Category Articles

The original intent of this article was to provide some sort of comparison between a simple DIY sub-kick, the more elaborate commercial designs and the over-blown DIY sub-kick designs found floating around the internet. That didn’t quite happen.

Since the sub-kick has become an indispensable tool in the studio, I was curious to compare my simplistic, cost-effective approach with the more expensive...

Digital audio is brutally clean. Even though it can be sterile and lack character, I think that’s a good thing. Tonal character should not be a byproduct of the recording process. It should be something employed as a tool to define a desired sound when, and only when, it is desired. With the limitations of analog technology, control of the underlying tone is finite...

Cheap and Easy Tip of the Day:

A significant amount of click track bleed from the headphones can ruin a take. Use a cheap pair of earbuds or in-ear monitors along with some ear muff hearing protectors. Any bleed will be completely isolated.

Great for recording acoustic instruments, especially singer/songwriters, where bleed normally a concern, this technique also provides exceptional isolation fro...

Audio mastering is the term used to describe the final steps of a project prior to duplication.

Mastering is a process which requires critical listening skills and an “educated ear”.

So that your audio material can sound its absolute best on a wide variety of devices, from ear buds to stadium speakers, the mastering engineer not only uses many tools and techniques but also depends upon an acoustic...

If you’ve got expectations about how your music should sound, put together a reference cd before you get to the studio. It will help the engineer’s objectivity and he’ll have a great idea about what you’re trying to achieve. This could be especially helpful if you’re trying to attain a certain tone. Want to emulate John Bonham? It’s not just in the mix...