TRCoA Library - Recording school

The Future of effects pedals is here! Check out these guitar tips: If you have not gotten to experience any of the guitar pedal offerings from Chase Bliss, you owe yourself that treat. They all share the best of both worlds: an ANALOG heart with a DIGITAL brain. Dip switches, expression or CV input,...

Recording guitar is an art form. At TRCoA we always tip students to split a guitar's signal path so we have a clean DI track that can later be re-amped or processed through a digital amp simulation. For guitar recordings that I do at home and send out to artists, I like to go one step further. I use...

What are “Impulse Response Loaders”? Digital emulations of a speaker cabinet, a speaker, a microphone, and the placement of the microphone. When discussing all of the options on the table for direct guitar recording like we have in the past: digital amplifier simulations, desktop tube amps, and...

“To get the best reverb just put it on a stereo aux, choose the right preset, and done." Think twice! Though the topic of reverb is far more nuanced and in depth than just a simple statement, you should consider that reverb needs to be treated as another instrument source. As in most tracking and ...

Greetings new TRCoA students! A tip for your “Beat Making & Music Theory” class. While there are dozens of relevant links on our BMT site for resources, don’t hesitate to scour youtube: there are great videos and free lessons on almost any theory mountain you have to climb. Here we will start ...

In our studies learning how to use plugins: What is a processor? What is an effect? What is an insert? What is a send? These are all things TRCoA students will learn in BRT and Pro Tools classes. Plus, you'll learn the order in which plugins are implemented has a huge effect. If you're a guitarist, ...

Guitarist and Gain Aficionados: Check out the new Strymon “Sunset” Overdrive! It has 4 classic overdrive models with a wide range of tonal options, and two different clean boost types. Every pedal that I have played from this company is so well-thought-out and sounds exceptional. The attention t...

There seems to be an amazing number of different reverb options out there on the market today. Some are based off old digital hardware, while others have no real world models. Though many engineers just choose what’s most comfortable for them, or use whatever cracked plugin they have: there are tw...

If a device you are using (whether it's a pedal, synth, or rack-mount processor) has an “Expression Pedal” input, always experiment with it! It can transform a one-dimensional effect into a very useful device. Many older analog devices let you choose only one parameter to control, but most moder...

We all love plugins, but if you've invested a good bit of money in guitar pedals, why not use them with your DAW? Many high end pedals beat plugins hands down, and offer a different sound. Radial makes a box where you can connect a line level signal from the recording system; it unbalances the signa...

Check out these Chord Progression Generator Apps. They can be a great way to learn more about writing chord progressions, enhancing your ear training skills, and help you to finish a song or section of a song when you run into a wall. iTunes: Autochords - Chord Progression Generator for guitar, keyb...

Condenser microphones come in two main types: large diaphragm and small diaphragm. The characteristics of each one should inform the decision on which to use. Large diaphragm microphones were created first, their sizable diaphragm offering a very low noise floor. Later, the small diaphragm came when...

The consent decree victory of BMI over the DOJ marks a major change for the PROs and of course, for songwriters! This will allow for fractional licensing, meaning as a co-owner of a work, you can license only your share of a song (as opposed to 100% licensing, where a co-owner can license 100% of a ...

Trying to choose what microphone to use on what instrument and where to put it can often terrify a new audio engineer, because there are almost too many choices that it can be overwhelming! Without getting into the science about how each microphone type works, we have three main branches to choose f...

The career path of an audio engineer is quite a broad one. Not everyone will be an internationally famous producer. But hope is not lost: there are so many other paths and options available, if one keeps an open mind! Although it might not be glamorous, audio for commercials pays very well. Being an...

When beginning your career as an audio engineer, you may see seasoned engineers using light to exorbitant amounts of compression during the tracking process. You may be tempted to try and recreate the same thing when you begin recording, but there are some considerations to be aware of before attemp...

Greetings TRCoA students! A tip for your “Beat Making & Music Theory” class: There are dozens of great podcasts out there discussing music theory, song structure, and writing. Here are a couple of links to ones that I like: iTunes U- Music Theory Fundamentals PlayerFM- Music Theory Podcasts

For most engineers limiting is usually the last step in the process and can make or break the sound of your final masters. Whether you’re trying to compete in the loudness wars or just get your track up to industry standard, some important things to consider when choosing which type of limiter to ...

There’s a common misconception about what “tape sound” is, and what it can do to a mix. When we think about the magic of tape, we usually conjure up bands like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, or even the grunge bands of the 90s. However, we must also consider that “tape sound” also includes ban...

On the BMT site at trcoaonline.com we have included many graphics and reference materials for all of the concepts we cover. I want you to keep in mind that using google images you can find a wealth of many other visual references that can help illustrate any of these topics. We all learn in differen...

A de-esser is a tool commonly used to tame excessive sibilance, an issue often associated with harsh frequencies in the mid-high range. Some de-essers will have a frequency range low enough to deal with plosives occupying the lower and sub frequency ranges. A de-esser operates by allowing you target...