Remove Low-End Clutter from Your Mix with High-Pass Filtering
LearningGuitars, vocals, pianos, drums or virtually any track in your mix, has extraneous low-frequency information that can be filtered out without compromising the sound. While you may not notice anything …
Figuring Out the Unit That's Right for You
LearningPart 1 looked at how to interpret the specs you see in ads and listings for audio interfaces. This time around, we offer info to help you figure out the audio interface that best fits your needs, pre…
Demystifying the Specs and Features
LearningShopping for an audio interface can be daunting, due to the countless models on the market and the variations in inputs, outputs, formats, maximum sampling rates, and numerous other specifications. T…
How to use EQ in Mastering — In Practice
LearningThe latest installment of our Mastering at Home series deals with some common situations when using an equalizer.
Keep your levels down and your headroom up, and your music will sound better
LearningYou’ve probably heard the term “headroom” thrown around a lot. What it is, essentially, is a margin of safety between the loudest peaks of your track — or tracks, in the case of a mix — and 0 dB on y…
How to Use EQ In Mastering — The Theory
LearningIn mastering, EQing is a choice whose potentiality is on par with its dangerousness. The key word here is, more than ever, subtlety!
A Step-By-Step Workflow for Your Next Mix
LearningHere at Audiofanzine, we’ve covered many individual aspects of mixing, and offered detailed information on what to do in preparation for a mix. But we've also gotten requests for an overview of the e…
Learning by Listening to Other Mixes
LearningJust like painting, photography and, obviously, music — mixing is an art in itself. And, as such, it also requires some training.
How to use Compression in Mastering
LearningToday we will focus on compression, another important aspect of the mastering process that's often misunderstood.
Work Together Remotely via DAW File Sharing
LearningSharing tracks over the Internet makes it possible for musicians to work together remotely, whether they're around the corner from each other or around the world.
Methodology for DIY Mastering
LearningIn this third part of our Home Mastering series, we will write about the process to follow in order to make the right decisions at the right time.
Steely Dan’s Producer Talks Shop with Audiofanzine
LearningDuring Steely Dan’s original incarnation, the band produced a string of classic albums that are admired equally for their smart and catchy songwriting, amazing musicianship, and state-of-the-art reco…
Prepare for Your Mastering Session
LearningIn this installment, we'll offer some tips that will simplify your life when mastering.
Comparing Two Approaches to Drum-Track Creation
LearningIf you’re not a drummer, but you need drum tracks for your productions — and assuming you don’t have the budget and facilities to hire and record a real drummer, — you’re going to need to use either …
An Introduction to DIY Mastering
LearningIf you're fortunate enough to be able to afford professional mastering with a dedicated engineer in a well-designed and equipped mastering studio, that's clearly the route to the best quality results…
Adjust and Process Groups of Tracks at a Time
LearningOne easy way to improve your mixing efficiency is to use the flexible routing capabilities in your DAW's mixer to create subgroups. Also referred to as "submixes," they let you create custom subsets …
Reduce or Eliminate Leakage When Tracking Drums and Other Instruments Together
LearningSo, you’ve got a band, you’ve got some recording gear, and you’re ready to start cutting your album in your home studio. If you’re recording with a drummer and you want to do a “live” basic-tracking …
Advice For Placing Elements in the Stereo Soundscape
LearningPanning seems like a simple enough task. You turn the panning knobs to the positions you want your tracks to be situated in the stereo image and you’re done, right? Well there’s more to it…
Everything about Phase Problems - Part 3
LearningAfter having seen the theory and the cases where you could have phase issues, in this final installment we will see different ways to identify eventual problems. And we will also go through the vario…
Everything about Phase Problems - Part 2
LearningAfter a simplified — but not simplistic — approach to the theoretical aspects of phase in our last article, today we will see in which cases you may find yourself having to deal with phase problems.
Tips and Tricks for Recording Doubled Parts, Including Big, Fat Power-Chord Rhythm Guitars
LearningOne of the most powerful ways to make a track sound bigger and more impactful is by doubling it. The quintessential example of this is the doubled rhythm guitar part, which can really fatten the soun…
Everything About Phase Problems - Part 1
LearningIf you are into audio, you have surely heard about phase many times — whether in reference to mixing or recording live in the studio — and usually in a negative way.
Producer/engineer Jesse Cannon on mixing, mastering, and his upcoming free seminar
LearningAn interview with producer/engineer Jesse Cannon (Animal Collective, The Cure, The Misfits, Man Overboard) where he discusses mixing, mastering and his upcoming free online seminar.
Recording Your DJ Sessions - Part 4
LearningIn the three previous parts, we showed you how to set up the DJ hardware, how to configure your computer to record an optimal signal and some good practices to keep in mind for your sessions. Now tha…
Recording Your DJ Sessions - Part 3
LearningIn the first two parts of this article, we discussed how to prepare your mixer and configure your computer to record a mix. Now that the hardware is ready, we can now move on to some tips for you to …
