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

[Christopher Gilland]

David wrote in part::


Many of these recipes, do it like this or like that, is to hide flaws
in cheap sound synthesis, cheap sound cards etc.

Can you elaborate on that a bit perhaps with a basic practical example?


I mean, here's the thing. Don't get me wrong. I do agree that a certain 
level of mixsing and mastering definitely! definitely definitely! should 
be applied. But I say, don't just do it because you think it makes it 
sound better/sexy. Do it because you're really going for a very very 
very specific sound.


I'll give you a really great example and we'll stick with vocals, 
'cause, why not. Everyone loves them, so...


Perhaps you've heard of a really popular technique used by a lot of 
engineers these days called the "vocal throws" effect.


Take the song, Don't Turn Around by Ace of Bass. Great great great great 
example.


If you listen to the vocal literally at the very very very very 
beginning of the song, the female says, "I will survive, without you."


OK, listen on the phrase, "Without you." You hear how for just that 
split 3 sylabals, no more, when you hear the word, "you," you kind of 
hear this delayish effect that is tempo synced, probably a dotted 8th 
note, that echos back that same phrase, "without you", and kind of 
swells away into the song itself. That, is what I mean by a vocal throw. 
So, things like that, you could use a bit of a delay to achieve, but to 
just apply delay because, humdy ding dong, it sounds all coo, n all? 
Yeah. Sure. Whatever.


More directly put, I say use the 80 20 principle... 80 percent of your 
work should be in the production. People always send me their songs to 
critique, and you know what, David? I can't help but each time to get so 
cracked up laughing.


They send me these ProTools or Logic/Reaper sessions, and they go, Hey 
Chris. Listen to my mix.


It's like, Wut? Like, doo'ood! Ehh kayyy. I don't wanna listen to your 
mix. I wanna listen to your song!


Ya know, people're like, "Hey Chris, why does my mix sound so ammature?" 
Unfortunately, I have to be bold enough to be honest with them while 
also being respectful, and that's not usually easy to do with the way 
they present the material content to me.


You will relate to this, if you've been working this field like you said 
since 78. That's even longer than I've been alive, uh, no offense. I 
literally mean, 9 times out of 10, literally! The mix isn't the problem. 
The problem is the production/arrangement.


Let me tell you something. If anyone sends a song to an engineer who 
says, just send me what you got, no need to do much with editing the 
vocals/comping them, no need to worry about good vocal technique, no 
need to worry about good music dynamics, and by that I don't mean just 
volume dynamics. I'm speaking here more of building your song. Cutting 
out lots of the low mids frequence range to unmuddy up that part of the 
spectrum, etcetera, just send me what you got. I can do some abbra 
caddabra magic on it, and make the song sound unbelievably good, trust 
and leave it to me, Sir/Mam/Mix, don't! And I repeat, don't! don't don't 
don't! waist your money, as you'll be very very sadly throwing your 
pennies to the... no pun intended, Ozone. Those people are fakes. 
Period! Full stop, Cerca, the fat lady sang.


You send a legit and credible producer something like that where you've 
not taken your time putting together the arrangement to start off 
sounding really really good, that producer's not even going to take your 
money, I guarantee it. They'll just say, "Sorry, caint help ya." Or, at 
the very least if they do! work with you, they'll tell you straight up, 
I can, and will mix this, but just know, it's not gonna improve the 
quality of this song, end of discussion.


You know, it's like people start at the wrong part of the process. 
Mixing yes, should be an aspect, don't get me wrong, but that comes at 
the end, not! the beginning.


Think of it this way. I tell you I'm gonna build this really really 
great house. It's just gonna be the awesomest thing ever! Oh man, it's 
gonna be great. It's gonna have nice windows, nice hardwood floors, 
beautiful wallpaper, nice skylight highrises, a beautiful back 
porch/deck, a wonderful nercery for the kiddos, heck, I'll even build 
that nice changing table right into the wall you need so you don't have 
to go buy one from Baby's R Us.


You say to me, "Oh this is wonderful! Where are you gonna start with the 
building?" I say, "Hmm. I dunno. I'm thinking maybe of starting with 
painting."


Wut?


I mean, do you see how absurd this is? You haven't even dug the land, 
you've not determined the foundation, you've not checked with the city 
to see if you even could build property on this area in the first place.


Kind of reminds me of an old bible song I learned in the 1980's as a 
preschooler. The wise man built his house upon the rock, and the house 
stood tall. Yet the foolish man built his house upon the sand, and the 
house went smash!


In other words, get it right at the source. Then, and only! then, start 
worrying about the still rellavent, but less! rellavent stuff like 
mixing. If you can produce something up front that sounds incredible, 
chances are much better that when you go to mix, edit, and master 
things, you'll have a heck of a lot easier a time on yourself.


My challenge to anyone who doesn't believe me on this is, give yourself 
6 hours all total to produce a song. It doesn't have to be something you 
wrote. It can be a cover if you feel more comfortable going that route 
instead. But, I want you to take 4 of those hours actually producing 
recording and arranging your recording. Don't worry about the mixing or 
about gosh dang it, I was flat on that phrase, etc. Just arrange it and 
record it. Then, take only! the last 2 of those 6 hours, absolutely no 
more under any conditions. Force yourself to that time restraint. 2 
final hours, and only! 2, and only! after things have already been 
tracked, to then edit things as needed, and finally mix.


I guarantee 1 billion percent, you'll see a night and day's difference 
in the final project.


Chris.