I grew up an instrumentalist. For me, that was enough... then I realized that the only way to truly succeed in "the biz" was to become a songwriter. Luckily, I've dabbled in songwriting since I was a young lad. :) I'm still learning but it has been an extremely rewarding journey.
Here's a great article on my favorite songwriting approach... co-writing. Check it out!!
P.S. My blog will be moving soon. I'll keep you posted on the details soon!
P.S.S. I LOVE hearing your thoughts on my blogs. Feel free to comment often!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Reverb ideas
I'm not sure what's been going on, but the links I've been posting have not been showing up. Hopefully this will be different.
Reverbs are a tough game. Very difficult to get right. Things that sound dry in a recording are not necessarily completely dry. Perhaps verbs have been used in a way to give thickness but not add a reverberated sound. These psycho-acoustical techniques take a long time to develop and a lot of attention to detail.
My recommendation, spend a great deal of time with the ambient environments in your tracks. The use of compression is often considered the tell tale sign of a pro or amateur, but a close second is the use of ambient effects in a track.
Here's a simple article with some tips for using verbs.
Hope all is well with you all!!
http://www.looperman.com/tutorials-production-33-15_reverb_tips.html
Reverbs are a tough game. Very difficult to get right. Things that sound dry in a recording are not necessarily completely dry. Perhaps verbs have been used in a way to give thickness but not add a reverberated sound. These psycho-acoustical techniques take a long time to develop and a lot of attention to detail.
My recommendation, spend a great deal of time with the ambient environments in your tracks. The use of compression is often considered the tell tale sign of a pro or amateur, but a close second is the use of ambient effects in a track.
Here's a simple article with some tips for using verbs.
Hope all is well with you all!!
http://www.looperman.com/tutorials-production-33-15_reverb_tips.html
Friday, July 17, 2009
EQ... pre or post compression
When engineers get together we talk about silly recording stuff. It's goofy and silly and if I pretend I'm listening in on the conversation rather than participating in it, I find myself laughing hysterically at how much of a total dork I am. But, that's what happens when you love what you do... you don't care how much of a dork you are. In fact, being a dork about your craft will make you better at it. Because you care!
In those geeky conversations we'll often talk about our techniques for EQ and COMPRESSION. One frequent topic is whether or not to EQ pre or post compression. Meaning, whether or not we choose to EQ before a compressor (pre) or after (post). Everyone has their techniques and no one is wrong. I have a very basic way of approaching this. Hopefully these guidelines will help you. Feel free to reply with your techniques for this is in no way a holistic approach. I am still developing my ear too.
WHAT COMPRESSION DOES...
We all know that compression controls dynamics but what you may not be clued into is how it affects the sound. In addition to dynamic control compression also does 2 things...
emphasizes dominant frequencies and rolls off the top end.
1) It's important to note that compression is going to overemphasize the dominant frequencies in the instrument you are compressing. The more extreme the compression the more extreme the result. This is important to know because if there is an odd frequency in your bass guitar and you're really smashing it with a limiter, you may end up with a very odd sounding instrument. You may have guessed what you should do... PRE EQ.
If the compressor is doing odd things to the sound of the instrument, do some PRE EQ carving to shape the instrument so the compressor has a more even sound to compress. (TIP, always compare what it sounded like before you tweaked it.)
2) You are almost always going to lose some top end fidelity when compressing. For this reason (and others) many people choose to EQ post compression to try and make up some of the sound lost in the high frequency range caused by compression. Some people compress post EQ almost all the time to try and make up for compression. Not a bad idea.
This topic came up when I was discussing Chris Lord Alge's techniques for mixing. He has a very over-the-top compression sound and he is also known to HEAVILY EQ things. Well, you'll notice if you have the CLA Waves SSL Bundle that all of his presets use EQ before compression. The presets boast a lot of EQ and a lot of compression.
Now, the SSL EQ's are extremely aggressive. They have a bite that is coveted by many engineers. What I've noticed is that you can use this aggressive EQ and the compressor will take off some of the bite. You would also need to add a lot of HF EQ because of how much the compressor is affecting the sound. I guess what I'm getting at... CLA can heavily EQ because he runs the EQ in PRE and then compresses so heavily (dulling the EQ and making it not so extreme). This is part of CLA's massive sound.
Now I don't subscribe to this all the time. I think I'm a bit less extreme than CLA is... and he's a freakin' beast and makes amazing music. To draw a comparison feels pretentious at the least... so I don't :) I do find it useful to use both techniques for different situations.
As you are learning, try being aggressive with compressors and EQ in order to learn the sound of your gear BUT I would encourage you that LESS is definitely more. Your more natural sounding mixes will be loved... I promise. You can slowly work your way into more aggressive mixing as you learn where "too far" is. You've gotta learn what real instruments sound like and how to finesse them into musical submission. It takes a long time. I'm still working at it!!
Hope this stuff helps!!
In those geeky conversations we'll often talk about our techniques for EQ and COMPRESSION. One frequent topic is whether or not to EQ pre or post compression. Meaning, whether or not we choose to EQ before a compressor (pre) or after (post). Everyone has their techniques and no one is wrong. I have a very basic way of approaching this. Hopefully these guidelines will help you. Feel free to reply with your techniques for this is in no way a holistic approach. I am still developing my ear too.
WHAT COMPRESSION DOES...
We all know that compression controls dynamics but what you may not be clued into is how it affects the sound. In addition to dynamic control compression also does 2 things...
emphasizes dominant frequencies and rolls off the top end.
1) It's important to note that compression is going to overemphasize the dominant frequencies in the instrument you are compressing. The more extreme the compression the more extreme the result. This is important to know because if there is an odd frequency in your bass guitar and you're really smashing it with a limiter, you may end up with a very odd sounding instrument. You may have guessed what you should do... PRE EQ.
If the compressor is doing odd things to the sound of the instrument, do some PRE EQ carving to shape the instrument so the compressor has a more even sound to compress. (TIP, always compare what it sounded like before you tweaked it.)
2) You are almost always going to lose some top end fidelity when compressing. For this reason (and others) many people choose to EQ post compression to try and make up some of the sound lost in the high frequency range caused by compression. Some people compress post EQ almost all the time to try and make up for compression. Not a bad idea.
This topic came up when I was discussing Chris Lord Alge's techniques for mixing. He has a very over-the-top compression sound and he is also known to HEAVILY EQ things. Well, you'll notice if you have the CLA Waves SSL Bundle that all of his presets use EQ before compression. The presets boast a lot of EQ and a lot of compression.
Now, the SSL EQ's are extremely aggressive. They have a bite that is coveted by many engineers. What I've noticed is that you can use this aggressive EQ and the compressor will take off some of the bite. You would also need to add a lot of HF EQ because of how much the compressor is affecting the sound. I guess what I'm getting at... CLA can heavily EQ because he runs the EQ in PRE and then compresses so heavily (dulling the EQ and making it not so extreme). This is part of CLA's massive sound.
Now I don't subscribe to this all the time. I think I'm a bit less extreme than CLA is... and he's a freakin' beast and makes amazing music. To draw a comparison feels pretentious at the least... so I don't :) I do find it useful to use both techniques for different situations.
As you are learning, try being aggressive with compressors and EQ in order to learn the sound of your gear BUT I would encourage you that LESS is definitely more. Your more natural sounding mixes will be loved... I promise. You can slowly work your way into more aggressive mixing as you learn where "too far" is. You've gotta learn what real instruments sound like and how to finesse them into musical submission. It takes a long time. I'm still working at it!!
Hope this stuff helps!!
Friday, July 3, 2009
SHORT TIP
When recording instruments where there could be a lot of click bleed from the headphones (vocals, acoustic guitar) use the "PCM" sound for the click track. Something about the frequency of the click doesn't bleed through the cans too much :)
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Organizing Files! The nightmare tamed!
There are two things I really hate... paper and cables! These things clutter my life more than anything else. It happens less now that I'm not doing so much arranging, but I still hate paper... how it piles up. Cables, how they get tangled and messy and how they never wrap up just right.
A close third on my hate list is FILES! Files are a necessary evil for us all (all of us who use computers anyway).
I've come up with a plan that seems to work well for me. I realize there's probably some loopholes in this plan but it has served me well.
MANAGING SESSION FILES -
I recommend saving a new session file whenever you do something major to your session. Your session files act as a timeline for your project. Find significant points in your production/mix to save a new session file.
It's also important to save the date and time in the session title. Yes, I know that these things are tagged automatically to the file, but I find it useful to put it in the title. For one, it organizes your session files roughly by date and time.
ex. "Get Me 2 U-061709 0554pm drums completed.ptf"
The date and time always follow the title THEN put any additional information. This keeps your files nice and organized.
OLD SESSIONS -
All session files I am not currently using go into a file I've created called "old sessions." Without exception, the only session file in plain sight within my session directory is the current one I'm working on. You can color code it too if you want.
00 BOUNCE -
I also create a folder called "00 BOUNCE" (the '00' ensures that this folder stays at the top of the directory). This is where I save all of my printed mixes.
KEEPING TRACK OF PRINTED MIXES w/SESSION FILES
It's happened to me time and time again. I print a mix, show it to the client and we move on. Later someone says, "You know, I wish we'd not made those changes. Can we just go back to the last mix you sent and start from there?" That's when I'd find myself in trouble. If I did not save a session to correspond to the printed mix, I would have no way of getting back to that point. I have your solution!!! ....
When it's time to print a mix save a new session based on the date and time but add the tag, "upld1" to the end. So your session file would read "Get Me 2 U-061709 0605pm upld1.ptf" Now print your mix and give it the same title "Get Me 2 U-061709 0605pm upld1.wav." Now once you're finished printing save a new session file and label it one minute after the print "Get Me 2 U-061709 0606pm.ptf." That leaves a session file unaltered from the way it was when your song was printed. You tracking with me?
The reason I do this is because I would often save a new session before I print a mix but I would then alter the session file without realizing it. If I needed to recall 'upld1' the session file would not sound the same. This ensures you'll be able to pull up the mix because any alteration will be made to your new file. Be sure to then put all of the unused session files in the 'old sessions' folder.
Adding the tag 'upld1' or 'upld1' allows you to track which mixes/session files have been printed and sent to the client. This is extremely helpful when referencing each mix.
FINAL MIXES -
When it's time to print the final mixes, you treat your session files the same way. Save a session file that corresponds to each printed mix. 'GET ME 2 U-M.wav' would have a session file titled 'GET ME 2 U-M.ptf.' I always put the final mixes in all caps to help me find them easily. Putting the final mixes in a unique folder also can help.
Happy organizing!!!
A close third on my hate list is FILES! Files are a necessary evil for us all (all of us who use computers anyway).
I've come up with a plan that seems to work well for me. I realize there's probably some loopholes in this plan but it has served me well.
MANAGING SESSION FILES -
I recommend saving a new session file whenever you do something major to your session. Your session files act as a timeline for your project. Find significant points in your production/mix to save a new session file.
It's also important to save the date and time in the session title. Yes, I know that these things are tagged automatically to the file, but I find it useful to put it in the title. For one, it organizes your session files roughly by date and time.
ex. "Get Me 2 U-061709 0554pm drums completed.ptf"
The date and time always follow the title THEN put any additional information. This keeps your files nice and organized.
OLD SESSIONS -
All session files I am not currently using go into a file I've created called "old sessions." Without exception, the only session file in plain sight within my session directory is the current one I'm working on. You can color code it too if you want.
00 BOUNCE -
I also create a folder called "00 BOUNCE" (the '00' ensures that this folder stays at the top of the directory). This is where I save all of my printed mixes.
KEEPING TRACK OF PRINTED MIXES w/SESSION FILES
It's happened to me time and time again. I print a mix, show it to the client and we move on. Later someone says, "You know, I wish we'd not made those changes. Can we just go back to the last mix you sent and start from there?" That's when I'd find myself in trouble. If I did not save a session to correspond to the printed mix, I would have no way of getting back to that point. I have your solution!!! ....
When it's time to print a mix save a new session based on the date and time but add the tag, "upld1" to the end. So your session file would read "Get Me 2 U-061709 0605pm upld1.ptf" Now print your mix and give it the same title "Get Me 2 U-061709 0605pm upld1.wav." Now once you're finished printing save a new session file and label it one minute after the print "Get Me 2 U-061709 0606pm.ptf." That leaves a session file unaltered from the way it was when your song was printed. You tracking with me?
The reason I do this is because I would often save a new session before I print a mix but I would then alter the session file without realizing it. If I needed to recall 'upld1' the session file would not sound the same. This ensures you'll be able to pull up the mix because any alteration will be made to your new file. Be sure to then put all of the unused session files in the 'old sessions' folder.
Adding the tag 'upld1' or 'upld1' allows you to track which mixes/session files have been printed and sent to the client. This is extremely helpful when referencing each mix.
FINAL MIXES -
When it's time to print the final mixes, you treat your session files the same way. Save a session file that corresponds to each printed mix. 'GET ME 2 U-M.wav' would have a session file titled 'GET ME 2 U-M.ptf.' I always put the final mixes in all caps to help me find them easily. Putting the final mixes in a unique folder also can help.
Happy organizing!!!
Friday, June 5, 2009
When the chorus gotta pop the bass gotta drop!
OK the title is pretty gay but it's just something I thought about doing (and had heard before but forgot about).
Try duplicating your bass track in order to process the low end differently on the verses and the choruses. The idea is to decrease the low end by a few db in the verses so when the chorus comes in there's an added amount of low end!
Short post but I thought you might want to try it. Also, try listening for this technique in other mixes. It happens more than you might think!
Happy mixing!!!
Keith
P.S. I just got new monitors. ProAc Studio 100's paired with a Bryston 4B (the amp is borrowed for now). I'm in mixer heaven. Up next: a summing mixer and new clock! (more on the clock soon!)
Try duplicating your bass track in order to process the low end differently on the verses and the choruses. The idea is to decrease the low end by a few db in the verses so when the chorus comes in there's an added amount of low end!
Short post but I thought you might want to try it. Also, try listening for this technique in other mixes. It happens more than you might think!
Happy mixing!!!
Keith
P.S. I just got new monitors. ProAc Studio 100's paired with a Bryston 4B (the amp is borrowed for now). I'm in mixer heaven. Up next: a summing mixer and new clock! (more on the clock soon!)
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Buss Compressors and Parallel Compression
There are SOOOO many ways to use compression. I consider Michael Brauer a genius when it comes to mixing with compression. He is unbelievably innovative and has worked long and hard to develop his fantastic technique.
I remember hearing Coldplay's "Violet Hill" and being so impressed with its unique sound only to find out that Brauer mixed it (he's mixed a LOT of Coldplay stuff). I found this article where he talks about the process of mixing this fantastic song. Check it out...
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov08/articles/itbrauer.htm
Also be sure to check our Michael Brauer's website and try to read through all of through and contemplate all of his Q&A stuff. WOW!
I remember hearing Coldplay's "Violet Hill" and being so impressed with its unique sound only to find out that Brauer mixed it (he's mixed a LOT of Coldplay stuff). I found this article where he talks about the process of mixing this fantastic song. Check it out...
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov08/articles/itbrauer.htm
Also be sure to check our Michael Brauer's website and try to read through all of through and contemplate all of his Q&A stuff. WOW!
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About Me
- Keith Everette Smith
- I'm a producer, mixer, songwriter. I recently moved from Orange County, CA to Nashville,TN I love making music. It is my means for creative expression. I've been married to my wonderful wife Erin for 7 1/2 years and I have a dog named Dexter.