More Mixing Tips As I Wrap Up All Wood and Doors
Tuesday, December 14, 2010 at 01:53PM I just finished the final re-tweaks on the final mixes of All Wood and Doors (www.allwoodanddoors.com) and I realized that there are a few more things that I suggest that might help you with your own recording.
The first would be, if you have a great mix except for one little part and you’ve already done all the tweaks that you don’t want to do all over again, all you have to do is remix that little part that’s bothering you and then edit it into place.
There is also the problem of a chorus not jumping out as much as it should. The obvious suggestion is to raise that section a half a db or so at a time until it seems to deliver the goods.
However, this can also cause a problem in that you may be making it too loud and you start getting digital overload, which, if you haven’t heard it, sounds like caca on a pointed stick.
They way to get around this is simple. You simply lower the volume of the verses preceeding the chorus.
Sometimes it’s just a good idea to lower the entire song and then just boost the sections in which you want to have more dynamic impact. But do the boosting in half db increments, as it doesn’t take much to make a difference.
Our ears are really amazing and can easily detect more than a db in volume change. You don’t want folks to notice the change, you just want it to have an emotional impact.
The same goes for echo, reverb and other effects. If you make the effect to pronounced it becomes gimmicky and will not stand up to repeated listenings.
One of the things that I always attempt to do is to make a recording for the ages. I want it to sound fantastic, clear and just as viable ten years from now as it does today in my studio.
I have been recording since the 60’s and can say that almost all of my recordings meet that standard.
They don’t sound dated, because I didn’t use the latest effect (like the gated snare drum, for instance) and I didn’t over use the effects. I was looking for a purity that makes the greatest recordings stand up to years of listening. Check out www.jamesleestanley.com/backstage.html or www.allwoodandstones.com to see what i mean.
That’s what you want to shoot for. Last night I heard some group on Letterman. The music, the composition, the clothes they were wearing. Everything was disposable, trendy and vapid.
Is that what you want to be known for? Making disposable recordings?
Tomorrow we’re closing the office for the remainder of the year, so I’ll be taking the next two weeks off. I may post if something important occurs to me.
Otherwise I will talk to you all in the new year. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, or any other mythology you embrace and I will too.
Reader Comments (2)
I am apreciating it very much.I have never read such a lovely article and I am coming back tomorrow to continue reading.
Great post. -Hublot digital watches Your blog is really excellent. Thanks for your share, I like it very much! I quite like your blog from which I learn a lot on this area!