Category Archives for "DIY-Recording FAQs"

"Should I Record Flat And Dry Tracks Or Compress And EQ On The Way In?“

"What Makes A Great Production?" 

This is probably the most asked question of all. It's also one of the most important ones and, unfortunately, quite difficult to answer.

What we consider a "good sound" or "great production" is highly subjective and even if you look at more objective criteria, it takes quite some experience to be able to listen for the right things and make informed decisions.

Nevertheless, we sat down and tried to tackle the question in the simplest and most helpful way possible.

We took a look at our own favorite productions and analysed what we liked about them and why. We also wrote down what we're typically aiming for when producing or mixing music ourselves, depending on the genre, of course.

That said, with "production" we mean the whole thing: Recording, editing, mixing, mastering. So we're looking at the final thing, dissect it and find out what makes it awesome. So that you know what to listen for and where you are standing compared to a great sounding, finished record. No matter where you are in the process

Then we made a list of the most important, overall things, explained why these are so important, and threw in some advice on how to achieve those.

And finally, we went into the specifics and details that are easier and quicker to apply.

Let us know what you love about your favorite songs and productions, by commenting below!

We got a well thought-out, long email from Rollo, one of our email subscribers, asking a great question: "How Do You Develop A Unique Drum Sound?"

This one got us thinking, because it's such an important question to ask. Not just "how do you record drums" or "how do you make drums sound good" but "how do make them UNIQUE".

We don't want to sound like everyone else and the records we love most have exactly that: Unique sounds.

So we did our best to answer this question and took a deep dive into what makes a unique drum sound, how to define a vision in your head and finally all the different ways to make that vision a reality.

Troubleshooting and solving problems are just part of making records.

Things will go wrong at some point and we need to be able to deal with those issues fast, so we can continue working on the art, stay in the zone and keep the creative energy and vibe up at all times. 

• Have you ever felt the frustration kicking in after hours of searching the internet for a solution to some seemingly trivial problem? 
• Has making a record ever seemed like a tedious and difficult process to you?
• Have you ever been wondering why something just doesn't sound like it's supposed to and you are kind of stabbing in the dark trying to get it right?

We've been there and want to make your life a little easier by sharing a whole list of solutions to common "audio problems", so you don't need to go through the same frustrating process of figuring it all out on your own. Instead you can apply the advice right away and continue focussing on what really matters.

This is a two part series, as there's really a lot that can, and will, eventually go wrong. Let's jump into part two, where we discuss "tone problems" as well as typical arrangement/songwriting issues that you need to overcome if you want to capture exciting sounding songs.

Troubleshooting and solving problems are just part of making records.

Things will go wrong at some point and we need to be able to deal with those issues fast, so we can continue working on the art, stay in the zone and keep the creative energy and vibe up at all times. 

• Have you ever felt the frustration kicking in after hours of searching the internet for a solution to some seemingly trivial problem? 
• Has making a record ever seemed like a tedious and difficult process to you?
• Have you ever been wondering why something just doesn't sound like it's supposed to and you are kind of stabbing in the dark trying to get it right?

We've been there and want to make your life a little easier by sharing a whole list of solutions to common "audio problems", so you don't need to go through the same frustrating process of figuring it all out on your own. Instead you can apply the advice right away and continue focussing on what really matters.

This is a two part series, as there's really a lot that can, and will, eventually go wrong. Let's start with part one, where we discuss technical issues and "tone problems" that you need to overcome if you want to capture exciting sounding tracks.

Mastering is a confusing topic, right?

Why is there an additional step when my music is already mixed? What's the difference between mixing and mastering? Should I master myself? Can the mixing engineer master it? The difference seems so subtle, is it even worth it?

We try to demystify the "dark art" of mastering, explain what it actually is and talk about why your music needs it.

The question of today’s episode is: “Do we really need to put new strings on our guitars/bass and new drumheads on our drums for recording?”
I hope my answer is helpful and if you want to add a question, please let me know! I’m happy to answer it! Thanks for watching!

The question of today’s episode is: “What’s the most common drum recording problem that you keep noticing over and over again in people’s tracks?”
I hope my answer is helpful and if you want to add a question, please let me know! I’m happy to answer it! Thanks for watching!