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When you are just starting out in recording music, you are likely to need microphones. And if you have been recording for a while, you may feel the need to add to you microphone collection.
But how do you make those choices? In this episode, I look at the criteria that I think are important in picking mics to add to your studio. Simply choosing a mic that is what other people use, or was on a hit record, is not always the best way to go about this.
I provide a logical approach to adding to your mic collection, with some real-world examples.
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Joseph Arnold is a talented violinist that has played on a variety of projects I have produced. He is also an excellent writer, who just published his first book, titled, “Soul Force: How to discover your artistic purpose, create more freely, and make art that matters.”
In this conversation, Joseph talks about his career path, his pursuit of art, and how his concepts of Soul Force guided him in his journey. We discuss his book, and its value to anyone who wants to create, well, anything.
Joseph also demonstrates on violin a few short examples of the many musical genres he enjoys playing.
For another great interview with Joseph, watch this conversation with Dennis Tardan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHB3yIG2C78
And here is a link to purchase Soulforce: https://tinyurl.com/d2a283xremail: [email protected]
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In this last of three episodes on the art of producing, I talk about my process for mixing. It is all part of the concept of a song from the beginning. Mixing is where everything comes together to create the version of the song that the artist and I have had.
As an over-simplification, my approach is to turn up the things I like and turn down, or mute, the things I don’t like. But the details are much more complex than that and I explain what I do and why.
I combine the mastering process with mixing. The result is ready for distribution, whether it is in a digital format or for a vinyl record.
The album used in this example is “Time To Be Brave,” by Corrie Lynn Green. You can listen for free to an mp3 version of all the songs at Native DSD, and purchase a download of the album in a variety of digital formats.
https://www.nativedsd.com/label/outer-marker-records/
And learn more about our record label, Outer Marker, at:
https://www.outermarkerrecords.com/
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This is the second of three episodes on the Art of Producing. In this one, I talk about the mics and equipment I use in my studio, and the reasons why.
The example used for this series features an album project for singer-songwriter Corrie Lynn Green. It is an acoustic-based project, although there are some electric guitars and bass on some songs. I explain why I make certain decisions for this project, and how a recording with a different artist or genre would require a different approach.
Corrie’s album, “Time To Be Brave,” will be released on Outer Marker Records on September 6, 2024, and distributed by Native DSD as a download purchase only. But you can listen to all the songs for free (in mp3) on the Native DSD web site. https://www.nativedsd.com/label/outer-marker-records/
The third and final episode of this series on producing will look at mixing and mastering.
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The art of producing a record requires knowledge of music, mastering the technical aspects of the recording process, and an ability to work with people.
This is the first of a three-part series about producing. In this episode, I talk about the role of the producer, using a typical album project for Corrie Lynn Green as an example. Not all productions will follow this example, since there are many different styles of music, different artists and musicians, that you may encounter.
My approach to producing and recording is not typical in many ways. I point this out in the episode, and encourage people to find what works best for them.
By the way, "My Take On Music Recording" is now carried by YouTube Podcasts. Just like any podcast provider, this is audio only. You can find it on YouTube by searching for "Fearn" under "Podcasts." All 94 episodes to date are available, and each new one will be added.
The dozens of other podcast providers will continue, of course.
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Our perception of frequency balance varies with loudness, a fact documented by Harvey Fletcher and Wilden A. Munson, two scientists at Bell Laboratories. In 1933, they published a paper called, “Loudness, its definition, measurement and calculation.” It was groundbreaking science in the field of human hearing, and has implications today for how we perceive music. This is especially important when we are mixing.
In this episode, I explain the basics of the Fletcher-Munson Curves and how we can use that knowledge to make better recordings.
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Almost all pop music features someone singing. Getting the best vocal performance is crucial, since most listeners respond to the words of a song and need to be able to hear them.
In this episode, I first discuss the human factors involved in getting a great performance from singers, mostly from a producer’s viewpoint.
And then I focus on the technical requirements of capturing that performance using microphones, mic preamps, processing, effects, and mixing. Often there are problems to be fixed in a vocal track, and I review some of the techniques from salvaging a performance that is less than perfect.
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There are many things that are important to create the proper studio environment for creative success. Most of these things are pretty mundane, but they do make a difference.
Examples I cover in this episode include microphone stands and accessories, music stands and instrument stands, chairs, headphones, studio lighting and climate control, and mic and other cables.
It’s not the most exciting equipment we deal with, but it is still important to get it right. After 50+ years of doing sessions, I have some solid ideas about what works for me. I hope you will find these ideas and suggestions helpful.
And here are the links for the Spring Birds recording I mentioned at the start of this episode:
https://www.outermarkerrecords.com/
https://www.nativedsd.com/label/outer-marker-records/email: [email protected]
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Ever since its announcement, I have been interested in learning more about Dolby Atmos. I was skeptical at first, primarily because of my experience with “Quad” back in the 1970s. That 4-channel concept never gain any popularity with either the listening public nor in the recording community. I presumed that Atmos would be similar, just more speakers. The early demo sessions I attended left me convinced that this was going to be another dead end, like Quad. The early mixes I heard were gimmicky and did not serve the musical intent of the artist well.
But as I was exposed to mixers who really understood how to use the expanded format, my interest increased. And for the public? I never thought there would be much market acceptance of a system that required many speakers. But Dolby was smart about their implementation. The system knows how many speakers you have and creates a version that fits your hardware.
There’s more to Atmos, however, because of certain psychoacoustic processing that goes on, the resulting mix, in any format down to plain stereo, sounds better, with more detail and separation of sounds. I hear more things in an Atmos mix, even in headphones, than I did in the stereo mix.
Shawn Dealey is the chief engineer at Sweetwater Studios in Indiana. I have been involved with several mixing projects with Shawn over the past couple of years, and I think he has an effective approach to interpreting the producer/artist/engineer’s intent, and making it into an improved version.
In this episode, I talk with Shawn about his evolution as he explores the new format. I learned a lot from Shawn, and I think you will, too.
This episode was recorded at Sweetwater Studio B, the main Atmos mixing room. We used AEA 44 mics, a VT-2 mic preamp, and a VT-7 compressor, the same chain I use for recording most episodes.
Thanks for listening. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions, please pass them along to me at [email protected]
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Compression and limiting are tools we use to modify the dynamic range of the music we record. In this episode, I present a brief history of where this technique came from, how it evolved over the years since the 1930s. I discuss the various ways that compression circuits work, from the variable-mu vacuum tube, to the optical compressor, the FET, the VCA, the PWM, and the digital limiters. I explain how these different approaches affect the sound in different ways.
There are often a lot of adjustments on a compressor, and I go through the most common controls you are likely to encounter and what they do to the sound.
Compressor and limiter effects on the music are subjective, so I try to give general guidance for getting the sound you want from your hardware and software devices.
Your ideas for future episodes are always welcomed. And your comments are useful to me. You can reach me at [email protected]
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This is part 2 of the Audiophiles Guide to Music Recording. You can listen to part 1 at
https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/14335456
Or you can access part 1 wherever you listen to podcasts.
My Take on Music Recording is primarily aimed at people in the professional recording world, but there are a significant number of listeners who are music lovers and audiophiles. This episode provides an overview of the recording process for them. However, I think even people in our profession might enjoy how I attempt to explain the recording studio process in layman’s terms.This reflects my experience and how I work as a producer and engineer. I tend to carry over the tools and techniques that I have learned over the last five decades. They work best for me and my style of recording. I know that there are other approaches, and I try to acknowledge and explain those, too. But my focus is on what I do, which isn’t always mainstream.
Your feedback on these episodes is especially interesting to me. Tell me what you think.
As always, thanks for listening, commenting, and subscribing. I can always be reached at [email protected]
email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
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My Take on Music Recording is primarily aimed at people in the professional recording world, but there are a significant number of listeners who are music lovers and audiophiles. This episode provides an overview of the recording process for them. However, I think even people in our profession might enjoy how I attempt to explain the recording studio process in layman’s terms.
This reflects my experience and how I work as a producer and engineer. I tend to carry over the tools and techniques that I have learned over the last five decades. They work best for me and my style of recording. I know that there are other approaches, and I try to acknowledge and explain those, too. But my focus is on what I do, which isn’t always mainstream.
There is a lot to cover, so this topic is split into two episodes. I will publish the second half next week.
Your feedback on these episodes is especially interesting to me. Tell me what you think.
As always, thanks for listening, commenting, and subscribing. I can always be reached at [email protected]
email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
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Music is meant to be heard in an appropriate acoustical environment. But many times, we have to record in a space that does not have the right sound to it. Artificial reverb is often the solution.
In this episode, I talk about good room sound in a studio, and the earliest methods of creating a reverberation sound. That started with spring reverb, then acoustic echo chambers, tape delay, plate reverbs, and finally the digital reverbs that are used today on most recordings.
I discuss the origins of those techniques for creating reverb, and the strengths and weaknesses of each, along with my impression of how each of them sounds.
I also provide my own insights into using reverb. What kind? How can we modify the basic sound? And how much reverb is appropriate. And maybe no reverb at all is best.
Thanks for listening, subscribing, and commenting. I am always looking for your questions and suggestions for future topics.
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In this episode, I talk about software plug-ins vs hardware. It is a question that I get frequently from listeners. It is relatively short.
Can a plug-in perfectly emulate a hardware device? What are the tradeoffs a plug-in designer needs to consider? What about a plug-in that has no hardware antecedent, but it something out of the mind of the designer? These are some of the topics considered.
Thanks for listening, subscribing, and commenting. You can reach me with your questions for a future podcast, or suggest a topic you would like to know more about. Send me email at [email protected]
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Every recording is made is some sort of space. It might be a room, and studio, a church, a concert hall, or even outside.
The space where the music is performed, and where the microphones pick up the music always influences the sound of the recording.
You might think that close-mic’ing in a dead room eliminates the contribution of the room, but it is still there, for better or worse. The room influences our perception of the performance. Our brain draws conclusions about the space. A listener may form a mental image of the musicians and the room, based on what they hear. Usually, most listeners are unaware of the space, unless it is very obvious. But it does influence their response to your recording.
Learn some of the basics of acoustics that can help you make your studios and control rooms sound better.email: [email protected]
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How do we make our recordings better? I have thought about this for over 50 years and in this episode, I have tried to distill what I learned into a dozen general rules.
The best way to make great recordings is to start with great performers. But even if you aren’t recording the best talent in the world, there are still ways to improve what you get.
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What if you were suddenly confronted with recording an instrument you had never had in the studio before? Or one you never heard before? Or one you never knew existed?
How do you figure out how to capture its sound? Where do you place a microphone? What microphone will you use?
In this episode I suggest various ways to evaluate an unfamiliar instrument or sound, using some examples from my own experience, and a few rules of thumb to get started.
This topic was suggested by a listener. If you have ideas for a episode, let me know. [email protected]
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After three and a half years of producing the “My Take on Music Recording” podcast, I thought it would be useful to review the 80+ episodes and point out some of the interesting topics you might have overlooked.
You might have missed some of the earlier episodes, or skipped over them because they did not interest you at the time.
The most popular episode of all is the very first one, from March 2020, called “Your Hearing is Amazing.” Everything we do depends on our hearing and in this episode, I give a simplified overview or how our hearing works, and what makes it amazing. It is our most complex sense, in terms of resolution, dynamic range and frequency response. It is subject to all sorts of strange defects, like our varying sensitivity to many frequencies, depending on the loudness.
That’s one example of many that I hope help you to be better at what we do.
In this short episode, I point out some of the most popular topics, and several of the episodes that never received a lot of downloads. Perhaps my explanation of the contents will suggest that there are some topics you might now found more interesting and helpful.
Thanks for listening, subscribing, and commenting. And your suggestions for future topics are always appreciated.
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My conversation with musician, producer, mixer, and mastering engineer Justin Gray continues, in this second of two parts. In this episode, Justin discusses how to provide optimum tracks for an immersive mix. He also talks about the minimum immersive monitoring system needed and why it will improve your tracks for remix into Atmos or another format.
We explore loudness and how it affects an immersive mix.
You can learn more about Justin Gray at his web sites: www.SynthesisSound.comAnd www.ImmersiveMastering.com
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Justin Gray is a musician, producer, mixer, and mastering engineer based in Toronto. His credits include many major artists.
He was fascinated by immersive formats long before they became mainstream.
In this first part of a two-part series, we talk about the various immersive formats, of which Dolby Atmos is best known. Justin explains how they differ and what they have in common.
He talks about how immersive audio can enhance the listener experience, and provide the artist with an improved palate to present his or her work.
Justin discusses the challenges and rewards of re-creating a classic song in the new format.
You can learn more about Justin Gray at his web sites: www.SynthesisSound.com
And www.ImmersiveMastering.com
email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
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