Truly one of the best microphones to record acoustic instruments is the vintage German made Neumann KM84s.  I own a stereo pair and use them all the time to record acoustic guitar and other acoustic instruments.  I've owned them since 2008 and it's been fun watching them climb in value through the years. Neumann stopped manufacturing these mics back in the 80s.  I had originally bought a pair of KM184 (that replaced the 84's) and they were really good but I read so many articles on how they fell short of the original 84s so I had to find out for myself and purchased the 84's in November of 2008.  I instantly became a believer!  As long as I record music I will never sell these mics.  I'm a huge Neumann fan and use them pretty much everyday to record with.  I'm also loving my Neumann U47 FET microphone for recording vocals and voice overs.  I also own a Neumann TLM 103 that I use for vocal work as well.

Want a REALLY good microphone?  Buy a Neumann.  You'll be glad you did.

I have been recording some finger style acoustic guitar driven songs this week including a lovely rendition of the classic Christmas hymn "Silent Night".  Silent Night is probably my favorite Christmas song and I love a nice slow arrangement of it on guitar (which it was originally composed on).

I've also been producing some folky/country acoustic guitar tracks that lend themselves to a woodsy/nature/cabin living mood or feel.  I find this style to be relaxing and peaceful with a tinge of reflective hopefulness in them.  I think this fits perfectly with Fall (my favorite season).  The cabin to the left says it all!  Freedom, fresh air, simplicity of life....and love of nature.

Take a listen to one of my new tracks!  This one is titled Acoustic Summer Dreams and will be available on AudioJungle within the next few days.

I love the sound of a soft, felt or intimate piano.  When I play a single chord with lush reverb I am inspired to write music.  That is what I've been dong the last couple of days.  I've produced 6 different soft intimate piano backgrounds that are perfect for wedding videos, nature videos or slideshows.  The beauty of fall with all the pastel colors, the sounds of nature and the way the air feels....and an intimate, soft piano...they stir my heart!  And inspire me to write reflective intimate music.  

​Take a listen to one of my new tracks!  It's entitled Beautiful Soft Dreamy Piano and will be available on AudioJungle within the next few days. 

Today was an enjoyable day of producing a number of different sound effects for my library including various spinning effects.  After playing a little while with a few different items I discovered that tying an old shoe string to a large washer worked the best in getting the sound I wanted.  I used a Audio Technica BP-4025 stereo microphone and my portable Zoom F3 to record me spinning the washer at different speeds.  So thankful for the zoom's 32bit float capability and the ease of being able to record a quiet sound and bringing it up significantly.  After importing the files into Logic Pro and using some EQ/Compression I got the effects I was after.  I created several different sounds including several classic Kung Fu Spinning Weapon effects and Cowboy Lasso Rope Throws.

​Take a listen to one of the samples below!  It's a longer spinning effect but gives you an idea of the sound I captured.  These sounds will be available on AudioJungle within the next few days.

I recently went on a camping trip with my good friend and former college roommate Richard Hall.  This year marks our 40 anniversary of graduating from Mars Hill College up in the mountains of NC.  We've stayed in close contact through the years and try to get together 2 or 3 times a year for an outing.  We went to Little Pee Dee State Park in Dillon, SC for a few days and it was a delightful experience.  We met lots of interesting and enjoyable fellow campers, played catch up with one another and I was able to get a number of different nature sounds including capturing several sounds of a large number of geese who were enjoying the nearby pond.  The photo to the left is an actual view of the pond and you can see a few of the geese swimming.  Below is a sample of one of the sounds I recorded one morning early.  I used a portable Zoom F3 recorder along with a Audio Technica BP 4025 mic to record with.
Take a listen!

We are very happy to announce that Apple Hill Studios has reached top 10 status for all authors selling on AudioJungle.  Considering that there are over 10,000 authors on AJ we are certainly proud of this feat.  We sell our sounds and music on several different internet platforms but our focus is on providing exclusive sounds for AJ and our efforts are truly paying off.  We currently have over 8700 sounds (including over 400 music tracks) on AJ and each week we are adding to that number.  We are proud to be a part of the Envato AudioJungle family!  Here is a link showing AudioJungle's Top Authors.

This week I have been producing some folksy acoustic guitar driven music instrumentals that are designed to loop seamlessly at 60 seconds.  These are perfect background tracks for videos or slideshows where you want the music to continue playing and keep it consistently the same.  Some of my productions are more upbeat with a happy, uplifting spirit and some are soft with a warm bittersweet, reflective spirit.  Below you will find one of my tracks that's on the soft side.

​Take a listen!

​These tracks are/will be available on my AudioJungle web site.  Check 'em out!

I recently returned from spending several days in Las Vegas recording some new Urban sounds for my library.  What an interesting city with such a rich history.  I was able to record lots of different sounds throughout the city.  The food was delicious and the people were VERY interesting to watch!  

Below you'll find one of my sounds which was recorded outside our Hotel (Paris Hotel) with lots of of people arriving and leaving in taxis.  I used a minimal recording setup most of the time with my Sony PCM-A10 and trusty Clippy stereo microphone.  I got some great sounds and a new appreciation of home!  Happy to visit and happy to leave.  Also happy to have some new urban sounds to add to my library collection.  

My four year old granddaughter Myla absolutely loves children's Halloween music.  She loves to put her skeleton play dress on and come into my studio while I play scary but playful children's Halloween music for her to dance to.  I told her last week I would write her a scary Halloween song and over the weekend I produced four different original songs.  I bought a Theremin plugin to use and this is the first song I used it on.  Neat sound! Click on the music bar below to listen to one of them.  This one is called Spooky Halloween Fun and will be available on AudioJungle within the next several days.

I spent the day producing several different country music intros featuring acoustic guitar, bass, resonator, fiddle and percussion.  Happy to be offering these to my collection of sound effects.  These make great transition sounds for country podcasts and video projects!

​Take a listen a country swing tune below!  These will be available on AudioJungle within the next several days.