Category Archives for "Production"
- in Music , Production by Bobby Owsinski
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Why Today’s Singers Are Losing Their Voices More Than Ever
I have a theory that part of the reason that live sound is marginal these days despite advances in equipment is the fact that an entire generation of live mixers (maybe 2) learned the wrong way, focusing more on the drums than on the element that needs the most attention – the vocal. It appears […]
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New Music Gear Monday: Fiedler Audio Stage Stereo Toolkit Plugin
We’re at the evolutionary point in audio software where it’s not enough to be just another me-too plugin. If you’re going to launch a new product, it better have a new twist that goes beyond refinement of an old standard. That’s the case with the new Fiedler Audio Stage Stereo Toolkit, a new sound stage […]
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A Look Inside A Google Data Center
With so much of our information now being contained in the cloud, we’ll soon be getting to the point where local storage won’t be as necessary as it once was. That said, the “cloud” seems so faceless, and few of us have any idea of what it really is. To give you a look inside […]
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New Music Gear Monday: Eventide Ultratap Delay Plugin
If delay is your thing when mixing, then you probably have a couple of multitap delays in your toolbox. It’s probably safe to say that none of them are as powerful as Eventide’s new Ultratap, which may very well be the ultimate example of the genre. What makes Ultratap so special? It goes beyond just […]
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The Rise Of The Cassette Culture
No one ever thought that it would happen, but cassette tapes are making a slow and subtle comeback. A whole army of young music consumers really have discovered the format and are enamored with it for different reasons. Some listeners just like the analog sound they provide, others like them because they want to own […]
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The Producer’s Vocal Recording Checklist
Getting a great vocal take comes from having a comfortable vocalist, and most of the time it’s the little things and attention to detail that counts the most. Here’s a checklist from my Music Producer’s Handbook to follow before vocal recording that will help make sure your singer is as comfortable as possible to enable a […]
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14 Sound Replacement Tips For The Perfect Drum Sound
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 Most Forgotten Items When Building A Studio
It’s inevitable. No matter how many times you’ve built a studio, you have that “Oops, I forgot,” moment at the end. If you’re lucky, it’s something that isn’t major, but a lot of people have been known to do things they’re sorry for later like close up walls before installing the electrical or the mic […]
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Sylvia Massy Explains The Dick Mic
Producer/engineer Sylvia Massy is well-known for creating outside-the-box recording techniques, and one of them is the “Dick Mic.” Essentially it’s a mic positioned in the middle of the drum kit and pointed at the drummer’s crotch. It’s used to fill out the sound of the kit, only it provides a somewhat closer sound than a […]
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That First Chord To A Hard Day’s Night
Musicians have been trying to figure out the first chord to The Beatles Hard Day’s Night every since the song came out. Most get it wrong because there’s more going on than you think. The mystery might finally be solved however. A few years ago, Randy Bachman (of The Guess Who and BTO fame) had […]
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What’s The Top DAW? It’s Not An Easy Answer
We live in a golden age of audio software. Just about any digital audio workstation that you buy is easy to use and has more power than almost any analog studio, and the plugins available are nothing short of spectacular. The only problem is that there are so many DAW packages available that it’s difficult […]
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Geoff Emerick On Recording The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper
Geoff Emerick is one of the 5 engineers to work with The Beatles and is probably the one most identified with the group. Other than his great book (Here There And Everywhere: My Life Recording The Beatles), you don’t hear him speaking very much about the experience. He goes into great detail in this recent interview for […]
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Is Getting A Good Mix Using Headphones Possible?
Many producers using home or small studios are forced to use headphones late at night so they don’t disturb the family or the neighbors. That’s obviously not a method that many would recommend for a great mix, but it’s possible to attain something reasonable using headphones if you’re aware of the pros and cons involved, which […]
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Spotify Drops It’s Loudness Target So No Need For Loud Mixes Anymore
Artists, producers and record labels have been obsessed over final mix volume levels for over 30 years now, as mix levels are raised to ridiculous levels where even distortion no longer matters. The problem is that we’ve known for a long time now that severely compressed low dynamic range mix levels are counterproductive and can even hurt it […]
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3 Techniques For Recording Bass Guitar
Just like the acoustic bass (and just about all instruments), a great bass sound is dependent upon the instrument itself, the player, the amp, and the room. The player has to be able to achieve the tone you’re trying to record with his fingers first and foremost. This excerpt from the 4th edition of my […]
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