One of the best investments we can make as engineers, producers, and home recorders is in a premium microphone signal path. Purchasing a high-quality mic preamp, such as a tube preamp, is a huge way to elevate your recording quality…
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Lauten Audio Clarion FC-357 Review: Your New Go-To FET Condenser
The Lauten Audio Clarion FC-357 FET condenser is an inspiring mic upon review, pairing the best of vintage class with modern hi-fi. Lauten’s microphones always impress, thanks to a combination of premium sonics, innovative design, and affordability relative to other…
The 10 Best Acoustic Guitar Strings (2024 Guide)
Acoustic guitar strings are an often undervalued piece of the equation for people who are new to the instrument. Strings can make a huge deal of difference in overall comfort and playability, and most players prefer to swap them out…
Do I Really Need an Audio Interface for Streaming?
Streaming is bigger than ever. Twitch, the web’s top platform for a variety of live content, is massive. And it isn’t just about video games anymore; for some time now, popular streaming content includes people hanging out and talking to…
Elektron Heat MK2 Review: Nail Your Stereo Analog Sound
Digital recording, with all of its advantages and convenience, is a little too clean for most ears. When we plug a microphone straight into an audio interface with sparkling clear preamps, we’re not getting any of the mythical analog “mojo.” So…
![The Best 5-Watt Tube Amps for Any Budget [2023 Guide]](https://producelikeapro.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Best-5-Watt-Tube-Amps-for-Any-Budget-2023-Guide-908x606.jpg)
The Best 5-Watt Tube Amps for Any Budget [2023 Guide]
A 5-watt tube amp is the best way to achieve natural tube saturation at a reasonable volume; add some pedals, and you’ve got yourself a nice outfit! The Beauty of a 5-Watt Amp (& Why You Need One) High-wattage tube…
How to EQ Acoustic Guitar in a Mix
The most important factor when it’s time to EQ acoustic guitar is context. You’ll have to determine its prominence against other instruments and make EQ moves based on that. Acoustic guitar can be the most important rhythm instrument, or it…
What Is Impedance in Audio? How to Avoid Empty Sounding Recordings
Like many technical terms in audio and electronics, impedance gets bandied about regularly. If you’ve ever read the specs on pro audio equipment, particularly headphones and speakers, but also mixers, preamps, and more, then you’ve certainly encountered the word. Just…
LR Baggs Anthem Pickup Review (Why We Love These Pickups)
This review covers the LR Baggs Anthem pickup and microphone system for acoustic guitar — a natural sounding alternative to many of the other options out there. What Makes for Good Sound in an Acoustic Guitar Mic? Being an acoustic…
Behringer X32 Rack Review: Is This Digital Mixer Worth the Price?
The Behringer X32 is a well known digital mixer available in different formats. Today’s review looks at the Behringer X32 rack: a fader-less version of the popular board designed for convenient storage and portability, whether it’s a permanent installation or…
Yamaha N12 Review: Powerful Digital Sound You Can Rely On
The Yamaha N12 isn’t new to review, but it’s a cool piece of kit that performed well in its prime and still holds up today. The digital mixer and audio interface provided seamless Cubase integration and hands-on control for an…
How the ‘Loudness Wars’ Made Music Sound Worse (And What We Should Learn from It)
Science tells us that people prefer their music loud. As sounds get louder and louder, their overall frequency curve begin to flatten out, so you can more easily hear the whole “picture.” The “louder is better” philosophy usually begins with artists…
Decoding Mid/Side Miking Techniques
The mid/side (M/S) miking technique is a common stereo recording device involving two microphones. It provides some serious advantages over other stereo recording techniques, and is an incredible tool in the studio. What Is Mid/Side Stereo Recording? Legendary EMI electronics…
Arturia FET 76 Review: Getting a Legendary Studio Compression Sound
Founded in 1999, Arturia began their journey in music-making software. Fast forward to the present, and they’re a celebrated producer of analog-emulated classic keyboards and synthesizers, effects, and hardware of their own. Today, we’re diving into a review of the…
Should Studio Monitors Be Vertical or Horizontal? (5 Placement Tips)
A common question frequently heard is should studio monitors be vertical or horizontal? There’s good reason to wonder, and there’s a simple answer to that query which we’ll get into shortly. The underlying premise here is that optimal monitor placement…
Why Does My Subwoofer Sound Weak? (7 Common Causes)
Subwoofers convey a ton of low-end information and give us a feeling of fullness and power. In many cases, sub frequency content is felt more than heard, as in you can’t always pinpoint a fundamental frequency or pitch, but you…
DIY Bass Traps: You NEED These in Your Studio
So much of our success in recording and mixing is dependent on where we’re physically doing it. Ideally, this means purpose-built, acoustically unambiguous rooms designed for professional recording and mixing — big commercial studios with a legacy of fantastic sound!…
What Is Sibilance (And Is It Always a Bad Thing?)
What is sibilance? We hear about it all the time, and how it’s this ugly sound in vocal recordings that we have to tame. Is that always the case? What Is Sibilance in Audio? By definition, sibilance is a kind…
Lynx Hilo Review: A World-Class Digital Converter & Monitor
Lynx has been known for industry-leading conversion since the company’s inception in 1998. For decades, Lynx has provided the link between professional audio equipment and computers for digital recording, mixing, and mastering. We’ll be looking at the Lynx Hilo in…
PMC 6-2 Review: A New Generation of PMC Studio Monitors
What makes a studio monitor one of the absolute best in its class? It unequivocally starts with expert design, in which the PMC 6-2 was developed over the course of five years as part of a complete lineup of modern,…
Foam Mic Cover vs Pop Filter: Which One Should I Use (And When)?
When it comes to recording vocals, a pop filter is an essential studio accessory. You’ve probably seen microphone bundles which include a stand, XLR cable, and of course, a pop filter. We’ll explore the main difference between a foam mic…
Small Room Acoustic Treatment
Small Room Acoustics and appropriate treatment: It has been said that ‘You’ll never get a home studio room to the point where you can do professional mixes like they do in the big studios’. This is false. Today a great…
Sennheiser e965 Handheld Microphone Review
In today’s review, we’ll cover the Sennheiser e965 handheld microphone — a tough and dependable mic designed to bring the clarity of condensers to live performance. The Sennheiser Evolution 900 Series Was Built to Dominate Live Sound Sennheiser has consistently…
Polyphia: Making Metal ‘Hip-Hop’
Polyphia formed in 2010 as an instrumental progressive metal group. Over the years they’ve honed their sound into something truly unique, arriving at a point where they employ hooky lead guitar lines and modern electronic production. Polyphia: In a World…
Using the Camelot Wheel to Mix in Key (What Is It & Why Do I Need It?)
In addition to maintaining energy levels and tempo between songs, mixing in key as a DJ is one of the most critical skills to have. The Camelot Wheel by Mixed in Key makes it easier than ever to keep the…
What Are the Best Budget Guitar Cabs (Our Top Picks for 2023)
Curious as to what are the best budget guitar cabs for your brand new tube head? Here are our favorites heading into the upcoming year! What Is a Guitar Cabinet & When Would You Need One? A guitar cabinet is…
How to Reset Ears & Prevent Listening Fatigue While Producing Music
Ear fatigue is common amongst engineers, especially during marathon sessions. In order to do your best work, it’s best to understand what ear fatigue is and how you can minimize (or avoid) it. What Is Listening Fatigue? When you listen…
Headrush Gigboard Review: The Last Effects Processor You Will Need?
We’ve seen a lot of amp sims and multi-effects pedals, and now we’ll be checking out the Headrush Gigboard in this rundown and review. What Is the Headrush Gigboard? The Gigboard by Headrush is a compact amp modeler and multi-effects…
What Does a Cloudlifter Do (And Should You Be Using One)?
Having trouble moving the meters with low-output microphones? Is your preamp tapped out and introducing noise? You might need a Cloudlifter. What Is a Cloudlifter? The Cloudlifter CL-1 is an inline gain boost designed and made by Cloud Microphones. It…
Top Lessons Learned My First Year in the Studio
Being a professional engineer isn’t always easy. It’s as much about perseverance and resilience as it is about technical skill and creative talent. I believe you figure out very quickly whether the life is for you, and these are the…
What Is an ISRC Code and How Do You Get One?
ISRC stands for International Standard Recording Code. Publicly released songs are stamped with this 12-character identifier as a means of keeping tabs on important data pertaining to the song(s). What Is an ISRC Code? ISRCs are embedded into the metadata…
The Proximity Effect: 3 Tips To Reduce It
Proximity effect happens as you move a microphone closer to the sound source. The result is an increase in low-frequency response for a bigger bass boost than what is natural. It can be useful in some situations; but in others,…
ADSR: Build Better Synth Sounds Today
ADSR stands for attack, decay, sustain, and release. It’s also known as a sound’s “envelope,” which includes all 4 of these tone-shaping elements. ADSR is an important concept in music production and sound design, especially if you plan on building…
Headrush MX5 Review: An All-In-One Effects Powerhouse
Check out our breakdown and review of the Headrush MX5 multi-effects pedal and amp simulator to learn if this compact modeler is right for you! What Is the Headrush MX5 & What Does It Do? The Headrush MX5 is a…
Tube Amp vs Solid State: What’s the Difference?
If you’re a guitar player, there’s a good chance you’ve pondered the tube amp vs solid state amplifier debate. Most of the love gravitates toward tube amps, but there have been notable solid state players over the years as well.…
Tunebat BPM and Key Finder Review
Tunebat is a free resource catering primarily to DJs and other creatives seeking info about songs and audio files. What Is a BPM and Key Finder? A BPM/key finder like Tunebat analyzes audio files through its algorithm, and spits out…
What Is a DI Box for Guitar and What Does It Do?
Ever wondered what a DI box is and why you’d need to use one? Look no further as we discuss all things DI for guitar! What Is a DI Box? The purpose of a DI is to convert an unbalanced,…
Working Audio Tools Podcast – Dragged Under
For today's episode of Working Audio Tools, Ed and Paul review each others mixes for "Chelsea" by Dragged Under provided by the Produce Like A Pro Academy. GET 30% OF DISTROKID: https://distrokid.com/?c=plap Check out Ed: https://linktr.ee/EdThorne Check out Paul: Website: https://www.paulthird.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulthird_uk/?hl=en Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PaulThird…
Telecaster vs Stratocaster Showdown: How Do They Compare?
Fender invented two of the most famous guitars of all time and created the source code for nearly every electric guitar that would follow. These models need no introduction: we’re talking about the timeless Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster. Both have…
Mixing Hip Hop/R&B From Start To Finish with Marc Daniel Nelson
Marc Daniel Nelson mixes the track “Ryder” by the artist Carter Thomas, describing it as a stripped-down hip-hop/pop track with various instruments such as vocals, drums, bass, guitars, synths, and background vocals. He shows his session layout with drums in…
Who is Plini? “The Future of Exceptional Guitar Playing”
Plini Roessler-Holgate is an Australian, Sydney-based guitar player, who’s been releasing instrumental progressive rock/metal under his own name since 2013. He’s a key figure of the current instrumental prog scene, alongside other pivotal artists like Intervals, Polyphia, Jakub Zytecki, David…
EQ/Compression Plugins Modeled After Analog Gear
Not all, but many of the plugins we reach for while mixing in-the-box are modeled after analog gear. Engineers made some of the best sounding records of all time well before any of us started recording in our bedrooms; and…
What Is the Overtone Series & How Do Overtones Work?
The overtone series, also called the harmonic series, naturally occurs due to the way sound waves vibrate. Practically speaking, it helps define an instrument’s timbre. What Are Overtones in Music? A fundamental frequency is that of the primary note being…
11 Weird Musical Instruments You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
Human ingenuity seems never in short supply, as witnessed here in 11 weird instruments. Some clever and others downright bizarre, these unique inventions stray a long way from tradition. 1. Marble Machine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1QVideo can’t be loaded because JavaScript is disabled:…
PMC 8-2 Review: The Best Midfield Active Monitor?
The PMC 8-2 is a high-end active three-way midfield monitor for professional studios. The 8-2 speaker is the culmination of several years of research and development, fully loaded with all of the cutting-edge technology that puts PMC speakers in a…
What Is Atmos Music? An Immersive Audio Experience
Dolby Atmos Music hasn’t completely taken over yet, but it’s planting the seeds for the future of audio. It’s is a three-dimensional format, and for film and television, it’s already pretty well established. We’ll take a dive into the fully…
AKG Perception 120 Condenser Mic Review: Comparing Price and Performance
AKG needs no introduction. The company makes some of the most-used microphones of all time, including the workhorse 414 condenser and the seven thousand dollar C12 tube mic. The AKG P120 is in a different category altogether, at an unbelievable…
sE Electronics RF SPACE Review: The Best Reflection Filter Acoustic Dampener?
sE Electronics set the standard for, and popularized, reflection filters after the debut of their Reflexion Filter (RF) PRO back in 2006. Eight years later they debuted the RF SPACE, marking a substantial design improvement over the already successful original.…
Roland JD-Xi Review: A Crossover Synth Offering the Best of Both Worlds
For decades, Roland has been a frontrunner in synthesizers, sequencers, effects, amplifiers, and everything sound-making. It’s no surprise that the JD-Xi packs a hefty amount of tech into a small package. In this Roland JD-Xi review, we’ll take a look…
Korg Opsix Review: The Ultimate FM Synthesizer?
Korg graced the synthesizer space with two new releases in 2020. One, the Wavestate, made its full debut at Winter NAMM that year, while the Opsix was yet an unmarked prototype. Despite the many ups and downs of a now…