mixing

When I work with new or inexperienced audio engineers and producers, there is a basic mistake that I see over and over. When we use plugins, we traditionally put them on the track we want to affect. If I want to add EQ or compression to a vocal track, I would simply add the EQ … Continue reading “Using Reverb (Best Practice)”

Learning what different frequencies sound like and the effect they have on the sound of different instruments is an invaluable skill. These are the names we use to classify the bands – the frequencies are approximate, so use your ears! > 20 – 60 Hz – Sub-Bass: Gives boom, depth, and richness – too much … Continue reading “EQ – Different Frequency Bands [20 Hz – 20 kHz]”

It is hard to learn how to record and mix music today. With so much information available on the web, sometimes it is hard to know if the information is true or not – whether it can be trusted or not. Here are six myths that are not true! Ask anyone who really knows his … Continue reading “6 Recording Myths – Busted!”

Here are ten quick tips to think about the next time you record vocals: 1) Warm Up: Every vocalist needs to warm up. You wouldn’t run a marathon without stretching first, would you? Vocalists should warm up for at least 15 mins. before laying down a great performance. 2) Don’t record vocals in the morning: … Continue reading “10 Tips for a great vocal recording”

Group Cabling Keep cables grouped together by type (audio, MIDI, mains, etc.). This makes it easier to find faulty cables, patch equipment quicker and easier, and help reduce cable-borne noise problems. Putting a little distance between different types will reduce the potential for EMI (electromagnetic interference) problems, because mains cables can induce a 50Hz hum … Continue reading “Organization (in your Production Studio) Pt. 2”

In Pro Tools, material (audio or midi) on a track is associated with a type of Time Scale. All track types can be set to either sample-based (for the Sample Time Scale) or tick-based (for the Bars/Beats Time Scale). Different tracks can be set to different timebases as needed. Audio tracks are sample-based by default. … Continue reading “Timebase in Pro Tools”

Did you know that it is important to power up your system and equipment in a certain order? In the early days, for me, I didn’t know that! Because systems are typically composed of both hardware and software, preparing your system for use might involve more than simply turning your computer on and launching your … Continue reading “Powering Up Your Music Production System in the Proper Order”

Have you ever tried to eject a hard drive from your system that you used in a Pro Tools session while Pro Tools was still up and running? It didn’t work, did it? Here’s the scenario and solution: You’re working in a Pro Tools session and the client gives you a hard drive (or flash … Continue reading “Unmount hard drives from within Pro Tools”