Common advice is to “gain stage” your tracks by calibrating them to -18. People often leave out whether they mean -18 dBFS or -18 dBVU, both of which would yield vastly different levels depending on the source material. But why choose a calibration point to begin with? Here’s Matthew Weiss from The Pro Audio Files describing the differences between VU … Read More
Task Consolidation
In this 3 part series, I discuss ADHD friendly workflow strategies for audio engineers. But why the focus on ADHD? It’s been said that those with ADHD can be excellent at spotting ways to improve efficiency. As someone who lives with ADHD, I’ve often looked for ways to reducing the mental energy necessary to complete a given task. This has … Read More
Task Automation
This post discusses workflow strategies that are very ADHD friendly, devised from my own research into managing my adult ADHD. If you don’t have ADHD, you should stick around and read anyway. It can be said that the non-linear thinking of the ADHD brain is well suited at enhancing workflow due to the structures and systems we tend to put … Read More
How To Strengthen DI’s Played With A Weak Picking Hand
For the metal engineers. There’s a lot of hate for it, and a common belief that you can’t get a ballsy metal guitar tone if rhythm guitarist is picking softly. This causes the transients to have less attack. When a rhythm guitarist picks really hard into a high gain amp, the tone has a sharper transient. This extra strong transient … Read More
Mic Placement As An Art, Not A Science.
I see a lot of questions on various discussion groups asking how to best mic specific instruments. Many of the answers will be a mixed bag of various techniques, all of which are valid and should be absorbed into your bag of tricks. But they are all quite different from one another, and will yield different results. Which one is … Read More
5 Plugins To Celebrate Dynamic Range Day!
Dynamic Range Day 2018 is upon us! To celebrate, here’s a list of my 5 favorite tools to help retain the dynamics of a mix and master! 5. ONE (IK Multimedia) IK Multimedia’s “ONE” is super simple, takes the guess work out of mastering, and gets you good results quickly. The on board metering is excellent for keeping the dynamics … Read More
How To Communicate With Musicians
As a live sound tech I interact with a lot of musicians, from seasoned professionals to amateurs playing their first gig. One thing remains constant regardless of the experience level of the performers, is that good communication helps make a good show. This article will be in two main parts: tips for technicians and tips for performers. Before that I’ll start … Read More