How-To Guides 5
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 […]
What Does a DJ Do?
Life’s questions never come to you clearly. Sometimes, such pondering comes to you in places where you have to face them. For me, it was staring at a wedding DJ, who I can best describe as your friendly, local church lady, firing up her Lenovo laptop and proceeding to do something which I can describe […]
Cymbal Anatomy Part 7: Effects
There is an entire world outside of your hi-hats, crash, and ride cymbals that you might be ignoring. From the brash to the subtle, using effects cymbals can add a lot of personality to your sound. With an ever-expanding product category, it would be impossible to cover it all, so here is a look into […]
How to Start a Podcast
Podcasts are blasting through a popularity level we really haven’t seen since the release of the Apple iPod back in the mid-2000s. There was a time when podcasts were a very hip thing that was just on the cusp of becoming mainstream. Well, welcome to the mainstream kids: podcasts are for normies now. From the […]
Let it Bleed
It’s become a standard practice of modern recording to try and isolate each vocal and instrumental track as much as possible. For instance, making sure there is only snare coming through the snare mic, or isolating the vocals from the guitar during a simultaneous guitar-and-vocals track, etc. The idea behind this, which makes a lot […]
Fun With Flangers
Loved by many — and mildly perplexing to perhaps the same number of players, — the patiently enduring flanger effect has been found on recordings since the mid-20th century, and at the feet of guitarists since the ’70s. Even though the effect can yield mild, nuanced results, the exaggerated “jet plane” sound is typically what […]
Why Choose a Line Array Speaker System?
If you’re in the market for a new PA system, you may have noticed the emerging category of consumer line array speakers from brands like JBL, Altec Lansing, and QSC. What makes these speakers ideal (or not) for a given venue or live performance situation? Let’s take a look. Sound Dispersion Line array systems have […]
Art Cruz Talks Crush Drums, Lamb of God and Santana
Art Cruz has been tearing it up behind the kit with acts like Prong and Winds of Plague for years. Recently, he has taken over for legendary drummer Chris Adler in Lamb of God, as well as for Mark Morton’s solo project. zZounds spoke with Art Cruz about drumming with legendary bands, the gear he […]
Are Two Guitar Amps Better Than One?
Setting up a rig with two amps really inspired my playing, because nothing else can really capture that sound. While the sound increase isn’t as big as you’d expect, the tone can be transformative. It’s also simple to do, so don’t be afraid to pick up the necessary ingredients to start your path onto new […]
