Q: How can I use my hardware reverb unit with my DAW?
I would like to use my fine hardware reverb unit to add reverb to my recordings during the mixing phase. How can I do that? Read more...
I would like to use my fine hardware reverb unit to add reverb to my recordings during the mixing phase. How can I do that? Read more... Q: How do I place my mic on the hi-hat?
A RecordProducer.com reader wants to know how to place his microphone for this peculiar item of brassware. Here's how... Read more...
A RecordProducer.com reader wants to know how to place his microphone for this peculiar item of brassware. Here's how... Read more... Playing the piano - how hard can that be?
Go to a piano teacher and they will tell you to practice every day. But the one thing they hardly ever tell you is *how* to practice. But the cure for 'wrongnoteitis' might be simpler than you think. Read more...
Go to a piano teacher and they will tell you to practice every day. But the one thing they hardly ever tell you is *how* to practice. But the cure for 'wrongnoteitis' might be simpler than you think. Read more... Q: How can I can I tune my mixer to get a better recording?
It seems that a RecordProducer.com reader's mixer is out of tune. Or is he building a hot rod? Read more...
It seems that a RecordProducer.com reader's mixer is out of tune. Or is he building a hot rod? Read more... A song that can't be sung effectively by one person with one instrument isn't a great song
Written any great songs lately? Did they need a massive production with hundreds of tracks to sound good? Then they are not great songs. Read more...
Written any great songs lately? Did they need a massive production with hundreds of tracks to sound good? Then they are not great songs. Read more... 'Groove' - is it all-important, or does the band just have to play the way they feel?
One of the most difficult things in popular music is to find a great groove for a song, particularly for a band playing non-sequenced instruments. But there is so much to think about, where do you start? Read more...
One of the most difficult things in popular music is to find a great groove for a song, particularly for a band playing non-sequenced instruments. But there is so much to think about, where do you start? Read more... Do we really need 200 more features and 20 pages of tutorials?
Apple's new OS Mountain Lion apparently has more than 200 new features and you need 20 pages of tutorial to understand them. In what way is this a good thing? Read more...
Apple's new OS Mountain Lion apparently has more than 200 new features and you need 20 pages of tutorial to understand them. In what way is this a good thing? Read more... Mic the speaker, or use the line output?
A RecordProducer.com reader wonders why we often mic up an electric guitar speaker rather than use the line output from the amplifier. Read more...
A RecordProducer.com reader wonders why we often mic up an electric guitar speaker rather than use the line output from the amplifier. Read more... Are your college tutors assessing you according to real-world criteria?
Your college tutors don't work in the real world, so how can they possibly assess you by real-world criteria? Read more...
Your college tutors don't work in the real world, so how can they possibly assess you by real-world criteria? Read more... Writing songs for the Canadian market? Mind your language!
A 26 year old song has been banned from Canadian radio. Canadians are now protected from hearing an offensive word (three times in the same verse!) Read more...
A 26 year old song has been banned from Canadian radio. Canadians are now protected from hearing an offensive word (three times in the same verse!) Read more... Scientific test picks out best converter!
Put four converters to the test, in a pro studio with pro testers. See which one comes out best. Or is the result a foregone conclusion? Read more...
Put four converters to the test, in a pro studio with pro testers. See which one comes out best. Or is the result a foregone conclusion? Read more... Q: What is the right mic for hihats?
An RP reader wants to capture his hihat in high fidelity. So what is the right mic for the job? Read more...
An RP reader wants to capture his hihat in high fidelity. So what is the right mic for the job? Read more... Isn't it about time you had your own iPhone app?
So your band has a website. That is so 2009! Why not get the new decade started with an iPhone app that showcases your talent to the (iPhone) world? Read more...
So your band has a website. That is so 2009! Why not get the new decade started with an iPhone app that showcases your talent to the (iPhone) world? Read more... Why mono is better than stereo (sometimes)
An Audio Masterclass visitor asks why stereo is better than mono. But is that always the case? Read more...
An Audio Masterclass visitor asks why stereo is better than mono. But is that always the case? Read more... Help! I have too much equipment. What can I do?
A Record-Producer.com visitor complains that he has too much equipment and wants to get rid of half of it. Trouble is - he doesn't know which half... Read more...
A Record-Producer.com visitor complains that he has too much equipment and wants to get rid of half of it. Trouble is - he doesn't know which half... Read more... Q: How can I make my drums and my bass guitar sound heavy?
My drums and bass guitar sound loud and heavy when I play them, but they don't sound heavy enough when I make a recording. How can I make them heavier? Read more...
My drums and bass guitar sound loud and heavy when I play them, but they don't sound heavy enough when I make a recording. How can I make them heavier? Read more... Clip-based gain versus fader automation, which is best?
Pro Tools 10 adds clip-based gain to its feature set. But what does it offer that can't be done with fader automation? (This applies to all other DAWs too.) Read more...
Pro Tools 10 adds clip-based gain to its feature set. But what does it offer that can't be done with fader automation? (This applies to all other DAWs too.) Read more... Q: How should I set the compressor in a live stage show?
A RecordProducer.com reader who is a live sound engineer has a compressor, and he is determined to use it. Is this a good idea? Read more...
A RecordProducer.com reader who is a live sound engineer has a compressor, and he is determined to use it. Is this a good idea? Read more... If setting the gain correctly is so important, why don't mic preamplifiers have meters?
Setting the gain of the microphone preamplifier correctly is one of the basic skills of audio. So why don't mic preamps need meters? Read more...
Setting the gain of the microphone preamplifier correctly is one of the basic skills of audio. So why don't mic preamps need meters? Read more... So Mr. Bond... Who really did write your theme music?
As the new James Bond movie Skyfall opens, it seems an appropriate time to revisit the question of whether the 'James Bond Theme' was actually written by Monty Norman or John Barry. Read more...
As the new James Bond movie Skyfall opens, it seems an appropriate time to revisit the question of whether the 'James Bond Theme' was actually written by Monty Norman or John Barry. Read more... - Is it possible to produce classical music?
Classical music just needs to be recorded, doesn't it? Well in some cases it really can be produced. - M-Audio Studiophile AV 30 monitors - Could they be Auratones for the digital age?
Can an $89 pair of monitors really be an effective tool in the recording studio? Or are they only good for 'media creation? - Can a pianist's wrong note played in 1962 be fixed in 2013?
A wrong note that has resonated for more than half a century is fixed - without the aid of a time machine. - Are certain mic/preamp combinations special?
An RP reader finds that a certain combination of microphone and preamp works much better than he expected... - Why haven't you had a Hot 100 hit yet?
Anyone with a home recording studio now has the means to create a hit. So why haven't you yet? - Can guitarists be trusted with their own equipment?
What sounds good to the electric guitar player doesn't necessarily sound good to the audience. A live sound engineer explains... - What is your main concern if your interest is voice over?
So you're setting yourself up in the voice over business. What should you think about before anything else? - Can you print a vinyl record on a 3D printer?
Amazingly, the answer to this question is - almost - yes! - An interesting microphone setup for violinist Nigel Kennedy
If you're miking one of the finest violinists in the world, should you point the mic at the double bass instead? - To mic or not to mic the backline? That is an interesting question raising fascinating further possibilities
An RP reader fears losing cabinet resonances if the backline of his band is miked up through the PA. But perhaps it is innovation in live sound that has been lost over the years. - When working in a new theatre, always find out where the tielines go
Any theatre would have tielines from the stage to the sound control booth. But from one side of the booth's window to the other? - Top producer 'steals' song as part of massive publicity stunt
A major producer has 'stolen' a song from a pair of unknowns. A crime, or normal everyday life in the music business? - If AKG makes a USB microphone, does it mean that the time has come for USB mics?
AKG makes some of the best mics in the world. AKG also makes a USB mic. A great USB mic? - Would you record vocals like this?
Two singers, one microphone. Could it cause an Internet sensation? - Hum - Can you hear it, even if you can't hear it?
If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound (if no-one is around to hear it?) If you can't hear hum, then is there no hum? - Preparation for mastering: Don't do any mastering yourself
Are you planning on getting your tracks mastered? Then the first rule of preparation is not to master the tracks yourself. - A hum generator plug-in? We want one!
You can get a plug-in to emulate virtually any analog audio process these days. But what about hum? Where's the plug-in for that? - An inside view of the weirdest recording session ever, at the BBC!
Take a 300-year old bass line, a cello player with just seven days' experience, and some highly uncool-looking musicians... and make a recording that is really top of the pops for weird! - Would you put your head inside a piano? No? Then why place a microphone there? [with video]
![Would you put your head inside a piano? No? Then why place a microphone there? [with video]](http://www.record-producer.com/i2/julia-lezhneva.jpeg "Would you put your head inside a piano? No? Then why place a microphone there? [with video]")
Sometimes unusual microphone placements can capture an interesting sound. In this instance, the sound is completely wrong. - When is a click not a click? When should you fix a click, and when should you leave it alone?
Clicks occur for all kinds of reasons - imprecise editing, random noises, gremlin infestation. But when do you need to do something about them?