The audio team at Irrational Games have posted part one of a developer diary detailing their recent gun recording sessions on the Irrational Insider blog. READ MORE

In addition to regular classes, the Conservatory hosts extra-curricular technical DIY events where students build mic preamps, mod microphones and in this case construct live sound instructor Keith Morris’ Magic Box for the AES student chapter. The Magic Box is a passive dynamic processor that delivers a “warmer” sound by emulating tube circuitry and it also boosts the gain of the signal by 6dB. The students that participated in the build were responsible for soldering the connections and following specific instructions delivered by Keith who also covered practical applications of the device for live sound use as well as use in the studio. All units were tested in the Live Sound room after the boxes were built.

You have two microphones and two hours. How many ways can you mike a drum kit? READ MORE

Drum samples can sound freeze dried and boring. However, you can create organic sounds as if they were recorded from a live performance or a naturally occurring sound phenomena using Battery. READ MORE

While there are “rules” associated with recording in the digital domain (keep sample rate and bit depth high, do not go over 0 dBFS, etc), audio engineers don’t necessarily worry about the effects of printing this digital data onto a compact disc. Vinyl records are a much different animal, however. READ MORE

Properly archiving your work can assure future revenue (aka $$$ in your pocket.) Multitrack DAW recordings are dependent on a complex system of primary and secondary technologies. Each of these technologies represents an obstacle to the long-term viability of a multitrack archive. READ MORE

Frequency dependent side-chaining is a process which gives the user the ability to zero in on a range of frequencies for processing. De-essing is a common application where you apply compression to a very specific band of frequencies that appear harsh whenever the voice talent is pronouncing a “t” or “s.”  READ MORE.

If your bass is muddy, try using mid/side EQ. “You can take out the bass where it doesn’t need to be – say if there’s a bit of spill into the stereo. By reducing the clutter from the stereo field, the centre bass can poke through, plus it’s not getting muddled up in the busy side signal. READ MORE

Assembled “by engineers, for engineers” after a survey of the needs of a broad cross section of working audio pros, the disc features 71 tracks of test signals ranging from level calibration tones, noise signals, third octave tones, polarity and digital meter calibration pulses, bandpassed noise and swept sine waves. Additional tracks include dry recorded kick and snare drums, acoustic guitar and piano along with spoken word and a cappella male and female vocals. A data area on the disc features BPM charts, Excel based calculators and other bonus material. The CD booklet includes tutorial information on using the test disc and is a must have resource for any student or seasoned pro. Student AES sections are encouraged to contact AES Nashville at studentCDsales@aesnashville.org to inquire about the special student rate.

Ever have a mix where you wish the drums were bigger, more energetic, more in-your-face? This technique from Bobby Owinksi’s, The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook is a more aggressive take on parallel compression that can really add punch to your mix. READ MORE