No matter what size studio you have, power-related noise can cause serious problems. The typical scenario in the personal studio goes something like this:...
Virtual Instruments (VIs) hold out the promise that a few windows on your computer screen can effectively replace a roomful of expensive hardware instruments....
Resonant filter sweeps are as old as synthesis itself, and they often tag a track as dated and synthy. Nevertheless, a good old-fashioned eeeeowww is...
The sound emitted from almost every synthesizer and sampler comes from a module called an oscillator. The output of the oscillator is usually processed...
Audio enthusiasts have been touting surround sound as the next big thing in audio for several years now. Further, the DVD revolution and video gaming...
Many of us often find ourselves mixing in the box using plug-ins in place of analog processors and pushing a mouse instead of riding faders. As a result,...
In Sound Design Workshop: Off the Wall (see the August 2005 issue of EM), I discussed some of the creative possibilities of slicing, displacing, and offsetting...
Musicians are forever looking for ways to improve the sounds that they create. Many of the methods they use fall under the heading of which can be free-standing...
The idea of useless knowledge is inherently erroneous. I am a proud purveyor of details of limited purpose, like the release dates of classic albums or...
John Medeski has been known to make strong snap judgments. Imagine this: as a child prodigy, he was groomed to become one of the country's leading concert...
Musicians and audio engineers have a rich history of buying and selling used instruments and equipment. Historically, such transactions have taken place...
Apple's GarageBand audio recording application has recently been upgraded to version 2, and the program offers several welcome improvements. GarageBand...
Extreme forms of audio and MIDI editing can pull listeners in, and the resulting techniques often become a vital part of the ongoing evolution of electronic...
Music is always changing. Even in the most repetitious groove, the individual sounds change from moment to moment. Some of the changes come in the form...
Life is sweet for Mrcio Victor. At age 25, the heavy-hitting Brazilian percussionist has already worked with some of that country's biggest music stars,...
Mastering has become a critical step in producing a CD or DVD almost as important as tracking and mixing. Much of this final step involves tweaking various...
The Internet has done more to advance the spread of information than any technological advance since the invention of the printing press. Electronic musicians...
There's an old Los Angeles joke that goes like this: What's the fastest way to the Valley? The answer: Marry a musician! The joke refers to the San Fernando...
