I Hear Voices The concept of “scratch” vocals is almost certainly a direct result of how completely unusable they can be, considering all of the leakage from the drums, amps and guitars that usually finds its way into their tracks. Even if that bleed could be considered acceptable, missing a note or forgetting a line […]
The Bottom Bass can be quite a bit easier to capture than other instruments, especially if you’re not having to use (and mic) an amp. Usually, a DI (direct injection) box is employed for this task. A DI box essentially converts your ¼” high impedance signal to low impedance, allowing your signal to travel via […]
Drums are always the primary challenge. Not only do they define the tempo, groove, and overall feel of each song, but they’re just so…loud. They will find their way into every mic, not just the ones you want them to, but vocals, guitars…really, any mic that is open in the same or even neighboring rooms. […]
You and your bandmates have spent the last several months writing, arranging and rehearsing your music, and finding your own sound. You’re now feeling more than ready to take to the stage and share your collective musical vision with your friends and fans, but no self-respecting club owner will even book you without first hearing […]
Increasingly, the quest for finding suitable plug-ins that can help home (and pro) recordists solve problems, bolster a digital track’s positive attributes, and explore new sonic horizons becomes an even more complicated endeavor once budgetary concerns have joined in the pursuit. It’s not just knowing what to use or how to use it; it’s also […]
I have been a user of IK Multimedia’s T-RackS digital mastering software since it was first introduced in the early 2000s and I have always absolutely loved this program. From the start, the product’s mission was to impart the sweet, warm characteristics of analog audio components to the often bitter cold of digital recordings. Through […]
I was confused. Not just by the unfamiliar environment of the interface, I mean that’s part and parcel to the job of reviewing the new and often as-yet-unexplored tools in our ever-evolving world of music recording, editing, mixing and mastering. No, this sensation was something entirely different: an uncomfortable sense of flabbergast analogous to a […]
Laundry day. As I haul another heaping basket of laundry across the bedroom floor, I notice a pair of my favorite jeans crumpled in the corner. I pick them up and immediately notice an unusual wear pattern on the back left pocket. I run my finger along its white rectangular outline, studying the intricate interlacing […]
Plugging Into Better In what can only be described as some sort of grand irony, the very first musical recordings couldn’t even be played back and listened to. The Phonautograph, developed and patented in Paris, France by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, circa 1857, was intended for “visual study.” The recordings, called phonautograms, were cut away […]
