Category Archives for "Production"
With the introduction of some very nice mastering plugins that allow you monitor your mix as it would sound on various streaming services comes the misconception that you have to submit a different master for each one, which means “remastering” your master. It’s easy to see why one might think that, but actually this is […]
Continue readingAs anyone who’s ever played in a band before knows, there are times when you play a song and its just magic. Everyone plays their parts with precision, and the feel is undeniable. The problem for many bands (even some of the great ones) is that they can never seem to capture that same feel […]
Continue readingIt’s always fun to see how great mixers do their thing. The fact of the matter is, no two mixers do the same thing, and no two mixes will ever sound the same, but the journey to get there is always fascinating and there’s always something new to learn. In this video, Grammy-winning mixer Mick Guzauski […]
Continue readingStudio musicians are frequently unsung not only for their playing, but for their contributions to the songs they many times help arrange. Occasionally they get credit and even some royalties, but usually that’s not the case. Of course, session players (especially the top studio musicians) were used a lot more on the hits of yesterday […]
Continue readingIf you’ve enjoyed the big hits from Lady Gaga’s The Fame and The Fame Monster albums, such as “Poker Face,” “Paparazzi,” and “Just Dance,” then Robert Orton is your man. After spending eight years at the side of producer extraordinaire Trevor Horn, Robert has gone on to craft hits for Robbie Williams, Enrique Iglesias, Ellie […]
Continue readingI have a theory that part of the reason that live sound is marginal these days despite advances in equipment is the fact that an entire generation of live mixers (maybe 2) learned the wrong way, focusing more on the drums than on the element that needs the most attention – the vocal. It appears […]
Continue readingWe’re at the evolutionary point in audio software where it’s not enough to be just another me-too plugin. If you’re going to launch a new product, it better have a new twist that goes beyond refinement of an old standard. That’s the case with the new Fiedler Audio Stage Stereo Toolkit, a new sound stage […]
Continue readingWith so much of our information now being contained in the cloud, we’ll soon be getting to the point where local storage won’t be as necessary as it once was. That said, the “cloud” seems so faceless, and few of us have any idea of what it really is. To give you a look inside […]
Continue readingIf delay is your thing when mixing, then you probably have a couple of multitap delays in your toolbox. It’s probably safe to say that none of them are as powerful as Eventide’s new Ultratap, which may very well be the ultimate example of the genre. What makes Ultratap so special? It goes beyond just […]
Continue readingNo one ever thought that it would happen, but cassette tapes are making a slow and subtle comeback. A whole army of young music consumers really have discovered the format and are enamored with it for different reasons. Some listeners just like the analog sound they provide, others like them because they want to own […]
Continue readingGetting a great vocal take comes from having a comfortable vocalist, and most of the time it’s the little things and attention to detail that counts the most. Here’s a checklist from my Music Producer’s Handbook to follow before vocal recording that will help make sure your singer is as comfortable as possible to enable a […]
Continue readingAlthough you may be great at recording drums and have a great sounding studio with an excellent signal chain, the two chief variables in the recording are the drummer and his drums. No amount of technique or gear can overcome a bad sounding kit or a drummer that hits inconsistently, hence the importance of sound […]
Continue readingIt’s inevitable. No matter how many times you’ve built a studio, you have that “Oops, I forgot,” moment at the end. If you’re lucky, it’s something that isn’t major, but a lot of people have been known to do things they’re sorry for later like close up walls before installing the electrical or the mic […]
Continue readingProducer/engineer Sylvia Massy is well-known for creating outside-the-box recording techniques, and one of them is the “Dick Mic.” Essentially it’s a mic positioned in the middle of the drum kit and pointed at the drummer’s crotch. It’s used to fill out the sound of the kit, only it provides a somewhat closer sound than a […]
Continue readingMusicians have been trying to figure out the first chord to The Beatles Hard Day’s Night every since the song came out. Most get it wrong because there’s more going on than you think. The mystery might finally be solved however. A few years ago, Randy Bachman (of The Guess Who and BTO fame) had […]
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