SOUND ON SOUND
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Just what can you expect in a PC system costing £600? Or over £1500? We round up the likely specs and the possible pitfalls.
I have downloaded various MP3s from the Internet. I also buy vinyl, which I record into Steinberg Wavelab and convert to MP3. The Wavelab MP3s sound different to the downloaded ones and are generally quieter. Are there different MP3 types and how can they differ sonically?
I'm considering moving over from my current Mac setup to a PC laptop for mobile recording, using Nuendo 2 and either an RME Cardbus interface or one of MOTU's Firewire systems. Can you point me in the right direction? Is a Centrino laptop the only sensible choice for this kind of application?
You don't need a Pro Control to get some hands-on control of Pro Tools. You don't even need one of the 'supported' MIDI control surfaces: pretty much anything with knobs on will do. Read on...
Can you give me some compressor tips to make heavy guitars sound more full and even? For example, I want single-note melodies to sound as full as chords or power chords. Also I want to give palm-muted power chords more pump or bite. I'm using the built-in dynamic processors on a Yamaha 03D mixer.
I've recently upgraded my recording system. Unfortunately the improvements in the signal chain have highlighted more and more the sound of the room I'm in. The other night I tried singing under a couple of futons with really good results. With a touch of reverb the vocal sits in the mix much better and the fans on the computer are no longer heard. Alas, I can't play the guitar under there, so I was thinking of building a small booth, say 3 x 5 x 7 feet, and hanging the futons on the walls to create a deader environment in which to track. Some degree of soundproofing is a bonus, but my main aim is a more neutral acoustic to take and treat with effects. Will I just be swapping one duff sound for another?
How much distance should there be between my monitors and should they face straight forward or be angled toward the listener? Also, as my monitors will be placed against a wall, should some acoustic foam be placed directly behind or between them?
I record brass bands regularly using a stereo mic setup (X/Y or spaced pair). The people I record for are always happy with the results, but I feel I can do better. The sound still doesn't come close enough to a commercial brass band recording. Which mic placement should give the best results?
These two new large-diaphragm mics from Rode improve on their previous technology, offering a classy sound with exceptionally low noise.
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When studios are increasingly dominated by software, why are we still hanging on to hardware design paradigms?
Find out how to load REX files into Sonar, discover which digital audio editors work best with loops, and explore some useful envelope techniques.
For many years, German designer Stefan Moeller has been on a quest to perfectly emulate Brian May's guitar amp sound. Now, with TC's new TC Thirty plug-in for Powercore, he believes he's cracked it...
The SOS team apply themselves to the task of mixing Chinese traditional instruments with mainstream Western sounds at reader Jiang Li's home studio.
Tascam's new Digital Portastudio is the most affordable 24-track workstation on the market. In our exclusive hands-on review, we find out how easy it is to use, and whether its recording quality is as impressive as its track count.
Layering voices is one of the best ways to maximise the potential of your XG sound module, so here are a variety of ingenious ways you can use this technique — you can even turn your synth into a high-spec step sequencer!
Find out how to mike up a typical live band — and also discover when it's best to Direct Inject instead.
Effects can play just as important a role in sound creation as the elements in a synth's signal path — provided you have access to their constituent parts. We take a closer look at effects synthesis using simple delays.
If you've never investigated DP's Consoles feature, you may be missing out on interesting MIDI and Audio control possibilities. We explain, as well as introducing a couple of indispensable new utilities.