Category Archives for "Book Excerpt"
- in Book Excerpt , Engineering , Production by Bobby Owsinski
These 8 Indicators Tell You Your Mix Is Finished
One of the hardest things for many mixers to determine is when a mix is finished. In fact, engineers new to mixing may think a mix is ready in an hour, but a pro will usually take considerably longer in most cases. How much longer? Well, some big hit maker mixers that I know may spend up […]
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What To Do When A Song’s Arrangement Doesn’t Sound Right
You may have been here before. You’re working on a song but it just isn’t coming together. If you’re experienced you probably know exactly where to start, but even after a couple of steps you might hit a dead end. This excerpt from my Music Producer’s Handbook provides 10 questions to ask in order to troubleshoot a […]
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7 Tips For Keeping Your Voice In Shape
Eventually every singer has some vocal trouble, and if not careful, it can really lead to long term damage. That’s why it’s important for a singer to learn to be especially aware of the need to take care of him or herself and get that voice ready for the next gig. Here’s an excerpt from […]
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This Mix Checklist Will Get You Better Mixes
A modern mix can be sophisticated and complicated, so it’s very easy to overlook something in the heat of the moment that can be important to the integrity of the mix and that can help take it to the next level. The Ultimate Mix Checklist provides a number or questions to ask yourself as your […]
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3 Good Reasons To Use Your Amplifier’s Tone Controls
As a general rule, most musicians (especially guitar players) have no idea how to use anything that adjusts the frequency bands of their instrument, meaning an amplifier’s tone controls. The reason is that they’re never taught what tone controls are there for, and there’s not a lot of information in the manuals that comes with […]
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The 2 Words That Will Bring Your Self-Produced Project To A Close
Every musician today has a their own home studio these days, and most have a similar problem because of it. While having a home studio makes recording yourself easier than it’s ever been, most self-producers find that it’s a lot easier to start a project than to finish one. Here’s an excerpt from the 2nd edition of […]
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The ‘How To Get Paid For Your Hard Work’ Checklist
Your not a music professional if you haven’t been screwed out of money at least once. That’s par for the course and part of the learning process, but it obviously becomes a real problem if it continues to happen. Regardless of what end of the music business you work in, as an independent contractor it’s your […]
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Get More Realistic Pitch Correction With These 5 Tips
Depending upon how much of a purist you are, pitch correction is either the worst thing to ever happen or a godsend. Regardless of how you come down on the issue, it’s at the very least a necessary evil in today’s music. Here are 5 tips from the 5th edition of my Mixing Engineer’s Handbook that […]
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A Mix Doesn’t Always Have To Start With The Kick
Despite what you might think, there is no standard mix element to start and build a mix from. Modern mixers employ various techniques and they’re all valid, especially in different genres of music. For instance, here are the places from which a mix can be started: Then there are some mixers that just push up […]
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11 Things To Think About When Recording Background Vocals
Recording background vocals is a distinctly different process from recording solo vocals because of how they will eventually fit in the mix. That requires a different technique for both recording and production in order to get the best result. Here are 11 background vocal-related points lifted from the 5th edition of my Recording Engineer’s Handbook […]
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Choose The Best Studio Monitors For You With These 3 Tips
“How do I choose a set of studio monitors?” This question comes up a lot, and although I’ve addressed it before, it’s never a bad time to do it again. When it comes to monitor speakers, there are certainly plenty of choices, and currently there’s no single favorite that dominates the industry. A Standard? It […]
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Does Your Mix Have Any Of These 8 Traits?
Before you can even delve into creating a great mix, it’s good to be aware of the traits of one that isn’t there yet. These 8 traits of an amateur mix come from the 5th edition of my Mixing Engineer’s Handbook and are useful in picking out problem areas, looking at it from a global […]
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Get A Great Drum Sound With These 14 Sound Replacement Tips
Although you may be great at recording drums and have a great sounding studio with an excellent signal chain, the two chief variables in the recording are the drummer and his drums. No amount of technique or gear can overcome a bad sounding kit or a drummer that hits inconsistently, hence the importance of sound […]
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The 8 Characteristics Of A Tight Band
With so much music being created with loops and samples, it almost seems like having a group of real musicians play together is becoming a lost art. Because going the electronic route is so easy, many producers or potential bands give up when things don’t sound right, and they don’t know why. The fact of […]
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5 Simple EQ Tips That Just About Always Work
Equalization is one of the most difficult parts of recording to get the hang of since there’s literally almost an infinite number of possibilities. Most of us learn by experience and usually massive amounts of trial and error before our ears become trained to recognize EQ problems when we hear them, but there are some very […]
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