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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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
We have a very exciting demo for you all today! Kali Audio has just released the Kali WS-12 Project Watts Subwoofer, and we have the opportunity to try it out! We are also lucky enough to get to give one…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
How do you deal with self-doubt when recording and mixing? | FAQ Friday
This week's FAQ Friday is coming to you from Clay Blair's studio, Boulevard Recording! There have been some incredible records made here! We have actually been here this week filming a Beatles recording course, which I am very excited about,…
Synth Basics: The Top Virtual Instruments for Any Studio
We’ve taken a look at sound synth basics in the past, like how granular synthesis differs from wavetable, and how each factors into the creation of sounds we use everyday. But when we’re in the studio making music, we’re not…
Interview with Sean Beavan: Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson & Guns N’ Roses
Sean Beavan is a musician, record producer, and audio engineer who is best known for his work with Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Gunns N' Roses, God Lives Underwater, and Slayer. He is revered for his work in industrial and…
MIDI Keyboard 101: Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
A MIDI keyboard—also known as a MIDI controller—is a piano-style device that lets you play and record your DAW’s software instruments and any other VST synths you have. They typically connect to your computer via USB for easy integration with…
EVE Audio SC307 Demo & Warren’s Favorite Reference Tracks
In today's video, we are in Harmony Studios! This is the studio where Adele's Someone Like You was recorded, among many other great records. Today, I will be taking you right into the studio and we will be testing out…
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…
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…
The Best Drum VSTs for Any Budget
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…
How to Use a Compressor – Intermediate Techniques
We’ve talked a lot about how to use a compressor in various stages of the recording and mixing processes. The best way to learn is to get your hands dirty, which you’ll be able to do with some of these…
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…
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…
The Best Wavetable Synthesizers
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…
From Lyrics to Mixdown: How to Record a Song
As producers, engineers, and songwriters, we sometimes struggle to transpose the sounds and ideas in our heads to “tape.” We may have all the tools at our disposal to make great music—quality instruments, microphones, all the fixings of a home…
Gain Staging for Modern Recording
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.…
Home Studio Ideas: Essential Equipment & Considerations
For aspiring musicians, engineers, and producers, the home studio space is a prerequisite. It’s where you’ll spend countless hours writing songs, recording, mixing, and tinkering! Today, the home recording set-up doesn’t have to cost a fortune—there are many affordable ways…
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…
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…
Creative Techniques for Mixing Vocals
Vocals are one of the most important elements in a song, regardless of genre. It’s safe to say that how you approach mixing vocals can make or break your track. Have you ever heard a hit record, or even just…
The Difference Between Mixing and Mastering
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…