Getting the EQ for your bass line to sound just right can take patience. It’s not just about boosting the frequencies you want to hear more of and cutting the frequencies you want less of. Other tricks to EQ, like boosting the harmonic multiples of the frequency, can help with the overall sound of a track.
You can read the details about using harmonics with EQ here: http://www.audio-issues.com/music-mixing/eq-bass-harmonics/
Recording Tips and Techniques
Drum Inspiration From Classic Rock
Knowing that a drum set at the hands of Neil Peart or Keith Moon can sound like magic may not be very useful to an audio engineer. Having a set of clear, objective qualities to try and emulate, either in the studio or while mixing, can be tremendously more helpful than just asking for the percussion to “sound more classic”.
You can read more here: http://audio.tutsplus.com/articles/general/essential-listening-the-sound-of-rock-drums/
Creativity And Technical Know-How
Making your tracks technically right, with all the right software and settings, is an admirable goal. Be careful not to lose sight of your creativity. Many of the technical aspects of music will influence its perceived quality (i.e. a song may not sound “right” to an untrained ear, even without any objective criticisms), but if the creativity is lacking, the complaints may be much more strongly worded.
You can read more about it here: http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/01/28/why-creativity-trumps-technicality/
Mixing Time Management
The fine details of mixing shouldn’t be neglected, but how often do you start doing detailed work on a track before you’ve gotten all of the big-picture work done? By starting with the big-picture work, you’re getting a much better start on the finer details that will need polishing later in the process.
You can read more tips here: http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/01/25/get-better-mixes-by-going-for-the-big-wins/
Knowledge Is Power
Improving your equipment is a great way to improve your final product. Unfortunately, fancy new gear will do no more for your skills as an audio engineer than a new piano will make you a pianist. If you have the resources available to invest in high quality equipment, go for it. Those pieces may actually save you money in the long run since you will be able to get more life out of them than some of the cheaper alternatives. The most efficient way to improve your product is to improve your skills, and often that only costs time.
You can read the full article here: http://www.audio-issues.com/keeping-track/skills-first-equipment-second/