Thursday, March 13, 2008

M-Audio's Sputnik and Pulsars


Starting this month you are going to see a new feature on HowAudio.com, Product Spotlight. These videos are to assist you in your purchasing decisions by showing you how these different products perform in real-life situations.

The first edition will feature M-Audio's Sputnik and Pulsar microphones. We start off by putting the $1000 (retail) Sputnik up against the $4000 (retail) U-87 on an acoustic guitar. You will be pleasantly surprised. All these mics are utilized in a real-life home recording situation where we used just the M-Audio mics to track acoustic guitar, a baby-grand piano and a drum kit.

No EFX, no compression, no nothing - just the instrument and the mics.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Cubase 4: Stacked Mode 2 Recording


Cubase 4 Audio Cycle Mode Recording - taken from HowAudio.com's Cubase 4 tutorial, Matt demonstrates the power of Stacked Mode 2 Recording. This feature allows for recording on multiple tracks while playback can be taken from segments of each individual tracks.

When I first watched this tutorial I was amazed at the capabilities of Cubase. Since I've been around ProTools for so long I wouldn't even consider another DAW, but this . . . . well . . . we'll see. Logic 8 is also very cool, especially for the price.

The entire Cubase tutorial should be available next week.

Check out ever expanding library of tutorials at www.HowAudio.com.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Don't Drop The Mic: Tip From A Pro


Too many times have we, inadvertently, dropped a microphone when either taking it off or putting it on a mic stand. If it's a 57 or 58 it's not a big deal (because they're tanks) but if it's a U87 or M-Audio Sputnik, you're bummed when that hits the floor.

In this HA! Tip From A Pro, Roger Cole (Steve Vai, Little Feat, Gryphon Labs) demonstrates an easy way to reduce the chance of dropping a microphone when removing it or placing on a mic stand.

It may seem like common sense but . . . then why are so many mics being dropped?

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Thank You for the Praise

“I love what HowAudio is doing. HowAudio.com offers exactly what I have been looking for: solid, quick info on things you need and want to know. Whether you’re a novice, a bedroom producer, or musician living in middle of nowhere, you can go to their site and have access to professionals who can offer valuable information and insight on topic you’re interested in. Or, you might be someone like me, a professional, who might be embarrassed to say, “I don’t know how to do that. I want to learn more. These days, too, there are no mentoring opportunities for folks to learn from the pros. This is a great way for people to gain access to the pros. It’s like mentoring in your own home. It’s a wonderful way to learn. I support what they do and they have a very high standard and I know that whatever they do, it’s going to be done very well.” —Carmen Rizzo, producer/remixer/recording artist

“I’ve been working with Pro Tools since before it was Pro Tools. With HowAudio’s Pro Tools LE 7.0 DVD, I was able to pick up a bunch of cool tips. From beginners to experienced pros, this disc has something for everyone." —Rich Tozzoli, producer/mixer/ engineer/composer (Blue Oyster Cult, David Bowie, Al DiMeola, Ace Frehley; Discovery Channel, VH1, Nickelodeon and The History Channel)

“While there are a multitude of musician-run websites and streaming video on how to play specific instruments, Thel Rountree and Joe Randeen have come up with a new approach with Howaudio.com. This site goes much further in providing an easy-to-use online, video-based training for the audio enthusiast as well as the working professional.” —Jonathan Widran, Music Connection

“Why not use the Christmas vacation time to self-improve? For me that’s getting better thanks to the resources from Howaudio.com. Like a gift that keeps on giving, HowAudio offers both annual and monthly subscription plans to access their entire library of tutorials.” —Barry Rudolph, Music Connection

Once upon a time, recording engineers learned their trade through a long and compulsory apprenticeship in a commercial studio; observing and assisting established professionals while also carrying out the facility’s thankless entry-level duties. Many of today’s top engineers and producers are veterans of that model and are fortunate to have amassed the wisdom and experience of the professionals who helped shape modern audio recording. With the decline of full-service, multi-room commercial facilities and concurrent exploding popularity of smaller, often private digital-audio workstation-based production environments, that time-honored paradigm has largely disappeared. In its place, however, are an abundance of popular, and costly, recording schools and programs within colleges and universities. Also filling that void is a fast-growing collection of instructional self-help tools. The growing volume of DVD-based audio recording instruction products, in addition to the abundant supply of recording-education institutions, demonstrates the unprecedented level of interest and activity fostered by the DAW revolution. Now available and catering to multiple levels of experience and abilities are companies addressing a very broad array of software and techniques like HowAudio.com. HowAudio.com, launched in October 2006, has already amassed DVDs and subscription based online video tutorials covering subjects as diverse as Pro Tools, Logic, Reason and GarageBand, plus upcoming titles such as Essentials of Podcasting, Miking Techniques for Drums and Line 6 Low- Down Bass Amp.” —Chris Walsh, Pro Sound News

“No worries if you only use 20 percent of your brain's memory cells. That's human nature, and drinking doesn't help. But only using 20 percent of NI Battery 3's sweet features? Shenanigans, my friend! On How Audio's Battery 3 training video (download or DVD; www.howaudio.com), British producer Kevin Bazell lays out every nitty-gritty of the kick ass drum instrument in less than one info-packed hour. It's also easy to refer back to individual chapters after you forget 80 percent of what you learned the first time.”
—Markkus Rovito, Tech Editor, Remix

I just wanted to write in and give my take on your site. HowAudio.com is an incredibly useful resource for anyone wanting to know more about the software and tools we use in the audio industry every day. I am an experienced Pro Tools user, but after watching all of the HA! tutorials on the subject, the speed of my workflow has increased substantially, and I am discovering features, tools and shortcuts in Pro Tools that I never even knew existed. There is a wealth of information here that offers valuable insights to the beginner and advanced user alike. I have used other video training services in the past, but they always seemed to put me to sleep, and only touched on most topics without ever really going past the surface. The HowAudio format far surpasses its competition in both areas. There are tons of tips and hints that are extremely useful in the real world, and they are presented in a way that keeps the viewer mentally engaged so that the information actually sinks in. Excellent job. I am looking forward to viewing the rest of your tutorials as soon as possible. -Aaron Meier, ProTools User and HA! Subscriber

Friday, January 25, 2008

New Contest: Complete Podcast Studio


We're running another contest. No purchase necessary. Simply go to our website and follow the link.


One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a Behringer PodCastudio.

Get a full recording studio "out of the box" including USB audio interface, mixer, microphone, headphones, professional audio software and more.

One (1) Second Place Prize Winner will receive a Behringer Xenyx 802 Mixer.

The XENYX 802 has 8 inputs and a FX Send control for each channel. Additionally, assignable CD/tape inputs have been incorporated for routing flexibility.


Four (4) Third Place Winners will each receive a DVD copy of The Essentials of Podcasting with Daniel Murphy.