How To

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 →

The original version of this article appeared in the first issue of Vintage King's Playback. If you haven't subscribed digitally to our new magazine, you can do so right here. Here at Vintage King, we often get asked, “How do I build a studio for _____ amount of money?” This question is an interesting one, and we can certainly help you find an answer that fits within your budget. The starting point is most likely a question that you must ask yourself: “What is the goal for my studio?” In upcoming issues, we’ll be tackling how to build out several kinds of studios on a budget, but for the purposes of this article, we thought it best to start out with the essential gear needed for a basic recording and mix room. We’ll be covering three pieces of gear in particular: microphone, interface and monitors. Continue reading →

When it comes to studio gear, engineers love experimenting with all kinds of microphones, mic pres, compressors, EQs and whatnot. The more flavors, the better. In terms of studio monitors, pro audio manufacturers strive to keep their designs sounding authentic as possible. This leads us to a common inquiry, “Why do I see so many pictures of studios with multiple sets of monitors? Doesn’t the engineer just pick the right set of monitors that works for them and do their thing?” Well, yes and no… First and foremost, yes, you do want to pick the right set of monitors that works for you. In a sense, speakers are a compass. We choose a set of speakers that we enjoy listening to and we learn them. How does our favorite music sound on them? How does the track you worked on last week sound? Last month? Last year? How do they sound when you turn them up vs. listening to them at a lower level? They become a window to how we hear what we’re working on vs. the rest of the world. Everyone has different opinions and preferences, but at the end of the day, you are the one that is going to spend countless hours in front of the speakers, so you want to pick something that you enjoy working on. Continue reading →

Over the last few years, podcasting has continued to rise in popularity. Now with social distancing in effect, podcasts have become one of our primary forms of media. You’d be surprised at how easy it can be to create a professional-sounding podcast from the comfort of your own home. If you've got the knowledge and a concept, we can certainly help you achieve podcast glory. Continue reading this blog to discover some of the essential gear needed to make your own podcast or improve your current set-up, in addition to some proper techniques for recording, editing, and mixing. Continue reading →

Since its release, Dolby Atmos has exploded in popularity and proven to be the next big thing in post-production. But making the switch to Atmos can be intimidating, especially when it comes to buying the right equipment and setting up a certifiable Atmos mix room. Thankfully, the new Avid MTRX Studio makes it easier than ever to incorporate Dolby Atmos into your studio setup.Throughout this blog, you’ll learn everything you need to know about setting up a Dolby Atmos mix room using the new Avid MTRX. To get the details, we spoke with Vintage King’s Dolby Atmos expert, James Good. James has more than 15 years of experience in pro audio and has helped build, design, and maintain some of the best studios around the world. James helped us break down each component Continue reading →