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Part One: PREPARATION Nothing happens without a vision! The artist/musician must have material prepared to record, chosen instruments and musicians available to play the individual parts. There must also be a coordination between the Recording Engineer and the artist/musician to appropriately convey the desired outcome. Upon arrival at the studio at the scheduled time, the Recording Engineer will direct the equipment set-up procedure, and place microphones in a preliminary location. The Recording Engineer is trained in this type of work, so be involved in creating the overall vision, and try to focus on your performance instead of fret about the placement of a microphone. As the Recording Engineer listens (pre-performance) to the sonic results from the individual microphone placements, adjustments will be made until the desired tone is achieved.
Depending on the desired results, many choices can be made. The main thing to remember for best overall results is this: each track must be completely separated from all others, as clean and free from other noises as possible, performed as perfectly as possible, played in tune, recorded with the appropriate effects, desired tone, and at the correct loudness level.
In the preparation phase, the Recording Engineer is responsible for getting you set up, separating the tracks, and for the loudness level. The artist/musician is responsible for the rest! They are professionally trained, so show up prepared to do your part to the absolute best of your ability! Without your best performance the rest is just as good as what you brought to the table.
Find out about the AMAZING Har-Bal Harmonic Balancer 2.3 here! |
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Part Two: TRACKING Begin the process by recording all your basic music tracks. There are many ways to do this, but most commonly the Recording Engineer will begin by concentrating on recording the individual drum tracks and the bass guitar. This could start with a scratch recording of all parts, and then a re-do of the bass guitar.
The main focus is to get your rhythm tracks clean and tight *FIRST* ... then the Recording Engineer can focus on the remainder of the instruments, followed by perfecting the instrumental soloist movements and finally the vocals.
The process of laying down more tracks is called overdubbing, which refers primarily to the creation of additional independent tracks for the mix. Follow the Recording Engineer's directions to ensure an optimal experience.
Find out about the AMAZING Har-Bal Harmonic Balancer 2.3 here! |
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Part Three: MIXDOWN Mixdown refers to the process of combining all the individual music tracks together as a song. Each track is carefully balanced and EQ'ed to fit well in the mix.
This part is usually very time consuming, and several mixdown versions of a song are completed. If you hurry through the mixdown process you are more likely to get negative results, and your recording will show it. All tracks must be heard properly at correct gain levels & EQ. Once all of the individual tracks are properly set, effects can be added for color and to improve individual tracks and/or overall sound.
Remember to take your time, use other well mixed songs for reference, and rest your ears after prolonged listening. If you are patient and methodical in this step you WILL be rewarded with a great mix! Keep in mind that in the next part, the mastering phase, the Mastering House needs to be presented with an awesome mix to create a phenominal master...
Find out about the AMAZING Har-Bal Harmonic Balancer 2.3 here! |
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Part Four: MASTERING In addition to taking an awesome mixdown from the previous part of the recording process, the Mastering Engineer has the desire to add the "just right" elements of punch, power, dynamics, shimmer, sparkle, color, and overall blend with the other songs on the CD. The mastering process also makes the song "Radio Ready" by adding appropriate levels of compression, overall balancing of the EQ, and other trade secrets to make a great master recording.
Mastering should be done by a professional at an accredited Mastering House or appropriately equipped recording studio. Just like the Studio Recording Engineer has the special ability to create the individual parts of a recording, and process them into an awesome mix, the Mastering Engineer inevitably has a trained ear, and access to the best of the best in mastering gear. They are the gurus of the tone monster quest, because they have found it, over and over again! Trust the ones who have been in the business and have the hit songs to their credit!
Mastering is intended to create a "master" copy of a recording, with the intention of all copies being created from this one "master." At the professional level one recording can have as many as 20 unique mixes to choose from for final mastering.
Find out about the AMAZING Har-Bal Harmonic Balancer 2.3 here! |
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Part Five: DUPLICATION Duplication is the process of creating copies, and if required, the artwork is produced for your CD and cover. Some studios are set up to do this in-house. Others send it out to a duplication company for copies and artwork. If you are providing the artwork, determine the exact format the duplicator will need, and provide them with exactly what they tell you. You can determine this as a part of the preparation phase of your project, to be prepared when the time comes.
Be sure to do some extensive research so you can choose a reputable and reliable company, because some companies produce better results than others and deliver their work as promised, on time and with excellent quality!
Find out about the AMAZING Har-Bal Harmonic Balancer 2.3 here! |
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