Creating The Perfect Mix

First let me say the title is misleading. When it comes to recording, there isn't a perfect mix. Your interpretation of a song mixes "perfection" is yours alone. It will, 99.9 % of the time differ from someone else. It doesn't make it right or wrong it's just opinion. Don't get me wrong, there are some general guidelines and eq'ing practices to follow. However, the rest is up to you.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
and Media Production

Serving Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.

Recording An Album Needs Support

Recording an album needs support. What I mean by that statement is this...After you have the completed album (CD) in hand, you need to get out there and support it. Line up dates, gigs, shows, places where you can sell your merchandise. In today's world, getting signed without playing out or having some kind of a name for yourself is very, very rare. Yes, it still happens but the chances are slim. Also, going down the "high priced producer" road has no gaurantees either. Thats when you pay a producer thousands of dollars to produce your album because he or she has "connections". I speak from experience because I've been there and done that. Where I and so many others fall short is you have to be in it for the long haul.  Most bands and artists that are popular today, play for years before getting contacted by an A&R person. The fact of the matter is labels want to see a following. They want to see a good fan base in place before they will even talk to you. A fan base is developed when you have something to offer. Your music, your songs, your energy. Hope to see you soon in the studio.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
& Media Productions
Dover, Delaware

Digital Street Studio - Acoustic Solutions Part 2

Okay, we're going to pick up from where we left off last week. Today we'll be addressing cost effective ways to acoustically treat wall corners. Why do we want to acoustically treat wall corners you ask? Simple...we want to absorb or trap our low frequencies. By placing "bass traps" in our corners, we'll absorb tones that would tend to accumulate in those corners. To get started, we'll need the same material as before (T-111, Carpet runners, staples and drywall screws). The only new purchases will be 6" - 8" foam padding and liquid nail (gorrilla glue). If you have a problem locating this material, visit your home improvement warehouse and purchase 4 x 8 x 4" sheets of insulating board. Next, cut your T-111 to fit the height of your corners. A good width is around 18" but it can vary based on your carpet runner. Once that is completed, staple your carpet runner to the T-111. Now, place the carpeted T-111 facedown with the T-111 on top. Cut your foam or board to match the height of the T-111. However, you probably want your width to be 5-6". Glue your foam cut piece to the center of the T-111. Cut and glue a second piece if necessary to insure there is very little void remaining. Once completed, place in corner. You have just created a bass trap. Hope this information helps.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
& Media Productions
Dover, Delaware

Creating Acoustic Solutions For Your Studio

There you are, getting ready click the "buy" button on those expensive acoustic tiles. STOP! There are so many cost effective ways to acoustically treat your studio or sound room. First, what materials are present? If you said drywall, metal or concrete, then we have some work to do. If you said brick, glass, wood or carpet? then we have something to work with. Smooth surfaces such as drywall tend to reflect high frequencies poorly and do not have very good insulating properties. To treat this issue, visit your local home improvement store. 4x8 sheets of T-111 will be on the purchase list, along with drywall screws and commercial grade staples. Next, locate a carpet store that sells inexpensive finished end or pre-cut carpeting. For example, a 4x6 hallway carpet will be your first treatment. We know our dimension are 4x6. With that being said, the cut for the T-111 should be slightly less than the carpet dimension (47"x 71") should be a good cut size. Once the T-111 has been cut, place it where you want it to be located. Screw in place with 12 - 14 drywall screws. Note: try to locate the studs in order to secure mounting. Other wise, drywall sleeves will be nessesary to insure a secure mount. Once mounted, place carpet evenly on the T-111. There should be a 1" overhang of the carpet piece? Staple in place and move on to the next mount. If you know what your sizes will be, outline on the walls before hand where you wish to place treatments. This will give you an idea of coverage. The idea is not to cover the entire wall but to leave some gaps. In most cases some reflection is acceptable, unless your trying to create a "dead" room. Keep an eye out for the next post, we'll be addressing bass traps and materials.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
& Media Productions

Recording multiple tracks or just one good one.

When you track in the studio, are you one of those people who need need multiple tracks of the same take? Or, are you one of those people who like to punch in and get one solid take? I tend to lean toward one solid take more often than not. However, I like to rehearse before I press record. Being familiar with the song gives you a head start when coming up with ideas. So, for me, the need for multiple takes isn't nessesary. Keep in mind, there are multiple ways to get to the same point. Don't be against experimenting with new techniques and figuring out what works for you.

Chris and Kevin
Digtal Street Studio and Media Productions
Dover, Delaware

All Hail the SM 57

The title gives it away doesn't it? Thats right folks, maybe the most amazing microphone on the planet. The all power Shure SM 57. If Dirty Harry were a recording engineer, his weapon, or should I say microphone of choice would be the 57. This microphone came out over 50 years ago and is still a staple in most studios today. It just does an all around great job of capturing the good frequencies and discarding the rest. In the studio or live applications, the SM 57 is a must.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
and Media Productions

Why most project or home studios fall short.

The title of this blog isn't a slam against home studios, it's more of an observation. Before I had an opportunity to open the doors to my own studio, I started at home. I struggled with microphone placement, general eq'ing, compression, acoustics, mixing.......I could go on but I think you get the picture. My goal was to gain an understanding of ever dynamic I would face in a real, professional studio environment. However, I think most of today's home studios rely heavily on loops or pre-mixed sampled material. And, in doing so, never gain a full undertstanding of engineering and their environment. Yes, it takes thousands of hours to get a handle on most aspects of recording but the end result will give you the tools to become a better engineer.

Chris and Kevin
Digital Street Studio
and Media Productions
Dover, Delaware