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electronic musician's hangout
tweakheadz.com

The Guide | Forums | Rigs JukeBox | Reviews | Bookstore  | Gifts | About   

Tweak's
Guide
to recording success

In the Guide you can learn all the basics of how the latest recording technologies work, step by step, from  easy-to-read pages to in-depth articles that seasoned audio professionals will appreciate.

Noobie Overview 

Check out the new look at studio-central.com   46 new forums added!

Comparison Charts

Recent Articles

Essentials

 

Audio Interfacing

Best audio interface over $1000

poll

RME Fireface 800

Best soundcard under $100  poll

MAudio Audiophile 2496

 

Tip # 3 Stop Comparing your Music to "OPM" (other people's music)

Your music is about you!  Not them.  Yes. it's a scary journey.  But that is where your personal treasure trove of musical gold lies.  Don't be an imposter.  Dig yourself

 

Recording, Composition and arranging department

 

What?!  U'r already a Producah? Oh that's tight! So take Tweak's Test and see if you really got it poppin'.

 

Digital Sampling

The MV8800  Roland MV8800

Downloadable Sounds at zZounds (Hey that rhymes!)

 

Best headphones under $100  poll



Sony MDR 7506

 

VG99

 Roland VG99

Epiphone Zakk Wylde

Epiphone 1958 Korina Flying V Electric Guitar

Taylor 814CE

Tweak's Guitar Gallery

Enter 
It's Cool Inside

Martin   Taylor   Gibson    Jackson

Fender    Epiphone    Ibanez

Electric Guitars

Amplifiers

Acoustic Guitars-Steel

Classic Guitars-Nylon

More Guitars


 

 The Best Site for Learning Electronic Music Production

21 Ideas for Home
Studio
Rigs  

Great sound at low cost

Entry level Mixer Based System

 

PC DAW Firewire Studio with motorized faders

 

Dream Mac Studio

See More Studio Rigs   

Looking for SSL? The Line is here.

The Virtual Recording Studio: Software Instruments, Synths and Samplers



Basic Theory

Drum Soft Samplers

GuruFXpansion Guru Loop Splicing Software
 
Tweak: Closest thing to a software MPC when you add an MPD mpd1616

Synths

Tweak: Minimoog V (software) Sounds amazingly like the hardware

MiniMoog V

Reason Articles

Reason 4!

Reason4

Samplers

 

Sample Playback Instruments

See all articles on Software Synths and Samplers

 

the Forums

 Read About the Community  Register! (It's free!) and you get:

Best  microphone preamp $100-250

DMP3

poll

Tweakheadz Lab has its own community forums, where you can meet others and ask questions. You will find people who really know this craft as well as people just starting out.
Tweak's site is the best site for learning music gear and is affiliated with the BEST online music gear stores on the internet: zZounds!
You are safe surfing at TweakHeadz! You might notice the funky look and feel of this website.  That is because it's all hand written in html by me! There's no evil popups or scripts or click schemes designed to trick you to buy stuff.  I do use images from zZounds database (with their permission) so for maximum enjoyment, allow your browser to Load images from zZounds.com
In addition to being your webmaster and forum administrator, The Tweak is a sound developer and composer, as well as a teacher in real life. TweakHeadz Lab has been serving the World-wide Community of Professional Electronic Musicians since 1996.
Thanks for Your Support!

TweakHeadz Lab  | Studio-Central | Audio-Pro-Central | About Tweak's zZounds and SameDayMusic Affiliations | Site Map | Privacy Policy |
 ©2008 TweakHeadz.com


Tip # 6 Whatever you are creating, don't take it so seriously that you can't have fun with it!

If you are having a good time with your creations there is a good chance people will notice that. 



Google
 
 

Free Radias Board with M3

Akai MPK49 49-Key MIDI Controller
Maximize your musical ideas on-stage or in the studio with the new Akai MPK49 performance controller.

zZounds now carries Ready Acoustics Bass Traps

Yamaha MOTIF Rack ES Sound Module  Under $800!
ES is being replaced by the XS rack.  The ES still has the 2 PLG slots for expansion boards.  Add the AN and DX PLG boards and you have a module that is very powerful.
The G is IN!
Roland Fantom-G8 88-Key Sampling Workstation

Mackie Control C4-older version  Great Price

Contest: Win a Line 6 Spider Valve 212 Amp

About This Site

On this site you will find everything you need to know about producing master quality music in your home studio. You will find a gold mine of studio information,  and many often guarded recording industry secrets.

100% Pure Original Content, Tweakheadz Lab is the real deal!

  Blofeld. Waldorf PPG synthesis) Keyboards and modules

Yamaha MM6--great for hip hop!Best multi-timbral synth under $600
 poll

Roland Juno D was de-throned by the Yamaha MM6

 

Fantom X, Motif ES, Or Triton Extreme?  Our readers say:

Fantom X

poll

The new Motif XS is in.



The Fantastic Motif XS

 

Microphones and Preamps

 RE20SM58SM57Shure 55sh
What do all these Mics have in Common?  Start reading the Guide today!
 

Rode NT1aThe Best All-Purpose Condenser Mic for $200 
poll

Rode NT1a

 

Tip # 2 Knowledge
IS Power!


Great Performances
+recording technique
+ Inspired MIX
+ Mastering
= Professional Quality Production

Let Tweak shorten your learning curve.  Learn, Experiment, Gain Experience--that is the true road.



Sequencers and Daws

Tweak uses Logic

Tweak: $500 has never bought a better sequencer.  You can spend more, but you'll get less!  See my review

large product image

Tweak: Cubase is the most popular sequencer in the world.

Putting Together your Recording Studio


What does
$99.99
buy today?



 Ever wonder what it would be like to browse a whole music store by price? With the Tweak's database of products,  you can!  


Tip #1:

Focus on what touches the sound!


(Hint, it's NOT the computer)  
    Excellent Microphone
+ Excellent preamp
+ Excellent Converters
+ Excellent Monitors

Read the Guide and get the big picture!


Tweak's BookStore

Tweak's BookStore has three Amazon A-stores and now sells Pro Gear and World Instruments As well as Books and Music



Accessorize Yourself

Strings

Cables

Foam

Sticks

Picks


Tuners

Pickups

Blank

Media

Power

 

Cool Quote

"There is _no_ theory. You have only to listen. Pleasure is the law. I love music passionately. And because l love it, I try to free it from barren traditions that stifle it. It is a free art gushing forth, an open-air art boundless as the elements, the wind, the sky, the sea. It must never be shut in and become an academic art."

Claude Debussy

More quotations

Tweak's Experimental Music

 Tweak's "Planet Wonder Remix"

hi-fi      Download

has once again reclaimed  #1 in the "experimental sounds" genre Soundclick on 2-7-08. Yeall! We are Hotern' yo homy! Tek Respekt yo!  

Tweak's Latest Song:  "The Akashic Record"

uploaded 11-19-06

there's more in the jukebox

 

Best large condenser around $100 
poll

Studio Projects B1



Tip # 4 Headroom is more important than Loudness 

Making your tracks "as hot as possible" is an analog throwback that no longer applies to digital.  Recording at 24 bit, you'll get a better sound, and a better mix, if you give yourself a generous cushion between your signal and 0db on the meters.


Mixing, mastering, and monitoring

A&H Zed 14Allen and Heath ZED14 Mixer with USB Interface  Tweak: 100mm faders, built in USB
 

 

Best monitors under $300

  poll

KRK RP5G2 Rokit Powered

Best monitors $300-$500  poll
The KRK RP8--good call for a home studio monitor
KRK RP8G2 Rokit Powered
 

Tip # 5 Bass Kills

Many tracks have unneeded bass which when summed together can destroy your mix

Working with Video

There were over 175 user polls in our forums on last count (And that was a while ago!)

The TweakLab is now powered by LogicPro 8  and Final Cut Studio on an Apple G5 (soon to be Mac Pro)

It's
NEW!

(New Arrivals and stuff you can Pre-Order)

it used to be new
bLOwOuts






Muse Research Receptor with Komplete Inside Rack Synthesizer Plug-In Module
Receptor with Komplete Inside is a Muse Research Receptor Hardware Plug-in Player, with 2 GB of RAM, a 160 GB Hard Drive and an exclusive "Komplete Inside" green faceplate, with Native Instruments Komplete 5, the award-winning plug-in instrument and effect bundle, Pre-installed*, Pre-authorized and ready to go from the second you power on!
Native Instruments NI Komplete Bundle (Macintosh and Windows)
KOMPLETE 5 is the high-end collection of 11 ground-breaking synthesizers, samplers, emulations, and a virtual guitar studio. Perfect for both studio and stage - this is the industry-standard bundle for serious musicians, producers and sound designers. KOMPLETE 5's instruments can be heard on platinum-selling records and in underground clubs alike, all over the world.
Tweak: see more Muse Receptors