The Self-Recording Band

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

Do you need more inputs or outputs but don't want to buy a new interface?

Let us help you expand your current setup and save money! :)

You might have heard about ADAT or SPDIF and maybe you've seen those ins and outs on your interface - here's why they exist and how to use them

Many of us have started with a small interface that only has a few inputs and outputs. But what do we do if want to track live drums or give everyone in the band their own headphone mix?

Time to get a bigger interface? Not necessarily. There might be a better and more affordable alternative.

On this episode we show you how to add more ins and outs to your existing setup

This is what we cover on the show:

• What ADAT and SPDIF are and how they work
• How to know if your interface can be expanded and what it can actually handle
• Which gear to get to expand your current interface
• The benefits outside of just adding more channels (different preamps, additional sonic flavours, more advanced features, etc.)
• How to set it all up
• Common pitfalls and what to watch out for
   

Let's go!

-Benedikt

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/175

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

Have you ever asked your mixing engineer to send you the finished, mixed multitracks? 

Or did you try and export every single track after mixing, so you can use them for backing tracks, remixes, etc.?

Let's talk about which types of files you really need in the end.

The one thing everyone needs is the final mix/master of their song.

But what about stems, multitracks, etc.? 

What's the difference between those and what do I export or ask for when I want backing tracks for my live shows, for example?

In this episode, we give you the answers:

• Let's define stems and multitracks
• What do you need for live backing tracks?
• What do you need for potential remixes / remasters / collaborations?
• Why it is not always possible to export multitracks and why it's usually a waste of time anyway.
• Why are my stems not exactly the same as the mix, when I combine them?
• Why it is a good idea to talk about all of this in advance, so your mixer knows which final files you'll need. 

Let's go!

-Benedikt

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/174

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

I've built a page that offers simple explanations for the most common terms in audio, as well as all the common features and functions found on recording studio equipment. It is completely free, super awesome, and today we're gonna introduce it to you on the podcast.

Making and recording music is about the art. About creativity. When you write or record, you want to be in the zone. You want to be in flow state. 

And nothing is more distracting and annoying than having to google seemingly complicated terms, features or functions that you come across while you’re creating.

So here's the resource to find your answers quickly and end the confusion.

The good news is: Most of that stuff is not complicated at all and you don’t have to understand all the technical ins and outs of every piece of gear, in order to make or record a great song.

And once you find out what the important terms mean, you don’t have to be afraid of making a mistake, anymore. You can finally focus on the art and what comes out of the speakers. Because ultimately, that’s all that matters.

To know the right terms and their meaning also helps in situations where you collaborate and communicate with others. Because sometimes people say one thing and actually mean something completely different. We don't want that happening to you.

So, to save you from that frustrating waste of time and energy, I’ve put together categorized lists with short, simple explanations of all those things. Boiled down to what really matters and already filtering out the stuff you don’t necessarily need to know to get started.

On this episode we'll explain some of the most confusing, important and common audio terms. And then you can look up the rest on this page when you need to.

 Let's go!

-Benedikt

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/173

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

I just finished Rick Rubin's book "The Creative Act". A fascinating and very inspiring read that made me want to talk about it on the podcast because there are so many interesting things to discuss and unpack in what he says.

In this episode, I want to highlight one specific, very important concept that is at the heart of the book.

In "The Creative Act", Rubin discusses the phases of any creative project, which he calls the Seed phase, the Experimentation phase, the Craft phase, and the Completion phase.

From working with so many artists, I know that many people find it hard to "plan" art. To follow a process and to be intentional.

I always ask people to tell me why they are making a record, what they want it to sound and feel like, what they are trying to achieve and how they are going to make that happen.

But it's important to understand that not every part of making a record has to be planned. Not every decision needs a "why" behind it, especially not in the early phases.

I realized that the way I used to explain and teach it can easily be misunderstood, so "The Creative Act" provides a perfect opportunity to make this more clear and straightforward.

At every stage of the record-making process there's a bit of both creation and craft involved, so let's have a look at that.

The writing never stops. 

As artists, we are constantly inspired by things happening around us, our emotions, stories we hear, people we meet, things we go through, etc. 

Just observe, pay attention and capture (the seed)

Then we take these notes and develop them into drafts. 

No rules. No limitations. No plan. We create what we feel like creating and let our intuition and inspiration guide us. Whatever comes out becomes the art. Some things will be good, others not so much. We just keep creating and experimenting.

If we separate the craft and creation, we can show up to do either or, focus on the task at hand and will get the most out of both, instead of constantly doing it all at the same time.

Let's discuss!

-Benedikt

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/172

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

I sat down with Flo Reithofer, a producer, engineer and musician from Austria. He was one of the first people to join the Self-Recording Syndicate and I've been working with him for about a year and a half now, helping him refine his audio skills, as well as grow his studio business.

During that time Flo has not only worked on many projects with different bands and artists, but he also produced two songs completely from scratch. 

He did everything himself: Writing, arranging, producing, engineering, performing (every instrument & vocal), editing, mixing, mastering. 

Flo is a true multi-instrumentalist and still plays drums for different bands. So he knows both sides of the studio window very well and speaks the same language as the musicians he's working with.

Since joining the program, Flo has always been open for new ideas and new things to try, produced super exciting records for the artists he's working with and got more projects for his studio.

He has improved the acoustics in his live room, optimized his recording and mixing rigs, created a better workflow for himself and now produces and mixes with much more confidence, compared to just a few months ago. And his artists are loving the results he gets them!
 

His skillset and network lets him offer a perfect package to bands and artists that are looking for an energetic and raw production aesthetic that still sounds modern and punchy, but always in a very authentic way and true to the artist's vision. 

Super stoked to share Flo's story with you!

Let's go!

-Benedikt

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/171

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

I sat down with Clint & Robin, two amazingly talented producers, engineers and musicians from Hamburg, Germany. I've been working with them for about a year now, helping them refine their audio skills and guiding them through the process of starting their own studio.

During that time I was constantly blown away by the conversations we had on our coaching calls and the music they submitted for feedback. 

When they joined the Self-Recording Syndicate it was clear that they were very talented, but they were also lacking focus, systems and a reliable process to get amazing results consistently and with confidence. 

So they took it seriously, put in the work, were always open for new ideas and things to try, produced super exciting records and started getting their first paid projects in their studio, Roobey Records.

They have built out their studio rigs, created processes and a better workflow for themselves and feel so much more confident about their work now, compared to just a few months ago.

Clint & Robin both also play in Snakes In The Pit, a hardcore band from Hamburg, and Clint is an experienced touring drummer. His credits include playing drums for ZSK (a huge German punk band) on their tour with Rise Against.

Their combined skillset and network lets them offer a perfect package to bands and artists that are looking for a big, modern and polished production aesthetic, while still sounding like a real band.

Super stoked to share Robin's and Clint's story with you!

Let's go!

-Benedikt

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/170

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

Listen to this episode if you want to know what's keeping your recordings from sounding professional.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

·      We debunk some common myths around music production and around the modern tools used to enhance performances

·      We show you a solution that will help you speed up your music creation process significantly

·      We introduce a system that helps you get professional sounding results with confidence and without killing the vibe

 There's no need to write out more detailed show notes for today's episode, because it's all there for you on this page:

theselfrecordingband.com/deadondrums

Let's go!

-Benedikt

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/169

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

Lucas McKinnon is an artist, multi-instrumentalist, session drummer, record producer, owner of Silverside Sound (a beautiful recording studio) and inviting him to the podcast was long overdue!

So let's talk session drums (and all things drum production, actually)!

If you got our Mixes Unpacked - Vol. 2 course, you've seen Malcom dissect his mix of "Dark Ice" by Skov. 

The drums on that song, which many of you loved, have been played and recorded by Lucas McKinnon.

So we wanted to talk to Lucas about what goes into recording drums remotely for other artists. 

What are the challenges, how do you collaborate effectively, how do you make sure to get the vibe right and understand the artist's vision? Those were some of the questions on our minds.

Also things like setting up, choosing the right setup and keeping the drums in good shape for every session.  

Because, let's be honest, your typical remote drummer that you hire online is likely to leave the same drum skins on the kit forever, always use the same setup and not really put serious effort into creating and capturing the perfect tones for your song. From scratch. Every single time. Which is exactly what Lucas does. And how it should be done.

And his job doesn't end there. Sure, you can just get the raw multitracks and drag them into your session. But depending on what the project needs, people like Lucas can edit or even mix the drums in the context of the song, so you can get a finished product, even if you're not an engineer but a writer and musician.

Specialized, professional drummers and engineers like Lucas McKinnon or our very own "Dr. Drums" Thomas Krottenthaler bring a level of expertise to every project that is truly invaluable. 

They solve the biggest problems DIY-producers and musicians have: Drum production and getting the groove right. This is by far the hardest thing to do on your own, especially if you're not experienced and don't have a great room to do it.

Malcom and Lucas have collaborated on many records over the years and have a professional relationship and friendship that is the perfect foundation for an inspiring and insightful conversation like this.
  

Let's go!

-Benedikt

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/168

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

As a follow-up to last week's episode on bus processing, we want to introduce and explore the idea of top-down mixing today.   

Top-down mixing can make your mixing workflow more efficient, intuitive and creative.

It's less destructive and leads to decent results quickly.

It helps you not overthink things, and you'll find yourself mixing with your ears more than reacting to meters and graphics.

It's dangerous if you not done "correctly". 

"Top down mixing is probably the easiest way for beginners to get started, but beginners also will probably really overdo it since they haven't trained their ears for what they SHOULD change, not CAN change. So it's also a great way to fail fast. 😄" -Malcom Owen-Flood

In this week's podcast episode we're gonna explain how we implement top-down mixing it in our own mixing workflows every day and also talk about potential downsides and things to watch out for.
  

There's actually a benefit to combining "bottom-up" and "top-down" approaches in one mix, especially when it comes to balancing. 

How to implement top-down mixing in your mixes

·      Practical examples

·      How to approach a mix from a top-down perspective and how to prioritize elements in the mix

·      Advice on using bus processing and other techniques to shape the overall mix (listen to previous episode)

·      The importance of referencing to make sure that the details are correct, as well. It's easy to overlook things and to be content too early in the process.

·      Do a quick "bottom up" rough mix first to really learn the song and arrangement.

·      Compare your bottom-up and top-down balances. They will likely be different and hearing both will help you get things in the ballpark.

 Now go and try out top-down mixing in your own mixes and experiment with different techniques!

Remember that top-down mixing is just one approach to mixing. It should be used in conjunction with other techniques to achieve the best possible results.

For some people this is their main approach, others can't seem to make it work. 

But almost everyone can benefit from switching perspectives, seeing the big picture again and rebalancing a mix with a different focus and approach.

Let's go!

-Benedikt
--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/167

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]

Here are three next steps for you to take:

1. Get our free video training & checklist, "Standout Mixes - The DIY Musician's Guide To Exciting Mixes That Stand Out And Connect":
theselfrecordingband.com/standoutmixes
-
2. Apply for The Self-Recording Syndicate, our personalized coaching program!

It all starts with a free first call where we talk about your music, give you feedback and a step-by-step action plan that you can then implement on your own, or together with us.

Best case: We end up working together and completely transform the sound of your music forever.
Worst case: You get an hour of free coaching and feedback.

Sounds fair? Cool. Apply now and book your free coaching call:
theselfrecordingband.com/call
-
3. Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
theselfrecordingband.com/community
--
Episode show notes:

In the episode on piano recordings and sparse arrangements we briefly talked about using bus processing to glue things together and keep things a little more organic. Today we want to explore this further. 

Let's discuss what bus processing is and how it can help you achieve a more cohesive and polished sound in your mixes!
 

On this episode, we explain exactly how we use bus processing in our own mixes. Routing, plugins, plugin order, settings and, of course, the reasons behind our decisions, based on the context of the mix.  

Bus processing is just one tool in your mixing toolbox, and it should be used in conjunction with other techniques (clean up, shaping of important individual tracks, etc.) to achieve the best possible results.

Let's go! 

-Benedikt
--
For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/166

Send us Fan Mail

If you have any questions, feedback, topic ideas or want to suggest a guest, email us at: [email protected]