Recording Studio Podcast

In this episode we discuss training your ears! How do you do it? How long does it take? We talk about listening to organic live music and how live music relates to working in the studio with sound. Ear Training is an ongoing process as with learning any skill. Even the most experienced engineers and producers are always learning. Mark and Tom both share their experiences with growing and becoming better at working with audio.

In this episode Mark continues to discuss with Fernando Reyes about his career path leading up to assisting Michael Brauer at Electric Lady Studios. Mark asks about how Fernando's perspective has changed up to now, from when he was in school.  Fernando mentions that it's easy to take what you are shown and think that is the "only way" but it isn't. He also mentions that being able to make "tasteful" decisions in audio is a trait that many great mix engineers share. Fernando shares what his dream mixing setup would look like for his personal projects, considering he is assisting in an ALL ANALOG studio on a daily basis.

Tom and Mark talk about mixing and working in the digital realm. It all comes with it’s challenges. One of those challenges is the overwhelming amount of technical tasks we need to accomplish in order to do a single thing. Setting up the mix and your project template is imperative when streamlining your workflow. Communication with the client is #1. Communication with other people in the team (recording engineers, producers) is also a necessity. Organization within your DAW is important, meaning labeling your tracks and order correct track order. Asking for references and rough mixes from your client may help to understand their vision.

In this episode I interview professional drum tech and studio owner, isra Batista. In this Part 3 of 3, we talk about adding materials on the drum heads and is it good or bad. Putting materials on the drum heads and inside the drums not only changes the sound but the performers experience as well. What material are you are hitting the drums with? It all makes a difference. Microphones are normally subjective but I asked Isra what his favorite choices were for micing and recording drums.

In this episode we continue our interview with professional drum tech, Isra Batista. Listen to his perspectives on drum heads and how they affect the sound of the drum. Drum tuning is so important and to many, an unknown territory. Listen to how Isra breaks down his process and how he tunes drums. He also talks about the different materials and tricks that he uses to treat the surface of the drum.

In this episode Mark interview Isra Batista, studio owner, engineer, producer, drummer and drum tech.  Isra talks about how he grew into being a drum tech and shares his opinions on what makes great drum sounds starting at the source.

Mark and Tom continue the conversation about microphone choice and types.  They discuss specific scenarios where you may choose a certain type of microphone or position.

Tom and Mark talk about the process of choosing microphones for recording.  Do you choose a condenser or a dynamic microphone?  What's the difference? Will the wrong mic affect the project negatively or does it even matter?  What other factors in the room and with the instrument do we take into consideration when recording?

Mark interviews Fernando Reyes, assistant to mix engineer Michael Brauer (Coldplay, etc.).  Fernando's road to success started in Peru and brought him to Florida where he went to school for Audio.  It was through school that he discovered his passion for mixing.  After school Fernando moved to New York to pursue his dream to work in a studio. Listen as Mark and Fernando talk about his journey and find out what it took for him to go from no audio experience, to working along side one of the world's most sought out mixing engineers.

Mark and Tom discuss surround sound, virtual reality, and the different emerging ways of experiencing audio. VR games and other types of environments allow us create music and even learn how operate gear in a virtual environment! The digital domain makes most of this possible, but do we miss or want anything from the analog world? Analog gave us the kinesthetic experience with faders, knobs, and a lack of visuals to guide us.Do the technical aspects of digital embrace or hinder our creativity?  

Mark and Tom Talk about their experiences with the technology we use to record and make music.  They will describe how music changed in their world plus what advantages and disadvantages changes brought to the process of making music. Where did all of this come from?  Where did it start?  How far have we come on this crazy adventure of making music in the modern era? Listen to their thoughts on how mixing evolved from the basic arrangement concepts of the orchestra, and how digital technology is making things we never thought possible a reality.  

In this episode, Mark and Tom continue their discussion about the drum recording process. They talk about the evolution of the drum sound, creative and technical decisions when miking drums, miking techiniques, plus some of their favorite microphones when recording drums. How do drum recordings differ now versus 40 years ago? Why choose certain microphones versus others? What different approaches and schools of thought do people use when recording drums?

Tom and Mark continue the conversation about Drum Pre Production and what happens before the microphone when planning for a drum recording. Tuning may seem tedious but being aware of it and it’s effects on your drum sound is the first step to becoming great at drum recording and production. Treating the drum is a big part of drum recording and pre-production that many new engineers and producers do not realize is necessary when getting “that sound”. The Room is a huge factor but why?  Does the perfect room work every time?  Can I use a less than adequate room and still get a great recording? Listen to part 2 of 3 and get Mark and Tom’s perspectives and what they look at and listen for when planning to record drums! Enjoy!

Producers and engineers all love great live drum sounds! Do you have a project coming up where live drums are involved? Do you want to know about what happens BEFORE the microphone? Episode #6 is Part 1 of 3 about Drum Pre-Production! Mark and Tom discuss their views about going into a production where a great live drum sound is desired and some of the details you may want to consider to help get that amazing drum sound!

A great way to understand mixing is to have an engineer/producer open up a mix and show their techniques. Tom Camp shows how he built a lush soundscape that immerses the listener into the magic of the song. Tom Camp opens up the mix to “This Is Our City” a song by Drew Williams. The production was recorded and mixed by Tom Camp and Mark Barrie. Enjoy!

In today's episode, Tom and Mark discuss metering and its importance in gain staging.

In today's episode, we discuss gates!

In today's episode, Tom & Mark discuss compression, what it is, and different compression techniques.  Compression is one of the most confusing and important elements to mixing. Be sure to subscribe and rate us on iTunes. To learn more about recording, check out Tom's website Digital Recording School.

In today's episode, we discuss the ins and outs of using EQ.  You'll learn about the following topics: Boosting vs. cutting EQ The differences between coloration EQ and utility EQ How gain structure and gain staging effects EQ (and destroys your mix) Low end EQ problems High and Low pass filters to clean up a mix Understanding the EQ relationship between instruments in your mix EQ masking EQing in solo vs in the full mix Tools that will help you EQ Mixing mid range EQ in terms of stereo vs mono   For more information on gain staging, download Tom's book The Gain Changer here.