Category Archives for "Production"
- in Book Excerpt , Production by Bobby Owsinski
10 Questions To Ask During Band Preproduction That Will Make You Sound Better
Preproduction is the best time to work out any kinks in songs and arrangements way before you begin to record. Chances are that there will come a time when your band is playing either in rehearsal or in the studio and suddenly there’s a train wreck where something sounds way off, and you may have […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Production by Bobby Owsinski
Mixing Nashville In The Box With Influential Engineer Ed Seay
Getting his start in Atlanta in the 70s engineering and producing hits for Paul Davis, Peabo Bryson, and Melissa Manchester, Ed Seay has become one of the most respected and influential engineers in Nashville since moving there in 1984. With hit-making clients such as Blake Shelton, Lee Brice, Martina McBride, Ricky Skaggs, Dolly Parton, Pam […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Production by Bobby Owsinski
4 Band Rehearsal Tips That Will Make You Better
Rehearsals are the life-blood of a band. Whether you’re neophyte players in the garage or a bunch of A-listers in the studio reading down a chart, you want to get the song down so it sounds great as quickly as possible. Here are 4 band rehearsal tips from my How To Make Your Band Sound Great book […]
Continue reading- in Production by Bobby Owsinski
Steve Albini On Record Production
Steve Albini has produced albums for Nirvana, The Pixies, PJ Harvey, and Iggy Pop, among others, and he was a featured interview in my Recording Engineer’s Handbook. In the following video he discusses the ins and outs of how to produce an album, and I have to say, he’s a man after my own heart. […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Engineering , Production , Recording by Bobby Owsinski
Drum Tuning Techniques Every Engineer Should Know
There’s no doubt that getting a drum sound is the number one priority for any recording that has a drummer. Sometimes you luck out and the drums sound great by just putting the mics in front of them, but other times they require more care in order to make them sound the way you want. […]
Continue reading- in Production , Video by Bobby Owsinski
Max Martin’s Secret Formula
Max Martin is one of the most successful producer/songwriters on the planet, penning and producing hits for the Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Taylor Swift, Arianna Grande, Katy Perry, Pink, Jesse J, Usher and Maroon 5, among many others. He’s also one of the highest paid producers ever, reportedly getting a $100,000 advance per song plus […]
Continue reading- in Production by Bobby Owsinski
The 7 Basic Decisions That Every Producer Faces
Before a music project can even begin there are a number of basic decisions that every producer faces in order to get the ball rolling. This excerpt from the latest edition of my Music Producer’s Handbook illustrates the many production considerations confronting a producer in a typical project before it even hits the studio. Most of the […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Production by Bobby Owsinski
A Look At The 5 Song Arrangement Elements
One of the major jobs of both a producer and a mixer is to arrange the song if needed (and it usually is). Anyone that’s been working in a studio for a while learns that there are 5 kinds of arrangement elements that make up a song. You can have fewer than 5 happening simultaneously […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Live Sound , Production , Recording by Bobby Owsinski
3 Techniques For Miking An Audience
If you’re recording a live performance, then you want to pick up some of the audience to make it sound realistic. Here are some techniques and considerations culled from the latest edition of my Recording Engineer’s Handbook. “Audience recording is both the key and the problem with live recording. It’s sometimes difficult to record the audience […]
Continue reading- in Production by Bobby Owsinski
Dueling Lawsuits For KDS Recording Thanks To Air Conditioning Problems
Regular maintenance is normal for any studio, but especially when you have celebrity clients. They expect a certain level of comfort, and things can get nasty when that’s not upheld. Such is the case of KDS Recording in Orlando, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, citing complaints about mold and lack of air conditioning in […]
Continue reading- in Gear , Hardware , MI/Audio Business , Production by Bobby Owsinski
Is The Large Format Console In Danger Now That SSL Has A New Owner?
Console maker Solid State Logic has a new owner and it’s Audiotronix. The audio conglomerate purchased the iconic console company from majority shareholder Peter Gabriel, who’s owned the company for 12 years. SSL now joins a corporate umbrella that includes DiGiCo, DiGiGrid, Calrec and Allen & Heath. This fills out the product mix for Audiotronix, since SSL […]
Continue reading- in Gear , Hardware , Production by Bobby Owsinski
The History Of Gated Reverb
Gated reverb on drums is a sound that you either love or hate, but either way, you have to admit that it played a big role in music in the 1980s. All things in music recycle, so gated reverb is back again on hits by Lorde, Haim and Taylor Swift, among many others, so it’s […]
Continue reading- in Production by Bobby Owsinski
Mixing In The Box With Richard Chycki
Here’s a great video from my good buddy Richard Chycki about mixing in the box. You’ve heard his work before on albums by Rush, Dream Theater, Aerosmith, Skillet and many others. In this video Rich talks about working with amp simulators, subgroups, filters, running out of headroom, and his favorite plugins. It’s always fun to […]
Continue reading- in Book Excerpt , Production by Bobby Owsinski
The Legendary Ken Scott Talks Mixing
Legendary producer Ken Scott began his career at the Abbey Road Studios working with The Beatles on The White Album and Magical Mystery Tour; on six David Bowie albums, including the seminal Ziggy Stardust album; and with Pink Floyd, Elton John, Duran Duran, Jeff Beck, Supertramp, Procol Harum, Devo, Kansas, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and many more. […]
Continue reading- in Gear , Microphones , Production by Bobby Owsinski
10 Microphones That Haven’t Changed In Ages
I was reading an excellent article on the Sweetwater blog about 10 music products that haven’t changed in a long time, and it got me to thinking about microphones that haven’t changed in at least 20 years. After a little research, here’s what I came up with Shure SM57 – Introduced in 1965, it’s been […]
Continue reading