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Archive for Audio Mixing

Mixing is where all the musical spices of the music recipe come together. As in cooking, if the balance is just right the results are a sonic delicacy. I don’t know why I’m using cooking references here, but my point is that, to me, mixing is where the track really comes to life. Inside Audio Mixing we have lots of articles to help you get the most out of your mixes.

Logic’s Pitch Correction plugin. Is it too simple?

An all inclusive audio resort

I love Logic. It comes with everything. From synths to samplers to loops to drum machines to a ton of plugins. One of it's best, and I'll assume underutilized, is its plugin for Pitch Correction. If you're confused by this tools ultra simple interface you are not alone.

That's so simple it just might work!

The  plugin interface is so simple that I thought it can't possibly be a "real" pitch correction tool. When I first opened it I wasn't sure what to make of it. It has a piano keyboard layout, a couple of buttons and that's it. So I of course headed over to YouTube to try and find a video about it and discovered that the guys over at Gearwire created a great six minute tutorial that outlines the plugin nicely.

Click below to see other GearWire videos...

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Engineer Rafa Sardina relies on Focusrite

Rafa Sardina with his Focusrite ISA8028 mic preamps

Rafa Sardina with his Focusrite ISA8028 mic preamps

From MixOnline.com

Focusrite reports that Grammy Award–winning Los Angeles-based engineer/producer Rafa Sardina (pictured) relies on the company's ISA Range of modules for production work in his studio, After Hours. His collection includes a rack of eight classic ISA110 modules from a Focusrite Studio console, and he recently acquired an ISA828 8-channel microphone preamp.

"My first encounters with Focusrite were with the Studio console at Ocean Way,” Sardina says. “I had quite a lot of experience in working on that board, and I was very fortunate to work in other studios that had them."

Sardina's client list includes Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Luis Miguel, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Paco de Lucía, and Alejandro Sanz. His diverse work covers everything from pop to R&B, to classical recordings and movie soundtracks.

Read the entire article here.

Leave a comment and let's start a conversation.

The Monthlies – Come on Eileen

For about two years now I've been working with a fantastic LA based indie/pop band named The Monthlies. Over the past few weeks we've been putting the finishing touches on their upcoming EP titled "Horror Flick", which will include a very cool version of Dexys Midnight Runner's 'Come on Eileen'. If you search YouTube for this song you will see that several groups have covered it, but most versions are similar to the original. Not this one!

The Monthlies, in doing what they do best, have put their own unique spin on this 80's pop standard. I won't say much about what you're going to hear other than if you are expecting an updated rehashing of the Dexys version you're in for a big surprise. We hope you enjoy The Monthlies version of 'Come on Eileen' and please leave a comment below if you'd like to share your thoughts with the band.

[audio:Come_on_Eileen_web.mp3|titles=The Monthlies - Come on Eileen]

The Monthlies are...
Wes O'lee - Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Jana Bonderman - Lead Guitar
Chris Hall - Bass, Backing Vocals
Nick Miller - Drums

If you like what you hear check out their MySpace page for more songs and a video of their last single, Hip Girl.

Waves Vocal Rider – Genius or just plain lazy?

Waves Vocal RiderSo Waves came out with a new plug-in called Vocal Rider and I have one question.

  • Is this plug-in really necessary?

I guess this may work well in the broadcast world, but they're pitching it as a mix tool for vocals. To me that means mixing, as in mixing music. Does anyone else feel that the engineer who uses this plug-in is just plain lazy?

Maybe I'm a little irked because a HUGE part of mixing a song with vocals, especially a lead vocal, is the human placement of the vocal within the track. That requires listening to all the parts of the arrangement and finding the best place for the vocal as the song progresses from beginning to end. That requires feel and emotion from the mix engineer. Can you get that from a plug-in?

Then again, maybe the real reason I so annoyed is because this could potentially put me out of a job. It's like the Ronco Rotisserie of audio - "just set it and forget it".

To me, I think this may be the laziest plug-in ever created. What do you all think? Feel free to leave a comment below.

You can read a description of Vocal Rider on the Electronic Musician web site.

(Side note: I actually have the Ronco Rotisserie and it is awesome! If this plug-in produces the same results I'm screwed.)

The concept of FREE.

free_sign

It may not be glaringly obvious, but my real mission right now is to help musical artists launch their careers. I want to help musicians who don't have much experience or much money get a better handle on their sound. Since I'm not a manager or agent or record executive my role is to help you make higher quality sounding records. As I read the three sentences above I noticed one word that keeps popping up. That word is "help". Musicians, I want to help you. Really. That's it. So what am I getting at you ask?  I want to talk to you about the concept of FREE.

Chris Anderson, Editor In Chief at WIRED magazine, came out with a book this week titled Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business. But that's not what I'm writing about, yet it is what I'm writing about. Here's my point.

I have offered my services to many, many people for free. FREE! And only a handful of people are willing to take advantage of this offer. Why is that?

I know I'm no Pensado, Maserati, Lord-Alge (Chris or Tom), Marroquin or Tan. But unless you've worked with me and had a really bad experience why wouldn't you take advantage of a free offer? I have to admit that I've only offered this at my place of business - about 1,200 people - but there are A LOT of musicians there yet most do not reply to my ad. So I'm wondering, do most people see free as being synonymous with cheap? If I posted an ad for $75 mastering per song do you think I would get more replies?

What do you think?

Izotope Ozone 4 kicks arse!

In case you are not familiar with Izotope Ozone it's a mastering processing suite made by Izotope. As I just stated, it's made for mastering, but I use it all the time on an insert on channels when I'm mixing.  This app is so sweet and for only $250, in my opinion, it's a steal. You can read all about it and download a fully functioning demo from Izotope.com.

Ozone 4

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