Recording Demystified

Audio interfaces are an integral part of every music studio, providing the crucial bridge between the worlds of analog and digital sound. To record any analog source for use in the digital domain, you will need some kind of sound interface. The right audio interface for mac, or PC, can also unlock a range of workflow possibilities and ways to create and manipulate your creations.

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So, you’ve got some pretty good studio monitors and you’ve treated your room the best you can, and you’re ready to get the perfect mix, right? Well, yes… if you know that your mix will sound as good when you take it out of your studio and play it on other systems. However, to do that you have to get used to the sound of your speakers in your particular room – and mix to that sound, hoping that it will then sound right on other systems.

Sonarworks Reference 4 software takes the guesswork out of monitoring by using advanced acoustic analysis techniques and applying corrective EQ at the end of your signal chain, countering any tonal imbalance caused by the speaker/room combination.

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Before we get stuck in I would like to highlight the fact I am a guitarist of 15 years with about 5 minutes of recording experience.  This isn’t a comprehensive insight into the evolution of music technology but purely a short ‘ode to’ written by a lover of music, technology and history.

I was sat eating my breakfast the other morning watching YouTube (don’t judge me) enjoying a bit of the satirical world of Charlie Brooker, when a video by a well known youtuber by the name of Rob Scallon popped up. 

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Every computer music setup needs a way of getting signals into and out of the computer, and to achieve this you really need to invest in an 'audio interface', often referred to as a “sound card”.

“But I have a headphone output and microphone input on my computer already. Why do I need a separate box to do the same thing?”

Read on to find out…

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With so many great virtual instrument bundles available, it can be hard to know where to invest your hard earned cash. We take a look at the most popular plugin collections available today..
Virtual instruments (or ‘software synthesizers’ or ‘soft synths’ for short) have been around for about 20 years. Long gone are the days when you needed to spend thousands of pounds on hardware that produced you sounds. With the advent of more powerful computing and continual virtual instrument R&D, we are now in a position where many studios do not own any hardware synthesizers at all. Hardware synths are great, but virtual instruments offer great value for money if you have a computer-based studio setup.
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The synthesizer has been forging new sounds, enabling ground-breaking music, and even creating entire genres since the 1960s and 70s when Bob Moog first brought the compact synthesizer to the masses and inspired musicians to experiment with new electronic sounds. Since then, instrument pioneers and advances in technology have brought us a whole host of weird and wonderful instruments, but during that time the fundamentals of synthesis have not really changed, and despite the many advances in digital technology things have gone full circle and the basic synthesizer is making a resurgence.
This article takes a look at the fundamentals of synthesis, and aims to point the reader in the right direction when it comes to choosing your first synth.

Read on to find out more…
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Using pieces of hardware to control music software can really speed up your workflow in the studio. There are now hundreds of options for hardware controllers that specialise in controlling virtual synthesizers and drum plug-ins, DJ software, or DAWs and their effects plug-ins, in fact almost all of your entire studio! To get to grips with this technology, and to assess what’s currently available, read on…
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The use of software to record audio and create music has evolved over the last few decades to a point where the majority of studio work is now done with the aid of a computer. There are still a few people out there using “stand alone” multitrack recorders like the Tascam DP-series, and even a few are still recording to multi-track analogue tape, but the use of a computer has become the primary way of capturing and creating music.

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Studio monitoring is one of the most important aspects of music production. After all, if you can’t hear what changes need to be made to make your mix sound as good as possible, then how do you know what to change and by how much?

This article aims to give you enough knowledge about studio monitoring so that you can make an informed decision as to which monitors may be right for you.
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If you ever want to record anything in the real world – vocals, guitars, drum kits, choirs, or even birdsong, then you will inevitably need a microphone. Fortunately, there’s a million mic’s out there ready and willing to help you with this task. Unfortunately, there’s a million mic’s out there ready and willing to help you with this task! The choice is immense, and that can be a real problem for anyone looking for the “perfect” mic, if such a thing existed.
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