Commentary

The video to is show the top 3 compression mistakes when you are trying to make music, so that you can avoid them. Although, compression is great for songs it can also mess up the entire song if done wrong. The first mistake is using too fast on an attack time, which means the compressors is telling the audio to go through to fast. The second mistake is having too low of a threshold which means the volume is not getting compressed high enough. The final mistake is trusting the preset on the threshold, which means instead of trying to change things just leave the settings the way they are.

Key Takeaways:

• Using too fast of an attack time can cause compression mistakes.
• Using too low of a threshold can cause compression mistakes.
• Trusting preset threshold and gain settings can cause compression mistakes.

“Mixing with compression is critical to getting a good sounding mix, and yet there are so many ways to screw it up!”

http://therecordingrevolution.com/top-3-compression-mistakes/

This article outlines a couple techniques that can be used to create stereo music automations or transitions. The focus apparently leans towards instrumentals, but is likely applicable to all genres. It is part of a large series of articles of recommendations on how to shape the music that you edit or create.

Key Takeaways:

• The first trick I’ll mention is one of the oldest in the book and dates from the first stereo mixes. Its principle couldn’t be simpler: it basically consists in constraining the stereo width of the verses and then letting the dogs loose during the verses.
• The second automation trick linked directly to the structure of a song is the processing of breaks as separate entities. It’s pretty common to apply specific effects to these sections to highlight their role as musical transitions.
• To finish, here’s a more subtle but just as effective trick: temporarily EQing the highs at the beginning of a section, usually a chorus. Increasing a dB in the highs with a shelving filter at the beginning of a section is a frequently used technique to add some oomph to it.

“The second automation trick linked directly to the structure of a song is the processing of breaks as separate entities.”

http://en.audiofanzine.com/recording-mixing/editorial/articles/handling-intro-verse-chorus-transitions-with-automation.html

It can be difficult to highlight background instruments without overwhelming the main focus. Fortunately, there are methods you can use to do so. The first method is to raise the volume of the instrument during the first bar it plays, and then reduce the volume back down. The listener will remain aware of the instrument. Another method is to slowly pan the instrument, which will draw just enough attention from the listener. Lastly, you could fade the instrument in sooner or fade it out more slowly than the other elements, which will make the listener more attentive.

Key Takeaways:

• First of all, the fact that an instrument is not meant to take center stage doesn’t mean it should disappear completely.
• But how can you achieve that with automation without stepping on the feet of the true stars of your mix?
• For a “supporting” instrument to stay in the mind of the listener, it just needs to wave the hand for an instant.

“For a “supporting” instrument to stay in the mind of the listener, it just needs to wave the hand for an instant.”

http://en.audiofanzine.com/recording-mixing/editorial/articles/highlighting-background-instruments.html

This article is about the new features available in the latest version of Ableton Live.It is a tutorial walkthrough of the newest elements of an industry standard peice of software. It is not a comprehensive tutorial, as creating such a listing would be a massive undertaking, but it is an excellent place to begin the journey of understanding Ableton Live.

Key Takeaways:

• You can create great-sounding dynamic drum fills
• Any time you have clips running in your set, in any display view that includes track names, the Push display will show a small playback-progress bar for each track.
• Ableton has addressed this, as the Push Record button is now view-dependent.

“Similarly, any time you have clips running in your set, in any display view that includes track names, the Push display will show a small playback-progress bar for each track.”

http://www.musictech.net/2017/01/ableton-live-9-7-step-by-step/

You can believe it! It’s possible to get studio quality headphones for less than $50-$60. In fact you can choose from 8 different brands – five famous name brands like Sony and Audio-Technica and 3 you may not have ever heard of like Tascam and Lyx, but definitely worth checking out. Better quality at lower prices can be found if you know where to look.

The list includes these headphones:

• Sennheiser HD202 II
• Audio Technica ATH-M20x
• Sony MDR-7502
• Samson SR850
• Presonus HD7
• Tascam TH02-B
• Behringer HPS3000
• Lyx Pro HAS-10

Key Takeaways:

• Because unfortunately, many of the top headphones in this category are relatively unknown, and few folks have heard of them.
• And as you might expect, and as most reviews will confirm, they aren’t quite as great as the 7506, but there is definitely a clear resemblance to its bigger brother.
• As the first and only true open back design on this list, it is the obvious choice for critical listening applications such as mixing.

“Audio Technica is a brand that seems to specialize in building quality headphones at low, low prices.”

https://ehomerecordingstudio.com/good-cheap-headphones/