I received a phone call yesterday from one of my clients. He hired me to mix and master a song a few days before. He was calling because he had a friend give him feedback about the song. Negative feedback….Now even though my client had lots of positive feedback from other friends, the only feedbackContinue reading “Don’t rely on other’s opinions”
Tag Archives: music theory
Does 1 de-esser plug in do the trick?
Today I want to write about something that I had to learn over the years. One of those things where when you know the rules….you can break them! I always thought that using 1 de-esser plug-in was some sort of rule. If I used more than one then it would hurt the audio. While thatContinue reading “Does 1 de-esser plug in do the trick?”
One ear off or press headphones firmly….
One thing that I have learned over the years is that you can’t hear that well in headphones while recording. You also don’t want to turn them up too loud because then you will get headphone bleed into the mic. There’s 2 methods that work wonders though. The first method is the “one ear off”Continue reading “One ear off or press headphones firmly….”
Free plug-ins and included DAW plug-ins go a long way!
I want to share with you some great insight! You may overlook free plug-ins or not realize that there are free plug-ins but you shouldn’t sleep on this! I use a mixture of free and paid plug-ins every day and I definitely need both! I could even get by with just the free plug-ins ifContinue reading “Free plug-ins and included DAW plug-ins go a long way!”
Does the chord progression take away from the vocal melody?
I ran into an issue this week that I feel is a great topic to talk about. Does the chord progression in the song take away from the vocal melody? I was working on this project for a singer and the bass guitar was playing the main chord progression. The progression was not wrong orContinue reading “Does the chord progression take away from the vocal melody?”
Writing vocal melodies that compliment the singer’s range….
One thing I have run into lately is songwriters writing songs for other people without keeping the vocal range in mind. My wife does a lot of singer-for-hire jobs remotely online and we have run into this a lot. A man will write a vocal melody intending a girl to sing the song and he’sContinue reading “Writing vocal melodies that compliment the singer’s range….”
How do you know how much compression to use on a vocal?
There are a lot of opinions when it comes to vocal compression. I was taught in recording school to never get more than 3 db of gain reduction. Although that may work sometimes, its definitely not always the case! Odds are, a singer will belt a high note 15db louder than the previous note andContinue reading “How do you know how much compression to use on a vocal?”
Here’s a great way to make sure the singer is comfortable during recording…
When I started off in my first couple years of recording I use to record vocals like recording guitars. I would have the singer sing along and punch a word or two here and there and just tell them to sing along. It took me a while to figure it out but that’s not theContinue reading “Here’s a great way to make sure the singer is comfortable during recording…”
Which program is better?Melodyne or AutoTune in graphic mode?
Ever since moving to Nashville, engineers look at me crazy because I prefer Autotune in graphic mode for my default program to pitch correct vocals as opposed to melodyne. Truth is, they both have their pros and cons though. The reason I’m drawn to Autotune in graphic mode is because the workflow is extremely fast!Continue reading “Which program is better?Melodyne or AutoTune in graphic mode?”
It’s up to the singer to give the mic a great signal.
So many times I run into a problem while recording a vocalist. The problem is usually harsh characteristics. Whether it be a “K” or a “T” or an “S”…certain letters can sound pretty brutal if the singer isn’t careful. Here’s my theory…singers are more often singing in clubs through an Sm58 than in the studioContinue reading “It’s up to the singer to give the mic a great signal.”
Perfect Vocals Academy 