Check out this full studio instrumental cover of "Ocean Avenue" by Yellowcard, all recorded, mixed and mastered at JW Audio Productions.
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Wednesday 4 January 2017
Wednesday 14 December 2016
Knowledge Wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to ensure your guitars are properly setup for recording.
There are many elements that make up a solid guitar recording, the player, the amp, the speaker, the microphone and the microphone placement but in order to set yourself up for the best start before recording, it is vital that the instrument itself is properly setup.
This includes, new strings, intonation, pick-up height, truss-rod adjustment and even a small oil treatment on the fretboard. All these factors will ensure the best tone from the instrument is directed through the signal chain, not only this but the player will be more comfortable with their instrument and therefore, more likely to produce a better recording.
An extra tip when setting up a guitar for recording is to tape-off or mute the strings that are over the nut or over the bridge. This can be done with a bit of foam or tape and even though it is a little unsightly, it will perform very well and reduce excess string noise during the recording process.
Check back next week for more Knowledge Wednesday tips!
Head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk for December Deals on mixing rates, currently 50% off if you book your project by the 31st December.
Wednesday 7 December 2016
Knowledge Wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is 100% relevant to mixing and developing your skills but it doesn't actually involve doing any mixing. In actual fact, one of the best things you can do to learn about balance, EQ, compression, effects and so on is to listen to a wide variety of professional mixes (commercial music if you want to call it that) and analyse with your ears what is actually going on.
Pay attention to what elements of the mix are most prominent, what instruments are panned in the centre, what sounds are panned out wide, what is occupying the low end and high end etc.
It's good to listen critically to the genres of music that you like the most however, I strongly recommend broadening your scope to other types of music, even the stuff you may not like because this will give you a better understanding of how sounds work together in the context of a mix and therefore, ensure you are better equipped for when you begin your own mixes.
Check back next week for more Knowledge Wednesday tips.
If you are looking for online editing, mixing and mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page. There are currently December Deals in place so be sure to check it out!
Pay attention to what elements of the mix are most prominent, what instruments are panned in the centre, what sounds are panned out wide, what is occupying the low end and high end etc.
It's good to listen critically to the genres of music that you like the most however, I strongly recommend broadening your scope to other types of music, even the stuff you may not like because this will give you a better understanding of how sounds work together in the context of a mix and therefore, ensure you are better equipped for when you begin your own mixes.
Check back next week for more Knowledge Wednesday tips.
If you are looking for online editing, mixing and mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page. There are currently December Deals in place so be sure to check it out!
Wednesday 30 November 2016
Knowledge Wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to always remember that small cuts with an EQ make a big difference to the sound of the source and the overall mix.
Small cuts with an EQ remove problem frequencies and make space for important fundamental frequencies of other instruments that you want to prioritise in your mix.
Check in next week for more Knowledge Wednesday tips!
If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page, I would love to hear about your next project!
Small cuts with an EQ remove problem frequencies and make space for important fundamental frequencies of other instruments that you want to prioritise in your mix.
Check in next week for more Knowledge Wednesday tips!
If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page, I would love to hear about your next project!
Wednesday 16 November 2016
Knowledge Wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to try starting your next mix by working into a mix buss.
Many home studio engineers including myself have worked on mixes in the past, spending time carefully attending to all the sounds that make up the mix only to come to the end of it, add what we think will be subtle changes and then suddenly what we set out to achieve has just become wildly different and moved the goal post again.
It is a common practice to mix into a working mix buss, but it's just at what point you discover this and try to implement it into your workflow.
To give you some idea of what I have on my mix buss for a typical rock mix - I use console emulation, tape saturation, EQ, compression and a limiter. They are all contributing small amounts to the 'bigger picture' and these decisions are what bring together the tens of hundreds of tracks that can be present in a session.
If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.
Many home studio engineers including myself have worked on mixes in the past, spending time carefully attending to all the sounds that make up the mix only to come to the end of it, add what we think will be subtle changes and then suddenly what we set out to achieve has just become wildly different and moved the goal post again.
It is a common practice to mix into a working mix buss, but it's just at what point you discover this and try to implement it into your workflow.
To give you some idea of what I have on my mix buss for a typical rock mix - I use console emulation, tape saturation, EQ, compression and a limiter. They are all contributing small amounts to the 'bigger picture' and these decisions are what bring together the tens of hundreds of tracks that can be present in a session.
If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.
Knowledge Wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to always remember to use the makeup gain on a compressor to match the output level with that of the input level.
If you've spent time balancing all your instruments and getting the right levels, don't make your work go to waste by using the make-up gain on the compressor and then losing track of the output levels before you added the compressor.
Matching the output level when using a compressor is all part of good gain staging.
If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.
If you've spent time balancing all your instruments and getting the right levels, don't make your work go to waste by using the make-up gain on the compressor and then losing track of the output levels before you added the compressor.
Matching the output level when using a compressor is all part of good gain staging.
If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.
Wednesday 2 November 2016
knowledge wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is for the musicians who are also engineers or producers.
One of the fundamental elements of recording with any instruments is the timing - make sure you are comfortable with a click track because the benefits transfer into more than just a uniform track. Editing becomes much easier, audio manipulation becomes cleaner and locking in with grooves in a live situation will become stronger.
Practice with a metronome to lock into the groove and ensure every take is super tight. This will improve your skills as a recording musician, producer and engineer.
Check back next week for more tips!
Wednesday 26 October 2016
Knowledge Wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is on drum editing, particularly in pro tools but the principal can be applied to all DAWs.
When using beat detective or other similar quantizing tools, keep in mind that the best results are achieved when applied to drums that are slightly late or behind the beat.
Another important tip when quantizing drums is to focus your attention on the overheads after you have quantized them as these will show the audio artefacts, if any and then you can apply appropriate crossfades.
Check back next week for more tips!
If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, then head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.
When using beat detective or other similar quantizing tools, keep in mind that the best results are achieved when applied to drums that are slightly late or behind the beat.
Another important tip when quantizing drums is to focus your attention on the overheads after you have quantized them as these will show the audio artefacts, if any and then you can apply appropriate crossfades.
Check back next week for more tips!
If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, then head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.
Wednesday 19 October 2016
Knowledge Wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to cut frequencies on your drum overheads before boosting.
Drum overheads can present a large amount of harsh frequencies and also create an excessive build up in the mid-range depending on mic placement, drum tuning etc, so it is a good idea to start EQ'ing by cutting in these problem areas to smooth out the overhead sounds to set you on your way to achieving a great drum mix.
Check in next Wednesday for more great tips!
If you require editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch about your project via the contact page.
Drum overheads can present a large amount of harsh frequencies and also create an excessive build up in the mid-range depending on mic placement, drum tuning etc, so it is a good idea to start EQ'ing by cutting in these problem areas to smooth out the overhead sounds to set you on your way to achieving a great drum mix.
Check in next Wednesday for more great tips!
If you require editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch about your project via the contact page.
Wednesday 12 October 2016
Knowledge Wednesday
This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to always check phase coherence on your drum tracks.
Not checking phase can be a common cause for loss of low end and punch on drum tracks, but the good news is that it can be rectified quite easily.
Firstly, you can ensure the transients from the kick and snare line up with the overheads.
Also, check the bottom snare mic is phase coherent with the snare too mic and this can be done by inserting a plugin with a phase switch and toggling between between the two sounds. One should sound immediately different because the low end and punch will become clear.
Phase can be a complex topic but by following the two simple steps above, you will be well on your way to achieving a punchy a low end full drum mix which may have been lacking before without careful attention to the phase coherency.
Check back next week for more tips!
Not checking phase can be a common cause for loss of low end and punch on drum tracks, but the good news is that it can be rectified quite easily.
Firstly, you can ensure the transients from the kick and snare line up with the overheads.
Also, check the bottom snare mic is phase coherent with the snare too mic and this can be done by inserting a plugin with a phase switch and toggling between between the two sounds. One should sound immediately different because the low end and punch will become clear.
Phase can be a complex topic but by following the two simple steps above, you will be well on your way to achieving a punchy a low end full drum mix which may have been lacking before without careful attention to the phase coherency.
Check back next week for more tips!
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