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New:Subscribe to Tweak's Blogspot New Should we Upgrade to Win 7? NEW Polls Best Mid price Firewire Interface New Guide Article: Latency and how to fix it New: Working as a Sound Developer Review of Trilian Pictures of 270 Home and Pro Studios Updated Behringer ADA8000 Review Setting up a Word Clock distribution system
Products announced at Namm 2008 Review of the Stanton t90 Turntable Pictures of 230 Home Studios Tweak's Song Recipe Now with Audio examples Review of Kore 2 Review of the
Roland VG99 V-Guitar
System Guide to buying New and Used Gear Sequencer City Revised Using the EXS24 Sampler Is it
Time to Go Mac? Article on the Motif Family of keyboards The News from Namm 2007 Which Microphones and Preamps are Best for my Studio? The Virtual Recording Studio- Software Instruments, Synths and Samplers Comparison Chart of Multi-timbral synthesizers Comparison chart of USB2.0 interfaces Tour of Tweak's Own Signal Path The News from Namm 2007 The Blogs are up and running New Polls on "Which Mixer?" A catalog of high end preamps Review of East-West Symphonic Choirs The Blogosphere The Concise History of Home Recording Review of FMR's Really Nice Preamp Review of the Yamaha AW1600 Take a peek into Tweak's New Site: Audio Pro Central Gear Pics from Summer Namm 2006 Guide to Compact MIDI Controllers Review of the ReMOTE 37 SL by Novation Getting a Great Guitar Tone in a Sequencer Mac vs. PC for Music iLife '06 and GarageBand 3 Winter Namm 2006 Report Updated: Mixer Article Updated: Keyboards Article GarageBand Jam Packs 1-5 Review of Altered States Review of the MOTU MX4 A Primer on Mic Preamps What to watch out for when buying a Multi-Track Doing Video Projects in your Home Studio Using your studio to make Podcasts Studio Signal Flow The History of Logic Various Studio Rigs (updated) Mastering in the Home Studio New Guide Articles: What is a Soft Sampler? What is a Soft Synth? Using Soundtrack Pro Review: Kontakt2 Review: StormDrum Review of the Garritan Personal Orchestra Working with the Emu 1820M and Emulator X Desktop System Various Studio Rigs (updated) The Noob's checklist for installing a sequencer
Tweak's Picks of the Winter Namm 2005 Review of Stylus RMX Review of the Fantom S/X Overview of Logic 7 16 vs. 24 bit demystified Review of the Shure SM81 Microphone A Tour of Various Home Studio Rigs Review of Intakt by Native Instruments Review of Sound Forge 7 Review of Antares Filter New Guide Article: Using Harmonizers Review of Digital Perfomer 4.12 All about Large MIDI interfaces
How to Write a Sonar Instrument Definition Script Review of Logic Pro 6 Review of the MOTU 828MK2 Review of the Mac G5 Review of GarageBand News from Namm 2004 Review of the Ableton Live 3 Review of Logic Audio Platinum 6.3 Basics of switching from PC to Mac Logic Comparative Review Of Waves 3.2 vs. Platinum
Review of the Akai MPD16 Review of Spectrasonic's Atmosphere Overview of Assembling 4 Home Studios Review of the Neumann TLM 103 Perhaps the best sounding mic for a home studio? Read Tweak's take on this. Review of Kontakt, a new Soft Sampler by Native Instruments bound to take over the world Review of Cubase SX Yeah, Logic is a goner so its sort of like voting for politicians now. Lessee, which is going to ruin things least... Review of the Behringer MX 9000 Analog Console Tweak has it and has not broke it yet. Wanna Go Mac? Explore the options (under construction) Building a DJ ReMix Studio How to get started, how to add a DJ setup to your DAW Using a DAT recorder in your Studio Everything you wanted to know about digital ins and outs plus a little review of cables. The Tweaker's Guide to Midi Controllers You can control many synths from one using my guide. If you gotta tweak'n twitch you better read it. Review of the Korg Kaoss Pad An underrated controller for real time MIDI finger-tweaks. Using FX Processors in the Studio. Tweak takes you back and shows you where all the basic terms came from, to the old tweaksters screaming in caves. Review of the Ableton Live Sequencer Instrument If you did use it Live, would you blow away the clubbers? You could! Review of the Focusrite Voicemaster Pro I have finally chosen a preamp and am here to tell you all about it. Using Pan Controls Effectively I show you how to set those things using the difficult example of the orchestra Review of Reaktor Session. The long awaited Reaktor 4 is now here with it's next-of-kin: Reaktor Session. Over a thousand ensembles for your virtual studio at half the price of the big one. Setting up your Studio for Surround Sound The Tweak has done it. Now he shows you how to do this complex operation in simple language. Tweak's Guide to Control Surfaces. Tweak walks you through some of the basic issues when considering a control surface, with some handy links for your research Recording Electric Guitar. There's many ways to record your guitar now, thanks to the new digital amps and amp modelers. But we will also get into tried and true mic techniques All About Cables Newbie? Everything you were afraid to ask in discussion groups about cables. The Tweak walks you through all the different cable types at a very basic level. 2 part article: Part I: How to Record Vocals and Part II How to Process Vocals New Products at Namm 2003
Review Sonar 3 by Cakewalk Review of Project 5 by Cakewalk Review of Kompakt by Native Instruments Review of the Mackie HR824 Studio Monitors. Are they as good as the hype? The Tweak knows, and tells all. The Total M-IDIot's Guide to Music Technology. If you ask a question in my forums that demonstrates Xtreme knowledge deprivation you will be sent here. May as well go now? Uh Huh! The Truth about Studio Monitors and Sound. Never ask a philosopher turned producer the truth. Unless you want the real answer. All about Compressors Just about everything you need to know to understand how a compressor can fit into your studio's scheme of things. Do you need one? Yes! Now find out why. Reviews of MIDI Plugins. They are here and they offers some surprisingly powerful capabilities. Here's the cutting edge of the art. How to Connect your E-mu sampler to your PC. Step by step tutorial. Will get you around the baffling "driver not found" issues. Tweak's Guide to Digital Multi-Trackers. The Tweak gives you the basic overview of everything you need to know to talk sensibly about these things. Understanding and Using Reason The Tweak gives you an illuminating background and tips for understanding this mighty virtual tweak machine. Review of Battery by Native Instruments Add virtual drumkits to your sequencer. The quick way to make your drum machine the most expensive doorstop you every owned. Review of the
Delta 1010 Audio Interface. Review of the Rode NT 1 Great home studio Mic. Tested in the Tweaklab. Rack 'em Jack Review of the Music People 12 space rack. Just cause its cheap don't mean nuthin' How to Build a Quiet Workspace that enhances musical creativity. Oh sweet silence at last with the hard drives far, far away. Review of Sonic Foundry's ACID 4.0 Is it better? You bet, now with a bunch of MIDI features. The Intelligent Newbie's Guide to building a Studio. Even the Tweak was a newbie once, and he promises not to insult you (much). The "Best" Soundcard for your Home or Project Studio But of you ask me this question again, I might...arghh....(sound of hammer hitting PCI cards) Review of the Behringer V-AMP2 Even a guitarist could use this piece o kit (ducking).
Mixing in the Digital Domain. You asked for it, now I give you some principles to observe setting up your software mixer Review of the Triton Rack The Tweak takes the Rack out for a spin and tell you it's merits and demerits Review of Sonar 2.0 It's hip, it's hot and it's ready for your audio, your loops, your clips. Using your Hardware Sampler Creatively. How to really put the hardware box to excellent and innovative use that a software sampler can't do. How to write Original Drum Tracks Fast and Furious in a MIDI Sequencer. A simple, effective method that works with MIDI drum tracks Snap, Crackle, Pop! Get rid of those Nasty clicks and pops in your audio! Read Tweak's Guide to Troubleshooting Audio Interfaces and Soundcards. Tweak's Guide to Microphones for the home studio. I just upgraded mine and here's what i found. Using Plugins for professional sounding audio. So where do you put all these little plugs? Where's the best plugins and how can they transform my mix? Get the answers Review of Logic 5.0 and Logic Control. Yep, I have them, and have been using them for months before the throng. Tweak's Guide to Midi Modules. This is a new page devoted to the tough choice of which module to get, and you get to find out which I think are the best. Getting Started with MIDI and building a recording studio. This article is for the absolute beginner who know nothing at all. We'll get your soundcard hooked up and you'll be up in a few minutes. Then I'll show you the basics of setting up a recording studio with very little cash. The JukeBox is now a really full Juke! I've managed to link up over 100 songs that I have online and they all play in hi-fi and lo-fi. Included some of my stranger stuff that I usually keep hidden. :) Find out why....but take your medicine 1st, OK? Ask your Questions here! My discussion groups are alive and well under the new organization. Articles How to Tweak your Music PC So your prized 3,000 dollar computer you bought 2 years ago is choking and gasping under the strain of your new softsynths and audio plugins. You look at your bank account and curse the gods of Wintel! Chill, its not that bad. Let me show you the inexpensive way to always have a fast machine. Sequencing with REASON and Logic. Hot off the press. I find Reason to greatly extend Logic's power and vice versa. There's a few things you gotta know though so give this article A READ. Doing it with Digital. This is a primer that tells you how to make a fully digital recording with as few passes through converters as possible. Major Redesign of Tweak's Gear Picks to help you figure out what you want. Unlike other stores, I am not hear to convince you to buy anything, but to help you make the right choice for your studio. Lots of helpful tips! Your Music, Inspiration and Style This article gives common sense advice extracted from the writings of the great Igor Stravinsky, put in a modern language for today's electronic composers. Fun tips for setting up a Home Studio on a budget. Things you might not of known that will really help. Which Sequencer is Best?
Mobile Audio Computers, the how, the why, and before you buy info you need if considering this option. Check out The BUZZ. Browse the newsgroup feeds in a clearcut way that lets you find all the info you want while searching for information on gear. Read juicy gossip from inside the industry. Read all the rants, flames, and slams from those who already bought the gear you are considering. Vintage Sequencers--take a look at the sequencers of the past, and I'll show you how to download them and run them on your current machine, even those from different platforms! Upgrading to Windows XP what it is and what it isn't Sequencer City! More links and timely info on the sequencer war Tips on Using Emagic's EXS24 Software Sampler Some general musings on using the EXS and assembling a massive library with minimal effort. Using dual video monitors with your DAW. It's inexpensive with a ton of benefits. Secrets to making Great Sounding Samples Making samples is a craft, and the Tweak has been sampling since the day the Akai S-612 hit the market in 1986. Dating myself...I know! How to Burn an Emu CDR You've got a CDR machine, but how do you burn it in the proprietary format your Emulator will recognize? The secret lies in a little DOS program.... DOS? Yeah! How to Network a Second computer in your Project Studio. General tips on setting up a local area network with additional computers to dramatically extend the power of your studio. It's Easier than you think! The Perfect Mix Tips on setting up your mix, applicable to both analog boards and digital audio sequencers, plus notes on the arts of mastering and post-production Surviving SCSI Hell. This is a primer for the new samplist facing the daunting technical task of connecting a digital sampler to a PC. It's not so bad when you know what you are doing, and this article spells it out in terms that make sense to musicians. Choosing the right mixer can be a really hard thing to do when you have no idea what you need. I'll get you up to speed real fast. Secrets of Making a Large SoundFont Want to build your own virtual synth? One that has all the samples you always wanted in a synth. Here's easy steps towards making your own, complete with all the patches and drum kits you want. Let the Tweakmeister show you how to avoid the pitfalls of the novice and get professional results your first time. Go to the New SoundFont Knowlegebase MIDI Drum Tips Do people say your drum tracks sound mechanical? Blow their doors off next time with some authentic sounding trap patterns. The Tweak lets out a few insights into the construction of drum tracks. Tips on buying a keyboard For all of you getting started with building your MIDI enterprise, the tweak gives you some thoughts to consider to help you find the right one for you. A Recipe for song construction. If you are new, this is for you. Learn how to create new songs fast and efficiently. Plus you get lots of Tweak's thoughts on the matter....he-he you can "think like a tweak" after you read it. A list of Digital Audio Tips General tips and observations on studio set up. Get the most out of ACID with the set of tips I developed for users of my CD Rom Celestial Windowpane. The Tips will work with any set of loops. Tips for Synth Programmers The TweakMeister takes you under his wing and shows you how to program a synth patch. This is for beginners to get their tweakhead on straight before undergoing the learning curve. These tips will hold for any synth, though I often reference the QS8 in this article. Secrets of Making Money on MP3.com. The TweakMeister interviews Geoff from the band Noisepie which has made a Top 40 success on MP3. Let Geoff tell you the secrets of rising up the charts and earning big bucks. Update: Well, they changed the rules so nobody is making money there now, but it still has good info. Emulator Resourcesp; Resources for Emu Samplers I was helping St. Einar with the resurrection of his site. We're all so busy. But I try to keep this page up to date. New discovered links are welcome, and anyone on the Emusaic List can list their site here. And I dredged up the best of the emu deals at zZounds and found stuff you might not have known they carried. Sample CD-Roms
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Mystik Drum SoundFont .SF2 format Audio CD Spotlight Top rated Techno-Acoustic song The Birth Of Teknostrodomous An Outer-space Fantasy, The Planet Wonder Listen to the sound of DeepSpace Vocals by Winnie Marcus The Sessions with Ana Page In the Mood for time travel? Check out the Temple Celestial, one of my personal favorites. Essays Songwriting and Philosophy Tweak's Crystal Ball I made some predictions for the synth industry in 1997 and they mostly came true. Now check out what the crystal ball says in 2001! Why Everyone Thinks Today's Music Stinks You are driving to the in-law's house and s/he is yelling at you about the budget. A 'love song" comes on the radio and you snap, reaching under the dash to rip out the wiring harness Musical Form and Cyberspace Some strange ideas which arose after pondering the nature of music and cyberspace. Thinking cap required! An Essay on Redefining Dance Music. The Tweakmeister, trained in sociological exploration, turns his gaze on what we are really doing in dance clubs and looks into his crystal ball... More Reviews 402.html" target="_self">Review of the Mackie 1402 Analog Mixer Review of the Planet Earth Module by Emu Systems Hot New products announced at Namm 2000, 2001, 2002 Review of the Emulator E-5000 Review of the dBX Digital Dynamics Processor Review of the Proteus 2000. The Tweak Tells it like it is Review of the Emu Xtreme Lead Module Review of the CAD E 200 Microphone The Tweak Speakz on the Korg Electribe A and gives you the real truth. The Tweakz Speakz On the Roland JV1010 and gives you his personal picks on Expansion boards.
Which Sequencer is Best? Pictorials Logic-Users! A Pictorial History Emagic/C-Lab Sequencers The Tweakmeister takes you back to the Atari days with screen shots and looks at C-Lab and Emagic through history. A Pictorial Tour of SoundCravers and Observations on MIDI and Synthesizers Take a tour of the Lab over the years, through early multi-tracking, MIDI, sampling, and digital audio. Services Gear at SoundCravers Studio More about the Resident Tweakhead Free Stuff Some Original Midifiles And some gear recommendations for those who wish to get started. Free Samples Samples from all my CDs, with permission to use in your projects granted. Sex? Not here! But we have SYSEX! Banks of Sounds Check out my new Proteus 2000 sounds. Just added some of my 1st experiments with Propellerhead's Rebirth, and some QS stuff Misc Lots of you like to send me questions and I try to answer them. However, you can do me a favor by posting questions to my discussion board, so I don't have to answer them over and over again, OK? Some Musically Useful
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