Recording

I’m using Ableton Live and bounced my last few finished tracks in the 32-bit float format. I’d rather not have too many different versions of the same tracks floating around, so is there a preferred word length for when I bounce files out for mastering?

I want to add a Cuica drum part to a Latin jazz fusion piece and have a nice Cuica drum similar size to the one in this...

Shirley Collins’ album Lodestar has been a long time coming. Thirty-eight years, in fact...

The challenge of creating a glass-themed sound world for her third album led Agnes Obel to explore some little-used instruments and techniques.

Like their debut, Bastille’s Wild World was recorded in a South London basement — but this time around, the band were global superstars.

A few years ago I decided to concentrate on producing my own music. I’ve since spent thousands of hours going through...

The Avalanches’ debut album Since I Left You took the art of sampling to new heights — but it has taken them 16 years to finish the follow-up!

Singer, songwriter and producer Jack Garratt is only 24, yet his debut album Phase still draws on a decade’s experience in the music business.

Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns: In last month’s SOS we printed a query derived from the SOS...

Grammy-winning producer/engineer Vance Powell welcomes SOS to Sputnik Sound in Nashville to show us how he recorded a track for rock act Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown.

PJ Harvey’s long-term co-producer John Parish is uncompromising in his willingness to experiment — even with the world watching!

I’m struggling to understand what’s really happening when you use different compression ratios. Can you explain please?

My outboard equalisers have no level or peak indicator, what would be the correct way to output the signal from my DAW (Logic) via an RME Fireface 800 audio interface?

I was listening to Conor Maynard’s YouTube cover of Shawn Mendes’ ‘Stitches’ and wondered if you could provide any insight into what he used to get that huge, rich vocal tone.

Fusing experimental electronic styles with hip-hop elements, the beat scene is where we find the subject of this month’s video feature...

A project that was started to help unsigned bands show solidarity with victims of the Paris attacks has grown to unite musicians, artists and film-makers from around the world. And it’s not finished yet...

I’ve sought advice on ways to attenuate the output of a Fender 65 Reverb amp, so that I can record it at home.

I’ve been trying to get my reverb settings worked out, but when I settle on what I think sounds right two main...

How do you extract a complete album from a dysfunctional band with no finished songs? Drag them to a remote residential studio — in winter...

I’ve got to the point at mixdown where I’d usually be thinking about sending everything through a couple of global reverbs/delays with a view to simulating a soundstage. Would this have actually been possible for a mix engineer in that decade?

Bearing in mind my room is untreated and I do the bulk of my mixing on headphones.