There is usually a lot of confusion when the subject of whether cables, particularly XLR cables, are mono or stereo, is brought up. This subject area can be very confusing for beginners and even professionals. I am going to speak about the issue of whether XLR cables are mono or stereo in this article, so read along. XLR cables are primarily used to transmit a balanced mono audio signal … more
Line outputs and headphone outputs are two identical audio ports that are often confused with each other. This is not surprising since there is little information about them on the net. This article is going to shed more light on the two and the differences between them. But what exactly is the difference between a Line Out and Headphone Out? Line Out (or Line Output) is an audio port … more
There are many different types of audio cables and connectors available today. However, Speakon and 1/4″ connectors are two of the most common ones used in live audio production. Although both the Speakon and 1/4″ primarily do the same thing, that is, transfer audio signal from one device to another, they are used for different purposes. And that’s what you’ll learn in this article. So what’s the primary difference … more
Over the years, MIDI files are gradually replacing traditional sheet music. MIDI has now become the standard way we program musical notes in music production software. And it’s quite easy to transfer MIDI files from one person to the other. But just as any intellectual property, MIDI files have their own unique copyright laws that most people are not aware of. So this blog post is dedicated to answering … more
Perhaps you want to send an audio signal from one source to multiple destinations. Or maybe you want to split a microphone signal and then send one of the signals to the Front of House mixing engineer while recording the same signal. Whatever your reason, XLR splitters can come in quite handy when you want to duplicate a signal and send it to multiple devices. But how effective are … more
Nowadays, a lot of people record and produce audio materials from the comfort of their homes. The introduction of USB audio devices and cables such as XLR to USB cables has further increased this statistic. XLR to USB cables are electrical cables that enable you to connect an XLR device directly to your computer. The idea behind the design and manufacture of XLR to USB cables is to enable … more
If you are a new owner of a receiver or are now looking to purchase one, you have probably noticed two output ports labeled Pre-Out or Sub-Out. For those who don’t know what a pre-out and a sub-out are, this article is for you. After a few hours of research, here is what I learned about these two ports. The main difference between a pre-out and a sub-out is … more
Most audio interfaces have headphone amps. Audio interfaces with a headphone jack with a dedicated headphone volume knob have a built-in headphone amp. However, headphone amps in audio interfaces are usually not as powerful and quality as dedicated headphone amps. I know for a fact that many people can’t tell an audio interface from a headphone amp. And while these devices may look quite similar, they are two totally … more
Although Beats headphones are not as popular as it was before Apple acquired the company, they are still part of the most popular headphones we have today. And they are loved by many because of their bass response and the overall hype around them. Maybe you are learning how to produce music and you don’t want to spend money on a new pair of studio monitors or headphones for … more
Perhaps you just got into music production, and you can’t afford to spend money on a new pair of studio monitors. And you want to use your PA speakers as m In short, no. PA speakers cannot be used as studio monitors. It’s not possible to get a great sounding mix using PA speakers as you would using studio monitors. That’s because PA speakers don’t have a flat frequency … more