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Pitch correction software has applications from restoration and mix-rescue to outright distortion of a voice or instrument. I’ll discuss some of the more tasteful uses of these auto-tune tools (whether the original from Antares, or a variant like the free GSnap) below. But first I thought I’d highlight their misuse to illustrate the effects we […]
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I apologize for the dearth of updates on Hometracked this month. I’ve been busy with a few things, and one in particular that bears mentioning. A local radio station songwriting contest recently caught my attention, mostly because of the sizable cash prizes: $10,000 for the winner, and a total purse of over $26,000. (This is […]
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Watch for “the wall”: Marathon runners hit a wall somewhere around the 20-mile mark. Mixing engineers experience something similar: After a point, mixes don’t get better, they just get different. Learning to recognize when you’ve reached this point is crucial to improving as a mix engineer. Unlike runners, however, engineers who hit the mixing wall […]
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For a full band mix, restringing your electric guitar probably won’t, by itself, much affect the overall sound of your recording. Especially if the guitar’s a little crunchy. Ditto for changing the snare drum head. Or tweaking the piano’s tuning. But taken together, small changes like these add up, and can really bring a mix […]
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Generally it’s best to avoid the use of heavy reverb on bass and kick drum tracks, since the extra reverberant low frequencies can quickly lead to a muddy sound. (Remember: Excessive bass causes amateur sounding tracks.) But when used sparingly, a tight short reverb effect can add body and punch to a dull kick drum. […]
Read the full post ...Some instruments, guitars especially, sound great when double-tracked and separated in the stereo image. Hard-panned electric guitars are a standard in modern rock mixes, and engineers have used the technique on acoustic guitars too for decades. Double-tracking is straightforward: Record a part twice, both takes as similar as possible, and pan one take hard left […]
Read the full post ...Whether or not you’re in it for the money, making a few bucks with your music is a great feeling. I’ve been writing songs most of my life, and recording for the better part of the last decade. And while I’m not a professional, I’ve still earned enough over the years to warrant paying taxes […]
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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 […]
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A good general rule for EQ: Make your cuts narrow and your boosts wide. That is, when removing frequencies, remove only what you need to. On a parametric EQ, use a high Q value, and identify specific problem frequencies. The less you cut, the more natural the result will sound. Conversely, when you boost a […]
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Mixing always takes longer than you expect: We lose track of time when we’re enjoying ourselves. So allow for this, and give yourself lots of time to record and mix. For example, don’t put aside a single day and plan on recording and mixing four or five songs. Instead, set more realistic goals, and you’ll […]
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This interview with Chris Lord-Alge is short, but packed with tips on recording electric guitar and bass. you’re going to get a better sound recording electric guitars on analog than digital. If you’re going digital, you may want to use a bit more compression than normal, maybe dial more low-end because digital is like a […]
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The Top Ten Tips for Sonic Excellence features an interview with mastering engineer Art Sayecki. Art offers advice, from a professional’s perspective, for indie artists looking to improve their own mixing and engineering skills: Keep your mixes balanced and not too bright or too bassy. Shoot for soft highs and tight basses. Don’t try to […]
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Some quick recording links for a Friday night: What the Experts Say About Recording. 3 pros discuss some of their studio techniques. On recording vocals: “It’s a big mistake letting the singer record their own vocals. They’re not the best judge of their own voice. They’ll think they sound bad, when everyone else is saying, […]
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I advocate checking a reference CD while you mix, to keep your ears honest. The concept works for more than just balancing your final mix, however. Along with my collection of reference CDs, I have a small collection of drum breaks and instrumental sections that I’ve lifted from songs with great drum tones. While I […]
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Most great recordings start long before the tape rolls. Better sources lead to better recordings: It should go without saying, but the “garbage in garbage out” principle applies to recording as much as anything. If the performance you’re recording sounds bad to your ear, there’s not much chance it’ll sound good to a microphone. So […]
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The Secrets of Mixing – from John Vestman. Vestman’s “Secrets of Mixing” page is more a collection of tips than a mixing tutorial. He starts with advice to get yourself properly set up for mixing (like “organize your files,” “allow extra time,” and the ever-important “check reference CDs while mixing,”) then moves onto compression and […]
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Don’t reflexively reach for EQ: If an instrument doesn’t sound right, try changing the source. Move the microphone, adjust the amp, or try different equipment. Small adjustments can make a big difference. And the less processing you need to do, the easier it’ll be to mix. Have a goal in mind: With a plan in […]
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Terry Howard, Ray Charles’s engineer, offers some tips on mixing professional singers: Electronic Musician magazine interviewed Howard last year, and he shared his thoughts on working in digital with Ray Charles: That’s the whole thing: when you get into working a microphone with the proximity effect and knowing when to get close and far and […]
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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 […]
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Focus on noise: Even if you record digitally, electrical equipment in your room can cause interference in your analog gear. 3 common sources of noise: Lights, mobile phones, and monitors. Try recording a track normally, then re-record with your lights and phones and monitors turned off. If there’s a difference, you’ve got noise to eliminate. […]
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Some quick tips, for recording on a Saturday night: Monitor through different sources while mixing and mastering: As you work, periodically check your mixes through near-field monitors, HiFi speakers, computer speakers, headphones, even an old boom box if you have one. As the mix nears completion, you’ll be much more confident that your work sounds […]
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Self-recording artists often focus mainly on the instruments in a mix, and pray the vocals will somehow take care of themselves. This is understandable, as many of us started our learning on guitar and keyboard, so it’s these instruments we’re most comfortable mixing. For a guitar player, vocals are sometimes a necessary evil, rather than […]
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Make your own paper CD holders. Advice from Diskfaktory on hassle-Free CD Pressing. Some short thoughts on duplicating and distributing your CD.
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While it’s sometimes considered bad practice, there’s no reason you can’t serve as your own mastering engineer. This article from Music Tech Magazine covers (in flashy detail) everything you need to know about mastering your own material: One of the reasons people take their music to professional mastering engineers is that they bring a ‘fresh […]
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Here’s a short video showing how to layer in Reason for fatter drum tones. Of course, you can accomplish the same thing in any DAW, if you use midi-triggered drums, by duplicating the midi track and sending each copy of the track through a different drum synth.
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From Revolution Audio, 5 ways to speed up your work. Tips on improving your efficiency without upgrading your hardware. [A] disorganized studio is no help to anyone… The first key to organization: making a space for everything. Do you have a place to hang your mic cords? Do you store your mics and stands when […]
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Equalizers are mysterious beasts for beginners. And the advice most commonly offered, “try different things” and “use your ears,” is meaningless when you don’t know what you should be trying, and what your ears should be hearing. John Vestman’s EQ Settings That Will Make Your Mixes Come Alive has just those types of getting-started tips. […]
Read the full post ...From PCRecording.com (though the advice applies equally to recording on a Mac,) here are some basic things to consider when mixing: One major mistake many make is to mix by addition rather than subtraction. That is, if you cannot hear one track well enough you turn it up. In addition, the level changes are oftentimes […]
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We’ve all experienced it: 3 seconds into a track you’ve never heard, you know instinctively that it was recorded and mixed in someone’s bedroom. Amateur recordings often sound “amateur.” But what differentiates these hometracked opuses from professional recordings? It’s not just fidelity or sonic quality: Many competent engineers produce lo-fi or distorted mixes on purpose, […]
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Here are a couple of great articles on recording better vocal tracks. Successful Techniques for Recording Vocals from Electronic Musician covers the entire process, from preparing the singer, and microphone selection, to compressing the final track. The 10 tips on page 6 also make a handy reference. I want to dispel the myth that large-diaphragm […]
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Omnidirectional microphones pick up sound from all directions, so an omni mic on a guitar cabinet or vocal will capture more of the room sound. Depending on your recording environment, this can be both good and bad.
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Here are 5 things you can do right now to improve your recording and mixing skills: Stop worrying that you don’t have a major label sound: You also lack the mics, preamps, converters, and tracking rooms of a major label band. But that shouldn’t hold you back. Remember: listeners want to hear songs, not production; […]
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Guitar players think of distortion as “that pedal I stomp on to add crunch!” But in signal processing, distortion has broader meanings and uses. Harmonic distortion, in particular, is of interest to recording engineers. Aural exciters, such as the industry-standard Aphex 204, use harmonic distortion to alter the sound of recorded tracks in (hopefully) pleasing […]
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This instrument/frequency chart from The Independent Recording Network (and Southside Productions) is the most detailed I’ve ever seen. It shows the fundamental and harmonic ranges for more than 25 instruments (including drums,) along with the perception each creates (“boom”, “warmth”, “crunch”, etc.) in various segments of the audio spectrum. Tufte would be proud. You can […]
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Nashville tuning (or “high stringing”) a guitar involves replacing the heavier strings with a lighter guage, and tuning them an octave higher. Chord shapes stay the same, but the guitar produces some notes an octave higher (somewhat like a 12-string.) Without the lower strings, the tone lacks body, and as a standalone guitar track a […]
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Need a good reason to justify not accessing the Internet with your DAW? What Slows Windows Down and the follwup article What Really Slows Windows Down? come to an important conclusion: Antivirus programs tether the performance of your computer [to] that of one three years its elder. In other words, anti-virus software will kill the […]
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From the article Mixing and Mastering Tips for Your Music, Record flat with no effects and instead find the right microphone for the singer. In the mix, roll off everything below 100 Hz and above 12,000 Hz. Add 2-4dB at 160Hz for male vocals or 320Hz for female voice for warmth. Notch out the mid-range, […]
Read the full post ...John Scrip wrote a great article earlier in the year describing how to avoid online mastering scams. If you listen to a “before” sample that’s completely monaural and muddy and then the “after” sample has a wonderful stereo spread with clearly panned instruments and voices and sparkly highs, you’re listening to a fake. That’s not […]
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Here are 25 tips to help tune Windows XP performance for recording and production. The site is geared towards Cubase SX users, but the tips will help performance no matter what platform you use.
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It’s almost 10 years old, but Ethan Winer’s article Dispelling Popular Audio Myths is still essential reading. … logically speaking, just because a large number of people believe something does not alone make it the truth. Even more important, all the audiophile tweaks in the world are meaningless compared to such basics as installing proper […]
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