Here's a great example of how the right music and effects can add drama to your message.
This is a clip from the Colbert Report (www.comedycentral.com).
Click Here
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
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After purchasing your Groupon call Sound Images at
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Thursday, June 2, 2011
National Sound on a Basement Budget?
It seems nowadays that everyone has a friend who has recording gear of some sort, be it Pro Tools, Logic, Nuendo, etc. All of these are great pieces of software and can greatly improve your ability to capture and create music. However, just because you have the software doesn't necessarily make you an expert, (just like having a driver's license doesn't necessarily qualify you for the NASCAR circuit). So let’s tackle some of the most common errors people make with home recordings.
It's all about the Room -
Just like good coffee starts with clean water, a good recording starts with a quiet, isolated room. A good sounding room doesn't have to have foam all over the walls but it does need to be devoid of any odd sounding reverberations, echoes or slap back. Professional studio combat these issues by not having any parallel walls and occasionally having wall and ceiling treatments to diffuse the bouncing sound waves.
It doesn't hurt either to find a good way to block out all exterior noise like traffic, lawnmowers, and birds, and even interior sounds like HVAC and appliance noises, as well as dog barks.
Creating a great room for home audio recording would require a bit of construction work. Remember that sound travels through solid material as well as through air. You'd need an elevated floor built on rubber pucks. You'd also need walls and a ceiling built inside your room that contains a load of insulation as well as an air gap. Don't forget to make sure the air vents are bigger than they need to be so they don't make noise, or you’d better be willing to turn off the heat and air conditioning before you start recording. Also, make sure that all electric is plugged into outlets that are on the same power phase to avoid electrical hum.
Lastly, to create a truly "quiet" room you'll also need to make sure that the floors and chairs don’t squeak. (There was a vocal track recently that had to re-record because there were too many floorboard squeaks in the track.)
What am I really hearing? -
That’s the question. If you have no accurate way to playback a mix, how do you know what you are actually recording. You’re rolling the dice. That's why you have a professional engineer in a recording studio. It's the job of the engineer to make sure that what is being recorded is accurate and will translate well to the final product. To do this at home means that you'll need to find a place to listen to your recording, have a set of monitors that you understand, and know how they sound as well as how they interact with each other and the room. A professional studio's tuned control room will likely have a very short learning curve, whereas a home studio will take longer to identify what a good mix is supposed to sound like.
I'll fix it in the mix -
9 out of 10 times you won't. Get it right the first time.
Tweaking tones, editing, and mixing is fun and can be a creative process unto itself, but there may be times you find yourself battling the sound of the environment on your tracks.
When that happens, chances are the problem is how the tracks were recorded. When in doubt, move the mics. During a recent session with 30 Seconds to Mars, the guitar tone was a little too bright for the section we were recording. We could have just tried to fix it during the mix, but rather than hoping it was usable, a simple mic adjustment made all the difference, and it took only a few seconds to get it right.
If you find yourself making too many compromises, or you’re not able to achieve the sound you’re envisioning, it may be time to try something different… the room, the set-up, the mics, the gear, or all of the above… or call the studio 513 241-7475. I'll show you what can be done to improve the sound of your recordings.
A demo is different from a release -
Think of it this way. An artist who spent years sculpting a statue, would want everyone to see their true vision. They wouldn't want cracks or dents in it. They wouldn't want it to be discolored or misshapen. This is their hard work.
Your songs are an extension of who you are. Listeners will associate your track with your name. Why cheapen your name and song with a bad mix?
Musician's can often see through a bad mix, understand, and even appreciate the writing beneath. However, radio stations and what you hope will be your fan base can’t. Serve yourself, serve the song, repeat.
Written by: Adam Pleiman - Producer - Engineer - Composer
It's all about the Room -
Just like good coffee starts with clean water, a good recording starts with a quiet, isolated room. A good sounding room doesn't have to have foam all over the walls but it does need to be devoid of any odd sounding reverberations, echoes or slap back. Professional studio combat these issues by not having any parallel walls and occasionally having wall and ceiling treatments to diffuse the bouncing sound waves.
It doesn't hurt either to find a good way to block out all exterior noise like traffic, lawnmowers, and birds, and even interior sounds like HVAC and appliance noises, as well as dog barks.
Creating a great room for home audio recording would require a bit of construction work. Remember that sound travels through solid material as well as through air. You'd need an elevated floor built on rubber pucks. You'd also need walls and a ceiling built inside your room that contains a load of insulation as well as an air gap. Don't forget to make sure the air vents are bigger than they need to be so they don't make noise, or you’d better be willing to turn off the heat and air conditioning before you start recording. Also, make sure that all electric is plugged into outlets that are on the same power phase to avoid electrical hum.
Lastly, to create a truly "quiet" room you'll also need to make sure that the floors and chairs don’t squeak. (There was a vocal track recently that had to re-record because there were too many floorboard squeaks in the track.)
What am I really hearing? -
That’s the question. If you have no accurate way to playback a mix, how do you know what you are actually recording. You’re rolling the dice. That's why you have a professional engineer in a recording studio. It's the job of the engineer to make sure that what is being recorded is accurate and will translate well to the final product. To do this at home means that you'll need to find a place to listen to your recording, have a set of monitors that you understand, and know how they sound as well as how they interact with each other and the room. A professional studio's tuned control room will likely have a very short learning curve, whereas a home studio will take longer to identify what a good mix is supposed to sound like.
I'll fix it in the mix -
9 out of 10 times you won't. Get it right the first time.
Tweaking tones, editing, and mixing is fun and can be a creative process unto itself, but there may be times you find yourself battling the sound of the environment on your tracks.
When that happens, chances are the problem is how the tracks were recorded. When in doubt, move the mics. During a recent session with 30 Seconds to Mars, the guitar tone was a little too bright for the section we were recording. We could have just tried to fix it during the mix, but rather than hoping it was usable, a simple mic adjustment made all the difference, and it took only a few seconds to get it right.
If you find yourself making too many compromises, or you’re not able to achieve the sound you’re envisioning, it may be time to try something different… the room, the set-up, the mics, the gear, or all of the above… or call the studio 513 241-7475. I'll show you what can be done to improve the sound of your recordings.
A demo is different from a release -
Think of it this way. An artist who spent years sculpting a statue, would want everyone to see their true vision. They wouldn't want cracks or dents in it. They wouldn't want it to be discolored or misshapen. This is their hard work.
Your songs are an extension of who you are. Listeners will associate your track with your name. Why cheapen your name and song with a bad mix?
Musician's can often see through a bad mix, understand, and even appreciate the writing beneath. However, radio stations and what you hope will be your fan base can’t. Serve yourself, serve the song, repeat.
Written by: Adam Pleiman - Producer - Engineer - Composer
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