Recording

BT revitalised the sound of boy band N'Sync, composed some of the most radical soundtracks to appear in mainstream films, and has a good claim to have invented trance. And he still finds time to talk to SOS...

You don't need a wand to conjure up sonic magic, just a few well-chosen recording tools.

Recording to a computer can make it easier than ever before to produce a great vocal sound - but there are also pitfalls to watch out for...

Richard Buskin talks with two of Sweden's hottest writer-producers about their ongoing work as part of the Murlyn Music Group, including recent hit recordings by Jennifer Lopez, Samantha Mumba and Jessica Simpson.

Paul White provides some practical tips for achieving better recorded bass guitar and bass synth sounds.

You might be a virtuoso instrumentalist and a dab hand at programming, but can you get the two skills to work together? Sam Inglis offers some tips.

We explain how to get the best practical results from equalisation by understanding the true frequency ranges of most instruments and voices.

Simon Millward demonstrates how to use the tools for extracting groove templates from audio recordings within most MIDI + Audio sequencers and offers his tips and techniques for using them to achieve more feel in your tracks.

While physical modelling preamps may take the hassle out of recording electric guitars, you're still going to need to reach for a mic when recording acoustic guitar. Paul White shows you how to get the best recorded sound, and offers a few of his favourite tricks of the trade.

How do you follow 10 years in The Prodigy, one of the most successful bands of the last decade? By recording a solo album in an outhouse adjoining a disused windmill, naturally. Matt Bell meets former Firestarter Leeroy Thornhill and his studio designer Joe Morena to discuss the making of a recording facility in a former double garage.

EQ is a vital tool in modern music production, and an understanding of how each type of equaliser works is important if you are to choose the most effective one for each situation. Paul White and Mike Senior explain the basic principles of equalisation and the different practical implementations.

As with any recording system, the first goal of recording on a PC is to preserve as faithful a copy of the source sound as possible. Achieving this, however can be a complicated business. Martin Walker goes back to basics.

Craig Anderton shows you how to get the best results when combining miked and DI'ed feeds from a bass guitar.

Gates are far more than just problem-solvers for reducing spill and noise. They can be used to add punch to drum sounds, put rhythmic interest into sustained parts or even as mixing automation.

More and more musicians are trying to escape the sterile confines of modern commercial studios in favour of their own creative environments. Brendan Perry's highly individual recording space is uniquely suited to his eclectic style, as John Walden reports.

Paul White reveals that there's much more to gating than you might think.

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say, and that was certainly the case when Gregg Jackman decided to find a better way of recording string sections playing loud rock concerts. Hugh Robjohns talks to this inventive recording engineer.

Hugh Robjohns and Mike Senior explains how to get great results when creating arrangements one track at a time.

The answers to some of the more basic questions we receive at SOS might seem obvious, but they are, in fact, more complex that they appear. Mike Senior sets about answering the unanswerable...

With drum machines and samplers becoming increasingly prominent in music production, mixing real drums is becoming something of a lost art. Paul White explains the basics of this important mixing skill, and shares some secrets on how to get the best drum sound.

How can an electronic band produce exciting, spontaneous, unpredictable and visually engaging perfomances? And if they do, is it really possible to capture the experience of being there in a recording? Rick Smith and Karl Hyde of Underworld believe they have the answers, as Paul Tingen discovered.