Mixing a new singer is a challenge because you don't know how they're supposed to sound. I was going through this the other week. It wasn't until I revisited what I thought was right that I found out it was all wrong. Elizabeth's a great singer and it's a pleasure to mix her vocal - but I ... Read More
Honestly, I just don't get it. I'm at a church or event and the lead vocal is buried or it's over the top loud or the lead instrument is sitting so far back in the mix, the musician could walk off the stage and no one would notice. What's more is these techs think they've got the mix right - I can ... Read More
How many times have you been at a live event and the audio didn't sound right? More than once, I'm sure. And I'll bet the problem had to do with balance. Balance is all about relationships. Hang with me guys because I am going to ask you to commit! Mix relationships are the key to good ... Read More
Often, we're mixing in a church with a mono speaker setup but that's no reason to ignore panning when sending a stereo signal out to a recording device. With the popularity of smart-phone usage, there are a number of people who listen to a live/recorded service with headphones. And of course, if ... Read More
I stole this idea from a photography class from Ming Thein. There are four fundamentals of photography that so closely resemble the requirements of a music mix, I couldn't help but notice it. In photography, they follow as: Light - because a three-dimensional object becomes two-dimensional ... Read More
Judge not lest ye be ready to hear the result. Whether it's microphone placement or mix choices, there've been times where I thought, "that guy doesn't know what he's doing." But then I heard the result. The last newsletter covered low passing drums. There are a number of other non-traditional ... Read More
If you're like me, you develop a new interest in something and immediately try learning everything you can. There are good ways to do this and bad ways. Those good ones go beyond reading books, watching videos, whatever type of standard one-way learning you like. And it's those added steps I'm ... Read More
Before I found compression, my life was empty and void. Now that I have it, I feel so alive and...ok, so compression isn't THAT amazing but if you've got it, you should learn how and when to use it. What is compression? Audio compression is the process of reducing the dynamic range of a sound. ... Read More
