After acquiring quality gear and software, its time to learn how to use it. Another undertaking that can be daunting and confusing. There are hundreds of youtubers out there claiming to know what they are talking about, but how do you know what information is reliable. In this blog post Ill help steer you in the right direction of self discovery and education.
Today’s disclaimer is about the notion that there is a “right” way to do anything. There is no one size fits all answer to questions like - “how to compress a vocal” or “how to get a good mix”. Even the best mixers in the world approach these things differently. The goal is to learn some common, accepted techniques, and then develop your ears to hear what these techniques do. Experiment with different techniques, and decide what works for you, while constantly comparing to how successful mixes sound. Back in the early days of recording, there were engineers in the studio because they were literally inventing tools to make sounds that weren’t possible yet. They were imaginative, and not trying to follow rules, or create them.
“What makes your art unique is your taste. Always prioritize your taste over right and wrong techniques. What you think sounds good should influence how you do things. Be objective by developing your sound towards producers/mixers whose product you already like, and branch out from there.”
Podcasts
Podcasts may be boring, but they are the best free resources out there! Podcasts are also the most reliable source because the best ones are interviewing the best in the business. They can give you perspective on general techniques, insight into what the life of a successful producer/artist looks like, industry standards and they are endless. The following is a list of my favorites:
UBK Happy Funtime Hour - This podcast is phenomenal and presents very practical advice for mixing. The hosts are professional engineers and the founders of the KUSH brand of gear and plugins.
This Sounds Better Podcast - Another gold mine. This podcast is hosted by a few of the industries top mixing engineers - Alex Tumay, Miles Walker and Jason Kingsland.
Somewhere sound - What I love about this podcast is the host. He asks very clear, concise, one sentence questions, and gets out of the way. He allows the guests to say it all. He is on the same quest we are, and does not impose his views, opinions or personality on the podcast which allows the guests to shine.
And the Writer is Podcast - This podcast is Ross Golan, an extremely successful writer, interviewing other writing heavy weights. This is a great insight into the process of making hits, from the writers of those hits perspective. What I love about this podcast is how it gets rid of the mystery behind great songs. We all wonder what its like to see a banger come together, but most importantly you get a glimpse at the struggle of making that happen. How these writers show up day in and day out, writing hundreds of songs to get the one. We like to glorify art and not recognize its work like any other job. Its not magic, its craft. Its not overnight success, its relentless commitment, discipline and simply doing the work.
Song Exploder - This podcast dives into the writing and production of successful songs. They play stems and discuss the ideas behind the parts.
Recording Studio Rockstars - This podcast has an exhaustive list of guests that are industry leaders in their craft. There is a wealth of information on this podcast alone, and you begin to recognize the different approaches that all produce great results.
Youtube
Youtube is an amazing resource for anything you are trying to learn. Some things to easily spot the relevance of the source. The amount of views. If they are in a professional looking space with room treatment. If you can easily find projects they have worked on that verify that they can produce a good finished product. If they are a youtuber or a producer is a good tell as well. Most successful producers don’t have the time to maintain an active youtube channel and produce hits at the same time. That being said lets talk specifics.
Making Records with Eric Valentine - Probably the single greatest in depth YouTube channel I have found. The videos are extremely long, but ALL of the techniques he discusses are gold. They address the kind of details you wont find anybody else talking about. The techniques are extremely practical and next level when it comes to progressing your skills. He is the producer behind countless incredible records like Third Eye Blinds debut album that shaped a generation.
Universal Audio’s Channel - A great resource that is related to their plugins, but the techniques are universal. They talk about micing techniques as well.
Any plugin in manufacturing company - waves, fab filter and UBK always have great information about mixing and production.
Anything with Fab Dupont - His videos are always useful.
This is a list of free resources, but there are some great resources to pay for as well. Mix with the Masters is probably the single greatest resource for learning how to mix, but it is expensive. As always - please feel free to reach out with any questions you encounter, and happy creating.