One of the best ways to learn how to produce a great sounding mix and master is to listen to other great albums. By tuning your ears to some of the best mixes that have been produced, you will sharpen your sense of arranging / mixing and learn how your monitors behave at the same time. Here are four iconic albums that are considered by many to be examples of some of the best of music recording and production. Ignore them at your peril.
Although the possibilities of working with a lot of virtual instruments are incredibly vast, one of the pitfalls is that your music can start to sound inorganic and manufactured. Drums especially can lack character when every note is a quantized sample. Here are three tips that you can use to make your sampled drums sound more realistic and more musical.
Having enough headroom from recording is essential to the mixing and mastering process. Also, there’s no better way to add headroom than from recording your tracks properly at the start. Here’s why headroom matters, as well as two tips for creating headroom in your mix in the recording process.
Phase cancellation is one of the more overlooked troublemakers in audio production. Yet, dealing with phase cancellation is an important part of any good mixing and mastering process. One of the best ways is to head it off from the beginning by using the 3-1 rule of mic placement. By using this simple ratio, you can reduce the likelihood of phase cancelling.
The classical guitar is one of the most articulate and expressive instruments to record. As a result, it takes extra effort to record it well–capturing the nuanced details, bright tones, and deep resonance. Here are some tips for recording classical guitar that will help you capture the full breadth of the instruments range.
For Logic Pro users, there are always new recording, mixing and mastering techniques that can be incorporated to better project workflow. To make the most of Apple’s flagship audio software, these three resources are a great way learn those techniques for producers who are only scratching the surface on Logic Pro’s potential.
Some indie producers have rediscovered cassette as a medium for adding analog color into their mix. While this is, for the most part, not the best way to add warmth to digital recordings, there are some cool effects that can be had by incorporating an cassette deck insert into your workflow.
Following up on our last post on the basic technical rules of vocal recording, here are three basics for getting the best performance from your singer. A better performance makes for a better recording and, ultimately, a better mix and master. Stick to these principles and you’ll be on the right track to getting a great sound.
While there are endless ways to record vocals, it’s actually not that tricky to get a good, clean recording from a singer. Here are three basic tips for recording vocals that are easy and will almost always get you a great sound.
Professional publications are a great way to keep up with the latest news and get tips on your recording, mixing and mastering. You can glean a lot of understanding from reading interviews of producers and in-depth gear reviews. These three magazines are a great place to start if you want to develop your craft and keep up with the rapidly-changing music business.