It’s official – we are (still) living through one of the greatest times to be a music maker in the history of the world.
Today I want to introduce you to longtime TRR reader/student Ben Andre who just took a song he recorded in his dorm room and got to #1 on Spotify’s global and US viral charts.
Oh – and it was all recorded on a $500 interface and mixed in the box – on $150 headphones.
The Studio Setup
Ben (and his band Tipling Rock) have a classic home studio studio based around an old firewire mixer/audio interface, a handful of affordable microphones, and Cubase.
Everything was recorded through an old version of the Mackie Onyx 1640 with firewire card (makes it a 16×2 interface). Got it used on Craigslist back in high school for about $500 and it proved to be a great move. In terms of cost per preamp/converter it’s about as low as it gets! – Ben Andre (Tipling Rock)
I would say so Ben! That works out to $31 per preamp AND channel of conversion! Nothing high end here. Just the solid, clean preamps that come stock in all budget interfaces these days.
As far as microphones went, Ben used Shure SM57s on the guitar amps and an AKG 414B which he bought used on eBay for $500. Bass was recorded direct into the Mackie.
For recording vocals we used the AKG 414B with the 80hz high-pass filter engaged, Fun fact, that’s the extent of the EQ on the vocals! – Ben Andre (Tipling Rock)
Wow. Just a high pass filter on the microphone. No other EQ on tracking or mixing the vocals. Yet another friendly reminder that less is more when it comes to audio production.
Drums were recorded with a pair of those used AKG 414Bs for the overheads, some mismatched MXL ribbons as room mics, and in Ben’s words “your typical dynamics as close mics on kick, snare, and toms”.
We had an extra SM57 and a 50ft cable laying around so for fun we put that mic in a shower off of the room. Actually ended up making int into the mix! – Ben Andre (Tipling Rock)
Tracking the drums for “Low Tide Love”
Mixing On Headphones
More and more home studio musicians are discovering (and removing the guilt associated with the fact) that you can totally mix your music on headphones.
Guys like Andrew Scheps have even “fessed up” to mixing major records on $99 headphones on his laptop that the mastering engineers thought was perfect and needed no processing.
So it was no surprise for me to hear that Ben did his entire mix on headphones – in the box.
I mixed it all on my KRK KNS 8400 headphones. I do own a pair of studio monitors, but frankly the room I’m in is so boomy in the lower end of the spectrum that I can’t stand to mix on them. I’ve had the KRK headphones for a few years and I’ve found that as I’ve gotten used to the way they sound, that I’m now very confident mixing on them. – Ben Andre (Tipling Rock)
Confidence in mixing comes not from having expensive gear – but rather having an intimate working knowledge with whatever gear you DO have. Love it.
Ben also said that he stuck to a very basic set of plugins in his Cubase rig.
One big way I wanted to challenge myself on this mix (and something I’ve been doing almost exclusively recently) is doing EQ only on plugins that don’t have frequency visualizers. So for this mix the only EQ I actually used was a PSP NobleQ EX. It’s just a basic classic EQ emulation plugin that just has knobs, and a convenient high-pass filter. I think that has really helped me improve on mixing with my ears without any clouding from visual feedback, and it was a great challenge that I think paid off in the mix. – Ben Andre (Tipling Rock)
Ben is absolutely on to something. Mixing without any visual cues is a smart move because it forces you to trust what you hear, rather than the what you see.
I once heard legendary mixer Frank Filipetti say at a conference that when you listen to music with your eyes closed (i.e. not distracted by visual cues) you have increased brain activity. How’s that for a mixing hack!?
I did most of the compression with the Waves CLA compressors. I love their sound and workflow. Also in the end I did decide to use some samples for the kick drum because the sound from the mic really wasn’t cutting it. It pains me to use samples but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do! – Ben Andre (Tipling Rock)
One EQ plugin, a couple of standard compressors, and a few kick drum samples. Sounds like an average day in the home studio to me. Nothing you and I don’t have access to.
Ben’s simple, but effective home studio setup.
Sticking To The “Bread And Butter” Techniques
When I asked Ben what his approach to mixing was, his answer put a smile on my face.
I first came across The Recording Revolution not long after starting to get serious about recording as a in 2011. I remember watching the second edition of “5 minutes to a better mix” as they came out every day when I got home from school as a junior in high school. That really got me excited about all I could learn and practice in order to become better at mixing. I picked up your JumpStart to EQ and Compression videos and they were a really great starting point.
A lot of the techniques I used in the mix were ones I initially discovered years before on the Recording Revolution; parallel compression and complementary EQ come to mind as two great examples. Another big influence from TRR on the mix is just the whole mindset of taking control over you mix, sticking to the bread and butter (compression, EQ, and reverb) to make most of the mix moves, and just that general idea of accountability for the sounds in the mix. I also referenced in mono. – Ben Andre (Tipling Rock)
Hmmm – let’s see: Ben focused on learning EQ and compression fundamentals, the power of parallel processing and complementary EQ carving, and mixing in mono. I would definitely call those the bread and butter of every great mix.
And what does this teach us? That a great mix doesn’t come in the mix phase, it comes in the songwriting, arrangement, recording, and performance. The rest is simply putting together the pieces in a balanced way.
Hitting #1 On Spotify
Ben’s studio and technique are textbook proof that we are living in a recording “revolution”. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that this song sounds so good and was made on such a budget (and in a bedroom).
But what I was certainly curious about was how he and the band got their song “Low Tide Love” trending so high on Spotify.
Interesting story here. Despite being very serious about music/production, we never really expected for the song to get so much attention. We did our best to promote the song to blogs, and Soundcloud re-posters. We emailed a ton of people and blogs, starting with the modest connections we made from our previous release. We got a decent amount of blog attention and plays on Soundcloud from that.
My best guess is that from there some people started listening to the song on Spotify and sharing it. From there, Spotify’s algorithms detected it being a highly shared song within their predetermined segment of tastemakers, so the song was placed on their “Fresh Finds” playlist. I think that lead to more shares, which cause the song to reach #1 on the Spotify US and Global Charts. Totally blew my mind when I saw it there! It was an extremely validating feeling. This was actually explained to me by Spotify employees, as they invited us to play a show at their office following the success of the song. It seems that Spotify is stepping up its game as a music discovery platform. Very Cool. – Ben Andre (Tipling Rock)
Very cool indeed my man. Ben figured out the “formula” as it were – write amazing songs, record and mix them well at home with whatever gear you have, then share your stuff with as many people as you can including other influencers who have big audiences. If it’s actually good it will catch on. Rinse and repeat.
No voodoo magic there. No label or corporate suits picking what will do well. Just good music rising to the top because music lovers deem it so.
This is the democratic music world we live in today – where anybody with talent and drive can get their music heard and loved by fans all over the world.
If that is your dream, there are now no more excuses. It’s time. Time to write better songs, record better performances, and share those tracks with people like it’s your job. Don’t give up. Don’t whine. Don’t wish you could have more expensive gear.
Just get to work – and have fun the entire time. I can’t wait to hear YOUR next success story!
Show some love to the guys of Tipling Rock by streaming this track on Spotify and downloading their music on iTunes. You can also follow them on their Facebook page to get the latest updates.
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My name is Graham Cochrane and I'm the founder of The Recording Revolution, one of the world's most loved audio recording and mixing blogs with over 200,000 readers each month. 
Fantastic job. Seriously would have thought this was done in a professional studio. Makes me really re-think everything.
Exactly
Very impressive recording, Hey I like and I think it sounds great, well done.
Like Ben, I swapped recently swapped a Bass Drum for a sample – but I think the sound we are used to hearing as a Bass Drum isn’t really what most Bass Drums actually sound like anyway – so I didn’t feel as if I was cheating – does that make sense?! Anyway – great mix and so inspring to hear he did that on a set-up which is about the same as I have…..therefore, it’s me that needs to get better – not the gear! 🙂
Back in “the day” all I had in my semi-pro studio was EQ, Compression, Reverb and an Aural exciter.
“Less is More” is the way it was done to create some of the greatest music ever made.
Kudos to Ben !!!!
I really dont want to put a damper on the success of this track, but i dont hear anything
special going on. Appears to have a little too much reverb but does have good punch.
Maybe its a grower but just doesnt do it for me and really surprises me that its so popular as its
ordinary…
Sorry!
tfft ! someone who hears what i hear ! precisely as you said it !
Jealousy is a curse fellas! The result proves that your taste is different to the multitude of others out there that obviously love the song.
Just because it doesn’t suit your taste or the reverb doesn’t suit your taste doesn’t mean you’re right. It just doesn’t suit your personal taste. That’s all.
There’s plenty of successful music (or rather over-produced music-like products) out there that’s had millions spent on it by multinational corporations to get the music popular that many of us don’t like, but who cares?
Kudos to these guys for creating some music that gained success all independently without having to sell their souls in the process.
As a community of artists making music, we should be supporting each other, rather than acting like armchair experts and critics.
Dear Nathan,
Critisism always presents an opportunity to learn and grow.
You could have asked what it is that makes the song not that special to them and so open a healthy debate from which we all could learn, no matter our own personal preference or taste.
You mustn’t forget that there may also be a multitude out there that, for various reasons, does have a different opinion on the song, but won’t dare comment here out of fear of being called jealous or a hater.
As long as we’re open to discussion and communicate in a positive and respectfull matter, any critisism can be constructive, unless you’re a fanatic.
But anyway, congratulaions for these boys for their achievement and anybody that gets some inspiration from this story to go for it; thumbs up :-).
Regards,
Nice! The snare drum that I heard has that authentic 80s’ vibe to it, which is my kind of style. The snare drum is not sampled, right? Impressive!
Lots to glean from this posting. Thanks as usual Graham and congrats to Tippling Rock
Always be an Engin-“ear”
Not an Engin-“eye”
Awesome!
Great refreshing story – simplicity wins again! And true, we live in times of great opportunity …
thanks as always for your encouragement and positivity Graham!
This is super inspiring. Thanks for sharing Graham!
Great! But I think we blew up his YouTube channel!
Congratulations “Tipling Rock”.
My one cent. Drop the Reverb level on the vocal just a tad, and the vocal will sound even more professional, better again.
This is really cool. Right on!
Seems to be a warmth to it that is so often missing from today’s big budget recordings. Good job guys!
Top Job 🙂
Very inspiring!!!! Thanks for sharing!
Love It! All of it: the song, the story, and the connection to Graham and the recording revolution. I enjoy the vibe, the feel, and the mix of the song. This encourages me, that amazing things are possible with the little gear that sits before me.
Thanks for the story and congrats to the band. Definitely inspirational to those of us who are still working to release something!
This article is fantastic and super encouraging. Thanks TRR for posting!
Dean Davis
Bryan/College Station, TX
Great, inspiring story!
And massive congrats! Not only to the band, but also to Graham for creating & sharing the content that has helped so many of us create better music!
I can’t wait to hear more fabulous success stories from more of you Recording Revolution inspired music creators!
😀
Just amazing! Thank you for sharing!
This is a great success and definite proof that the real tools to making a great song are not determined by spending a ton of money. For sure, getting number 1 on spotify sounds like a great achievement, but what’s the reality here, did it translate to making great money? Did the audience grow by signing up to the bands email list?
Money helps to free our time, and make more art and contribute better to society as a whole so I think it’s important to talk about this also.
As a blind chap, I grinned at the line about deliberately choosing to EQ without visual representation. Made me go and dig out a control surface I haven’t used for ages so that I can get EQ happening with knobs instead of numbers again like when I first started, and it seems to be going well for tonight’s mix at least. Good on ya Ben!
Nice – Respect. Thanks for sharing!
A good song goes a long way (most of the way) toward getting a good record. Sweet/trashy/love-song!
Boring. a million like this all over soundcloud. Next……….
And the point being? You sound jealous. Let’s hear your music and judge it.
Clean and crisp sound. I can hear everything, and I mean, EVERYTHING!
How refreshing to listen to something done properly, without the need to spend so much money on studio time or extra plugins, pricey outboard gear, or overpriced mics. Well done – KUDOS to Tipling Rock for a project done to perfection!
Great job!
Our times are excellent for musicians in terms of access to equipment and distribution, not so excellent in terms of income.
So how much income is a #1 on Spotify worth?
Probably not even a month’s rent.
IMHO, it’s irrelevant if you like the song or not. It’s played by people like you and me, using the same gear as we do and they have a tremendous succes with it. Like someone here wrote, we are a community of independent musiclovers, let us enjoy, that one of us made it to the next stage (pun intended ;-). Congratulations Ben and Tipling Rock! I envy you.
I think we are all missing the point. Gear is merely a tool, not a crutch. This song is a banger because; A – It’s a well written, arranged and produced song and B – The performances were clearly great, by good musicians who know how to play FOR the song. Everything else is irrelevant. The age old quote is that some of the biggest hits in the world were recorded on minimal, crappy sounding gear, in less than ideal spaces. But it’s the song that people listen to, not the 8K boost on the tambourine. A well written song, with a great performance, will always be a great song, no matter what the mix/gear. Well done Tipling Rock! Love it. Keep those summer tunes coming!
This ^^^
Bingo
Cool story, again! And it IS great that it hit #1, but I am also curious as to how this translates into $$….more gig’s? Paid downloads / sale?
Because folks, no matter HOW cool this is, it happens every day everywhere, and as a retired pro musician who made a LIVING at music for 40+ years, it HAS to boil down to payment. I would be curious as to how this successes translates into that….
I had heard that recently, an artist had over ONE BILLION streams on Spotify and the royalty check was around $5,000. Robbery.
Lovely article. Very encouraging, motivating and informative. Thanks and keep up the good work TRR.
I would not say wow about this track. It is an ok track. I am not impressed with the sound, it is a bit “lo-fi is cool” sound. But congratulations for making it to the top with minimal gear.
It is nice to see someone make it and that it is possible.
Interesting how this song was marketed. It is just a regular mediocre song with so-so sound.
(and before anyone suggests it, no, I am not jealous :-))
Yes, there’s more to this story. The #1 in Spotify has little to do with the song.
It astounds me that people still complain about the Music Industry when we are going through a paradigm shift in the way that business is done. I count my blessings every day to live in this technological age where the tech and the means to build your profile are there at my fingertips. I can’t hardly sleep at night! The only variable now is effort!
I wrote an article in response to the cynics: http://unlockyoursound.com/industry/
Bingo
I’ll be showing my age here, but what happened to the days when every band had a distinctive sound? Almost everything I hear today sounds so similar. It’s hard to tell one artist from another. Every production seems to have the same sound. Everybody has the same guitar sound, drum sound, etc.
Ha , yes my friend this is the music the millenials have come to embrace. Bubblegum music. Lost its flavour 30 seconds in. Spotify (aka: the record company) means nothing unless your are a touring act selling out stadiums. I like the production on it, but come on those vocals have been processed. Not fooled.
Great!!! nice relationship and facts about human capacities, audio gear and music business, i would like to know a little bit more about the mastering process in the song. Thanks!!!
Well done on the aspects that are well done and congrats on the Spotify ranking. The pay may be meager, but the attention could be invaluable.
Regardless of where and how this was recorded….the song itself is a hit. Well arranged, well recorded! The guitars have killer tone. The kick and snare have balls and punch for days. The vocals are good. The hook is there. Too much reverb? Maybe….but that is to taste. I guarantee that if this song was dry…it wouldn’t have the vibe and flavor that everyone is drawn to here.
In a nutshell….well done all the way around.
Congrats to the band and yes this article does serve as inspiration for folks such as me.
Amazing! The song and the mix are great!
Ok, it is a very good recording and mixing and a good song with a good performance, Congratulate to these things.
But. Please, everybody tell me WHY… Why should compress and brickwall at mastering this much? It is too compressed. I think it is fully pointless.
Why don’t stop We musicians and audio friends the loudness war?
It is 2016 now… I am sad. 🙁
OK, a nice end of summer song, congratulations! It’s hard to argue with success, but I do wish for a little more EQ sculpting to separate the instruments. The mix feels crowded to me. Maybe an overall 1-2 dB cut around 250 Hz would do it. Everything is recorded very well and executed cleanly. A great validation of the principles taught in TRR!