A gain stage is any point in the audio signal path where we can adjust the overall level of a track. For instance, this could be with a fader or with the output controls of plugins like compressors and EQs.…
12 Incredible Songwriting Tips that Work
As musicians, we spend the bulk of our time improving on what we do. We’d probably all agree that every new project we start (and sometimes never finish!) is a step towards getting better at songwriting. While there isn’t a…
The 14 Best Drum VSTs for Any Budget [2023 Guide]
The best drum VSTs we’ve gathered run the gamut between $89 all the way up to $700! Thankfully, this means there’s a variety of choices to suit any budget. Of course, there are free options as well so you can…
The 8 Best Wavetable Synthesizers 2023
Wavetable synthesis is a technique used in certain digital music synthesizers to produce natural, note-like sounds. An existing instrument’s note can be sampled and parsed into a sequence of wavetables. Wavetable synthesizers differ from subtractive, additive, and FM/AM synths. In wavetable…
What is a Synthesizer? A Comprehensive Guide
Synthesizers have never been more popular than they are now. They currently play a dominant role in the production of the world’s most in-demand music. Synthesizers are the sound of pop, hip-hop, EDM, and more. But you certainly wouldn’t be…
Best iPad/Tablet for Music Production
It’s hard to beat the convenience of a tablet for music production, whether you’re a frequent flyer or just enjoy the flexible workflow. Using a Tablet for Music Production in 2022 The most common use for a tablet in music…
Free DAWs: The Best Available in 2023
We’re in 2023, which means making music doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition. There are so many fantastic ways to produce music on a shoestring with the only prerequisite being a capable computer. We’ll examine some of the top…
The Best Mobile Music Production Apps in 2023
Musicians’ creativity doesn’t come to a halt when they’re on the road. In a perfect world, we’d all have access to the comfort of our home studios 24/7, efficiently churning out music as often as we’d like. But whether you’re…
Should I Be Using Sidechain Compression?
Sidechain compression is a common “advanced” mixing technique. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Should I use sidechain compression here?,” the answer is “Give it a shot!” It uses are somewhat particular, but sidechaining generally creates more separation, more rhythm, or more…
The 10 Best USB Audio Interfaces for Studios
After the computer and DAW, the most important component of any studio is the audio interface. The best USB audio interfaces around come in all shapes, sizes, and prices. Regardless of your I/O needs, you’re sure to find something that…
13 Home Studio Essentials for Beginners
An efficient home studio set-up is essential for producers, engineers, and musicians of any level. And luckily, the time has never been better to get into the game. Rapid advances in digital technology over the past decade have made home…
Mixing vs. Mastering: What Is the Difference?
Mixing and mastering are the two essential processes in polishing and finalizing a recorded song. If you’re making music that you plan to sell, or use to promote yourself (i.e., not a demo), you’ll want to invest some time into…
What You Should Know About Analogue Summing
As I’m sure you’re well aware, the analogue vs. digital debate still rages on despite digital’s advancements over the years. Whether you grew up working on analogue equipment or simply call yourself a “purist,” some folks still consider “old-school” recording…
8 Tips for Amazing Low End!
Mixing low end can be tricky, and it is something we get a lot of questions about! Today I will be sharing some tips and tricks that you can use to get great low end in your mixes! We also…
Top 5 Mixing Mistakes No One Talks About
Today we are going to be going over some mixing mistakes that are not talked about very often! These are things that don't get talked about a lot when it come to mixing, but I feel are very important! There…
Building a Career in Audio without a Degree
The featured question from today's video is: Will I ever get to a point where I can refer to myself as a recording/mixing engineer without a degree? How do I know when I’m skilled enough for that? This is a…
Mixing Basics: EQ Before or After Compression?
In today's video we are going to be talking about whether we should EQ before or after compression! There is not a lot of consensus on this topic, because the truth is, it may vary from case to case. The…
8 Tips For Getting Better Low End
This is a bit of a contentious subject, and one that is talked about a lot, but it is an important one! Low end is a crucial part of every mix, and if it is not done properly, it can…
Some of the Best Drum VSTs for Programmed Drums
Drum VSTs are one of the quickest and easiest means to lock down your song’s backbone. As a matter of fact, the software has gotten so good that it isn’t uncommon for solo artists to release finished albums with entirely…
Song Mastering: Preparing Your Tracks to Master
Song mastering is the final step in getting your tracks ready to release. What a mastering engineer does differently than a mixer is make final, sometimes very subtle, tweaks to make something sound polished and “commercial.” You can learn how…
11 Mistakes To Avoid In Music Production
In today’s episode, we are going to be talking about the top 11 mistakes to avoid in music production. Over the years the producer's role has changed dramatically. There was a time when a music producer was essentially the person…
Drum EQ Basics
In today's video we will be going over Drum EQ Basics! We also have the multitracks for you to download, so you can follow along and mix them yourself! Click here to download the multitracks! EQ is one of the…
15 Mixing Tips I Wish I Would’ve Learned Sooner
It’s perfectly normal to feel like you’ve hit a wall when it comes to progressing as a mixer. A lot of the time we rely on our tried and true methods which get the job done, but ultimately leave something…
Modular Synthesis: The Most Powerful Synthesizers Ever
Modular synthesis is one of the most powerful sound design and music production tools you can use. From the outside, though, it looks pretty confusing…Even understanding the basics can take a while if you don’t know where to start. Luckily,…
15 Essential Mixing Tips for Better Mixes Today
Mixing music requires technical ability as well as the creativity to make a song interesting to listeners. Mix engineers firstly possess the technical knowledge of audio signal flow, DAW and/or console operation, and how to use signal processors, whether in…
Understanding Additive and Subtractive Synthesis
Additive and subtractive synthesis are two of the 4 fundamental ways synthesizers create sounds, next to wavetable and FM. If you plan to get into synths at all, or even just use them occasionally in your work, it’s a good…
How to EQ Bass Guitar: Simple Steps for a Better Low End
Nailing the low end content in a mix is an important step for better-sounding material. Too much bottom can make a mix muddy and inarticulate; too little can make a track appear thin and lifeless. Learning how to EQ bass…
Blur’s “Modern Life is Rubbish”: Album Breakdown with Graham Coxon
Modern Life is Rubbish, released in May 1993, is the second studio album by English alternative rock band Blur. The album was a moderate chart success in the UK, peaking at number 15, while the singles from the album charted…
The Best Audio Sample Subscription Services
Audio sample subscription services are now more popular than ever. Gone are the days of sorting through samples on expensive disks you had to purchase, only to come up short. The demand for royalty-free libraries grew sharply after the advent…
Free Drum Samples for Your Collection
Drum samples are incredibly useful in a number of ways. Firstly, they can be one of the quickest and easiest means to lock down your song’s backbone by programming grooves using a drum VST or your DAW’s built-in sampler. Even…
Using Silence to Improve Your Productions
We don’t often consider the importance of silence when it comes to our musical productions. It’s easy to get caught up in the sounds we want to add, because that’s what music is all about! But if you use silence itself…
How do you keep the overall feel and the play between musicians on a track? | FAQ Friday
Welcome back to another FAQ Friday! I hope you are all staying safe and healthy out there! Today's featured question is: What is the best way to keep the overall feel and the play between musicians while working on a…
FREE COURSE & MULTITRACKS: Recording & Producing Drums with Matt Starr
The next free course we have for you all is: Recording & Producing Drums with Matt Starr! This course comes with multitracks as well, so make sure you download those! Click here to download the multitracks! Matt Starr is an…
What are the best reference tracks for indie/alternative bands? | FAQ Friday
This week we have a little something extra to add to FAQ Friday! Just yesterday, Martin from Fender reached out to us and asked if we would like to try out the brand new Fender Acoustasonic Stratocaster! And of course…
Does tinnitus affect your mixes? | FAQ Friday
Today's featured question is: Does tinnitus affect your mixes? For those of you who don't know what tinnitus is, it is the sensation of hearing ringing, buzzing, hissing, chirping, whistling, or other sounds, caused by prolonged exposure to loud sounds.…
How can you make your mix stand out? | FAQ Friday
We're back with another fabulous FAQ Friday! Today's featured question is: Besides width, what can I do to make my mix stand out in a mixing contest? I have participated in and judged quite a few mixing competitions in my…
Kali WS-12 Project Watts Subwoofer | Demo & Giveaway
SEE ALSO: Why Does My Subwoofer Sound Weak? (7 Common Causes)
Award Winning Storytelling through Sound & Score | Interview with Lars Deutsch
Warren Huart: Hello everybody. Hope you’re doing marvelously well. I’m sitting here with Lars Deutsch. How are ya? Lars Deutsch: Nice. How are you? Warren Huart: I’m marvelous, and we’re just talking about a second ago, this is Magic Corridor…
What should you upgrade first: Mic or Preamp? | FAQ Friday
It's Friday, which means we are back with a marvellous FAQ Friday! Before we jump into some questions, though, we have another exciting giveaway for you! Audient is back and is allowing us to give away 3 more of their…
What’s New at NAMM: Part 2!
There were so many exciting new things at NAMM this year, we had to break everything up into two videos! In today's video, you are going to get a sneak peek at a couple pieces of software that have not…
What’s New at NAMM 2020!
We have been at NAMM 2020 for the past couple of days and have had the opportunity to talk to tons of amazing companies and learn all about the incredible new products they have released recently, or will be releasing…
FAQ Friday: Tips & Tricks for Widening Electric Guitars
Happy FAQ Friday everyone! We have had quite an exciting week over here, with Graham Coxon joining us for Wednesday's video and talking all about Blur's "Song 2" and the making of that great track! I hope you enjoyed that…
Inside the Song: “Song 2” by Blur with Graham Coxon
Blur is an English rock band formed in 1988, consisting of vocalist Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James, and drummer Dave Rowntree. The band was central to the 1990s Britpop movement. They achieved mass popularity in the UK,…
Recording Woodwinds & Band Live – Jazz Cover of Nine Inch Nails “Hurt”
Today's video features Matt Brownlie and Daren Burns at NRG Studios, in Studio A, where they will be tracking a double jazz quartet. Studio A was custom designed by Studio Bauton Architecture. This studio features a 3o' by 40' live…
Royer R-10 Ribbon Mic | Demo & Giveaway
Today we have a very exciting video happening, as we are going to be giving away a fabulous Royer R-10 Ribbon Mic! The Royer R-10 is a passive mono ribbon microphone designed for use in the studio and on live…
LCT 640 TS: Our Favorite Mic! | Demo & Giveaway
I'm sure you all know how much we love Lewitt mics here! In today's video we are going to be showing you another great mic from Lewitt, and giving one away as well! The LCT 640 TS is a great…
Audio Test Kitchen
We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Alex Oana, the co-creator and co-founder of Audio Test Kitchen. Audio Test Kitchen is a free online resource that aims to change the way we audition microphones. They have partnered with…
How can I achieve height in my mix? | FAQ Friday
The featured question for this week's FAQ Friday is: How can I achieve height in my mix? This is a great question! Mix height and depth are topics that come up very often as having parts of your mix that…
Soundgym: A Gym for Your Ears! | Demo & Giveaway
There are plenty of musical ear-training programs out there, but there are not very many available for producers, engineers, and mixers. Until now, anyway! SoundGym is an online ear training and learning centre for producers and engineers. It is a…
Working with Ace Frehley on Origins, Vol. 1: Untold Stories
A little while ago, I had the incredible opportunity to play guitar for Ace Frehley on his album "Origins, Vol. 1". Ace Frehley is a musician that I have looked up to for many years, so this was an amazing…