Becoming a great audio engineer, musician, or both is a lifelong process. Without any official finish line to cross, it can be difficult to see progress as your skills improve. One musician, Mr. Billy, set out to record, mix, and release 12 CDs over 12 months. Surely with that amount of work done in such a short amount of time there were some sacrifices in quality, but that isn’t necessarily bad. If you strive for absolute perfection in every single mix, it may have a negative effect on your work capacity or even your own personal learning curve.
You can read the full article here: http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/02/25/the-fastest-way-to-improve-your-engineering-songwriting-and-performing/
mixing
Using Headphones While Mixing
Mixing using headphones exclusively may not be ideal, but sometimes it’s the only option available. Whether it’s a sleeping baby, irritable neighbors, or just other occupants that would rather not hear your work throughout the day, there are plenty of reasons not to want to use a speaker system for mixing in your home studio. By using good quality headphones that are designed as a piece of audio equipment instead of a fashion accessory, you will be well on your way to producing great mixes.
You can read more about mixing with headphones, and some pitfalls to avoid, here: http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mixing-mastering/mixing-with-headphones/
Mixing Drums
I just read a terrific article – as in you should print it out and tape it to your wall – about drum mixing. Eric Ferguson wrote this article for Recording Magazine, and it is chock-full of really excellent mixing and processing tips for a standard drum kit. Recently, I wrote about EQ settings for kick and snare drums – Equalization On Kick and Snare Drums. The below article mentions EQ too, but goes much further, talking about setting up 2 stereo buses (see our article Creating Subgroups In Reaper and Pro Tools for what those are) to put different effects like compression and EQ on each.
I’m definitely going to be using these tips in the future.
Check it out here: http://www.recordingmag.com/resources/resourceDetail/130.html
Keep Your First Mix
Whether your current project is classical piano, pop-country, or dubstep, give yourself enough credit to keep your mixes. You may not realize it as you’re working, but it isn’t uncommon for one of the first few mixes to be the best. For example, Michael Jackson’s famous Billie Jean was mixed an astounding 91 times, yet after all of that work, mix number 2 is what made the cut. It’s commendable to want to improve and push your limits, but be careful that a desire to improve doesn’t transition into doubt over your current skill set.
You can read the full article here, and watch an excerpt of Bruce Swedien’s thoughts on the process that went into Billie Jean as well: http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/02/22/why-your-first-mix-is-likely-your-best-mix/
Reverb Mistakes To Avoid
Reverb can add a lot to a track, but it can also detract from a song just as easily. Common mistakes with reverb can be caused by inexperience, such as overuse of the effect, or even by incomplete information. There’s no need to buy the most expensive reverb you can find just because it sounds great and has good reviews. There’s a good chance that there is a much more affordable option available that will sound just as good.
You can read more here: http://www.audio-issues.com/music-mixing/reverb-mistakes