Search results for: pro audio buying guide studio monitors buying guide
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by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
In the postmodern era of music production, most musicians, producers, and engineers rely on a computer running a robust Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) like Pro Tools or Ableton to be the studio centerpiece. But despite their power and convenience, sometimes creating in this environment can turn into a series of mouse clicks that eat away at the joy and magic of music production. There are times when ditching the DAW and going old school with a physical piece of hardware can unlock new potential, forcing you to develop alternative techniques
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Whether you record demo tracks on the road, produce podcasts at home, or collaborate with other artists in random locations, having a travel-friendly audio interface is key to staying versatile in your work. An ideal interface would be small enough to fit in a backpack, laptop bag, or satchel while supporting multiple types of I/O and USB powering. Seriously, the last thing you need is to have your ideas vanish whilst frantically searching for a free AC power outlet. Thankfully, your options are plentiful in number, and I’d like to bring your
by Trevor Collins · Posted
No matter what area of audio production you work in, you're constantly listening. Loud and proud or whisper quiet, through headphones or speakers, in your studio or on the road, you're constantly listening. And naturally, you need to hear your productions through various transducers to accurately assess how they translate.
What you don't want is to be relegated to a life of vibe-killing, time-wasting repatching—you know, power-down those speakers, unplug them, plug in the other speakers, power them on, etc.—or adjust your DAW's master fader to
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Mixing in headphones is a somewhat controversial topic in the pro audio world. Some producers and engineers mix primarily in headphones (often out of necessity) and others denounce the practice as entirely useless, preferring to work only on studio monitors. But I think that everyone can agree that a sound mix, whether it’s a song, podcast, video, or other, needs to sound good on headphones and on larger speakers. For me, and many other engineers, that
by Zach Kornhauser · Posted
Creating music doesn’t have to be tied down to a large studio, or even a humble desk setup at home. While those settings are excellent choices for coming up with new ideas, you must be prepared when creativity strikes, regardless of where you are. Whether you are in band practice with your friends or trying to make hard-hitting beats on your laptop, you should have everything you need to capture your ideas.
It’s also important to consider the size and weight of portable recording tools; the last thing you want to worry about is how to carry
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Whether you’re a musician who’s building a studio or rehearsal space, setting up an audio system at a venue or house of worship, an aspiring streamer/podcaster, or a production house, the audio mixer may be the most important (and expensive) purchase you make—but with multitudes of options, you’ll want to know exactly what you need before pulling the trigger.
This guide will help you sort through the factors to consider when searching for the perfect mixer for the job. If you’ve got a case of choice paralysis when it comes to mixers, or if
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Whether you're a hobbyist making beats for fun or a seasoned professional producing music for your adoring fans, you'll want to have a MIDI keyboard to control your software synthesizers, drum machines, and maybe your whole DAW. In this shopping guide, we'll go over some of the best and most popular MIDI keyboard controllers we have in stock at B&H, their important features, and what kind of musicians they're best suited for.
If you need to know more about MIDI controllers and their affinity with DAWs, synths, and other hardware, check out
by Gabby Bloch · Posted
If you’re thinking about building a home recording studio or upgrading your existing setup with better gear, there are a plethora of options at B&H that can take your production to the next level (maybe at the cost of fueling your gear-acquisition syndrome). Here are some of our favorite pieces of music technology we have on offer, covering everything you’d need to start working on your own music and recording projects, or bring your productions to the next level.
MIDI Controllers
Novation Launchkey MK4 Series—A Workhorse Controller
The
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Now that we’ve discussed the basic gear you need to put on a live show, lets look at the specific kind of gear and knowledge you’d need to set up a professional event at a large venue, stadium, or arena. Whether you want to gain more knowledge in pro live sound or you’re just curious, you’re in the right place!
If you’re a beginner or want more context for this article, go ahead and check out the
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
The PA system is the linchpin of any venue or event space, whether it’s the hottest new night club, this weekend’s big house party, or the screening of the next indie film sensation. It’s integral to the experience of social activity—and because music and sound deserve to be clear, coherent, and exhilarating, the PA system needs to serve up the goods by being powerful, reliable, and properly scaled for the event.
In our
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
When it comes to putting on a live show, knowing the specific gear to get and how to use it can be a daunting prospect. There are tons of different microphones, speaker systems, monitoring setups, and mixer environments, all of which are suited for different types of performance settings. And that's not even including power distribution, cabling, and other miscellaneous equipment you'll need to put on a proper event. But fear not reader. In this guide, we'll go over all the gear you'll want to consider and why, whether you're putting on
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Realistic artificial reverbs and other time-based processors are commonplace in today’s music technology, so it’s easy to overlook how much of a technical marvel it was when reverberation could be divorced from the physical location of a performance, and how quickly it transformed recorded music. From Bill Putnam’s reamping technique using physical echo chambers, to the Brobdingnagian 600-pound EMT plate reverb machine, to the complex digital convolution and algorithmic reverbs we have today, artificial reverbs have been sculpting the sonic
by Steven Esposito · Posted
If you’re starting a video podcast or looking to get into live streaming, you’ve come to the right place. I have experience with both, so I speak from personal experience when I say you’ll need a capable computer to do either. What kind of computer exactly? Thankfully, the answer is simple.
For the time being, I can’t suggest building your own PC just for this. The prices of memory (or RAM) have skyrocketed due to the demands of AI infrastructure. In many cases, the price of memory has even surpassed some pre-built systems I’ve seen. The good
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Recording is much more of an art than a science, and every recording engineer has their preferences and techniques to achieve the sound they’re aiming for. With the current accessibility of recording technology, people have created incredible, high-fidelity productions despite limited budgets and unlikely recording environments—all they needed was some knowledge, a good idea, and the passion to experiment and explore different methods. In this guide, we will explore different established recording techniques that will give you solid knowledge
by Freddy Gerngross · Posted
Choosing a Digital Audio Workstation, or DAW, is a major decision. For beginners, it will define their learning curve, workflow, and operating knowledge—for professionals, compatibility, functionality, and familiarity is key. In this guide, we will give some detailed overviews of the most popular DAWs in the audio industry, what their strengths and weaknesses are, and some of their unique features.
If you’re in a rush, here’s a quick rundown of the best DAWs for a variety of common purposes:
If you’re a songwriter/producer: Ableton, Logic,