Studio & Recording

No matter how good you are at mixing and mastering, the quality of the original recording will always largely determine the final result. Guest-blogger Freek Roffel from Freaky Studio is here to share five tips that can help you get the recording stage right, where preparation is key.

For up-and-coming musicians, a music video is a great way to promote a new single. But how do you do it when your budget is limited? There are actually examples of great music videos that were shot using an iPhone or digital camera out there, but to pull it off, you need to know the basics of filming. Music video director Zeno Groenewegen is here to explain how you can achieve pro-grade results in twelve steps.

The drum machine had its real break-through back in the eighties but never really lost momentum. New models are frequently released while older models are regularly reissued and priced more generously than the original hardware. Curious about how legendary bits of kit like the TR-808 and the LM-1 came to exist? Read on!

In 2021, the moment finally came when Anni-Frid (1945), Björn (1945), Benny (1946) and Agnetha (1950) treated the world to a completely new album. Who’d have thought it? The band had long since broken up and even the promise of a billion dollar paycheck for a tour wasn’t tempting enough to bring them back together. However, this blog isn’t going to dig through the ABBA legend (you’ll be able to find plenty of ABBA history lessons documented in countless books and YouTube clips). Instead, we’re going to look at the musicality of this special band and the technical details that made it all possible. What are the necessary elements of the ABBA sound? Where do you start if you want to write a song like ABBA and how do you capture that distinct ABBA style?

Always on call to anticipate your every need, the Bax Music specialists are our very own year-round treats. Today, they get to gush over the gear that they’ve fallen in love with in 2024, so get comfy and dream along with our experts as they let us in on their Gear of the Year 2024 rundown – the Studio, DJ & PA edition.

The number of available DAW plugins is still growing every day. In this article, guest-blogger Davey Jonez looks into the biggest differences between the standard plugins you get with your DAW pack, and separately available, commercial plugins. Are the latter worth the investment?

We don’t just buy records based on what we hear, but what we see. According to research, colours, images and even shapes influence our decision-making, so let’s take a closer look at how this works in the context of album artwork.

What exactly is hearing damage and how can it affect you? As a musician, how does hearing damage happen? How easily can it happen and, more importantly, how can you best prevent or limit its effects? Read on to find out more.

A podcast is kind of like radio-on-demand. Listening to podcasts is only getting more and more popular, and the number of people that want to start their own podcast is growing every day. In this article, we’ll explain the basics of podcasting and not only show you how you can make your own podcast, but how to become a better podcaster while you’re at it.

“Hello, my name is Michiel and I have G.A.S.” The room replies with the depleted enthusiasm that comes with saying a line for the hundredth time: “Hello Michiel…” Guestblogger Michiel Buisman talks openly about a well-known affliction within the music community: the compulsion to keep buying new gear and musical instruments that you don’t really need. This compulsion has a name: Gear Acquisition Syndrome. So what exactly is it, why does it happen and what kind of forms can it take?

Guestblogger and multi-instrumentalist Nigel Hubee explains the setup he uses when he performs as part of the acoustic duo The Tickets on YouTube. To his mind, the trick is to simply use the resources that you already have around you: so your backdrop can be your own living room or another good room; you can use the instruments and microphones that you always use on stage anyway; and you can film everything on just your phone, a tablet or an action camera that’s able to film in HD (1080p) – so that’s most models these days. Next to that, you’ll need your laptop and some kind of recording software, some simple video editing software, some monitor speakers and, last but not least, an audio interface so everything can be coupled up.

Michael Jordan has already passed the 60 year mark, and with that height comes plenty of wisdom. That he’s a legendary figure within basketball is undeniable, but his popularity stretches far beyond the court, and in the age of memes, Jordan has dropped some pretty inspiring one-liners. Can musicians and producers learn something from the GOAT of all GOATs? Definitely. Here, Guestblogger Rutger Steenbergen puts seven of Jordan’s best quotes in a more musical context.