Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 9
LearningIn the previous articles we saw what makes up a synthesizer's basic sound chain: Oscillators, followed by filters and an amplifier, plus envelopes to control them. We also saw that an oscillator can…
Colin Leonard takes the analog path to mastering success
LearningColin Leonard, owner and engineer of SING Mastering in Atlanta, has to be ready to handle any musical style that comes his way. “I could go from Gaelic Christmas music to hardcore hip-hop to pop to …
A guide to mixing music - Part 5
LearningSometimes the best way to make people really grasp an idea is to resort to a fitting metaphor. That's why, today, I'll show you a way to visualize a mix that ought to allow you to understand the whol…
A guide to mixing music - Part 4
LearningBefore getting into the heart of the matter, I deem it necessary to deal with a subject that isn't only limited to computer music, namely backups.
Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 8
LearningWe have started to study the way in which you can create a sound with the aid of a hardware or virtual synthesizer. But, how does sound ─ which is up to now a combination of voltages or binary data p…
How to Replace Bad Notes or Chords via Copy and Paste
LearningIn part 1 of this article we discussed using cut, copy and paste editing techniques to fix rhythmic mistakes. This time around, we'll use those same edit tools to replace notes that are the wrong pit…
The Living Colour guitarist on film scoring, DAWs, amp simulators and more
LearningWhen you hear the name Vernon Reid, your first thought is probably of his work with Living Colour, featuring his speedy and inventive guitar playing. But Reid is also an accomplished composer, scorin…
Improve your sound when using time-based effects in your guitar setup
LearningReverb, delay and all other so-called time-based effects can sometimes "dirty up" your basic guitar sound to the point that you are forced to reduce their level in order to preserve a minimum of audi…
How to Fix Rhythmic Mistakes in a Recorded Track
LearningToday’s DAW software — not to mention a slew of third party plug-ins — offers you powerful processing options for manipulating the time and pitch of your audio. But did you know that you can fix a lo…
A Guide To Mixing Music - Part 3
LearningThe simple act of clearing certain technical and practical tasks in the earliest stages of the production of a song can have miraculous effects, not only in terms of efficiency, but also from a creat…
Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 7
LearningToday we'll deal with another element that is essential to sound synthesis: Filters. They are widely used in subtractive synthesis, which is the most widespread form of synthesis, making filters pret…
Guide To Mixing - Part 2
LearningWe'll devote this second installment of our mixing article series to an advice that is worth it's weight in gold: Whenever possible, let someone else mix your songs and/or recordings
Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 6
LearningToday we'll begin our exploration of the different elements that constitute a synthesizer. "It's about time!," I hear some of you say... And it's true, but it's important to have a theoretical backgr…
Guide To Mixing - Part 1
LearningGiven the good response our "Mastering at Home" series received, yours truly has put himself to the task of doing a similar guide dedicated to recording and mixing.
Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 5
LearningIn the previous article, we explored sounds based on waveforms with more or less harmonics, but they all had one thing in common: They were periodic. As we saw, if you refer to periodic cycle, you re…
