[Quick update: I spoke too soon on Monday when I said Joe Gilder’s Recording Electric Guitar class only had 50 spots. He’s actually accommodating for 100 people, not 50. My apologies.] A reader chimed in with a question a while ago: How can I re-amp a “wet” distorted guitar track? I know that the answer is “you...
Another reader writes in with a question about recording with reverb: I always seem to add a slight reverb or echo effect when recording guitar or voice….It seems to smooth it out…It’s not overdone I feel, but I’ve read this is a mistake? Why would it be. Now, there is a part in Recording Strategies...
There’s one thing I didn’t really go into in Recording Strategies. Headphones. I think headphones are a poor substitute for even the cheapest studio monitors. Even the shittiest of monitors are better than headphones because they will always have one thing that headphones will never have. The Room. If you mix exclusively with headphones you’re...
This is a guest post by Ashley Coxx. While musicians have access to state-of-the-art recording studios, many travel to record their tunes on location. Challenging perhaps, for producers to get the sound quality they need, the practice of recording on location is a rewarding way to make music. Moreover, there are many possibilities for recording...
Way back when I started playing guitar, I was chasing after the elusive “metal guitar tone.” You know, the ones you heard on the heavy rock albums. Thick, juicy and amazing. I had to have it. I wanted that guitar tone so badly that I tried every distortion pedal in the store. Too Bad a...
Your drums are the foundation on which everything else lies. Screw that up and your mix falls down like a house of cards. Here are 3 ways you can cheat your way out of a weak drum sound. Think of these tips like the glue that holds your house of cards together. 1. Compressing the...
EQ before compression or compression before EQ? That’s the big question isn’t it? It’s a never ending debate of preference that doesn’t have a right answer. But there are some general guidelines you can take into consideration. Depending on whether you’re recording, mixing or mastering, this argument has a few different sides. Recording – When...
I was experimenting with a mix the other day. It was actually a mix I had finished but I gave myself a challenge. I wanted to approach it with a very simple mindset. Simplify, simplify, simplify. Here’s what I did: 1. Levels – I set all the levels so that everything played nice together. 2....
Reading recording tips is an invaluable way of avoiding mistakes. Because let’s face it, you’ll make mistakes. It’s OK. But isn’t it better to read someone else’s mistakes and learn from them? It’s easier than doing it on the job. When your client is looking at you puzzled because his whole vocal track sounds distorted....
I’ve got a cool treat for you today. You may have heard of Graham Cochrane over at TheRecordingRevolution.com. His website is a pool of wisdom for audio enthusiasts, complete with tutorials, articles and video series about home recording. Graham recently moved into a new place and had to move his home studio with him. He...