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10 Essentials for Any Home Recording Studio By Mac McDonough on Dec 1, 2018, 8:00 AM Like Tweet When we talk about gear, most of us immediately think of the cool stuff: microphones, preamps, compressors, DAWs, plug-ins — that kind of stuff. We may even contemplate a few accessories like stands, cables, and the like. That’s great, but as our vast studio experience here at Sweetwater has taught us, there are many essentials that most people don’t think of. Here are 10 of our favorites (in no particular order). Whirlwind Tester It would be great if we had an unlimited amount of time to spend in our studios. Unfortunately, that’s rarely the case. Between your job, school, and family, life is busy! That’s why a cable tester like the Whirlwind Tester is so indispensable. It checks most cable combos of XLR, 1/4″, and RCA, giving you a quick, easy way to find shorts, opens, and ...

How Loud Should You Mix? By Mac McDonough on Oct 5, 2017, 7:00 AM Like Tweet Thumping bass. Roaring guitars. Let’s face it — cranking up the volume is fun. It gets you pumped. But if you do it while you’re mixing in the studio, you’re shortchanging yourself. Here are several reasons why you should turn it down when mixing. Everything Sounds Better Loud Your ears aren’t linear devices. Just ask Fletcher and Munson. (The Fletcher-Munson curves are graphs based on their scientific research that illustrate how our ears hear different frequencies at different volumes.) Our ears are most sensitive to midrange frequencies (around 3–4kHz). Increasing volume, however, accentuates lower and higher frequencies. This flattens out the listening curve, creating an illusion of power and clarity. That’s why everything sounds better loud. If you mix under these conditions, your music will so...