Firstly, thank you very much for this form.  It is a tremendous help. My question is about sound cards.  First, I'd like to know if the current sound card I have is good enough for voiceover work.  Are there any tests I can do or specs I can check?  I am asking this because when […]

I'm currently in audio production school, but I'm a musician at heart and that's what led me to recording school. I'd really love to purchase my first condenser mic this summer, but I need something specific. I'm looking for a condenser mic that is around $500 (or less) and picks up female vocals, acoustic guitar, […]

I have a Presonus Firepod. I quite like it. My silly question is: is another preamp necessary or are the preamps on the Firepod enough? I bought an ART MP preamp. The problem is that it is REALLY noisy. Lots of hiss. I went back to just using the Firepod preamps and the hiss was […]

Can someone explain to me what impedence is? Also, I have a Presonus Firepod.  It has three kinds of inputs:  mic, line and instrument.  What is the difference between them and does it make a difference for sound quality if I plug a mic into an instrument ijnput, etc? Impedance is an electrical term that […]

Dr. Doctor: How do you recommend blending a guitar solo into a song?  It's tricky (for me anyway) becuase if you have other guitars they are basically taking up the same EQ space.  I don't want to make it too loud or overly compressed.  Any trick/tips? I just do whatever sounds good for that particular […]

Wise One: Do you have any tips for recording distorted guitars?  When I try it, the recording sounds for ssssssizzzzly. I have a Big Muff and a Boss OD2.  I've experimented with an SM57, a Cascade ribbon and I'm about to get a Sennheiser MD421.  I have a Marshall JCM2000. Any tips would be greatly […]

Hi Steve, Thanks for the email about the “Yes We Can” videos on YouTube.  They were very educational.  Everyone involved in the production did a great job. I wanted to ask you a few questions about some of my observations: 1.      I noticed you started out recording vocals with an SM7 then later […]

Hi Steve, I am constantly reading reviews on the internet about different pieces of musical equipment.  Given my limited budget, I am always looking for the best values. I recently bought two MCA SP-1 microphones for $39 each after reading good reviews for them.  I have done a little bit of vocal recording with them […]

Greetings Wise One: Have you ever used the Glyn John's method of recording drums?  I've been trying to use it.  It seems simple but there seems to be real problems with phase coherence, in particular if you are recording in a small space. IF you have ver used it, does one place one overhead directly […]

Hi Steve, I was watching some free samples of a mix training DVD, where the guy mentioned he always puts McDSP AC-1 on the mix bus and does his entire mix through it to add subtle distortion to make it sound like a record.  Is this something that you do and would recommend as well? […]