Let me ask you something: on your next recording session or mix, are you going to try a few new things?
Perhaps a new preamp, higher sample rate, different mic technique, and set of new plugins?
Don’t.
As exciting as it is to try out a bunch of new gear, tips, and techniques, it’s a completely horrible way to work. In fact, it will only keep you from progressing in your craft.
Via Horia Varlan Flickr
Only Change One Major Thing At A Time
To get great results in the studio and to truly learn this craft, you need to master the art of testing.
And the secret to great testing? Only change one major thing at a time.
It’s that simple. (But ironically no one does this).
On your next tracking session, if you’re interested to see how a new microphone performs, don’t change out your preamps or converters or sample rate. Just use the new microphone and proceed like you normally would.
That way you get a proper view of what the new microphone added (in either a good or bad way) to your recordings.
This principle applies to EVERYTHING you do in the studio mind you.
How Most Home Studio Owners Test
But here is how the typical home studio owner “tests” their gear and techniques. They change it all up, every time.
Maybe on his last recording session, Joe Studio (not a real person mind you) didn’t get that clarity on his vocals that he really wanted. So this time around he has a few changes he wants to make.
First he’s purchased a new (“better”) microphone. One that got really good reviews on Gear Slutz!
Second, he’s borrowing a friend’s tube preamp to test it out. Thirdly he’s going to record at a higher sample rate than he normally does.
Oh and for good measure, because Joe watched my video on recording better vocals in two simple steps he’s going to back off from the microphone when he sings.
Now let’s assume for the sake of this article that Joe tracks his vocals with these changes in place and he absolutely LOVES the results. He got a killer vocal recording.
I’ll be the first to say that he should be happy. He accomplished his goal.
But the real question is, can he repeat his success in the future?
You see, what Joe Studio doesn’t know is WHY he got a better vocal recording.
Was it the new mic? The new preamp? The higher sample rate? Or was it simply because he backed off the mic a few inches.
Clearly it was a combination of all four, but which one had the MOST impact on his sound.
Unfortunately Joe will never know. He didn’t properly test.
Why Testing Pays Off BIG In The Long Run
In real life (the life that just about all of us home studio owners live), time is a premium. It’s in short supply.
When we get a chance to record, mix, or master (many times late at night) we really want to maximize our time and get the best results we possibly can.
In order to do this, we need to really know our gear and methods well. We need to have some time tested and proven techniques and pieces of kit that we simply trust and know well.
This is where testing pays big dividends.
When you’ve tested gear and techniques out strategically (focusing on one change at a time) you can quickly learn what of the equipment and training you have is going to produce the results you want.
No more guessing, no more hoping.
No more blindly trying something without any inclination of whether it will bring you the results you crave.
Instead, you become like most of the top engineers in the world in so far as you now have a collection of favorite pieces of gear and go-to methods and techniques for achieving the sounds you hear in your head.
And these aren’t informed by other peoples’ opinions (even guys who write blogs like me). Rather they are informed by YOUR EXPERIENCE and testing.
What Will You Test Next?
So the question today is this: what are you going to test next?
Will it be a new piece of gear or a new technique? Will it be a new plugin or a mix move? Or will you simply re-arrange your studio and put your desk on a different wall?
Leave a comment below and tell me what you plan on testing on your next session!
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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. 
Very interesting point, Graham. Good philosophy. Changing one thing at a time will let you know what has changed exactly. Personally, being new to the craft, I don’t plan on changing anything until I learn the fundamental mixing techniques by heart. That’s the only way I would know how my setup sounds.
You’re very correct on just changing one idea at a time, then you can monitor the difference. Phasing issues when changing things really needs to be addressed too, especially with room mic’s. After visiting Sweetwater Gearfest last weekend and talking to the master’s on mixing tracks, well my desk is going to be moved in a better direction with a few wall treatments to capture better monitor speaker response. Small issues with corrections can be what I was missing..
Right now, my “one major thing” is recording bass guitar; scored a cheap MIM Fender Jazz bass off eBay & I’ve been “experimenting” with it over the past few days, to arrive at my method for consistently recording good bass tracks; up to this point, all my “bass” lines have been MIDI. I’m not changing anything else until I nail this “one major thing” down.
When I picked up the FAB Filter Plug-ins I was still using stock EQ and Compression/Limiter Plug-ins from FL Studio 11. So my question is did I exercise the advice detailed in this article. Instead of completely changing Parametric EQ to equalize my tracks on the mixer, I decided to hold off on using FAB Filter Q. I do however, like to create Semi-Master Tracks for all my major instruments groups once I am done design/arranging my instruments. So I decided to put the FAB filter Plug-ins for these semi-master tracks and that is all I am using. On my master I have a Limiter and Maximus but was maybe going to add a FAB Filter Q for it too depends how I feel about it. So did I exercise this practice of only changing one thing at a time. (Well maybe two in my last project since, I had discovered how to make rolling basslines using a technique I bumped into accidentally but didn’t change the arrangement of how I build tracks =P lol)
Hey Graham,
Really interesting post – and I actually needed this! I have a laundry list of things to try in my studio; install plugins, move speakers around, move studio desk, etc… But now I’ll definitely be trying one of those things at a time to take note of the individual results. Thanks again for the tip!
I would add that anything new in your situation counts as a change — not just the gear, software, or processes. I’ve just started work on a new record and I’m using Pro Tools 11 for the first time. Obviously I’ve spent some time setting it up and learning about the new features. I’ve had a quad-core machine since PT9 and I’ve been dying to use 64-bit Pro Tools, but I’ve waited and yeah it’s the only thing I’ve changed (another component of this was waiting for all my favorite plugins to be AAX64 so that PT could be the only thing I change.
But just as important: I’m working with an established client. I think it’s a really dangerous proposition to try to change too much of your workflow when you’re trying very hard to make a positive first impression on someone. What if something goes wrong with your new setup and you lose a bunch of time or bomb a session? A client that understands and trusts your normal skills and timelines will be more willing to work through the snags with you.
So I would recommend that when you’re trying to keep it to just one change, if it’s at all possible, try to keep the client as one of those factors as well.
I think the next thing i’m going to try is to read a book about mixing and mastering, or an online course, since it’s becoming really pointless to try and mix/master only knowing for real how pan and volume work.
I recommend giving Graham’s Jumpstart series a try. I was in the same boat and I learned a ton from it.
Thanks, i’ll have a look at it. 🙂
Hi Guys. Excuse my ignorance but I’m new to the site – I usually follow Graham on YouTube. Where do I find Graham’s Jumpstart?
http://www.jumpstartyourmix.com
Thanks Graham!
hi Graham.
After only 2 lessons I am convinced that it will be an eye opener for me.
I have the last 2 years composed 18 songs that I have published.
I’ve never been quite satisfied with the result, but now that I’ve tried to remix one of my own songs from the first 2 lessons, I’m ready to mix my songs all over again.
Although I bought a couple of plugins (a UAD 2 cards with associated plugins and Waves ssl4000, I am ready to start over with my Presonus plugins that I used in the first 5 recordings.
I am excited to join the other lessons, so I can get started.
sincerely,
Lars P. Horsbøll
Denmark
Excellent advice!
The wisdom you’ve espoused in this article is proved daily in medical labs worldwide. In any experiment you have the item you’re testing and you have a’control'(the item or items that remain constant). The control items must remain unchanged in order to make any changes in the tested item readily apparent. Each item you change in addition to the control will produce confounding variables that muddy the water. Great article!
I just got replacement earpads for my Sennheiser headphones. No more black pieces on my face, nice cushioning, and I’m thinking they may isolate the sound just as good or maybe even better than the old ones.
Thanks for the reminder to test one thing at a time. I also keep written notes about each step and changes made so I can go backwards, if needed.
This is off topic, but I couldn’t find anywhere else to post it. What I’ve learned from Graham is similar to what I learned when I spent a few years writing scripts – that is, because I know how scripts are put together, I can enjoy even a bad movie or TV show on a purely technical level.
What Graham has taught me about recording using modern low-cost digital gear is to listen critically to the sound, even if you hate the music. That applies even if you’re not happy with your own composition. And that is something that I applied to film & TV for years, but that never occurred to me about sound engineering, at least at the same depth. So thanks Graham, I even sat through ‘Do You Think I’m Sexy’ the other day admiring the technical gloss 🙂
I’m just getting into mixing and mastering my own music. I’ve just purchase Izotope Alloy 2 and I’m going to be using this on the next mix I do. As this will be my first mix I have nothing else to compare it to so any advise on what to do going forward would be welcome. I’ve followed your jump start series so hopefully using what I’ve learned from those videos I’ll get some decent results. Cheers 🙂
It’s seems to be the simple ideas that most of us overlook, myself included. That is some excellent advice, Graham, for critiquing one’s own gear and work methods. I believe I will be concentrating on the new Spirit Professional headphones by Focal. They claim that these phones can be used to mix and master. I look forward to trying.
I’ve owned and used the 11 rack for 3 years now. I’m quite happy with it. Last week I threw a LDC up and plugged it into the 11 rack and captured some vocal takes. To my surprise they sounded very good. So… I am going to get a lot more familiar with the unit from a vocal preamp perspective and then incorporate the 11 into my go to list for vocals.
Great read Grahm, Thanks
Being that I am new to sound eng./mixing. Its hard not to wont to try everything out to find out what works and sounds good at the same time. I am still defining what methods and gear works best in my home studio. Problem is, even with note taking, it can be over willing. So thanks for the advice. I have many things to learn, just not all in one day.
Thanks Grahm, Kind Regards,
You mean the SCIENCE of testing, right? 🙂
Im planning on purchasing and testing a new firewire audio interface since my current one is not supported by the new Mac OSX. The interface manufacturer doesnt show any indication of developing an update driver for the new OSX.
I’m in the same boat with Rob Hanson. New to the mixing world. Audio principles are familiar, but the tools are new. My daw Studio One Pro comes with a large assortment of tools. I’m learning the basics so I can know the difference between my tools and something new as far as function goes. The one major upgrade was treating my room and arranging it.
The main thing I am beginning to realize is how important it is to be able to hear subtlety. I’ve only done a handful of mixes around 30 tracks in size, but the Fab Dupont interview was great for me because of how he highlighted the major tools : Our ears! Hearing the subtle changes we make is probably the single most basic and important thing, right? Can’t hear them, or understand “the truth” of what’s coming out of my monitors until the room is treated. So, boom done. Next is continuing to mix, mix, mix. I’ll discover what tools I need as time goes by. The “Vipers” reference is to my co-conspirators on Joe’s site, where I first posted it.
Here is “After” : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhorqQ_BgLU
Hi, the first thing I want to test is the acoustic of my little room using few foam panels on the back of monitor-nearfields and others behind the sweet spot together ARC from IK Multimedia. After that I will try to check other things, not last comparing neafiels with my headphones. Great Graham for ever !
Just picked up Komplete 9 and this is why it scares me. I have a feeling it will be quite overwhelming because just the sheer amount if material… Not to mention I’m headed to Berklees College of Music’s production workshop the day after I install… So it will be uncharted waters if I start writing something while I’m there. We’ll see soon I suppose.