Rocket Yard

From The Beatles to David Bowie to Beyonce, most music recorded over the past seventy years has made use of effects to enhance our favorite songs. Thanks to modern computing power and the advent of effects plugins, there is a virtually unending supply of effects available for use in the music production process. In this article, I'll cover what I consider to be five of the most popular and important effects commonly used in modern music production. Once you have an understanding of these effects, you can take your raw tracks to the next level during the arrangement or mixing phase of your creative process. In the followup article to this primer, I will get to specific plugin brands I like, and some of my favorite plugins for each of the effects discussed below. For now, let's dive right in and get acquainted with some of the basics.

In part one of this two-part series on studio acoustics, we reviewed some basic concepts and acoustic problems often found in home studios and small rooms. Assuming you have read part one, you should now be familiar with concepts like flutter, comb filtering, room modes, and decay time. In this article, we'll explain how to treat these issues and compare the effectiveness of common acoustic solutions.

Professional studio facilities spend thousands, and sometimes millions, to build inspiring recording spaces that feature impeccable sonic performance without unflattering acoustic anomalies. They do this partly to provide a place to capture pleasing-sounding recordings, and partly to make sure that the final product translates well to listening environments outside of that particular studio. If you're using a spare room in your house, you're unfortunately starting at a disadvantage. But, fear not, there are some easy steps you can take to significantly improve the sonic characteristics of your home studio environment, for both recording and mixing.

OWC hosted an audio mixing masterclass at SHIRK Studios in Chicago this past weekend. Volunteers were needed to showcase a few OWC products, and not wanting to shirk any responsibility (pun intended), I begrudgingly agreed to give up my day off and work on a Saturday. 😩

https://youtu.be/E3-UekVK2rE Electric Light Orchestra Mike Stevens, Musical Director and Keyboardist for ELO, takes us around ELO's touring setup and shows us how OWC products are used on the road. Because their rigs depend upon the best, they are especially fond...