Recording

I have an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff effects pedal that I’d like to try out on vocals, drums and possibly some other things during tracking.

My room is not ideally treated, especially in the corners near my monitors, which have no bass traps. Would it help to use monitors with bass ports on the front.

Can I link the S/PDIF out of my Boss DR-880 to the S/PDIF input of my Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 audio interface and get good results?

I’m working on an acoustic track and would like my vocalist to sing backing vocals in a more ‘breathy’ way. Are you able to offer some vocal coaching tips that I can ask him to try?

I have three laptops in the house, all of which produce various sparks and flashes at the mains end when plugged into the wall. Can this be ‘right’ ?

In the May 2015 Mix Rescue article, Mike Senior talks about how he bounced out a mix any number of times to compare it to his references. I understand the purpose of referencing, but what I don’t understand is why he bounced out the mix.

I’ve put a lot of effort into creating and editing a recording of a solo mandolin. Although I like the final result a lot, on reflection the tone seems too trebly and cold.

I recently came across an Eric Valentine video, in which he mentions how he keeps his preamps in the live room. My question is this: is there really a valid reason for doing this on runs which I imagine to be less than 100 feet?

I get the impression that manufacturing tolerances for mid-range and cheaper microphones are not always as tight as one would desire. If I found a mic I liked, and were then to go out and buy that model of mic, might the one I tested and the one I bought sound significantly different?

I often wonder exactly what gets matched when microphones with interchangeable capsules are bought as a stereo pair. Is it the bodies, the capsules, or both?

I can’t find good explanations about the ‘Playback Resample Mode’ options available in Cockos Reaper, specifically the difference between the Good (64pt Sinc) and Better (192pt Sinc — Slow) modes.

I’ve read that I can get a good hip–hop kick or snare sound by ‘clipping’ it. But when I try this, it sounds horrible. What am I doing wrong?

I’m seeking some guidance on why I’m unable to record from my guitar amp straight to my audio interface.

My band tracked some songs at a local studio using their Pro Tools rig and I want to mix the tracks at home in Reaper.

I’ve recently become interested in manipulating phase while mixing recorded drums to see what that would do.

I have a friend who has a problem. He uses two different amps on stage, one a Marshall and the other a Hughes & Kettner, with a 2x12 and 4x12 cab, respectively. Is there any way he can just use one cab for both amps?

SOS Technical Editor Hugh Robjohns replies.

It’s probably cheaper than you think, provided you spend your money wisely. We offer some sage advice...

I’m using the MeldaProduction Mixing Bundle plug-ins and I noticed that certain instrument patches sound very appealing and wide, but when I check them on Melda’s MStereoScope they appear fairly heavily out of phase. Should I worry about this?

I have some of my condenser mics running into more than one preamp, via a passive mic splitter, with only one of the preamps applying phantom power. Is this the way it should be?

For tracking a band in the same room, what are the pros and cons of using a Perspex drum screen?