After Friday’s post where I shared all my favorite one-star reviews for Step By Step Mixing, I received an email from one of my readers, Jeremiah George, who surprised me with one of the most detailed and thoughtful reviews I’ve ever got. Here’s what he had to say: “This is my very first Amazon review,...
One of my favorite pieces of hate mail I’ve gotten from my subscribers is: “When Emperor Trump invades Iceland I hope you get thrown into a concentration camp for your views you Anti-American piece of trash” I couldn’t help but be thoroughly impressed by the eloquence of this insult. Very concise. Leaves no doubt in...
Jon Acuff, in his hilariously written book Finish, goes to war against perfectionism. He walks us through how psychologically wired we can be to avoid the unknown. We don’t just procrastinate; we also actively avoid finishing things that could bring us greatness. Perfectionism is a myth. When you get close to perfecting something, you realize all...
Man…I’m wiped out after recording 22 bands this past weekend at Bonnaroo. Some really incredible acts came through the door this year: WALK THE MOON, Old Crow Medicine Show, SOAK, and Caroline Rose, to name a few. We also recorded Republican Hair which might just be my new favorite band. Not only were they cool...
If you want to be 100% safe in knowing that your mixes sound dynamic and loud, and feel confident that all your mixes jump out of the speakers with fullness and power, you might want to check out the plug-ins from Meterplugs. The Dynameter and Perception plug-ins, in particular, are big favorites of mine, and...
A common problem with a lot of DIY musician recordings is thinness. I’ve run into this with my own arrangements and mixes. You know, when a song just needs a little something, a little meat on its bones. That’s what we’ll talk about in this post — how to make your songs sound fuller. These...
We’re getting ready to pack up his studio to take down to the Bonnaroo music festival to record some bands again. We had some cool artists come through the Haybale Studio last years when we recorded 25 bands in four days, like Moon Taxi, Alt-J, Rayland Baxter, Old Crow Medicine Show, and Sheryl Crow. Here...
Among the many things that set modern, professional mixes apart from amateur ones is a wide stereo field. Stereo enhancement plugins can make vocals sound huge when the chorus hits, push synth pads to the edges of headphones, and add interest to rhythmic elements. But widening without intent can lead to a disorienting mix that’s...
I’m going to tell you a secret no one in the music business wants you to know. Learning how to properly use compression is hard. Everybody thinks they understand how to use a compressor way before they actually do. Sure, they know what all the knobs are for, but most of the time they’re either...
Every year, on the third Saturday in May, Europe goes to war. There are no casualties because we compete through song. But the songs will haunt you for the rest of your life. I am of course referring to the Eurovision Song Contest that has been going on since 1956. Wikipedia has an abundance of...