Studio Monitoring Nightmares? 8 Steps to help get your mixes sounding right.
Photo Courtesy of: RockMixer
ALTERNATIVE TITLE:
Why mixing with crap monitoring and getting crap results
will make you believe you are a crap engineer… and how to fix it.
Let me start off by saying that I feel blessed to be working in a field that I am passionate about… and right now given the economy I feel glad I am working at all. Part of the process of working freelance is that every job is different. Different projects, different people, different studios. This can be quite exciting… but part of the challenge that comes along with working in different studios is that sometimes I find myself walking into an acoustic nightmare… mind you this is not every unfamiliar room I go into… many times I am surprised to find a fabulous room that I didn’t know about. When I find great rooms I add them to my list of “places I would like to work”.. but too often I find myself in a room that lacks of any real sense of acoustic treatment… It may look good… but sound is what counts. A studio will never tell you that its mix room sucks… that would mean less booking… and… you get the idea.
Photo Courtesy of: Wauter De Tuinkabouter
The difference between a true “mix room” and these so called “mix rooms” are night and day…
- In a great mix room the sound you hear from the monitors will translate to multiple systems well.. in a bad mix room it will never sound like it does in that mix room anywhere ever again.
- In a great mix room the speakers will have enough detail that an engineer with ability can easily hear and make adjustments to the mix.. in a bad mix room there is a mushy, haziness to all the mids and lows… like a great cloudy mystery is covering your mixes.. and for every problem you fix another one takes its place.
- In a great mix room you can move around the room and hear the music similarly to the mix position… in a bad room the producer/client might as well be listening to a different song.. their position in the room sounds nothing like the mix position.
- In a good mix room you can achieve a good basic mix in a couple hours and spend the rest of the day refining… in a bad mix room you spend the whole day trying to make the mix listenable… and then have to schedule additional DAYS to make adjustments and refine the mix.
- In a good mix room you can finish a mix, listen to it in your car, and get a good nights sleep.. in a bad mix room you get in your car, get really angry that it doesn’t sound right.. and spend a sleepless night wondering why you didn’t become an accountant.
Dope Viral Videos
- Photo Courtesy of: Sicoactiva
I have the opportunity to consult with a lot of indie bands and artists… finances are always an issue when it comes to making a music video. In response to the need I created a list of mostly music videos that I have run into on the net which will serve as food for thought for these bands looking to create compelling video content. I have been sharing it for a while privately, but now figured I should share it with you all. These are the dopest videos I have seen that meet one or more of the following criteria:
1. Done on a super tight budget (or at least could have been)
2. Have a compelling concept which is unique and engaging
3. Are visually unique and/or powerful
4. Somehow they push the boundaries of the video/web format
4 simple steps to build your Twitter following
Photo Courtesy of: Luc Legay
So… you just discovered twitter and you want more people to follow you so your not so lonely in the twitterverse? Here are a couple simple steps you can follow to help you on your way. This simple strategy will help you find more followers… and create meaningful interactions.
