Category Archives for "Production"
Here’s something that I posted a few years ago that I think needs repeating. There are a number of questions that I consistently get from emails, blog comments, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube – you name it. The same themes keep occurring so I want you to understand a few parameters so I can help you […]
Continue readingWhen it comes to studio gear we tend to obsess over the bigger purchases but take the smaller ones for granted. Yet, sometimes its these smaller purchases that we use every day, and if we choose poorly, we suffer accordingly. Mic stands and mic stand hardware fall into this category, and I bet everyone who’s […]
Continue readingMost audio professionals just got over the panic and resignation of changing out cables again after Thunderbolt 4’s inclusion on a host of newer computers and peripherals. We all ran out and bought expensive adapters and cables in the hopes that things would settle down on that front, and they did for a few years. […]
Continue readingIf you were to ask mixers what they spend the most time on, most would tell you it’s EQing to gain clarity for each mix element. The round-robin nature of going back and forth between groups of similar sounding elements takes a lot of time, at least when you’re setting the EQs manually. Thanks to […]
Continue readingYou 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 what to do, 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 […]
Continue readingThere was a point in audio history where the only way to get cheap reverb was by using a spring-based unit. But while spring reverbs have their own sound, they also have drawbacks, like being susceptible to handling noise. In the age of plugins we don’t have to worry about that anymore, so spring reverb […]
Continue readingWay back in the early days of studio audio, effects boxes or plugins were nowhere to be found, and weren’t even a dream yet. About the only thing you had back then was an echo chamber (if you were lucky) or your trusty tape deck. It didn’t take long for clever engineers to understand that […]
Continue readingOne 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 […]
Continue readingOn my latest podcast episode: Listen to it at BobbyOInnerCircle.com, or on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Mixcloud, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, TunIn Radio, and RadioPublic. Enjoy the show!
Continue readingReverb is one of those things that when you finally get a setting that works, you keep going back to it time and again. If you played with any of the modern reverb plugins you know they can be sophisticated, and it can take more time than ever to dial in something you like. But […]
Continue readingI don’t know about you but I’ve always found that it’s really difficult to do precise edits on a distorted electric guitar track. Here’s a great guitar recording tip that I got from Richard Chycki, engineer for Rush, Dream Theater, Aerosmith and many more that easily solves the problem. I liked it so much I’ve used […]
Continue readingI know what you’re thinking after reading the headline – “I already have about 6 electric piano plugins that all sound pretty good.” I bet if you’ve played a real Rhodes electric piano for any length of time you probably can’t wait to try this new plugin though, since it’s right from the source. Introducing […]
Continue readingWhen I was young and playing in club bands, our most prized piece of gear was a Binson Echorec. It gave everything such a beautiful professional sheen, and I so wish that I still had it. A big part of the Echorec’s sound was its wonderful class A analog preamp, and that’s the sound that […]
Continue readingWhile drum sounds depend so much on the drummer and the drum kit, there are some simple techniques that an engineer can use that go a long way to capturing the best sound. Here are some basic tips that work for any drum miking setup from my Recording Engineer’s Handbook 5th edition. “As a general […]
Continue readingThe sound of so much of modern music can be contributed to one processor – the famous SSL Buss Compressor. Starting first as a standard feature on the company’s consoles to emulate the sound of the radio compression, the In/Out button of the processor soon became known as the “Good Button” because it did indeed […]
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