Part 20
LearningIn the previous articles we saw how you can modulate towards other keys, mainly using pivot chords to guarantee a smooth transition. So, now that we've seen how to modulate, it would be nice to know …
A guide to mixing music - Part 100
LearningAfter having seen the chorus effect last week , today we'll discuss another beloved modulation tool, the Flanger.
The best cables for guitar and bass
LearningCables are an indispensable element in any electric or acoustic-electric guitar or bass player's toolkit. They must not only transport the signal of the instrument with the least nuances possible, bu…
iSolo Acoustic Guitar Microphone Review
Written testIf you are in the audio world you have surely noticed how crowdfunding campaigns have multiplied in recent years. Everyday there are news stories about "groundbreaking" products on platforms like Kis…
A guide to mixing music - Part 99
LearningMoving forward we'll be taking a look at some modulation tools that, even if not that useful on a day-to-day basis during mixdown, they can come in incredibly handy in some situations. Today we'll be…
The best large-diaphragm USB microphones
LearningWhy buy a USB audio interface when you could simply get a mic to record yourself? That's what USB mics are for: you take them out of their box, plug them in and rock 'n' roll! We polled our French re…
The Andrew Scheps Interview
Interview / PodcastYou’d probably be surprised to discover that one of the top mixers in the world works on just a single pair of monitors, in a non-treated room, from a home studio. That engineer is Andrew Scheps, one…
Setting Up Your Own Home Studio - Part 3
LearningAs I mentioned in the last article, the ideal home studio must have good room acoustics and soundproofing. But, what does these two concepts mean? To answer this question we need to dive into some th…
The Best Overdrive Pedals for Electric Guitar
LearningThe overdrive pedal is one of the most timeless and classic effects for electric guitar, and finding the overdrive of your dreams can be a lifelong endeavor. They have become a true cult object and m…
A guide to mixing music - Part 98
LearningToday I'll shortlist the plug-ins that I use most frequently when I want to reinforce the sonic cohesion of a mix. As usual, this is by no means an exhaustive list. Far from that. My only goal here i…
The best studio headphones for less than $50
LearningSometimes, $50 for a pair of studio cans might be over your budget, be it because you don't have the money in the bank or you need to buy four at the same time or any other reason you can think of. B…
