"I want my music to sound like what I hear on the radio"

"I want my music to sound like what I hear on the radio". We hear this alot at Digital Street Studio. Our job is to make that happen. However, before we get started, we need to establish your budget. Your budget is going to be the determining factor to reach that level. It takes time to engineer, produce, and master to industry standards. Unfortunatley, time = money. What you hear on the radio and on most commercial cd's has thousands of dollars invested. Just on a local level, it is not unheard of to spend 5, 10 or even $15,000  recording a full length cd. "Why does it cost so much"? Perfection! The music industry (Big Labels) will not touch your music if it is not to their standards. Well, let's face it, no one is perfect. So in order to acheive perfection, we start looking at everything with a fine tooth comb. Drums, tempo, and fills. Vocals, pitch, and phrasing. Guitars, rythym, leads.... EVERYTHING! And that's just the beginning. My point...look at your budget and set a realistic goal. Determine what you want to acheive or who you're trying to reach with your music. Sometimes a fully produced 3 song demo speaks more volumes than a full length demo quality cd. Hope this information helps?

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
Dover, Delaware

Wide Fat Mixes

Making your sound really fat and wide is what all engineers want to accomplish in their mixes. A rule of thumb is related to the number of instruments and or parts in a recording. If you have limited instruments you have to make each one sound bigger. If there are a lot of instruments then placement determines sound quality. Using a three dimensional model in mixes helps the sound quality. Imagine a stage with certain instruments on different areas. Some are front and some are back. Some are also on the side. When you hear these instruments together on the stage the sound is wide and fat. Using the "stage" model when mixing will help get you that sound that seems to be wider and fatter than your stereo. Now thats a good mix. Hope to see you in the studio.
Chris Kirby
Kevin Nemith
Dover DE

Why do bands need to record their music?

Why do bands need to record their music? Okay, let's start with original music. If you're playing out as an original artist, you need to have your music available for purchase. Along with live shows, that's how you generate a following, not to mention revenue. Also, having current recorded material allows you to market to the music industry. Next up, the Cover Band. Cover Bands need demo's to promote to the club's. Most club's require a promo package. They need to know exactly what kind of entertainment they're booking. Therefore, your demo needs to be of the highest quality. Remember, these are just a few of the many reasons to record. Hope to see you soon in the studio.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
Dover, Delaware

The Best Studio Mic Is....

Well, the title of this blog will get audio engineers talking and writing for days. Every studio has their favorite mics for different applications. One however is consistantly talked about for various applications and consistency, and that mic is the Shure 57.  Every audio engineer has a few of these versatile mics in their locker. The little gem consistantly caprtures the frequency range you need without over doing it. The close mic characteristics of the 57 also is a must in studio applications. For room recordings, this little beast will do the job. With sound quality being everything, most engineers will agree the Shure 57 is a little work horse of sound capture that never lets you down.  Hope to see you in the studio !

Chris Kirby
Kevin Nemith
Digital Street Studio
Dover Delaware

Mixing Live Recordings, How Much Room ?

Recently we have had a couple of projects which require us to mix live recordings. Most live tracks these days come in as a combination of direct, close, and room mic files. Now the fun starts. Some artists want the live mix to be similiar to a studio setting. In this case you knock out the room and mix from the directs and close mics. Other artists want the recording to sound just like what the audience heard during the performance and this requires more mixing of the room mics. In some cases you get a request for a hybrid mix where the song is mixed using the close and directs and when the audience claps or reacts then you bring in the room mics. There is no right or wrong it becomes a matter of preference. With todays technology and equipment live recordings can be spectacular and mixing these performances are a lot of fun. Hope to see you in the studio

Chris Kirby
Kevin Nemith
Digital Street Studio
Dover, Delaware

The Good, The Bad, The Compression

In today's world of uber perfected music, we find studios using compression more than ever. If applied correctly, it can make a good song sound even better. It can can make a bad song....well, it can make it better. Not great, but something better than awful. However, there is a fine line between too much and not enough. Use too much and the song becomes lifeless. Not enough, and there's no life at all. If you're not familiar with it, take the time to learn about it's applications. The Good, The Bad, The Compression.

Chris and Kevin,
Digital Street Studio
Dover, Delaware

How can I get broadcast quality on a low budget

How can I get broadcast quality on a low budget? We get this question a lot. Well, theres a few things you can do that will maximize your studio "time". First, what's your budget? A good rule for budgeting studio time is the 1 to 2 rule. For every hour of tracking, allow 2 hours of mix. This rule applies for folks going for the highest quality only. In most cases, a song can be tracked with all instrumentation in a 2-3 hour window. Yes, there are artists who need more time, this is just a general time observation. Second, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. The better prepared you are, the more you will get acomplished. Last, make sure your gear is of the highest quality and is working correctly. Issues such as amp noise, cord "buzz" or "hmmm" can take time to isolate and correct. If you're recording drums, make sure your drums are tuned and heads have been replaced. Taking these few steps before a recording session can and will make a difference. Hope to see you soon in the studio.

Chris and Kevin,
Digital Street Studio

Acoustic Guitars, Recording the "Sweet Spot"

We have great success in the studio recording acoustic guitars using a two mic technique. Audio engineers placement of the mics will depend on the type of playing ( ie fingerstyle vs flat picking), guitar, room,  and available mics. Each recording session will have a "sweet spot" that will record the pure tone and warmth that acoustic guitars can give.  Experimentation with the mic placement is the only way to find the "sweet spot".  You can see our eyes light up when we have a client that comes in for some acoustic guitar recordings. We just can't wait to capture the "sweet spot" of the instrument and the session.. We hope to see you in the studio !
Chris Kirby
Kevin Nemith
Digital Street Studio

The Volume Monster

What is the volume monster you ask? The volume monster is a tall, hairy monster that turns up your volume when your not looking. No, actually the volume monster is a term we use at digital street studio. It's used to describe the music industry's obsession with volume. If you compare a recording form the 70's to what is being produced today, the difference is astonishing! Better yet, just go back 10 years and compare. Yes, with technology comes advancements. Today's standards are pushing volumes to new levels. Ridiculous levels! Just because we can, does not mean we should? Getting a lot of volume from you final master is great! Getting a lot of volume from your final master while sacraficing the tone, not so good. My point, when you record your next project or that next big hit, don't get distracted by.........The Volume Monster.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio

Modern Era of the Recording Business

Everyone can record a pretty good track with today's technology and software. As a matter of fact we have been sent some pretty good home tracks to mix and master. It is not uncommon for our studio to finish an album of music and never have the artist record in our studio. Tracks are recorded in home studios and sent to us by email and we go to work mixing. We then have back and forth conversations by phone and email as the songs come together and mix instructions from the artist come to us. Before you know it the album is complete !  As a professional studio we welcome this approach, and we are glad to participate with artists that have the skill and equipment to record at home. We do prefer to have folks track in our noise controlled rooms, but we understand that anyway we can participate in the creation of music is still a good way for our business to grow. Hope to see you in the studio.   "record your music , capture your creativity"

Creating a stereo drum mix

Well, there you are, sitting in frustration. You can't understand why your drum mix is lifeless. Everything you do is a step in the wrong direction. You'r not trying to change the world, all you want is a quality drum mix to create a final mix. Not much to ask. Okay, here are some steps to get you there. Step 1. Have you recorded your drums with dedicated drum mics. If not, do so! Shure makes a very affordable pack for under $300. As for the snare, an SM57 will never let you down.....ever! Step 2. Okay you have the drum mic's. Placement can be an issue so go with what you know....mic's about 2 inches away from the head are ideal. I like to bring the overheads in from the front of the kit about 3 feet directly above the tom's and crashes. If you facing the drums, the right mic should be placed on a 45 degree angle and opposite for the left. This will open the stereo field when you get into panning the overheads. Step 3. Keep your record level at or below --10 db. This will allow for more headrooom when you do your final mix and most importantly, your master. As you track,compression is a must to really tighten the mix. You don't need a lot so don't go overboard. Step 4. Record a test mix with bass and guitar. This will allow you to create an accurate test mix. Keep the kick and snare in the 12 O'clock position and the toms, from left to right, 8,2, and 4 positions. The overheads can go in the 9 and 3 position. What about the high hat? Don't worry, the high hat will be captured by the SM57 on the snare and the overheads...not to mention the tom mics. Once you eq your high frequencies, you will have plenty of high hat definition. Step 5. This is the step where trumpets sound. This is the most important step, the "secret" to all drum mixes..........Create a stereo drum mix. There..I said it. Basically, mix, bounce or set up bus tracks to get your drum mix down to 2 tracks. A stereo left and right mix. Once you've have done that, you will have the balanced drum mix you've been looking for. With your stereo drum mix, you can now move forward with final mixes. Don't expect to get it right the first time! However, you will now be able to get the quality mixes you've been looking for. Hope this helps.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio

Studio Hum

Some days are just plaqued by 'gremlins". Depsite power conditioning, electrical interference can really cause headaches in the studio. Most of the time with some tweaks the dreaded studio hum can be fixed. Occassionally however it can get into recordings and really cause problems. We have found that just turning everything off in sequence and power back up again usually solves the problem. Every studio engineer has had to deal with this at sometime or another. It is definitely part of the business.  See you in the studio !  Digital Street Studio, Dover De