March 16th is Dynamic Range Day. If you are wondering why the heck we need to dedicate a day to dynamic range, take a second to read this and learn a little bit about it.

In brief, the music industry has been in a “loudness war” for the last 30 years. The idea is if a record is louder than others, it will stand out and ultimately sell more copies. But this way of thinking ignores any principles of musicality; instead it produces increasingly flat, squished, and one dimensional productions. Changes in dynamics build excitement,create interest, and

The goal of Dynamic Range Day is to raise awareness of the issue and once and for all convince people to stop compressing the hell out of everything. Ease off the limiters and give the music some room to breathe. If this piqued your interest I urge you to go to http://dynamicrangeday.co.uk/ and hear the full story. Pass it on to your friends. There’s also a contest to win some sweet prizes there, so if you need some extra motivation, check it out.

As engineers we often spend an inordinate time focusing on what gear or plug-ins to use, or getting each track to have the best sound regardless of its role in the song. We can get caught listening to the tones and frequencies presented to us and letting those define our mix. In reality though, these are all secondary to the song itself.

If you throw all your tracks up and create a quick static balance before diving into the nuances of each track you can hear the song as a whole and listen to what the song is asking for. Your goal isn’t to make a mix that engineers love; it’s to maximize the impact of the song. When making each decision you should be asking yourself: is this just helping the individual tracks or is it making the song better?

Good mixing that lets the song speak is all about context. It doesn’t matter if you created the most beautiful big room delay chain of your career, it won’t work for your punk album. If you hear the kick drum insistently hitting every beat you’ll probably want to make sure the kick is prominently mixed so the listener cannot ignore it.

A well crafted song will always tell you what it needs. So, when in doubt, back out of the details and look at the big picture. Once you know what role the track is playing you can work to make it fit the context of the song. This will lead to a more cohesive, compelling mix every time. Like the Isley Brothers said, listen to the music.

I won’t make a habit of promoting products in this blog, but if you’ve got some Christmas money leftover and are looking for some quality headphones for cheap ($50!) the Superlux HD668D is a great buy.

A local music store owner told me about these, and for the price I had to give them a shot. These aren’t the most stylish headphones, but the performance quality surpasses headphones over twice the cost. The sound isn’t completely closed off to the outside, so I wouldn’t recommend them for any thing requiring isolation like micing. However, they are perfect for mixing. They have an incredibly clear and accurate sound with impressive low end. You won’t get epic brain rattling bass, but you get a full, defined sound that stands out without becoming muddy or overwhelming. These headphones do nothing to color the sound; no added warmth will be found here. They just give whatever you’re putting into them. As a result they may feel a hair too crisp and clynical, but that’s a small complaint for a great product at a great price.

The New York Compression trick is a technique that can give you punchier, more in-your-face drums. I recently wrote an article on it for Audiotuts+, a great website with tons of useful information on audio and production.

Punchier Drums with the New York Compression Trick

Hope you find it useful!

When you pull up your favorite EQ (plug-in or outboard) your first instinct is usually to turn something up; like boosting 2 Khz to give your guitar a little more edge. How often have you started turning things down? Subtractive EQ starts with cutting out sounds or tones that you don’t like. Too muddy? Take a little 300 Hz out. Vocal sounds a little boxy? Try bringing down 1 Khz a bit.

When you simply boost frequencies you like and ignore the rest it leaves a lot of unnecessary/unwanted frequencies in the mix. When you look at the mix as a whole there’s only so much sonic real estate available. If every instrument is just boosted there will be a lot of competing frequencies that cover each other up. Using subtractive EQ can help give your mix added clarity and allow every track to be heard.

So the next time you’re looking to EQ a track, first ask yourself what you don’t like, or what you don’t need, and then cut some frequencies before you start boosting. It might be all you need.

Everyone has an opinion about microphones. They have their favorite mics, set-ups, and rules they believe get the best possible recordings. The truth is, there is no steadfast rule or microphone that gets good results every time. In today’s post, I’m going to give you a brief overview on different microphone characteristics to help you make your own ideas on what microphones you want to use for your projects.

First off, a microphone is a transducer that changes one form of energy into another (sound waves into electrical signals). There are three main types of microphones: dynamic, ribbon, and condenser; each of which makes this conversion through a different process.

Dynamic Microphones use electromagnetic induction by suspending a wire coil in a magnetic field. When sound waves hit the microphones face it displaces the coil in proportion to the amplitude and frequency of the wave. The interaction between the coil and the magnetic field creates an electrical signal that goes through the output and is recorded. Dynamic mics are designed to be able to withstand high SPLs (Sound Pressure Levels) which makes them well suited for snares, toms, and other loud percussive sounds. Dynamic mics also work great on guitar amps and tends to produce a thicker, more rugged sound than condenser mics. They are best used for capturing low and midrange information; the high frequency information isn’t as accurate as with ribbon and condenser mics.  Although dynamic mics are not typically used on vocals, there are certainly situations where they can work well.

Ribbon Microphones also use electromagnetic induction; however instead of a coil they use an extremely thin (2 microns) aluminum ribbon. The ribbon is very fragile, and is definitely not suited for high SPLs. The ribbon can also be ruined by phantom power, so be careful to make sure it is not engaged on any channels with a ribbon mic. The ribbon mic has a fast response and is able to accurately track sound waves over the entire frequency spectrum. Ribbons tend to have a slightly darker quality than condenser mics which makes them ideal for recording bright instruments without creating a harsh sound by over-emphasizing the higher frequencies.

Condenser Microphones operate on electrostatic principle; the capsule consists of two plates, one movable, one fixed. Once powered, the plates are charged and reach equilibrium with each other. To oversimplify, when sound waves hit the front plate it is displaced and the capacitance between the two plates changes. This information is sent through the output and recorded. Condenser microphones are the most commonly used microphones are able to capture most instruments accurately. Because of their high sensitivity they are also able to capture quiet or distant sounds better than dynamics. Be careful though, as they are less sturdy than dynamics and can be easily damaged my mishandling and condensation. It is always a good idea to keep condensers boxed up when not in use.

Microphones also vary in their directional response. Omnidirectional mics respond well to sound waves coming from all directions. Cardoid pattern, the most typical pattern, tend to respond best directly in front of the microphone, but also takes waves from the side, diminishing to a null point in the back of the microphone. Bidirectional microphones capture waves in the front and back of the microphone, with null points to the sides at 90 and 270 degrees. When placing directional mics, keep in mind that you can use the null points to block out other instruments and help cut down on bleed when recording multiple instruments at once.  Directional microphones (all types except omni) also have what is called a proximity effect which causes a boost in the low end when the mic is placed within a foot of the instrument. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you’ll want to be careful to make sure the sound isn’t too boomy or muddy.

Knowing how the different microphones respond can give you some guidance on how to choose a mic and position it. Don’t be afraid to break the rules though and experiment.

These days, nearly anyone can record from home; thanks to advances in technology, a home recording set-up is incredibly affordable and produces a lot of production bang for the buck. There is also enough information on the subject to overwhelm anyone getting into audio production. So to start, what I want to cover in this post are a handful of easy things you can do to get a better recording every time.

First things first, be well rehearsed. Yes we have the technology to chop up a mediocre performance and make it “work,” but no technology can replace the energy and feel that comes from a live, well practiced performance.

An instrument that sounds bad in the room is going to sound bad once its recorded, plain and simple. This doesn’t mean you need to buy more expensive equipment necessarily, but you should touch up the ones you have. Get the intonation checked on your guitars, replace your strings, tune your drums, and replace the heads if they’re too battered. There are high standards on how a record should sound, even demos. If you don’t get your instruments sounding the best they can you’re already behind before you press record.

My last piece of advice today is for when you’re ready to set up the microphones and record. There is plenty of advice to be found, usually in the form of words or pictures, but the only way to know if you’ve got a good mic placement is to listen. The easiest way to get a good sound is to listen to the sound in the room, then try to position the microphone so you hear the same in your headphones. If you don’t like the sound, adjust the mic and listen again. And again. Until it works. If you are looking for a good place to start with your mic placement I’ve found that plugging one ear and moving your head to find a sweet spot is very effective. Simply find a spot where you like the sound, then put a mic where your ear was. After that it usually only requires minor adjustments to lock in the sound you want.

A quality recording starts before you enter the studio. Good sound starts with your instrument and taking the care to set the mics properly. And remember, if it sounds good, it is good, don’t over think it.