Limiters

Limiters are often one of the most misused effects, quite commonly applied to individual sounds in mix to allow the volume of such sounds to be pushed to the limits (no pun intended), typically with very audible, unpleasant sounding results. A limiter is actually designed to prevent an audio signal from exceeding a preset level, and is designed to be used in situations such preventing a signal from clipping during a recording, or to prevent damage to equipment and power amplifiers within a PA system during a live performance. To give you a better understanding of limiters and their uses we have prepared the following guide.

Flangers

If the sound you are after is more of a hollow, ethereal or watery sound then the chances are that a flanger is likely to give you the sort of sound you are looking for, and was commonly used on many Jimmy Hendrix records. There are a few different types of flanging, each creating a slightly different effect and feel to the sound. To help you understand this interesting effect we have developed the following guide.

Chorus

Chorus is an interesting effect, adding a watery, shimmering feel to a sound that is hard to achieve with any other method. Just like any effect though, some of the parameters and controls of a chorus plug-in or effect can be a little confusing to start off with. To give you a hand we have prepared the following guide explaining how chorus effects work and how the parameters and controls of a typical chorus effect work.

Reverb

The effect of reverb can be an extremely handy way of adding that extra bit of life and depth to a sound or mix, as well as helping to define the space that the sound is perceived to be in. Reverb effects can be a little complicated to get your head around, so to help you out we have prepared the following guide to help you to firstly understand what reverb is in the real-world, and also how this translates to a typical reverb plug-in or effect unit.

Gates

Noise gates can be extremely handy tool for removing noise during pauses in an audio signal. Whether you are having issues with spill from other drums or instruments in a drum kit recording, or you are recording a guitar amp and want to avoid amplifier noise while the guitarist isn't playing, a noise gate can be just the tool you need. We have created the following guide to help give you an understanding of noise gates and some of the ways in which you can use them.

Compressers

Not to be mistaken for codec compression (like MP3 files), we are talking about dynamic range compression.

Compression and dynamics processing in general tends to be the least understood tool in an engineers arsenal. A lot of people tend to think of compressors as devices used to make an audio signal sound louder, which is not quite correct. A compressor is actually used to turn down the louder parts of an audio signal, which can then allow the overall signal level to be turned up without the signal clipping. To help you understand what a compressor is and how it works we have developed the following guide.

Filters & Equalisers

For an audio engineer or producer, filters or equalisers (EQs) offer a very powerful tool for shaping the tone and feel of a sound, similar to the tone controls on your stereo. Unlike the tone controls on your stereo, however, filters and equalisers offer you much greater control over the effect the filter  or equaliser has on the sound. To help you get your head around the different concepts presented by filters and equalisers, we have prepared the following guide.

Subtractive Synthesis

Do you want to be able to create your own subtractive synthesiser sounds and patches but not sure where to start? Do you want do be able to modify subtractive synthesiser presets to suit your tracks? We have developed the following guide to help you understand the different concepts of subtractive synthesis and how they all fit together to produce the final sound.

Delay

Delay, like reverb, is another effect used to add space, width and depth to a sound or a whole mix, when combined or mixed with the original sound. Delay, unlike reverb, is typically one or more distinct echoes or repeats of the original sound, rather than a decaying of the original sound. There are many different types of delays, which can make selecting and using the right delay a little difficult. To help make things easier we have created the following guide to help you on your journey for the perfect delay sound.

Cables & Cable Maintenance

Some of the most important parts of your studio are the cables that connect everything together, without them you wouldn't get very far. As a result it is important to take proper care of your cables to get the best out of them. To help you out we have prepared the following guide:

Maintaining Your Studio Computer

In any computer based studio, the computer is the central hub or brain or the studio. Therefore it is imperative to make sure that your computer is maintained properly to ensure efficient and trouble free operation of your studio. To make it easier for you, we have prepared the following guide: