How To

Primarily known for their pro-tier interfaces, converters, and master clocks, Antelope Audio is now appealing to home recording musicians, streamers, and content creators with the new Zenith 2. Although it sports an entry-level price point, the Zenith 2 still prioritizes sound quality with console-grade preamps and converters, but also offers four real-time DSP effects, onboard mixing, class-compliant USB, and streamer-friendly features like loopback.   Continue reading →

In 1954, engineers at Decca Records developed a novel recording technique to capture the expansive soundstage of a symphony orchestra with unparalleled fidelity. Using state-of-the-art Neumann microphones in a unique three-mic array, they devised a setup capable of translating the orchestra’s massive width and spatial detail from the conductor’s podium to home stereos and movie theaters everywhere.  This is the story of how the Decca Tree transformed stereo sound, the Neumann M 50 microphone that made it possible, and the newly reissued Neumann M 50 V that brings that legendary sound to the new era of immersive recording.  Continue reading →

Sony is one of the leading developers of immersive audio technology, and the brand's new 360 Virtual Mixing Environment (360VME) is making immersive mixing more accessible than ever. Using personalized acoustical measurements captured in your studio with your speakers and your ears, 360VME replicates your mixing environment anywhere you can take a laptop and headphones. Continue reading →

With more and more engineers and studios adopting Dolby Atmos every year, the experimental novelty of the format has slowly worn off, and certain best practices have begun to emerge. Just like panning guitar solos back and forth in stereo eventually became a cheap gimmick, it’s no longer impressive to spin a vocal track around the room. Today, creating a great Atmos mix means using both innovation and restraint to best serve the music. Continue reading →

The tried-and-true eight-preamp rackmount interface is a format that has been done by nearly every brand in the space. Preamp and converter quality is uniformly amazing these days, DSP mixing and effects are now standard features, and almost every model features enough I/O for a medium-sized studio. So what makes an interface stand out in today's crowded market? In the case of the Antelope Audio Discrete 8 Oryx, it’s not just the eye-catching new color scheme of olive drab and champagne gold or the crisp and colorful IPS display.  Continue reading →

API developed the mid-format 2448 console to bridge the gap between their streamlined yet flexible 1608-II and the large-format, in-line AXS console. The overall design follows the blueprint of the immensely popular 1608 but incorporates the dual fader paths of the AXS, allowing it to pull double duty as a flexible 24-channel in-line desk for recording and a full 48-input console at mixdown.   Continue reading →

Mixing on headphones presents a number of issues that have plagued music-makers for decades. The 180° soundstage can make you second-guess your panning choices, the lack of room acoustics can throw off your reverb decisions, and your EQ settings can sound totally different when switching between headphones and speakers.  Continue reading →

DPA microphones are celebrated for their extremely transparent sound and low-noise performance, and the Danish company’s new CORE+ technology takes that to the next level. Based on the revolutionary CORE technology introduced in 2018, which dramatically reduced Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) levels across the board, CORE+ further reduces THD to levels that can’t even be detected except at the upper limits of SPL tolerance.  To better understand the technology behind CORE+ and its benefits for live and studio applications, we spoke with DPA’s Global Sales Support and Business Development Manager, Paul Andrews.  Continue reading →

Dante is an AV-over-IP technology that makes it possible to send hundreds of channels of high-resolution, low-latency audio between devices using standard Ethernet cables. Created by Audinate and licensed to third-party manufacturers, the Dante protocol has been widely adopted by top brands like Focusrite, Universal Audio, Apogee, Avid, PreSonus, and RME. Dante networks are used in major recording studios, post-production houses, broadcast facilities, and music venues around the world, but even the humblest home studio can take advantage of them, too. While networked audio may seem complex at first glance, it’s actually very easy to implement and has the potential to dramatically streamline your setup and workflow. In this guide, we’ll explain how Dante works and how to configure a few different types of Dante systems for different applications. Continue reading →

While DAWs have technically made analog mixing consoles obsolete, many studios still use them because running tracks through real transformers and op-amps imparts a subtle tonal coloration, even without engaging any channel EQs or bus compressors. But what if you don’t have the space or budget for a full-sized console? Enter the summing mixer: the perfect solution for getting the sound of an analog console without sacrificing the convenience and flexibility of a DAW-based workflow.  A summing mixer is essentially a console stripped of its faders, preamps, EQs, and most other bells and whistles, leaving just the line inputs and the circuitry that combines (or “sums”) them to a master output. Multitrack outputs or mix stems are sent from a DAW and combined inside the summing mixer, and the two-track output is then routed back to the DAW and recorded.  Continue reading →