Imaging, Sound Design, Composing….the UK – Meet Dan Mumford, former BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra Head of Sound Design

I finally found the time to interview my friend Dan Mumford. He’s an extraordinary talented composer, imaging director and sound designer, who will share his incredible knowledge with you.

For 10 years Dan has been working for BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra. He started as a Programme Transfer Assistant for BBC in 2003 and two years later he managed to become the Producer of X-Trails. After scoring the position as the Station Sound Producer for 1Xtra and then Radio 1 in 2007/08, he finally made his way to Station Sound Manager of Radio 1 and 1Xtra in 2010. One of his greatest accomplishments is re-branding Radio 1’s Breakfast Show for the first time in 8 years. Nowadays he works as a freelancer and his stuff is amazing. Check out Dan Mumford!

YOUR VOTE: The DAW-Double!!!

Last week we wanted to know, what should be next on our blog and YOU voted for a special radio imaging test of Avid Pro Tools 11! On second place (pretty close) is Apples Logic Pro X…
Thanks for voting guys – we decided to check them both!!! So stay tuned and we’ll hook you up with the reviews as soon as possible! If you already have some specific questions depending the new versions of PT and Logic, feel free to post them in the comments…

From Moscow to Benztown or Russian Connection in Action – Meet Sergey Zelentsov

A few weeks ago the benztown studios Stuttgart have been visited by a good friend and great production guy, Sergey Zelentsov from Moscow. He heads up the production department of one of the biggest european radio networks Europa Plus and he was here for a special occasion: to check out his brand new  “Brigada U”-Jingles  before they hit the airwaves. I took the chance to interview this very talented radio imager. I wanted to know all about his work, technique and whats rocking Russia at the moment.

So let’s check out Mr. Europa Plus, Sergey Zelentsov…

Too many tools at once? – How many DAWs are right?

Hey guys, it’s Andre.

The big audio software companies recently presented the latest versions of the most popular DAWs. Pro Tools 11, Logic Pro X, Cubase 7, Studio One 2, Ableton Live 9 – plenty of tools to mess around with.

With all these various DAWs with their own features and functions, I always get the feeling of missing out something when I prefer one DAW over another.

Learning a new DAW always means investing time and money and changing your workflow to the new functions and features. Is it really effective to have various DAWs and always switching around various programs and audio and session formats during your work? Isn’t it more effective to have one good DAW, you’re perfectly handling than using three DAWs all with less knowledge about each and every program? How many DAWs do you use and do more DAWs make you a better producer?

Make the switch or 5 reasons to go for Studio One 2

Hey guys, it’s Andre.

After seeing the first bits of Presonus’ new DAW Studio One 2, I was pretty pumped to see it live in action.

Fortunately, I met Martin, who is a convinced Studio One user and I asked him why he is using this DAW and not Ableton, Cubase or any other DAWs. I asked him for five reasons, why to choose Studio One 2 as your DAW. Check it out.

Make it finally clear – How to keep the overview in the plugin formats jungle

Hi guys, it’s Andre.

Plugins are essential for every DAW. All complex audio manipulation, processing and of course all software instruments are plugins. When I’m showing a certain plugin, I often getting asked: ‘What formats does it feature? Does it work on my DAW as well?’ A question which I have to answer for myself, too. Especially when I’m thinking about using another DAW at the moment.

Time to make it clear! Here you’ll get an overview over all plugin formats and the DAWs they support.

“I wish my DAW could do…”

In today’s world, music production, radio imaging, recording and mastering has become more and more a software solution.

Today we are blessed with tons of DAWs and audio editing software. Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, Reaper, Cubase, Logic, Sonar, Sony Vegas and lots of other software solutions available to everybody from the youngster to the pro and in any price range.

How do you choose the perfect DAW for yourself? What is important to you and what would make your work even better ?

I had a very active discussion with the finalists of the Benztown Iron Imager contest about the pros and cons of the DAWs they use. Now, I want to hear your opinion. What DAW do you use and why? Do you have different DAWs for specific tasks? What are your favorite features and how would you improve your DAW or others? I’m curious about your opinion in the comments below. Let’s get it on guys: I WISH MY DAW COULD…..

Free Open Source DAWs… an alternative to Pro Tools or Audition? Enter Linux MultiMedia Studio and Ardour

Getting started in Radio Imaging and production has never been easier. You’re not bound anymore to expensive outboard gear, you just need a decent computer. Also, there are tons of tips, tricks and tutorials for beginners all over the Internet and here. Perfect conditions to start rocking, but there’s one last thing missing – a DAW.

There are tons of DAWs out there. Pro Tools, Cubase, Logic, Audition, Reaper just to name a few. Of course, every DAW has its price, which can become really high for a young start up guy with no money. My buddy Raul sent me a few links to an alternative –  free open source DAWs. Today, we’re presenting two examples: Linux MultiMedia Studio (short LMMS) and Ardour. Do they really suit the daily production work?

Hands on Reaper – A competitor to Pro Tools?

As Pro Tools veterans since years, we know and love our Pro Tools. In my mind, Pro Tools is still the most effective DAW out there. But the competitors don’t sleep. Everyone wants to create the most powerful DAW and more and more different softwares are active on the market. Adobe Audition, Sony Vegas, Sonar, Cubase, Logic, just to name a few. Of course, every company says that they have the best product, but let’s be honest, who has the time to test them all?

Gavan Bruderer had enough time to test them and now he’s sharing his experience with his favorite DAW – Reaper. As Imaging guy and VO talent (remember his Michael Jackson piece on the blog?), he knows what a good DAW needs to meet our high demands. Listen to Gavan’s demo, fully created with Reaper.

Interested? Then check out his article and the screenshots.

Enter Gavan and Reaper.