My passion for music began at the drum set, and quickly expanded out to the world of recording. If I’m not asleep on an SSL, you will likely find me in a boutique coffee shop talking about my new favorite hip-hop artists.
Bass Guitar Recording Methods to Enhance Your Tracks
What do you throw a drowning bassist?…their case. Just kidding! Let’s be real and acknowledge that the bass guitar plays an incredibly crucial role in our music today. A lot of popular music is driven by the bass. So if a bass track isn’t recorded well, it can really hurt the excitement of a recording. […]
The Basics of Synth Sound Design
The first time I sat at a synthesizer I didn’t care about the knobs and faders, I was just excited about the sound coming from my speakers. As I became more comfortable with synths, I started picturing the specific tones in my head, and how I could use those same knobs to create them. Today […]
Fixing an Old Upright Piano with RX 7
Sample libraries have come a long way and I can’t deny it, but there’s something beautifully organic about capturing live acoustic instruments. It’s similar to the pictures you take on an old disposable camera. That being said, nobody likes seeing a zit in their photo. I’m going to show you how I find the happy […]
Recording an Old Upright Piano
The piano is a beautiful instrument with unmatched emotional depth. Without it we would be without the music of Elton John, Thelonious Monk, Alicia Keys, and many more. There are many types of pianos and each presents a different challenge for recording engineers. Recently, I had the chance to record an old upright piano, and […]
Important Akai MPC Updates
Lately, Akai has been releasing some incredible updates for the MPC Live and MPC X. There’s been little talk of these updates, but they are truly game changing and I would like to discuss their importance in case you haven’t hit that update button yet. Update 2.3 When I purchased the MPC Live, I was […]
Savory Softube Plug-ins
We all have our own obsessions. Some musicians drool over the newest boutique guitar pedals. Another musician that works at zZounds may dream about a tweed couch that matches all of his vintage Fender tweed amps. I, on the other hand, obsess over my new favorite plug-ins. I recently purchased a bundle of Softube plug-ins, […]
Beefing Up Your Drum Mix
Great recordings are defined by their drum sound. Think about your favorite album — can you picture that snare timbre in your head? Arctic Monkeys’ AM is a perfect example of a drum sound that truly defined an album. Tchad Blake took a high-energy group of performers and matched the mix to their personalities. I’ll admit […]
Making a Program on the MPC Live
A true hip hop fan cannot deny the impact that the Akai MPC has had on music. If you’re a fan of J Dilla or MF Doom, then you’re a fan of the MPC and some of its most talented users. In this post, we’re checking out one of the newer MPC models, the MPC […]
Side-chain Compression
Sometimes mixes can feel a little cluttered, especially when the song features a dense instrumentation. As audio engineers, we have to find creative ways to manage the density of the projects that we are working on. The side chain input on a compressor can be a useful tool for managing this musical density. Typically, a […]
