How-To Guides 5
Beat Tools: Generative Music Software for PCs
As I wrote the title of this post, I suddenly realized: “There is nothing sexy about the words “generative music.” Just hearing them places you in the land of people in lab coats, looking at Matrix-like code, and listening to really unmusical, experimental music. After you know what generative music is (see: prior post covering […]
The Ultimate Pedalboard Build Guide
There comes a time in every guitarist’s life where carrying around that huge bag of pedals and cables to assemble at every gig becomes too much. Putting together a pedalboard is a great way to organize and transport your pedals while also cutting your set up time down to just a minute or two. Today […]
Andrew Marshall Talks Drumming for Billie Eilish and His Monster Live Kit
Andrew Marshall is a working drummer who has played and produced for dozens of artists and bands. Currently he’s supplying beats and live production on Billie Eilish’s When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? tour. zZounds sat down with Andrew in the depths of the United Center during their stop in Chicago to […]
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 […]
How Drum Heads Affect Your Tone
Drum heads: an oft-debated subject for drummers in which hard-and-fast opinions abound. Clear or coated? Single ply or double ply? Let’s dig into this debate and learn what impact drum heads have on the sound of your kit. Ply Put simply, the ply refers to how many layers of material your drum head has. More […]
A Guide to Studio Compressors
What is Compression? As many (or maybe all) of you already know, dynamic range compression is basically a particular type of audio signal processing that attenuates the peak audio wave decibel level while increasing the dB level of the quieter signals. In the easiest possible terminology, compression makes loud stuff a bit quieter and quiet […]
Exploring the Korg Monotron Delay
Introduced in 2010, the original Monotron was Korg’s first analog synthesizer in 25 years. Two years later came the Monotron Delay, which added a built-in digital delay (as well as UV-reflective paint on the front panel). With a synth that’s so basic in functionality, the addition of a delay effect does a lot to help […]
Cymbal Cleaner Shootout
Cleaning and polishing your cymbals not only preserves their look and shine, but also extends their life and tone! We all know that nearly every cymbal maker and tons of third-party companies make polish, but what works the best for you and could a D.I.Y. solution work just as well? Probably not. But that’s okay! […]
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 […]
