Love it or hate it, the sound of the vuvuzela is an intrinsic feature of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa. So what if you hate it?
Copyright in music has allowed songwriters and musicians to make a living for decades. But would they now be better off without it?
Copyright might be good for a few rich musicians, but is it good for music? In this video, we see how not having copyright might actually be the best thing for music perhaps since notes were invented.
Leaving aside questions of color and pattern, what type of carpet works best in a recording studio environment?
This YouTube video has a slight problem with the sound - the gain is set far too high and the sound is horribly clipped.
Jones For Tones is a Vancouver based music production company with a focus on songwriting, owned and operated by session bassist/recording artist Tony Marriott.
An RP visitor enquires whether the Genelec 8240A with digital inputs and DSP is suitable for the home recording studio. Hmm...
If you buy CDs at flea markets or car boot sales, you may be buying counterfeit, pirate or bootleg products. Does this matter? What do you need to know?
In the triangle of lyricist-composer-producer, various copyrights are generated on which royalties are payable. But who gets the lion's share?
The Auto-Tune debate is unlikely to go away. Those who can, sing. Those who can't use Auto-Tune.
Vintage Neumann M49 microphones don't often come up for sale, but there's one on eBay right now. And there are lots of lovely photographs (drool!)...
Popular music is here today, gone tomorrow. Each new recording gets more and more stale as time goes by, where classical music can always remain fresh and new.
Early mixing consoles had quadrant faders instead of the linear faders of today. Do they just look pleasantly retro, or do they have advantages we have now lost?
A good manager is hard to find. But why do you need one in the first place? And where are you going to look?
You don't need years of music theory training to write for an orchestra. If the sounds are in your head, technology can get them out.
Suppose you worked on a recording, but you didn't get a credit. Would this matter to you? You bet it would!
Recording a clean acoustic guitar sound at home isn't always easy. But there are things you can do to put the 'wow' into your recordings...
If you have a studio business, doubtless you want it to continue for decades to come. But if you don't understand the client life cycle then you'll soon be in trouble.
Whoever invented this stupid terminology should be force fed with Brussels sprouts for a fortnight. Even the 'experts' can get it wrong.
A pro recording studio for £135 a day (around $200 USD), with access to just about any exotic gear you could possibly want - could this possibly be true?
Ah, that mysterious Q control in your EQ. Does it actually do anything?
It's exciting for a school to have a music recording studio installed. But getting it working and keeping it working are often two very different things.
If you never have problems with your DAW, you're in a tiny minority. But using the right DAW could make life much easier.
It's a topic of endless debate, but really there is no way a stream of digits can beat the real vinyl experience.
An Australian court has recently decided that a song that is almost a national anthem rips off another song written 49 years previously. And someone is going to have to pay...
An RP reader who is already a pro recording engineer wants to become a (highly paid) mix engineer. How can he achieve this?
We're all for cutting costs where it doesn't compromise performance, but can office dividers do a good job in the recording studio?
All live sound mixing consoles have pan controls. But there are very good reasons not to use them. Not if you respect your audience, that is.
We used to be in love with MIDI. But you hardly hear of it these days. Has it gone away, or is it just keeping quiet?
If you don't back up your data, then you are headed for sure and certain disaster. It's a question of 'when?', not 'if?'
The range of great home recording equipment available these days is truly superb. But occasionally we all buy something that just wasn't worth the money. What's your experience?
An RP visitor asks how he would record a symphony orchestra. Does it need sixty microphones? Or could you do it with two?
Do your recordings have warmth? Yes? But does the amount of warmth vary with the signal level? Wouldn't you like it to be more consistent...
A reader asks whether it is allowable to pan low frequency instruments. If not, what would the possible penalty be?
The mastering loudness war is not yet over, yet the casualties are piling up. Yet here is convincing proof that it is all so wrong...
An RP reader asks whether he can record on his workstation and then export tracks to his computer for editing and mixing. Why would he want to do that...?
You spent a week recording your best and finest track. It took a year to get a label to accept it. But they want a remix and your multitrack won't play. What do you do?
Delay is one of the simplest yet (currently) under-appreciated effects available. But how do you work out the correct settings?
An RP reader wishes to improve the sound he gets from his microphone. Is this possible, or does he need a better mic?
It is probably the most common ambition in music. But many people want to become a record producer without really understanding what it means. Here's the primer...
This is a tricky concept to explain and understand. But once you do understand it you'll feel an awful lot better. In fact, you'll probably feel so good you will consider yourself one of the 'elite' of sound engineering and look down upon lesser mortals who do not understand it...
You've tried all the usual microphones and are tired of their sound? Why not try something that is really over the edge...
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The microphone used by Dusty Springfield on many of her hit records is up for sale. Vintage tube AKG C12 microphones don't come up for sale very often. This could be your big chance!
Some things about Apple's iPad are great. Some things are, er, missing. But how useful is it in the studio right now?
It was supposed to be a magical and revolutionary device. But now that it's here, it is plain that it really isn't anything special at all.
If your monitors are too small to handle deep bass, then there's stuff going on your recordings that you don't know about. Would a subwoofer help?
In contrast to my recent article where I said that choice of microphone often doesn't matter, there are times where selecting the right microphone can make an enormous difference to your sound.
One of the most enduring myths in recording has been the endless quest for more and more tracks, which grew exponentially from the real need to overdub in the 60's. Prior to 4 track, overdubs were made by compiling sounds from one machine to another - with a generation loss of sonics every time...
Is latency putting your singer off their stride? RME's Fireface can offer a unique solution...
Where do you make your production decisions? In the studio? No, there's a better place than that, somewhere you can get some peace and quiet...
Your mic might be cardioid, omnidirectional, figure-of-eight or hypercardioid, but what difference will it make to your recording?
Capacitor microphones used to come each with their own power supply. Then phantom power was invented so that any number of mics can be powered from the mixing console. So why are some manufacturers returning to the old ways?
Probably anyone can make it in music, as long as they have sufficient determination. Plenty of people have achieved great things in music even though they had very little ability to start out with...
It's an old cliche of rock music that the bass guitarist should be close to the drummer. But with modern technology does this still matter? And will you indeed go deaf?
Are you guilty of recording cliches? Do you do things because you've seen other people doing it like that? Or do you decide for yourself what's best?
Do music business lawyers always know what they are doing? Or could they ask you to sign a contract that would not stand up in court?
Sometimes the sound of the electric guitar doesn't quite cut it. But there are ways you can make the guitar sound like more than it is. Much more...
What will happen if you use an uncleared sample on your recording? Can you sample legally if your use is only private? Is it safe to use samples you find on the Internet?
You'll never get a good recording of a drum set if the cymbals sound bad. But how you be sure to get a perfect cymbal sound every time?
Setting the gain of the microphone preamplifier correctly is one of the basic skills of audio. So why don't mic preamps need meters?
Try close-miking a flute or any other woodwind instrument and you will pick up a whole load of key clicking. What can you do? How much is too much?
Some people working at the high end of audio believe that nearly all great mics are made in Germany or Austria. But can you make a great recording with a mic made in China?
Jamhub is a totally new concept - a rehearsal amp for the whole band. RecordProducer.com asks inventor Steve Skillings all about Jamhub - what it does, where the idea came from, and why you should want one. (There's a prize too!)
Clipping is an eternal problem in audio. It causes terrible distortion and cannot be corrected. Here is the VERY BEST tool to prevent you getting a clip ever again...
We're organising a mass protest against the Larrikin Music vs. Men At Work court decision. Join now and the kookaburra may not have the last laugh.
If your microphone sizzles like a frying pan full of eggs, bacon and sausages, clearly there is a problem to be solved.
Whoever designs microphones clearly thinks that they all should be microphone-shaped. But isn't it about time we had something more appropriate to the way we use them?
Why do we still plug our microphones into old-fashioned mic preamplifiers when we could be plugging them in directly via USB?
'If you don't ask, you don't get!' That's a good old proverb. But have you asked anyone recently? This guy has...
JamHub is billed as 'the silent rehearsal studio'. Whatever it is, there's simply nothing else like it.
An RP reader asks whether freezing tracks that use plug-ins is bad for your hard disk? Would it be better to bounce them?
You're trying to get a decent recording, but your singer is doing really strange things with the microphone. What do you do?
What is it about your studio that makes it look and feel like a recording studio, and a nice place to work? Or is it just another room in your house?
Do you still use DAT? CD recorders? Outboard effects units? Come on and admit it - you're a dinosaur!
The food you eat is mostly factory farmed - grown in chemicals manufactured in a chemical works. But is your music 'factory farmed' too, and does it sound like it?
Are there a hundred different ways to record the snare drum? The answer is 'Yes!', and you need to understand them all...
Do you always connect your effects pedals between your guitar and amplifier. Wow, that's just so retro!
You've got your recordings in hand, you've done your networking and have finally made contact with that one industry professional that can help you launch your career... then here it comes, "I need you to send me your multitrack files so I can remix it." Now what do you do to make that happen?
Amplifiers can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. A symmetrical amplifier has both positive and negative power supply rails and the signal rises and falls centered on the 0 volts point exactly in between. An asymmetrical amplifier has only one power supply rail and the signal is biased to a voltage midway between zero volts and the power supply voltage...
Record Producer Steve Lyon gives a taste of what it is like to work with Glyn Johns's simple drum miking techniques and explains why metal sheets were once brought into the studio.
You are running tons of plug-ins and your computer is running out of steam. How can you lighten the load AND use as many plug-ins as you like?
Everyone should build a loudspeaker at least once in their life. But for this would-be loudspeaker builder, their first attempt was something of a disaster...
A little bit of compression can often do wonders for a recording. But it always adds noise. Always. Why is this so? What can be done?
Low-pass and high-pass filters often have a 'slope' control. What is the slope of a filter? How do you select the right slope?
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A throwaway line in a mid-song flute solo has cost the writers of 'Down Under' dearly. A court judgment means they must now hand over their royalties. But there's good news too...
You're watching a live music show on TV, but something doesn't seem right. Should live music be live? Or should we just expect it to be fake?
While the iPad might be something less than a computer, it is definitely something more than many of the other computer-like devices in our lives.
Mike Leader of Leader Cinema systems, manufacturers of world class large-scale systems for both music industry and motion picture industry professionals, tells you more about subwoofers than you thought you could possibly want to know...
Having trouble with your recordings? It could be that your preamp simply doesn't have enough frequencies!
David Mellor argues that knowing how to position a microphone can make a far bigger difference to the quality of your work than which microphone you choose.
It's not every day we get a new Prime Minister in the UK. And for a Prime Minister to talk directly to RecordProducer.com, well that must be really special!
Glyn Johns is one of the UK’s most respected producers and engineers and has successfully made his mark on the recording of drums, which is arguably the most difficult task in all sound engineering.
What makes a hit record? Sometimes it's the song, sometimes it's the sound. But who decides whether a certain 'sound' will sell?
A good drummer is worth his or her weight in platinum. But how can you know for sure just how good they are?
For performance, the soloists stand in front of the choir. But for recording, perhaps they should stand behind. Here's why...
An RP reader successfully lands an internship in a major recording studio. But the kind of work he is asked to do isn't quite what he expected...
A RecordProducer.com visitor asks whether a good analog-to-digital converter is necessary. Or will any old converter do?
Your college tutors don't work in the real world, so how can they possibly assess you by real-world criteria?
Do you suffer from dull, lifeless sound? Do you wish you could have just that little extra sparkle? With the right preparation, you can!
When super-accurate capacitor microphones are available, why do we cling to the past and still often use dynamic mics? Shouldn't we be moving on?
It's tricky to find a good place to set up a studio. If you live in an apartment, then unless you live in a very old building with really thick walls, you might as well forget it, or just record the electronic components of your music at home, monitoring on headphones...
A record label specializing in high quality audio charges $$$ for its tracks. But will you get good value for your money?
Chopping up beats from pre-existing drum loops has long been a standard part of the production process. But can you be a Beat Slicer for a living?
The world-famous Abbey Road studio complex has been in the news lately. But not here. We'd rather record there than spread more tittle-tattle.
Pro Tools is considered by many to be the king of digital audio workstation software. But it might soon be time for someone else to wear the crown. Here's why...
An RP reader has worked out an interesting way of connecting his compressor. Will it work? Or is something going to blow?
Aldo Caballero has recently opened a small commercial recording facility in Mexico, right on the border with the USA. Here is Aldo telling us about his studio in his own words...
There are more audio formats than you could possibly shake a stick at. But could you find a use for FLAC in your recording process? We think you could.
If your drum reverbs are hanging around too long, they could be confusing your sound. How long should a drum reverb last?
There's a new software around that could be the savior of the music industry. And you can get your hands on some amazing original multitrack recordings too!
Anyone still using pre-2005 software? Pre-2000?? Pre-1995??? Can anyone go back even further than that?
Apple's launch of the iPad has created a whole new segment in computing. Should musicians rejoice? Or be very afraid?
The ADK A-48 Vintage Valve microphone features no fewer than nine polar patterns. Is this overkill, or the ultimate in fine tuning?
Sony has just released a 70-disc set of CDs. Some discs last less than 30 minutes. Some recordings are exact duplicates. Are you one of the people who has no option but to buy it?
So your band has a website. That is so 2009! Why not get the new decade started with an iPhone app that showcases your talent to the (iPhone) world?
As Roger Waters of Pink Floyd once said, "It doesn't have to be loud. We just like it loud." Well, some people would like it even louder. Is this possible?
Go to a piano teacher and they will tell you to practice every day. But the one thing they hardly ever tell you is *how* to practice. But the cure for 'wrongnoteitis' might be simpler than you think.
It's a strange world where you can buy a secondhand analog tape recorder for less than the price of some tape emulation plug-ins and devices. But which will give you the most authentic sound?
Still struggling to get a good sound in your home recording studio? Perhaps a visit to a pro studio would fix all your problems.
The compressor is a great studio tool. But does it work for live sound? Is there a hidden danger that will keep the engineer on his toes?
Some microphone and instrument preamplifiers have a variable impedance selector. What kind of difference will it make to your sound? What are you missing if you don't have it?
Push your levels too high and you will break the bounds of your system's capability. But will a limiter make things any better, or simply act as another source of distortion?
Both EQ and filters alter the frequency response characteristics of a signal. But how are they different, and how should they be applied?
Everyone knows that you should compress the snare and kick drum. But why should you do it, and how should you do it?
Auto-Tune is a powerful vocal tuning software. It can turn an out-of-tune vocal track into a pitch-perfect pro performance. But are there times when you would be better off not using it?
It is often thought that you should master a mix so that it sounds as loud as possible. But for some markets, this could ruin your chances of selling your music.
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