The Recording Wizard

From the USA Today:

The editors of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary decided to remove the term “cassette tape” from its pages this summer to help make room for 400 new words including “cyberbullying” and “retweet.”

Back in 2002, the only reason the words, “Cassette Tape” would come up in conversation would be the punchline of a joke. Nowadays, it’s a format that more and more bands are choosing to release on. “When did this happen?? Why did this happen?? My ’96 Saturn still has a cassette player!!” were my thoughts the first time I heard of a cassette release. Now, it’s not to uncommon for me to hear bands discussing a release on tape.

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Boom! After a great recording session, you’re ready to begin digging. Let’s start mixing! But where to begin?! Throughout my career as an audio engineer, I’ve managed to find several crucial post-processing that can help anyone with mixing, especially when first starting on a mix. I must advise – Do not use post-processing effects to just use it or because “that’s what you’re supposed to do.” Only use post-processing when it is necessary to improve the mix.

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Every once in a while, someone will come through my studio who, to put it blandly, sucks. This person could be having a bad day, experiencing difficulty in tracking a part, or who knows what. It could be a tricky guitar riff, out of range vocal melody, or technical rhythm that is sending your session straight to hell. Whether you are in a band or a recording engineer, here are a few good practices and ideas to keep in mind that can help you get something good from a not-so-good session.

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From time to time, I will be attending a local show and a band’s performance will shock me. You know, that kind of jaw-dropping performance, where you’re like, “woah, didn’t see this coming.” The band is noticeably professional, and in my case, a band that I would love to work with. I have sifted through many of these bands and pulled out several elements of their performances that make them memorable. These aspects of a performance are valid in both the studio and live setting.

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Any successful mixing engineer can tell you the importance of having a well-trained set of ears. Well, I guess all successful engineers have ears of gold for that matter. Now the question becomes, “How can I develop my ears to that ‘gold’ level?” I found my self pondering this years ago when I attempted to mix one of my first projects. I handed over the ‘final’ bounce to a fellow engineer who was able to pick out multiple aspects of the mix that I could be doing better. From that moment forward, I began to seek various ways to better my hearing abilities.

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