Mixing / Production

No, it's not the Naked Chef, just Sound On Sound getting busy in the kitchen to salvage some old tape recordings... Note: there are no audio files accompanying this article

Tired of the same old vocal sound? Time to get creative with your plug-ins, FX pedals and anything else you have!

This month we help reader Simon Fitzpatrick to bind his synthesized, programmed, and acoustic sounds together into a cohesive mix.

With the powerful automation available in modern DAWs, it is easy to overlook their side-chaining features. But what value does this technique have in the modern project studio?

This month we help reader Simon Fitzpatrick to bind his synthesized, programmed, and acoustic sounds together into a cohesive mix.

This month we overhaul rock band No Logo's mix in pursuit of a bigger and more commercial sound. Listen to Audio examples

This month we overhaul rock band No Logo's mix in pursuit of a bigger and more commercial sound.

Podcasting is a powerful new communications medium that could help you get your music out to the masses — and it's accessible to pretty much anyone with a home studio and a broadband Internet connection.

For the newcomer, mixing a multitrack recording can seem overwhelmingly complicated. The key is never to lose sight of the basic principles...

A top-notch jazz session is given a touch of class at mixdown.

This month, Dave Rogers' dance track gets a dose of production 'fairy dust'. Use the SOS Music Player to audition the changes.

Mike Elizondo has gone from being Dr Dre's right-hand man, co-writing some of the biggest hip-hop hits of recent years, to being an innovative producer in his own right.

In music-for-picture work, there's never enough time to do what you'd ideally like to. We look at what it's like producing music under pressure.

Ian McMillan's band recording presents some challenging drum parts this month, and there are also tips for better mixing of bass, guitars, and backing vocals.

An ambient dance track gets the Mix Rescue treatment this time, as SOS reader Mark Edwards finds out that less is definitely more.

What happens when the Director whose work you're scoring isn't satisfied, or demands changes due to events beyond your control? We find out, and also look at writing music for film trailers.

Everyone knows how much a classy vocal sound can add to any recording, but achieving this in the studio can seem something of a black art, so this month we demystify the recording, processing, and mixing techniques required to produce professional results.

Despite having a generally well-balanced mix, James Michael felt that his track wasn't sounding quite right, so he contacted Mix Rescue for some mastering pointers. Check out the 'before' and 'after' mixes while you pick up some useful tips.

In the past, tie-in video games have had to use samples to recreate real orchestral soundtracks from the original TV series or film. With 24: The Game, however, it was the other way around.

We look at the completed orchestrations for the film project introduced last month, and begin to consider the problem of what to do when a director demands revisions to your work...

A new business model for mastering houses allows you to submit tracks via the Web and pay on-line. Last month, we embarked on a unique test of these services. This month: the results are in...