If you are a newcomer to the audio scene or require guidance on a particular processing method, consider exploring these audio-based YouTube content creators to advance your knowledge.
When acquiring new skills, YouTube is an invaluable platform offering diverse instructional content from numerous ambitious creators. From choosing the perfect microphone and top-notch DAW to mastering audio processing techniques, music production insights, and beyond, here’s a curated list of audio-centric channels to explore.
Audio University
Whether you want to learn music production, become a professional audio specialist, or need some audio advice for content creation, Audio University is packed with tutorials covering many audio fundamentals. Run by Kyle Mathias, he provides engaging and highly informative video tutorials that are beginner-friendly and leave you well-equipped for the tasks ahead.
Kyle’s content varies from tutorials on how to use audio equipment to informative videos on audio effects and how they can help with creativity, as well as video essays on influential companies and practices in the audio industry. Unlike most who only specialize in one area in the audio field, Audio University has it all.
A stand-out feature of Audio University’s content is its attention to providing visual and audio examples to help better understand the topic at hand. A recent video on frequency identification is a fantastic representation of why this channel separates itself from the others. With included exercises and demonstrations, it’s a helpful teaching method that I find quite rare amongst educational content creators.
Featured Videos:
Stop Hunting For Frequencies & Learn This EQ Trick Instead
Acoustic Treatment For Beginners: Studio Sound Optimization
In The Mix
In The Mix is a staple name in the YouTube Audio verse, offering practical and informative tutorials for music producers and audio engineers. Michael Wynne, the face of In The Mix, is a professional audio engineer who creates content to simplify music production’s complexity and overwhelming nature. This is the case for many, and getting to grips with the basics can be a challenge. However, In The Mix has a selection of videos ranging from those basic topics to more complex ones, such as the art of mixing and mastering and the functions of a compressor and EQ.
Michael covers plug-ins, audio effects, sound design, gear recommendations, and recording techniques. As a primary user of FL Studio, I find his tutorials for everyone who uses different DAWs. He also covers topics on music marketing, which is something that some artists may find challenging. His ability to break down the basics is paramount to any beginner and is always highly recommended by many producers. What’s interesting about In The Mix is that the videos go into great depth to understand how certain audio effects work and how they should be used best, which can be useful for many aspiring producers. Furthermore, his video lengths aren’t too long, but you still get a plethora of information, leaving you with much more knowledge to apply to your work.
Featured Videos:
The RIGHT way to use Compression – Detailed mixing tutorial
The Best Headphones Under $300
Free To Use Sounds
Field Recording duo Libby and Marcel from California are the masterminds behind Free To Use Sounds. This gem of a channel focuses on field recording, providing insightful videos for aspiring sound artists that cover everything from choosing the right microphone to audio processing techniques.
The duo travels extensively worldwide, capturing environmental sounds such as street noise, nature sounds, crowd ambiance, and sounds from everyday objects. While sharing the many unique locations they visit that build up their audio catalog, Free To Use Sounds provides a wide variety of content, including in-depth microphone reviews, gear set-up videos, audio-processing tutorials, and career prospects in the audio industry.
What’s brilliant about their contribution to the audio world is their appreciation for natural sounds that we don’t usually pay attention to in our everyday lives. With that, they are both very willing to share invaluable advice for individuals looking to go into electroacoustic composition or sound artists looking for unique sound effects for their next project.
Furthermore, Free To Use Sounds also has a website where you can download royalty-free sound effects. They offer free and paid packages for high-quality, uncompressed files. This channel is not one to sleep on if you want inspiration to create unique sounds from the world’s natural sounds!
Featured Videos:
How To Make Drone Sounds Easy With Ableton, Lom Geofon and Free Plug-ins
Field Recording changed my Life! From Hobby to Business
Venus Theory
It’s often that many creatives fall into a productive slump. This could be from falling short of ideas, unable to finish projects, or having trouble coming to terms with the current climate in the music industry. Venus Theory provides tutorials on audio production and discusses these topics with great insights that many other creators tend to avoid.
Venus Theory, also known as Cameron, is a seasoned music producer, sound designer, and video content creator with a unique and eye-catching approach to guiding beginners and expert audiophiles on their creative journey. While keeping up-to-date on trending topics within the music industry, such as the latest plug-ins, gear, and more, Cameron discusses topics that look through the hardships many producers face that are always left unnoticed. Productivity and idealistic thinking in any type of creative production are key to getting the ball rolling on your unfinished projects.
While this is rather different from the other channels on this list, watching his discussion videos is incredibly helpful for examining such issues from a different perspective. For most, including myself, it has certainly helped to keep focused and discover different approaches to our creative practice.
Featured Videos:
Making Art In The Age of Content
5 Weird Free Plug-ins I Love (And You Should Too)
S1gns Of L1fe
S1gns Of L1fe is an ambient music producer based in California. His music is downtempo and incorporates electronic, experimental, and classical elements. S1gns Of L1fe also co-founded the ambient record label Synphaera Records.
Their music is rich in texture, using nature sounds and processing them into synths for the foundation of the works, and what’s great is that S1gns Of L1fe shares tutorials on this captivating music. One of the stand-out elements of his channel is the use of free resources (such as Vital synthesizer) and the encouragement of using natural sounds and turning them into instruments. For ambient lovers, S1gns Of L1fe has highly informative and exciting methods for creating beautiful pads and sequencing tips.
S1gns Of L1fe offers conventional tutorial videos and live streams featuring comprehensive masterclasses on ambient music production. These resources are ideal for individuals seeking a more profound understanding of generative music. Since the process can be lengthy, presenting the entire procedure is advantageous! With an active presence on YouTube and new content released a few times a month, this channel is an excellent starting point for those interested in delving into ambient music.
Featured Videos:
Textural Ambient (Feat: PaulXStretch)
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