Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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!

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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!

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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.

knowledge wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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!

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

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!

knowledge wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to manually remove silence and bleed from your Tom drum tracks. 

This method is much cleaner than gating and it is usually easier to achieve your desired result. 

Using careful editing and smart fades, you can achieve Tom drum tracks with unwanted silence and very minimal bleed and by doing this, you can focus your EQ and compression decisions because you will only be hearing the Toms being hit.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to try out Serial Compression.

Serial Compression is using two or more compressors on one signal chain to achieve a desired a effect which may sound better with them acting differently to the same audio signal.

For example, on vocals I like to use an 1176 style compressor as the first mode of compression and use it to handle the faster transients of the signal. I then like to add a LA-2A style compressor, typically a slower attack style compressor to smooth the overall performance and maintain a more consistent level.

Be careful though as it is very easy to over-compress and create a performance that has no dynamic range at all, however this may be your goal and as ever, the topic is subjective. The best way to learn is to try it for yourself and listen to the results.

Try out Serial Compression on your next mix and remember that vocals is just an example of something you can use it on.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to EQ your effects such as reverb and delay.

Some reverb and delay plugins have EQ options built in, but if you are using one that doesn't then you can load up a separate EQ plugin. 

The best starting point with EQ'ing reverb and delay is to apply and high pass and Low pass filter to remove some of unnecessary frequencies. Removing high end frequencies on reverb and delay is a good way to give the effect a more 'analog' feel, essentially just making the sound warmer rather than sounding unnatural.

Cleaning up the low end is also important if you are trying to create space in the mix because any 'boomy' or overly resonant frequencies in a signal will easily be accentuated by reverb and delay. A high pass filter can help with this and even a notch filter to remove particular problem frequencies.

Try EQ'ing your effects, there are no limits!

If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, please head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch about your project via the contact page.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's Knowledge Wednesday tip is to remove the unnecessary low end on drum overheads.

A good starting point is to remove everything up to 50Hz however, you can go much further with the low frequency filtering depending on the role the overheads are playing in your drum sound. 

Sometimes you may want the drum overheads to occupy both ends of the frequency spectrum for a more natural and full sound where you may not have a great drum room sound to rely on.

Personally, I filter drum overheads from anything between 80HZ up to 180Hz to remove the low frequencies that are better represented by the kick drum microphones. I also like to leave some of the low-mid frequencies in to emphasise the weight of the snare drum, but of course this depends on how well the drum overheads are captured in the recording stage. I also follow this kind of approach with programmed drums, but I also treat them on a song-to-song basis.

If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, please head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.

The Spacial Aspect of Mixing By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

I recently had a great question on how I handle the spacial aspect of mixing and in this post, i'm going to cover exactly how I tackle it.

Firstly, I want to say that the spacial aspect of a mix can seem a bit complex and as a beginner, it can be quite daunting however, there are simple techniques you can apply to help achieve a great mix.

Creating space and placing elements in a mix starts with balance and I have an earlier post which covers this in great detail... All About Balance 

The balance aspect is the most important process to begin with as this is the most primary way of placing the elements that make up the song. Think of the loudest element as being the most 'in your face' and the quietest being the furthest away.

Panning is the next process I go to and generally, when I am working on rock, pop or metal mix I keep the kick, snare, bass guitar and the main vocal 100% central. I always pan rhythm guitars hard left and hard right to create space in the centre of the mix and also to give the perception of a wider stereo-field. Drum overheads are also hard left and hard right, but I do vary the configuration of these depending on whether I want the drummer perspective (behind the kit) or audience perspective (in front of the kit). Drum room mics are also panned out wide to match the configuration of the overheads. I usually pan the toms across the stereo field according to how they are set out on the drum kit, but this depends on how many there are on the actual kit for example, a hi-tom would be panned just off the centre to the left and two floor toms would be panned to the right, almost hard right, based on the drummers perspective. For any other instruments, I usually judge based on how much they are contributing to the song so they may end up being in the centre or panned hard left or hard right, but either way they are contributing to the 'bigger picture'.

EQ is another key process in helping to place elements that make up a mix. For the purpose of this post, I am only going to talk about EQ as a means of creating a space and depth in a mix and not as a process of cutting unnecessary frequencies etc. 
An immediate way of making an element of the mix sound further away to create a sense of depth is to use a low pass filter on an EQ. Rolling off some of the high frequencies on particular source to create a darker sound, giving the perception of depth. For example, backing vocals that are panned out hard left and hard right can benefit from a gentle high frequency roll off to place them further back in the mix and leave the main central vocal at the forefront. 
Similarly, a gentle boost on the high frequencies using a high shelf on an EQ can help give a greater perception of proximity.

Compression is another great way of creating depth in a mix, especially if the goal is to bring an element of the mix to the front. It is particularly useful on a main vocal to reduce the dynamic range of performance by controlling the peaks and bringing up the quieter parts to create an 'in your face' vocal.

Effects are the final tools I use in a mix, not only to place instruments in more audibly satisfying places, but also to add 'sparkle' and 'polish' to a song.
My general rule that I go by when using reverb is to try and stick with 2 different reverbs and no more than this otherwise I'm at risk of creating a mix that doesn't sound cohesive to the listener.   
I usually choose a reverb for the vocals and a reverb for the snare. I won't go into the detail of the reverb settings as this is completely up to you as the engineer of your own mix however, I will point out that one of the most important parameters of the reverb plugin to pay attention to is the pre-delay.
The pre-delay controls how quick the reverb kicks in after the signal has run through the plugin.
It's a very useful and powerful parameter of a reverb because it gives you the ability to keep the initial transient of a signal dry and up front, but also have the benefit of a pleasing reverb tail. Equally, you can keep the pre-delay at zero and place a instrument directly into the space.

I hope I have made it pretty clear in this post that there is a lot of powerful processes you can do to affect the spacial aspect of a mix before you even load up a reverb or delay plugin and I highly recommend that you start this way because you will learn that not every song requires effects, you will become a better judge of when reverb is needed or when it would complement a performance. You can create a killer, deep and wide mix with the most basic tools of mixing.

If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, please head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch about your project via the contact page.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's tip is to utilise manual editing of gain on tracks to avoid time consuming automation on elements such as compression and EQ.

Manually editing gain on an audio track to reduce abnormal peaks or generally louder sections in a performance can enable you to commit to your chosen compression and EQ settings without having to use automation to compensate for changes like this. Doing this means that you will find it easier to set your compression and EQ because you will have achieved a more consistent level for your plugins or hardware to work with.

Although editing can be a time consuming and laborious task, it's the one thing after the recording stage that helps you set up for a successful mix.

If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering services, please head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.

Snare Drum Saturation By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

In this weeks post, I want to talk about Saturation and although it is something I use on a variety of sources including the mix buss, I want to focus specifically on saturation on the snare drum.

The important thing to remember when using saturation is that it is best used sparingly, too much can destroy the character of a sound rather than enhance it, but of course this all depends on what you are trying to achieve.

I use saturation on a snare drum to soften the peaks and add a little character to the sound.

My favourite plugins for saturation are PSP Micro/Vintage Warmer and FabFilter Saturn, but most of the time I tend to use the PSP Micro Warmer for single instruments.

Depending on the source, I run the plugin in mono mode, set the drive control between +4 and +8dB and reduce the output volume to compensate for the boost in volume. I sometimes use the low and high controls to reduce or boost depending on what i'm going for, but more often than not, I leave them at 0.

I tend to place the saturation plugin at the end of the snare signal chain and occasionally a final EQ to shape the sound further depending on how aggressively i have used the saturation.

Saturating the snare drum not only adds more sonic character to the sound, but it also allows you more head-room on your drum buss and your main mix buss because it flattens out the peaks in the same way that traditional tape saturation did. Along with good gain staging, saturating the peak-heavy sounds in your mix means that when you get to the limiting stage, you will be able to achieve a louder mix without it reacting only to heavy transients such as the kick and snare. 

If you are looking for online editing, mixing or mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's Knowledge Wednesday is a quick tip on a couple of keys frequency bands to be aware of on distorted electric guitar.

400Hz - 500Hz 

2KHz - 3KHz 

The above frequency bands are areas that i'm known for cutting in and sometimes boosting, but i want you to listen for yourself. Create a fairly wide bandwidth (Q) a boost in these areas and listen to the difference both boosted and cut. Let your ears be the judge.

Please keep in mind that guitar EQ varies massively depending on the guitar, the pickups, the amp and the microphone.

The obvious thing to do is spend time achieving the sound you want at the recording stage however if you find yourself mixing guitars that have already been committed to, then the areas above are a couple to focus on.

Multi-band Compression on Bass Guitar By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

Compression on bass guitar is a very subjective and contextual topic due to the many different types of acoustic and electric basses, not to mention the difference in playing styles and dynamics. So, for this post I'm going to focus on compression for rock and metal bass guitar and my goal is to achieve a consistent low end with a controlled attack.


The tool I often choose to use to compress bass is a multi-band compressor because this gives me independent control over specific frequency bands, meaning I can compress the the lows differently to the mids and so on.

I firstly create a section in the multi-band compressor which contains the frequencies between 40Hz and 120Hz. I then set a fast attack and a slightly slower release, usually with a low ratio of 2:1 and pull the threshold down until the compressor starts to work. I use a fast attack and a slower release because i don't want any peaks in the low end and i want to keep the compression smooth. Depending on how inconsistent the low end is, I usually aim for 3-6dB of gain reduction. Once this is complete, I use the make-up gain to match the level that was audible before the compressor was engaged.

I'd like to point out that sometimes, compressing the low end is as far as I go with bass compression and sometimes I'll apply a single band compressor like an LA-2A just to even out the dynamics.


When dealing with an aggressive picked bass, I will usually add a second band into the multi-band compressor to even out the pick attack. I use a slower attack in this range to retain some of the transients and then apply a fast release so that the compressor recovers in time for the next transient. I normally go for a ratio of 3:1 or 4:1 and pull down on the threshold so that the compressor is consistently working on the pick attack. Again, I apply the appropriate make-up gain.


Multi-band compression is not the be all and end all to processing bass, it is simply an option and one that you may decide to take depending on the source tone you are working with.


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 By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

This week's tip is to try using an EQ before a compressor in your channel strip.

The goal of this is quite simple - to control the frequencies that are going into the compressor for example, you will want to remove problematic resonant frequencies before hitting the compressor otherwise the compressor could be overly reactive to these specific areas and you may not be able to achieve your desired result.

Sculpting your sound with EQ first ensures that your compressor will only react to the frequencies you want it to.

Mix Templates By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

Using mix templates is something i use in the production of my music as well as other clients and in this post, i want to explain the benefits of doing this and hopefully give you a strategy to implement into your own productions.

Keep in mind that in order to utilise a mix template, you firstly need to put the time into creating one.

I firstly start with the drums and depending on whether they are acoustically played and recorded or programmed and sampled, i like to have my channels already set up so that the the kick-in goes to channel 1, the kick-out goes to channel 2, the snare top goes to channel 3 and so on. I also create a drum buss and a parallel drum buss ready for compression and blending. As well as this, I apply console emulation across all the channels and leave them engaged all the time. I like to insert some of my go-to plugins such as the Fab Filter Pro-Q2 EQ, Waves CLA-76, Fab Filter Pro-C2 Compressor, Slate Digital Virtual Tape Machine and Slate Digital Virtual Buss Compressors onto specific channels and busses to prep them for tweaking. I'd to mention that on certain instruments, i have presets saved within the plugins that i like engage to get me into the ball-park of the sound i'm listening for.

I then move onto the bass guitar, keeping it quite simple i create an amp channel and a DI channel, as well as a couple of auxiliary channels for different types of saturation and distortion, should i wish to use them. Similarly to the drums, i like to insert console emulation and a basic EQ and Compressor to get me started. Once I've done this, i create a bass buss so that i can monitor and control the level on one fader.

Next i focus on the guitars and these are very simple for me, i use console emulation and a basic EQ that has a high pass and low pass filter applied to remove some of the unnecessary frequencies. I then create a guitar buss which i apply some gentle tape saturation to. Sometimes, i will use 2 or 3 different busses if i have a lot of rhythms, leads and clean sounds present in the mix to give me greater control.

For vocals, i load up some console emulation, a De-Esser, compressor and a basic EQ with a high pass filter engaged to remove the unwanted low end. Depending on the song, i usually start off with an 1176 style compressor or sometimes i like run parallel compression or even series compression utilising an 1176 and an LA2A style compressor.

Finally, i create a couple of auxiliary channels with reverb and delay effects engaged so that they are there for vocals, guitars or drums to be sent to as and when i get to the state in the mix where i'm wanting to apply effects.

The very last thing i do (sometimes it's actually first) before i start mixing is create a mix buss and this contains console emulation, gentle tape saturation, compression and a limiter to ensure that no peaks creep through. At this point the limiter is doing nothing but ensuring that nothing clips, i do not use it to increase the level of the song.

Once i've done all this, i save it as a mix template and label it accordingly.  

I like to utilise mix templates with clients projects particularly when they are looking for consistency across an album because it's a way of mapping out the sounds that i may have already achieved in one session and then i want to apply that across the other songs. It doesn't mean the sounds strictly have to be the same, i still adjust the compressors, adjust the EQs and apply higher or lower values of saturation, but the point is that it's giving me the most positive and constructive start to a mix.

I also like to use a variation of mix templates in the production of my own music because it allows me to hear the finished product much quicker and keeps me inspired during the times that i'm writing and tracking parts.

Considering using mix templates going forward with your own work and if you are doing work for other people, you will find that you will save time, improve your work flow and achieve more consistent results.

If you are looking for editing, mixing or mastering, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk and get in touch via the contact page.

Knowledge Wednesday By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

Always use fades on audio files when you are editing.

This is particularly important when comping because using fades is a way of smoothing out any audio artefacts that might appear between the takes. If it is just one audio file on its own, then a simple fade-in and fade-out will be perfect, but when it's multiple audio files that need gluing together, it's worth applying a good cross-fade to ensure a smooth transition and to minimise the audible differences as much as possible. This will become much easier if the quality and consistency of the performance is high.

Clean and accurate editing is a major factor in setting up for a solid mix so never neglect it!

Parallel Compression on Drums By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

In this post, I'm going to cover parallel compression on drums and how I use the technique in some of the mixes I do.  

Let's consider that your individual drums are mixed and sounding the way you want them to but they just aren't quite cutting it in the overall mix, something is missing...enter parallel compression. 

The first thing I do is send each track to an auxiliary channel, which is what will have the compression on. I send these pre fader so that any adjustments on the individual tracks (levels or plugins) don't affect the auxiliary channel. Some people like to send everything all at the same level, but personally I like to control the levels before hitting the compressor.  

I usually have the kick send between -10 to -15dB and this because I don't want it to dominate the compressor and cause heavy a heavy pumping effect. I leave the snare and toms a 0bB because these are two major elements of the drums that I want to accentuate with the compressor. I keep the overheads send quite low as well between -8 to -12dB because I don't want overly washy cymbals. Finally, the room mics are sent between -5 to -8dB, just enough for the sound of the snare and toms in the room to be caught by the compressor and minimising some of the cymbal sound. 

I've now achieved the blend of drums that I want the compressor to work on. The compressor plugins I use vary between the Waves CLA-76, API 2500, FabFilter Pro C2 and Slate Digital Buss Compressors however, the principles are the same whichever I choose to use. 

I start with the attack which I set to the fastest setting possible to ensure that all the transients are being squashed consistently. I then move onto the release and apply a fast setting (slightly slower than the attack to avoid distortion) so that the compressor recovers quickly in time for the next transient.  

I usually set a high ratio, anything between 6:1 to 20:1 and then pull down the threshold and listen to the compressor working, usually aiming for -10 to -20dB of gain reduction. Once I've achieved the sound I want, I make sure I've used the make-up gain appropriately to make sure the output level is matched to the level of the input (this is easily checked by bypassing the compressor). I then blend the auxiliary channel in with my main drum tracks to taste.

Something else I like to do on the auxiliary channel before hitting the compressor is add an EQ with a low and high shelf. I usually add about 3-4dB on each end of the spectrum to create more of a HI-FI sound as this is what I want the compressor to react to the most.

Parallel Compression, also know as New York Compression enables you to achieve a greater sustain and character on the drums and ultimately gives them that 'larger than life' sound that helps solidify the foundation that they set for a song. There's no limit to how much parallel compression can you be used in conjunction with your main drum tracks however, I recommend blending the effect in whilst listening to the whole mix so that you know whether you have achieved the best balance. 

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 By: DAWsopenat7 No comments

 Instrument busses  can be very useful when you have a group of audio sources such as drums, multiple rhythm guitars and bass guitar with clean and distorted tracks because you may want to apply processing to them as a whole and have more convenient control over the levels. For example, all the individual tracks that you balanced earlier are great but you just want to reduce the overall level by 1 or 2 dB to have them sit just right in the mix. You may also want to apply processing such as console emulation or tape saturation on an instrument buss for extra colour and warmth.

Try your next mix using utilising instrument busses for a extra way of balancing your mix and applying extra processing across groups of instruments. 

If you are looking for mixing and mastering services, head over to www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk  and get in touch via the contact page.