How To

Guitar pedals have exploded in popularity among musicians of all kinds over the past two decades. But stompbox effects have also become a creative secret weapon for engineers and producers. Continue reading →

While Dolby Atmos has been an established format in the world of film for more than a decade already, its role in the music industry is still being defined. Continue reading →

Acoustic treatment is one of the most important factors in a professional recording environment. But it’s also one of the most complex and frequently misunderstood.  If you’re struggling to achieve balanced mixes or compelling ambience, acoustic treatment may be the missing ingredient in your setup.  In this article, we’ll break down the basics of acoustic treatment for pro studios and suggest some of the best products available to help you control your room’s acoustics. Continue reading →

The SSL 4000 G console’s stereo bus compressor is one of the most beloved audio processors of all time. Providing fast-reacting VCA compression with a simple set of controls, the “G Bus,” as its fans call it, seems to enhance anything that goes through it, making mixes sound like more than the sum of their parts. Continue reading →

Long before miniaturization made self-powered monitors with built-in amplifiers, crossovers and DSP chips a reality, passive speakers reigned supreme. In fact, active monitors have only become common in professional-level studios in the last few decades—and many, such as Blackbird, Power Station and Gold-Diggers Sound, still rely on passive monitors anyway. Certain passive speakers such as the Yamaha NS-10 have even gained a cult following among mixing engineers. Continue reading →

This Halloween, we asked renowned modular synthesist and sound designer Lisa Bella Donna to share her secrets on dialing in spooky synth sounds. Continue reading to learn more about the best synths for sculpting haunting soundscapes, listen to audio examples and download Lisa's exclusive Spooky Synths patchbook for the Moog Grandmother! Check out Lisa's new album, Hypnosis to hear her putting these techniques to use. Continue reading →

Maybe you’ve gotten to know the sound of your monitors like the back of your hand or invested in a finely-calibrated mixing room for the most transparent sound possible—or maybe you’re working with entry-level monitors in an untreated room and not entirely sure you can trust the results yet. No matter what your monitoring setup looks like, headphones can always improve your mixing. Continue reading →

This article was originally published in Playback Issue 002. Subscribe to Playback for free to stay up to date with our latest articles, interviews, product reviews and more. When it comes to building out a studio, a well-packed 500 Series rack can be your best friend. Not only does it make it easy to mix and match sonic textures without breaking the bank, but you can also pick up the whole thing and take your sound with you, no matter where you work. Continue reading →

Burl’s B80 Mothership platform allows users to scale their I/O based on needs for a wide variety of studios, from home mix rooms to massive control rooms with Atmos capability. By utilizing either the B80 or B16 chassis, engineers can create custom multi-channel interfaces that are tailor-made to meet specific needs—all while maintaining the elite level of Burl conversion. We sat down with some of our audio consultants to talk about different studio scenarios and the ideal Mothership configuration for each. Let’s take a look. Continue reading →

As more and more audio creators make the leap to working in Dolby Atmos, many pro audio manufacturers are working to streamline the gear and set-up involved. Focusrite has been at the forefront of this movement by releasing interfaces and controllers that make it possible to have an Atmos rig in any room. Vintage King recently sat down with Focusrite Pro's North American Sales Manager Dave Rieley and Marketing Manager Tom Edwards to talk about configuring a Dolby Atmos set-up with Focusrite studio tools. Continue on for our conversation and learn how with a few simple pieces of gear, you can be ready for the Atmos revolution. Continue reading →