Mixing / Production

Ambition and talent can take you a long way, as Alex Da Kid has discovered on his journey from the football pitch to the recording studio.

The Chemical Brothers bring more gear on stage than most of us have in our studios. Matt Cox is the man who has to make sure it all works come showtime!

Fabian Marasciullo’s mixes for the latest Lil Wayne album were so valuable he had to guard them at gunpoint.

This month, we figure out how to pack some much-needed punch into an interesting instrumental track.

Audio files to accompany the article.

Sampling a record may be child’s play, but using such samples effectively in your own compositions requires plenty of skill and finesse.

These audio files accompany the How To Build Tracks Around Sampled Tunes feature that featured in SOS December 2011.

The SOS team head out to singer/songwriter and media composer Olivia Broadfield’s studio, to solve her monitoring issues.

• Calvin Harris 'Bounce' • Arctic Monkeys 'Spangled Shalalala' • DJ Fresh 'Louder' • Bon Iver 'Calgary' • Pitbull 'Give Me Everything'

John Forbes talks to SOS about how he became musical director for Ne-Yo, creating live arrangements for one of the world’s top R&B artists using recorded parts.

Not many artists would make an entire album from field recordings of the life of a pig. But not many artists are like Matthew Herbert...

A new Incubus album is always an event, especially when produced by the legendary Brendan O’Brien...

Twenty-five years ago, studio legend John Wood retired from the music industry. In a rare interview, he explains why he’s making a comeback, and lays bare the techniques behind some of his greatest recordings.

We go off-beat this month, pitting our mixing skills against a reggae track.

Audio files to accompany the article.

Recording gigs can be challenging, particularly given the constraints imposed by typical small and medium venues. But capturing a great performance, complete with all the atmosphere of the night, can be a hugely rewarding experience.

• Ed Sheeran 'The A Team' • The Wanted 'Glad You Came' • Jason Aldean 'Dirt Road Anthem' • Caro Emerald 'A Night Like This'

Carl Cox’s latest album is available only to those who purchase a uniquely coded USB pen drive. Is this an idea that will turn the tide against file‑sharing?

Fifty years ago, Wayne Moss created a studio in his Nashville garage. And while big-money, purpose-built complexes have come and gone, Cinderella Sound still thrives today.

The creation of Beyoncé’s album 4 involved 10 studios and almost 20 producers. The one constant, apart from the singer herself, was recording engineer DJ Swivel.

Audio files to accompany the article.