Make better music now

Do you own a lot of recording equipment? If not, do you wish you did? Do you spend your evenings and time sitting on the John pouring over the latest Sweetwater or Musicians Friend catalog? I know I have. Don’t be ashamed. It all looks so darn cool doesn’t it?! And heck, these days you can actually afford a lot of it thanks to this recording revolution we are living in.

But what of the gear you own (and even use) do you really need to make quality music in your home studio? Do you need all of your microphones? Preamps? Probably not. Now don’t blow me off just yet. I know what you might be thinking. “This question is irrelevant because of course I don’t need everything. It’s just nice to have choice.” Fair enough. But I have a hypothesis. All that gear in your studio might just be weighing you down. The more stuff you have, the less productive you’re bound to become.

If There Were a Fire…

One day when I was young, I remember a friend’s mother telling me how much she loved her photo albums. They were of great value to her as she appreciated all the memories they brought back. She told me something I still remember to this day, “Graham, if there were a fire in our house, my photo albums would be the one thing I’m sure to grab.”

If there were a fire in your house or studio, what of your equipment that you could carry would you grab and run? If you knew you only had a few moments to grab the most important elements of your studio what would they be? Here is what I would grab, in order of importance: my iMac, Digi 002 rack, some AKG headphones, and my trusty Behringer B1.  It would be a heavy handful, but those four items are all I need to make great music.

What You Really Need

Take a closer look at what I chose. My computer (including software, obviously), my audio interface, headphones, and one microphone. Minus some cables and a stand, that is all you need to record great music. I’ve written about it a few times already, but it doesn’t take much to put together a top notch signal chain. If that’s the case, why then do we keep adding to our arsenal? Why do we keep buying stuff if what we have already gets the job done?

There are some legitimate times when we need a certain product or piece of gear to do something that you can’t do with your current setup, no problem. But what I want you and I to be absolutely clear on is knowing what we truly need in our studio and then using it like crazy. Get the most value out of your software, your audio interface, and your microphones. Practically speaking, learn more about your DAW and all the features it offers. Use your interfaces built in mic pres instead of acting like they are garbage. Make sure you actually know good mic placement technique before you accuse your $100 mic of giving you bad recordings.

If you want to make better recordings in your home studio then trust me on this…don’t get caught up in the hype telling you to buy more stuff. Buy what you need, but then get on with what got you into this in the first place, your love for music.

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Interested in more tips on how to mentally approach the art of home recording and get to making better music, faster? Download my free eBook The #1 Rule of Home Recording at the top right of this page!

Sometimes when working on an album or series of songs you tend to mix with some similar plugin settings. For instance, your kick drum may have been recorded the exact same for each song. Therefor any tweaks you needed to do on it for one song may very well be needed for all the songs. Instead of having to remember what EQ curve you tweaked for the kick in one session wouldn’t it be nice if you had saved a custom preset in your EQ plugin that you could recall in a separate session? Heck yes it would! And you can. Here’s how:

Save Your Current Setting

What ever settings you have your plugin set to, this is what you are going to capture as a preset. Click on the drop down menu in the Presets section of the plugin window and choose Save Setting.

Give your “new setting” a name. Try to name it something practical that you’ll recognize when you see it later. Try to be as specific as you can also. Click Save and you’re done. Pro Tools has automatically placed your new setting in the correct folder for that plugin.

Recall Your New Custom Preset

Now when you want to apply that custom preset to a new track (even in a new session) you can simply open the plugin, click on the factory default button, and BOOM! there’s your brand spankin’ new preset ready and waiting for you to open it up. Select it and watch your plugin settings change to your custom preset.

Imagine The Possibilities

With custom plugin presets in Pro Tools, your possibilities are limitless. You can save custom delay settings for vocals, EQ effects for guitars, even mix bus compressor settings ready to be recalled at a moments notice. Remember, the more time you save in Pro Tools mumbo jumbo, the more time you get for making music. And isn’t that what this is all about anyways?

What you can do in a home studio these days is limitless. Technology and mass competition have driven prices of gear down and opened up new opportunities for music making, removing the excuses. With just a simple $500 studio (or even the $300 version) you take your ideas to finished product, and have it sound fantastic!

One thing though may still be dogging you…how to get great drums on your songs when you yourself are not a drummer. Many times we can turn to virtual drummers and plugins, but what about if you want real drum tracks for your songs? I may have just the solution for you…

SilverLake Studio

SilverLake Studio (www.silverlakestudio.com) is an online collaborative studio focusing on delivering custom, proffesional drum tracks to songwriters and recording artists. The studio is owned and operated by Travis Whitmore, a talented drummer who has recorded for and toured professionally with artists such as Matt Brouwer and Sawyer Brown, while sharing the stage with Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, Pat McGee, and the list goes on. Here in Travis’ own words is what you can expect from a collaborative project with SilverLake Studio.

The sole purpose and inspiration of putting together the studio was to offer custom, online drum and percussion tracks to musicians, artists, bands, etc. This is possible through easy file transfer and studio collaboration.  What I’ve learned throughout this process, is that there are an unbelievable amount of talented musicians and songwriters creating great music, within the comforts of their home.  Home studios are becoming more and more attainable and affordable.

What I’ve noticed, however, is that the majority of songwriters and musicians that are recording their tunes are missing one thing: a live drummer. The reason for this, is that it’s super easy and affordable to record amazing sounding music with affordable technology and digital software – but it’s not as easy and affordable to lug a bunch of drums into the bedroom. Even if you do – you’ve got reflections, room acoustics, etc to deal with. Additionally, to hire a studio drummer to cart their gear to a traditional studio, set up, tear down, go through the tunes…etc – It defeats the purpose of having a home studio in the first place! Then you start thinking about hourly rates and cartage for the session guy to do the gig.

So – what happens next is the musician, home studio owner, etc – begins laying down their own drum tracks through the MIDI keyboard, virtual drums plug-ins, loop creations, etc.  Granted, these drum plugins are fun and fairly easy to use, and sound great! So why not use them right? Well, the problem I have with this (biased here being that I’m a drummer) – is that most of the time (not all of the time) – these drum parts might sound pretty cool, but they are noticeably and obviously virtual drums.

The second thing that happens is that you begin the ‘humanizing’ process.  Hours are spent on these virtual drums making them sound like they actually have soul.  So, that’s where I come in.  I work directly with the individual to create custom drums and/or percussion tracks for the song.  Why me?  Because I care about the music.  I don’t get off on playing as busy as I can, or showing off my best drum roll – I take my time with the song and work directly with the artist to determine the best direction for the song. If you’re not happy with it – money back, done deal.

Just What The Doctor Ordered

For some of you this may be just what you’re looking for. Why not check out Travis’ site and see if he’d be a good fit on your next project. I can tell you one thing, having spent some time playing music with this guy back when I lived in Virginia, this guy is the real deal on drums. Talented, precise, but tastefully musical. He’s a great guy to boot.

Recording drums well is a challenge. Even if you’ve done it successfully in the past, it always takes a long time to get things sounding just right when compared to something “easier” like tracking bass direct, or miking up a guitar amp. There are a million ways to record drums, and a million more drum sounds people tend to like, so my advice here on one hand is purely subjective. This is how I personally like to record drums. On the other hand there are some universal tips that will help you in capturing a rockin’ drum sound no matter what style you’re going for. Enjoy the video!

So I just got back from a brief recording session up in Richmond, VA over the weekend. There’s an amazing church there with a stellar worship band. These guys wanted to record an EP of some of their original music and had been kicking the idea around for a while. When they called me in for the job, I was immediately excited because I knew it would be a great project from the beginning.

But here was the catch…they wanted to record 6 songs full band (including keys and viola!) in just 2 days. Additionally we were recording in the lead guitarists house, not a “studio”, so there would inevitably be acoustic challenges. In the end it was a fast paced weekend that proved to be highly successful and a ton of fun. Here a few lessons that solidified in my mind from this project about how to get a lot of productivity in a short amount of time…in addition to keeping the coffee brewing!

Know Your Music

The guys (and gals) in the band knew their music. Many of the songs were freshly written and sparsely played at that point, but each member had their parts down and were aware of the entire arrangement and desired vibe for each track. This is the number one reason we were able to get so much done in 48 hours.

If you want to have a great recording session, make sure you come to play. If you have your parts down then you can focus more on tone and performance. This will help tremendously when you go to push “Record”. Plus the final product just sounds that much more intentional.

Know Your Band Mates

If you are recording with a band or with other studio musicians, things will roll a lot faster and smoother if you have a solid rapport with everyone. These guys loved and appreciated everyone in the band to the point that they were constantly encouraging each other and pushing one another to deliver their absolute best when the red light went on. This made my job as a producer much easier as there was built in motivation for every person in the room.

Know Your Limits

The recording process is unique, as every element of your playing and singing ability is put on display and like a microscope you are analyzed from top to bottom, with perfection as the usual goal. It tends to make people at best nervous, and at worst petrified to the point of being rendered useless. One huge hurdle to overcome is humility about your ability. Know the limits of what you can and can’t do.

If you are a rhythm guitar player who can’t really play lead, don’t try to be a lead guitarist. If you can’t rock a double kick drum pedal, then forget about it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ever stretch yourself. What I am saying however, is that having some realistic awareness of what you bring to the recording will save everyone a lot of time and frustration. Just get in there and do what you do best. That’s all that is required of you.

Know What You Want

At the end of the day, the only way to be productive in the studio is to have a vision in your head for what you want as a musician (or band) and then to work diligently to that end. I asked the singer (and leader) of the band this weekend to prioritize the songs in order of importance should we run out of time to record all six songs. He knew exactly what order to go in and what elements to focus on. This helped us stay on task and just keep moving.

If we were just winging it and trying things for the sake of being creative in the studio, we probably would have only completed 2 or 3 songs. Not a horrible thing, but not the best case scenario either. In the end, these guys came in ready to make a six song EP a reality, despite the odds not looking in our favor. Things panned out quite nicely!

So I keep getting asked the same question by readers and YouTube subscribers, “How do you process your vocals in a mix?” Or put this way, “What plugins do you use to get your sound?” Since that is a subjective topic, I figured the best way to handle it was to do a video showing you my way of mixing vocals. There is no right or wrong here people. That’s what I love about music, the freedom to create sounds that YOU enjoy.

There are however some helpful things to keep in mind if you want your mixes, and specifically your vocals, to translate well in the real world. Hopefully this video will get you on your way to rockin’ vocal bliss! Enjoy.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about Melodyne, the fantastic pitch correction (and manipulation) software from Celemony, and how I believe it to be the best way to touch up vocals. We had a healthy debate brewing about pitch correction, in general, over on my Facebook fan page and some interesting comments surfaced. Today I want to briefly touch on this debate and let you decide for yourself whether or not pitch correction is “cheating.”

The Argument Against It

One person, Monique, argued on my post that any kind of pitch correction is cheating. “As a vocalist/musician, Auto Tune and Melodyne should just go away. I believe it is offensive to all real musicians who have been working on their craft.” This sentiment is shared by many people, and I understand why.

Pitch correction software (and hardware) has enabled some vocalists who would potentially struggle in having consistently in tune performances to hang with those “more talented” than themselves. In a way (the argument goes) it removes the need for a lot of practice as well as the challenge of nailing a vocal take in the studio. I can identify with that last point, and in fact I wrote about it in my eBook The #1 Rule of Home Recording. I firmly believe that all the technology afforded us these days has a tendency to make us “lazy” when recording. We lose a sense of urgency and focus because heck, we can record a million more takes or “fix” it later…right?

Like Monique mentions, performing as a musician, even in the studio, is a craft that takes time to hone. If pitch correction makes us progressively more lazy, then music will inevitably suffer.

The Argument For It

On that same Facebook post, many fans were quick to defend pitch correction and gave a slew of reasons. “[Pitch correction]“, Joe says “is no more cheating than using reverb. Or should we all just record in a cavern to get that pure reverb effect?” Toby mentions, “After-the-fact pitch correction is a legitimate time-saving tool that allows for great performances without fussing over a few suspect pitches.”

As I mentioned on Facebook, I believe that there are primarily two reasons anyone would (and should) use pitch correction: to subtly correct pitch, or as an effect. Seems obvious, but here’s the point.

Everyone Needs A Little Help

Even the best musician needs some help in the studio. Whether you realize it or not, right now, in studios all across the world, top talent performances are being edited. What I mean is, drum fills are being tightened a bit, bass lines are being cleaned up, stray guitar hits are being pasted over. It’s a fact of life in the recording process. Even before digital recording, editing was happening. If it were that easy to record everything perfect, every time, there would be no need to edit at all!

But there is no conspiracy in having to edit a recording. It’s simply making it sound the best it can. We do it with movies, photographs, word documents, radio broadcasts, so why not with music? When when I have a vocalist in the studio and he or she is laying down some great takes of the lead but misses a note or two, I can be confident (and grateful) that Melodyne exists because I can keep that fantastic performance with it’s tone and emotional appeal, and then simply tighten up those stray notes so it’s not a distraction to the lyrics.

Using It Creatively

Then there’s the whole other reason to use pitch correction software, as an effect! Despite programs like Auto Tune being invented to fix a problem, it can be used instead to make an obvious (and non-human) effect. One that has clearly gained popularity over the years. If that’s what you’re going for, then I don’t see any reason to debate. It’s no different than using a chorus, phaser, or auto filter effect.

Decide For Yourself…And Then Move On

At the end of the day don’t spend much more than 20 minutes debating pitch correction…then make a decision and get back to creating great music. Melodyne and Auto Tune are simply tools. If you need them (or want them) then use them. If not, great…one less thing you need to purchase!

There is no right or wrong with pitch correction, as one of my readers mentioned on that post: “Perhaps this is more of a matter of doing what’s appropriate than a good vs. bad debate,” Akshay says. “For example, Damien Rice would sound a little strange with Auto Tune. It would detract from the raw and unfiltered mojo many have come to love. Auto Tune can have merit when utilized with artistic intention. When all is said and done, you have to do what is appropriate for the music.”

When you start working in Pro Tools for any length of time you’ll most likely find yourself reaching for an EQ and compressor on virtually every song you mix. And if you’re like me you tend to stick with one go-to EQ and compressor instead of changing it up a lot. Not that this takes a whole lot of time to digging for your main plugs, but Pro Tools has a setting that allows you to choose your default EQ and compressor which makes them much easier to find and will save you some precious time in the long run. Let’s take look at this quick optimization.

We Start With The Preferences

Simply head up to the Setup menu, click and choose Preferences. Once the Preferences dialog box opens, click on the Mixing tab and look in the top left section of the box labeled “Setup”.

You’ll notice drop down boxes next to Default EQ and Default Dynamics. Any EQ or compressor/limiter you have installed in Pro Tools will show up here. Simply choose a plugin for each category and click OK.

Quick Access

Now, any time you insert a plugin on a track, your chosen default EQ and compressor will show up in the menu just above your plugin categories. You don’t even need to go digging for them in their respective folder.

Talk about convenient! Just another way to save time in Pro Tools and focus more energy on making music instead of messing with software!

Just before January 1st I wrote a post about setting some New Year’s REVolutions. In that article I suggested you focus on three areas of change this year: not buying gear without writing new music to warrant it, learning to use the bundled plugins in your DAW, and being open to critique. We are now through the first quarter of 2010 so I thought it would be a good time to do a 3 month check up to evaluate how we’re doing with those changes and to offer some encouragement and advice.

What is your Cost Per Song?

Since January 1st, how much of your hard earned cash (you did earn it, right?) have you dropped on recording equipment/software? Did you spend $100? $200? $500? How many songs have you written or produced since January 1st? One? Two? Five? If you spent $100 so far and have written 3 songs, then you’re songs are costing you $33 to write and produce. If you’ve spend $500 and written 2 songs, then you’re spending $250 a song. Big difference.

Granted if the purchases come to a halt and you keep making music, your cost per song goes way down. That is a good thing! But as most of us know, it’s way easier to buy gear than it is to write music so we tend to just spend spend spend, thinking we are working towards growing our studio and hopefully allowing for more music making (and potentially better music making) in the future.

If that sounds like you, stop now. Don’t spend another penny until you can justify it with making more music. You have to break the habit!

How many EQs does it take to mix your songs?

You know the old joke, “How many (fill in the blank) does it take to change a light bulb?” Well 3 months in to music making in 2010, how many EQs and compressors are you using in your mixes? Are you just throwing around plugins left and right? Do you know your stock plugins any better than you did last year? I hope the answer is yes.

The only way to learn your plugins (and to stay away from spending more on additional ones) is to limit how many you reach for in a mix and just use the same few over and over again. Learn each parameter intimately. Tweak and listen. Doesn’t sound good? No problem, just change it and listen some more. Then rinse and repeat. No big secret here. These next 3 months, decide to just use one type EQ and compressor when you mix. 90 days from you will have a much better idea of how they operate and sound in your sessions.

Who has heard your work lately?

Have you shared your latest recordings with someone you trust? If not, what are you afraid of? There’s no reason to make music and not share it, especially if you want to get better at both songwriting and recording. If so, did you take their feedback into consideration? I hope so. I know it’s hard to put your self and your creativity out on the line, but if you never hear that you need improvement, then you’ll never improve and only YOU will think that you’re good.

If you’re reading this blog then you probably want to improve your craft, so I feel it’s safe to assume that you don’t think you’ve “arrived” as an artist or engineer. I know that I sure haven’t. I’m always trying to learn and improve. It’s not being weak, it’s being real. It’s being humble. It’s called caring about good music more than your ego.

How did your check up go?

So how did you do? Can I give you a bill of good health this quarter? Are you sticking to those revolutions? Make this the year that you change. Don’t be another gear junky. Don’t be another brand snob. Don’t be another all talk, no music, home studio owner. Draw a line in the sand and make it happen today!

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While you’re at it, why don’t you try the One Song One Month Challenge. It’s a simple 5 week challenge designed to walk you through building a song from the ground up. Some easy deadlines can go a long way to helping you be productive and creative!

Of all the plugins that musicians and engineers have at their disposal when working in a DAW, the compressor seems to be the most mysterious and misunderstood. I hear it all the time from friends and readers’ emails: What do all the different parameters mean? What should I use a compressor for? Should I use a compressor in my mix at all?

In this 2 part video I want to clear the confusion up. The compressor is a very powerful and useful effect, but only when you understand what it does and how to use that to your advantage. I hope you find this useful!