Studio Solutions Collection: DAW Production Techniques
Audio production has come a long way since the advent of the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). Whether you’re just starting to mix and master your own tracks in your DAW at home, or you’re a more experienced producer, check out this collection of zZounds Blog posts and pick up a new technique to try on […]
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, […]
Cymbal Anatomy Part 3: Thickness
So far, we’ve discussed attributes that affect your cymbals’ overall tone, namely its hammering and lathing. Here we’ll discuss one of the most important features that affects a cymbal’s aural envelope: thickness. The thickness of your cymbal shapes everything from strike feel to its attack, decay, sustain, and release (terms familiar to synthesists that might […]
Beat Techniques: Binaural Production
Welcome to Beat Connection, a series dedicated to promoting modern and vintage dance styles the only way we know how…by providing you a musical starting point to help you create that beat. In the majority of our recent posts, we’ve been taking you on a journey to what I’d dub “foundational beats.” These foundational beats […]
Top 10: Spookiest Gear
The weather is growing colder, the leaves are turning and falling off the trees, you’re noticing your old t-shirts from college don’t fit, probably because you ordered too many buffalo wings while watching the game. its autumn and that means Halloween is upon us. Sure, you could deck out your house with fake cobwebs, rubber […]
Fender to Release Jimmy Page Signature Telecaster
Yesterday, Fender teased on social media that they will be releasing four versions of a Jimmy Page signature Telecaster model in January 2019, two will be Custom Shop models and two will be production models.The “mirror” and “dragon” finishes will be recreated for both the Custom Shop and Production varieties — the Custom Shop finishes […]
Guitar Workbench Collection: Setting Up Your Guitar
Whether you’ve just unboxed a brand-new axe or you’re looking to dust off an old favorite, chances are going through a few simple setup procedures will bring out the best in your playing and make it easier to form a bond with your instrument. In this collection, we’ve put together some of our helpful Guitar […]
Perfect Pairings: Guild D-55 & F-512E
In this Perfect Pairings video, we’re matching up a pair of Guild acoustic guitars, the D-55 and the F-512E 12-string, to create a robust (and very autumnal) sonic statement. The Guild D-55 acoustic takes the classic style of large dreadnought guitars, and spices it up in a way only Guild knows how. The guitar’s premium […]
How to Use a SubKick on Studio Drums
The SubKick has been around for a long time, or at least the idea of it has. Using a reverse-polarity speaker as a dynamic microphone has been around since at least the ’60s as a recording technique, but didn’t popularize until the early 2000s when Yamaha released the SKRM-100. The SubKick uses the physical movement […]
