One important factor in a great mix is the backing vocals yet most still seem to neglect it. As important as every part of the mix the backing vocals play a supportive role to the totality of the mix. Doing it right enhances the overall mix while it becomes quite a distraction when done incorrectly.
Since we can say backing vocals is part of the non-major parts of your track you don’t need to focus on this much but it pays to be efficient when doing so. Always put more attention to the major part first as to not create confusion to your listeners.
Find out more here: https://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mixing-backing-vocals-efficiently-and-effectively–cms-27618
Archives for November 2016
Samplephonics Cinematic Percussion review at ComputerMusic Magazine
50 percussion contruction kits with soundtrack composition in mind, but applicable to general music-making duties, too. The ensemble includes bass drums, snare drums, timpani, frame drums, tubular bells, cymbals, shakers and more, and the production style is consistent throughout. Moodwise, there’s drama, action, tension, intrigue and every other colour in the cineatic rainbow. It stumbles in the one-shots folder, though many of the snares and cymbals have had their tails cut off.
Samplephonics Cinematic Percussion review at ComputerMusic Magazine
Video: How to Mic an Acoustic Guitar
Microphone placement is the foundation for any solid recording. Placement is usually dictated by musical genre but most engineers place microphones to capture a good overall balance of the instrument. This article proves to present some different placement techniques for a simple acoustic guitar recording. There are also a variety of pickups available for acoustic guitars but the most common type is a piezoelectric element that fits under the saddle and is attached to an output jack where the end pin normally goes.
Spectrasonics Keyscape Review – Labour of Love
Keyscape includes 36 different models of keyboard-based instruments for you to call up at your whim. There’s a pretty huge library of patches with well over 500 iterations of these deeply sampled instruments (which have then been modeled in their STEAM engine) for you to choose from, and pretty much none of them are ‘duds’. This is an instrument that was clearly meticulously sampled, cleverly programed, and highly optimized. There’s a reason that every single world-class keyboard player in the Spectrasonics preview video for this instrument has a smile from ear-to-ear. The sounds are stunning and highly playable.
Key Takeaways:
- Having waited almost four years to move from Omnisphere 1.5 to version 2, it would be fair to say that Spectrasonics doesn’t exactly like to rush its creative process.
- Keys-cape is available as a download direct from the Spectrasonics site, or as boxed edition, with the content supplied on two USB drives.
- Keys-cape is a software instrument that demands to be played. We could wax lyrical about the quality of the sounds, of course, but what immediately grabs you is how good Keys-cape feels underneath your fingers.
“When it comes to upright pianos, some alternative libraries can disappoint, often sounding dull and clunky rather than capturing the quirky charm of a real upright piano. Keyscape’s Wing Upright, though, is a real triumph, with all the rough-and-ready edges of an upright piano, but with a distinctly hi-fi tone that sits perfectly in the mix.”
http://www.musictech.net/2016/10/spectrasonics-keyscape-review/
Video: How to Record a Guitar Amp with One Microphone
The first thing to understand in microphone placement on guitar amps is that the sound doesn’t resonate from the center of the cone; it comes from the off-axis – or “off center” area. How you position the microphone is really up to you and what you want your recording to sound like. If you’re wanting a louder, more treble-filled sound, you want to place your microphone towards the center cone. If you want more of a warm tone, start moving out towards the center.