Recording

In the first part of this new series, David Mellor gives his personal slant on creating a studio that will stay with you as your recording skills and budget improve.

Taking a compact DAT machine out and about can gain you some unique recordings, but can also present you with some unique problems.

If you're burning CDs at home, you'll obtain the best quality if your audio data is at its highest possible average signal level. Most people yawn at this and reach for the normalisation button on their audio editor, but, as Craig Anderton explains, unless you're careful, you could be doing your material a disservice...

Paul D. Lehrman took six players, four samplers and a computer, and created a live-performance piece based on the music and words of Frank Zappa. It left the audience delighted — and utterly confused.

Fully automated mixing could make your life a whole lot easier, but if you can't get your hands on a suitcase full of banknotes, Craig Anderton has some ideas for achieving similar results at a minimum cost.

Do you fully appreciate your mixer's capabilities when it comes to using effects and signal processors? Craig Anderton reminds you of a few tricks your desk might have up its sleeve.

Ask a dozen engineers how to make great vocal recordings and you'll get a dozen different answers — but there are some ground rules, as Hugh Robjohns explains.

If you have a cheap Dolby Surround decoder in your home — say as part of a 'home cinema' entertainment system — and a stereo mixer as part of your recording setup, you have everything you need to start mixing in Surround sound. Hugh Robjohns explains how to enter another dimension...

Experienced engineers know that recording the spoken voice properly is actually more difficult than recording a singer. Hugh Robjohns explains why this is so, and passes on some hints and tips for developing a good technique.

Most budding engineers will, at some time, have to tackle a performer who wants to sing and play the guitar at the same time. Mic type and placement can make a big difference to the quality of the result obtained, as Hugh Robjohns explains..

Paul White gives some foolproof step-by-step ideas for creating contemporary and vintage guitar sounds in the studio.

Multi-port MIDI interface and patchbays can seem an expensive indulgence for the average studio. But, as Martin Russ explains in the concluding part of this two-part feature, they can really help you to get the best use from the MIDI gear you already own.

The flexibility of digital multitrack and hard disk recording is undeniable. But what if you yearn for the sound of your old analogue machine? Craig Anderton explains a trick which uses the playback head of a three-head analogue deck to give you the best of both worlds.

Martin Russ's Studio 5LX has changed the way he runs his studio. In the first of this two-part series, he explains how to set up a multi-port MIDI interface, and reveals some of the ways in which these useful devices can simplify your life.

Paul White reveals a few of the less well-trodden paths hidden within your mixer's routing system.

Last month, Paul White looked at ways to tackle the noise and distortion that can spoil a mix. However, even a perfectly recorded mix can still sound terrible, and this calls for different tactics...

Conventional wisdom states that you can't 'fix it in the mix', but that doesn't mean you cant' try! Paul White discusses a few practical salvage techniques in the first part of this short series.

When using effects, it's all too easy to add noise to your mix — and it's not always the fault of your effects unit. Paul White offers a few practical tips for achieving quieter mixes.

Last month, we looked at which elements are most likely to go wrong in the mix. This month, Paul White takes a more positive line, and looks at how to record the right instrumental sound to tape in the first place.

Craig Anderton offers a few tips to help you balance your mix without relying solely on changes to relative volume levels — and gets in touch with his Neanderthal past. Additional material by Paul White.

It can all go without a hitch; recording, overdubbing, even the mixing — but the finest ingredients do not always guarantee a feast. Paul White explains how a little forethought and planning can make all the difference to your final mixes...