When I began recording music, I learned quickly that my ears were the greatest asset in the studio. Therefore, I had to prepare for the journey of developing them for the studio environment.
Just as you should train your voice to sing correctly, you must train your ears to hear correctly. A developed ear takes time and practice, and hands-on is the most effective training. You have to know what to hear in order to know how to hear it. One of the hardest developments for me at first was hearing the differences in compression and limiting/gating. Different parameters produce different results, and as an engineer recording my product, it was essential I understand these settings and how they produce sound. This same ear applies to microphone placement.
A developed ear will hear a dry room versus a wet room and know what type of room works best for the project. A developed ear will hear whether a certain type of microphone is the best match for a particular vocal. As many of us don’t have the luxury of having 10 mics on hand to choose from, it’s important to understand in many cases, a single mic can cover many vocal opportunities by knowing how to tweak it to get the best result from it.
A developed ear understands the dynamics of mixing. As a mix goes through several critical stages such as tracking, editing, volume changes, mixing/blending, equalization, effects and processing; not hearing how to blend these elements can cause dreadful results. Ever listened to a mix and can tell right off what makes it a good or bad mix? Not by speculation, but by knowing? And keep in mind, I’m not talking about mastering. These are two separate entities whereas mastering involves a different type of ear.
Artists, it doesn’t hurt for you to begin this developmental process as well. The more you know, the more diverse you become in this industry. Know what makes your music sound good and hear what doesn’t.
How to care for your ears:
Don’t mix when you are ill or congested with cold/sinus issues.
Listening to loud music continuously can permanently damage the ears. (Did you know you don’t have to mix at loud levels to get good results?)
Protect your ears in extreme temperatures.
is common and you should rest when your ears tell you.
As a studio owner and producer, do you get caught up in your client’s sessions when a producer is not involved? I’m not saying take it over, but do you offer suggestions on what you think sound nice and what doesn’t? Do you suggest overdubs or re-takes even if the client is cool with what they have recorded?
I do this sometimes with projects I feel good about or with clients I feel comfortable with. Besides, it’s natural instinct of a producer to give input even if they are not working with that artist. I take an interest because I care about the success of that particular client.
However, thinking about it – is it really what I am paid to do as studio personnel? With the rates I offer my clients – they are getting my recording/mixing expertise, however; having me as a producer involved is essentially something I’m not paid to do. But… when I’m in the groove of things, who’s thinking about the technicalities?! It becomes more about the music! See how this can be mind-boggling?!
Honestly, some projects I record are pure garbage. All I ever want to do in life is complete the session, mix it down and forget it ever existed. I know that sounds harsh, but the point is – it’s not for me to like or dislike. My job as a studio is to provide a quality service to my clients.
I’ve found some clients appreciate and respect my input and technically depend on it, while others just want to do their thing regardless of what I suggest. And in all right, they are entitled to that. The bottom-line is they should get what they want even if I foresee a disastrous outcome.
As studios operate differently, Technically, I realize it’s best to remain studio personnel to our clients and leave their art to them. If they want a producer, then that’s another contract. But, personally and as a producer, I’m sure I will always offer assistance, especially when asked!
Wow.. so this has been a long time coming… and it’s fun to be here! I’m already feeling the energy! Welcome to Studio Noize. This is and will not be an ordinary business-bloated/gossip-bearing blog!:) How could it be?… We’re in the studio baby! You have entered my personal and professional haven of studio chatter.
I promise to keep the atmosphere warm, inviting, informative, creative, and cozy for pleasant conversation, socialization and communication. You are invited to relax as the lights are toned down and the heat is up. As in any studio environment… we are gonna press record and allow the rest to be history. As this is just the beginning… I’m glad you are apart of this exciting milestone.
‘Noizey Blog’… is exactly what it is… We all get to hang out and make noize together baby. ‘Featured Noize’ will be the musical highlights of awesome, entertaining and talented artists, producers, spoken word poets, musicians, and anyone else who creates noize in the studio! ‘Friday Friendz’ will be a weekly select few of my Twitter fam of which I highly recommend for follow-ship. ‘Noizey Reviewz’ will be my highlights of gear and other studio and production goodies (You want me to try out your product? Let’s connect!). ‘Random Noize’ will be just that, including audio ‘Bloggin From My ‘Berry’ (Black Berry Storm) whereas each post will deliver whatever vibe/thought process I’m feeling at that particular time.
As I’m excited, I hope you are too. Thanks for joining me… I’m looking forward to sharing this journey with you! There’s so much more to come!!!
Welcome my friend…
~Lady
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