In this video tutorial Johnathan Lewis shows us what the Pioneer SVM-1000 mixer can do and how it works.

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Automation is an important tool for creating polished mixes. You can use it to fix problems, introduce and enhance effects, and to vary the mix levels throughout different sections of a song. If you haven’t learned to use automation in Pro Tools 8, you’re missing out on a lot of functionality.

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Propellerhead’s new killer app Record has finally landed. Its an affordable all-in-one recording and production solution and after spending some time with both the beta and final release, I can safely say its about the most CPU efficient DAW I have ever used.

I thought it might be useful for some of you who are using Record, or thinking about purchasing it, to see a run through of some of its key sections. This tutorial will simply walk through the different modules of the monster channel strip in Record’s main mixer.

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You’re in a darkened concert hall, your favorite band rocking out on stage. You get chills running down your spine as the singer hits that high note and the crowd begins to cheer. You are close enough to the stage to realize that the band-members are enjoying themselves immensely on stage, smiling to each other, locking into a groove that’s so tight it sounds like it could have been taken off their studio record.

You look to the side of the stage, following the guitarists line of sight and spot a guy off the side of the stage, barely noticeable. The guitarist gives him a signal, nods his head in satisfaction and rips into his outro-solo. Who is that guy? That guy is the monitor mixer.

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It seems that the more elements your drum mix is comprised of, the harder it is to give them impact. With mics on the majority of drums, plus overheads, room mics and even the occasional hallway mic, there are so many different sounds competing with each other, even though together they comprise one instrument. Parallel compression is a really easy way to give some impact to the most important elements of the kit.

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In some of my recent tutorials I have been breaking down the processors used in a typical mastering chain into individual subjects. So far we have looked at buss compression, M/S processing and stereo enhancement. In this tutorial we are going to look at multi-band compression.

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Mastering is always a hot topic. Most of us love to use the latest technique to make our masters bigger, badder and usually louder. Unfortunately, not all mastering techniques get as much airtime as others, and M/S processing is one of these lesser known subjects.

It’s likely that a lot of budding producers who do their own mastering won’t be aware of M/S processing and its benefits. If you’re not taking advantage of what this technique has to offer you could be missing out, so let’s take a look at how it works and its practical applications.

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There’s no doubt that wide stereo sounds are pleasing to the ear. It can bring a mix to life or make individual elements shine. It’s certainly a subject I get asked about a lot and something that many producers seem eager to be able to master.

Here’s a rundown of the different methods we can use to boost the stereo image of both our whole mix or individual instruments. Of course some of these are more sensible options than others when it comes to producing a coherent, intelligible mix. It’s worth taking a minute before you turn your new stereo enhancer plug-in up to 11.

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It’s always been fun to play around with devices in Reason. When it comes to creating a unique device, synth or effect, you have limitless possibilities. You could call it playing Lego with audio devices. In this tutorial I will continue building blocks and explain three different ways to set up DLL-1 devices within Combinator.

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As producing completely ‘in the box’ fast becomes the norm, it’s essential we maximize the potential of our computer set up. Of course, improving our computer hardware and investing in new sample libraries is one way to do this—but another is to seamlessly wire together our applications using Rewire.

Rewire is often underestimated and in many cases goes unused. Using Rewire correctly can actually expand your sound palette, avoid unnecessary rendering and even add extra processing tools to your DAW. Let’s take a look at how Rewire works, some of its history and a few situations we can use it in.

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