We’re almost half way through 2011. A huge thank you to our regular authors, and those who have contributed quick tips this year. Here are the Top 10 Posts for 2011, based on the number of times they were visited, the number of comments they inspired, and how you rated them. Let us know your favorite in the comments.
Top 5 Tutorials
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4 Foolproof Ways to Make Your Home Studio Sound Better
It’s easy to make music at your home today. However, you can’t put up low budget monitors and a microphone and call yourself a studio. There is a difference between a nice home recording studio – even if it’s just one spare room – and a low-cost corner in your bedroom, especially if you want to make money with it. We all start somewhere, even if it is in the corner of our bedroom but what separates the men from the boys is being able to take it to the next level. What follows are some of the foolproof ideas to make your home recording studio sound better.
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6 Simple Ways to Achieve Separation in Your Mix Downs
Creating a full, rounded and involving mix can be pretty challenging and one of the hardest bits is placing each instrument in it’s own defined space. Once you move past more than three or four elements there is always a danger of things becoming muddy. This is why we need to create separation.
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5 Compression Techniques and How to Use Them
Inspired by the great reception I received from 6 Frequencies and How to Spot Them I decided to do something similar with different types of compression. Compression is a tricky subject for many, and there is no “one” great method for any situation. Compression is subjective depending on what you are workings with. However, in the following tutorial I’m going to give you a few quick “go-to” techniques when you want a specific sound.
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6 Different Frequencies and How to Spot Them
I can never get enough information on EQ. I love to know how everybody EQed a certain vocal or drum sound to get that tight punch or shimmering highs so prominent in a mix. When you’ve mastered the EQ spectrum and you know where to go when you need to fix or embellish something, you are definitely ahead of the game.
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5 Simple Ways to Add Punch to Your Drum Parts
In this tutorial we are taking a look at how to add punch, shine and edge to your drum parts. So whether you have a cool drum loop that lacks that certain something or an entire drum group that needs a lift, these simple steps should point you in the right direction.
Top 4 Quick Tips
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Quick Tip: Use Multiple Audio Interfaces on Mac OS X
This is a true gem for Mac users especially when most DAWs do not allow you to use multiple audio interfaces. This can be very useful if you have multiple audio interfaces and want to use them together for more simultaneous inputs and outputs. I am sorry about this tutorial will only apply to Macs so Windows users are out of luck.
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Quick Tip: EQing Saxophone
Nothing sounds quite like the saxophone, and proper EQ can be the difference between a screaming pop alto solo and what appears to be middle school jazz band. In this tutorial, we’ll examine the EQ range of the alto saxohpone to deal with typical issues like muddiness, boxiness, and to add clarity and presence. Though this tut uses Alto saxophone, what we discuss here is directly applicable to all members of the saxophone family.
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Quick Tip: How to Ensure Your Masters Are Not Overlimited
More and more relative beginners are taking on their own mastering. This is great but if you plan to get the job done yourself there’s a few key things you should know before starting your first mastering sessions.
One of the key things to look out for is the final level of your finished master and the amount of reduction to your music’s dynamic range. In most cases you will only need to look to your final limiter to address both of these issues. Let’s take a look.
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Quick Tip: Epic Drum Sequencing with QL Stormdrum – Part 1
Probably most of you have played computer games or have watched movies, where the music is made with large percussion hits and really low ethnic drums. I remember watching the Warcraft 3 introduction video, where the attack of the orcs was accompanied by smashing drums. I always wanted to capture that sound and in this quick tip I’ll try to explain you some of the techniques I’ve come across in my experience.
Top Article
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20 Windows DAWs Worth Using
Most of the world use Windows computers, so the chances are you’re one of them. So if you want to produce music on your computer, what are your options? Fortunately there are a heap of them – most of the big name digital audio workstation software works fine on Windows, and they’re not your only choices. So sit down and take a menu. We list the “big gun” software you can choose from, some inexpensive (less than $100) alternatives, and a few free options.