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Articles by Sam McNiece
Gear Rundown: Aphex Twin
Rather than providing an exhaustive list of every piece of gear he’s ever used, this piece highlights some of the more unique and under appreciated machines in his arsenal—some of which you may have never even heard of. It’s worth noting that Aphex Twin is known for modifying, circuit-bending, and repurposing gear in ways that often go far beyond the manufacturer’s original intentions.
In Focus: Celestion Peacekeeper speaker
Finding the optimal combination of drive from various pedals on your pedalboard to tuning the gain on your vintage Plexi, only to turn around and realise that your band is looking at you covering their ears because this perfect tone is also blisteringly loud to everyone except you. But what can you do? If you change the loudness of your amp, the tone will be ruined and if you don’t you might not have a band to play with next week.
Tired ears? Reset your hearing after long recording studio sessions
However, prolonged mixing or recording studio sessions can lead to ear fatigue, diminishing your ability to make critical decisions. The following tips are designed to help you reset your hearing and regain a clear perspective, ensuring your mixes stay fresh and balanced. Whether you’re tackling a challenging mix or just feeling stuck, these techniques can help you realign your focus and achieve better results.
Five times The RZA showed he's a sampling genius
Words by Sam McNiece Today, I’m exploring how The RZA’s innovative sampling techniques reshaped the art of hip-hop production and set a gold standard for generations to come. The RZA is a groundbreaking music producer and the creative force behind the Wu-Tang Clan’s iconic sound. Renowned for his raw, cinematic beats, he revolutionized hip-hop production by fusing gritty drum loops, soulful melodies, and haunting vocal snippets into tracks that feel both timeless and avant-garde.
Genelec speakers: Leading the charge in immersive audio
Our world by its very nature is immersive. We’re constantly stimulated by the sounds around us whether it’s simply strolling down the street or walking through the bush. It’s habitual for us to hear everything in front, behind, side to side or from above us, it’s epic, it’s enthralling, it’s human. This “norm” is rapidly making its way into how we experience film, television, gaming and music through immersive audio technology and it’s pretty wild to say the least.
Understanding acoustic treatment & room modes within your studio
For a bit of a refresher, we’ve previously look at monitoring itself in our Monitoring Month a few years ago, we looked at setting up studio monitors and introduced some the (very) basics of acoustic treatment at the setup/room layout basic furnishing level. This was done intentionally to prepare you for which brings us to our next point of discussion, the colossal worm hole that is the science of acoustic treatment.
Gear Icons: Yamaha NS10
In the world of professional studio equipment, the word ‘iconic’ tends to be reserved for the top end of town: beautiful pieces of vintage precision equipment, boasting the finest in premium components and assemblage, the likes of which have cultivated a fervent following amongst audio’s elite over the course of decades (and with the discography to prove it). It’s in this context that the story of the Yamaha NS10 is made even more remarkable.
Gear Rundown: Studio monitors
Continuing our journey into all things Monitoring this month, today we’re diving into the bevy of studio monitors that your favourite musos use. We’ve got metalheads, DJ’s, rappers, and a whole lot more in store for you. Studio monitors, while varying wildly in sonics, physical footprint and aesthetics, are also such a personal choice that engineers, producers and musicians eventually make.
Tracing the history of the Yamaha HS series active studio monitors
Of all the brands and models inhabiting the broader loudspeaker market, few have as diverse and balanced CV as Yamaha and the Yamaha HS Series.
Limiter vs compressor: the ultimate guide
Words by Sam McNiece What is the go with dynamics processing? For those familiar with what compressors vs limiters do, you might have asked the question, what’s the difference? The short and simple answer is that a compressor handles ratios below 10:1 while anything above 8:1 is bonafide limiter territory.
Gear Rundown: Kraftwerk Autobahn
Words by Sam McNiece Their first album to fully embrace the electronic sound. Electronic music has changed a lot since the mid ’70s. Nowadays anyone can jump onto a DAW and have a world full of possibilities in front of them. There has been over 45 years of technological expansion since Kraftwerk released this album, and back then it wasn’t so easy. In the mid ’70s, synthesizers were few and far between, and with the exception of a couple, you couldn’t just head to a music store and buy one.
The genius of ABBA songs: The incredible production and recording techniques behind the music
Words by Benjamin Lamb A deep dive into the techniques used to write and record some of the most iconic ABBA songs. You’d be hard pressed to find a group as original as ABBA. With decades of widely popular albums and musicals under their belts, they’ve garnered plenty of fans across the globe. ABBA songs are defined by the combination of their unique harmonies and feel good songwriting, but perhaps most importantly, showcase their original production and recording processes.
Six of the best mastering engineers you should know about
Words by Sam McNiece We explore the illusive mastering engineer, diving into the very best of this creator class who have shaped the musical landscape as we know it today. The illusive work of the mastering engineer is often considered a dark art within the audio realm. Usually working with just a stereo audio file, they manipulate audio to create consistent and well levelled tracks that aim to sound incredible on any audio system.
Seven of the best free Synth VST plugins
Words by Sam McNiece The top free VST synths to use for lead, bass and weird noise patches. Nowadays, looking at buying a Digital Audio Workstation can be a stretch on the budget, let alone buying additional plugins to add to your sound palette. If you can overlook sometimes clunky interfaces, there’s really a large variety of free VST synths to create music with, and all without breaking the bank.
Lay of the Land: An introduction to Pioneer DJ workflows
Words By Sam McNiece When you think of DJ equipment, there’s no other name as synonymous as Pioneer. From clubs to home studios, large festivals to your friends living room, you’d have to be living under a rock to not have heard of Pioneer DJ gear. Pioneer’s flagship CDJ and DJM range is literally the industry standard, and most likely what you’re gonna see if you step up in the booth at clubs or festivals the world over.
Understanding digital audio: Sample rates, aliasing, bit depth and dithering
Words by Sam McNiece An in-depth write up on key digital audio terms with explanations of how they work. You’ll notice when you’re working within a digital audio software, there’s often options to change sample rates and bit depth. Both of these change the quality of audio that is created and recorded within your DAW.
Peak vs RMS vs LUFS
Words by Sam McNiece A guide to audio metering and how to implement it. Within the context of modern audio recording, mixing and mastering, having an understanding of audio levels is crucial in being able to produce a song that fits the specific guidelines set by streaming services and distribution platforms which are essential in getting your music heard.
Content Creation Month
With guides and product reviews to set you up for online success. With the endless wave of new podcasts, webcasts, videos, v-logs, livestreams, memes, and more popping up every single day, one thing is for certain – people are creating and consuming more digital content than ever before.
Review: Lunacy Audio CUBE
Words by Sam McNiece Lunacy Audio | Enquire for pricing Every once in a while, a plugin releases that unlocks an extra layer of control you didn’t know you needed until that very moment. Lunacy Audio’s offering CUBE, may well be that plugin for you, as an intuitive sampler which enables you to blend between eight audio samples by creating your own or using pre-made orbits through its virtual cube, with each sample occupying a corner.
Content Creation Month
With guides and product reviews to set you up for online success. With the endless wave of new podcasts, webcasts, videos, v-logs, livestreams, memes, and more popping up every single day, one thing is for certain – people are creating and consuming more digital content than ever before.
Review: Pioneer DJ CDJ-3000 - Mixdown Magazine
Words by Sam McNiece Jands | Enquire for pricing Pioneer DJ, the industry leader in professional digital DJ equipment, is back better than ever with the bigger and badder CDJ-3000. If you’ve played at a club recently, you may have seen one of these in the wild and been gobsmacked by the larger screen and additional buttons and settings available.
Review: Audio-Technica 3000 Series IEM System
Words by Sam McNiece Technical Audio Group | RRP: $1,499 As a live sound engineer, artists rocking up with their own set of in-ear monitors is becoming the new norm. Live electronic acts who want to hear their low-low bass frequencies accurately as well as bands who want a really loud mix on stage without running into feedback issues from all the live microphones will bring or spec an in-ear monitoring system for their live performance.
Review: Novation Launchkey 88 MK3
Words by Sam McNiece Focusrite Australia | Enquire for pricing The invention of the MIDI keyboard is likely the largest helping hand musicians who work within the framework of DAWs will ever have. They unlock expression and tactility that is just not possible with a mouse and keyboard and allow an immediacy of ideas to flow effortlessly through intuitive controls.
Words by Sam McNiece Focusrite Australia | Enquire for pricing The podcasting space has become one of the biggest growth areas over the past few years with a vast majority of streaming services now offering podcasts in addition to music. This growth has unleashed a wave of products that cater specifically to providing people with an affordable way to set up and achieve professional results for their podcasts.
Integrate Expo 2022: Everything you need to know
Words by Sam McNiece Returning to an in-person format, teaming up with the annual Security Expo, and previewing this year's Women's Council, you won't want to miss Integrate Expo 2022 Integrate Expo, a hub for the AV industry with opportunities to see new products, attend talks, network with fellow integrators, and get a feel for what’s coming next in the industry is happening in person for the first time in three years next month.
Review: Sound Particles Density
Words by Sam McNiece Sound Particles | Enquire for pricing Breathing life into the digital plugin landscape is a tough sell. There’s a large swathe of plugins that either blatantly copy or take their major ideas from other VSTs or their hardware counterparts. That sentiment does not ring true for Sound Particles, the Portuguese-based plugin manufacturers who create truly unique plugins that you won’t find anywhere else.
Review: Sennheiser XS Wireless IEM
Words by Sam McNiece Sennheiser Australia | Enquire for pricing Remember when only professional internationally touring bands and artists used in-ear monitors? The world has changed a lot since then, with technology once reserved for the best of the best, now within a price bracket that means you can hear your live performance with clarity, and take back control from the average-sounding monitor speakers at your local venue.
Review: Novation Peak
Words by Sam McNiece Focusrite Australia | Enquire for pricing Digital synths have been around since the ‘80s, producing some of the most iconic synth tones of the last 30 years and yet, still to this day we have people willing to eschew all the technical and programming upside of digital in favour of the allure of classic analog synthesis.
Review: Novation Circuit Rhythm
Words by Sam McNiece Focusrite Australia | Enquire for pricing An extension of their Circuit products, the Circuit Tracks takes away the inbuilt synths and MIDI channels from the Tracks in exchange for a fully fledged eight-track sampler. This new offering from Novation is similar to their Circuit Tracks device but goes deeper into sample manipulation with a focus on beat and sampling. Read more product reviews here.
Review: Novation Circuit Tracks
Words by Sam McNiece Focusrite Australia | Enquire for pricing Novation’s new iteration of the Circuit adds new functionality and a sleek housing to a compact unit that has the ability to be the centre of your live setup, small hardware studio, as well as a portable battery powered groovebox. The unit features 32 velocity sensitive performance pads, eight multi-use encoders plus two master knobs with heaps of buttons to ensure everything is at your fingertips.
Integrate 2021: Peter Moses breaks down why Acoustic Modelling is such a crucial part of audio installation
Words by Sam McNiece Including what tools you can use to integrate acoustic modelling into your installation work. For anyone who’s worked in audio installation work, you may have encountered a situation where you’ve planned what speakers you’re going to bring and where you’re going to put them, but when the rig is set up, it doesn’t sound like you thought it would. Read up on all the latest interviews, features and columns here.
Giveaway: Hotone Prize Pack
Get your entry in today. Ho…Ho…HOTONE! Xmas has well and truly come early thanks to the legends at Amber Technology, who have a supplied us with a massive Hotone Prize Pack (including an Ampero amp & effects processor, a Soul Press II Volume/Expression/Wah pedal and an EC4) to give away to one lucky Mixdown reader.
PRS SE P20E now available in lotus pink colourway
Words by Sam McNiece The parlor guitar is back with a new look. Parlor-sized acoustic guitars aren’t as popular as they used to be, but never the less, PRS Guitars are charging forward with their SE P20E guitar, which is now available in Lotus Pink in limited numbers. What you need to know: PRS Guitars have announced a limited-edition SE P20E parlor acoustic guitar in Lotus Pink. The guitar features PRS hybrid “X”/Classical bracing which allows the top to freely vibrate.
Strymon StarLab: Modular reverb unit to take your sound to outer space
Words by Sam McNiece Featuring Karplus-Strong delay and harmonics controls. Pedal masters Strymon have just announced StarLab, a modular effects unit that has a range of modulation parameters to tweak and adjust to create interesting reverb effects. The idea behind creating this device was to provide the highest quality reverb possible for modular systems. What you need to know: Strymon have released the StarLab time-warped reverberator which is a rack unit that is 28hp wide.
RØDE AI-MICRO: Bite-sized portable USB audio interface
Words by Sam McNiece With lossless audio capture available on your phone! RØDE, who have been ahead of the pack in terms of gear for creators, has unleashed the AI-Micro. The small audio interface features two 3.5mm inputs and a 3.5mm output which allows for two microphones and a set of headphones to be connected to the AI-Micro, which can record audio at 24bit/48kHz quality.
The Strokes are coming to Melbourne and Sydney in 2022!
NY rock icons The Strokes will play sideshows in Melbourne and Sydney for their first Australian headline dates for a decade. The Strokes will play a Melbourne gig when they head to Australia for Splendour in the Grass in July 2022. Accompanied by The Chats and The Lazy Eyes, punters are in for one helluva show. Armed with songs from their 20 year, six-album catalogue, The Strokes live set will also feature tracks from their 2021 Grammy Award winning Best Rock Album The New Abnormal.
Rhodes MK8 details finally released
Words by Sam McNiece Available to purchase from today! After what seemed like an eternity of teasers and speculation, the Rhodes MK8 is finally here. Debuting today on their website for pre-subscribers, the highly sought after units will be available for purchase. What you need to know: Rhodes have unveiled the full specifications for their new MK8 keyboard. After months of teasing, word has broken that the keyboards will be available today to people who have subscribed to the website.
Lana Del Rey, Nightmares on Wax + more, our favourite records of the week
Words by Sam McNiece From dream-pop to hip-hop, we got you covered. This week Lana Del Rey continues to make classics with Blue Bannisters, Curren$y collaborates with Harry Fraud again on Regatta, and Nightmares On Wax returns with a stellar cover to cover record on Shout Out! To Freedom… This week’s top picks: Lana Del Rey – Blue Bannisters Curren$y & Harry Fraud – Regatta Nightmares On Wax – Shout Out! To Freedom… Read all the latest music news here.
SSL Native X-Echo: A unique delay processor
Words by Sam McNiece With a clever UI design and in-built effects. Solid State logic adds to their range of plugins with a new vintage tape inspired delay software. X-Echo features all the bells and whistles you’d expect from a delay plugin plus an interesting visual display of delay taps and various effects to modulate and sculpt your EQ sound. What you need to know: Solid State Logic have released the SSL Native X Echo, a hardware inspired tape delay plugin.
Fabrizio Grossi on recording the Soul Garage Experiment's debut record "Counterfeited Soulstice" Vol. 1
Words by Sam McNiece With a look at his influences and gear used during recording the album. Fabrizio ‘Fab’ Grossi is an extremely talented musician, producer and songwriter whose list of collaborators include Slash, Gary Clark Jr, Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa and even the funk legend George Clinton! Read up on all the latest interviews, features and columns here.
We're on the hunt for a Digital Editor
Want to work with us at Mixdown? Mixdown Magazine, Australia’s number one news destination for musicians, audio enthusiasts and music creators, is seeking an experienced editor for its Melbourne based team to administer content across its website and socials. Key Responsibilities: Application of Mixdown’s SEO strategy to all website content. Coordinate Mixdown’s social media channels and spearhead strategies to encourage audience engagement and growth.
Gear Icons: DPA Microphones
Words by Sam McNiece A look at the brand that specialises in small diaphragm, high quality microphones. If you have been following us through our technical deep dive into all things post, broadcast and content creation, you should by now be fully aware of just how important microphones are in the context of these kinds of detail oriented, non-musical applications.
Understanding digital audio: Sample rates, aliasing, bit depth and dithering
Words by Sam McNiece An in-depth write up on key digital audio terms with explanations of how they work. You’ll notice when you’re working within a digital audio software, there’s often options to change sample rates and bit depth. Both of these change the quality of audio that is created and recorded within your DAW.
Audio Pro Blackstar Edition Drumfire: Live sound from a multiroom speaker
Words by Sam McNiece A multiroom speaker that looks like a guitar amp and cab combo! Audio Pro, a Swedish based speaker manufacturer has collaborated with Blackstar to release a special edition of their Drumfire multiroom loudspeaker. The two part speaker features a custom EQ curve from the Blackstar team which aims to emulate a live gig sound. What you need to know: Blackstar Amplification have teamed up with Audio Pro to release a special edition Drumfire speaker system.
Sidechain Compression: What is it and how is it used?
Words by Sam McNiece The complete guide to sidechain compression and even a how to. The year is 2004 and popular dance music on the radio is dominated by sidechain compression. ‘Call On Me’ by Eric Prydz is dominating the charts and there’s a certain allure to the track that makes every beat feel bigger. In practice, it’s not the addition of something that makes the kick sound bigger, but rather, an absence of sound.
Audio Technica unveil BP28 and BP28L Line + Gradient microphones
Words by Sam McNiece A new longer iteration of the shotgun microphone model. For the professional audio engineer, Audio-Technica have just unveiled two new shotgun microphones for on site audio capture. The shotgun microphones features large-diaphragm condensers and a highly directional polar pattern to ensure you’re capturing what the microphone is pointed at. What you need to know: Audio-Technica have released two new microphones, the BP28 and BP28L.
MOD Dwarf: A multi-effects pedal within a pedal
Words by Sam McNiece Yo dawg, I heard you like effects pedals... If you can dream the effects chain, you can make it. That’s the selling point for the MOD Devices Dwarf audio processor pedal, that uses DSP to allow for a wide range of effects to be generated on the device that can be edited from your web browser. What you need to know: The MOD Dwarf is a digital pedalboard within a physical pedal.
Giveaway: JZ Microphones Black Hole BH2 Cardioid
Get your entry in today. Courtesy of JZ Microphones, we’re giving one lucky Mixdown Online reader a Black Hole BH2 Cardioid microphone for free! This premium quality, large 1″ diameter diaphragm condenser microphone utilises Golden Drop Technology to provide pristine and clear audio on whatever you’re recording. The innovative design of the shock-mount is a vibration killer that allows you to hone in on your intended audio target.
Behringer Edge: A semi-modular drum machine
Words by Sam McNiece A dual VCO analog percussion machine. In the latest of affordable Behringer hardware gear, comes the Edge, a semi-modular percussion synth that looks a little familiar in a few respects. The dual VCO’s, patch bay and filters allow it to create versatile moving sound palettes. What you need to know: Behringer have released a video detailing their new semi-modular percussion machine, Edge.
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