Ideas and information
When I started out I always over looked the importance of a rough mix. I thought its sole purpose was to hear the song before a session started and simply saved the band playing the track live for you. I have since realized that it serves a far greater purpose and lets you gain an insight into what the client wants to achieve.
Sample rate conversion is surrounded by misconceptions and poor practice. I constantly see engineers doing this wrong and want to explain how to do it right, when to do it, why you do it and how it fits into your workflow.
Vocals are usually the most important element in any track. They are the focal point that the entire arrangement is built around and as such requires special attention. The listener may not pick up on that elaborate effects chain you have on a synth or guitar but they will pick up on a poor vocal.
Everybody loves the Neumann U87! It’s become infamous in studios because of its sleek looks, versatility and basically, it sounds great. A lot of engineers and clients have asked me over the years what the differences between the two actually are and due to their price tags many people haven’t had the chance to experience how they differ first hand. I had the privilege of working in a studio where we had several pairs of each model and I’d like to share with you what I found to be the major differences.
To get the most out of the mastering process there are a few guidelines you must follow. Just like recordings effect mixes, the necessary guidelines must be followed at the mixing stage in order for the highest results be achieved in mastering. Here is a list of what we ask from our clients here at Intonation Premium Audio Mastering. If you follow all these guidelines your tracks are ready for mastering.
Have you ever finished a mix that you were really happy with, only to find out it sounds unbalanced when its played at a different location? Nine times out of ten this is due to inaccurate monitoring. Here are a few tips that I have found helpful to prevent this happening
Vocals are the most important element of any track. They are the main focal point and as such, they should be prominent and stand out.
Sometimes it can be tricky to get a vocal to cut through a mix, especially if there are a lot of electronic sounds competing for space. EQ allows us to clean up a vocal, add presence, increase power and add air.
If you are having trouble getting your vocals to stand out or to sit in a mix properly then here is a list of Frequency bands that will help you achieve that perfect vocal.
Recording wet / dry refers to how you record an audio signal. Dry recordings have minimal effects and processing on them, while wet recordings can have multiple effects and heavy processing.
The decision to record either wet or dry may seem like a straightforward one but many people end up unhappy with their recordings as a result of choosing the wrong approach here. It can also have a huge impact on the final balance and tonal characteristics of your track.
We are continuing on from our last post, “Audio Recording Mistakes: Part 1” and discussing more recording mistakes that you should look out for. These are all problems that we have seen happen in studios and while working on recording sessions so hopefully by being aware of these mistakes and solutions you can achieve better recordings yourself.
The recording stage should be sacred for artists and engineers. A good recording is the difference between capturing a clean vocal and catching “The Simpsons” playing on the TV down stairs. Mistakes or problems here can have drastic implications on the quality of your final track.
Here’s what we have found to be some of the most common recording mistakes that, if you are aware of and understand, will help you improve your recordings.
