
Do You Need A Subwoofer?
If you need more low end from your monitors, adding a sub can be very tempting — but is it the right option for you?
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If you need more low end from your monitors, adding a sub can be very tempting — but is it the right option for you?
Not all hardware loopers are created equal. This is quickly discovered when you dive deeper into creating sonic architectures...
Musician, sound designer, educator and all‑round electronic sound sorceress, Lisa Bella Donna has built a reputation for herself as one of the most eminent synthesists anywhere.
Audio files to accompany April 2023's Cubase workshop.
Paul White takes us through the history and evolution of guitar synths, from early attempts at creating onboard sounds and audio-to-MIDI pickups, through to using pedals and plug-ins to emulate synth effects.
The audio examples available on this page accompany my SOS April 2023 review of the Weight Tank compressor by Locomotive Audio. I’ve provided before and after examples along with the settings I used and a few thoughts on what I was trying to achieve with the compressor in each setting.
01_Drum Room_RAW
A mono drum room mic without any processing applied.
02_Drum Room_WT-Comp
This is an example of the WT-Comp being used to add character and excitement to the drum room mic. The attack was on the fastest setting, the release set at 11 o’clock and the drive setting was engaged. Around 7-8 dB of gain reduction was applied.
03_Bass Guitar_RAW
A bass guitar captured via direct input without any processing.
04_Bass Guitar_WT-Comp
An example of the WT-Comp used on a bass guitar DI to add more dynamic consistency. With upwards of 10 dB of gain reduction applied, you can hear how the compressor makes the part more solid but at the expense of a little low-end and a general change in tone. For this example, I had the drive setting engaged, the attack at 2 o'clock and the release at 3 o’clock.
05_Acoustic Guitar_RAW
An acoustic guitar recording with no processing.
06_Acoustic Guitar_WT-Comp
With the WT-Comp in its ‘round’ setting this is an example of I used the review unit to make a strummed acoustic guitar part sit more confidently in a mix. The attack was set at 2 o'clock and the release at its fastest setting.
07_Electric Guitar_RAW
An example of a slightly driven picked electric guitar recording.
08_Electric Guitar_WT-Comp
With the attack at 2 o’clock and release at its fastest setting, I used the WT-Comp to add more saturation and make the guitar part cut through the mix more easily. The drive setting was used and as much as 10dB of gain reduction.
09_Female Vocals_RAW
An example of a female vocal recorded without any processing.
10_Female Vocals_WT-Comp
In this example, you can hear how the WT-Comp adds more weight to a female vocal. I found I had to tread quite carefully on vocals and this has just 3-4 dB of gain reduction applied with both the attack and release set at around 12 o'clock. This is in the ‘round’ setting.
11_Male Vocals_RAW
An example of a Male vocal recorded without any processing.
12_Male Vocals_WT-Comp
For this example, I used the same settings as for the female vocal but with the drive setting engaged to add more harmonics to the vocal. I generally preferred the WT-Comp on male vocals that benefited from the extra low-end weight and a more coloured sound.
Lyndhurst Hall at AIR remains a favourite destination for Hollywood composers, rock bands and pop stars, and it's just emerged from a stunning renovation.
As part of Japan, Richard Barbieri soon became the thinking person’s synthesist, famous for his rich and textural electronic backings that beautifully complemented the work of other band members to forge what is still a unique sound to this day.
Will Purton is a London-based recording engineer, mixer and producer nominated in the Rising Star category for the 2023 Music Producers Guild Awards.
Daniel Moyler is a freelance mix engineer who was awarded Engineer Of The Year at the MPG 2020 Awards and won a 2021 Grammy for his engineering work on Dua Lipa's album Future Nostalgia.
Sam Inglis talks to Francine Perry, artist, producer and mix engineer, about her career so far and being nominated in the Rising Star category for her work with Beth Orton, Erasure and HAAi while based at Mute Studio.
Cecil (Adam) Bartlett is a London-based producer who talks to Sam Inglis about his career so far and being nominated in this year's Breakthrough Producer Of The Year category for his work on Here Is Everything by The Big Moon.
Manon Grandjean is a freelance mix engineer who has previously won three Music Producers Guild Awards. This year she's been nominated again for Mix Engineer Of The Year 2023, this time for her work with artists Flo, Fyfe & Iskra Strings and Milk & Bone.
Mikko Gordon is a Grammy nominated mixing engineer and record producer based in London. This year he's nominated by the Music Producers Guild for Recording Engineer Of The Year and Album Of The Year along with Nigel Godrich for The Smile: A Light for Attracting Attention.
Catherine Anne Davies, also known as The Anchoress, is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Sam Inglis talks to her about being nominated for Self Producing Artist in the Music Producers Guild Awards 2023.
Ampeg’s first official plug‑in offers a range of classic heads, cabs and effects.
The MiniFreak V is every bit as good as its hardware counterpart.
Arturia’s colourful soft synth goes from strength to strength.
Chris Hein’s OCTA instrument is truly greater than the sum of its parts.
DPA’s new flagship microphone bundle offers quality and quantity in abundance. We put it to work in a busy studio...