As 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!
Dec
23
This 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 board. These days we have computers to do the handiwork for us, we just have to know when and how to automate our work.
Automation can be used for creation motion, enhancing performances, customizing sounds, and adding flavor with effects.
Dec
22
Compression Sends vs. Compression Inserts
by Dan Connor
by Dan Connor
This 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 high-end or introduces undesirable distortions, such as in the case of overhead cymbals or piano. One way to achieve the effect of punch or sustain without compromising the fidelity is send a copy of the signal to stereo send/aux with the desired compression effect on its insert and blend to taste.
Dec
21
Common Music Production Workflows
by Dan Connor
by Dan Connor
This 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 overdubbing tracks (the process of layering tracks on tape after-the-fact of the original recording). Now, there are music releases in which nothing is recorded live, such as many hip hop or electronic releases. Understanding what kind of workflow works best for your situation and needs is a critical skill of a successful producer.
Dec
20
Using ‘Color’ Microphones Instead of EQ
by Dan Connor
by Dan Connor
This 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 = a good sound. Also known as ‘trash-in, trash-out’, it’s critical that the earlier things are in the signal chain the more important it is that they sound right. Digital does a great job of documenting what you feed it, whether it sounds great or awful. It isn’t the least bit flattering. From a purist perspective, your audio will almost always sound better if you can get the sound you want without compression or EQ - just by mic placement, instrument choice, and other such recording-chain choices.
One secret of those who either own their own studios or have time to set up shop in a studio for a project is to have carefully chosen ‘color’ microphones scattered around the rooms. By mixing in these microphones to the main mic on a subject, one can achieve a wild variety of sounds without having to grab an EQ. Hard drive space is cheap and most DAWs offer more tracks than the average pop producer will ever use so, if you have the time and the mic locker - why not? It’ll seem awkward at first but you’ll love the flexibility it offers and the purity of the sonic palette.
Dec
19
This 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 have low self esteem. It’s important to know what sort of person you are working with when producing a session with them. In this post I’m going to break down some of the most common traits you’ll find in performers and hopefully will provide some insight as to how best to coax the best take out of each of them.
Dec
18
Backups: How to Take Them Seriously
by Dan Connor
by Dan Connor
This 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 with working on computers doesn’t bother me a whole lot. But with this integration with computers comes many extra things to watch out for and learn. As far as analog tape and hardware equipment is concerned, it is either physically present and working or it isn’t. These things could get damaged or lost, but they won’t just disappear for no good reason or instantly stop functioning to the point where they can’t be repaired somehow. But these are the sorts of situations that creative people have to deal with when working in the digital realm. I have had at least two friends contact me, absolutely despondent, when the the lone hard drive containing five years of their creative output kicked the bucket. Without any other location for these irreplaceable resources, all of our hard work can be gone in an instant. This is why we make backups.
Not only can our creative work be lost, but we can actually loose our tools as well. It takes a long time to get a computer set up the way we like to work. Think about all the time we spend configuring our DAW, installing the software, authenticating the plugins, creating a workspace in which we feel comfortable. Having to recreate this environment in the event of a disaster is wasted time. This is yet another case for backups.
Dec
17
Capturing First Impressions for Reference Later
by Dan Connor
by Dan Connor
This 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 be treated with a whole lot of respect. Fresh ears are a very important ingredient in the production process. People who are particularly talented at production or who have been doing it for some time will automatically hear production ideas and constructive criticism when they listen to a performance of a song. If you will be in a position to produce the song or artist, taking the time to document your thoughts on the essential qualities of the material and the feelings they cause as they arise is a vital step to understanding where you should go with it.
Dec
16
25 Producer Essential Items (things to have on ‘ya)
by Dan Connor
by Dan Connor
This 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 of guy to carry way too much stuff with me at any given moment, but this list is a list of things that have saved my butt on several occasions.
Dec
15
This 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 that is only pristine. Generally these sorts of projects fall short of the intended quality. When everything sounds good, it does not sound good together. This is one of music production’s dirty secrets. When Rupert Neve abandoned his iron-laden transformer preamp designs to achieve low-distortion preamp results, they didn’t have the bulky sound that people relied upon from Neve components. When solid state guitar amps hit the market, people bought them but discovered they didn’t have the same pleasurable distortion as tube amps.
The best producers know how to make pretty sounds sound really pretty by pairing them with really lo-fi sounds. A master of this philosophy is Nine Inch Nail’s own Trent Reznor. Take a listen through The Fragile and you’ll hear some of the ugliest sounds you’ve ever heard contrasted with some of the prettiest sounds you’ve ever heard.
