Have you ever heard the oxymoron: boundaries create freedom? Have you ever intentionally used arbitrary constraints as a sort of a creative game within a music production session? The modern music production environment offers a limitless universe of possibilities. Any sound can be made, manipulated, re-recorded, etc. While an infinite range of options might sound...
It’s quite feasible that a number of people reading this article won’t know what I’m banging on about when I mention standalone multitrack hardware recorders – certainly the cassette tape-based variety. Because you do have to be of a ‘certain’ age to truly appreciate what revolutionary devices they were, in today’s modern world, they have...
Where Should You Record Each Instrument Over the years, every artist I’ve ever worked with has been critical of their budget to some extent. Before we ever start recording anything, we’ll always have a pre-production meeting. During this get together we’ll discuss numerous things about their album. However, the budget is usually a big conversation...
I’ve been recording music at home since about 2009. I’ve worked in garages, basements, bedrooms, and a walk-in closet. And I’ve learned a lot about DIY recording by trial-and-error and by learning from experts. So in this post, I want to take you through the Dos and Don’ts of home recording. The DON’Ts Of Home...
If you want to record electric guitars without feeling like the end result sounds like a muddy mess, then you’ve come to the right place. Nothing ruins a rock song quicker than weak, wimpy guitars. You want massive, powerful, roaring guitars that knock the listener off their feet! Over the years, countless engineers have concocted...
Please take a minute to share this guide on Facebook or TwitterIf you’re looking for gifts for music producers, look no further. I’ve updated and combined a few of my gear guides together into one giant list for all of you to enjoy. Whether you’re a musician looking for equipment for your own studio, or...
Please take a minute to share this guide on Facebook or TwitterIt’s that time of year when people go into gift-giving mode. We celebrate the holidays in multiple different ways and we call them by multiple different names. Mine is called Jól, or Yule. But regardless of what you call your holiday season there seems...
Got this question from a reader: Do I need bass traps if I record bass directly? Well. The problem lies in the question, not the answer young padawan. The bass traps have nothing to do with the recording but rather the monitoring and the mixing. Let me explain. Bass Traps Are Acoustic Treatment You put...
Got a question from a reader a while back asking me about recording vocals. Specifically, how to get a vocal sound consistent if you record for several days. First I didn’t think it was a big deal. But then I started thinking… Does he mean doing takes of the same song on different days? Because...
A reader writes in with a question: I’m playing in an amateur Blues-band, consisting of an normal 5 piece band and a 7 piece hornsection. On one of our rehearsal-evenings we also did some recording all together. Each individual instrument had their own mics and the drums also had separate mics. But of course since all...