Universal Audio
Vance Powell shares his expertise on using two microphones to capture guitar, focusing on phase alignment and tonal variation. By positioning the mics near the speaker's edge, he achieves a pseudo-stereo effect that enhances the guitar's presence in the mix. Powell explains how each microphone's unique tonal characteristics can be leveraged for subtle tone shaping without EQ, allowing for flexibility in the mix. He also highlights the creative use of phase flipping to achieve a wide stereo image, cautioning that this technique may cause cancellation in mono. Throughout the discussion, Powell emphasizes the importance of not being overly concerned with perfect phase alignment, as slight variations can add character to the recording. His approach encourages experimentation and embracing the natural sound of live recordings.
Agartha Podcast
Ryan Schwabe discusses how loudness targets in mixing and mastering vary based on genre and production style. He generally aims for an average program loudness of -9 dB, adjusting for the genre's vibe—rock may be louder, while Afrobeat often focuses on transients and may sit lower than American music. Schwabe shares his insights on whether to master within the mix session or as a separate process. While he sometimes integrates mastering with mixing, especially with certain artists, he prefers separate sessions to streamline the process and avoid the loop of continuous adjustments. For singles, integrating both might work, but for albums, he advises against mastering your own mixes due to potential inefficiencies.
Studio.com
Ryan Tedder discusses how varying the start of melodies in different song sections can prevent monotony and keep listeners engaged. By strategically altering where a melody begins relative to the downbeat—before, on, or after the one beat—you can maintain interest even if listeners aren't consciously aware of the variation. In this demonstration, Tedder examines the starting points of melodies in the verse, pre-chorus, and chorus to ensure they differ, thereby enhancing the song's dynamic and preventing it from feeling repetitive. This technique is part of his broader approach to crafting compelling melodies.
Produce Like A Pro
Darrell Thorp shares a technique using the Sennheiser MD 441-U as a "poke mic" to enhance the punch and character of drums. This method emphasizes the kick and snare's attack, often times even without heavy EQ, making it a great addition to the other drum mics. By incorporating this mic, Thorp achieves a tight, cutting drum sound that adds depth and clarity, seamlessly fitting into the mix.
Universal Audio
Jacquire King uses a Green Bullet harmonica mic, known for its limited frequency range and lo-fi character, to capture unique low-frequency color in his drum recordings. Positioned in front of the kick drum, this mic adds depth and character, complementing the clarity of close mics. King strategically plays with panning, using the mic's distinctive sound to balance the tonal colors within the mix. This approach allows for a coherent, multi-dimensional drum sound, enhancing flexibility and creativity during mixing.
Electrical Audio
In this segment, Steve Albini and cellist Alison Chesley explore techniques for recording acoustic cello at Electrical Audio studio. Albini emphasizes using a high-quality microphone, like the Josephson c617, for a natural sound with wide frequency response, achieving a balance of detail and low tones. Albini discusses the benefits of positioning mics where the instrument naturally projects well, avoiding overly complex setups. A lavalier mic, like the Crown GLM 100, can be attached for close, detailed capture, particularly helpful in noisy environments or ensemble settings. By prioritizing natural sound over extensive EQ, they demonstrate capturing the true essence of Chesley’s cello. This approach ensures clarity and faithful reproduction of the instrument’s unique character, which remains crucial whether recorded acoustically or in amplified settings.
EngineEars
Join Grammy Award-winning engineer Teezio as he breaks down his mix for Victoria Monét's "On My Mama," starting with the drum section. He begins by addressing the kick drum with subtle EQ cuts to remove unnecessary frequencies and applies transparent compression using iZotope Neutron for minimal dynamic reduction. Teezio layers the clap and rim shot, utilizing EQ to tame resonant frequencies and enhance clarity. He highlights the importance of removing unwanted frequencies to achieve a cleaner, more focused mix. Throughout the drum mix, Teezio maintains the groove's energy with selective EQ and compression, adding a doubler for width on certain elements. He emphasizes the value of surgical frequency removal and transparent processing to preserve the original demo's vibe, making this a fascinating insight into professional mixing techniques.
SonicScoop
In this masterclass, Dennis Jones, also known as ROC.am, shares his approach to mixing a piano as the main instrument in a jazz fusion/R&B track. He discusses using EQ to manage the piano's organic resonances, removing harsh frequencies while reintroducing desirable elements for balance. ROC.am highlights the use of the Vitalizer plugin to enhance clarity and stereo spread, explaining how its combination of EQ, compression, saturation, and expansion can revitalize the piano sound. He also demonstrates the Waves MV2 plugin, emphasizing its ability to bring out detail and control dynamics in live instrumentation, particularly effective for classical elements.
Audiopunks
Chris Coady demonstrates layering vintage synths to add depth and texture to Rachel Bobbitt's indie rock track. He uses the Korg Poly-61, ARP Solus, Sequential Circuits Prelude, and E-mu Emulator to create an ethereal soundscape. Coady tracks the Korg Poly-61 both dry and with an EMT 245 reverb, giving it a lush, expansive feel. The ARP Solus, run through a Boss delay pedal, adds a distinctive mono synth line, while the Sequential Circuits Prelude and E-mu Emulator contribute rich, high string textures, especially in the bridge. These elements, combined with plate reverb and other effects, create a dynamic and immersive listening experience, showcasing how vintage synths can enhance an indie rock production.
Agartha Podcast
Ryan Schwabe discusses his approach of using separate music and vocal buses in mixing to enable more aggressive processing on the music without affecting the vocals. By doing so, he can apply saturation or distortion to the music while maintaining the vocal's clarity and presence. He outlines a technique where both buses send to a heavily compressed tape channel, subtly blending and adding cohesion to the mix. This setup helps manage dynamics and maintain separation, ensuring that aggressive processing on the music doesn’t inadvertently impact the vocal track.
Kevin Atwater and Philip Weinrobe delve into the mix of "Lonely Gift," focusing on the creative use of panning and subtle textures to enhance the song's emotional message. A standout element is Kevin's whispered "come on," panned hard left, creating an intimate and personal touch that feels like a whisper in the listener's ear. This detail symbolizes an invitation to move on from an unreachable relationship. The song's end, marked by a shift in instrumentation, reflects a sense of resignation and acceptance, providing a vehicle for emotional transition. This thoughtful mix decision underscores the song's narrative journey.
Agartha Podcast
In this segment, Ryan Schwabe discusses the keys to achieving a loud mix, emphasizing the importance of spectral balance and arrangement. He explains how a limiter can help identify if there's too much low-end or high-end in the mix by reacting to the loudest frequencies, typically between 80-100 Hz. A well-arranged song, with instruments not overlapping heavily in the same frequency range, is crucial. This ensures the limiter doesn't have to work too hard, preventing a muffled and dark sound. Schwabe stresses that achieving clarity in the low frequencies relative to the rest of the mix is essential for loudness. By focusing on arrangement and maintaining a balanced EQ, you can create a mix that is not only loud but also clear and dynamic. This insight sets the foundation for mixing with intention and understanding limiter behavior.
SonicScoop
In this masterclass, renowned mixer Richard Furch explores advanced reverb techniques using presets like Buckram Plate and Auto Park on the Relab 480L plugin to create bright, forward vocals. Furch demonstrates how combining different reverb types, such as the brightness of a plate with the longer tail of Auto Park, enhances the singer-songwriter vibe of the mix. A key takeaway is his method of setting reverb returns at a default level, allowing for efficient gain staging and faster mix decisions, ensuring a consistent and reasonable reverb presence without guesswork. This approach streamlines the mixing process by making reverb levels predictable and reliable, facilitating a more intuitive workflow.
Studio.com
Ryan Tedder emphasizes the importance of cultivating musical instincts through extensive listening and songwriting. He believes that immersing yourself in various styles and paying close attention to different artists helps develop a natural intuition for crafting vocal melodies. Tedder's approach is rooted in experience, where writing frequently and engaging with diverse music builds the "muscle memory" needed to instinctively know which melodic shapes fit different chord progressions and genres. By immersing himself in the unique styles and performances of artists like Bieber or Shawn Mendes, Tedder tailors his melodies to reflect their distinct musical tendencies. This approach underscores the value of deeply understanding an artist's style to create songs that authentically resonate with them.
Audiopunks
Chris Coady demonstrates his drum recording techniques for Rachel Bobbitt's "Sweetest Heart," using a combination of close mics and room mics to capture a balanced sound. He explains his use of vintage Neve BCM10 preamps and Highland Dynamics BG2 compressors to add depth, particularly to the ride cymbal, without relying heavily on compression for level control. Instead, he uses plugins as gain stages to shape the drum track's color, akin to mixing on an analog console. By experimenting with different microphones and placements in his live room, he achieves a cohesive and dynamic drum sound that enhances the track's indie rock vibe.
SonicScoop
In this segment, Joel Hamilton explores creative drum mixing using a unique setup with separate elements rather than a traditional drum set. He emphasizes the use of parallel processing, where EQ and compression are applied to a parallel send. This technique allows him to shape the drum sound without altering the original dry signal, enhancing the snare's mid character and adding some top-end sparkle using the Iron Age EQ. Hamilton's approach showcases his hybrid method, combining analog and digital tools to achieve distinct and dynamic drum textures.
Produce Like A Pro
Moses Schneider demonstrates capturing a full drum sound with a single character mic, focusing on the "V" mic technique. Inspired by old recordings, he positions the mic to capture both the snare and kick, enhancing the kit's character through heavy compression and gating. This approach led to his famous "Wurst" technique (German for "sausage"), named because heavily processed waveforms resemble a sausage. By minimizing the need for multiple mics, this method offers a distinctive and efficient drum recording solution, but also blends nicely into more complex setups.
Ultimate Studios, Inc
Charlie Waymire demonstrates how to use a Cascade Fat Head II ribbon mic positioned 3-4 feet in front of a drum kit to add depth and ambience. The ribbon mic captures a balanced relationship between the kick and snare, smoothing transients for a fuller sound. This setup is ideal for rock recordings, as it enhances low-mid frequencies, making the kick feel fat and punchy while adding body to the snare. Waymire highlights the mic's ability to handle cymbals without harshness, thanks to its natural high-frequency roll-off, allowing the drum kit to sound spacious yet cohesive. This technique effectively creates a natural room sound, adding beefy depth to the mix.
Ultimate Studios, Inc
Charlie Waymire explores how different front-of-kit mics can alter the drum kit's character by adding texture and color. He demonstrates how mics like the Audio-Technica AT4047 and Cascade Fathead II can enhance specific elements like the kick and snare, while others like the Shure S55 brighten the entire kit. Waymire highlights the importance of strategically using these mics, sometimes turning them on or off during a mix, to achieve the desired sound without overwhelming certain frequencies. This approach allows for creative flexibility and can significantly affect the overall texture of a drum mix.
NPR Music
Josh demonstrates a distinctive method for recording a drum kit with just one mic, called the “right knee technique.” Using a Blue Hummingbird small-diaphragm condenser, known for its adjustable capsule, he positions it between the drummer’s right knee and the snare to capture a naturally balanced kit sound. This approach showcases how creative mic placement can deliver a full, cohesive drum mix with minimal gear.
Produce In a Minute
In this tutorial on avoiding phase issues, the focus is on managing the stereo content of bass signals to maintain audio quality. The video demonstrates practical solutions such as reducing reverb on the bass, using mid-side EQ to remove unwanted stereo content in the low-end, and applying Ableton Live's utility plugin to convert bass frequencies to mono. These techniques help ensure the correlation meter stays above zero, indicating a healthy phase relationship. The emphasis is on simple, effective methods to prevent phase problems without resorting to complex solutions.
SonicScoop
Matt Lange demonstrates how he uses Soundtoys' Filter Freak to transform bass sounds in electronic music production. By applying a six-pole low-pass filter at 135 Hz, he achieves a subby bass reminiscent of drum and bass styles, creating depth and warmth with simplicity. Lange adds another layer of complexity by using a custom step-sequence modulation. Syncing to tempo and using a four-pole bandpass filter, he crafts a dynamic bass line that evolves with rhythmic modulation. Pushing the input for extra overdrive and saturation adds warmth and grit, producing a rich, textured sound. Explore these techniques to add creative movement and depth to your bass tracks, making them more engaging and sonically interesting.
URM Academy
Tom Lord-Alge breaks down his method for crafting aggressive vocals on The Adventure by Angels & Airwaves. He talks about sticking to the plugins he knows inside out and not being afraid to process heavily. The goal isn’t to polish but to add attitude. He pushes the mic pre slightly to get a vocal that “spits and barks,” landing somewhere modern but raw enough to feel alive. Instead of comparing to the untouched vocal, he mixes against a real-world reference. The aim is simple: make the vocal sit naturally in the track while keeping that sharp, aggressive edge.
SonicScoop
In this masterclass, ROC.am demonstrates his approach to mixing a jazz fusion/R&B track by Alexis Lombre, focusing on creating a powerful low-end. He starts by experimenting with bass frequencies using plugins like LilLabs VOG to find the sweet spot, emphasizing the importance of feel over technical precision. He uses the Decapitator for drive and tone shaping, and prioritizes making the kick and bass work together. ROC.am highlights the use of sidechain compression and transient design to add punch, while FabFilter Pro-Q is employed for precise EQ adjustments. This session is a deep dive into crafting a mix that balances technical skill with musical intuition, perfect for those looking to enhance their low-end mixing techniques.
Manifold Recording
In this segment, Ian Schreier shares his preferred approaches for recording a drum kit with a single microphone, emphasizing the importance of microphone positioning to capture the desired drum tone. The video demonstrates four different microphone position options, each highlighting various aspects of the drum sound. Schreier's insights guide viewers in selecting and tuning the optimal position to achieve the best tonal balance and clarity. The discussion underscores the critical role of microphone placement and tone in achieving a well-rounded drum recording, even with minimal equipment.
Sage Audio
This bit from "Fixing Phase" explains fundamental concepts of phase relationships, using a sine wave to illustrate how phase interference occurs in audio signals. You'll learn about constructive and destructive interference, and how frequency, timing, and amplitude affect these interactions. The demonstration highlights how perfect alignment leads to constructive interference, whereas phase inversion can cause complete cancellation. The video sets the stage for practical techniques to manage phase issues in audio production, making it essential viewing for those looking to deepen their understanding of phase in mixing and recording.
Electrical Audio
Steve Albini delves into the nuances of microphone placement to enhance the sound quality of speaker cabinets. By leveraging the proximity effect, he explains how closer microphone distances can boost low frequencies, particularly useful for thin or weak-sounding amplifiers. Albini highlights that figure-eight and ribbon microphones exhibit stronger proximity effects compared to omnidirectional ones. He notes that large housing microphones, like those in ribbon designs, create a greater acoustic shadow, further exaggerating this effect. For dramatic low-end enhancement, he suggests positioning a ribbon mic with a large magnetic armature close to the speaker. This approach can make an amplifier sound bigger and heavier. Albini's hands-on demonstration offers invaluable insights for achieving optimal amp recordings in the studio.
SonicScoop
Matt Lange creatively uses Soundtoys plugins to transform a simple synthesized drums into a dynamic and engaging element in electronic music production. He starts by applying a short plate reverb to the snare for initial space, but the magic unfolds with the Crystallizer plugin, creating a reverse delay effect on every other hit for a rhythmic effect. He also offsets the delay in the left and right channels, adding width and depth to the return signal. For high-end percussion, Lange uses PhaseMistress to introduce resonant frequencies and movement, crafting a glitchy texture. Finally, Devil-Loc is applied to enhance the percussive elements, boosting the clickiness and phasiness for a complex, rhythmically interesting sound. This approach showcases how effects can breathe life into beats, making them more intriguing and textured.
SonicScoop
Renowned mixer Richard Furch highlights common pitfalls in using reverb, specifically when applying it as an insert with a mix knob. Furch explains that this approach can alter the dry signal's level, causing problems when adjustments are needed, such as providing dry stems or tweaking the reverb mix. He advocates for using sends to maintain consistent dry levels while adjusting reverb, offering more flexibility and control in the mix. This ensures that changes to the reverb effect don’t inadvertently affect the original signal’s volume, making it easier to meet client requests and maintain a balanced mix.
Electrical Audio
Steve Albini explores the art of miking speaker cabinets by emphasizing microphone placement's impact on sound accuracy and quality. He advocates positioning the mic at the speaker's center to capture the most accurate signal and suggests backing it off to around 12-14 inches for a natural cabinet sound. This distance helps blend the eccentricities and reflections into a cohesive tone, similar to what a listener experiences in a live setting. Albini demonstrates practical methods, like using a flashlight to locate the speaker center and employing mic stand adjustments to achieve precise alignment. His insights are valuable for anyone looking to capture the authentic sound quality of a guitar or smaller combo amplifier cabinet.