Audio Engineering, Mixing and Recording Blog

Super Producer Scott Storch Arrested For Cocaine Possession In Las Vegas

2012-02-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

Storch tried to hide a baggie of cocaine in a trash can at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Vegas before cops arrived … this according to the police report, obtained by TMZ.

In the report, the arresting officer says cops fished out the baggie after receiving a tip from hotel security … and discovered it contained 2.7 grams of blow.

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Dave Pensado's Plug-In Secrets

2012-02-07T10:39:00.000-08:00

With all of the contemporary pop and R&B songs that he mixes,Dave Pensado has become a huge fan of plug-in effects. In the April2004 EM cover story, “Mixing Strategies of thePros,” Pensado talks about two of his preferred plug-ins, theMcDSP Compressor Bank CB2, that he uses for emulating the Fairchildcompressor, and the Eventide Harmonizer H910 from Eventide’sClockworks Legacy Bundle. Here, in Pensado’s own words, aredescriptions of some more of his favorite plug-ins (listed inalphabetical order). The screen shots accompanying them show actualsettings he’s used on some of his most high-profile mixes.

Read Full Story: Dave Pensado's Plug-in Secrets

Great Article on Understand Phase

2011-07-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Has your mix ever sounded “not quite right” but you can’t quite put your finger on it? You might be experiencing phase cancellation, a phenomenon that can make certain frequencies vanish from your mix. To help you out, this Studio Basics article will help you understand phase — what it is, why it matters, and what it means to be out of it.

This article delivers some basics on the subject of sound waves and phase cancellation, and how those issues affect the recording and mixdown process. It isn’t intended to be a comprehensive study of the physics of sound waves, but is designed to help beginning recordists avoid some common pitfalls resulting from poor mic placement, reversed polarity, and other common issues

http://www.uaudio.com/blog/understanding-audio-phase/

EQ And Compression Techniques For Vocals, Acoustic Guitar

2011-06-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Getting all the parts of a mix to fit nicely together, and a few simple compression and EQ techniques can help. This is a great article by Cliff Goldmacher

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How to Sample Music Safely and Effectively

2011-06-18T20:02:00.000-07:00

Have you ever listened to a hip hop song, and knew that you had heard it somewhere else, perhaps from an an aunt or uncle, way back in your dad's CD/Cassette collection, or surfing the internet? That is the joy of sampling, and today.

Steps

Listen to groups/singers known for sampling (Beastie Boys, Kanye West) and get a feeling for how they put in bits of sound to create a natural feel, almost "organic" in nature.
Search Your Public Domain, or PD Archive. If it is old enough, odds are someone has sampled it. You will notice a sound occurring in many different songs, all seeming to have the same origin. If you listen to Heavy D & The Boyz (And who doesn't?) and on the song "Don't Curse" you hear that funky brass and drum combo looped throughout, you owe that pleasure to The J.B.'s, one of the most sampled groups of all time (you've probably already Googled them by this point), and that particular sample comes from their (Awesome) "Pass the Peas", a very funky song.
Aim Low, Or Have Cash. What this means is that use only sample songs that sound great, but are lesser known. If someone sampled something from The Beatles, you get your, uh, butt handed to you. Intense pressure from record labels, and the corporate pitbulls under their employ, have caused more lawsuits than 3 Million R. Kelly's.
Look EVERYWHERE. It can be a cheesy old George Romero horror film from the 1960s, or a mad sitarist from Calcutta. If it sounds cool, and can be cleared, use it. Why not.
Out of earshot, out of mind. If a sample is iffy, put it deep in the mix. It is kind of sneaky, but if something from Led Zeppelin is just UNAVOIDABLE, put it under 500 other sounds, and hope no one notices.
Try different effects. Another idea for samples, both clearable, and iffy, is to mix it up. Add effects. Add distortion, flanger, chorus, reverb, spacer, vocalizer, echo, slow it down, speed it up! The music world is your oyster.
Try and TRY again. If one sample doesn't work out with the rest, a key good side is that there are almost an INFINITE amount of songs to sample.

Tips

Look up your law. If there is a history of trouble concerning one group/singer/song, avoid it. In 2001, over 800 artists INDIVIDUALLY, got sued over 500 lawsuits concerning the catalog of George Clinton, Funk pioneer.
Looks Clear. The Winstons, or Winston Brothers, have the privilege of having one of the most versatile and most used samples of all time. The "Amen Break" is a drum section of "Amen Brother", a song of theirs. Listen to it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiUSbOnEqc4 It begins at 1:27

Warnings

At your own risk. If you use a sample that is big enough, or has gotten used and caused a lawsuit, you are doing so on your own back.

Things You'll Need

Internet
Interest In Eclectic Music
Some editing software (Go for free, like Wavepad or Audacity. Why pay?)

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Sample Music Safely and Effectively. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Great Vocal Recording Tips for Beginners

2011-06-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

Love to sing? Think you have the voice to actually make a real recording? If so, read this article to find out how to!

Steps

Creating a killer vocal recording is easy if you follow these methods. A great vocal can mean the difference of selling your song and not selling your song. A great vocal recording is created when you have a recording where you hear and understand every word that is spoken or sung, has good presence and detail and has warmth and character. Lets look at some techniques that will have your vocals sounding like a "million dollars".
Recording your vocal performance is THE most important step to achieve a vocal that will sound detailed and have presence. Before tracking your vocal, you need to make sure you can get the best microphone you can afford. A large diaphragm microphone is the best possible choice for vocals but can be a bit expensive. A microphone like this can withstand high SPL (sound pressure level) making it the number one choice for all types of vocals.
Mic pre amps supply your mic with 48v phantom power. A really good mic pre will give you some compression and or limiting plus eq and maybe other dynamic processing. You can boost the gain of your mic to get a good hot signal to your DAW. A good Preamp can give your vocal track presence that will cut through your mix and sit properly in the track.
When recording your vocal into your DAW, be sure to get the level (signal) as hot as possible but NOT IN THE RED. Peaks are not our friends.
Depending on your type of microphone, the placement may vary. 7 to 12 inches is ideal. If you are using a tube mic allow the mic to “warm up” to operating range. The mic should be at a 45° angle to the subject. If your mic has polarity settings pay attention to set the correct settings.
A high quality microphone stand is recommended. A shock mount should be used to hold the microphone. This can help with bumps while recording and dial the mic in. You should also have a pop screen for the microphone. This can eliminate unwanted plosives (P's, B's, T's, etc.).
If you use these keys while recording, you can achieve a "Million Dollar" vocal recording.

Make Music With Your PC at Home

2011-06-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

How to Make Music Using a Computer

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Here are a few basic steps to kick start your way into becoming a computer musician.

Steps

Get access to a computer. You will need a reasonably fast processor and at least 1 gb of RAM.
Access a digital audio workstation (or daw). If you own a Mac, then you already have a very decent daw called Garage Band. Some other very popular daws are Logic Express/Pro (Mac only), Sonar, FL Studio (PC only), Cubase, Ableton Live (PC and Mac), Pro Tools (only works with Digidesign or M-Audio interfaces). If you are looking to make electronic music, only then you should also look into Propellerhead Reason.
Get an audio interface. A basic interface usually consists of two input pre-amps that go into two analog to digital converts, two line outputs (left and right) and a headphone output. they are available in USB, firewire, PCI, etc. Usually when you get an interface you will also get a lite version of Cubase, Ableton Live, Sonar, or Pro Tools. This should solve your daw problem if you are a PC user. Some popular brands are Apogee (Mac only), Digidesign, M-Audio, Tascam, Presonus, Edirol, Yamaha, etc.
Start recording. There are two ways of recording into your computer. One of them is using a microphone (condenser, dynamic, or ribbon) and a pre-amp (usually included in your interface). To record this way, just connect the microphone to the XLR input of your interface, turn on the phantom power (+48V) if you're using a condenser microphone, and set the gain to where it doesn't clip on your daw (go over 0db). If you want to record using an external pre-amp, make sure you bypass your interface's pre-amp and you have phantom power turned on in either you interface or the pre-amp. The other way to record is by using the direct inputs (also known as instrument inputs in most interfaces). This is usually used for recording guitars, synthesizers, drum machines, or any external sources. To record this way, just hook up your guitar, synthesizer, or whatever you are recording straight into the 1/4 input of your interface and set the gain to where it's not clipping. If you are using a guitar amp emulation software (like amplitube, guitar rig, revalver, etc.), then this is how you should record your guitar/bass.
Check out the synthesizers. There are three main kinds of synthesizers: analog, digital, and software. A synthesizer basically uses waves or samples to create sounds. Different waves produce different sounding tones. Some of the basic waves used are the square, saw, sine and pulse waves. You can also mix different waves together to get different sounds. Some synthesizers also let you morph different waves together, making your own waves. There are other tools that help you alter the sound of the synth, the next most important being the filters. These usually consist of cutoff and resonance and are usually low pass (lp) and hi pass (hp). The filters usually have their own ADHR (attack, decay, hold, and release) modifiers. After that usually comes the amp/loudness ADHR modifiers and effects (distortion, chorus, delays, reverbs, etc). Synths may seem confusing at first, but the best way to learn how to use them properly is to experiment with them. Start by focusing on the Oscillators (waves) and the filters, first.
Be aware of the dynamics. Compression is always good for keeping your drums punchy, keeping your vocals at a constant level, and also making synthesizers and guitars sound tight. Limiting is used to keeping your tracks from clipping. Maximizers are good for making thing sound louder.
Add effects. These are also important. Reverbs are used for tasks like making your electronic drums sound like they are in the same room or making things sound like they are far away, etc. Delays are also a good way of making something sound spacey. Chorus and ensembles are usually used to widening and detuning. There are many other effects like phasers, flanges, filters, distortions, and ring modulators that can be used for anything you like.
Mix your song. For this you will need a good pair of headphones (flat response) and some studio monitors (if you can afford them). Make sure you have a limiter on your master channel so nothing goes over 0db. Start by mixing the kick drum to where it hits 0db, and then throw the bass up as desired. After you are done with that, everything else should be simple.
Try to keep things off the center. The only things that should be mainly in the center are the kick drum, snare, bass, vocals, and maybe your guitar/synth solo. some good ways to make things wider is by using a chorus effect, turning on the unison on your synthesizer, or delaying the left or right channel by a few samples.
Practice, practice, practice. It will take you some time to get everything sounding how you want it to. There is nothing like a perfect mix, you should always aim to make the best mix you can.

Tips

Look up more detailed information on the equipment listed here, so you know what you're doing.

Things You'll Need

Computer
Digital audio workstation
Audio interface
Instruments

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Make Music Using a Computer. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

‘Day ’n Nite’ has made stars of singer/rapper Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius

2011-05-25T16:13:00.000-07:00

For someone with such a self-aggrandising name who has already enjoyed major success at the age of 24, Dot Da Genius turns out to be surprisingly modest. The keyboardist, composer, engineer and producer is the studio tech-head behind, and co-writer of, Kid Cudi’s mega hit ‘Day ’n Nite’. Having enjoyed hit status for nearly two years, it will feature on Cudi’s debut album, Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, out this autumn. On the album, newcomer Da Genius will be rubbing shoulders with established hip-hop stars like Kanye West and will.i.am.

‘Day ’n Nite’ reached the top three in the US and the UK, and while Da Genius and Cudi’s original version is the most well-known in the US, in Europe it’s the remix by Italian DJ duo the Crookers that has most caught the public ear.

Read Full Story: ‘Day ’n Nite’ has made stars of singer/rapper Kid Cudi and producer Dot Da Genius

Studio Monitors: Powered vs Unpowered

2011-05-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

Powered vs. Unpowered Monitors

Q: Powered or Unpowered monitors?

A: Comes down to personal preference. A "powered" monitor is one that has a built-in amp and is self-powered, or has its amplification built into the speaker. An "unpowered" monitor is not self-powered and will require an external amp for it to work.

Passive / Unpowered Monitors & Amps

To operate Passive / Unpowered Monitors, a separate amplifier is required. If you already own a power amp, then passive monitors may be a viable option. However, this will add a bit of complexity in the sense you will need to deal with two separate pieces (actually several when you consider cables and connectors) - the monitor and the power amp. Monitors are fairly straight forward, but while figuring out a power amp is not rocket science it's not super easy to set up for the beginning studio owner.

Active / Powered Monitors

Active / Powered Monitors allow you to simply plug in and listen; no need for amps, wires etc. Many of us don't want to know about ohms, watts, damping, overload protection, crossovers, and the like - it's enough to know that the monitor works, it sounds great and all I really have to do is plug it into my mixer or computer audio interface. The whole point is to get crackin' and make music. Why worry about that other stuff?

My Studio Monitor Setup

I currently use the Alesis M1 Active Mk2 Bi-Amplified Reference Monitor (Pair) in my studio which I've had for a number of years now.

I highly recommend the following monitors as I've heard and mixed on these monitors in various studios:
Yamaha HS80M Studio Reference Monitor
Mackie HR824mk2 Pair of 8 inch 2-Way High Resolution Studio Monitor
M-Audio BX8a 8-inch BiAmplified Studio Monitor Speakers

Mixing Drums: Panning and Stereo Imagery

2011-05-01T12:37:00.001-07:00

Stereo Imagery

A stereo image has two channels; left and right to simulate both ears on the human head. You may notice when you listen to music that you will hear sounds coming to the left or the right in your ear, panning from left to right or vice versa. Why bother with stereo imagery?

First, psychologically it is very important. You have two ears that you listen with in stereo versus mono. Stereo imagery brings the music to life. The panning of certain sounds allows the listener to be more engaged with the piece. Second, it allows you to separate items from different timbre or tone, and allows the music to come together without sounding cluttered.

Panning Drums

Let’s look at the drum kit as if you were facing it. Keep in mind that this example is based on a right-handed drummer and the high hat is on the left. For left-handed drummers please do the opposite of this example.

The kick and snare always stay in the centre of the mix. These two instruments are a key ingredient to the mix and are the backbone of most rock and pop songs. Again in most cases the kick and snare is pan centered. However, feel free to experiment.

Toms are next. When panning toms you should be panning them as if you are sitting in front of the kit and looking at them. In this example we have for toms; high, mid, low and floor tom. Pan the low tom leaning right (~2 o’clock), mid in the center, high leaning to the left (~9 o’clock) and the floor tom panned right (~4 o’clock).

Last but not least, the high hats and overheads. In most cases the overheads will be panned hard left and hard right but feel free to experiment. The high hat will be panned left (~10 o’clock).

Once you have adjusted and panned the drums to the way you like it, the next stage would be compressing and gating.

Audio Production School in Canada [RAC]

2011-03-23T16:47:00.000-07:00

Welcome to RAC (Recording Arts Canada) Audio production school, a leader in professional training for:

Founded in 1984, RAC’s colleges in Toronto and Montreal provide an inspiring learning experience for those who believe they were meant to be creative. Students from around the world come to RAC for the opportunity to learn how to create impressive sounds, digital content, and interactive games.
RAC students receive extensive hands-on instruction from industry professionals in RAC’s state of the industry studios and labs. Our Recording Arts School, Digital Media School and Game Design School will equip you with the tools you need to start the career you've always dreamed of.

At RAC creativity is fostered through inspiration, skilled guidance and first-class facilities. Our programs of study are designed with the help of the top technology companies, industry leaders, and artists in music, sound, digital media, and electronic game development. Many members of the RAC team have engineered, mixed and produced projects that have gone on to win Grammy and Juno awards, further testament to the great depth of the college.
RAC's Sound and Music Recording students learn how to:

Create sensational sound designs for film, tv, and electronic games
Cut great audio and music tracks for various applications
Create hip sounds and grooves in all styles of music.
Operate industry standard studio software and hardware

RAC's Digital Media students immerse themselves in the creation of truly impressive digital graphic designs using the latest 3D, interactivity, authoring, production, editing and simulation tools.

RAC's Game Design students learn 2D Animation for games, 3D animation, audio for games, graphic design, level design, project management, and other great subjects that help form a creative interactive game design pro.

RAC is a Digital Arts audio production school that provides a very progressive and ambitious learning experience in these creative arts. If you are searching for an opportunity to be creative, RAC is for you. Our colleges in Toronto and Montreal are designed for those of you who want to work with sound, music, digital images and interactive concepts so bad that you can taste it.

Recording Arts Schools & Music Production

2011-03-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

Recording Arts Schools & Music Production

As new and exciting technologies arise in the music industry, a comprehensive education is becoming more and more crucial in order to be successful in this field. Producing music in a studio is a complex endeavor that requires both technical and artistic skills, and if you have an ear for music, we can help you find the technical training that you need to excel in this industry.

As a music producer, sound engineer, or other recording arts professional, you could be creating, recording, editing, mixing, or manipulating sounds of all types in order to create hit songs, movie soundtracks, radio commercials, and more. Whether you want to be known as a Grammy-winning producer, a record label mogul, or as an electronic music prodigy, we can help you find the training you need to make it happen!

Explore our great music production and recording arts schools directory below and request more information to find out how you can train for a career in this fabulous field!

INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
Tampa, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Nashville, Tennessee

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTE OF VANCOUVER
Vancouver, BC

· Electronic Music

· Independent Recording Arts

· Professional Recording Arts

· Professional Recording Arts (LIPA)

THE ART INSTITUTE OF ATLANTA
Atlanta, Georgia

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTE OF AUSTIN
Austin, Texas

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTE OF CALIFORNIA
San Bernardino, California
San Diego, California
San Francisco, California
Santa Monica, California

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTE OF LAS VEGAS
Henderson, Nevada

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTE OF PHILADELPHIA
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTE OF SEATTLE
Seattle, Washington

· Audio Design Technology

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTE OF TENNESSEE - NASHVILLE
Nashville, Tennessee

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTE OF WASHINGTON
Arlington, Virginia

· Audio Production

THE ART INSTITUTES INTERNATIONAL MINNESOTA
Minneapolis, Minnesota

· Audio Production

THE ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF ART - CHICAGO
Chicago, Illinois
· Audio Production

THE ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF ART - SCHAUMBURG
Schaumburg, Illinois

· Audio Production

THE NEW ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF ART
Brookline, Massachusetts

· Audio & Media Technology

· Audio Production

· Sound & Motion Picture Technical Arts

NEW ENGLAND INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Warwick, Rhode Island

· Digital Recording Arts Technology

FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY
Winter Park, Florida
Online

· Music Business

· Music Production

· Recording Arts

GLOBE UNIVERSITY
Woodbury, Minnesota
Madison-East, Wisconsin

· Music Business

INSTITUTE OF PRODUCTION AND RECORDING
Minneapolis, Minnesota

· Apple Logic

· Media Arts: Audio Production & Engineering

· Media Arts: Music & Entertainment Business

· Pro Tools

MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
Brooklyn Center, Minnesota
Richfield / Bloomington, Minnesota
St. Cloud, Minnesota

· Music Business

BOSTON UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR DIGITAL
IMAGING ARTS
Waltham, Massachusetts

· Audio Production

BAY STATE COLLEGE
Boston, Massachusetts
Middleborough, Massachusetts

· Entertainment Management

· Entertainment Management with an Audio Production Concentration

METALWORKS INSTITUTE
Mississauga, Ontario

· Audio Production and Engineering

· Music Performance & Technology (Bass Guitar Major)

· Music Performance & Technology (Drums & Percussion Major)

· Music Performance & Technology (Guitar Major)

· Music Performance & Technology (Keyboard Major)

· Music Performance & Technology (Vocal Major)

· Professional Sound

· Professional Sound and Business - Live Production Major

· Professional Sound and Business - Studio Production Major

PACIFIC AUDIO VISUAL INSTITUTE
Vancouver, British Columbia

· Audio Engineering & Production

· Film & Music Business

ONTARIO INSTITUTE OF AUDIO RECORDING TECHNOLOGY
London, Ontario

· Audio Manufacturing Sales and Service

· Audio Recording Technology

· Film and Television Sound

· Internet and Game Audio

· Live Sound

CENTRE FOR ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY
Kelowna, British Columbia
Fredericton, New Brunswick
Halifax, Nova Scotia

· Audio Engineering

Mixing Strategies Part I: Back to Basics

2011-03-19T16:23:00.000-07:00

I have received quite a few messages and emails about mixing songs, certain techniques, EQ settings etc. The purpose of this blog is to prepare your mix session for what Audio Engineers call a “rough mix”. I think it is very important that we learn to walk before we can run. Let’s go back to basics and worry about the warm and fuzzy stuff for some later blogs. Shall we start then?

Visualize

Ok, before you start going buck wild with effects, plug-ins, touching knobs or moving faders, have a clear vision of what you want your mix to sound like when it’s finished. Your goal, by the end of the mixing process, is to stick to that vision. I visualize in my mind my mix and listen to reference material to get a clear picture in my mind of how I want my mix to sound. This is the perfect stage where you would want to set up session settings, order your tracks and get the general file and session house cleanup done. If you need help setting up your tracks in your sequencer, I’ve provided a track sheet template in one of my previous blogs http://audioengineer.blogspot.com/2011/03/setting-up-and-using-track-sheets-in.html.

Rough Mix

Whether you mix all your tracks at once or one at a time, there is no rule or regulation of how to mix. Each song is different so “go with the flow “. You want to get a general feel of the mix at this point. I don’t do any tweaking of sounds at this stage. The goal at rough mix is to get a good, general sounding mix by putting the tracks into their right space. For example, adjust the volume faders to get a general feel of what track is what volume and pan any tracks for spacing. Avoid any detailed tweaking on sounds at this point. Get a very good sense of what the track is going to sound like first before you go on to the tweaking. A very good trick I learned from one of my instructors was switch from stereo to mono when you’re listening to your rough mix. It should sound good when you A/B from stereo to mono. Any thing that may sound obscure or weird will shine through.

Audio Metering:

WATCH YOUR LEVELS, absolutely critical during mixing. Most sequencers provide a mix window with visible metering. The key here is to keep all your levels at nominal or 0dB including your master fader. Pushing the fader past that point will cause the audio track to clip and distort. Calibrating your monitors, watching your master fader, plug-ins you use and other level effecting tasks we will leave for another blog.

Setting Up and Using Track Sheets in your Studio

2011-03-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Track Sheets:

Setting up the recording session on an analog board is essentially the same as setting up a session in the digital world. Being neat and organized saves time and eliminates confusion during the recording process. I still remember going into the studio and using a strip of masking tape across my board and labeling each instrument on the tape, below its channel strip. Keeping your tracks in order will allow you to make adjustments quicker as you will know exactly what signal is on what track. Below is a track sheet that was given to me when I was studying Audio Engineering. I still use this today and it’s an excellent starting point for your sessions.

Name of Artist	Title of song	Tape Time

	1. Kick
	2. Snare
	3. Hi Hat
DRUMS	4. Tom
	5. Tom
	6. Tom
	7. Overheads
	8. Overheads
	9. Bass - Mic
	10. Bass - DI
	11. Guitar
RHYTHM SECTION	12. Piano L
	13. Piano R
	14. Synths
	15. Vocal
	16. Click
	17.
	-
	24

The above track sheet can be manipulated to cater your needs. I have a Protools session called “default” where I’ve already got my tracks labeled and ready to go. As I start a new project, I just need to open that session up and resave that project to a new name.

Using Social Media To Promote Your Music

2011-03-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

Introduction:

Remember the good old days? Postering walls at the universities, the personal phone calls trying to get people out. Then email came along which gave us the capability of reaching thousands of people with email blasts. These traditional methods are still very important and critical to your success. However, there are online methods available to you can add to your arsenal of promotional tools. The Internet has become an extremely valuable tool for musicians to use to promote their music.

Electronic Press Kits [EPK] are a very good promotional tool that artists can use. You can think of an EPK as your resume or CV. An EPK will outline information about your band and your music. If you do not have an EPK I suggest you research on it. I will be blogging a guide about EPK’s in the near future.

Social media is a great way to stay connected with your fans and audience. It allows you to be “in touch” with them on a semi-personal level. There are multiple avenues of social media sites to choose from all with their own pros and cons. I suggest you follow in the footsteps of some of your favourite artists and look at different trends and fashion of social media sites. Some suggested sites that are very popular are Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Vimeo etc.

The power of social media is at your doorstep! I suggest you open the door and embrace it with full force and the intention to expand your fan base.

Using Samples to Enhance Your Recordings

2011-03-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

You don’t need to be able to play instruments to get its sounds into your track. Samples can be used as a great replacement to get that convincing sound.

Samples are a great way to add instruments into your project and come in various sounds and libraries. Samples are available for pretty much everything such as guitar, drums, spooky sounds etc. Although sample CDs can be pricey there are some free Internet sites that you can download samples from such as www.freesound.org. Just a quick Google search on “free audio samples” will give you an idea!

In today’s studio samples don’t need to be loaded into a sampler anymore. It is easy as loading them into your recording software or sequencer. Once in the software, samples can be manipulated, cut up, stretched, pitched etc to whatever means possible. In essence, it can be treated as a “real” take but without having to play the parts. Therefore, you don’t have to be the greatest guitar player in the world or a talented pianist as the people playing on the samples have done the hard part for you.

Samples give you the ability to take on style of music. For example, you can purchase certain sample libraries that are to your music taste such as Hip Hop, Jazz, and Country etc. These are great sources of music as you can use these libraries to give you complete tracks for personal use. Samples give you the ability and flexibility to make great music with your own unique twist.

Beware of copyrights when using samples. Most sample CDs will provide the necessary legal copyright information.

The Essential Hardware and Software Required to Record, Process and Mix Vocals

2011-03-17T00:08:00.001-07:00

Microphone(s)

Without a doubt the mic is the most essential tool for recording vocals. A great vocalist will sound mediocre, if not bad, when using a cheap mic to dub their vocals. A few different mics in your arsenal will be handy, as vocalists sound different when using different mics. Low cost microphones from china that emulate some of the expensive know brands have come into the market allowing home based engineers to get a decent mic a fraction of the cost.

Effects

Some vocalists like to hear some reverb or delay in the headphones as they are recording. Providing effects during recording gives the singer a feeling of being in a reverberated room instead of a room sounding flat. Please keep in mind that the effects are for monitoring only and will not be recorded during the take if setup correctly.

Compressor:

When recording vocals it is a very good idea to use a good quality compressor between your preamp and audio interface or a good quality compressor plug-in on the input channel of the track you are recording the vocals on. Setting the compressor to a 4:1 ration will stop any major jumps without the compressor making the vocals sound over pumped. I find this ratio very for giving and smoothes out the vocals nicely.

Audio Interface:

When choosing an audio interface you want to pick something that will provide low latency especially if you plan to monitor your vocals through the sound card and not an external mixer. Vocalists need to hear their own voice while recording without any delay or latency, as the singer will have a very hard time trying to sing. I use a Protools Digi 002 sound card, which provides very low latency.

Preamp:

A preamp amplifies the signal from the microphone in order to get a good recording level sound into your PC via your audio interface. Preamps are subjective meaning that there is so many products with each engineer having a specific model they swear by. I love using the 1176 LN plug-in Protools in my input channel with a 4:1 ratio. I also have an Avalon 737 SP that I use quite a bit while recording vocals and instruments.

Recording Software:

There are so many products on the market, whether you are on PC or Mac, to fit your budget and requirements. Cheaper products do not necessarily mean that they lack function or quality. I use Protools, as it is the industry standard and most studios that I work with use as well. This makes it easy for me when working with artists, as I do not need to export or convert any files or tracks. I can work with a Protools session from any studio, which makes it great for portability. I suggest picking a recording software package that will work for you and work with your artists or colleagues to save time and effort.

Recording and Overdubbing Vocals

2011-03-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

Mic Technique:

Most singers that do a lot of recording will know how to get record great vocals. One proven technique most great vocalists will use is to move close to the mic while singing softly and when singing loudly they will move further away from the mic. The key to this technique is to make the transition from these audible differences seamless.

When I record vocals I will get a singer to record the whole song in one take to see if they have good mic technique. Some singers do end up screaming into the pop filter and not moving their lips away. The key with these singers is to try to help them and get them to concentrate on good mic technique without sounding like they don’t know what they are doing.

Multiple Vocal Tracking:

To add strength and power to vocals especially in certain vocal parts, you have the singer take a double or triple take of those parts. Experienced vocalists will do this with ease and make the vocal sound brilliant. There are so many little things you can do to make these multiple takes sound different. I like to get the singer to sing the doubles or triples in a slightly lighter voice and then blend those vocals in the mix to create a different ambiance.

Ad-libs:

Short vocal riffs, one liners ooh and aahs that appear throughout the track at random points are ad-libs. I prefer to get the singer to go through the track and record the ab-libs on separate tracks. Adding effects such as flange or phasers are great little tricks to add some pizazz to the ad-libs. You can also chop the ad-libs up, reverse them, run them through different plug-ins etc.

Reference Vocal:

A reference vocal is not intended to be a final vocal for the track. It can be used to show a producer or musician the feel of the track, the style and how the phrasing is. I typically use reference vocals for a lot of South Asian bhangra music where a singer will come in and record a reference vocal for me to work on the music and then the singer will come back to record final vocals once the music is finished.

Another use for a reference vocal would be for background vocalist(s) to lay their parts. Sometimes I will lay a chorus for certain vocalists and they will come in and do their final vocals once they have heard how I want it done.

Microphones: A Quick Guide

2011-03-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Microphones: A Quick Guide

The past few years have seen keen manufacturers flood the market with microphones designed and catered towards the home recording enthusiasts. My goal is to give some background information on how microphones work and some of their uses. This blog is for those engineers attempting to record vocals using various types of microphones.

Patterns:

Microphones (Mics) have patterns: “Cardoid”, “figure-of-eight” or “omni” patterns. These patterns describe how a mic records and rejects an incoming signal. An omni pattern mic will record sound from all directions, while a cardoid mic will only record the sound that is directly in front of it.

A figure-of-eight microphone is designed to record the sound from the front and back but will reject the sounds being recorded from the sides of the mics. Mics that have selectable patterns usually have a heavier price tag.

Dynamic Microphones:

With a dynamic microphone sound waves cause a diaphragm to vibrate and this vibration is converted into a current. This current is sent thru the diagram to the mic and uses a movable induction coil suspended in a magnetic field, which is attached to the diaphragm. Almost every live gig using hand-held mics are cardoid or some version of cardoid.

Many of these microphones can be used for studio recording and some are even an industry standard mic for most engineers such as the Shure SM57microphone.

Ribbon Microphones:

A ribbon microphone is similar to a dynamic mic. It uses a thin metal ribbon vibrating within a magnetic field. These delicate microphones usually require a lot gain from your preamp.

Large Diaphragm Condensers:

These microphones were only seen in large commercial studios but thanks to companies such as Audio Technica, AKG, M-Audio and others that have made these types of microphones for all. Condenser or Capacitor mics make use of a diaphragm that assumes the role of a plate in a capacitor. The vibrations from sound waves entering the capsule change the relative distance between the plates, which in turn, is converted into changes in voltage. Condenser mics require power, which is often provided by the mixer or preamp. Some have an external power supply or batteries.

Large diaphragm mics are very sensitive and quite accurate. With the right preamp these mics will give you the difference of a vocal sounding like it was recorded in a commercial studio or recorded from your bedroom closet.

Large Diaphragm Condenser mics are usually very expensive. In some cases vintage LDC mics have gone for thousands of dollars. However, companies such as Neumann are selling high quality LDC mics for a fraction of they used to cost. I use an Audio Technica 4033 SV ($500 new), which I have had for years. I use this mic for everything: vocal, instruments etc.

Small Diaphragm Mics:

Small diaphragm microphones are quite often used for recording strings and also make great overhead mics when recording a drum kit. Great results can be heard when using some of these mics to record vocals. I’ve used the AKG C1000 to record vocals and I know of some radio stations that use that mic for their hosts when broadcasting.