What's the difference between final mixing and mastering?

What's the difference between final mixing and mastering? Basically, after all of the tracking has been completed, you start the process of mixing. This is the process of adjusting levels, panning, and eq's to get a balanced sound. Once those adjustments are made and song mixes are complete, you have a final mix. Most final mixes are left at lower volumes to allow for more more head room during the mastering process. During the mastering phase, the final mix will be tranformed into a broadcast quality mix. Please keep in mind, your master will only be as good as the final mix. So attention to detail is critical. During the mastering phase songs can be placed in a final order and all media (song title's etc,)  information written to the mastered cd. These are just a few of the steps involved explaining final mixes and mastering. Hope to see you soon in the studio.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
Dover Delaware

How to get a "Retro Sound" in a modern studio

Many of us enjoy music from the 60's and 70's. You can visit just about any College today and hear songs by Neil Young, Jimmy Hendrix or Pink Floyd. The warmth, engineereing and vintage gear all play a major part in why that music is still popular today. That sound is what we call "Retro". How do we recreate that sound? Well, first you start with vintage gear. Guitars like Fender and Gibson are good starting points. Tube amps, rotary speakers and analoge recording eqiupment also come to mind. The more authentic the gear, the more authentic the sound. Last, we have to look at the engineering of those two decades. Engineering techniques are crucial when creating the "Retro Sound". Simple panning and eq'ing can make all of the difference. Do your research before getting started. Hope to see you soon.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
Dover, Delaware

"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