Blend, Separation and Clarity: Arrangement
on Jun 12, 2009 in mixing blend balance arrangement separation Probably the single most impactful aspect of maintaining a desired combination of blend and separation is the arrangement of the musical elements. In this context, I am referring not so much to harmonic arrangement, but rather to the rhythmic arrange...

Blend, Separation and Clarity: Pan
on May 28, 2009 in pan mixing blend balance separation (Please see this post for the introduction to this series)One of the most basic ways to either lay sound elements together or separate them is through the use of pan. Yes, I know, it's not exactly rocket science, but there's no reason to overlook a u...

Blend, Separation and Clarity: An Introduction
on May 14, 2009 in mixing blend balance separation As an audio engineer, or even just a music lover, I'm sure you've noticed how some mixes seem to have this magical quality; where the overall sound is tightly integrated, balanced, clean and transparent, yet each element has its own character and can...

To Solve a Nasty EQ Problem, Make it Worse
on May 7, 2009 in EQ You're constantly working with EQ. Part of the time, you need to add some desired aspect to the tone. However, many times, you instead need to remove something; harshness, tubbiness, resonance, or some other piece of nastiness. What's the best way to...

The Rookie Singer in the Studio
on May 6, 2009 in microphones singers studio Have you ever worked with a singer who was experienced on stage, but inexperienced in the studio? Even if they're reasonably talented as singers (and if they aren't, well, it's going to be a long session for you anyway :), there are sometimes some ch...

The Most Important Live Sound Principle
on Apr 30, 2009 in vocals focus blend balance live As audio engineers, most of us have a long history of passionate enjoyment and pursuit of great sounds; a fat singing lead guitar tone, or a nice chewy Rhodes, maybe a beautiful transparent sheen on cymbals.  It's easy for us to get focused on speci...

Checking Pitch? Turn it down!
on Apr 29, 2009 in pitch volume studio You're in the studio, listening to a track or mix. You're arguing with yourself as to whether that instrument or vocal is just a bit out of tune. If you're monitoring at a pretty loud volume, the solution is simple; turn it down!This is not widely kn...

Your Ears' Natural Compression
on Apr 29, 2009 in studio balance compression You may not be aware that your ears (along with your brain) have a built in compressor. When the volume is high, your ears "go into" compression mode. Understanding little things like this about the incredible mechanism of sound perception gives a c...

Welcome Aboard!
on Apr 28, 2009Over the years, I've been privileged to spend a lot of time behind mixing consoles, speakers, DAWs, and even tape machines (yes, I am that old!) I've also had the chance to pick up a lot of little insights and tricks from others. In that spirit, this...