for Windows VST: Antress Modern Plugins January 4, 2010
Posted by Damon Sink in : Digital home recording studios, Mixing, plugins (plug-ins) , add a comment…Sometimes it’s just better for the PC users. If anyone wants to try some of these (Antress Modern Plugins) out and give us some feedback, I’ve heard really great things.
Oh, and did I mention that they are FREE!?!
I am in the process of re-deploying my dual core PC to run some sample libraries and Vienna Ensemble Pro, so I could install them with that outboard rig. Check it out and let’s see.
Happy New Year everybody. We’ve got some cool stuff in store for the new decade, so stay tuned!
Damon
The Studio Files
Warm the Cockles of Your Mix (or tracks) December 23, 2009
Posted by Damon Sink in : Mixing, Project Studio, plugins (plug-ins) , add a commentOK. No idea what “cockles” are, but I just wanted to pass along a bit of Christmas cheer. One of the plug-in companies that I really love is PSP, and they have a stellar deal on their classic EQ bundle going on right now. If you have been thinking about treating yourself to some new eq toys this holiday, I can’t think of a better way to do it at this price.
Check it out here:
And have a great holiday.
—Damon
Mixing 101: The Mute Button November 5, 2009
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Digital Audio Workstations, Mixing, Project Studio , 2commentsTo make great mixes, you need great ears and knowledge of your processing gear/plug-ins – but one of the most simple and most important mixing processes comes in the form of the mute button. In my opinion, the mute button is often more important than any plug-in, whether its the Compressimaxer 40000 that cost $5,000 or a simple DigiRack plug-in. (more…)
Jeffrey Crace: Hotel Lagonda August 27, 2009
Posted by Damon Sink in : Mixing, Music distribution, collaboration , add a commentMornin’ everybody. (Damon here)
One of the projects that I’ve been working on this summer is a first release from a singer-songwriter, Jeffrey Crace. Jeff found us through The Studio Files a few months ago and asked about some help mixing some songs that he had recorded on a Korg 16-track MDR. He sent me the individual tracks for one song and I shot him back a quick mix. Well, he liked it, and decided to have me mix and master the whole project. He has decided to go with digital distribution first, plus an inexpensive short run of slimline CDs to sell at gigs and for promotional packets.
We went with TuneCore and the album is now live on Amazon and lala.com.
Check out Here We Go Again:
I’m going to go through several of the mixes in the next couple of weeks and talk about what plugins I used, and other techniques. If you listen to a track on Hotel Lagonda and want to know something specific, just ask!
More soon,
Damon
The Studio Files
Getting Your Mixes to Translate February 9, 2009
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Mixing, Project Studio, Troubleshooting , 1 comment so farWe’ve all been here -
It’s the end of a long mixing day, and the mix is sounding awesome in the control room. We burn off a quick mix and take in the car on a CD for the drive home…
YUCK! It sounds terrible! Why does it sound bad in the car (or in headphones/boombox/etc) but awesome in the control room??
Here are some tips and techniques to help improve your mix translation. (more…)
On a Budget: Working a Project from Beginning to End November 20, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Mixing, Project Studio, Projects , add a commentEvery project has a budget, whether its a 0$ home studio EP up to a $500,000 major label release. Especially for us towards the lower end of that example, we need to make the most of the budget at every turn. Figuring out where to allocate funds is a tricky task. Is it better to spend money on tracking, mixing, mastering, a producer??? (more…)
Music Reviews: Wild Sweet Orange September 26, 2008
Posted by Ben Rivet in : Chit Chat, Digital home recording studios, Mixing, Music Reviews, Reviews , 2commentsYour man about town here with a look at some music that has caught my fancy.
The Band: Wild Sweet Orange
The Album: We Have Cause to Be Uneasy
Radiohead REMIX: Get the tracks and DIY September 25, 2008
Posted by Damon Sink in : Apple, Mixing, remix , add a commentJust got a very cool link. I guess I’m ‘on the list’ because I paid (an undisclosed amount) for Radiohead’s In Rainbows a few months ago. They will let you buy the stems (that is the basic tracks: drums bass, synths, etc.) from their single “Reckoner” as discrete tracks so that you can remix the song yourself. Only $.99 and a pretty cool idea. Check it out if you are into it:
Happy remixing. The link will have to be opened with iTunes, so when your browser says so, don’t fight it! You could even dump the tracks into a free application like Audacity, slice and dice and… voila!! Be sure to let us know if you post your own version at Radiohead’s website. It would be great to hear what all of you come up with.
DS
The StudioFiles
Battling a Large Body of Water: Part 3 August 19, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Mixing, Project Studio, Projects , 2commentsThese are apparently not going in any particular order… sorry.
I would like to explore the idea of controlling your bass and low mid frequencies in the mix. (more…)
Battling a Large Body of Water: Part 1 August 11, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Mixing, Project Studio, Projects , add a comment::Presenting the first of many articles discussing the adventures of recording a full length CD with a band called Versus the Ocean out of Michigan::
This recording project was full of a lot of “firsts” for me (first time converting a house into a recording studio, first time working with a screamer, first time having a band live with me for the recording process… etc). The short version of the story is that the band lived in my converted-recording-basement for a week because of some last minute logistical issues in going to another (real) studio. So with my trusty Digi 003 Rack (and a HEAP of borrowed gear, thanks Damon, Ben), we got to work for the long week. Also props to Ronnie Pinnell for driving up to assist.
Given the circumstances, I thought it would be a great opportunity to share both the “do’s” and “do not’s” I learned along the way. I’ll try to cover everything from mic techniques to mixing and there and back again.
Before and After: A Guerilla Recording/Mixing Session Walkthrough May 28, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Mixing, Pro Tools, Project Studio , 2commentsEver had one of those projects where you have to record, edit, mix, and master a 3-4 song demo EP in a day? It’s definitely a lot of work, but it’s usually fun and exciting. The goal is to get the absolute best quality and quantity of recording that you can in the absolute shortest amount of time. Fun huh? (more…)
Preparing your music for YouTube… plus some examples May 17, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Mixing, Troubleshooting, Videos , 2commentsA mix that sounds awesome in your DAW can sound terrible after facing the wrath of YouTube streaming conversion.
How can you make your sounds shine on YouTube? Here are some things to check in your mixes to guarantee better youtube results. (And there are videos at the end …) (more…)
Mix Engineering: A lost art? May 14, 2008
Posted by Damon Sink in : Digital home recording studios, Live Sound, Mixing, Reviews , 1 comment so farJust got finished watching a special guest return performance by Fantasia on American Idol. The most entertaining moment was watching Simon Cowell’s reaction: utter, unadulterated disbelief! I had to agree. It was pretty much a train wreck.
But the most amazingly amateurish performance on display was not behind a microphone, it was apparently behind a mixing board. The mix for live broadcast was stunningly bad. The (obviously pre-recorded) background singers were WAY out in front. The rapper (appearing Romeo-style from the set balcony) was barely audible as well. (more…)
5 Small tips (with big impact) for your recordings February 22, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Editing, Mixing, Project Studio , 5commentsHome and project studios often have the goal of making their recordings sound just as good as those of the “big studios”. Obviously this is a very hard thing to accomplish, but there are a lot of little things you can do to make your recordings sound more and more professional. Here are 5 tips to get you going:
1. Timing: Keeping it in the groove
Just about all major releases you hear on the radio have at least one thing in common: impeccable groove and timing. Most often, these songs are tracked to a click, and edited in detail until no spots stick out as “mistakes”. (more…)
Setting up the mix February 11, 2008
Posted by ConnorSmith in : Mixing, Project Studio , 1 comment so farNow, there are many many different techniques people like to employ when working a mix in their DAW of choice. I am going to show you my favorite. This method routes all of your audio to a bus, which then gets processing via an aux track, and then is directed to an audio track for printing. This is a great way of mixing in a DAW because of two main things:
1) You can apply effects to the “master bus”, and then actually see the resulting waveform
2) You can compare mixes/progress from day to day with a click of a button (as well as keep track of vocal up/down or other alternate mixes with ease) (more…)