From the category archives:

Recording & Mastering

Recording Studio Microphones: Good, Better, and Wow!

by Keith Hatschek and Jeff Crawford May 9, 2012

Before you go microphone shopping for your home recording set up, your first consideration – besides budget – should be, “What will you be recording?” Whatever your intentions, assembling an arsenal of quality mics can be one element of your studio that defines your work. While assembling the world’s greatest mic collection is not something that’s done overnight – even if you DID just hit the lottery – here are some recommendations for where to begin. We’ve gone to three industry veterans and asked them for their picks for mics they couldn’t do without in a variety of price ranges: $0-500, $500-$1,000, and “lottery day.” Here’s what they came up with. Read more.

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Psychology and the Music Producer – an audio engineer often has to do it all

by Jon Marc Weiss and Andre Calilhanna April 24, 2012

What’s the most important thing to focus on as a music producer? Enthusiasm. Even if you’re telling them it’s not a great take, be enthusiastic about the fact that you think they can do a better job. You have to be good at focusing the artist and getting them to do the best they can. People are very sensitive about their artistry, so you really have to watch what you say. You have to make sure that nothing is condescending and that the tips and feedback you give are constructive. Read more.

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Re-amping and Your Home Studio

by Andre Calilhanna April 18, 2012

ampRe-amping is a recording technique that can salvage or spruce up tracks recorded in a home studio or less-than-ideal recording environment. It’s also a great way to experiment with sounds and tones without having to constantly re-record a part. You can even totally reinvent a part without compromising the original track. The basic idea is to take a recorded track, send the signal to studio monitors or an amplifier, set up a mic, and record the “re-amped” track. Read more.

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To capture the tone of Eric Clapton, George Harrison, and Tom Petty – stay out of the way

by Keith Hatschek April 11, 2012

Tom Petty and the HeartbreakersRichard Dodd is a transplanted Englishman who marches to the beat of a different drummer. Known and respected for his work with artists such as Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Green Day, Jeff Lynne, Clannad, George Harrison, Keith Urban, and The Traveling Wilburys, he spends most of his time at his studio in the Berry Hill suburb of Nashville mixing and mastering a wide variety of artists. His work on Petty’s 1995 album, Wildflowers, earned the Best Engineered Recording Grammy, while 2001’s Nothing Personal by Delbert McClinton earned the Best Contemporary Blues Recording Grammy. Read more.

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Musicians and Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI) — How to Practice Hard and Stay Healthy

by Michael Gallant April 10, 2012

Musicians and Repetitive Strain InjuriesHave you ever heard serious musicians likened to competitive athletes? It’s a worthy comparison in many ways. Just like world-class swimmers or football players, dedicated musicians spend years training, honing their technique, and practicing hours a week so when the time comes, their skills are sharp and their focus is tight. And, just like athletes, musicians can get injured doing what they love. Read more.

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How To Record Bass Guitar – Recording tips for the home studio and beyond

by Jon Marc Weiss and Andre Calilhanna April 5, 2012

BassPlayerWhen you’re recording an electric bass guitar, blending a direct injection (DI) line recording with a mic’d cabinet is the safest way to make sure you’re going to get the tone you’re looking for. If you have the preamps, mics, and tracks to do it, you might want to record as many as four bass tracks – a DI and three mics – and somewhere in the blend of those four individual tracks, you’ll find the tone you need for each song. Read more.

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The True Cost of Piracy

by Disc Makers April 2, 2012

the true cost of piracyWe stumbled across this graphic with stats on piracy and estimations on revenue lost to file sharing and bootlegging on BackgroundCheck.org’s blog. Not exactly sure how it fits into their world view, but the information is relevant to us folks making and listening to music. See it here.

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How to Record a Saxophone – Recording tips for the home studio and beyond

by Jon Marc Weiss and Andre Calilhanna March 20, 2012

saxophoneWhen considering how to record brass and reed instruments – and when recording saxophone in particular – the player and the tone he’s able to get from the instrument are vitally important. If you’re recording a professional with a lot of studio experience who knows how to get certain tones out of the instrument, you’re going to have a very different approach than if you’re in a home studio recording someone who’s new to the instrument and playing stacked notes.

“Take Grover Washington, Jr., for example,” says Jon. “I had the good fortune to record sax with Grover on a session in the mid 90s. He was as good as it gets. His tone was amazing. You could pretty much put a mic anywhere and it was going to sound good because he could resonate his sax really well.” Read more.

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France’s version of SOPA – reports show HADOPI anti-piracy law discourages file sharing

by Andre Calilhanna March 12, 2012

MackieMR5In May 2009, the French government passed the HADOPI law – in French that’s Haute Autorité Pour la Diffusion des Oeuvres et la Protection des droits sur Internet, or “law promoting the distribution and protection of creative works on the internet.” Much like the SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) debates that raged in the US a couple of months ago, there was a lot of opposition to the French anti-piracy bill. In large part, a determined effort by French President Nicolas Sarkozy helped the copyright law pass, though many in France still oppose it. Read more.

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Home Studio: Gear from Shure, Mackie, and PreSonus That Won’t Break the Bank

by Keith Hatschek March 8, 2012

MackieMR5The dividing line between what used to be referred to as “home studio” vs. “professional” recording gear is barely discernable – and the performance and specs of nearly all of the contenders in the home recording marketplace are now near parity. As a result, the differences that distinguish one model from another are often the user interface, the quality of tech support, and whether or not there’s an established user base that can offer ideas and tips for how best to use any particular system. Read more.

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Home Studio Posts: advice on how to record, music gear, guides, and pro insights

by Disc Makers March 7, 2012

Home Studio SeriesReady to learn how to record your music in your own home studio? Looking for advice on recording and music equipment, acoustics and speaker stands, and everything in between? We’ve got a ton of guides, blog posts, and articles we’ve published over the past few years, and we’ve collected most of them here for you. Dig in to interviews with great music producers, tips on how to build your home studio, and recording insights from the pros. Read more.

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Creating a Home Recording Studio

by Andre Calilhanna February 29, 2012

Creating a Home Recording StudioHow to get optimal results from your space and budget
If you decide to convert space in your home to function as a project studio, it’s easy to spend a lot of money before you plug in your first microphone. While quality recording gear is less and less expensive, acquiring everything you need to start recording adds up. And that doesn’t begin to address the costs of properly outfitting your space. For many home recording enthusiasts, doing any sort of major construction is simply not an option – but that doesn’t mean your dream of a quality recording space in your home needs to end before it begins.
Read more and download your FREE guide.

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11 Improvisation Tips to Help You Make Music in the Moment

by Michael Gallant February 21, 2012

11 Improvisation Tips to Help You Make Music in the MomentWhether you’re turned on by Phish jamming through the night, Miles Davis conjuring wistful melodies in space, or Stevie Ray Vaughn wailing something nasty, you just can’t argue with the fact that skillful improvisation is a powerful thing. Read more.

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Videomaker’s Best Video Products of the Year 2011

by Videomaker February 16, 2012

2011 was a great year for video products. The increasing convergence of traditional camcorders with DSLRs, the emergence of consumer 3D, the widening availability of cameras with interchangeable lenses and other innovations have made this an exciting time to be passionate about video. After duking it out once again, defending our favorites, we’re ready to reveal our picks for the best of the best from 2011. And the winners are… Read more.

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Mastering Gear Overview

by Disc Makers January 10, 2012

Brian Lipski, who heads the dedicated group of audio engineers in the SoundLab Mastering Suite at Disc Makers, explains some of the basics about post-production mastering and the gear used in the process – either in your home studio or in a professional environment like the SoundLab. View video…

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