Recording & Mixing

Paul White and Hugh Robjohns talk us through four essential studio effects that every music producer or mix engineer needs to know for creating an effective mix, placing them in order of importance and giving an insight into how they can be used effectively.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - Effect 1: Reverb
02:11 - Convolution Reverb
04:28 - Reverb Controls
05:53 - Using Aux Sends
08:00 - Effect 2: EQ
08:57 - EQ Filters
11:44 - The Shelving Filter
13:40 - Parametric EQ
14:17 - Cutting Vs Boosting
15:26 - Effect 3: Delay
16:21 - Where To Use Delay
17:40 - Effect 4: Compression
18:43 - Setting Threshold and Ratio
19:51 - Soft-Knee Compression
20:33 - Tweaking Presets
22:08 - Other Controls
26:02 - Parallel Compression
30:11 - Creative Modulation Effects
30:58 - Using Effects Sparingly

Paul White Biog
Paul White initially trained in electronics at The Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern then went on to work with Malvern Instruments, a company specialising in laser analysis equipment, before moving into technical writing. 

He joined the Sound On Sound team in 1991 where he became Editor In Chief, a position he held for many years before recently becoming Executive Editor. Paul has written more than 20 recording and music technology textbooks, the latest being The Producer’s Manual.

Having established his own multitrack home studio in the 1980s he’s worked with many notable names including Bert Jansch and Gordon Giltrap. He’s played in various bands over the years and currently collaborates with Malvern musician Mark Soden, under the name of Cydonia Collective. Paul still performs live claiming that as he has suffered for his music he doesn’t see why everyone else shouldn’t too!

http://www.cydoniacollective.co.uk/

Hugh Robjohns Biog
Hugh Robjohns has been Sound On Sound´s Technical Editor since 1997. Prior to that he worked in a variety of (mostly) sound-related roles in BBC Television, ending up as a Sound Operations Lecturer at the BBC´s technical training centre. He continues to provide audio consultancy and bespoke broadcast audio training services all over the world, lectures at professional and public conventions, and occasionally records and masters acoustic and classical music too!

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

Pro Audio Design Engineer Andy Bereza summarises his impressive career in a chat with Paul Gilby. Andy founded Allen & Heath Mixers before working for TEAC/Tascam, where he conceived the TEAC Portastudio the portable multitrack cassette tape recorder that revolutionised the home recording market in the 1980s. He then co-founded Bandive-Turnkey where he developed a range of budget signal processors and the famous Great British Spring reverb to sell to the rapidly expanding Home Studio Recording market. At the same time, he was a consultant for the Fostex X15 multitrack cassette as well as helping to steer further product designs.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:34 - Getting Into Electronics
01:45 - Building Custom Desks
04:09 - Allen & Heath Mixers
06:07 - The Minimixer
08:54 - The Pink Floyd Desks
12:24 - Allen & Heath Mod II Mixer
13:20 - Expanding The Company
15:23 - Moving To Tascam
16:58 - Constructing The Portastudio
21:57 - Setting Up Bandive / Turnkey
24:55 - Creating Products For The Home Studio
29:03 - Fostex Releases in the 80s
30:48 - Bandive Seck Mixers
32:08 - Expanding Turnkey
35:14 - Selling To Harman
38:38 - Launching Digital Postcards
41:07 - A Brief Career Summary
42:13 - Proudest Career Moment

Andy Bereza Biog
Andy Bereza started his career as a Audio Design Engineer after moving to London in 1967 to study Electronics at Chelsea University. A chance encounter with Siggy Jackson in Tin Pan Alley gave him his first custom commission and many more soon followed, with Andy building mixers for Bill Shepherd (producer of the Bee Gees), Alan Price, Maurice Gibb and also a location recording mixer for the Clockwork Orange movie.

In 1970 Andy became the Founder of Allen & Heath, where he initially developed the black range of mixers, then their first mass market product the Minimix. At the same time he creating custom quadraphonic live desks for The Who along with Pink Floyd's Pompeii and Dark Side Of The Moon touring desks.

In 1975, Andy joined TEAC America and was employed to introduce Tascam into Europe. Then in 1976 he was contracted directly with TEAC Japan where he developed the iconic Portastudio that changed the face of the home recording industry. In 1977 he became one of the founders of Bandive Ltd and helped to develop further products for the home recording market and created the popular Turnkey By Mail catalogue during the late 1970s to mid 80s. Bandive then opened the Turnkey retail store in central London.

Following the sale of Bandive / Turnkey to Harman UK in 1987, he briefly became their Marketing Director, before signing up to become Managing Director of Fostex in 1991. Later in the 90s Andy left the Pro Audio industry and turned his attention to multimedia where he developed interactive product catalogues on CD-ROM.

Paul Gilby Biog
Paul Gilby is the co-founder, along with his brother Ian, of Sound On Sound magazine in 1985. Having written many product reviews and interviews over the years he now heads up the Digital Media side of the business managing the team that looks after the SOS website as well as the video and podcast productions.

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

Paul White and Hugh Robjohns discuss the basics of a good home studio setup, including choosing the right equipment and setting up your space correctly for achieving the best recording and mixing results.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:14 - Minimum Equipment
00:54 - Audio Interfaces
02:46 - Headphones and Speakers
03:21 - Choosing A Microphone
08:55 - Additional Accessories
12:27 - Desks And Monitor Stands
16:21 - Speakers And Acoustic Treatment
21:06 - Choosing Studio Monitors
22:35 - Subwoofers And Bass Traps
26:16 - Cutting Reflections For Vocals
28:48 - Recap

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/studio-sos-making-small-room-sound-good

Paul White Biog
Paul White initially trained in electronics at The Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern then went on to work with Malvern Instruments, a company specialising in laser analysis equipment, before moving into technical writing. 

He joined the Sound On Sound team in 1991 where he became Editor In Chief, a position he held for many years before recently becoming Executive Editor. Paul has written more than 20 recording and music technology textbooks, the latest being The Producer’s Manual.

Having established his own multitrack home studio in the 1980s he’s worked with many notable names including Bert Jansch and Gordon Giltrap. He’s played in various bands over the years and currently collaborates with Malvern musician Mark Soden, under the name of Cydonia Collective. Paul still performs live claiming that as he has suffered for his music he doesn’t see why everyone else shouldn’t too!

http://www.cydoniacollective.co.uk/

Hugh Robjohns Biog
Hugh Robjohns has been Sound On Sound´s Technical Editor since 1997. Prior to that he worked in a variety of (mostly) sound-related roles in BBC Television, ending up as a Sound Operations Lecturer at the BBC´s technical training centre. He continues to provide audio consultancy and bespoke broadcast audio training services all over the world, lectures at professional and public conventions, and occasionally records and masters acoustic and classical music too!

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

Not everyone has access to a professional studio with bespoke wiring. Here, Paul White and Hugh Robjohns discuss the best practises for avoiding and eliminating electrical noise interference in your home studio.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:21 - Arranging Plugboards In A Home Studio
02:09 - Uninterruptible Power Supplies
03:59 - Grounding Issues In Laptop Systems
07:19 - Radiated Interference
08:54 - Isolated Power Supplies
11:10 - Procedure For Eliminating Noise
12:38 - Breaking The Ground Path

https://www.groundology.co.uk/
https://artproaudio.com/

Paul White Biog
Paul White initially trained in electronics at The Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern then went on to work with Malvern Instruments, a company specialising in laser analysis equipment, before moving into technical writing. 

He joined the Sound On Sound team in 1991 where he became Editor In Chief, a position he held for many years before recently becoming Executive Editor. Paul has written more than 20 recording and music technology textbooks, the latest being The Producer’s Manual.

Having established his own multitrack home studio in the 1980s he’s worked with many notable names including Bert Jansch and Gordon Giltrap. He’s played in various bands over the years and currently collaborates with Malvern musician Mark Soden, under the name of Cydonia Collective. Paul still performs live claiming that as he has suffered for his music he doesn’t see why everyone else shouldn’t too!

http://www.cydoniacollective.co.uk/

Hugh Robjohns Biog
Hugh Robjohns has been Sound On Sound´s Technical Editor since 1997. Prior to that he worked in a variety of (mostly) sound-related roles in BBC Television, ending up as a Sound Operations Lecturer at the BBC´s technical training centre. He continues to provide audio consultancy and bespoke broadcast audio training services all over the world, lectures at professional and public conventions, and occasionally records and masters acoustic and classical music too!

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

Eddie Bazil gives us more pointers on constructing beats, incorporating useful tools such as Drum Replacement Software and pre-constructed Loops, then adding enhancements using timing, pitch and other processing tips.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:33 - Drum Replacement Software
01:41 - Example 1: Using Hit'n'Mix RipX DAW
05:41 - Example 2: Making Loops Your Own
11:36 - Example 3: Enhancing A Kick With Pitch And Timing

Track credit for example 1: Ice Box featuring Omarion, produced by Timbaland - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Box_(song)

Eddie Bazil Biog
Eddie Bazil launched his music industry career at the age of 17 as a synth programmer for a range of Electro / New Wave bands including Art of Noise, Spandau Ballet, Pet Shop Boys, Bobin, Paul Dee, DJ Krush, DJ Shadow, Jets Orchestra. By his 20s he was working as a sound designer for Akai, Roland Emu/Ensoniq, eventually signing on exclusively with the latter. Later, due to a growing demand for software instruments and libraries, Eddie started to develop libraries for various software manufacturers, including Native Instruments, Kiesel, Sound Effects Library, Arturia and Propellerheads. A meeting with Phil Allen, a Capital Radio DJ, resulted in the company Samplecraze, which Eddie has spent 20 years developing as an educational resource. At this time he trained in music production and soon gained a number of prominent contracts working with some notable artistes such as Busta Rhymes, Greensleeves, 9 Bar, SFP, Sleeveless, Chris Campbell and Gam Productions. He contracted to Island Records and Chrysalis as a producer and remixer,  plus was commissioned to write the score for Macbeth that ran at 2 Way Mirror at Alexander Palace for the Cambridge Shakespeare Company. His ongoing development of Samplecraze has led to him offering educational workshops and classes, releasing four books via PC Publishing and becoming a contributor and forum moderator for Sound On Sound. Recently he has established The Audio Production Hub for online education and been invited by the Recording Academy to become a Grammy judge.
https://eddiebazil.co.uk/

https://samplecraze.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

An introduction to using sample libraries focusing on the string section. Composer and Producer Sam Boydell talks us through selecting an orchestral sound library, creating a simple string motif and incorporating more realism into the finished piece by using a range of techniques, including articulations, dynamics and panning.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - The Tools Of The Trade
03:13 - Choosing Your Sound Library
06:01 - Starting With A String Motif
10:39 - Allocating Orchestral Positions
11:58 - Humanising The Performance
14:57 - Fine-Tuning Velocity And Timing
17:15 - Adding MIDI Automation
19:56 - Placing The Orchestra In A Space
22:17 - Incorporating Articulations
24:39 - Creating More Dynamics
27:46 - Mixing And Mastering

Sam Boydell Biog
Learning his craft by working in studios with the likes of Gareth Young (Sugababes), Stephen Lipson (Hans Zimmer) and Mark Hill (Craig David), Sam has grown into being credited for Composing many award-winning Commercials and Documentaries such as drift-racing’s, ‘Clipping Point’ (2022) rated at 9.3/10 on IMDb, as well as, prestigious TV shows like, Match of the Day (BBC).

Sam is also considered one of the premiere Sound Recordists & Commercial Mixers in the UK, having worked with the likes of David Beckham, ITV and Ferrari.

Further enterprises include the music label 60hz with Mark Hill and Neil Simpson, which works to nurture talent such as Nat Slater & Kyi in the past.  And, Education, where he works with local universities and schools.

https://boyde.tv/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

In the first of a two-part series, Eddie Bazil explains how some simple adjustments in your DAW will help you to achieve more bounce in your drum beats, by adding syncopation, swing and dynamism.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:20 - A Quick History Of Beat Production
01:07 - Early Programmable Drum Machines
04:33 - Defining A Good Beat
05:15 - Example 1: Shifting The Snare To Drive A Beat
07:55 - Example 2: Altering Dynamics And Note Durations
10:51 - Example 3: Adding Urgency With A Backbeat
12:37 - Example 4: Creating Swing With The Hi-Hats

Eddie Bazil Biog
Eddie Bazil launched his music industry career at the age of 17 as a synth programmer for a range of Electro / New Wave bands including Art of Noise, Spandau Ballet, Pet Shop Boys, Bobin, Paul Dee, DJ Krush, DJ Shadow, Jets Orchestra. By his 20s he was working as a sound designer for Akai, Roland Emu/Ensoniq, eventually signing on exclusively with the latter. Later, due to a growing demand for software instruments and libraries, Eddie started to develop libraries for various software manufacturers, including Native Instruments, Kiesel, Sound Effects Library, Arturia and Propellerheads. A meeting with Phil Allen, a Capital Radio DJ, resulted in the company Samplecraze, which Eddie has spent 20 years developing as an educational resource. At this time he trained in music production and soon gained a number of prominent contracts working with some notable artistes such as Busta Rhymes, Greensleeves, 9 Bar, SFP, Sleeveless, Chris Campbell and Gam Productions. He contracted to Island Records and Chrysalis as a producer and remixer,  plus was commissioned to write the score for Macbeth that ran at 2 Way Mirror at Alexander Palace for the Cambridge Shakespeare Company. His ongoing development of Samplecraze has led to him offering educational workshops and classes, releasing four books via PC Publishing and becoming a contributor and forum moderator for Sound On Sound. Recently he has established The Audio Production Hub for online education and been invited by the Recording Academy to become a Grammy judge.
https://eddiebazil.co.uk/

https://samplecraze.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

A valuable test for recording engineers, David Mellor gives examples of different mic types to emphasise the importance of knowing your mic collection in detail so that you're using the correct one for the recording task at hand. Cardioid, Supercardioid, Figure of 8 and Omnidirectional are compared.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - Testing The Schoeps CMC 6
01:44 - Cardioid Examples
05:39 - Testing With Percussion
06:33 - Supercardioid Examples
08:40 - Figure Of 8 Examples
11:22 - Omnidirectional Examples
14:05 - Testing With Percussion
14:58 - Testing Each Mic Type at 0 Degrees
17:00 - Testing Each Mic Type at 45 Degrees
18:19 - Testing Each Mic Type at 90 Degrees
19:42 - Testing Each Mic Type at 180 Degrees
21:15 - Summary

David Mellor Biog
David Mellor got his start in pro audio through the Tonmeister course at Surrey University studying music, piano performance, acoustics, electronics, electro-acoustics and recording.

He went on to work at London's Royal Opera House, with responsibilities including sound design, front-of-house operation, stage monitoring and electronic design satisfying the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He has also had over 600 works published in the field of production music, including the Chappell and Carlin music libraries (now combined into Universal Publishing Production Music). Notable uses of his music include the BBC's Horizon, Fahrenheit 911, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

David has been actively involved in Audio Education since 1986, teaching students of City of Westminster College and Westminster University, and also returning to lecture at Surrey University. He also worked with John Cage on the International Dance Course at the University of Surrey. David now specialises in online audio education and has been Course Director of Audio Masterclass since 2001.

https://www.audiomasterclass.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

In the first of this two-part series, David Mellor gives us an introduction to mic polar patterns, explaining the best type of mic to use for various recording situations.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
00:43 - Influenced By The EMI Emiguide Tapes
04:08 - What Is A Polar Pattern?
06:46 - Omnidirectional and Figure Of 8
08:43 - Cardioid, Hypercardioid and Super-Cardioid
11:14 - Pressure-Sensitive and Pressure Gradient
11:58 - Imperfections In Higher And Lower Frequencies
13:01 - The Decca Tree
14:06 - Abbey Road Demonstration
15:32 - 0 degree axis Figure Of 8
16:10 - 90 degree axis Figure Of 8
16:48 - 180 degree axis Figure Of 8
17:30 - 270 degree axis Figure Of 8
19:01 - Multi-Pattern Microphones
19:58 - Best Usage
24:26 - Interference Tube, Parabolic Reflector
26:23 - Experimenting With Off-Axis

David Mellor Biog
David Mellor got his start in pro audio through the Tonmeister course at Surrey University studying music, piano performance, acoustics, electronics, electro-acoustics and recording.

He went on to work at London's Royal Opera House, with responsibilities including sound design, front-of-house operation, stage monitoring and electronic design satisfying the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Karlheinz Stockhausen. He has also had over 600 works published in the field of production music, including the Chappell and Carlin music libraries (now combined into Universal Publishing Production Music). Notable uses of his music include the BBC's Horizon, Fahrenheit 911, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

David has been actively involved in Audio Education since 1986, teaching students of City of Westminster College and Westminster University, and also returning to lecture at Surrey University. He also worked with John Cage on the International Dance Course at the University of Surrey. David now specialises in online audio education and has been Course Director of Audio Masterclass since 2001.

https://www.audiomasterclass.com/

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.

Paul White and Hugh Robjohns pick their software and hardware highlights from the last 12 months.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
00:16 - Universal Audio Waterfall Rotary Speaker
03:25 - Boss GM-800 Guitar Synthesizer
04:24 - Tokyo Dawn Records Simulathe Cut
06:33 - PreSonus Eris 3.5 Studio Monitors
07:32 - Prism Audio Dream ADA-128
10:07 - Walrus Audio Fable Granular Soundscape Generator

10:59 - Blackstar St. James Amp Plug-ins
11:55 - Zoom F8n Pro Field Recorder
14:13 - Strymon BigSky Multi Reverb / Deco Tape Saturation
14:49 - Line 6 HX One Pedal

Paul White Biog
Paul White initially trained in electronics at The Royal Radar Establishment in Malvern then went on to work with Malvern Instruments, a company specialising in laser analysis equipment, before moving into technical writing. 

He joined the Sound On Sound team in 1991 where he became Editor In Chief, a position he held for many years before recently becoming Executive Editor. Paul has written more than 20 recording and music technology textbooks, the latest being The Producer’s Manual.

Having established his own multitrack home studio in the 1980s he’s worked with many notable names including Bert Jansch and Gordon Giltrap. He’s played in various bands over the years and currently collaborates with Malvern musician Mark Soden, under the name of Cydonia Collective. Paul still performs live claiming that as he has suffered for his music he doesn’t see why everyone else shouldn’t too!

http://www.cydoniacollective.co.uk/

Hugh Robjohns Biog
Hugh Robjohns has been Sound On Sound´s Technical Editor since 1997. Prior to that he worked in a variety of (mostly) sound-related roles in BBC Television, ending up as a Sound Operations Lecturer at the BBC´s technical training centre. He continues to provide audio consultancy and bespoke broadcast audio training services all over the world, lectures at professional and public conventions, and occasionally records and masters acoustic and classical music too!

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Get a print or digital subscription to Sound On Sound magazine.