Production

Pimp my Drums - Kick & Snare

Nov 27 2011 05:00 PM | Frank Herrlinger in Production

This tutorial is not about drum replacement. Instead, it's about how to edit and manipulate your drum recording to make it sound more expensive – especially the kick and snare drum. So, it's more about layering samples rather than replacing them. (Read More)

How You Can Achieve A More Expensive Sound

Jul 07 2011 11:00 PM | Frank Herrlinger in Production

When dealing with recordings (either virtual instruments or live-played instruments) often the sound is not very sophisticated. Here is one little trick on how to get a better, richer and more expensive overall sound – no matter what type of instruments you are using. (Read More)

Make Your Drums Sound More Punchy

Jun 05 2011 11:00 PM | Frank Herrlinger in Production

This tutorial is mainly about how to make your drum track sound more punchy and present it in the mix without losing a lot of dynamics. It is not about mixing single tracks of a multi track drum recording. Assuming that your drum sound is fine but somehow it gets lost in the final mix. Apparently, one option is to increase the volume but usually this will only affect the balance of your arrangement so be aware of that. (Read More)

Guitars in Rock and Metal Soundtracks

May 15 2011 11:00 PM | Frank Herrlinger in Production

Music genres like rock or metal consist mostly of drums, bass and guitars. This tutorial is only about guitars. We are going to show you how we record guitars for rock and metal music tracks and how we place them in the mix. (Read More)

Shaping A Note

May 08 2011 11:00 PM | Frank Herrlinger in Production

This tutorial will deal with how to shape your midi note by using continuous controllers (CC) or by using just midi commands. Although our goal is to come as close as possible to the sound of real instruments such as strings, brass, and woodwinds, you may use these techniques with synthesizers as well. By varying different parameters you can prevent the results from sounding static, boring, unnatural or robotic. (Read More)

Compression Masterclass (Part 1)

Apr 28 2011 11:00 PM | Andrew Charlton in Production

Although a compressor and a limiter are the fundamentals of any producer’s processing locker, they are also one of the most misunderstood and misguided processes out there. The internet is overflowing with articles explaining the characteristics and settings of limiters and compressors, yet when we check the forum threads and blog comments out there the same questions are being asked over and over again. Why is this happening? (Read More)

Pimp My Orchestra - High Strings

Apr 26 2011 11:00 PM | Frank Herrlinger in Production

When you listen to violins or violas being played live, there are very many nuances going on in the high frequencies. These subtle noises are a result of the bow touching the strings. In most recordings these noises are lacking, which results in a muffled sound that is not very enjoyable to listen to. Therefore, there are many different ways to improve your sound. (Read More)

Orchestral Panning for Realism

Sep 29 2010 06:01 PM | Marius Masalar in Production

A lot of careful work goes into creating a successful digital mock-up: you have to work with good samples, use them effectively, and make sure that the final mix mimics the sound of a real recording — but how? (Read More)

Creating Cinematic Soundscapes With Convolution Reverb

Sep 02 2010 12:00 AM | Marius Masalar in Production

Working in today’s film and game audio environment nearly guarantees you many opportunities to produce interesting and evocative soundscapes, but while working from pre-made synth patches is great for folks in a hurry, it pays to sit down and craft something by hand whenever possible. (Read More)