Recording & Mixing

Mike Senior's Expert Tracking & Mixing Tips

Distortion can be a surprisingly useful mix effect, if you know what you're doing. Mike Senior reveals several common applications, and explains how to get the best results in practice.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction

00:49 - Distortion for tonal change

01:27 - Bringing sounds up front

03:30 - Combatting upper-spectrum masking

06:07 - Distorting rock lead vocals

09:56 - Distorting bass

13:16 - Practical implementation tips

Credits
This month's episode features audio examples from the following productions:

* Alex Giddens: 'Get Blown'

Read about my mix of this project in Sound On Sound's October 2009 'Mix Rescue' column at https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-alex-giddens

* Flags: '54'

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#Flags

Read about my mix of this project in Sound On Sound's March 2011 'Mix Rescue' column at https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-flags

* Zeno: 'Signs'

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#Zeno

Read about my mix of this project in Sound On Sound's March 2010 'Mix Rescue' column at https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-zeno

* Actions: 'Devil's Words'

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#Actions

For lots more mixing tips and audio examples relating to this project, listen to the February 2018 Cambridge-MT Patrons Podcast for free at https://www.patreon.com/posts/17201141

Mike Senior Biog

Mike Senior is a professional audio engineer, regular SOS contributor, and author of the best-selling books Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio & Recording Secrets For The Small Studio. He runs the Cambridge-MT educational resources site (including the web's largest free multitrack download library) and hosts two monthly independent podcasts, Project Studio Tea Break and the Cambridge-MT Patrons Podcast.

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Mike Senior's Expert Tracking & Mixing Tips

Mike Senior delves into some of the most common troubleshooting tasks when dealing with acoustic guitar recordings at mixdown, and shares his own favourite processing fixes.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction

01:13 - Unwanted subsonics

04:16 - Undesirable resonances

08:20 - Pick noise

10:34 - Fret noise

12:35 - Overbearing percussive components

14:32 - Conclusion

Credits
This month's episode features audio examples from the following productions:

* Ben Carrigan: 'We'll Talk About It All Tonight'

http://www.bencarrigan.com/

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#BenCarrigan

* The Wrong'uns: 'Rothko'

https://myspace.com/wronguns

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#WrongUns

Read about my mix of this project in Sound On Sound's March 2013 'Mix Rescue' column at https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-wronguns

* Tom McKenzie: 'Directions'

https://tommckenzie.bandcamp.com/

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#TomMcKenzie

Read about my mix of this project in Sound On Sound's April 2013 'Mix Rescue' column at https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-tom-mckenzie

* Fergessen: 'Nos Palpitants'

http://www.fergessen.fr/

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#Fergessen

* Qupe: 'Ayni Nehirde'

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#Qupe

* The Long Wait: 'Dark Horses'

http://thelongwait.com/

Download the full raw multitracks from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#LongWait

* Bolz & Knecht: 'Summertime' & 'Matteo'

http://www.bolzundknecht.de/

Download the full raw multitracks for 'Summertime' from https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#BolzKnecht

Read about the recording sessions for 'Summertime' in Sound On Sound's August 2018 'Session Notes' column at https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-recording-acoustic-guitar-duo

Mike Senior Biog

Mike Senior is a professional audio engineer, regular SOS contributor, and author of the best-selling books Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio & Recording Secrets For The Small Studio. He runs the Cambridge-MT educational resources site (including the web's largest free multitrack download library) and hosts two monthly independent podcasts, Project Studio Tea Break and the Cambridge-MT Patrons Podcast.

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Mike Senior's Expert Tracking & Mixing Tips

Mike Senior explores the subject of Haas delays at mixdown, explaining how they work, how to get the best out of them, and how to avoid the most common traps associated with them.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction

00:41 - Perception of short delays

02:46 - From fused delay to Haas delay

04:19 - Haas delays for stereo width

05:25 - Haas delays for blend and distance

09:26 - Haas delays for connecting panned doubletracks

10:56 - Pitfalls with Haas delays

14:50 - Summary

Credits
This month's episode features recordings from Johnny Lokke's 'Promises & Lies', Tom McKenzie's 'Directions', and Trafficker's 'My Father Never Loved Me'. If you'd like to try mixing these projects for yourself, you can download the full raw multitracks for them here:

https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#JohnnyLokke

https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#TomMcKenzie

https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#Trafficker

These projects were also featured in Sound On Sound's 'Mix Rescue' column, in the January 2011, April 2013, and July 2018 issues respectively, which can be found in the magazine's article archives here:

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-mixing-metal

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-tom-mckenzie

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-trafficker

Mike Senior Biog

Mike Senior is a professional audio engineer, regular SOS contributor, and author of the best-selling books Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio & Recording Secrets For The Small Studio. He runs the Cambridge-MT educational resources site (including the web's largest free multitrack download library) and hosts two monthly independent podcasts, Project Studio Tea Break and the Cambridge-MT Patrons Podcast.

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Mike Senior's Expert Tracking & Mixing Tips

Cardioid mics are tremendously popular amongst recording musicians, but can also work against you. In this episode, Mike Senior explains some of the reasons why, and illustrates how omni and figure-eight patterns can often give more useful results.

Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
01:39 - Proximity-effect bass boost
04:44 - Spotlighting 
05:48 - Low-end response at a distance
06:40 - Off-axis tonal coloration
09:06 - Insufficient spill rejection
10:56 - Plosives and handling noise
12:33 - The hand-held LDC trick
14:11 - Summary

If you'd like to listen more critically to the audio examples, you can download a high-resolution 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV of this whole episode from the podcast support page for this show https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/why-not-use-cardioid-mics-mike-senior-podcast

Credits
This month's episode features recordings from David Tyo's 'Long Way Home'. You can check out more of David's great music here:

https://davidtyo.bandcamp.com/

If you'd like to try mixing 'Long Way Home' for yourself, you can download the full raw multitracks here:

https://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#DavidTyo

To read more about the low-spill figure-eight guitar-recording method, check out Neil Rogers's January 2014 'Session Notes' column:

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-thomas-rumbold-reds

For more general advice about microphone polar patterns, try this March 2007 article by Paul White:

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/using-microphone-polar-patterns-effectively

Mike Senior Biog

Mike Senior is a professional audio engineer, regular SOS contributor, and author of the best-selling books Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio & Recording Secrets For The Small Studio. He runs the Cambridge-MT educational resources site (including the web's largest free multitrack download library) and hosts two monthly independent podcasts, Project Studio Tea Break and the Cambridge-MT Patrons Podcast.

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Mike Senior's Expert Tracking & Mixing Tips

Depending on how it's set up, compression can do radically different things to the sound of a snare drum. In this episode, Mike Senior explores three ways in which a compressor can help bring your snare tracks to life.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction
00:38 - Inconsistent snare hits
05:24 - Sustaining snare hits
08:16 - Enhancing attack
12:30 - Summary

If you'd like to listen more critically to the audio examples, you can download a high-resolution 24-bit/44.1kHz WAV of this whole episode from the podcast support page for this show https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/three-ways-compress-snare-mike-senior-podcast

Credits

This month's episode features recordings from The Purple Hat Mob's 'Access Denied' and Dunning Kruger's 'Japan Song'. If you'd like to try mixing these projects for yourself, you can download the full raw multitracks for them here:

http://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#PurpleHatMob

http://cambridge-mt.com/ms/mtk/#DunningKruger

These projects were also featured in Sound On Sound in the February 2020 'Mix Rescue' column, and in the October 2012 and February 2013 'Session Notes' columns, which can be found in the magazine's article archives here:

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/mix-rescue-overcoming-room

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-0

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/session-notes-writing-recording-cello-overdubs

For more general advice about compressing all kinds of drums, check out this Sound On Sound cover feature from February 2017 called 'Drum Compression: Fashion The Sound You Want':

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/compression-fashion-drum-sound-you-want

Mike Senior Biog

Mike Senior is a professional audio engineer, regular SOS contributor, and author of the best-selling books Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio & Recording Secrets For The Small Studio. He runs the Cambridge-MT educational resources site (including the web's largest free multitrack download library) and hosts two monthly independent podcasts, Project Studio Tea Break and the Cambridge-MT Patrons Podcast.

Catch more shows on our other podcast channels: https://www.soundonsound.com/sos-podcasts

Introducing the Sound On Sound Podcasts. Yes, that’s podcasts, because we’re launching three dedicated channels each with their own series of episodes to keep you entertained throughout each month.

You’ll hear interviews, features, discussion, opinion and occasional demos of the gear we’re reviewing from many of the SOS magazine staff and our expert Freelance team.

The Recording & Mixing channel takes the practical approach and will keep you inspired with expert hints and tips.

You’ll hear interviews, features, discussion, opinion and occasional demos of the gear we’re reviewing from many of the SOS magazine staff and our expert Freelance team.

The Recording & Mixing channel takes the practical approach and will keep you inspired with expert hints and tips.

You should also hop over to our other channels and subscribe there for even more shows.

The Electronic Music channel is for everyone interested in synths, samplers and the world of electronic music.

The People & Music Industry channel will feature the great and good in engineering, production and manufacturing.

We launch our first two shows on May 21st so subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

All shows are mastered to the highest quality the podcast channel will support and are in stereo.

Check out our website page for further details www.soundonsound.com/podcasts