Audio Recording

Mixing: Peering Beyond The Bullsh%#

February 18, 2019 by Elaine Sy Leave a Comment

This is about understanding the core idea of the mixing process so that everything else we learn about it makes sense. I feel that in order to make this take on mixing make sense it’s really important to dissect what mixing even is, and why we are making the choices we make, to begin with.

If we go back in time we discover that mixing wasn’t even a thing until about 30 years into the world of making records. It wasn’t even a separate job from “engineering” until around the 80s.

Read more about this here: https://theproaudiofiles.com/what-is-mixing/

In Praise of Pitch Correction – inSync

February 18, 2019 by Jake Weston Leave a Comment

Antares’ Auto-Tune system was rolled out for Cher’s highly successful 22nd album, ‘Believe,’ which was a major success for both Cher and the new technology. Songwriter Mark Taylor began experimenting with Auto-Tune during production of the album, and sold Cher on its potential by lending an eerie warbling quality to Cher’s voice, which Cher very much liked. However, Auto-Tune soon became a victim of its own success as musicians began using it too often and for too many different purposes, which prompted a harsh backlash to a technology that people only seemed to notice when it caused a problem, and not when it worked well.

Key Takeaways:

Auto-Tune never got credit when it was used well, but always got the blame when it was used poorly or abused.
Auto-Tune was the engine that provided the novel, provocative, other-worldly vocal effect that made listeners sit up and take notice.
it’s simply another tool in the toolbox. Think of it like a hammer: you can use a hammer to smash things or to build a house.

“Then songwriter Mark Taylor started messing around with Auto-Tune and Cubase and created the weird warbling effect on Cher’s voice by using extreme pitch correction settings.”

Ableton Live 10: MIDI Capture Tips And Tricks

February 14, 2019 by Elaine Sy Leave a Comment

If you’ve been busy exploring Ableton 10, you’ve probably already started looking around at the Capture feature – a cool new tool that catches your genius when you aren’t looking.

Many people rely on the Tap-Tempo in Ableton to determine the initial tempo of the song in which they are beginning to write. Capture actually determines the tempo of what you are playing, if no other clips or recorded material are in the session. Capture is an amazing feature that if utilized thoughtfully can add a crazy amount of inspiration to your work.

RØDE Microphones Launches All-New PodMic, Podcast-Ready Dynamic Mic

February 14, 2019 by Jake Weston Leave a Comment

The new PodMic by RØDE is designed specifically for crisp podcasts with detailed clarity and encapsulation. It is constructed with solid brass, so buyers can rest assured that it is just as durable as it is innovative. This model is tuned with the RØDECaster Pro, making it compatible with any interface that is labeled under XLR. The PodMic is equipped with technology that provides the perfect balance during broadcasting due to its heightened sibilance control.

Key Takeaways:

PodMic is an all-new podcasting microphone released on December 19, 2018 in Sydney, Australia by the Australian audio giant, RODE Microphones.
The PodMic is touted to be stylish and extremely easy to be maneuvered. It was designed most especially for podcasting.
Although the PodMic was designed and tuned for use especially with the RODECaster Pro, it can also work with any XLR interface.

“RØDE’s extensive family of mics gets a new member with this updated PodMic, designed to perform all your podcasting needs.”

The Buyer’s Guide to Recording Equipment

February 13, 2019 by Elaine Sy Leave a Comment

We’ve prepared a list of buyer’s guide to recording equipment. It includes a variety of budget, midrange and high-end microphones and interfaces to get the job done.

Aston Origin has a stunning clear quality, with plenty of depth and a smooth, natural high-end on vocals. On electric guitar, it sounded instantly usable. The top-end seemed entirely contained, with no harshness, just a full-bodied tone, even in drop-D tuning
The Audio-Technica AT2020’s sound quality is impressive, with a negligible noise floor. The high frequencies have a crisp and sweet sparkle that adds a degree of presence.