[MusicTlk] I'd like to have a civil, nonjudgemental discussion about audio production techniques, if we can manage to do so.

[Christopher Gilland]

First off, let me say this. I've been doing audio production work now 
for practically almost 30 years and counting. Heck, if this tells you 
anything, I started out when I was only 11 years oldd using a purchased 
Tascam 424 Portastudio 4 track cassette mixer given to me for Christmas 
one year by Santa... ahim... my parents.. Point being, I've made many 
mistakes along the way, and also have made many many discoveries as 
well. So, please please don't shoot me with my possible bluntness on 
this topic. I think we can be very firm/direct, but saying things like, 
you obviously don't know what the h e double hockey stick you're talking 
about is nonproductive, and gets us absolutely nowhere! So, if you can't 
be civil about this, then please just don't say anything, and hit the 
delete key/move on. But if we can really be civil about this, and really 
can objectively look at my question from several standpoints possibly, 
then I'd really like to hear from some people who also have been doing 
this stuff professionally for a while now.


So, here's the million dollar question:


How important is it really truly to learn every single dad gum plugin in 
your DAW reading it's manual front to back back and forward, learning 
how to properly gain stage, learning how to understand the ins and outs, 
no pun intended, of compression/E Q/reverb/delay, learning how to 
parallel process things, sidechain things, etc?


Now hold on here, hold on here! Don't shoot, don't shoot! I'll go 
peacefully! Blasphamy! you say. Well, really though? Hear me out on 
this. Just humor me here.


You read one book on audio engineering, it says always always always put 
a high cut filter on your reverb when doing lead vocals to get the best 
sound. Another says to get that kick bass drum to punch/smack you in the 
face, use a compresser with a very long attack, and a very long release. 
Another college institution university may tell you, oh God! Compression 
on vocals? No wayyyy!! That'll make it sound squashed and terrible.


A youtube video may say don't ever! ever ever ever ever! unless you're 
going for the Cher Believe effect, instantiate pitch correction like 
auto-tune from Antares or Waves Tune Realtime, or Melodyne on a lead 
vocal, and set the root key, scale, and range then just forget about it, 
and let it process the whole shabanggo vocal track, as it'll sound way 
way way too artificial/robotic/unnatural, call it whatever you desire.


Others may say, add effects and processing only if you need to, while 
others say you always wanna process your stuff to get the best clarity.


Some may say when recording vocals, try to come into your DAW by 
shooting somewhere in the ballpark of about minus 12DBFS. Others may say 
No, that's slightly too low, shoot more for around minus 10, not 12. 
Still others say, under no circumstances go above minus 10, as by the 
time you add compression if needed etc, you'll have almost no headroom.


Some say, reverb on a lead vocal is essential as long as you don't drown 
yourself in it. Others say, don't use reverb at all, and others still 
say, unless you need it, don't use it, and even then, be very sparing.


My point is, to tie this back in to music talk, as this list is more 
about music not audio production per sé, what in the name of purple and 
yellow clouds above in the sky are we doing listening to all this baloni 
maroni! I mean, seriously?


Audio production is so! so so so so! subjective. I mean, so! subjective! 
Wouldn't it be better time spent in the studio making music, creating 
things that are beautiful and sound incredible than spending 18 
umpzillion centuries trying to piece out every! single! cotton! pickin! 
little nuance of the sound engineering process? I'm not saying don't 
learn anything at all about sound production... OK? Let me be very very 
clear. I did not say that! And, just to even furter! the record of 
clarity here, You'll never hear me down the road say we shouldn't learn 
basic audio production 101.


What I am, saying though is, so many people say quote: this! is the 
right, the only! way. Others say, no? Uh uh! Hashtag FTS! Sidenote, I'll 
let you figure out that accronym for yourself. LOL!


So at the end of the day, yes. There are certain things which can't be 
neglected. Certain things which you either do or simply put, don't do no 
matter what. Sure.


I mean, you don't put a singer in front of a mic, have them sing ta ra 
ra boon dié while recording them at positive 90 DBFS, then apply clip 
gain on top of that to push them on the output up to 150! DB. OK, 
extreme example, youzers! but it proves my point nonetheless. Point 
being, there are certain things you don't do. Period. But really at the 
end of the day, are there truly right or wrong answers?


Lookat: if it sounds good to you, and you get others to listen, and they 
too agree it sounds great, is that not what matters at the end of the 
day? Who gives a rat's hehonkis how you got there.. It sounds phenomenal 
not just to you, but to others as well, so who cares! If you spend so 
much time reading, youtubing, etc you're gonna get so many mixed, pun 
intended, opinions, you're not gonna no which way is again pun intended, 
left from right. By the time you've bored yourself to tears trying to 
get the right correct, quote unquote, sound, you could have spent 
probably 80 to 90 percent of that time composing/arranging and coming up 
with brand new ideas, which guess what! You never know: could! no 
guarantee, but could! have been a hit smash number 1 song. You say, I 
don't write number 1 hits Chris. Well, of course you don't, if you're 
sitting on your derrire all day plunkity chunking along at getting your 
mix to sound explosive.


I say, just be yourself for God sake! If it works, go with it! So how 
much do you all think is talk talk, vs. how much truth really is there 
that universally all engineers can agree upon? You know? how much is 
subjective, vs. true actual fact, like it or not.


Heck, I made a recording the other day. Most people would say apply at 
least a little bit of EQ, or compression. Guess what. I didn't do 
anything. Literally, my whole channel strip on each track from pianos to 
strings to guitar to bass/drums, vocals lead and backing, I put nothing! 
No compression, no gain boosting, no limiter, no exciter, no reverb, no 
delay, no chorus, no saturation, no vocal doubling, no panning, no 
automation, no noise gate filtering, no dithering, no pitch correction, 
literally, I mean nothin! Bare to the bone! And uess what. It was 
probably one of the best mixes in over 15 years I've ever done.


So yeah. What're you all's thoughts?


Chris.