Look and learn with these exclusive video offerings from Mix, Electronic Musician and Remix. Simply click on any of the links below and experience up-close interviews, screencast demos, and tutorials on tracking, mixing and mastering, plus much more.


Featured Video

Photo of Al Kooper

Al Kooper Live at the 2007 TEC Awards

Al Kooper thrilled the crowd at the Mix TEC Awards with a rockin' version of "Season of the Witch," featuring Kooper on organ, Jimmy Vivino on guitar, Will Lee on bass, Anton Fig on drums, and the 2Cold Chili Bone horns.

Audio Insider Special! See more videos from the Mix TEC Awards and TECnology Hall of Fame!


Interviews and Events

Snow Patrol

An interview with the audio engineers for Snow Patrol's latest tour.

Recording New York's Vision Festival in Surround

The Vision Festival is a week-long, avant-garde jazz event that took place in June 2007 on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Audio Insider presents an exclusive look at the techniques and gear used by engineer Stefan Heger to make a surround recording of the performances at the festival.

Interview with Roger Linn

EM's Gino Robair talks to legendary inventor Roger Linn about his past accomplishments and his current and future projects.

Inside the Beat

Hip-hop and R&B producer/composer Steve Pageot (Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Aretha Franklin, Krayzie Bone) builds an arrangement starting with the drum loop.

Remix Hotel NYC 2007: Kode9

Producer Kode9 discusses what he looks for in material for sampling and why he would rather sample classic tracks than have a live musician re-create them.

Remix Hotel Atlanta 2006 Producers Technology Lounge, Part 1

Some of the most hardworking producers in the business discuss it all, including the gear and technology they use, studio setups, favorite techniques and experiences in the studio working with artists.

Remix Hotel Atlanta 2006 Producers Technology Lounge, Part 2

Shocklee Entertainment presents Producers Technology Lounge Part 2 with Hank Shocklee, Chuck D, Isaac Hayes III, Chuckey Charles, L Roc, No I.D., and Diamond D

Michael Kohler on Adult Swim Cartoon Audio, Clip 1

Kohler shows a clip of Harvey Birdman with a scratch audio mix and then again with the finished audio mix.

Michael Kohler on Adult Swim Cartoon Audio, Clip 2

Kohler shows a clip and talks about making a huge mess with dropping fruit and firing potato guns for Foley for the cartoons.

Interview With Richard Devine and Josh Kay

Fresh from the dentist office (with a recording setup for capturing Richard Devine's teeth cleaning), artists/sound designers Devine and Josh Kay talk about creating sounds for film, commercials, sound libraries and more.

Carmen Rizzo: What to Expect from Assistant Engineers

Grammy-nominated producer Carmen Rizzo talks about what he expects from the assistant engineers he works with in the studio.

Carmen Rizzo's Production Philosophy

Grammy-nominated producer Carmen Rizzo discusses his production philosophy and why recording is almost more important than mixing.

Carmen Rizzo's Road Gear

Grammy-nominated producer Carmen Rizzo discusses the portable production setup he takes out on the road.

9th Wonder: True School Parties

Grammy award-winning Hip-hop producer 9th Wonder talks about the idea behind his True School parties.

9th Wonder on Pulling an Older Audience

"Regular guy" and hip-hop producer 9th Wonder discusses how he make 30-somethings with kids feel his music.

9th Wonder on Not Sounding Dated

Hip-hop producer 9th Wonder explains how his music may have a throwback sound yet with updated elements.

Josh Gabriel on Apple Logic 8 and Evolving Styles

DJ and producer Josh Gabriel of Gabriel & Dresden talks about his use of Apple Logic Pro 8 and other technology on his upcoming solo project and band project with the group Andain.

DJ Babu: Break Records

Dilated Peoples' member DJ Babu discusses his appreciation for break records but cautions that it's not an excuse to stop crate digging.

DJ Babu: Hear My Demo Panel

Dilated Peoples' member DJ Babu discusses giving constructive criticism on the "Hear My Demo" panel and talks about DJing with Scratch Live.

Scott Storch Q&A

Scott Storch answers a question about the future of musical influence on hip-hop and what he's doing to fuse rock into his newest productions.

Scott Storch on Radio Friendliness

Storch talks about how to avoid "sandbagging" a track with too many parts and why noisy tracks don't work well on the radio.

Scott Storch on Kick Drums

Producer Scott Storch explains how he gets kick drums to fit into a mix.

Scott Storch on His Upcoming Projects

Storch talks about building a new studio, working on upcoming projects and the real reason album sales are dropping.

Scott Storch on Lead Vocals

Producer Scott Storch discusses working with a defined lead vocal from the beginning to the end of a song.

Talib Kweli Performance

Check out a short clip from MC Talib Kweli's performance at the iStandard Producers' Battle at Remix Hotel Atlanta 2007.

Talib Kweli Q&A: Productivity

Kweli talks about the importance of putting out product and being prolific, even if you're not consistently releasing full-length albums.

Talib Kweli Q&A: Kanye vs. 50 Cent

Kweli answers a question about the "genius" album-release competition between Kanye West and 50 Cent and how it was a smart business decision rather than a genuine "beef."

Talib Kweli Q&A: Hostile Gospel

Talib Kweli Q&A: Kweli answers a question about making his song "Hostile Gospel," produced by Just Blaze.

iStandard Producers' Battle

Watch a clip of the iStandard Producers' Battle competition where producers play their beats, judged by MC Talib Kweli, producers Needlz and Hank Shocklee, a Def Jam A&R rep, and Remix editor Kylee Swenson.

Remix Hotel NYC 2007: Remixer Eric Kupper

Remixer/producer Eric Kupper, who has worked on tracks for Madonna, Seal, Ciara, Goldfrapp and many more, talks about the “voodoo of music” and discusses the importance of carving holes in a track when too many parts are going on in the mix.

Remix Hotel NYC 2007: Just Blaze

Hip-hop producer Just Blaze talks about “demo-itis,” the affliction you have when you are so attached to the original demo/idea of a track, that you have a hard time making peace with the final version of a track.

Remix Hotel NYC 2007: Tunecore's Jeff Price

Founder of SpinArt records and CEO of TuneCore, a digital-music distributor, Jeff Price gets deep into the possibilities for artists to be successful in music without being signed to a label.

Remix Hotel NYC 2007: Music Publisher Jonathan Fine

Jonathan Fine, owner of Finegold Productions, talks about the world of music publishing, interfacing between the music supervisors for film, TV, video games and his artist clients.

Remix Hotel NYC 2007: ESPN’S Claude Mitchell

Claude Mitchell, Coordinating Director of Music at ESPN, discusses the day-to-day life of a music supervisor at a popular cable network and how artists can get their music licensed to TV.

Getting Your Music Onscreen

Learn how music supervisors work and how you can help them do their job while helping get your music exposed.

Starting Your Own Label

How to start your own indie record label and distribute your music yourself.

How Kareem Riggins Got His Break

Producer/drummer Kareem Riggins talks about how he got his break in the studio at an early age and working with Common, Alicia Keys and Erykah Badu.


Live Sound Reinforcement

Using a Real-Time Analyzer

How to use a test mic, RTA, and equalizer to adjust your monitor system for a flat frequency response

Ringing Out a P.A. System

How to use controlled feedback to locate and eliminate problem frequencies in a room or hall.

Equalizers and Equalization

This overview of the basic types of equalizers provides examples of EQ usage in live sound applications.

Power Amplifiers in Live Sound Systems

In addition to power amplifier basics and explanations of impedance and wattage and their relationship with speaker systems, this section features J.D. Brill (engineer with The Eagles and Bette Midler) talking about the topic in a real-world setting.

Sound System Distortion

Hum, buzzing, and crackles are just a few of the gremlins that can plague your P.A. system. This video clip looks at common distortion elements and looks at ways of avoiding them for clean sounds.

Sound System Feedback

Feedback is one of the most common sound-system problems. These practical tips will help you reduce or eliminate feedback problems.

Stage Monitors

Stage monitors are an essential part of live sound. This excerpt examines floor, side-fill, and in-the-ear personal monitoring systems and features live-performance clips with The Alan Parsons Project and tips from monitor engineer Randy Weitzel.

Miking Drums for Indoor Shows

From snare to overheads, a professional sound-reinforcement engineer explains how to mic a drum kit for an indoor concert.

Miking Drums for Outdoor Shows

Observe a professional road crew mic a drum kit for an outdoor concert.

Ground Loops Demystfied

An expert explains the basic causes of ground loops in sound-reinforcement systems and shows you how to safely eliminate them.

How to Set the Crossovers

Setting the crossovers incorrectly can damage your P.A. as well as cripple its performance. Here’s how to correctly use this crucial yet often misunderstood device.

Tuning the P.A. System

Learn how the pros check the signal path in a P.A. system.


Studio Acoustics

Room Symmetry

Grammy-winning producer and engineer Francis Buckley explains why room symmetry is important to studio acoustics.

Early Reflections

To make your room sound good, you need to understand the basics of acoustics. An expert explains the concept of early reflections and how to deal with them.


Sound Design

Designing Acoustic and Electric Keyboard Sounds

Korg USA sound-design wizard Jack Hotop teaches you how to customize sampled and synthesized acoustic piano, Fender Rhodes, Hohner Clavinet, and Hammond B3 sounds.

Designing Flute, Brass, String, and Guitar Sounds

Korg USA sound-design wizard Jack Hotop teaches you how to customize sampled and synthesized flute, brass, string, and guitar sounds.

Creating an Electric Piano Program

Host Dave Polich shows how to create a realistic electric-piano sound using the Yamaha Motif.

About Waveforms

Explore waveforms as building blocks for sound synthesis. This example uses sawtooth waves on the Yamaha Motif synth.

Creating a Synth Bass Sound

How to program a synthesizer-bass sound with the Yamaha Motif.

MIDI Velocity Explained

The importance of MIDI Velocity parameters and how to adjust them on a Yamaha Motif synthesizer.

Studio Recording Tips

DJ Techniques

Scratching Techniques: Drags and Transforms

Drags and transforms have become core techniques for many DJs.

Scratching Techniques: Crabs

You can't eat them, but these crabs will seriously increase your rhythmic repertoire.

Scratching Techniques: Flares

Add some flares to your DJ'ing bag of tricks.

Drums & Percussion

Drum Recording Basics

This simple tutorial on miking an acoustic drum kit offers tips and techniques for getting a great sound

Mix Webinar: Recording Drums

Mix magazine's Kevin Becka discusses miking techniques for recording drums in a studio environment.

Eliminating an Unwanted Snare-Drum Ring

Get rid of excess snare-drum ring using a parametric equalizer.

Tightening the Kick Drum and Bass

Use simple editing techniques to create a tight, punchy drum/bass groove.

Building the Drum Set Sound

Refine the drum sound before you mix with these digital audio workstation techniques.

Miking the Snare: Top Mic Placement

How to properly mic the top of a snare drum.

Guitar & Bass

Recording Electric Bass

Here’s the lowdown on recording the electric bass.

Recording Acoustic Guitar

Simple techniques for recording the acoustic guitar.

Miking Acoustic Guitar with XY

Using an XY microphone pattern to record acoustic guitar and vocals.

Mix Webinar: Recording Guitars

Mix magazine's Kevin Becka presents the many aspects of recording guitars in the studio.

Mastering

Preparing Projects for Mastering

Five simple production tips from Disc Makers that will help you avoid causing problems for the mastering engineer.

Preparing for a Mastering Session

Sequencing the album, spacing between songs, and a word about professional courtesy.

Recording Tips & Terms

Gain Staging

What is gain staging? Producer/engineer Francis Buckley offers a simple, straightforward explanation.

Performing Edits On the Beat

How to edit on the beat for seamless changes.

Tightening the Arrangement

This segment focuses on using editing techniques to create tight, well-crafted arrangements.

Compressor Basics

This brief overview explains what compressors and limiters are and discusses some ways in which they are used.

Capturing Audio from VoIP for Podcasting

Skype is cool for doing podcast interviews, but in order to record the audio, you need to use a back-door solution. Here’s how to get the job done with Audio Hijack Pro for Mac or Pamela for Windows.

Røde Microphones' Tech Terms, Part 1

Diaphragms and polar patterns explained.

Røde Microphones' Tech Terms, Part 2

The basics of highpass filters, pad controls, the 3:1 rule, and mic preamps.

Vocals

Building the Lead Vocal Sound

Using compression, EQ, and effects to improve the sound of a lead vocal so it sits properly in the mix.

Recording Vocals

Good vocals can be the key to a successful recording. A pro explains how to capture quality vocal tracks.

Editing Vocals with Volume Automation

EM's Mike Levine shows you how to use volume automation to edit a vocal track in Pro Tools.

Mixing the Lead Vocal

How to use the mix-automation editor on any digital audio workstation to create the perfect vocal mix.


Sound for Picture

Designing Sounds for "There Will Be Blood"

Skywalker Sound re-recording mixer Michael Semanick describes designing subtle and gritty “oil sounds” for the epic saga There Will Be Blood.

Making Ratatouille

An interview with Randy Thom on the making of Pixar's Ratatouille.

We Own the Night Movie

Watch a video with Skywalker Sound re-recording mixer Gary Rizzon on the sound design for We Own the Night movie


Product Tutorials

Beats & Loops

Using the Battery 3 Effects Tab

Check out these cool ideas for using the Effects Tab in Native Instruments’ Battery 3 drum-sample player.

Using AppleLoops in Logic Pro 7

Learn how to create compositions quickly within Logic Pro 7 using Apple’s AppleLoops loop libraries.

Grooving with Logic Pro 7’s Ultrabeat

Explore Ultrabeat, a powerful software drum machine that is bundled with Apple’s Logic Pro digital audio sequencer.

Drums & Percussion

Recording Drums with the Røde NT2A

The NT2A multipattern mic is a good choice for kick drums, overheads, and more.

Recording Drums with the Røde NTK

If you normally wouldn't put a large-diaphragm tube condenser mic on snare drum, check this clip out.

Understanding Ableton Live 7 Drum Racks

Examples of how to use Live 7 Drum Racks, including adding effects, creating new Drum Racks, and using REX loops.

Effects & Automation

Exploring Ableton Live 7 Rack Groups

Live 7 Rack Groups and macro controls enable you to create complex MIDI, audio, and controller routings.

Using Follow Actions in Ableton Live 7

Live 7's Follow Actions let you specify playback patterns for a group of clips, based on rules.

Acoustic Mirror Effects in Sound Forge 8

Take a tour of Sony Sound Forge’s Acoustic Mirror convolution effects processing.

Software Automation

How to automate soft instruments and effects in Propellerhead Reason 3.0.

Using “Freeze” in Apple Logic Pro 7's Space Designer

Apple Logic Pro's Space Designer is a powerful convolution reverb. Learn how its "Freeze" function can extend the power of this tool.

Compressors and Gates in GarageBand 3

Mixing with Apple GarageBand 3's compressors and gates.

Controlling the TimeFactor

Using Eventide's TimeFactor twin-delay processor with expression pedals and other controllers.

Guitar & Bass

Recording Guitar with the Røde NT4

The stereo, small diaphragm NT4 mic can capture a variety of guitar sounds.

Recording Guitar with the Røde NT2000

The NT2000 mic handles sufficient sound pressure for close-miking guitar amps, and its multiple polar patterns provide a wealth of options for close and distance miking.

Bridge Adjustment on a Solid-Body Guitar

Adjusting the action at the bridge on a solid-body electric guitar.

Line 6 Low Down Bass Amp Compressor and FX Filter Controls

What the Line 6 Low Down bass amp’s opto compressor and filter do and how to use them.

Keyboards

B3 Drawbar Settings: Solo Settings

A general overview of the Hammond B3 organ’s versatile drawbars and percussion sounds.

Capturing Orchestra, Piano, and More with Røde Mics

Recording piano, orchestra, upright bass, acoustic guitar, and sax using the K2, NT2000, M3, and NT5. Also, using the NT55's controls and optional NT45-O capsule.

Yamaha S90: Organ with Mod-Wheel Pitch Sweep

Create a two-part pad and use the mod wheel to sweep the pitch of one part by a 5th without affecting the other part.

Yamaha S90: Piano Plus Arpeggiator-Driven Drum Patterns

Play a piano or other instrument sound while the arpeggiator triggers a drum pattern.

Novation XioSynth Basic Modes

An introduction to the Novation XioSynth's two basic modes: one for using the internal synthesizer and one for MIDI control.

Novation XioSynth Advanced Modes

A closer look at some of the XioSynth's advanced modes of operation, including detailed descriptions of the functions of all of the XioSynth's controls.

Novation XioSynth Hybrid Modes

How to set up and use the XioSynth’s onboard synth and MIDI control capabilities simultaneously.

Novation XioSynth X-Gator and Arpeggiator

An up-close operational tour of the XioSynth's arpeggiator and X-Gator 32-step sequencer.

Editing the M-Audio Axiom 61 with Enigma

Although you can edit the M-Audio Axiom 61 from the front panel, it’s easier with the company’s Enigma software, especially with these handy tips.

Mastering

Mastering with Multiband Compression in Pro Tools 7.4

An example of multiband compression for mastering using iZotope's Ozone in Digidesign Pro Tools 7.4.

Loudness Maximizing in Sonar 6

Maximizing loudness during mastering using iZotope's Ozone 3 and the Cakewalk Sonitus:fx multiband compressor in Cakewalk Sonar 6.

Maximizing Level Using The Waves L316 Plug-in

A tutorial on using Waves' L316 plug-in in a mastering situation, to maximize audio levels.

Mastering EQ Using The Waves L316 Plug-in

A step-by-step guide to improving audio quality during mastering by adding multiband equalization using Waves' L316 plug-in.

Widening the Image and Adding Ambience in Sonar 6

How to widen the stereo image and use reverb to add an overall ambience when mastering in Cakewalk Sonar 6.

MIDI

Remapping Drums in Ableton Live 7

Remapping non-General MIDI drum and percussion kits for use with GM drum tracks in Live 7.

Editing MIDI Recordings in Ableton Live 6

These basic MIDI-editing techniques for Live 6 will get you up and running quickly.

Editing MIDI in Pro Tools 7.4

Real-time and batch MIDI-processing and using the Select/Split Notes feature in Digidesign Pro Tools 7.

Editing MIDI Drums in Cubase 4

Get familiar with Steinberg Cubase 4’s Drum Editor, including editing note and Velocity data.

Recording Tips & Terms

Creating Basic Podcast Tracks in GarageBand 3

Mac users can create a simple podcast quickly and easily with these tips for Apple GarageBand 3.

GarageBand 3 Mixing Basics

Mixing with volume, panning, and EQ in Apple GarageBand 3.

Digital Performer Shortcuts

Work faster in MOTU Digital Performer 5 with these keyboard and mouse shortcuts.

Sound for Picture

Audio for Video Basics in Pro Tools 7.4

This practical example shows how to place sound effects to picture in Digidesign Pro Tools 7.4.

Vocals

Cleaning Up Vocal Errors

Using the Antares Autotune plug-in to fix a few minor pitch glitches on a vocal track.

Capturing Backing Vocals with the Røde M3

With a pair of M3s in X-Y configuration, you can get a wide vocal sound that includes room ambience.

Fixing A Bad Note in AutoTune 5’s Graphic Mode

When you just want to pitch-correct one bad note without messing with the rest of the phrase, check out Antares AutoTune 5’s Graphic Mode.


Instrumental Instruction

Dennis Chambers on Drum Tuning

Top session player Dennis Chambers discusses the importance and key points about drum tuning.

Dennis Chambers on Traditional Versus Matched Grip

Veteran studio drummer Dennis Chambers talks about various methods of holding drumsticks and demonstrates how they can affect performance.

Dennis Chambers on "Give and Take"

Studio pro Dennis Chambers offers pointers on making a drum part fit into a song's arrangement.

Dennis Chambers on Drum Maintenance

Session ace Dennis Chambers talks about the importance of drum maintenance.

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