Latest Articles
Monitoring Diversity for Better Mixes
February 25, 2008 Mixing, SpeakersThis post focuses on how monitoring with different kinds of speakers will help you achieve better mixes. One of the things that sets professional studios apart from hobbyist studios is their collection of monitors. Most studios have at least a couple pairs of monitors, from nearfields to farfields. Many have boomboxes and ‘hi-fi’ stereos to [...]
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What’s this Class A, Class AB, Class B stuff?
February 24, 2008 Amplification, AmplifiersThis post focuses on the basics of the differences between various amplifier (and preamplifier) types, namely class A, B, and AB. When we first start out learning about audio equipment, there’s an awful lot of terms to sort through. One in particular that escaped me for years was what exactly the various ‘classes’ of amplifiers [...]
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The Art of Comping: Creating Master Performances
February 23, 2008 Comping, PostThis post focuses on the technique of comping, or creating a composite performance from various elements of multiple performances. It used to be that in order to get a recording of a performance the performers had to run straight through the material. But ever since the invention of overdubbing people have been changing the way [...]
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How to Record Piano
February 22, 2008 TrackingThis post is a continuation of my instrument series and describes the standard variations of recording piano, both grand and upright styles. Ahhh piano. One of the quintessential instruments that almost everyone knows the sound of. Like the snare drum that I featured in my last how-to, the piano is a complex instrument with many [...]
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Picking a Place to Live (and Record)
February 21, 2008 Live-WorkThis post focuses on things to look for when you want to live and record in the same space. Not too many of us producer types actually have the benefit of a dedicated studio space, working in rented rooms, in rehearsal spaces, or *gasp* where we live. But what are some of the things that [...]
Read More »Database Glitch – lost a couple of comments
February 21, 2008 UncategorizedJust a quick note that there was a problem with the database for the blog, so I had to restore it to the nightly backup from 3AM. This resulted in the loss of a couple of comments from this morning by Keith and Bryan. Sorry! Yay for backups.
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Are Production / Engineering Schools Worth It?
February 20, 2008 Education, SchoolsThis post focuses on whether or not music production and audio engineering schools are worth it. There seems to be a constant debate between those who eschew formal education for ‘real-life’ and those who pursue formal education. Those who put school down often tout the benefits of saving the money and claim that schools are [...]
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Stretches for Producers
February 19, 2008 ErgonomicsThis post focuses on some stretches you can do to stay healthy when hunched over gear for long periods at a time. Whether you’re slumped over a mixing console, a rack of gear, or a computer, producers and engineers spend a lot of time in awkward, non-ergonomic positions. So, for a bit of an odd [...]
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Ring Modulating (or Vocoding) to Produce Artificial Chords
February 18, 2008 EffectsThis post focuses on using ring modulators, vocoders, or other tone resonating devices to produce artificial chords. Creating unique sounds is a constant challenge. Sometimes things just sound too ‘plain’ and you need to pull something totally off-the-wall out of your hat. In these situations, it can be really interesting to grab resonating devices such [...]
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Predelay: Improve Clarity of ‘Verb
February 17, 2008 Effects, ReverbThis post focuses on the use of predelay to allow reverb to be added to a sound without muddying it up too much. A lot of producers are really reverb shy these days. It’s true that reverb can really date material… it was used so much in the 80s and 90s that a lot of [...]
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