Recent content by sideSister

We've reworked the verse vocals. Currently each verse is in a slightly different arrangement; if you have a favourite out of the three, let me know. We've also given the drums a bit more life, broadened the stereo width, tweaked various levels, had lunch. VERSEION 2 >> Box

Like all of us I guess, I want vocals to be solid and consistent. I always get at least five takes, usually recording one verse or one chorus repeatedly rather than singing through the whole song. Sometimes we'll do repeated takes of single lines - it depends on the song, I often ask the...

I have a pair of Focal CMS40s, a single Avantone MixCube taking a mono feed, and a pair of higher-end computer speakers (plastic boxes) sitting alongside each other. The Avantone is great for setting levels, the Focals (or headphones) for surgical work, and the computer speakers are a good...

We have an Atares AutoTune Tube preamp which we use on our primary vocal mic. Even with auto tune turned off it has a warmth we don't get when we bypass it. Yet our audio interface has Midas preamps, and they really are very good. We have a Roland Integra-7 rather than virtual instruments...

We used an original Faderport as a remote for a long time. Now we have a Mac wireless keyboard which is small and light enough to put wherever we need it.

I've used Windows for making music since Win 95. It's never been hassle free, but Windows 7 was pretty good. I've been using Linux for everything else for the last ten years though, and only kept Windows as a dual boot for my DAW, which is probably why I found the move to Windows 10 so...

I started out in something called N-Tracks, but it wasn't very stable. Aelyth used GarageBand. I started with Reaper in 2008 and, apart from a year when I went back to physical hardware (multiple BOSS 16 tracks chained together) I've stuck with it. For me, the biggest boost has come in moving...

We have the Mackie Big Knob too, and it's been a perfect companion to the pair of Focal CMS40s and the single mono Avantone MixCube. Two inputs has been good too, as the studio space has both the DAW computer (Mac Mini) and a Linux laptop for utility work. An important thing about the Bog Knob...

Faderport user feedback We had an original single channel Faderport and it was very useful indeed. Used it during tracking as a remote track selector / record button. Used it during mixing to write automation. When we upgraded the studio we bought a Faderport 16 and think it's marvellous. It...

Further comment Good to have your take on the Mix Assistant. I was reading an article yesterday claiming it had relieved the author of eight hours work on every mix. I was sceptical, even though the prospect was tempting. We have Ozone 8 and love it, by the way. When one product works it's...

Like the "bee in a tin" comment, I understand the issue with the verse vocals. We've tried with and without the vocoder, but the vocoder does work better. Maybe we should look for a better vocoder (currently using Waves' Morphoder). I'm assuming the comments about the vocals are targeted at the...

Welcome Derajj! What sort of music do you produce?

We put together a video for a recent release on a budget of $0 using an old cellphone that shoots HD video (Blackberry Z30). Clips were shot at a local childrens playground and around the house (the domestic footage was supposed to be outdoors but mostly it was raining). The video was put...

We subscribe to Sound on Sound (airmailed to New Zealand every month). We share it around when it's read; copies go to other family musicians, audio enthusiasts we know.

Well done with a difficult task. A cheap trick I used a couple of years ago when recording a small orchestra to a pre-recorded band track: ask everyone to bring an FM radio with a pair of headphones. Most players used their cellphone's radio and earbuds. I sent the headphone feed to a cheap...