Need to get away? There’s a planet just for you in New Paltz, New York.
A little patch of utopia upstate, New Paltz has been a college town since 1828, but the latest learning experience there comes from Rogue Planet Mastering. Founded by Mike Kalajian, the facility is all about Read more...
“UBK” is an acronym that stands for “Useless Bank of Knowledge.” It was intended as sardonic and self-deprecating nickname, and Gregory Scott, owner of Kush Audio and Sly-Fi Digital, uses it in place of his real name, almost like a signature, on all his cutting-edge hardware and software designs.
But Read more...
Recently demolished to make way for a parking lot, this historic Nashville studio has risen from the ashes in a new location, arguably better than ever.
Nashville’s iconic Studio 19 first opened its doors as “Music City Recorders” in the early 1960s. Artists from across genres, from Ringo Starr, to Read more...
This is NOT a scoop: Avatar Studios is for sale.
Unarguably New York City’s signature audio facility, Avatar was first rumored to be available via a minimalist Billboard article that ran on Friday, September 25th. Then, the story officially broke on the New York Times three days later, in a Read more...
Many great reverb plugins have come out in recent years. A few of my favorites include Universal Audio’s EMT plates and Lexicon 224, along with the more affordable Valhalla reverbs. While we could endlessly debate which plugins should make a “who’s who” list of recent reverbs, I think that most Read more...
Electric bass lends itself well to sampling—but you need to channel a bass player if you want a sampled electric bass part to sound convincing. These tips will help create bass parts where people will wonder if they’re from a sampler, or from a bass player with really good technique. Read more...
Whether it’s for aesthetic reasons or simply to save money, I’ve seen a renewed desire among musicians to record as a full band in one room with no overdubs.
Tracking live can often be more difficult than expected however, as there are many more variables to contend than on a Read more...
When I was presented with the opportunity to review the Kaya from UBK’s new plugin line, Sly-Fi Digital, I decided I wanted to approach it in a different way.
The timing coincided with starting mixes on a new project, so instead of general descriptions of the plugin I thought I Read more...
Michael James is music. It’s at the center of absolutely everything he does.
The LA-based mix engineer has been riding high all year, thanks to a double #1 hit via his mix of the song “Estrellas Rotas” from the brilliant recording artist Kalimba’s latest record, Cena Para Desayunar (Sony Music). Read more...
Much of audio engineering is about avoiding distortion. Outside of guitar sounds and tube saturation, “distortion” is often considered a dirty word.
“Dirty” is all a matter of perspective though, and sometimes a little added grit can really accentuate your pristine sounds. Other times, a bit of overblown aggressiveness is Read more...
