Category Archives for "Production"
- in Gear , Production , Software by Bobby Owsinski
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What’s The Top DAW? It’s Not An Easy Answer
We live in a golden age of audio software. Just about any digital audio workstation that you buy is easy to use and has more power than almost any analog studio, and the plugins available are nothing short of spectacular. The only problem is that there are so many DAW packages available that it’s difficult […]
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Geoff Emerick On Recording The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper
Geoff Emerick is one of the 5 engineers to work with The Beatles and is probably the one most identified with the group. Other than his great book (Here There And Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles), you don’t hear him speaking very much about the experience. He goes into great detail in this recent interview for […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Production by Bobby Owsinski
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Is Getting A Good Mix Using Headphones Possible?
Many producers using home or small studios are forced to use headphones late at night so they don’t disturb the family or the neighbors. That’s obviously not a method that many would recommend for a great mix, but it’s possible to attain something reasonable using headphones if you’re aware of the pros and cons involved, which […]
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Spotify Drops It’s Loudness Target So No Need For Loud Mixes Anymore
Artists, producers and record labels have been obsessed over final mix volume levels for over 30 years now, as mix levels are raised to ridiculous levels where even distortion no longer matters. The problem is that we’ve known for a long time now that severely compressed low dynamic range mix levels are counterproductive and can even hurt it […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Engineering , Production , Recording by Bobby Owsinski
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3 Techniques For Recording Bass Guitar
Just like the acoustic bass (and just about all instruments), a great bass sound is dependent upon the instrument itself, the player, the amp, and the room. The player has to be able to achieve the tone you’re trying to record with his fingers first and foremost. This excerpt from the 4th edition of my […]
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Watch Vance Powell Deconstruct A Mix
Vance Powell is one of the many engineers who has transitioned from mixing live sound to working in the confines of a studio. He’s worked both as monitor engineer (the toughest job in show business) and front of house for legend Tammy Wynette and Jars of Clay. But as a producer/engineer Vance has really shined, […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Production by Bobby Owsinski
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How To Troubleshoot A Song
You may have been here before. You’re producing a band but the song just isn’t coming together. If you’re experienced you probably know exactly what to do, but even after a couple of steps you might hit a dead end. This excerpt from my Music Producer’s Handbook provides 10 questions to ask in order to troubleshoot a […]
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Sylvia Massy’s Glowing Pickle Filter
Producer/engineer Sylvia Massy is fearless when it comes to trying things in the studio, especially if it involves guitars. Guitar players are usually willing subjects for experimentation since the search for the perfect sound continues seemingly forever, but how many players have ever considered a big fat dill pickle to use as a filter? Sylvia (who will […]
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Recording 50s Style
While we live in an period of unlimited DAW tracks, there’s still much fascination with the time where there were far fewer variables, and that means the mono world of the 50s. In that era and the one that immediately followed, mixing held little resemblance to today, since all the magic took place in the recording. Placement […]
Continue reading- in Production by Bobby Owsinski
Access A Great Music Production Community With My Hit Makers Club
Over the last few years I’ve received what seemed to be the same request from many of my mailing list members. “I would gladly register for your 101 Mixing Tricks program (or other programs) if only it were available for a monthly fee.” Let me tell you, I’ve heard those emails loud and clear. That’s why I’ve created […]
Continue readingNew Music Gear Monday: Sound Devices New MixPre Series
When it comes to portable recording, it’s hard to beat anything made by Sound Devices. The company has consistently made some of the highest quality recording gear that’s become a standard on any television or movie set. Now the company looks more towards musicians, podcasts and YouTubers with a penitent for quality with its new […]
Continue reading- in Music , Production by Bobby Owsinski
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How Our Short Attention Span Is Changing Song Structure
Radio airplay has always influenced how songs were produced, chiefly the length, as for years it was felt that 3 minutes was the ideal length to keep the listener engaged. In fact, today songs are sped up routinely in order to have more plays per hour. Now a pair of new studies published in Musicae Scientiae, […]
Continue reading- in Production by Bobby Owsinski
7 Steps To Keeping Your Voice Fresh And Healthy
Eventually every singer has some voice trouble, and if you’re not careful, it can really lead to long term damage. That’s why it’s important for a singer to learn to be especially aware of the need to take care of him or herself. Here’s an excerpt from the band improvement book How To Make Your Band […]
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Yes, You Can Create A Hit Song On An iPhone
If you’re like me, you probably hate trying to do any serious recording on anything smaller than a laptop. A friend once described iPads and iPhones in a nutshell as “output, not input devices” and that’s true for many of us used to the heavy duty studio rigs that we own. But a new generation […]
Continue reading- in Production , Video by Bobby Owsinski
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This Music Video Was Created By Its Music
We’ve always liked visuals that are synergistic with music, with a history that dates back to the light organs and wet light shows of the 1960s. Today, just about any LED-based stage light has a mode that will listen to the sound around it and respond with the appropriate colors and intensity. What’s even cooler is […]
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