Recording

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.

Bored with ordinary commercial studios, The Cure decided to cut loose for their latest album, and set up their latest recording facility in a Tudor house in the country. Nigel Humberstone visited the band on location to discuss the technology that made the move into the country possible, and the group's working methods.

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...

What do you do if a valuable master tape that you've had on the shelf for the past 15 years tries to weld itself to the playback head as soon as you try to play it? Swear loudly, then pop in in a low oven, advises master chef Jean-Paul White...

CD-R may be the fastest growing mastering format, but its complicated zip codes and impenetrable protocols have made it anything but user friendly. As prices tumble and software evolves, however, it's an increasingly accessible medium. Mike Collins explains how he's mastered mastering on his Mac...

If you don't have a multitrack but you're keen to start experimenting with recording, good results can be achieved with just a couple of mics and a domestic cassette deck. Paul White shows you how to be a stereo MC...

The Godfather of German electronic music, Klaus Schulze favoured an all-digital approach to recording the '80s. The last few years, however, have seen a radical revision of his former philosophy. Paul Tingen meets the man for whom old working habits die hard...

Behind every musical milestone there's a pioneering engineer. In the first of an occasional series, Richard Buskin looks at classic recordings from a technical angle. This month, former Van Morrison engineer Elliot Scheiner talks about the 1970s sessions which produced the 'Domino' effect...

Aquabats are an unconventional trio dedicated to the creation and recording of unconventional improvised music — using unconventional and often improvised instruments — which they call Earth Music. Tim Turan tells the story.

After years of rumours and myth, the fruits of the Beatles' reunion for small screen and recording projects can now be experienced by mere mortals. For the past 18 months, Mark Cunningham has been keeping his ear to the ground, and can now reveal the fascinating details surrounding the Fab Four's Second Coming'...

In these days of practically unlimited MIDI sequencer tracks, just eight tape tracks can seem frustratingly few. David Mellor passes on a few tricks to help 8-track users expand their recording horizons — including how to get 20 tracks from 8...

For his latest musical project, Rick Wakeman chose to work with a travelling state circus. Jonathan Miller discusses the keyboard virtuoso's clowning glory, and delves into the man's 27-year recording career.

In an ideal world, studios would function without hum, hiss, glitches, or mysteriously absent signals, but as Paul White has discovered through experience — they don't!