Author Archive
22 Nov 2016
Reference Tracks: The Home Studio’s Secret Weapon
If you’re like me (or really, almost anyone with a home recording studio), you probably want the music coming out of your studio to sound like, and stand up to, the music you hear on iTunes, Spotify, and the radio. I get it, but if you’re not actually referencing that sort of music while you’re
31 Oct 2016
The Way You Think About Plugin Presets Is Broken (And How To Fix It)
I mentioned in last week’s article that I have a love-hate relationship with plugin presets. There are times they can really help me out, and others when they’re the worst thing about DAW mixing. Let’s break that down a bit and talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly. We’ll start with… The Ugly
28 Oct 2016
Two Dead Simple Ways To Record Acoustic Guitar
When I was first starting to record my own music, one of the more difficult instruments (for me) was recording acoustic guitar. I would rather omit the acoustic from my songs (or worse – plug the acoustic in and record a DI). If you’re having trouble recording your acoustic guitar, I want to give you
21 Oct 2016
5 Ways To Get Out Of Your Own Way In Your Home Studio
I’ll be the first to admit: I can be a pretty lazy fellow. Filed under first world problems: it’s just so much work to set up a mic, check levels, and even *gasp* record a take. I get it. Automation can be time consuming. Setting up new tracks, sends, mics, instruments. I wish I had
22 Sep 2016
Recording With Intent
We live in a world of near-infinite track counts. It’s all too easy to record 16 vocal harmonies, 32 guitar tracks, and 50 different synth sounds. Maybe you’ve read an article or heard an interview from some A-listers, be they musicians, producers, or engineers. Often, they’ll mention a project they recently worked on, and they