Often times as musicians we are perfectionists when it comes to our music. You want your songs to be the best they can be. And so you set out to create great songs, spending tons of time arranging, writing, and composing. Once you've got the ideas laid out, it's time to move on to the next phase:
Recording.
So you rehearse every day for a week getting your songs perfect, and then you head to the studio. You spend hours, days, weeks,...
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Why You Shouldn't Spend Too Much Time On A Mix
Have you ever started working on mix and spent the whole day mixing, only to go back later and realize it doesn't sound good? If so, you're not alone. This happens all the time. It can happen as a result of spending too much time on a mix. Yes, there is such a thing.
Today I'd like to share a couple reasons why you shouldn't spend too long on any mix.
Fatigue
The first and probably most important reason why you shouldn't...
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Creative Mixing
I love the technical side of mixing. I love turning all the knobs, setting EQ's, messing with compression, and pretty much anything technical in your DAW or on your console. However, over time I've learned that it's important to try risky mixing. What I mean by this is be creative.
Far too often we get wrapped up in the technicalities and what we are supposed to do. We forget that mixing and music is an art. It's all subjective....
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Getting Vocals to Sit Right in the Mix
In most songs today, vocals are probably the most important part of a song. If you listen to the majority of pop songs, the vocals are loud, upfront, and clear. Even in rock and other genres the vocals are what drive the melody and catch peoples ear. So, with vocals being such an important part of the mix, how do you get it to sound right? Today I want to mention three things you can do that will help your vocals sit right in the mix.
Save...
Monday, October 21, 2013
Friday, October 18, 2013
Video Tutorials Coming Soon!
I'm very excited to announce that we will be offering video tutorials for mixing and recording within the next couple of weeks. We will be covering topics from EQ and Compression to automating plugins and more! You can look for these video tutorials here on the site, on YouTube, or at http://willsterling.net/blog. We can't wait to share these videos with you and help you become a better mix enginee...
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Thoughts from an Insecure Audio Engineer
Over the past couple years I had this crazy idea to start a business. I wanted to start a mixing and mastering service for small musicians trying to get a great sounding demo or EP. So I set out on the journey hoping it would work. I began by learning as much as possible. I already knew a decent bit, but I really wanted to excel at the art. So every day I would practice mixing. On the way to school and home I would listen to podcasts....
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Question of the Week
I'm excited to announce a new post series called Question of the Week! Basically every week I will be answering a question on the blog, that you submit. Hopefully this will help to give you relevant information to the type of issues and barriers you may be having when mixing or recording. Remember to submit your questions to info@willsterling.net. Anyways...let's get started!
This week our question is as follows:
"How do I make each...
Sunday, October 13, 2013
How to Clean Up a Muddy Mix
Today I want to share two tips on how you can clean up a muddy mix.
1. High Pass Filters
The first tip I want to share with you is using a high pass filter. If you aren't familiar with a high pass filter, I'll briefly explain it. A high pass filter essentially rolls off the low end and allows the highs to pass through. Hence the name. This can do wonders to a muddy mix, and it's very simple to implement. To get started using a high pass...
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Do You Mix With Your Eyes Or Your Ears?
I love being in the digital age of music. It's great being able to sit in your bedroom and record an entire album with hardly any gear. Limitless possibilities are opened up with the addition of plugins and unlimited tracks. We can record at lower volume levels without worrying about losing sound. We can edit tracks with the click of the mouse. The list of benefits in digital recording goes on and on. But I fear we are missing out on a...
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Mixing in the Mix Box
I saw a great post today from Graham Cochrane over at The Recording Revolution. (Great and informative site) Graham was talking about mixing in the mix box, and I felt this was such an important concept that I needed to share it. The idea is that there is a box that your mix falls in. It's basically the depth and width of your song. How wide does your song go and how dynamic are the instruments?
Today I want to share some ideas that...
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
New Website!
I'm happy to announce that I've got my new website up and running. If you need more information on how to get stuff mixed, mastered, or you just want to hear some sample work of what I've done, check it out!
Will Sterling Productio...
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