NCH Software's Switch is a great tool that lets you to batch-process a bunch of audio files from one format to another. Sure you can use Audacity, iTunes etc but when you have more than two files to convert it becomes a serious hassle.

Some of Switch's features include:

• Universal audio converter supporting all popular formats
• Convert or compress sound files within minutes of downloading
• Includes batch audio converter to convert thousands of files
• Extract audio from any media file including video

And the best part: it's free!

Here's a comparison of drum tracks mixed in Ardour vs Mixbus. The first clip was mixed using Ardour; the second clip was using Mixbus; and the third clip is Mixbus with tape saturation turned on. The drum tracks a exactly as per recorded - no EQs or plugins used, just volume balancing.

Judge for yourself:

Post-production work has started for The Wknd Sessions season 6. There's a total of 30 songs to mix and master - THREE albums' worth!

As mentioned before, here at the Wknd Sessions we use Ardour for our recording DAW of choice. When it comes to mixdown, this season we're trying out a new DAW that's got a lot of old-school analog feel: Harrison Consoles' Mixbus.

Why a different DAW? Well, Mixbus is not really new - it's actually built on top of Ardour. Harrison Consoles - makers of fantastic, high-end mixing desks mostly used in film post-production - have taken their design approach and sensibilities, and retooled Ardour to make it more like working on a traditional hardware mixer. There's a lot of intuitive controls and knobs, much like what you'd get on a normal mixing desk.

There's also a lot of other nice features - a new summing architecture, built-in tape saturation controls and many nice touches that put the gloss on top of the already fantastic Ardour software.

Two mixes already done to date - and they're sounding a lot better compared to what we did in Season 5! Have a listen:

For The Wknd Sessions season 6, we're fortunate to have some of our own gear. It's a big step up from the past seasons, where a lot of the equipment was rented/borrowed. It definitely feels much better when you know the equipment you're working with.

Here's a breakdown of the stuff we used:

Recording backline

• DAW: Ardour v2
  
• Audio interface: Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 connected with a Focusrite OctoPre MkII via ADAT to give us 16 analog channels. The Pro 40 hooks up via Firewire to our Mac Powerbook

Microphones

• 1 x Shure DMK57-52 drum mic kit set (1 x Beta 52A for kick, 3 x SM57 for snare and toms)
• 2 x AKG Perception 170 for drum overheads
• 3 x Audio Technica AT2020 condenser mics for vocals or amp mics
• 4 x Shure SM57 (general-purpose)
• 1 x Shure SM58 (general-purpose)

So far, the results are pretty impressive. The Focusrite interfaces performed flawlessly and was a godsend in terms of monitoring and routing options. The Beta 52A gave me an awesome punchy kick tone, and the AT2020s surpassed all expectations as a vocal mic (I was pretty blown away by what it could do).

Wishlist for next season: in-ear monitors for the performers.