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The easiest way to move a track “back” in a mix is to lower its volume. This works because in our everyday lives, sounds get quieter as they recede from us, so we’re accustomed to the effect. But our brains also use other cues to determine distance. For example, human hearing excels at matching a […]
Read the full post ...Tags: delay, hearing, psychoacoustics, reverb
A few Homerecording.com regulars debate the merits of dithering. The conversation could easily have devolved into a flame war, but the participants kept it civil, and offered some great food for thought. Some engineers even argue over which type of dither is best, claiming this algorithm is more airy sounding that that one, and so […]
Read the full post ...Tags: arrangement, hearing, myths, vocals
I spend a lot of time, in and out of the studio, with my ears covered, plugged, or otherwise shielded from loud sounds. I do it to protect my hearing, of course, but I wasn’t always as diligent as I am now. The motivation behind my (possible over)use of earplugs was my discovery a few […]
Read the full post ...Tags: hearing, professional-engineers
In Mix It Like A Record, Charles Dye recommends several methods of checking a mix for mono compatibility. The simplest: Put a finger in one of your ears! There may be slightly more to it, however. Lifehacker recently featured a list of body hacks, and it included this great tip about using our ears: If […]
Read the full post ...Tags: hearing, mixing, psychoacoustics
As amateurs, learning to use effects like reverb and compression, we’re often told “bring the effect up until it’s just noticeable in the mix.” Sometimes, this is easier said than done. We’re amateurs after all, and often we haven’t yet learned how an effect is supposed to sound in the mix. How can we judge […]
Read the full post ...Tags: freeplugins, hearing, mixing, phase
Recording violin and fiddle is both art and science: In almost every situation, I would be at LEAST 4 feet further away with the mic than in those pictures. the harshness comes from the fact that the instrument was never designed to be heard from that close. Do you need your ears cleaned? An audiologist […]
Read the full post ...Tags: bass-guitar, hearing
If you’ve read about Equal Loudness Contours, but have difficulty applying the concept, try out this fantastic application (Flash) from the University of NSW: This site allows you to measure equal loudness contours–the frequency response of your own ears. The flash script allows you to play sound files with a range of frequencies and sound […]
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