[Feature Article] Classic synth emulations that won't c… - 5 Free Vintage Synth Plug-Ins
You often hear that a $1,000 laptop today has the power of a billion dollars worth of computer equipment from 50 years ago. Likewise, the equivalent of thousands of dollars of vintage synthesizer gea…
[Feature Article] Setting the Gate - A guide to mixing music - Part 44
Now that we've seen the main parameters of a Noise Gate, let's move on to the practical side, starting with its most traditional use: suppressing noise.
[Feature Article] Noise Gate 101 - A guide to mixing music - Part 43
This week we'll tackle a type of dynamics processing that was used all the time in the analog days, but, bizarrely enough, doesn't get called upon nearly as much in the all-digital era. And yet it's …
[Feature Article] A Who's Who of Software Compressors - A guide to mixing music - Part 41
The number of compressor plug-ins on the market is overwhelming. As you'll surely understand, it would be impossible for me to create an complete list here. Nevertheless, my collaboration with Audiof…
[Feature Article] The Mad Max composer on his free vide… - Junkie XL Gives Back
Tom Holkenborg (aka “Junkie XL”) has had a long and successful music career as a producer, recording artist, and remixer — and over the last several years he's become a top Hollywood film composer. H…
[Feature Article] Good Arrangements = Better Mixes - The road to a good mix starts very early — in the arrangement stage
Before multitracks were invented, when all recording was done totally live, it was the arrangement more than anything that made the music sound balanced. The composer had to write for the ensemble as…
[Feature Article] Stochastic and Graphic Synthesis - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 27
Graphic and stochastic synthesis are not very widely used and, yet, they are quite interesting. Let's see why...
[Feature Article] Compression as Glue - A guide to mixing music - Part 38
This week we'll look into a side effect of compression that's beneficial, as long as you use it wisely. It's the so-called "glue" effect that takes place when you use a compressor on a group of track…
[Feature Article] Mastering and remastering - The Loudness War - Part 7
Here's the latest installment in our series of articles dedicated to the race for volume, and its consequences on music, sound and human ears.
[Feature Article] Parallel Compression - A guide to mixing music - Part 36
In this week's chapter, we'll tackle a specific use of compression you have surely heard about before, not least in our series of articles dedicated to mastering. I'm talking about parallel compressi…