Category Archives for "Video"
- in Isolated Track by Bobby Owsinski
Isolated Tracks: Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven”
I don’t think that there’s a more iconic song than Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven.” It embodies the sound of an era, to be sure, but it’s also a brilliant work on its own. Indeed, the songwriting, production, and performances of a band at its peak marked an indelible stamp on listeners everywhere when it […]
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The Beatles “Please, Please Me” Isolated Vocals
It’s time for some Beatles, and who could argue with that. Let’s listen to the isolated lead and background vocals on their big hit “Please, Please Me.” Not to be confused with the UK album of the same name, “Please, Please Me” was the second single that the band released and prompted the record label […]
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Mark Knopfler “Sultans Of Swing” Isolated Guitar Track
If you’re a guitar player of a certain age then you’ve probably been trying to cop the licks of one of the best guitar songs ever – Dire Straits “Sultans Of Swing.” When the song came out in 1977 the clean jangly Strat guitar sound was totally opposite from the much heavier distorted tones that […]
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Yes, You Can Use One Stereo Mic To Record A Band
I posted this a long time ago but it’s so good that I’m going to post it again. In this video, engineer John Cuniberti uses just one stereo mic, in this case a AEA R88 stereo ribbon, to record the band San Geronimo – no overdubs, no additional mics. For those of you who don’t know, John […]
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Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Isolated Vocal Track
When I do Song Critiques for my Hit Makers Club, I frequently come across songs that are pretty well put together and recorded, but lack the pizzaz that a hit has. The reason why is that the songwriters thought more about crafting their song than their production. Like all musicians, the first thing that you […]
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Here’s Just The Bass On The Entire Beatles Abbey Road Album
It’s always such a treat to get to hear isolated tracks from big hits no matter how far back they go. We can always learn something from them, and often there are surprises that are covered up by the entire mix. That’s the case here as we can listen to the Paul McCartney’s isolated bass […]
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Yes, You Can Mix With Limited Processing And Kevin Killen Shows You How
Kevin Killen is a great engineer with a host of big time credits (U2, Elvis Costello and Peter Gabriel, for instance) and he’s been much in demand as a mixer for a long time. When I wrote the first edition of The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, Kevin was one of the mixers I most wanted to […]
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See Louis Armstrong In The Studio In 1959
Here’s a great piece of archival footage that shows the only film ever taken of the legendary Louis Armstrong in the studio. This was during the 1959 recording of the album Satchmo Plays King Oliver and it shows Armstrong and his All Stars recording the master take of “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” as well as silent footage […]
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The Making Of A Steinway Piano
I bet if you were to ask anyone what is the best grand piano made the answer would be a Steinway. Whether that’s true or not is debatable, but there’s no denying that the company makes a fine piano that any professional pianist would be proud to play or own. But do you know how […]
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Pete Townshend Isolated Guitar Track On “Won’t Get Fooled Again”
This is a fun one. For everything that thinks they know how to play The Who’s iconic “Won’t Get Fooled Again” guitar part, think again. Here’s the original isolated guitar track in all its glory and you’ll probably gain new respect for Pete Townshend as a result of a listen. One of the things about […]
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Check Out Pete Townshend’s “Pinball Wizard” Isolated Guitar Tracks
We haven’t done an isolated track for a while so it’s time for another one. For those of you who have heard The Who’s “Pinball Wizard” over and over for the last 50 years, you’ve probably never heard some of the parts in great detail (I know I haven’t). Here are the isolated acoustic and […]
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The History Of The Humbucking Pickup
If you’re around electric guitars at all (and who isn’t), you’ve probably encountered your share of Gibson electrics with a humbucking pickup. But did you ever wonder how the humbucker came about as compared to the much simpler single coil ones that Fender used? There’s more to the story than you might think, but this […]
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Isolated Track: Keith Richards Guitar Solo On “Sympathy For The Devil”
We haven’t done an isolated track for a while but this one popped up and it’s a good one, especially if you’re a Rolling Stones fan. It’s the isolated guitar solo track by Keith Richards on the classic “Sympathy For The Devil.” The song was recorded for the Beggars Banquet album in early June of […]
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How To Record Drums Like The Beatles In 1963
Every now and then someone asks about getting that vintage sound that bands like The Beatles got way back in the 60’s. There’s no mystery to how that was done in terms of microphones, but the other gear that was used makes all the difference in the end. This video by Boulevard Recording shows you […]
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The Reason Why You Can’t Hear Your Bass On Small Speakers
It’s happened to us all. We get a mix that’s just rocking out of our main monitors, yet when we play it on some tiny computer or phone speakers the bass instrument completely disappears. Here are some steps to take to ensure that the bass on your next mix will speak on just about any […]
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