I’m frequently asked by friends and clients which audio interface they should upgrade to for their studio. My usual advice is to focus on features, as most modern interfaces deliver similarly-excellent sound quality. However, after using the new BURL Black series interfaces, I must retract that...
Like many, I’ve grown increasingly comfortable working on headphones ever since the COVID lockdown – to the point that even when mixing and mastering commercial projects in my studio, I often spend long stretches working exclusively on headphones. Because of this, I’ve become quite critical of both...
Recently, I’ve been working on streamlining my studio setup, and part of that plan was to ditch my patchbays and integrate all of my beloved analog gear via hardware inserts. I don’t run a commercial studio (I’m the sole engineer), so my main goal is to simplify my personal workflow. I have an...
I have seen the future, and it is this instrument. In an industry that overuses terms like “revolutionary” and “game changer,” Expressive E’s Osmose is an amazing new instrument with an extremely elegant and refined culmination of over 40 years of research into sound synthesis and electronic...
For over a decade, I’ve been using a pair of Tascam VL-M3 [Tape Op#77] monitors with my Universal Audio Apollo Twin [#101] interface for in the box editing and overdubbing in my small home office studio space. They’ve served me well, sounding better than built-in computer speakers or cheap consumer...
The two-channel Carnaby HE2 is the new flagship version of the Carnaby Harmonic EQ® designed by Cranborne Audio. What do I mean when I say, “Harmonic EQ?” It operates like a multi-band saturator that presents as a 3-band EQ strip. It’s obviously helpful to think of it as an EQ, but it functions...
Universal Audio recently released an update to all five of their flagship Apollo audio interfaces, so we got our hands on the new Apollo x8p Gen 2 for testing. The Apollo range has now been in the market for over a decade, with fully matured hardware/software integration and specs that rival the...
I have a list of microphones that I recommend for people looking for good quality that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. Most of these people are hobbyists, making home recordings for themselves or dipping their toes into the wild waters of recording. My go-to list includes mics from Audio-Technica...
If you are a synthesist, we currently live in a golden age of instrument design. The original “East Coast” and “West Coast” analog synth designs that were supplanted in the mid-‘80s by digital synthesizers have evolved into a huge palette of options to consider when shopping for (or designing) a...
Though there are many two-channel computer DAW interfaces on the market, I’m often a bit stymied when friends call and say they need a decent, affordable unit for themselves or for their kid just getting into recording. After using the Solid State Logic 2+ MKII, that question is much easier for me...
Hex FX from Serato is a virtual multi-effects rack that works as an AU or VST3 plug-in and is compatible with Serato Studio, Ableton Live [Tape Op#160], Apple Logic Pro [#74], Native Instruments Maschine, and FL Studio. It can also be used with Pro Tools via a conversion “wrapper” plug-in, such as...
I have always loved a good sounding reverb unit, one that is authentic and usable in real life mixes. I used to own the magnificent AKG BX20E spring reverb, housed in a beautiful 3.5 foot tall wooden tower made in Austria. It sounded even better than it looked, utilizing helix springs with long...
I’m a faithful Trident user and have had several Trident recording consoles over the years. Trident Studios was formed by two brothers, Norman and Barry Sheffield, in 1968, with artists such as Manfred Mann, The Beatles, David Bowie, and Elton John recording there. When the studio upgraded from 16...
This 399-page, large format book, Historic Recording Studios: America’s Sound Factories and the People Who Made Them, is actually Volume One (A to M) of “A Scrapbook and Encyclopedia” by producer, musician, journalist, and music fan Randy McNutt. It’s an updated and reformatted continuation of his...
A new delay plug-in, you say? I already have dozens of delays and have been pretty happy with my options – but sure, I’ll check it out. Mountainroad DSP may not be a familiar name, but it’s bound to be soon. Over the past few weeks, their Lumina Delay has become a staple in my mix template...
In over 20 years of talking shop with notable engineers and producers, I’d never heard one mention of Datamix consoles. But then I had a very informative conversation with a good friend who is a casual historian of vintage studio tools and brilliant designer of modern studio innovations, and I...
Kendra Lynn, our former long-term studio manager and now staff engineer at Jackpot! Recording Studio, recently gifted me with a very unique-looking (and sounding) microphone. Housed in a vintage steel can that used to contain Pittsburgh Brewing’s Olde Frothingslosh’s Pale Stale Ale (circa 1969)...