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