The Producer’s Guide To A Great Vocal Performance (While Keeping The Singer Healthy)

The voice is just as much of an instrument as any other in the band. That means that it must be looked after the same way even during a session to ensure that the singer provides his or her best vocal performance. While vocalists that have lots of studio experience know this already, they often […]

Continue reading

New Music Gear Monday: Final Mix ParallelDrums Plugin

Back in 1999 I wrote in my first edition of the Mixing Engineer’s Handbook about how mixers based in New York City used a lot of parallel compression on their rhythm section tracks, which I called, for lack of a better term, New York City Compression. That expression as well as the use of the […]

Continue reading

Demystifying Streaming Royalties, Inside Gear Reviews, And Agent Jack Forman On My Latest Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Jack Forman, who’s a senior vice-president at BiCoastal Productions, the New York City-based concerts and theatrical booking agency.  Originally spearheading the agency’s coverage of the Western United States, Jack now oversees the core agency staff and global touring strategy. Jack provides an agent’s perspective of working with an artist, as […]

Continue reading

Getting Yourself In The Right Headspace To Mix

One overlooked area of mix prep is personal preparation, which means getting yourself into the best physical and mental state to mix. Each mix requires focus and concentration, and this time is where you get yourself into that proper headspace. This excerpt from the 4th edition of my Mixing Engineer’s Handbook can help set the stage […]

Continue reading

New Music Gear Monday: Joué Play MIDI Controller

I think just about everybody having something to do with music already has a MIDI controller of some sort. That’s why you probably read the headline and thought, “The last thing I need is another controller,” but I think you’ll find the new Joué Play controller is different, especially if you’re looking for speed when […]

Continue reading

Music Exec Camille Barbone, YouTube Views Increase And So Do Music Gear Sales On My Latest Podcast

My guest on the podcast this week is Camille Barbone, who’s done just about every behind-the-scenes job in the music business you can think of.  From working as a label executive for Columbia and EMI, to managing Madonna, to owning the famous Longview Farm and Gotham Sound studios, to producing major concerts and tours and more, Camille has […]

Continue reading

The Not-So-Subtle Differences Between White, Pink, Brown And Blue Noise

I know you just read the title and thought, “I knew about white and pink noise, but what the heck is brown and blue noise?” Well, they’re a real thing and used more often than you think. But the differences between white, pink, blue and brown? It all comes down to frequency and amplitude. What […]

Continue reading

New Music Gear Monday: Audio Thing Type A Enhancer Plugin

If you ever recorded to magnetic tape, then you know that tape hiss was something that most everyone hated. It wasn’t too much of a problem on loud program, but it really stuck out during a quiet section of a song. When Dolby noise reduction first came on the scene it was a godsend for […]

Continue reading

Musician Relief Funds, Fender Stops Using Ash, And Composer Joe Renzetti On My Latest Podcast

My guest on this week’s podcast episode is Joe Renzetti, who started in the studio band of the Cameo Parkway label in Philadelphia playing on hits like “Let’s Twist Again,” “South Street,” Palisades Park,” and “Limbo Rock.” He then moved to New York where he worked as an arranger on huge hits like “Sunny” by […]

Continue reading

The 3 P’s – The Keys To An Outstanding Vocal Recording

My good buddy and fantastic engineer/producer Ed Seay has a saying that I’ve used in a number of books about the 3 P’s or “Pitch, Passion and Pocket.” That refers to the 3 things that every great vocal must have, although you can apply it to other musical performances as well. Ed is not only one of […]

Continue reading

New Music Gear Monday: Sonible Balancer Smart Plugin

In a world where everything around us is getting smarter and easier to use, why shouldn’t that happen with audio as well? There are a number of companies now making audio software based around artificial intelligence, and while there’s push back from older engineers used to doing everything manually, others embrace the new technology as […]

Continue reading

5 Ways To Make Money On YouTube, Recordings In The National Registry, And Wellness Coach Katie Zaccardi On My Latest Podcast

My guest today is Katie Zaccardi who’s a songwriter, artist, music industry professional, and certified yoga instructor. Through her work in both music and wellness along with her own experience with a generalized anxiety disorder, Katie discovered the urgent need for conversation surrounding mental health and self care within the music industry. Through her Out […]

Continue reading

The Beatles “She Said, She Said” Isolated Drums And Bass

We haven’t done any isolated tracks in a while mostly because we had covered everything that was available. There are some new ones though, starting with this gem from The Beatles. It’s the isolated drums and bass for “She Said, She Said” off the Revolver album. There’s a ton of compression on this track, and […]

Continue reading

15 Questions You Shouldn’t Ask

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 reading

This Is What Coronavirus Sounds Like

Coronavirus is no joke. Even if you’re not ill from it, you’re still experiencing a disruption in your lifestyle because of it. But like many other things that we’ve seen in the past turned into music, so can the spike protein of coronavirus. A team of scientists from MIT have turned it into a preliminary […]

Continue reading