Tutorials on specific plug-ins aren’t that common here on AUDIOTUTS but this one is so special it demanded our attention. Effectrix is a new performance, step-based, multi-effects processor with a really innovative interface and a pretty impressive sound.

For those of you who like the look of this plug-in and want to take it for a spin, download a fully functional demo from the Sugarbytes site, and if you would like to buy it you can find a 15% discount coupon in the play pack available for download at the end of this tutorial.

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Following my tutorials on creating a house drum track and making electronic basslines, we now come to the next stage of producing our virtual track, adding a pad and strings.

Although pads are usually subtle sounds, they can be all-important when you need to add atmosphere to a track. Even though these sounds may only amount to a backdrop, it’s well worth investing some time into creating them.

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When I teach recording classes my favorite lesson is this critical listening exercise. It’s fun and light, and practicing it helps us all improve our mixes. First, let’s look at what makes a great mix, then we’ll jump into the exercise.

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Have you ever wondered how modern rock bands get that really tight sound? The rhythms sometimes sound too perfect for even the best musicians to pull off. With today’s technology it is possible to easily quantize your audio tracks. This tutorial will teach you how to start correcting your timing by using beat detective and elastic audio in Digidesign’s Pro Tools software.

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Last time, I covered everything you need to know to get you through the sound check of a live gig. This time I’m going to explain how to mix the show itself. I can’t tell you how to mix (you should have a pretty good idea already, or no one will employ you to mix for them) but I can point out some pitfalls and pass on some tips.

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Depth by doubling. You can hear it in almost any song. Big, booming guitars and wide chorus vocals are just some of the most popular times that double tracking and fake doubling are pulled out of the trick bag and dropped into a mix.

If your mixes sound hollow, empty, lifeless and small, you may need a bit more depth. Try one of these techniques and see if they work for you.

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Reason doesn’t offer users the greatest control over sound processing. The built-in reverb, compressor and so on will do the trick when you want to start composing a new song, but what about when the composition is done and it’s time to mix?

In this tutorial, we’ll go through the steps required to get your entire Reason rack routing into individual channels in Logic, a simple, handy process, but one that’s a dark and mysterious art to many newcomers.

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Persuading a problematic vocal recording to play nicely with the rest of your mix can seem like a futile task. Well-recorded vocals and poorly-recorded vocals both need to be correctly prepared, and the processes we’re going through today will help you turn your untreated vocal take into a polished and commercial sound.

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Being a Front Of House engineer is a fun and rewarding job, but it can throw you a lot of curve balls and, as we all know, you’re only as good as your last show.

How do you lessen the chances of making a huge mess of the show that could be the one that leads to a tour or even a regular stint with a big artist? Read on, and I’ll do my best to point you in the right direction.

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Automation is a very convenient feature of most modern digital audio workstations. When the record industry ran on miles of tape, there was no such thing as automation; it was all about manual knob-turning. We have it pretty easy in contrast.

Automation allows you to draw in a set of events that will automatically occur when you play back the track. For instance, you can draw a set of volume changes along your guitar track to hear it creep in and out of the mix. You can also achieve that dynamic stereo panning effect, causing instruments to swoosh from speaker to speaker.

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