More Bounce to the Ounce

Nov 21 2012 10:00AM
By FRANCIS PREVE USING SIDECHAINED COMPRESSION IS A TIME-HONORED METHOD FOR ADDING “BOUNCE” to bass lines, pads, and even groups of synths. The technique is simple: Add a compressor to an instrument track, set its sidechain More...

The Kitchen Sync

Nov 20 2012 5:59PM
By JERRY KOVARSKY Fig. 1. Sync, oscillator tuning, and envelope settings for a model sync patch. Note that the VCF EG (filter envelope) is More...

Why Software Crashes

Nov 20 2012 5:00PM
By DAN GOLDSTEIN  DAW: What people think I do. THERE’S A TECH INDUSTRY JOKE THAT GOES: A CAR IS GOING DOWNHILL WHEN SUDDENLY THE More...

5 Great B-3 Drawbar Settings

Oct 4 2012 3:51PM
I STARTED PLAYING ORGAN IN 1963 AS A COLLEGE FRESHMAN. I HAD TAKEN piano lessons when I was very young but didn’t care for them. Then I heard Jimmy Smith around 1962 and decided I wanted to play the Hammond. I became a B-3 More...

The Art of Synth Soloing - Great Licks To Play with Filter Sweeps

Oct 4 2012 3:31PM
WHEN WE LAST GOT TOGETHER, WE WERE EXPLORING FILTER SWEEPS using single and mixed/dual filter configurations. We’d been just holding low notes to get used to the sound of each filter type, and how they sound when different More...

Beginner Tips for Miking a Leslie Onstage

Oct 4 2012 3:00PM
IF YOU PLAN TO USE A REAL LESLIE LIVE, YOU’LL NEED TO MIKE IT, UNLESS IT’S a high-powered model (like the 3300 of today) and/or you’re not competing with other loud instruments. Vintage models almost always need help. Here’s More...

Return of the Super Saw

Oct 4 2012 3:00PM
by FRANCIS PREVE WHAT HATH ROLAND WROUGHT? BACK IN 1997, THE JP-8000 WAS A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL SYNTH that solidified the age of analog modeling. Producers raved about its sound, but the big selling point was the “Super Saw” More...

Acoustic Augmentation

Jul 25 2012 5:59PM
by David Baron SYNTHESIZERS ARE AWESOME ON THEIR OWN. THEY GROWL AND HISS AND make all kinds of captivating sounds. They can also show up in unexpected places, and I don’t mean cocktail parties or dentist’s offices. They can More...

The Ultimate Board Tape

Jul 25 2012 5:00PM
by Stephen Fortner Anyone else see two stun guns and a police radio? All can make arresting live recordings of your next gig. More...

Desktop Mastering Essentials

Jul 25 2012 4:00PM
by Craig Anderton Fig. 1. A classical music file in Steinberg’s WaveLab 7. Processors include EQ and stereo width expansion; note the spectrometer window More...

Steal This Sound, Elton John’s “Crocodile Rock”

Jun 1 2011 2:40PM
Vox combo organs are unquestionably the king of cheesy ’60s organs, but Farfisa’s colorful axes are a close second. Perhaps Vox won favor with its sleeker lines and sexy integral Z-shaped stand, but Farfisas can be More...

Booker T Video Repost

Oct 12 2011 12:00AM
We've been meaning to catch up with Booker T. Jones since his Grammy win for the 2009 album Potato Hole--for which we interviewed him back in August '09. If you haven't heard his latest, The Road From Memphis, you're missing out, More...

Welcome to Keyboard's November 2011 Links Page

Oct 10 2011 12:00AM
Exclusive interview with the Flaming Lips! Evan Bogart talks songwriting, keyboards, and production. Miss our Summer NAMM gear wrap? It's online?     More...

Steal This Sound, Gary Numan's “Cars”

Aug 23 2011 12:00AM
Longtime Keyboard readers may recall that way back in July 2006, I took a crack at the infamous Polymoog “Vox Humana” patch made famous by Gary Numan (and got it pretty close). Replicating this swirly string/vocal pad has been More...

Dance, Hit The Deck

Jun 30 2011 12:00AM
By Francis Preve All too often, we hear artists and producers bemoaning the loss of tape in modern recording rigs. The compression, saturation, and warmth of tape still haven’t been properly duplicated by software. So, if you More...

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