We interview the jazz/prog guitarist about the producti… - Jane Getter Burns it Up
Interview / PodcastJane Getter's powerful jazz/progressive guitar playing is the focal point of “On,” the new album from her band Jane Getter Premonition. The record also features the virtuosic keyboard work of her hus…
Podcast Production Basics - Part 1 - How to record a podcast
LearningPodcasts have become an important information and entertainment medium, and the best part is that anyone can get in the game. If you’ve ever thought about creating your own audio podcast, this two-pa…
How Magnetic Pickups Are Built and How They Work - Everything about guitar and bass pickups - Part 1
LearningAn essential part of electric stringed instruments, pickups are surrounded by a mysterious aura, lots of rumors and charm. For some, the instrument's wood and craftsmanship are at the core of its sou…
MIDI Learn Explained - Control your software remotely with real knobs, buttons and faders
LearningI’m often surprised by musicians who use their mice or trackpads to change MIDI software parameters, and then complain that they miss using real knobs and buttons. I’m surprised because they could us…
Take a Break - A guide to mixing music - Part 54
LearningIn the first article of this mixing series I told you it would be a long journey, both for you and me. As with every quest, sometimes it's good to take a pause to let it all sit for a while and start…
Join us on a visit to one of Nashville's major studios - [Video] Inside Ocean Way Nashville
LearningIf you want to make a high-quality recording, nothing beats the gear and acoustics of a well-designed commercial studio. Unfortunately, the number of such facilities has dwindled down to a relative h…
The Perfect Cadence...and More - Harmony Basics - Part 7
LearningIf you think of music as a language, then you could say that it's made up of phrases, with cadences acting like punctuation marks.
How to Make Good Use of Presets - A guide to mixing music - Part 53
LearningTo close the chapter regarding dynamics processing once and for all, I'll give you my take on making good use of presets for this type of processors.
Get the Most from Your Album Release - A step-by-step plan for maximizing exposure when you release your album
LearningToday, it's easy to get your music distributed. But if you want to maximize your promotion, it helps to put together a timeline and plan your release. Promotion is time-sensitive, but if you can coor…
Ten Tips for Tracking - Helpful advice to make your recording sessions more efficient
LearningMixing gets the lion’s share of attention in how-to stories about the production process, but tracking —actually recording audio — is obviously quite important, too. It’s crucial to capture high-qual…
The Other Degrees of a Major Scale and the Minor Mode - Harmony Basics - Part 6
LearningAs we saw in the previous article, the I, IV and V chords of a major scale are themselves...major!
Expanders, De-essers, Limiters and Dynamic EQs - A guide to mixing music - Part 52
LearningIn this penultimate article dedicated to managing dynamics during mixdown, I'll briefly mention some other processing options sometimes used at this stage, as well as the reasons why I won't look int…
Your Ears, Your Music, Your Hearing - The Loudness War - Part 12
LearningIn this final installment of the series, we present a Q&A with Dr Thierry Briche, ENT specialist, and the former chief of the prestigious Val-de-Grâce Hospital in Paris, France. He was kind enough to…
If You're Thinking About Getting a Pedalboard - Part 2 - Pedal order, powering, and securing effects to the pedalboard
LearningIn the second and last installment, we’ll cover three main issues that you need to work out order to get your pedalboard up and running: The order of the pedals, how to get power to them, and how to …
If You're Thinking of Getting a Pedalboard - Part 1 - Whether you're buying or building a pedalboard, here's what you need to know
LearningWhether you’re upgrading to a new pedalboard, switching over from an all-in-one digital unit, or getting your first pedalboard, there are endless options. The aim here is to give you the info you nee…
Metering and Correction Software - The Loudness War - Part 11
LearningIn this, the penultimate installment in our series discussing the consequences of volume on music, sound and human ears, we look at tools for measuring loudness.
The Best Noise Gate Plug-Ins - A guide to mixing music - Part 51
LearningThere is plenty more to say about the possible uses of a noise gate, especially from a creative point of view. However, that would divert us from the subject at hand. Besides, by now, I hope you have…
Ducking with a Noise Gate - A guide to mixing music - Part 50
LearningThis week we'll take a look at yet another technique specific to noise gates, namely ducking. Personally, it's not my cup of tea, but when you don't have the time for other solutions, it can really …
Introduction to Degrees - Harmony Basics - Part 5
LearningThis is one of those situations no composer can escape...and the reason for being of this series.
How to Build Chords - Harmony Basics - Part 4
LearningIn the previous articles we talked about major and minor chords, how scales are formed and how you can tell the key of a song from its key signature.
Enhancing Percussive Elements with a Noise Gate - A guide to mixing music - Part 49
LearningToday we'll see how to create a percussive instrument from scratch using an acoustic take.
Learn the Pro Tools edit modes and tools in this tutori… - [Video] Get Started with Pro Tools Editing
LearningWhen you're editing in Pro Tools, whether it's Pro Tools 12 or an older version, you won't get far if you don't understand how the edit modes and the main editing tools work. In this video we'll expl…
Demystifying Synth Programming – Part 2 - How oscillators, LFOs and filters affect your sound
LearningIn our last episode, we talked about the differences between parameters and parameter values and between acoustic and electronic parameters. We also discussed envelope generators and the relationship…
How To Tell the Key of a Song - Harmony Basics - Part 3
LearningAs we saw previously, the construction of any given scale requires that you respect certain intervals between the notes. To achieve that, and depending on the tonic and whether it's a major or minor …
Improve Your Drum Tracks With a Noise Gate - A guide to mixing music - Part 48
LearningThis week I'll show you how to use a Noise Gate to significantly improve your drum tracks.
