There’s a lot that goes into constructing the perfect home studio setup. You’re going to need a means of recording your music as well as a way of playing it back at its best – and that’s not always as simple as pushing play if you’re truly serious about recording.  If you happen to own a pair of monitors that can’t handle certain frequencies or is unable to truly replicate your mix, you might end up with something acceptable on your system and something completely washed out on another – even if room acoustics have been accounted for. This is why a professional grade monitor system is key to any home studio – the only thing is, a lot of these high end systems are a bit out of reach of the pocket book for the some musicians. In comes the M-Audio BX5 D2 – a bi amplified active monitor boasting impressive specs at the very reasonable price of $299.99. Are these monitors up to snuff?

When people think of M-Audio, most don’t associate them with their monitors, so it might come as a huge surp...

The perpetual feedback loop in all its annoying glory!

Good afternoon, music fans! One of the most common problems that I have noticed with a lot of young musicians beginning their progression as live stage performers is their ability to reduce mic feedback coming from the PA – or should I say their inability to combat feedback. Yes, we are all know that signature screech that comes from an improperly set mic and PA system but not too many know why it happens; let alone how to avoid it. Today, we here at the PAL blog would like to take the time to not only explain the causes of that annoying feedback but also plenty of tips on how to avoid it. It might be a bit confusing for those out there who don’t really know their way around a PA and mic system but trust me – if you’re going to be performing live without a sound engineer, you’re going to have to learn this sometime in order to get the best sound possible from your system. Let’s get started.

What is Feedback and Where Does it Come F...

The JBL VRX915S 15" Bass Reflex Subwoofer For That Low End

One of the trickiest parts of doing a full on track as far as my experience is concerned is dealing with that low end. Whether its recording an electric bass track, proper EQing for a kick drum or even mixing vocals  can cause headaches as far as those lower frequencies are concerned. Earlier this week, we here at PAL have been focusing on different aspects and procedures on recording an electric bass. We discussed the two main methods of recording – through DI or an amp to mic – along with each of their pros and cons. We discussed how recording through DI can give you a clean, unadulterated bass signal that is perfect for post recording procedures such as compression and EQ, although you will have to have an appropriate quality bass and enough skill since a clean recording will only come out that way when played clean. Amp to mic on the other hand requires a bit more recording knowledge such as using the proper mic as well as ...

                                             AVID Pro Tools 10 DAW software (Boxed) @ $699.99

Now, I know there are a lot of people out there who keep on clamoring about ‘the good ol’ days’ way back when rock was at its peak and the go-to cure for just about everything involved either leeches or some creative blood-letting. And while there’s simply nothing like having a leech stuck on your leg to cure what ails you, there is simply no better time to be a studio-minded musician – well, that’s if you don’t take the ever competitive current state of the music industry into consideration. Still though, through the steady growth of technology, the average musician has never had so much fire power available to them at such a reasonable price. What once took hundreds of thousands of dollars and specialized construction – along with the backing of a huge company – can now be attainable at by just about any musician (with a steady job). Not only that, specialized equipment is also of a much bet...

JBL LSR 6328P Near Field Active Studio Monitor

Yesterday, we here at PAL discussed a few of the inherent problems that come with trying to setup the perfect home studio – specifically – setting up the monitors. We talked about Room Modes and how they can be a huge pain for anyone trying to create a perfectly balanced mix – a problem that gets worse the smaller the room is! Essentially, problems occur when the sound bouncing off the wall fall directly in line with the sound going towards the wall, known as in-phase, creating a sort of boosted effect that makes certain frequencies sound louder than others even if the sound coming from the monitors are perfectly balanced. This is an oversimplification but head over right here to get a more detailed look at Room Modes, why they occur and exactly why they can ruin a perfect mix. Alright, now that you know the problems that can occur when trying to setup a home studio, it’s time to fix them! Or more specifically, do your best to prevent them....

JBL LSR 2310SP 10" Powered Studio Subwoofer @ $399.00

Earlier this week, we here at PAL talked about finding the perfect speakers for a home studio setup. We described the two kinds of studio monitors – powered and unpowered – as well as each of their inherent flaws. With powered monitors, you will need to connect them to a power source via an ac outlet but benefits from not needing anything else to function, specifically cables and a power amplifier. Unpowered on the other hand do need those things, but are usually more economically priced and can benefit from the setting of a power amplifier. Check out the entire article here for more information on the each of these monitors. Well, now that you know a bit more about which monitor is right for you, it’s time to decide where to place them in your home studio setup. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as it sounds if you truly want the best setup possible. Because every room is different dimension-wise, every perfect setup for a room is di...

M-Audio Studiophile BX5a Deluxe Studio Active Monitors @ $299.99

We’ve all heard that old saying, right? You are only as strong as your weakest link. Sounds straight forward enough, even when you apply it to music; having a top of the line electric guitar won’t do you any good unless you have an amp that can best take advantage of what an expensive guitar will give you over a run of the mill version. Even something as seemingly insignificant as an input cable will give you some problems if it’s of bad quality. Now with that said, for those of you who want to be the just as good behind the music as they are in front of it, maybe a good set of speakers will help you better mix your latest demo? There are plenty of things that go into selecting your perfect set of speakers; budget comes to mind and quality is definitely important, but there are also certain things when dealing with speakers that one must realize before simply picking up anything that’s on sale.

Powered versus Unpowered Spe...

StageScape™ M20 is the world’s first smart mixing system — an integrated live sound solution that uses touchscreen-based visual mixing to explode the traditional mixer/outboard gear paradigm. StageScape M20d uses a combination of input jack sensing, a visual mixing environment and professionally crafted sound tools to prepare, process and route signals automatically. The StageScape M20d can guide you through optimally setting signal levels, EQ, dynamics, effects, monitor routing and more, to get your mix quickly sounding great. Instead of a complex surface of knobs and faders, StageScape M20d uses a touchscreen with a graphic representation of your stage — just touch an image to access total control of the channel. Dialing in a sound is as simple as moving your finger around the touch screen. If you’re a professional or A/V installer, the advanced tweak mode allows you to go right in and add 5kHz or change compression ratios. With premium mic pres, world-class DSP and premium sound qua...

Here's a really informative article on speakers we found on the Fender website. We hope these gems of information help you overcome unforeseen obstacles in your musical journey. For More Helpful Tips click on the TECH TIPS link in the Categories menu on the left side of the screen. Stay Focused and Keep Rockin!

In the home and automotive audio world, “blown speakers” are fairly common. Many use the term in a sort of generically non-technical way to describe speakers that aren’t working right or aren’t working at all. An unfortunate inconvenience, mostly.

For musicians, though—especially working musicians—blown speakers in a guitar amp (or bass...