I have to be straight with you guys. If you are hoping to take your recordings and mixes to the next level, don’t look for that one “magic bullet” of a technique, tip, or piece of gear to take you there. It’s just not going to happen.
Via Steven Depolo Flickr
The Cumulative Effect
Really good recordings and mixes are the result of a series of smart decisions that add up in a big way. It’s a cumulative effect that almost sneaks up on you. A little mic placement change here, a little high pass filter there, a bit of bus compression over there, and eventually you can get one stellar mix.
Was it the result of one or two of those decisions? No. In context you could probably have skipped a few of those moves and the mix would still be pretty good. In fact, not any one of your recording or mixing decisions (especially the gear you use) will be what gets you the final mix you want. Rather it’s the many seemingly minuscule moves you make along the way that create something bigger than the sum of their parts.
Not What People Like To Hear
Most people don’t want to hear any of this. They would rather continue to believe that they are one piece of gear away from delivering pro mixes. Whether it’s new converters, preamps, analog summing boxes, plugins, or a new DAW, they falsely put all their hope into one or two things.
This was made even more apparent to me in our most recent 5 Minutes To A Better Mix series. I graciously delivered 31 mixing video tips in 31 days, and despite the overwhelming majority of people showing excitement and gratitude for the new ideas, there were still a few rotten apples in the bunch.
“These tips are too simple,” or “Give me something more substantive,” or even “I could have explained this in 5 seconds!” were just some of the negative feedback I got. It’s really a shame that these people don’t get it. If you want better mixes, then do the stuff I’m teaching. It all adds up. And not just my ideas. There are a bunch of great teachers out there. But none of our advice or gear recommendations will help unless you see each tip as a piece of a larger puzzle, not the magic bullet.
Be A Doer, Not A Dreamer
So let me leave you with this advice. If you truly want to make incredible music in your studio, then be a doer, not a dreamer. What I mean is, be about what it is you say your’e about and actually make recordings and complete mixes. Always be creating music and recording anything you can get your hands on. Try tips and tricks all the time and implement what you learn.
It sounds obvious, but many of you aren’t doing this. You spend hours reading posts or watching tutorials (or product reviews) and dreaming up ways to make better music or trying to pin down the absolute best microphone for your genre of music (like that even exists) only to keep it all in your head. Please do yourself a favor, realize that no magic recording bullet exists, take what you are learning and get to making great music. You can only improve!
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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. 
Some of my better mixes have come from when I recorded my old band’s first EP and I had barely any gear, a couple of fake 57s and a real 58 for vocals. We recorded all of it in my bedroom over the course of a couple of months and we used an electronic drum kit. It still sounds a bit demo-ey, but weirdly it sounds good because I tried to over-produce yet it still has that raw demo feel. Link below.
http://www.purevolume.com/thefridayfinish
Some of my better mixes have come from when I recorded my old band’s first EP and I had barely any gear, a couple of fake 57s and a real 58 for vocals. We recorded all of it in my bedroom over the course of a couple of months and we used an electronic drum kit. It still sounds a bit demo-ey, but weirdly it sounds good because I tried to over-produce yet it still has that raw demo feel. Link below.
http://www.purevolume.com/thefridayfinish
EXCELLENT article. This is something I’ve tried to tell many artists over the years. Many of them who would love to just nail that one technique, take it home with them, and never rely on professionalism again. Any mix worth doing, is worth doing right.
EXCELLENT article. This is something I’ve tried to tell many artists over the years. Many of them who would love to just nail that one technique, take it home with them, and never rely on professionalism again. Any mix worth doing, is worth doing right.
I’m shocked that you get negative comments on your tutorials. They’ve totally changed my work and I look forward to each one.
I’m shocked that you get negative comments on your tutorials. They’ve totally changed my work and I look forward to each one.
Im thinking also the same but thats how its work if u see the negativ its just becoes there is a positiv way
I agree, there is no magic bullet or the only right way to mix cause at the end like Dr. Dre, yourself (graham), Jaime Pain Ortiz etc. end up mixing to their own or your own flavor of taste music mixing. But i agree and beleive that there is a right way of using the tools they give you or are givin to you by knowing what each and one of them does, wich will not only help but get you to the mixdowns and mastering that you been hearing for YEARS over the radios,albums,mixtapes etc. I my self long ago till naow when i’ve talkd to Jaime Pain Ortiz (producer and engineer) of dfo music group and dope house records and yourself (Graham) that its not about the gear AT ALL. So honestly throughout the years i been set a fool on my ownself for thinking about highly expensive gear and not getting to it. But now im getting with the mark and getting to business, thanks to Graham. Cause through out the years i’ve asked others to help or show me how to mix and others never seemed to want to. But yea im giving all my thanks to you Graham from therecordingrevolution for posting up these really tight helpful videos!! Hope to seeing more soon!
I agree, there is no magic bullet or the only right way to mix cause at the end like Dr. Dre, yourself (graham), Jaime Pain Ortiz etc. end up mixing to their own or your own flavor of taste music mixing. But i agree and beleive that there is a right way of using the tools they give you or are givin to you by knowing what each and one of them does, wich will not only help but get you to the mixdowns and mastering that you been hearing for YEARS over the radios,albums,mixtapes etc. I my self long ago till naow when i’ve talkd to Jaime Pain Ortiz (producer and engineer) of dfo music group and dope house records and yourself (Graham) that its not about the gear AT ALL. So honestly throughout the years i been set a fool on my ownself for thinking about highly expensive gear and not getting to it. But now im getting with the mark and getting to business, thanks to Graham. Cause through out the years i’ve asked others to help or show me how to mix and others never seemed to want to. But yea im giving all my thanks to you Graham from therecordingrevolution for posting up these really tight helpful videos!! Hope to seeing more soon!
Learn your monitors and learn how they sound. Nothing worse than spending hours mixing, only to export it for car/laptop testing, and hearing a mix miles off what you were hearing from your monitors.
This has been happening to me a lot recently, so I finally cracked down and “learnt” the monitors.
Thought this was worth mentioning, as monitors/headphones are never going to sound the same.
Learn your monitors and learn how they sound. Nothing worse than spending hours mixing, only to export it for car/laptop testing, and hearing a mix miles off what you were hearing from your monitors.
This has been happening to me a lot recently, so I finally cracked down and “learnt” the monitors.
Thought this was worth mentioning, as monitors/headphones are never going to sound the same.
Amen!!!
Amen!!!
Graham great words. Thanks for sharing the tips and I was one of those that was the dreamer but with your tips and the Mixing Boot Camp that Joe Glider does I have been more active in the past months than I have been in the past 2 to 3 yrs. The consistency of doing a recording and mixing is helping me build a discipline that I hope and believe with pay off.
Thanks again,
Stephen
Graham great words. Thanks for sharing the tips and I was one of those that was the dreamer but with your tips and the Mixing Boot Camp that Joe Glider does I have been more active in the past months than I have been in the past 2 to 3 yrs. The consistency of doing a recording and mixing is helping me build a discipline that I hope and believe with pay off.
Thanks again,
Stephen
So what plugin should I buy to make all these minor mixing decisions for me?
Jokes aside, this is great advice. On my latest mix, as an experiment, I used only the methods you described in your 5 minutes series. I have to say I was pretty pleased with the result. I advise others to try it out.
So what plugin should I buy to make all these minor mixing decisions for me?
Jokes aside, this is great advice. On my latest mix, as an experiment, I used only the methods you described in your 5 minutes series. I have to say I was pretty pleased with the result. I advise others to try it out.
So people actually criticized you for giving free advice? That is so typical of society today Graham. Were some of your tips “simple” or “obvious”? Yes, but not to everyone and, as you said, it’s all cumulative. Reiteration is a good thing, it’s how we learn. I think some people just want you to come on by and do it all for them…but where is the satisfaction in that?
Be encouraged Graham, you have helped many, many more than you have “disenchanted”. My recordings have benefited mightily from your advice, as well as from my common sense and simply trying stuff. That is how it should work, learn from those that know along with trial and error…kind of like life. Keep on keepin’ on and know that most of us that subscribe to your teaching really appreciate your time and effort in bringing it to us.
Be blessed.
So people actually criticized you for giving free advice? That is so typical of society today Graham. Were some of your tips “simple” or “obvious”? Yes, but not to everyone and, as you said, it’s all cumulative. Reiteration is a good thing, it’s how we learn. I think some people just want you to come on by and do it all for them…but where is the satisfaction in that?
Be encouraged Graham, you have helped many, many more than you have “disenchanted”. My recordings have benefited mightily from your advice, as well as from my common sense and simply trying stuff. That is how it should work, learn from those that know along with trial and error…kind of like life. Keep on keepin’ on and know that most of us that subscribe to your teaching really appreciate your time and effort in bringing it to us.
Be blessed.
I think that the problem is that theres one part of mixing you can’t teach. your EARS. you like certain things and everything artistically is subjective. But when I first found this and Joe Gilder’s page I did just that. I crammed all the knowledge in and hardly used it. The hardest part is knowing when to use what, or recognizing what would benefit it. Listening to all the dry tracks is the equivalent to the writer staring at a blank page. Some people get imaginative and reach for things and tweak, and some people have writer’s block. People as a whole need a nudge to do certain things and think for themselves. It’s hard to be creative and ask yourself questions (which I think is the key to creativity). It’s hard to for beginners to listen to the song and know what to reach for, just like a writer staring at a blank page, trying to write a novel or what have you. : ) the simpler the tips the better I always say. Remember producing is just enhancing what the song is already doing. so if you write your own songs focus on the song first don’t jump the gun, even if you aren’t its good to know how songs and the craft work before any of this. this gives you infinite knowledge on how to craft the song, when to double guitars or vocals, or when to add effects, just by knowing song structure and craft.
I think that the problem is that theres one part of mixing you can’t teach. your EARS. you like certain things and everything artistically is subjective. But when I first found this and Joe Gilder’s page I did just that. I crammed all the knowledge in and hardly used it. The hardest part is knowing when to use what, or recognizing what would benefit it. Listening to all the dry tracks is the equivalent to the writer staring at a blank page. Some people get imaginative and reach for things and tweak, and some people have writer’s block. People as a whole need a nudge to do certain things and think for themselves. It’s hard to be creative and ask yourself questions (which I think is the key to creativity). It’s hard to for beginners to listen to the song and know what to reach for, just like a writer staring at a blank page, trying to write a novel or what have you. : ) the simpler the tips the better I always say. Remember producing is just enhancing what the song is already doing. so if you write your own songs focus on the song first don’t jump the gun, even if you aren’t its good to know how songs and the craft work before any of this. this gives you infinite knowledge on how to craft the song, when to double guitars or vocals, or when to add effects, just by knowing song structure and craft.
You say that some people won’t want to hear this, but for me it’s liberating. If there is no singular magic bullet, the other side of the coin is that there is no singular fatal mistake. Just use good judgement throughout the process, and do enough work over time that your judgement improves. I’m cool with that.
You say that some people won’t want to hear this, but for me it’s liberating. If there is no singular magic bullet, the other side of the coin is that there is no singular fatal mistake. Just use good judgement throughout the process, and do enough work over time that your judgement improves. I’m cool with that.
Recording and mixing requires hard work. It can be tiring and tedious. And success comes after making hundreds of small decisions. There’s no instant gratification. Researching and buying that new piece of gear, that new plug-in, or hearing that one quick tip, is instantly gratifying. I know it’s true for me. I think there are people who like the idea of being a audio engineer (because it is cool), but not the actual process of audio engineering (because it is work).
Recording and mixing requires hard work. It can be tiring and tedious. And success comes after making hundreds of small decisions. There’s no instant gratification. Researching and buying that new piece of gear, that new plug-in, or hearing that one quick tip, is instantly gratifying. I know it’s true for me. I think there are people who like the idea of being a audio engineer (because it is cool), but not the actual process of audio engineering (because it is work).
Totally agree that “every cent counts” and I don’t mean literally money as in buying new gear LOL, but that every subtle “decision/action” you make in the process of making a song adds up quickly and handsomely if you know how to use what you already have to your advantage. New gear is just icing to the cake and the not the cake itself. More importantly I think one should REALLY REALLY WORK ON THE RECORDING STAGE IF YOU WANT A PROFESSIONAL MIX AND STOP ACTING LIKE THE MIXING STAGE IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS!!!!
Been REALLY obsessed with the recording stage lately. After learning the hard way of “Trial and Error” of past crappy mixes I learned that if you get AMAZING tracks in the recording stage you almost need to do no mixing at all in the mixing stage (just small EQ and compression..maybe even a little reverb). Use to think the mixing stage is where the magic happens..WRONG!!! The recording stage is! As soon as you place your mic in front of your acoustic guitar you’re already mixing/ Equalizing (Example/reenactment of me deciding where I want my guitar in the frequency spectrum: I put the mic in front of the sound hole. So I will be getting more low end frequency… I don’t want that! Yuck. I’ll put it at twelve fret..Ooh but now I am getting to some high slash mid range but not enough low end. I still want that warmth…Hmm… BINGO! I’ll just point my mic a little towards the sound hole but position the mic at the twelve fret). Thus, think in terms of where you want all the instruments to be in the frequency spectrum before you even hit the mixing stage (use your imagination basically. How do you want it to sound). It takes hours of experimentation (maybe days if your new to it like me) and stress/work, but my GOD is it worth it when you hit the mixing stage (I basically do almost nothing during the mixing stage).
The Recording stage is definitely the most overlooked area. That’s my two cents.
Totally agree that “every cent counts” and I don’t mean literally money as in buying new gear LOL, but that every subtle “decision/action” you make in the process of making a song adds up quickly and handsomely if you know how to use what you already have to your advantage. New gear is just icing to the cake and the not the cake itself. More importantly I think one should REALLY REALLY WORK ON THE RECORDING STAGE IF YOU WANT A PROFESSIONAL MIX AND STOP ACTING LIKE THE MIXING STAGE IS WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS!!!!
Been REALLY obsessed with the recording stage lately. After learning the hard way of “Trial and Error” of past crappy mixes I learned that if you get AMAZING tracks in the recording stage you almost need to do no mixing at all in the mixing stage (just small EQ and compression..maybe even a little reverb). Use to think the mixing stage is where the magic happens..WRONG!!! The recording stage is! As soon as you place your mic in front of your acoustic guitar you’re already mixing/ Equalizing (Example/reenactment of me deciding where I want my guitar in the frequency spectrum: I put the mic in front of the sound hole. So I will be getting more low end frequency… I don’t want that! Yuck. I’ll put it at twelve fret..Ooh but now I am getting to some high slash mid range but not enough low end. I still want that warmth…Hmm… BINGO! I’ll just point my mic a little towards the sound hole but position the mic at the twelve fret). Thus, think in terms of where you want all the instruments to be in the frequency spectrum before you even hit the mixing stage (use your imagination basically. How do you want it to sound). It takes hours of experimentation (maybe days if your new to it like me) and stress/work, but my GOD is it worth it when you hit the mixing stage (I basically do almost nothing during the mixing stage).
The Recording stage is definitely the most overlooked area. That’s my two cents.
I’ve used almost everything in the past ~60 tutorials to help me out with my lackluster mixes. Not having proper monitors doesnt help. It’s probably the only “gear upgrade to fix the mix” that I could do, but no magic bullet by any means. Gear means nothing if you can’t use it.
Thanks for all of these videos, they’re my encyclopedia of “how to fix that dull sound”
Sure, some of them I knew already, but they were presented in a way that helped me to accomplish the same effects more efficiently in most cases. I use GarageBand and Logic (just preference) but even then, most of these translated laterally across DAWs so it helped.
Keep it up!
I’ve used almost everything in the past ~60 tutorials to help me out with my lackluster mixes. Not having proper monitors doesnt help. It’s probably the only “gear upgrade to fix the mix” that I could do, but no magic bullet by any means. Gear means nothing if you can’t use it.
Thanks for all of these videos, they’re my encyclopedia of “how to fix that dull sound”
Sure, some of them I knew already, but they were presented in a way that helped me to accomplish the same effects more efficiently in most cases. I use GarageBand and Logic (just preference) but even then, most of these translated laterally across DAWs so it helped.
Keep it up!
Tips, tricks and shortcuts are a great way to start out. We all need something to hold onto while we are learning to walk, but like any skill, if you want to learn to mix well, you need to pay your dues by putting in the hours of listening and tweaking and comparing that it takes to fine-tune your mental perception of sound.
Learning to record and mix music is 1% gear training and 99% ear training.
Tips, tricks and shortcuts are a great way to start out. We all need something to hold onto while we are learning to walk, but like any skill, if you want to learn to mix well, you need to pay your dues by putting in the hours of listening and tweaking and comparing that it takes to fine-tune your mental perception of sound.
Learning to record and mix music is 1% gear training and 99% ear training.
I used to be a dreamer! I am now putting in work on making music weather beat making or recording! from now on i come here for motivation! I want to live my dream! Gradually i know i will get to my expected end 🙂
God bless!
It is such a shame to hear that people would criticize Graham’s generosity. He works extremely hard to provide professional, FREE advice, and the only thing I have done since coming across this website is become better and better bit by bit. I believe that our appreciation and respect is what keeps Graham going, so if you can’t appreciate what he is doing, please just bite your tongue and move on. There is no need to disrespect a person with such obvious talent who wants to share his gift with the rest of us. Great article once again Graham. Thanks for everything you do for the rest of us, and God bless!
I totally agree with Andrew that the mixing begins as soon as you start recording. It also begins with the source. So many people are always talking about buying a preamp, a mic or even the latest plug in. When i first started recording, I had the preconceived notion that I NEEDED an amazing preamp to get great results when in fact I should have been asking if my source was right. As an example, I recently bought some good quality cymbals and hi hats and that made the BIGGEST difference in the recorded sound. We were previously using entry level Sabian cymbals and while I would have preferred to buy another mic and preamp, I bit the bullet and saved up for a Sabian HHX evolution crash, a Zildjian K ride and New Beat high hats. The result? Noticeably better!
So in my quest to get it right at the source, I build 8 acoustic panels and placed them around the drums and surprisingly the drums sounded much better and more focused. Furthermore, I saved up to buy all the video tutorials i could get a hold of and watched them over and over and APPLIED what i had watched.
I soon discovered that the weakest link was ME and not the gear. When I stumbled across this site, I watched every single video and APPLIED what I had learned. I even bought Grahams Drum Boot camp video and watched it many times and APPLIED what I had just watched.
My final revelation to the journey of making better recordings was that of phase, particularly when recording drums. Wow i was recording drums incorrectly because I had never taken the time to make sure my microphones were in phase. I ended up flipping the phase on my snare drum, tom tracks and room mics and instantly the sound was better because the sound waves were now reinforcing each other instead of cancelling each other. As a side note, I don’t quantize my drums anymore or use beat detective anymore because I took the time in the recording stage to make sure everything was phase coherent and sounded the way I wanted it to sound. I do, however, use samples to reinforce the kick and snare.
There are so many things I’ve learned just by watching the abundance of excellent video tutorials and tips from this site. Much of my success has been attributed to this site and Graham’s generous knowledge.I can go on and on but the next time you complain about how unhappy with your mixes, It’s probably the user and NOT the gear.
Sorry for the lengthy discussion but I just wanted to express my appreciation for Graham in doing this so that we can get our skills up to par with the records we know and love. And what can I say, I’ve been recording for several years now and have found that I’m using LESS and LESS plug ins because I’m gaining MORE and MORE knowledge on how to get it right at the source. Thank you Graham, you have no idea how much you’ve helped me and many others along the way. God Bless!
Try RIBBON mics for overheads,Smoother.
Best ,hec.
I am definitely a “satisfied customer”. Your “5 Minutes” series has been liberating and enlightening. Yes, some of the tips and tricks were basic, but sometimes they are overlooked (while one is checking their bank balance trying to figure out how to get that next piece of gear or that next $400 plugin). I love how you emphasize time and time again that you can actually get a VERY GOOD SOUNDING mix from the stock plugins that come with your DAW (Pro Tools, Logic, or what have you). This is so important for us all to realize. More often than not, it is the mixer that needs some *mixing*… 😉
So thanks for “mixing” things up for us Graham. Keep up the good work! I look forward to the next free series (and will continue to buy your products as well, I am already the happy owner of the JumpStart series. Very useful information indeed!)
Peace!
~ Chris M.
Thanks a lot Chris!
Anyone not appreciating what you do for us is just not seeing the forest for the trees. I sincerely think a lot of them if they are lucky will eventually fall back on these and say…..Oh!, Now I get it
I have watched all of them and will re-watch again and again most of them.
My last 2 mixes have been the best I have ever done. I sent them for critique to a great source and have receive positive comments. ex: 1-Very nice panning with all of the instrumentation (LCR panning…it works). 2-Great frequencies on everything!…3-I like the balance of all of the instrumentation.
Prior to 5 minutes to a better mix tutorials (and I did purchase ReThink Mixing), I was never satisfied with my mixes…I am now and I Thank You for it….really.
Claude
It’s true- it’s the skill of the engineer more than the gear. The cumulative effect of hundreds of small decisions can make the difference between a great mix and a mediocre one!
It’s true- it’s the skill of the engineer more than the gear. The cumulative effect of hundreds of small decisions can make the difference between a great mix and a mediocre one!
No offense to those rotten apples but, grow up, music isn’t being made by itself, we work for that to happen. Graham thanks a lot for all the great advice you give here. I gotta say I’m not a beginner myself, I studied this as a major, but I’m interested in online tuition, online learning and have been planning my own course and my own help site like yours, and the way you do it, giving away lots of advice and knowledge has inspired me to get into helping people this way, I’m pretty sure lots of the people here are also experimented guys with hunger for learning more everyday who still appreciate your advice even if there were certain tricks, tips, or techniques they already knew. Keep up the good vibe.
Chelo
Graham, I as a newbie to recording but not a newbie to music have been inspired by your tutorials. Blows my mind when folks criticize free guidance. Your approach is broken down is small sessions that are easy to absorb and not overwhelming. I enjoy how you make them understandable for the laymen. You have me thinking in more terms of how to get a good track going in. Thanks to you and a couple other pros I have watched, I realize expensive gear and brilliant mixing skill will still have a limited effect on a badly recorded track. I feel more encouraged to know that with some basic affordable geart and knowing that the mixing begins with the source, a quality recording can be accomplished. I can’t thank you enough for your tutorials. Allan
If you want to tell more about getting the great sound, then next step could be mic choises. ;o)
Thanks for all thoses great vids. Inspiring stuff.
As always, great information Graham. As for the negative comments, they obviously know more than the rest of us and really do not require the tips and tricks. I prefer to keep it simple and let my ears and clients be the judge. Just as long as I do my job capturing the performance, (proper mics and placement) and the musicians do their job, the recordings fall into place. The 62 tips and tricks you graciously shared with us made the world of difference and transformed most my projects into great recordings and allowed me to make the correct adjustments and also apply some cool tricks. If I was able to spend all of my time recording, editing and mixing then the techniques and tips you shared would be ingrained in me and a reference library would not be as necessary, since that is not the case the wonderful reference material you provided allows me to focus on making better music rather than spending valuable time trying to figure out a problem or way to accomplish a certain task without looking it up in the guides/help files or additional online sources. I cannot thank you enough. Greg
This rings soooo true with me. So many times I’ve started a new song and just felt completely overwhelmed by the seemingly monumental task ahead of sculpting raw tracks into something that’s pleasing to the ear. But all I have to do is just START! Once I start listening, I start the first of the zillions of little edits and tweaks that will eventually become the final mix. No shortcuts, no magic wiz-bang plug-in, just persistence and patience.
And don’t even let those negative comments into your reality…your videos are GREATLY appreciated! Tai
Thank you Graham for taking the time to help other engineers and musicians out there, your post’s and tutorials have always been very helpful across the board, worth every second I’ve watched and every penny I have spent, which in itself was a bargain(jumpstart series) for example. Any negative or discouraging posts you see just delete them and never have the comments enter your mind again. Your teaching’s give instant results and inspiring to hear. Please continue with your generousity of sharing your experience,skills and tips.Try to remember that if you hold a door open for someone and they don’t say thank you, you still hold the door open for the next individual who does appreciate the gesture. All the best to you.
Thanks again.
A ton of replies already and I just wanted to add my thanks to the whole bunch of gratitude for this article! Truly an inspiring thing!
100%%%%%%%%%%
“Stop behaving like an Idiot..” 😀
True fact that there is NO magic bullet, instead there are a great set of ever changing magic bullets which combine correctly in the mix down life’s path towards improving, helps guiding some of us, in baby steps, towards excellence. Not even that, but as we learn, as some of us do whenever we manage to improve our ever so slowly growing set of skills (no matter what field we’re in, which is why we study and feel it necessary to research before our next upgrade purchases.. This is a Universal law my friends as it concerns music, Audio, video, 3D, acoustic treatments, the next weather radio, radar, forward looking sonar, Nobel tech navigation software, new and improved charts, more GPS satellites and Heck, yes even religious history, which incidentally is why I never really became any supporter of religion..
– Sir Carl’s Evil Twin.. 😀
Well … i mean, it is important to have good gear, not as important to have good ears and expierience, BUT important … if i look back, my old gear made the live just much harder, i still have some of that plugins and tools but still, the better the signal the easier to mix … i think people rush into recording, but they should spent much more time on tuning the drums, mic placement … dialing the amp in, fresh strings, and a few mics to suit different singers and amps … so much work long before the first hit of the record button
I’m learning so quickly after being consumed by the G.A.S. affect that many producers have, that the basics are the best. One of the biggest things for me was in one of your mini free videos on proper gain staging, I was blown away how simple that is and I’ve been missing it as a home recorder of my own music for the past 5 years.
Another I LOVE is listening to the mix at below speaking level so the frequencies don’t bounce around the room. One guy goes as far as saying to use a small radio like the ones you see in your granny’s kitchen (those little terrible sounding ones), apparently he spend 50% of his time mixing with one of them, before he even fires up his monitor speakers… WOW!
I’ve yet to try this, but am looking forward to digging into all your courses I just bought, then starting religiously every month on developing my knowledge with your “Duelling Mixes” course.
Practice makes perfect but you have to know a perfect workflow to start with or you’re just shooting blind and making the process so much longer to get a great final product.
I thought the magic bullet was templates, setup for the way I like them and just record into them, then turn on all the mastering plugins and a finished product, but I don’t understand the “WHY” and without that you’re back at square one, great mixes without knowing how to fix some intricacy is also pointless!
Great work Graham, so glad I found this website!
Thanks for the kind word Adam! Glad to have you as as student!
Before I tapped into the recording revolution I was totally lost and mystified. Graham please keep up the great work and plethora of information you’re providing us music recording geeks with. you are truly a God sent Angel. Also I’m a newbie to the home studio but not music in general. I’ve been performing live for 46 years its just in the last 2 years that I decided to buy some recording gear and I must say its more than a notion. the music part is easy its learning all the nuances of recording . but because of you I’m learning because of you. but still suck but I will not quit because of your generosity I’ve gotten a whole lot better I’m forever grateful. let your haters be your motivators. Bless you with joy and happiness.
Darrell
Thanks Darrell!