Extreme Auto-Tune effects are everywhere in pop music. But how difficult does it have to be to get the right sound?
Aux channels are commonly found in the analog world; aux tracks in the world of the DAW. What do they have in common, and how do they differ? What can you do with them?
Is your song good all the way to the end? Or will people switch off after the second verse? Here's how to get them to listen all the way through.
There's no such thing as too much compression, if it sounds good. But there is a point where things might get worse, not better...
I am a singer songwriter and producer of my own material. Hardware/Software:- Cubase 3SX, Yamaha 01X DAW controller/MLAN Firewire card, Sontronics Helios Microphone......
It all started when I was a child. No seriously, It really did. I would listen to songs and think how does a person sound the same or even better on radio than they do in person....
Grab yourself a piece of audio history that still has the power to deliver the goods. It's on eBay right now!
If this is an electric guitar, then it's an odd one. But perhaps it isn't a guitar at all...
You have to start your song somewhere. But where is the best place to start?
Perhaps your microphone came with a shock mount. Perhaps it was an expensive accessory. But why won't a simple clip or stand adapter do the job?
Vintage and retro equipment is very popular these days. But is that all you need to achieve a vintage sound?
I started in 2004 just writing songs for myself and other people. When hearing from others what I wrote the lyrics really inspired me to perform myself that's when I started recording my own music 2007....
These days it's no problem to get instruments in tune. But 'in tune' can have several different meanings...
An RP reader asks why stereo is better than mono. But is that always the case?
i have a dell inspiration core i5 laptop. i am working by use just a laptop. have no register software....
Hello, I'm Shinryo from Indonesia. My recording process is usually known as "home recording". Which is, I record all of the instrument and vocal in my bedroom (thx to it's BIG size! :)
Like 'the Botanists' I am also a one man operation. All instruments are written, performed and recorded by one guy, Henry Moss....
If you already have every item of equipment and software in the world, maybe you need this...
Roland's V-Piano mimics acoustic instruments with stunning realism. Will the new V-Piano Grand oust the conventional grand piano?
I was able act as sound engineer, producer, session player and mastering engineer for this project....
Apple's Final Cut Pro X, at $299, should pull the rug from under Avid's Media Composer's feet. But are they competing in the same pro market? And is FCPX any good anyway?
Some people think DAWs all sound the same. But do some DAWs sound better than others?
Some people have perfect pitch. They can tell you the letter name of any musical note instantly. So do some people also have 'perfect EQ'?
When you're dead, you're dead. What a fantastic opportunity for people to start rifling though your life!
As Waves continues to offer its plug-ins at bargain-basement prices, should we start to wonder whether plug-ins have had their day?
A RecordProducer.com reader wonders what he can do about the bass in a TV mix. Will viewers be able to hear it?
A RecordProducer.com reader has a song that is too long. How can he edit it so that it is shorter?
When you asked your singer to perform the second chorus differently, did you explain why? Oh dear, now you're stuck with it.
A RecordProducer.com reader has a dust problem. But is it really a problem or can you live with it?
Electronic circuits are packed with resistors. Normally they cost no more than a few cents each. But this one, from a vintage vacuum tube mic, is on sale for $130 US dollars. $130 US dollars!
If an offer seems too good to be true, then it's probably a scam. Would you fall for this one?
A RecordProducer.com reader asks a simple but interesting question. Musicians can groove, but can MIDI groove too?
An RP reader wants to capture his hihat in high fidelity. So what is the right mic for the job?
A RecordProducer.com reader has a deep, deep voice. Should he sing in the key of Z for success?
A RecordProducer.com reader has a problem with an echoey auditorium. What can he do to improve results?
A spectrograph can give you a lovely display of the frequency content of a piece of audio. But what good is LOOKING when the end product is for LISTENING?
This band is a one man operation. All songs are written, performed, and recorded by one guy (Tom Saunders)....
It seems April 1 has come early this year. Apparently you can go to a live gig and hear better sound through your iPhone. Er, some convincing necessary...
The power rating of a loudspeaker might be 500 watts; it might be 2000 watts. But how much power can it truly handle?
Doppler phasing is an effect that cannot be achieved by any effects unit, stomp box or plug-in. And all you need is the equipment you probably already have. Dare to sound different...
Do you want a steady job in audio? Some people don't. Generally these are people who are outstandingly good at what they do and they are in demand. So they can hop from job to job with ease. Anyone not outstandingly good however would sit in frustration by the telephone...
You play your instrument pretty well, don't you? Well you could play it even better...
This one was written back when I was 21 or so and has been recorded a few times on various media. In this case, the bed tracks were recorded on a friend's mac laptop using i presume garageband in 2003 I think....
Or does it? Can clever mic technique and audio processing really improve the sound of an instrument?
Many people blunder into a new recording without giving tempo more than half a moment's consideration. But setting the right tempo can make or break a track...
If you don't save your multitrack recording as WAV files, it will be lost to musical history. No remixes, no retrospectives, no appearances on 'Classic Albums' for you matey.
Sometimes the snare is loud, sometimes it's not so loud. Should you use a compressor to even out the level?
If you believe the Internet, you will believe that without a megabucks vocal mic, your recordings will be as rotten as rotten tomatoes. But here is proof that the Internet is wrong...
Have you ever wondered why there is a silvery patch inside a vacuum tube? Is it there for a purpose? Does it affect the sound of the tube?
Computer rage is a well-known phenomenon of the times. But apparently 61% of people don't suffer from it at all.
A RecordProducer.com reader wants to know which compressor is best, and for a bonus answer wants to know which equalizer too. The answer may be surprising...
It's all very well being very good at what you do. But will the people you work with have an influence on the success of your career?
A RecordProducer.com reader asks what personal qualities he needs to become a producer. There are four key areas where you will need to be a genius to succeed, maybe five...
If you have an iDevice and $4.99 to spare, you can take a weird trip with an extraordinary looping app, the TC-Helicon VoiceJam.
We receive a lot of recordings here at RecordProducer.com and Audio Masterclass. Some are strangely quiet. Why should this be? Can quiet ever be good?
What do you need to know to earn a living by recording music? Who will pay for your music? How should you market your music? How much can you earn?
Sometimes recordings that are made in the studio just don't sound like 'real records' when played in the car. How can you solve that?
Get caught downloading illegally and you could be made to pay anything up to $80,000 per track in compensation. But when record companies sell songs without permission or payment to the writers, they only have to cough up $157.
Some people talk about soundproofing, others about sound isolation. But which is correct? And what about sound insulation - is that correct too?
We have always thought of working with sound as the most fun you can have without laughing. Not for everyone by the look of things...
Get your de-essing wrong and either your vocal will still be sibilant, or its high-frequency content will sound mangled and tortured. But how can you get de-essing EXACTLY right?
There's nothing like compression for improving a mix. On the other hand, there's nothing like compression for ruining a mix. So when should you compress? And, more importantly, why?
The Christmassy Guy explains how he wrote and recorded a new Christmas song with minimal instruments and equipment. Hear the song and see the video!
I recorded with Calif Records before going in full time recording and performing with sonic sounds entertainment in Kenya....
A microphone shock mount can help a performer sing better. Amazing but sometimes true!
I own a small personal recording studio in where my group/ label records all of our own songs. I record my team, and using adobe audition 3.0 i mix and master each of our songs....
Could anyone check out your work without being told who it is by and know within seconds that it is yours?
A RecordProducer.com reader finds himself always with the left meter showing higher levels than the right. Why is this?
From a grunt to a scream, can a compressor even out all the varying levels of a vocal?
I purchased a Tascam 2488 digital recording machine in 2006. Besides going into a recording studio and paying to record music, my only hands on experience was multi tracking with tape....
Sore throat today - maybe a throat infection tomorrow. How to end this painful cycle.
Your market doesn't listen on loudspeakers that are anywhere near as good as your studio monitors. And their headphones may be even worse...
Kevin Michael Kappler was born on August 23rd, 1974. He has painstakingly worked hard to succeed in music and not let those who doubt or hate him drag him off coarse....
My recording process is simple and easy to follow, I called up Nuendo 3.2... lay my instrument with Korg legacy, hypersonic, fx expansion and ........
Do you hate over-mastered, distorted recordings? That might just be why your work isn't selling.
Think you know your Neumann microphones? Well think again. And be prepared to go green (with envy?)
Creativity not flowing? You know it's in there, but can you get it out and into your recording?
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Actually i didn't use much stuff since i used a home recording studio. Mainly in this song(Mutukuvu By Michael Jay Baziwe); I used a Behringer midi controller, Logic Pro9 and waves for mastering of course on a mac pro with snow osx....
You would have thought that being brilliant would make you a front-runner, but it is the average masses who are in the lead, and you are trailing badly. Why...?
A RecordProducer.com reader wonders whether his microphones need a rest from time to time. Or can you just keep on working them hard?
Do you have a standalone channel strip module? Do you want one? Do you understand the utter folly you could be letting yourself in for?
The Album 'MORTEL!' (KILLER!) was written and composed essentially by the Dr Droopi since the end of the recordings sessions for the last album 'keskonvafair?'....
The sign of a good company is when they help out their customers when things go wrong. Here's an example...
"Push it down so you can only just hear it, then push it down 3 decibels more". In what circumstances could this be good advice?
Have you got what it takes to make it in the music business? Maybe you have. But so have a million other people.
Delay is a useful technique for enhancing all sorts of signals. But when should you use it on vocals, and when should you not?
In theory, a microphone that doesn't need phantom power should just ignore it. So why are ribbon microphones supposedly so sensitive?
A RecordProducer.com reader has a control he doesn't know what to do with. Does it really do anything?
Songwriters, musicians, producers and - yes - record companies deserve to make money from their music. Do you disagree?
A RecordProducer.com reader has an expensive microphone preamplifier. But he worries that all is lost when he connects it to the preamp of his audio interface.
An RP reader sets us a challenge to answer his question in utter seriousness without any trace of inappropriate humor...
A RecordProducer.com reader wonders whether his kick drum won't sound right if it is out of phase. But what about all the other instruments in the band?
A RecordProducer.com reader is importing 16-bit audio into a 24-bit session. He is concerned whether there will be any quality loss.
"Into each life a little pain must fall" - So what is causing us pain in the studio, and what kind of aspirin do we need to make it go away?
A RecordProducer.com reader, like so many of us, finds it difficult to get into the groove. Is groove a lost art?
Ask anyone with a real and passionate interest in audio - they got into it young. But as young as this? That's going some!
Made any good mixes lately? Who said they were good? Only you? Hmmm...
Do you think your studio is big enough to fit all of your sound in? You might be surprised to learn just how BIG sound can be...
Although modern loudspeakers are capable of reproducing the sound of virtually any instrument, somehow they seem to sound more like a loudspeaker than the instrument itself. Why is this so? Is there such a thing as a loudspeaker that actually doesn't sound like a speaker?
In a recent test, top producers were asked to pick out the best converters. But were they the best people for the job?
So you are listening to the latest hit by Katy Perry (we won't tell anyone!). But can you hear which mic she is using? Or anything else about the recording??
Microphone preamplifiers, if they are not single-channel, always seem to come in sets of eight channels. But if you had a ten-channel mic pre, how much more could you do with it?
A RecordProducer.com visitor complains that he has too much equipment and wants to get rid of half of it. Trouble is - he doesn't know which half...
You can spend a lot of money on equipment. You can WASTE a lot of money on equipment too. Here's how to simplify the decision-making process.
Everyone knows that if you record a clean signal, you can process it any way you like later. Well no, in this case you can't.
What's good for master producer Quincy Jones should probably be good for the rest of us. But what about atheists?
Believe it or not, one of the best ways to drive studio headphones is from a power amplifier. Amazingly, you are not going to blow anything, and your studio will be all the more efficient for it.
A RecordProducer.com reader is recording voice and piano with multiple microphones. How should he compensate for the relative time delays?
The BBC's Top Gear TV show is in trouble for describing Mexican cars as "lazy" and "feckless", like Mexican people, they say. So what about Mexican guitars then?
A band once came into the studio where I was working many years ago, and somehow the guitarist's speaker cone had been ripped in transit. There was a triangular tear about three inches long by about an inch and a half wide...
The problem with musicians is that they won't stay still. Or they sniff. Or rattle their dentures. When should the producer step in and tell them to stop?
Made a good YouTube video of your act? Yes? The good news is that it can be a shortcut to getting signed. But there's bad news too...
There's nothing like bringing a song to a rousing conclusion. And a fade is nothing like bringing a song to a rousing conclusion. So why do it?
You might think that the occasional suggestion your producer is giving you about your song is helping you improve it. But secretly he might want to get his hands on half your royalties...
Small venues need small amplifiers. Large venues need racks and racks of amps. But how do you know how much power is enough?
It's not often a genuinely new opportunity comes along, but one is about to very soon. Anyone can have a go at it. Those who succeed will hit the big time.
Pro Tools users fought the law for years, and now in Pro Tools 9, the law is finally broken!
A RecordProducer.com reader asks, "What if you are using a Behringer B1 microphone. How can you bring the best out of it?"
A RecordProducer.com reader is having live sound problems and wonders if an expander might help.
In what order should you process your tracks? What will happen if you get the order wrong?
Don't we have great music-making technology these days? But what happened to the great music we were going to make with it?
Still monitoring on modern moving coil loudspeakers? Perhaps you need some vintage electrostatics to really hear what's on your recording?
I am a singer/songwriter recording and producing my own music in a small home studio. I setup my project studio in the basement using 2 rooms....
If your studio doesn't have acoustic treatment, then you're not making great recordings. But what is the first thing you need to know?
Do you only have a 32-bit computer or 32-bit DAW? Is that what is holding you back from success?
Too much master processing can really spoil a mix. So how can you keep it to a minimum?
Many engineers and producers separate recording and mixing into two distinct processes. But there are good reasons why you should mix as you record.
Virtual instruments are getting better all the time. But does a virtual orchestra always sound like a real one?
Soloman 'King Salla Records' Dacosta was born in Claremont St.Ann was raised however in St.Mary....
Filters are useful tools in a DAW, and they are essential in a synthesizer. But how are they different?
Pro Tools 10 adds clip-based gain to its feature set. But what does it offer that can't be done with fader automation? (This applies to all other DAWs too.)
Apparently someone called Steve has passed away recently. Surely everyone knows Steve who? Or do they...?
Guitars used... Fender Blacktop Tele and Fender Blacktop Strat (humbuckers) opening riff /breakdown strat lone distorted then Tele bridge pick-ups & distortion panned...
We are currently a four piece act. The majority of our recordings are made at my home studio. This is in a former bed room with a Logic pro system at the heart of it. Logic is currently hosted on a Macbook pro with 4 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD
NeezythaDon of NiceBoiEnt is a Producer Out of Rancho Cucamonga CA Specializing in Music Production & Digital Recording in genres such as: R&B, Hip-Hop,Pop,Rock and simply catering to specific needs of an individual Artist, Group,or Band....
How can a record be a hit, yet sound terrible? Is the quest for audio quality pointless in today's market?
It is always sad when someone goes before their time. We mourn the loss of a great musical talent and reflect on this sad personal tragedy for Amy and those who knew her well.
How can it be that music by a composer who died in 1840 is still in copyright? Does his immortal soul get the royalties?
I'm working with sonar producer 7. I plan on building a new machine this summer and upgrading to the new sonar....
Do you use fades in your work? If you work in radio or TV sound, you'll use them all the time. They had better be neat!
Do your recordings sound natural? Or do they sound 'microphony', electronic or digitally processed? How can you tell?
Thinking of ripping a CD to your computer and putting on your iPod? Be warned - it is still illegal.
George Martin, producer of The Beatles, is posher than the Queen of England. So who would have thought he was once a Cockney?
A RecordProducer.com reader wants to take advantage of the wonderful warm sound of analog tape. But he doesn't know what it sounds like.
A RecordProducer.com reader wonders why we often mic up an electric guitar speaker rather than use the line output from the amplifier.
Every time you upgrade your software, you take a risk it won't work properly. But what will you achieve by waiting?
A RecordProducer.com reader wonders about normalization. Should he do it? Should he normalize all the way?
A RecordProducer.com reader wonders what the phantom power switch is for, and how it might improve the signal from the microphones.
It seems that a RecordProducer.com reader's mixer is out of tune. Or is he building a hot rod?
A RecordProducer.com reader has a USB microphone. Would he be better off with one that has a normal cable and connector?
As the march towards computerized digital audio equipment continues, surely analog equipment will eventually lie dead, buried, forgotten...
Belgian music royalty collection agency SABAM wants to enforce a licence for truck drivers to listen to music in their cabs. Is this fair?
Is your band so cool you can just stand there and twang your g-strings? Or do you really go out to ENTERTAIN your audience?
A RecordProducer.com reader who is a live sound engineer has a compressor, and he is determined to use it. Is this a good idea?
Avid's new audio interface has "more clarity and a better-defined soundstage" than its predecessor. Its preamps are "clearer - neutral and transparent" too. Apparently.
A RecordProducer.com reader needs to know how to give an electric guitar a sense of size and space. So how can he do that?
A RecordProducer.com reader wants to know how to place his microphone for this peculiar item of brassware. Here's how...
How is it that opera singers can reach the back rows of the upper balcony of a 2000-seat theater, without amplification? Is is something to do with acoustics?
One of the most difficult things in popular music is to find a great groove for a song, particularly for a band playing non-sequenced instruments. But there is so much to think about, where do you start?
A short video showing how not to behave in the studio. This pair of idiots even find what they do funny.
Atomic Studios London is a music production company. We provide songwriting, mixing and mastering services....
A RecordProducer.com reader just happens to have a mixer standing around doing nothing. But he could use it as a preamp, couldn't he?
The pinna of the ear helps to collect sound, obviously. But why does it have those complicated folds? And why do we only have two ears and not three?
Ask anyone thinking about embarking on a sound engineering career, "Why?, and they'll say, "Because I like music". But do you need musical talent to be a successful sound engineer?
Every microphone used in pro audio has a diaphragm. Suppose that a new technology could detect sound in a non-invasive way. Surely that would be much more accurate than the mics we now have?
One microphone, one fader... How difficult can it be?
We all have problems of one sort or another. But are you suffering from problems, or creating them yourself?
Gosh - the music and sound industry moves so fast that if you blink it will be in a totally different solar system. How can one ever hope to keep up?
A RecordProducer.com reader wants to know how to make a good studio. We've quoted the question exactly as it came in. Seven words... so many possibilities...
In the quest for ever-drier vocals, how can you achieve the ultimate dead zone in your studio?
Your work may be technically proficient. But other people can be technically proficient, but more creative. Who is going to win over the client and get the job?
A RecordProducer.com reader is trying to decide the order of his plug-ins. Three plug-ins, six combinations. How to decide...
A 26 year old song has been banned from Canadian radio. Canadians are now protected from hearing an offensive word (three times in the same verse!)
So you're signed to a label and your first release is only weeks away. Is there any way you could screw up your whole career with a simple technical error?
Want to be a successful musician or producer? Be warned - you might think you're great but in reality you're nothing more than average.
Most instruments project their sound forwards, towards the audience. The French horn however is an exception. So how do you mike up an instrument that fires backwards?
Have you written a great song? Thought of a clever title for it? Then think again - you may need to change the title for it to become a hit.
Any pro studio would have both main monitors and nearfields. But now you can have both in one package.
A RecordProducer.com reader is having live sound problems and wonders if an expander might help. Extreme Auto-Tune effects are everywhere in pop music. But how difficult does it have to be to get the right sound? Get your de-essing wrong and either your vocal will still be sibilant, or its high-frequency content will sound mangled and tortured. But how can you get de-essing EXACTLY right? In what order should you process your tracks? What will happen if you get the order wrong? Aux channels are commonly found in the analog world; aux tracks in the world of the DAW. What do they have in common, and how do they differ? What can you do with them? There's nothing like compression for improving a mix. On the other hand, there's nothing like compression for ruining a mix. So when should you compress? And, more importantly, why? Don't we have great music-making technology these days? But what happened to the great music we were going to make with it? Is your song good all the way to the end? Or will people switch off after the second verse? Here's how to get them to listen all the way through. The Christmassy Guy explains how he wrote and recorded a new Christmas song with minimal instruments and equipment. Hear the song and see the video! Still monitoring on modern moving coil loudspeakers? Perhaps you need some vintage electrostatics to really hear what's on your recording? There's no such thing as too much compression, if it sounds good. But there is a point where things might get worse, not better... 
How loud is loud enough? Will 'painful' do? If your studio doesn't have acoustic treatment, then you're not making great recordings. But what is the first thing you need to know? A microphone shock mount can help a performer sing better. Amazing but sometimes true! Do you only have a 32-bit computer or 32-bit DAW? Is that what is holding you back from success? Grab yourself a piece of audio history that still has the power to deliver the goods. It's on eBay right now! Too much master processing can really spoil a mix. So how can you keep it to a minimum? If this is an electric guitar, then it's an odd one. But perhaps it isn't a guitar at all... Could anyone check out your work without being told who it is by and know within seconds that it is yours? Many engineers and producers separate recording and mixing into two distinct processes. But there are good reasons why you should mix as you record. You have to start your song somewhere. But where is the best place to start? 
Can your DAW handle 32 tracks? 64? A hundred?? A thousand??? Virtual instruments are getting better all the time. But does a virtual orchestra always sound like a real one? Perhaps your microphone came with a shock mount. Perhaps it was an expensive accessory. But why won't a simple clip or stand adapter do the job? A RecordProducer.com reader finds himself always with the left meter showing higher levels than the right. Why is this? Vintage and retro equipment is very popular these days. But is that all you need to achieve a vintage sound? From a grunt to a scream, can a compressor even out all the varying levels of a vocal? Filters are useful tools in a DAW, and they are essential in a synthesizer. But how are they different? These days it's no problem to get instruments in tune. But 'in tune' can have several different meanings... Sore throat today - maybe a throat infection tomorrow. How to end this painful cycle. Apparently someone called Steve has passed away recently. Surely everyone knows Steve who? Or do they...? An RP reader asks why stereo is better than mono. But is that always the case? Your market doesn't listen on loudspeakers that are anywhere near as good as your studio monitors. And their headphones may be even worse... Do you hate over-mastered, distorted recordings? That might just be why your work isn't selling. How can a record be a hit, yet sound terrible? Is the quest for audio quality pointless in today's market? If you already have every item of equipment and software in the world, maybe you need this... Think you know your Neumann microphones? Well think again. And be prepared to go green (with envy?) It is always sad when someone goes before their time. We mourn the loss of a great musical talent and reflect on this sad personal tragedy for Amy and those who knew her well. Roland's V-Piano mimics acoustic instruments with stunning realism. Will the new V-Piano Grand oust the conventional grand piano? Creativity not flowing? You know it's in there, but can you get it out and into your recording? How can it be that music by a composer who died in 1840 is still in copyright? Does his immortal soul get the royalties? Apple's Final Cut Pro X, at $299, should pull the rug from under Avid's Media Composer's feet. But are they competing in the same pro market? And is FCPX any good anyway? You would have thought that being brilliant would make you a front-runner, but it is the average masses who are in the lead, and you are trailing badly. Why...? Do you use fades in your work? If you work in radio or TV sound, you'll use them all the time. They had better be neat! Some people think DAWs all sound the same. But do some DAWs sound better than others? A RecordProducer.com reader wonders whether his microphones need a rest from time to time. Or can you just keep on working them hard? Do your recordings sound natural? Or do they sound 'microphony', electronic or digitally processed? How can you tell? Some people have perfect pitch. They can tell you the letter name of any musical note instantly. So do some people also have 'perfect EQ'? Do you have a standalone channel strip module? Do you want one? Do you understand the utter folly you could be letting yourself in for? Thinking of ripping a CD to your computer and putting on your iPod? Be warned - it is still illegal. When you're dead, you're dead. What a fantastic opportunity for people to start rifling though your life! George Martin, producer of The Beatles, is posher than the Queen of England. So who would have thought he was once a Cockney? As Waves continues to offer its plug-ins at bargain-basement prices, should we start to wonder whether plug-ins have had their day? The sign of a good company is when they help out their customers when things go wrong. Here's an example... A RecordProducer.com reader wants to take advantage of the wonderful warm sound of analog tape. But he doesn't know what it sounds like. A RecordProducer.com reader wonders what he can do about the bass in a TV mix. Will viewers be able to hear it? "Push it down so you can only just hear it, then push it down 3 decibels more". In what circumstances could this be good advice? A RecordProducer.com reader wonders why we often mic up an electric guitar speaker rather than use the line output from the amplifier. A RecordProducer.com reader has a song that is too long. How can he edit it so that it is shorter? Have you got what it takes to make it in the music business? Maybe you have. But so have a million other people.