Tech Talk
2017
Spatial Audio at AES
For amateurs and pros alike, the tools to produce slick-looking 3D, 4k content with post-produced audio are here.
2016
Data Drama
I just had a valued hard drive fail. I know it happens, but I still went through the eight emotional stages after data loss.
2016
Evolving Transducers
It wasn’t that long ago that we started trusting digital enough to be all-in. Since then, and especially lately, the evolution of digital products...
2016
Big Studios Bring It
Unless you just woke from a 20-year sleep, you know that digital recording and the Internet have pushed us into a multi-level world of...
2016
Live Sound Takeaways
In the past, I’ve written about the growing similarities between live sound and recording studio workflows.
2016
Think Again
The part of my job that excites me the most is when I come across new technologies and approaches that change the way I...
Blog
Five Things You Need to Know
I regularly come across tech, music and general info that I immediately put in my “remember this” folder. Recently, I hit the Mother Lode...
2016
Let’s Collaborate!
There are “aha” moments in life when you realize that a change doesn’t simply affect you, but rather is a tide that raises all...
2016
Problem Solvers
It’s great when you find things that make your life easier, things that become such a part of your day-to-day world that it’s hard...
2016
Field of Streams
When it comes to tuning your product news, music, sports, and more, streaming is king.
2016
The New High End
I’m a tech-loving geek—my ceiling fan talks to my thermostat and coordinates my house temp. But high-end tech doesn’t need to be that crazy,...
2015
Favorite Gear From 2015
Audio pros are passionate about gear, and our tastes tend to be broader than most.
2015
The Latin Grammys
Certain words bring certain images to mind. In music, when you think of “Grammy” you probably think of the February awards show at the...
2015
Sonic Rescue
Although “videographer” is a job classification I’ve never put on my resume, in the new age where anyone can broadcast to the world, I’ve...
2015
Where Will We Be?
When I was a kid, I used to play a daydreamer’s game of “where will I be?”—when I’m 20, 30, in the year 2000,...
2015
Pick Up Your Pro Tools Pace
While attention to detail and organization are vital elements in professional session workflow, speed can often make or break a session.
2015
What Kind of User Are You?
Last month I wrote about new subscription/membership models that are now being offered by Avid, Slate Digital, Cakewalk and Audionamix.
2015
Subscriptions Anyone?
It’s nothing new. You’re likely reading Mix because you have a subscription. It’s based on a mutual agreement.
2015
When Do You Trash Your Preferences?
At the risk of sounding like a VO in a movie trailer (“In a world, where everything is everywhere...), when you have unlimited tracks,...
2014
Don’t Forget to Stretch
At the start of every new year, I like to take an assessment of my studio life, looking at both the gear I have...
Blog
Tech Talk: 18 Years in L.A.
I’ve lived in Cleveland, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and now twice in Nashville, but the city I spent the biggest chunk of time in is...
Blog
TechTalk: Upgrade? Is It Time Yet?
As an engineer, educator, content creator and communicator, I’m constantly wrestling with tech upgrades. But the first question I have to always ask myself...
Blog
TechTalk: Do Nothing
I’m always looking for something to do. Call it OCD, OMG, WTF or whatever you’d like—one of my dearest friends calls me her “favorite...
Blog
TechTalk: On Being A Sponge
Everyone knows the Chinese blessing/curse, “May you live in interesting times.” For me, the polarity-flipped blessing would be, “May you always be surrounded by...
Blog
TechTalk: It’s About Time
We all deal with timing every day. From hitting the stoplights on the way to work to setting a song tempo, making business decisions...
Blog
TechTalk: MetApeel
Metadata is like a banana peel. It looks great on the banana, but once it’s separated, no one wants to own it. Who will...
Blog
TechTalk: Traveling Rigs
NAMM is in a couple of weeks. I’ve been going to these shows since the 1980s, and I always get the same buzz from...
Blog
TechTalk: Top Gear From 2013
The last 12 months have been an interesting ride for our business. Dealers I questioned at Winter NAMM were lukewarm about business, but just...
Blog
TechTalk: The Conversation is Changing
I’ve talked about quality more than a few times in this column. I’m a firm believer that quality is cheaper when buying gear, and...
Blog
TechTalk: Quality Is Cheaper
I often have students, colleagues and Facebook friends ask, “What is the best mic, speaker, headphones, interface, etc., I can buy?” Since my job...
Blog
TechTalk: I’m a Studio Junkie
After 30-plus years in the business, I’ve caught the studio bug again. I’ve been building a small mix room for four months now and...
Blog
TechTalk: What’s In Your Ears?
In my October column (“The Score: Consumers 10, Pros 0”), I talked about how manufacturers like Apple were reaching for the golden “consumer” ring...
Blog
TechTalk: WYSI (Not Always) WYG
One of my rules when writing a product review is to never ask the price until the end. I’ll do everything I can to...
Blog
TechTalk: The Score: Consumers 10, Pros 0
Of all the great gear we use to record and play back sound, the only non-audio product in the signal chain is the personal...