How To

Reverb is something that can be overused very easily in a mix, but when done tastefully, it can add depth and vibe. There are so many options for reverb available these days in the hardware and software domains, it’s pretty easy to find a setting that can fit just right in every mix and on any source. Continue reading →

If you’ve ever been in a conversation about iconic drum sounds, surely at some point you found yourself on the topic of John Bonham and Led Zeppelin. For decades, Bonham has been acclaimed as one of the best drummers in rock music and musicians all over the globe have been trying to recreate the feel and tone of his performances. This drum tone was the result of a combination of several key elements; amazing playing, beautiful drums, a great live room and some studio magic. I’m sure you’ve all heard stories of how Zeppelin recorded. They would go hide out for months at a time at the Headley Grange mansion in England. In the late 1960s and early 70s, Headley Grange hosted a handful of artists including Bad Company, Genesis, Fleetwood Mac, Peter Frampton and many more. The mansion was a way for bands to get away from the everyday hassles of the real world and really “live” the music while recording an album. The mansion also comprised of countless rooms, cavernous hallways and echoing acoustics, making it ideal to shape any type of tone from up close and personal to larger than life. Continue reading →

We’ve all been there. You have a question about a piece of gear that you’re too afraid to ask. You figure you’ll just fake ’til you make it, but it goes on for so long you decide you finally have to ask… “What the hell is a DI box and how do I actually use one?” Don’t worry, we’re here to help! Continue reading →

A few weeks back, we posted a blog talking about "how to get a big vocal sound" like Damien Rice, Ray Lamontagne and Beck. We received a lot of comments on social media and we want you to know that we heard you loud and clear: "How do I get that huge, warm, breathy, colorful, rich vocal sound… without wiping out my savings account?” Not everyone can afford vintage tube gear at this point in their careers. That’s OK! While there is nothing like the magic of a vintage U47, you can fake it ’til you make it with these tips for getting a big vocal sound. Continue reading →

A key question often posed by our esteemed clients is "How do I get that huge, warm, breathy, colorful, rich vocal sound that I hear on records by some of my favorite singer songwriters like Damien Rice, Ray Lamontagne, and Beck?" Often times, these amazing artists have access to the best vintage microphones and outboard equipment in existence, but here are some tips to get that super up-close and intimate vocal sound on a variety of budgets. Continue reading →

Getting the snare drum to sit just right in the mix is one of the hardest things to do as a tracking and mixing engineer. Nine times out of 10, the final tone starts at the source, so you’ll want to take some time and get it right while tracking rather than trying to fix it in the mix. In this blog, I’m going to explain a couple different techniques for getting that final snare tone during the tracking process. Continue reading →

Tracking vocals is hands-down the hardest part of the recording process, and not just because all vocalists are divas (kidding!). The voice is the only instrument you can’t tune. It’s also the most intimate instrument to perform in front of other people. The most important thing to remember when tracking vocals is that it’s all about the performance. You can fix a bad note in post, but there’s nothing you can do to turn a nervous performance into confident one. It’s ok if the singer is a little off-pitch, as long as they mean it. Continue reading →

When Stranger Things debuted on Netflix in July 2016, the show's soundtrack single-handedly rekindled the public's love of spooky sounds created with vintage synthesizers. Scored by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of Austin-based band Survive, the duo predominantly used synths like the Arp Odyssey, Roland SH-101, Korg Mono/Poly to create the sounds of Hawkins and the Upside Down. Instead of recreating the Stranger Things score with similar synthesizers, I had the idea to build it from scratch using some of my favorite guitar pedals. By using only a Meris Ottobit Jr., Meris Mercury7 and Electro-Harmonix Synth 9, I was able to get something extremely close to the sounds of Dixon and Stein's original theme.   Continue reading →

A few weeks on back on the blog, I wrote about compressors and the basics of using them in the studio. We’re taking it a step further today by talking about a more advanced function of the compressor called parallel compression and some scenarios where the technique is most commonly used. Parallel compression uses a send and return setup similar to how you would send signal to an effects processor. It is the combination of the dry signal mixed with a compressed version. In a parallel setup, you can use heavier compression to pull more depth out of the source signal. Since you still have the dry signal in the mix, you don’t hear as much direct compression. Continue reading →

The expansion of power in a DAW is drawing more and more engineers to mixing in the box. Software such as Pro Tools and Logic come stocked with all of the tools you need to do a professional sounding mix right out of the box, and also allow you to add the addition of your favorite third party plug-ins. In the blog, we'll discuss some tips and tricks for setting up your DAW to create a seamless in the box workflow. Continue reading →