Recording Demystified

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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