The best sounding virtual piano instruments can be yours often for under $200. In part two of our list of some of the top piano samples on the market, we look at four more virtual instruments that will add considerable production value to your mix.
Virtual instruments are becoming increasingly popular for their practicality and affordability. For many producers, using a virtual piano is the best and most affordable option for their studios. In this first part of our two part series, we'll look at four of the best virtual pianos on the market.
Though sometimes overlooked by studios on a budget, a monitor controller is one piece of studio gear many pros swear by. It can help you navigate between multiple sets of monitors and do A/B comparisons of your mix with a reference track.
It's awesome how easy it is to make a great sounding record these days. Indie albums have an entire market online and can be produced, sold and distributed at home with just a laptop and an Internet connection. While it's a very exciting time for home recording artists, many struggle to produce the quality of sound that they want. Here a three of the most common mistakes made in indie recording and how you can avoid them.
To get your mix to sound really good you're going to need patience and a well-formed idea of what you're looking for. One of the best tips for producers trying to better the quality of their mixes is to maintain a strong working knowledge of music that already sounds excellent, and then to compare such music to their own projects and scrupulously note the difference in the records.
It's pretty amazing what can be accomplished with music technology these days. With a Mac computer and a modest $1000 budget you can build a great sounding studio in your home. Here are our recommendations for how you can track vocals and guitars, program drums, pianos and all kinds of other virtual instruments, and mix with great plugins without going broke.
Large Diaphragm Condenser (LDC) mics are an asset to any serious recording studio. These recommended professional-grade models are some of the best LDC microphones on the market. Though expensive, they can offer the detail and richness to take your recording quality up a notch.
One of the most important pieces of gear for your recording studio is a large diaphragm condenser (LDC) microphone. Whether recording vocals, guitar, piano or drums, a large diaphragm condenser mic will likely be one of the best ways to get the depth and clarity you want. Here are some recommended LDC mics for the studio on a budget.
Understanding audio summing can help you in the mixing process for your record. Even if you're using a digital audio workstation, your options for summing aren't limited to what your software can do. You may want to take a look into getting an analog summing box.
Both the documentaries "Sound City" and "Muscle Shoals" offer an inside glimpse into how some of the most iconic records of the analog age were produced, along with stories surrounding the formation of two legendary studios.
As proof of that you don't need the most expensive gear to make a great record, here are two of the most iconic albums of the indie scene in recent years that were recorded almost exclusively on Shure's classic $100 SM57 dynamic cardioid mic.
The much anticipated Beats Music service launched last week and after spending some time with it, here's our review. For it's interface and unique curation features, Beats Music wins out over Spotify. But the limited web player version and sound profile could make audiophiles think twice.
Analog synthesizers are gaining popularity for their richer textures and full sound. There are basically three ways to record synths: direct, through a preamp or through a guitar amp. Here are the pros and cons of each.
Mixing and Mastering with headphones can be your best bet where you don't have a lot to spend on monitors and room treatments. For under $200 you can own a nice pair of mixing headphones that will give you a flat frequency response and accurate sound. We recommend one of these pairs of headphones for mixing and mastering.
These small diaphragm condenser mics are used by the best studios in the world. While they cost over $1000 each, there's probably no better investment you can make to instantly improve the quality of your instrument recordings. From brand new technology to the decades-old classics, we cover the bases on the most popular and nice-sounding SDCs money can buy.
