Studio & Recording

Do you get irked whenever you hear a successful producer proclaim: “and I didn’t even know any music theory”? Say they’re telling the truth (usually, it’s far from the truth), so what? Not everyone is going to be a natural, and just think, how good would those same producers be if they had bothered to learn music theory. Right here, right now, Guestblogger Daddynervs tells us why every producer, even humble beat producers, should arm themselves with some good old fashioned music theory – and what music theory actually is.

Audiobooks are on the rise, and since they’re so popular, audiobook producers are in high-demand. Here, Guestblogger Marc Graetz offers a professional insight into the world of recording audiobooks and explains how to narrate them and the equipment you’ll need.

If you think you’re ready to start submitting work to labels and get them interested in your work, then unfortunately it’s not going to be good enough to just present a sketch of a track for consideration – no matter how good it is. What you really need to come with is a near-enough flawless demo. But what do we mean by flawless? Here Guestblogger Tom Peters – co-founder of proshare.audio – is busy submitting demos to labels on a daily basis and here, presents his very own step by step plan so you can polish up and fully prep your demos for consideration.

Solo-podcasting isn’t all that difficult. A simple USB microphone or an XLR microphone-plus-audio-interface set-up alone gets you pretty far. Throw in a pair of headphones and some recording-and-editing software and you’re practically all set. However, things get a lot more complicated the second you invite one or more guests to your podcasts. Luckily, with the help of this blog, you should be able to build a set-up that can accommodate them – whether they’re in the same room or calling in via Skype or Zoom!

So, you just entered the world of studio gear and you want to pick up a pair of studio monitors. How different are these compared to your old hi-fi system or that CD player catching dust in your living room? How does a studio setup work? And do I need an amplifier with my new set of speakers? Answers to these questions and more below!

Back in the day, ribbon microphones were not only expensive but incredibly delicate, and generally, were only built and maintained by the studios that used them. In America, RCA records built their own ribbon microphones, while the BBC built their own Coles microphones. Of course, these days, you can find a massive range of affordable models available, and most of them are a lot more hard-wearing and less delicate than their ancestors. Here, I’ll go over the pros and cons of using the infamous ribbon microphone so you can make up your own mind.

Want to make your own beats in the comfort of your own bedroom? Maybe you want to start producing beats to help out other artists, make their dreams come true, and in turn, see your own dreams come true? Here, guest-blogger and producer Daddynervs offers a guide through the first steps you need to take to start building your own beats.

If there’s one thing that sets an experienced studio engineer apart from a novice, it’s how well they mix the lower-frequency instruments of a track. Here, I’m referring to the kick drum, the bass, the lower sonic regions of the guitars, synths, and keyboards – since it’s all of this that makes up the low-end, and it’s these lower frequencies that are harder to mix than any other part of the frequency spectrum. But why? And how do you get that thick and full, punchy layer that’s going to sound awesome on any set of speakers you put it through? Read on to find out.

Stereo recordings often have the kind of three-dimensionality you just can’t replicate using reverb or delay effects or the pan controls of your DAW software. Most stereo recordings are made using a pair of condenser microphones loaded with cardioid pickup patterns, though omni-directional and bidirectional microphones aren’t uncommon either. Usually, more high-end microphones can even toggle between all three patterns so you can pick one depending on the situation. If you want to know which microphone set-ups are best for recording in stereo, just read on!

Say you’ve finished recording all of the instruments and vocals and you want to mix everything down. The individual tracks sound great, but once you start playing with the faders, it sounds like all parts of the recording are working against each other. The mix is all but up to snuff, and a phase issue is most likely to blame. In this blog, I’m going to explain what phase is, what it causes and how you can get rid of it, so you can prevent or fix any phase issues as they pop up while you’re working on your studio projects.

These days, any musician or producer is offered the tools they need to make good audio mixes. Audio interfaces sound more impressive than ever, recording software has never been so extensive, and a solid set of studio monitors has never cost less. But there might be one last thing missing: a great sounding listening and mixing room. Here, I’ll let you in on a few little secrets when it comes to acoustic treatment and where and why you should place any absorption panels and diffusion panels to improve the acoustics and perfectly neutralise the sweet spot. I’ll also explain the part that calibration software can play in setting you up with the perfect listening room.

Everyone who’s privileged enough to have access to broadband internet and a fairly fast computer can launch a podcast or even an internet radio station of their own for a relatively small amount of money these days. However, the microphone built into your laptop isn’t going to cut it, and the acoustics of your soon-to-be studio space could probably do with a little treatment too – so read on to find out how you can get pro-grade podcast audio quality on a budget!