Category: Studio Equipment

Top 10 Mastering Software DAWs

Mixing and mastering can be done with analog and digital workflows. Often the choice of which to go with comes down to user preferences, cost, and desired features of a system. The digital systems available to us today for mixing and mastering can support more tracks and more processing than many large-format consoles, making them […]

What is Analog Mastering?

  Quick Answer:  Analog mastering is the process of making a mix ready for distribution, while solely using analog equipment.  Analog equipment offers sonic characteristics that are different than the more modern and common digital mastering process, making it suited for certain genres and styles of music production. Analog Mastering in Detail: Since the widespread […]

10 Free Plugins To Improve Your Mix Before Mastering

While many engineers dream of owning racks of gear and endless plugins, the reality is, we often only need to start with a few pieces of equipment and some free plugins.  Lucky for us, there are all sorts of free plugins that can help improve a mix. Here’s a list of some free plugins that can […]

Top 7 Mastering Limiter Plugins

As mastering engineers, we have all heard people describe our job as “making it louder”. We adjust gain levels, we use compression, and we limit to achieve these results. To a listener, it is louder and reaching for the volume adjustment becomes less of a necessity. To us, it is a careful combination of tools […]

Top 10 Analog Mix Bus Compressors

Mix-bus compression has been used in countless recordings. We all like a punchy mix that sounds cohesive, and mix-bus compressors have achieved this for many engineers. Applying this technique to your own mixes can be challenging. There are tons of compressors available, but they are not all created equally. Here are some popular choices for […]

Tape Emulation

As audio engineers we live in a very exciting time. The capabilities and quality of the digital audio domain continue to expand and improve at unprecedented rates. High quality recordings are more affordable than ever to make. The commercial studio business is on the downfall, while home/project/mobile studio professionals and hobbyist are on the rise. […]

5 Great Ribbon Mics Pt. 2

To complete our list of five great ribbon mics, we’ll take a look at models from Shure, AEA and Audio-Technica and see how some manufacturers have updated the classic ribbon mic design and sound, while others have taken to reproducing the tones of their predecessors.

5 Great Ribbon Mics Pt. 1

Getting a killer mix and master starts with a great recording. Using the right mic plays a big role in getting that recording. Ribbon mics are great for their smooth tones and warm mid-range. Here are some top models worth investing in.

The Top 3 Portable Recorders

If you want to be able to create high-quality recordings without lugging around your laptop, interface, hard drive, and mics, prepare to be amazed at what any of these three portable digital recorders can do. For $200 or less, you can create studio-quality recordings with a device that pits in your pocket. Here are the top three digital recorders worth investing in.