Archive for December, 2007
Happy Holidays!
December 23, 2007 UncategorizedAs I will be out of town and without reliable internet for the holiday season until the 7th of January, I will be suspending posts for a couple of weeks. I will resume blogging when I return. Thanks for reading and have a great holiday season!
Read More »Automation: Enhancing, Creating Motion, Adding Flavor
December 23, 2007 UncategorizedThis post focuses on making your tracks sound more dynamic with automation. Automation has been with us for a long time. Before there were computers, it wasn’t too uncommon to see engineers, producers, and assistants all at the board to move faders and push buttons in real-time as the mix ran its way through the [...]
Read More »Compression Sends vs. Compression Inserts
December 22, 2007 UncategorizedThis post is going to focus on using compression on sends vs. compression on inserts in order to retain fidelity while adding punch. Throwing up an insert on a track is an obvious way to control the dynamics of the track or to add punch. Unfortunately, sometimes adding compression to the sound itself dulls the [...]
Read More »Common Music Production Workflows
December 21, 2007 UncategorizedThis post is going to focus on the major ways people tend to assemble their music when producing. Everyone has different needs in music production, needs that result from budget, genre, artistic preferences, and time. It used to be that music was documented in a totally live arrangement before artists such as Les Paul starting [...]
Read More »Using ‘Color’ Microphones Instead of EQ
December 20, 2007 UncategorizedThis post is going to focus on how to achieve a variety of tones by setting up specifically chosen ‘color’ microphones in your studio. The key to quality audio is sometimes given the unimaginative name of ‘the good rule’. This essentially amounts to: good instruments > good microphones and preamps > good recording hardware = [...]
Read More »Types of Performers: Getting the Most from Various Talents
December 19, 2007 UncategorizedThis post is going to be about the different ‘types’, generally speaking of performers you might run across when producing a session. Musicians and artists are a diverse bunch. Some of us are introverts with very little experience, some of us are extroverts with a lot of experience. Some of us have high self-esteem, others [...]
Read More »Backups: How to Take Them Seriously
December 18, 2007 UncategorizedThis post is going to focus on the always fun task of managing backups of your creative material and software assets. Long before I was ever professionally into music I was a computer nerd. I started programming computers when I was in 3rd grade. As a result, the fact that music production is largely synonymous [...]
Read More »Capturing First Impressions for Reference Later
December 17, 2007 UncategorizedThis post is a quicky focusing on ways to develop the habit of documenting your first impressions and gut-instinct while listening to music for production. There’s only one time in your life when you’ll be able to hear a song or a performance for the first time. This is a unique moment and it should [...]
Read More »25 Producer Essential Items (things to have on ‘ya)
December 16, 2007 UncategorizedThis post focuses on 25 things that a producer should probably have with them at any session. One of the best things to be when working as a producer is prepared. Not only does it feel awesome to have exactly what the situation calls for, but it helps the session run smoothly. I’m the sort [...]
Read More »Ugly and Pretty: Exceptional Use of Diversity in Sound
December 15, 2007 UncategorizedThis post focuses on creating engaging sound for music production by combining pretty sounds and ugly sounds for contrast. Something that the most successful producers understand is the importance of both pristine, pretty sounds and awful ugly, sounds. There have been countless examples of moments where engineers, producers, and artists have strived for creating something [...]
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