It’s amazing to think that, not so long ago, the ability to automate fader levels and mutes on a hardware mixer represented state-of-the-art technology. The arrival of the software DAW changed all that, and now we can automate pretty much any parameter we like. That’s good news, of course, but all this flexibility doesn’t necessarily make the production process any quicker. [...]

Work your mixes faster and smarter with these pro techniques. Wanna make better mixes? Need, say, a dozen quick tips to help you do it, preferably of the rapid-reading variety? Well, then… [...]

Avoid writer's block and other show-stopping production snags with our tips. With the modern DAW presenting so many creative and corrective possibilities at every stage of the production process, it can be all too easy to lose track of the bigger picture - the music itself. The next time you find yourself in a compositional cul-de-sac, step back, take a deep breath and reach for this collection [...]

We round up half a dozen of the finest dedicated bass drum instruments for Mac and PC. Static sampled bass drums are all well and good, with plugin effects and your DAW's editing features giving you endless options when it come to customising them; but when you want full control over your kicks, a dedicated instrument is often the best option. [...]

В этой статье мы рассмотрим 10 лучших наборов сэмплов за июнь 2016 года, от house и hip до эффектов и классических синтезаторов. [...]

With the explosion of portable devices in the last decade or so, music has never been so accessible, with gadgets such as mobile phones, tablets and wireless speakers allowing us to listen to our entire music collection just about anywhere. [...]

There’s a plethora of Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) available out there ranging from the massively expensive, feature packed professional studio software to the free and simple that offer basic editing with four-tracks. But just because the top DAWs cost a pretty penny doesn’t mean that some of the free alternatives on the market don’t offer some valuable tools and some of the most efficient [...]

Survey indicates that convenience is now more important than quality. You might spend hours honing your mix to sound great through your finely-tuned monitoring setup, but if a new survey is to be believed, more than half of British people are happy to listen to music through their computer's built-in speakers. [...]

Broadly speaking, drum machine plugins fall into two categories. Some are designed specifically to emulate the classic hardware beatboxes of the past - perhaps adding a few new features to aid tone-shaping and flexibility - while others offer an original take on the concept and are capable of producing sounds of the type that won't be so familiar. [...]

Celemony's software is now a multitrack editor and sound design dream NAMM 2016: Updates to Celemony Software's pseudo-magical pitch editor Melodyne don't come alone very often, but when they do, you can expect them to feature some as-yet unimaginable new technology. [...]

Give your computer-based tracks the kiss of life with our tips and techniques [...]

Tired of twiddling the pan knobs in your DAW? It’s time to grab yourself an autopanner! These crafty tools take the concept way further, facilitating countless creative effects. [...]