Thematic Forums guides & articles

Graphic and stochastic synthesis are not very widely used and, yet, they are quite interesting. Let's see why...

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…

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.

If you’re a home recordist or a performing musician, chances are you have gear you want to sell. Perhaps you’re thinking of upgrading to something better, or you have extra hardware or instruments th…

Today we'll continue unveiling new tricks and tips on compression with an installment dedicated to the sidechain.

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…

It’s the enemy of creativity, and it lurks in your subconscious, ready to spring at you when you least expect it. I’m talking about writer's block, the dreaded affliction of composers, songwriters, a…

This time around, I invite you to discover two unusual forms of sound synthesis: Formant and linear arithmetic synthesis.

Rehearsal is an important activity for any band or ensemble. Learning and working out arrangements for new material and going over songs already in your repertoire are key to keeping your group fresh…

If you are like most guitarists, you are on a continual quest to improve your tone and/or discover additional tonal options. This can involve spending thousands of dollars on amps, guitars, pickups, …

Now that we've seen the basic usage of compression when mixing, I'll walk you through a couple of tips and tricks that I'm sure you'll find quite useful. This week we'll look into a technique that mi…

“For me, the most important part is for the music to sound alive and to have good energy," says producer/engineer Reuven Amiel, "and I always base the mix on that. No matter what type of music it is,…

If you’re skilled on your instrument or have developed strong mixing or other engineering skills, you may find yourself offered freelance work at some point. When that happens, it’s important to know…

Today, I invite you to continue exploring the possibilities of dynamics processing at the microdynamic level. After having dealt with "punchy" sounds, we'll use dynamics to go for the opposite — "rou…

In this new installment we'll continue discussing the consequences of volume on music, sound and human ears, and we'll see how digital technology has enabled the reduction of dynamic range in recorde…

As a guitar player, you have many possible roles in a live situation. You might strictly be a rhythm player, you might also play lead, or you could even be the front person for the band, in addition …

After looking at some applications of compression at the macrodynamic level in the two previous articles, we'll deal here with microdynamics, starting with how to get a "punchy" sound.

“I've always mixed people's records,” Klaus Hill says, “it's just something I've always been very good at.” In the eleven years since he moved from England, Hill has established himself as one of the…

For a long time the mastering process was a mystery for most musicians, even those with studio skills. But thanks to all the information now available online, it's a lot easier to learn about how mas…

We are slowly coming to the end of this series!

Professional engineers typically render more than just a full version when they finish mixing a song. They also run a number of variations, which are referred to as "alternate mixes." In this article…

Today we'll continue our discovery of the use of compression with an application that will surely interest all of you: An increase in loudness.

In this new installment in our race for volume, we'll see how changes in music listening have fueled the loudness war, and we'll look at radio's role in the escalation.

If you are someone who’s interested in learning more about recording technology — and you probably are, since you’re reading this — you may have come across interviews with big name engineers and pro…

In this episode, we'll concentrate on dynamics processing during mixdown, and we'll see how to use compression to give consistency to your tracks. This usage, in my opinion, is the most important one…