All live sound mixing consoles have pan controls. But there are very good reasons not to use them. Not if you respect your audience, that is.
We used to be in love with MIDI. But you hardly hear of it these days. Has it gone away, or is it just keeping quiet?
If you don't back up your data, then you are headed for sure and certain disaster. It's a question of 'when?', not 'if?'
The range of great home recording equipment available these days is truly superb. But occasionally we all buy something that just wasn't worth the money. What's your experience?
An RP visitor asks how he would record a symphony orchestra. Does it need sixty microphones? Or could you do it with two?
Do your recordings have warmth? Yes? But does the amount of warmth vary with the signal level? Wouldn't you like it to be more consistent...
A reader asks whether it is allowable to pan low frequency instruments. If not, what would the possible penalty be?
The mastering loudness war is not yet over, yet the casualties are piling up. Yet here is convincing proof that it is all so wrong...
An RP reader asks whether he can record on his workstation and then export tracks to his computer for editing and mixing. Why would he want to do that...?
You spent a week recording your best and finest track. It took a year to get a label to accept it. But they want a remix and your multitrack won't play. What do you do?
Delay is one of the simplest yet (currently) under-appreciated effects available. But how do you work out the correct settings?
An RP reader wishes to improve the sound he gets from his microphone. Is this possible, or does he need a better mic?
It is probably the most common ambition in music. But many people want to become a record producer without really understanding what it means. Here's the primer...
This is a tricky concept to explain and understand. But once you do understand it you'll feel an awful lot better. In fact, you'll probably feel so good you will consider yourself one of the 'elite' of sound engineering and look down upon lesser mortals who do not understand it...
You've tried all the usual microphones and are tired of their sound? Why not try something that is really over the edge...
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JamHub is billed as 'the silent rehearsal studio'. Whatever it is, there's simply nothing else like it.
An RP reader asks whether freezing tracks that use plug-ins is bad for your hard disk? Would it be better to bounce them?
You're trying to get a decent recording, but your singer is doing really strange things with the microphone. What do you do?
What is it about your studio that makes it look and feel like a recording studio, and a nice place to work? Or is it just another room in your house?
Do you still use DAT? CD recorders? Outboard effects units? Come on and admit it - you're a dinosaur!
The food you eat is mostly factory farmed - grown in chemicals manufactured in a chemical works. But is your music 'factory farmed' too, and does it sound like it?
Are there a hundred different ways to record the snare drum? The answer is 'Yes!', and you need to understand them all...
Do you always connect your effects pedals between your guitar and amplifier. Wow, that's just so retro!
You've got your recordings in hand, you've done your networking and have finally made contact with that one industry professional that can help you launch your career... then here it comes, "I need you to send me your multitrack files so I can remix it." Now what do you do to make that happen?
Amplifiers can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. A symmetrical amplifier has both positive and negative power supply rails and the signal rises and falls centered on the 0 volts point exactly in between. An asymmetrical amplifier has only one power supply rail and the signal is biased to a voltage midway between zero volts and the power supply voltage...
Record Producer Steve Lyon gives a taste of what it is like to work with Glyn Johns's simple drum miking techniques and explains why metal sheets were once brought into the studio.
You are running tons of plug-ins and your computer is running out of steam. How can you lighten the load AND use as many plug-ins as you like?
Everyone should build a loudspeaker at least once in their life. But for this would-be loudspeaker builder, their first attempt was something of a disaster...
A little bit of compression can often do wonders for a recording. But it always adds noise. Always. Why is this so? What can be done?
Low-pass and high-pass filters often have a 'slope' control. What is the slope of a filter? How do you select the right slope?
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Apple's launch of the iPad has created a whole new segment in computing. Should musicians rejoice? Or be very afraid?
The ADK A-48 Vintage Valve microphone features no fewer than nine polar patterns. Is this overkill, or the ultimate in fine tuning?
Sony has just released a 70-disc set of CDs. Some discs last less than 30 minutes. Some recordings are exact duplicates. Are you one of the people who has no option but to buy it?
So your band has a website. That is so 2009! Why not get the new decade started with an iPhone app that showcases your talent to the (iPhone) world?
As Roger Waters of Pink Floyd once said, "It doesn't have to be loud. We just like it loud." Well, some people would like it even louder. Is this possible?
Go to a piano teacher and they will tell you to practice every day. But the one thing they hardly ever tell you is *how* to practice. But the cure for 'wrongnoteitis' might be simpler than you think.
It's a strange world where you can buy a secondhand analog tape recorder for less than the price of some tape emulation plug-ins and devices. But which will give you the most authentic sound?
Still struggling to get a good sound in your home recording studio? Perhaps a visit to a pro studio would fix all your problems.
The compressor is a great studio tool. But does it work for live sound? Is there a hidden danger that will keep the engineer on his toes?
Some microphone and instrument preamplifiers have a variable impedance selector. What kind of difference will it make to your sound? What are you missing if you don't have it?
Push your levels too high and you will break the bounds of your system's capability. But will a limiter make things any better, or simply act as another source of distortion?
Both EQ and filters alter the frequency response characteristics of a signal. But how are they different, and how should they be applied?
Everyone knows that you should compress the snare and kick drum. But why should you do it, and how should you do it?
Auto-Tune is a powerful vocal tuning software. It can turn an out-of-tune vocal track into a pitch-perfect pro performance. But are there times when you would be better off not using it?
It is often thought that you should master a mix so that it sounds as loud as possible. But for some markets, this could ruin your chances of selling your music.
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