The Vienna Strings Collections are currently available with a 30% discount off MSRP through their website. These collections have thousands of samples, ranging from single notes from solo instruments to trills and tremelos from a 14 violin ensemble. If orchestral string instruments are part of your creative vision, you would be wise to take a look at this sale.
You can read more about these collections here: http://en.audiofanzine.com/virtual-strings/vsl/Vienna-Instruments-Solo-Strings/news/a.play,n.15423.html
Bring Dynamics Back To Your Mix
Many of the popular professional mixes today are loud, but lack dynamics. This has the effect of encouraging more of the same flat, loud mixes because “everyone is doing it”. It is possible to have it both ways, though. With a few easy tweaks, you can have a mix that is both loud and dynamic.
You can read the full article here: http://en.audiofanzine.com/mastering/editorial/articles/get-loud-masters-without-overcompressing.html
EQ Basics
Equalization (EQ) is a big part of mixing and mastering, but for a new audio engineer it may be difficult to grasp the concepts that are involved with using EQ effectively. And because we are all about making hard concepts easy to understand, often by mocking overly complex terms or those who love to use them, but mostly making things fun and making them so anyone can understand.
I’ve written several articles about EQ, starting at the beginning with What is Equalization, Usually Called EQ? If you can’t get enough of my awesome EQ writing (shya:)), you can find all post about equalization on our site here: https://www.homebrewaudio.com/tag/eq/
There’s a lot to be gained from learning by doing, but having a basic idea of what your goals are and what tools are available can improve the learning curve. And you can also learn EQ stuff from people other than me. I know! It’s a shock. But seriously…
You can read a great step-by-step guide to getting started with EQ here: http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/production/the-basics-of-equalization/
Gravity Beats – Free Music App For iPad
This free app certainly isn’t going to produce any award winning symphonies or chart-topping hits, but it can still be a lot of fun. By drawing lines to interact with the falling balls, you can create simple melodies in your spare time. Since this app doesn’t have any deadlines or demanding clients, you can sit back and relax with your productions.
You can read more here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gravity-beats/id608047949?mt=8
How To Improve As A Musician And Engineer
Becoming a great audio engineer, musician, or both is a lifelong process. Without any official finish line to cross, it can be difficult to see progress as your skills improve. One musician, Mr. Billy, set out to record, mix, and release 12 CDs over 12 months. Surely with that amount of work done in such a short amount of time there were some sacrifices in quality, but that isn’t necessarily bad. If you strive for absolute perfection in every single mix, it may have a negative effect on your work capacity or even your own personal learning curve.
You can read the full article here: http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/02/25/the-fastest-way-to-improve-your-engineering-songwriting-and-performing/