EQ Sweeping During Mixing 1-7-15

I recently had an EQ issue in a mix where one certain frequency was causing havoc in the overall sound of the track. I tried the same old tricks to isolate it and treat it but could not find the problem frequency. Then an audio engineer friend of mine showed me a way to sweep the EQ bands in HZ increments while the tracks are playing to find and isolate the frequency. Using a couple of plugins we were able to sweep across the spectrum until we could hear the problem frequency. What was amazing is how hidden it had been but once we exposed it and treated it in relation to the overall mix, bingo, the track immediately sounded better. What a nice tool to have in the tool box.  See you in the studio !
K

"Live" Tracking in the Studio

Many times musical groups will want to "live" track in the studio. They come in practiced and ready for the engineer to push record while they play all together just like they do at a live gig. When they listen back to the take it is usually not what they expected. Most of the time the artists are not pleased with their performance all or parts of it, and want to dub in spots or re-record certain parts. The next thing you know the live feel is gone and so is the reason they wanted to live track in the first place. Our suggestion to live track enthusiasts is to expect imperfection. Music is made by human beings not robots. If you want a live recording it will sound like a live recording with all the little mistakes that may happen. Quite frankly, with the near perfection that software and multiple takes can get us these days, a nice live recording with all the human elements in it, is refreshing.
See you in the studio !

Recording the Human Voice, Not As Easy As It Seems.

The human voice, a plethora of EQ diversity. This makes the recording engineer's job very challenging. Every studio client comes into the recording session with a mindset they want to sound like their favorite artist or famous personality. The recording session usually begins with ,  " I want to sound like so and so...."   So we try our best with the magic of EQ and software to make the recording client sound like who they imagined. The reality however is they sound like themselves !  This is a big hurdle to get over when working with clients. Many artist who spend time in the studio recording their voice, end up understanding they have a unique sound all their own. They realize this early and embrace it.  Other clients fight it and spend a lot of money and engineering time, chasing someone else's sound.  For all the future recording clients  out there I am here to say, "You have your own sound and it is unique. like it !".  I hope it is that simple.
See you in the studio !!!
K

Loud or Not, Does Digital Boosts Degrade Audio Quality ?

A friend of mine got their son a record player for Christmas. The young kid who has grown up with MP3 digital music, was in awe at the sound depth, and warmth of the vinyl records. He was also amazed at how the volume of the records was so much less than his CD's. This brings up the old argument of which is better, vinyl or digital. Certainly, the digital quality of today's music is amazing, but their is something about vinyl and analog. So I purposely brought the young audiophile into the studio to let him hear some digital uncompressed music at the -10db thresholds that most of records were produced at. He definitely liked the difference as he felt that the uncompressed, lower volume sound was easier to listen to and he was able to hear some things he did not hear before.
In order to compete engineers push the digital envelope and can usually get incredible results. But I bet everyone of them still likes the analog, deep down in their audio souls.  Hope to see you in the studio !

Digital Street Studio Delaware Recording Update - The ride home

Last night was a great night at Digital Street Studio. We had our "A Team" tracking a new song for an out of town client. I continue to be amazed at the level of musicianship we have in the studio. Sessions like the one last night is what recording is all about. The music was good and the energy was even better. Laughter, jokes, more laughter and great music. Without a doubt, one of our best sessions. On the ride home, I had a moment to reflect and think about how fortunate I really am. I actually do what I love and love what I do. Hope to see you soon in the studio.

Chris and Kevin

Digital Street Studio and Media Production

Digital Street Studio Delaware Recording Update - Final Mixing

When it comes to final mixes, you'll hear varying opinions on how to creating a "final mix". Some producers want the lows, mids, and highs to be exact before going to mastering. Others take a more conservative approach and leave minor, overall adjustments in the mastering phase. Also, some prefer final mixes to have a 80% to 90% commercial volume before mastering. While there are some who prefer their final mixes to be in the -12db range with very little overall compression. For most of us in the field, we tend to go with what we know if it works. For me, I tend to fall into that conservative category when it comes to eq'ing final mixes and the same holds true for volume. I like this technique because it makes the mastering process much easier. Now, I could go into the details of making solid final mixes but that will give me a great topic for next weeks blog. As for final mixes, don't beat your head up against the wall if your final mixes are not turning out the way you want. Give us a call today, we're always happy to provide helpful tips.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
20 East Division Street
Dover, Delaware

Digital Street Studio is a full service production facility specializing in all aspects of media production

Digtal Street Studio and Media Production Delaware Recording Update 1.4.13

Don't get rid of your hard disk recorders just yet. Yes, it's true. While many studios wrestle with the decision to buy a multi-channel interface for their recording platform, you may have everything you need already. As predicted, companies like Boss and Roland are developing programs to transport files directly from HD recorders to computer based recording platforms. The reason the HD recorder is still very popular is it's dependability and ease of use. Most HD recorders are equipped with out dated SCSI drives for file back up and cd/dvd transfer. However, until recently there was no way to transfer files directly. Now that programs and adapted components are allowing for that transfer, the demand for glitchy , rack mounted interfaces may very well decline. I also feel the industry will see another up-swing of stand alone HD platforms once editing capabilities are comparable to PC based platforms. Keep in mind, this is my opinion but one that is not alone. Engineers are blogging and hopefully the software companies are listening. Build something like the Roland VS-2480 with the sound engine and effects of Pro tools. Do that and you will have a monster of a machine. Well, until next time, happy recording.


Digital Street Studio and Media Production

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