How-To Guides 5
Mix Sounding Flat? Here’s How to Keep Your Drums Punchy!
Drums drive the rhythm and energy of a track, but getting them to cut through a dense mix without overpowering other elements can be a challenge. Whether you’re mixing a hard-hitting rock track or a tight, modern pop beat, keeping your drums punchy and present requires a balance of EQ, compression, transient shaping, and strategic […]
Vinyl Turntable Setup: Build Your Perfect Home Record System
Don’t call it a comeback! Vinyl records are now a hit with all listeners. And whether you’re just starting out or upgrading your gear, there’s a turntable perfect for you at zZounds. In this video and blog post, we’ll cover three top options: the classic standard turntable, a modern wireless Bluetooth model, and a USB-enabled […]
Add Excitement to Your Mixes With the UAD Hitsville Reverb Plug-In
Ever notice the lively ambience of vocal, drum, and instrument tracks on ’60s Motown classics? That distinctive sound is due in large part to the unique house-turned-studio purchased by Motown founder Berry Gordy, the attic of which was converted into a reverb chamber that became one of the most characterful reverb sounds ever recorded. In […]
Using Delay to Create Spring Reverb: What Is the Belton Brick?
Classic, glassy, spring reverb. It’s a snapshot into the past of guitar tone. Mental images of Telecasters through a spring reverb-equipped amplifier in the hands of Dick Dale or George Harrison dance through your mind any time you hear it. But for most players, classic spring reverb tanks just aren’t practical in the modern age. […]
The Source Audio Artifakt Makes Lo-Fi Sounds Easy to Achieve!
The humble beginnings of “lo-fi” music started in musicians’ homes in the 1950s when the spirit of DIY recording was a necessity, not a style. Moving forward into the 1990s, artists began to adapt the low-fidelity sound of DIY recording techniques into the sound of their music overall. This brought the lo-fi sound into the […]
Mixing With the UAD Capitol Chambers Reverb Plug-in
It’s not easy to find a software reverb that replicates the complex-yet-musical sound of a real, physical reverb chamber. However, Universal Audio seems to have done this quite well with their Capitol Chambers reverb plug-in. Let’s get inside UAD’s Capitol Chambers and hear it in action! A Classic Verb If you’re going to emulate the […]
Novation MiniNova Synthesizer: A Legacy of Innovation
Dubstep. I keep staring at those words, sandwiched prominently between “R&B/Hip-Hop” and “Techno/House” on Novation’s MiniNova, and I keep thinking: “What were they thinking?” You see, that Novation MiniNova synthesizer, released in 2012, and bought by yours truly not too many years later, remains a compelling, if not slightly confounding, synth. From above, the MiniNova’s […]
Kinds of Kindness: Inside the Score of Jerskin Fendrix
Jerskin Fendrix is no stranger to composing for fantastical storylines — His work in 2024’s Kinds of Kindness is no exception. The latest Yorgos Lanthimos film is a triptych tale: three adjacent storylines with a few themes that tie the whole package together. One such element is Fendrix’s nightmarish score of piano and choir. A […]
Do “Magic” Frequencies Exist When Mixing Drums?
There is no magic bullet. That’s a point that this piece should get across first and foremost. That being said, learning about what boosting and cutting frequencies can to do to a mix is incredibly important for your engineering skills and satisfaction when recording drums. Any drum recording is only as good as the sum […]
