The Self-Recording Band

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH COACHING CALL TO GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR RECORDINGS AND A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN TO TURN YOUR SONGS INTO PRO QUALITY RECORDINGS:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

--

This is part two of us answering a great question from our community member Jesse Crawford (Loma Roses)

Jesse sent us the following question on building arrangements:

“I was wondering if you would have input about arrangement concepts. Specifically about how to produce your songs to where the instruments/tones can be clearly defined from one another. I’m interested in hearing how other people approach this idea. To me, one of the main challenges is making tones that play well together.”

 
Now you might be asking: "Why is that even important? Can't you just shape the tones in the mix?"

The answer is: You want to write and arrange your songs so that they already work, even raw, before mixing. That way the mix will be easier, more fun and faster. You don’t want to fight your song in the mix.

So, in this second part of it (it's a two-part episode) we address: 

 ·      Lead Parts

·      Vocals

·      Pads & Synth Layers

·      Closing Thoughts And Arrangement Recap

Let's go!

--
For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/145

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH COACHING CALL TO GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR RECORDINGS AND A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN TO TURN YOUR SONGS INTO PRO QUALITY RECORDINGS:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

--
This week we answered a great question from our community member Jesse Crawford (Loma Roses)

Jesse sent us the following question on building arrangements:
 
“I was wondering if you would have input about arrangement concepts. Specifically about how to produce your songs to where the instruments/tones can be clearly defined from one another. I’m interested in hearing how other people approach this idea. To me, one of the main challenges is making tones that play well together.”

Now you might be asking: "Why is that even important? Can't you just shape the tones in the mix?"
The answer is: You want to write and arrange your songs so that they already work, even raw, before mixing. That way the mix will be easier, more fun and faster. You don’t want to fight your song in the mix.
So, in this first part of it (it's going to be a two-part episode) we'll address:

GENERAL, BIG PICTURE ARRANGEMENT DECISIONS AND QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF

DRUMS & BASS - THE GROOVE

RHYTHM TRACKS - GUITARS, SYNTH, KEYS, ETC.

LET'S GO!

Mentioned On The Episode:
Here are the detailed PDF slides from our Academy that you can use as a checklist when you're working on your next arrangement!
--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/144

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

Book a free in-depth coaching call to get feedback on your recordings and a step-by-step plan to turn your songs into pro quality releases:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join our free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

Send us Fan Mail

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

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH COACHING CALL TO GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR RECORDINGS AND A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN TO TURN YOUR SONGS INTO PRO QUALITY RECORDINGS:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

--
There are no dumb questions. Period. And it’s never a problem if you don’t know something.

But that doesn't mean you can't figure it on your own, or shouldn't try to.

Think About It That Way:

• There are things that really matter, when it comes to making great records. And those take experience and/or the help of more experienced people.
  
  
• And then there are things that just need to get done but don’t really move the needle. You have to be able to figure out those “simple” things quickly and on your own, so you can use your opportunities to ask questions for the stuff that really matters.
  
  

When you ask more experienced people for a solution to a relatively simple problem that you could easily solve yourself, you’re wasting your time.

Because you won't move on and make progress until you have their answer and you’re missing out on a chance to ask really good questions that you just can’t quickly find an answer to yourself.

Overall, it will take you much longer to improve your skills and results that way.

Listen now to discover a better way to ask questions and make progress faster!

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/143

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

Book a free in-depth coaching call to get feedback on your recordings and a step-by-step plan to turn your songs into pro quality releases:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join our free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

Send us Fan Mail

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

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH COACHING CALL TO GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR RECORDINGS AND A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN TO TURN YOUR SONGS INTO PRO QUALITY RECORDINGS:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

--

We got the following question from our coaching students:

“How do you identify (drum) time signatures and note values? I want to get better and faster at figuring this out mainly for drum editing and adjusting my grid. Sometimes it takes me a while to identify if something is in triplets, for example."

We love the question, because this (and music theory in general) is something that isn't talked about a lot, but many struggle with it.

And it's absolutely necessary as a producer to know at least the basics here.

Without that basic knowledge, even simple tasks can be super time consuming and frustrating. Think editing, programming drums, getting delays right, importing multitracks into a session and setting it up properly, etc.

But, to be honest, at first it was kind of hard for us to give good advice here. It comes pretty natural to us, so we didn’t really have a process for it, other than some tapping and counting that we do automatically.

So we invited Thomas Krottenthaler to the show!

Thomas is our podcast editor, but more importantly, he has been working as an engineer with Benedikt, at his studio Outback Recordings, since 2019. Thomas has done a phenomenal job editing countless songs there AND he's a professional drummer / drum teacher, too!

So, we couldn't think of any person more skilled and better equipped to help us on this topic than Thomas.

Let's go!

--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/142

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH COACHING CALL TO GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR RECORDINGS AND A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN TO TURN YOUR SONGS INTO PRO QUALITY RECORDINGS:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

--

We've said it before on the show and we'll say it again:
It’s not about the tools you have, it’s about your ability to get the most out of them.


Here's a very common mistake we see DIY-producers make over and over again:

Many people buy a new plugin (or other tool) in hopes that it will solve the problems with their sound, when they don’t even know how to use what they already have!

Or they go through their plugin folders, try 10 different options without really knowing what exactly to reach for and just hope that one of them will work.


There is a better way that will lead to better mixes, a faster workflow and faster progress when it comes to improving your skills.

That's why today, we have a challenge for you (and ourselves). Inspired by two of the greatest mixers of all time.

We think it is a fantastic idea and we can't wait to see who's going to take us up on this and report their results!

Episode artwork photo taken from PureMix and the "Andrew Talks To Awesome People" podcast, because this episode was inspired by that show.
--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/141

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH COACHING CALL TO GET FEEDBACK ON YOUR RECORDINGS AND A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN TO TURN YOUR SONGS INTO PRO QUALITY RECORDINGS:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

--

Let's debunk 5 audio myths that we're still hearing about all the time. Almost daily we see people sabotage themselves without knowing because they follow bad advice based on these myths.

If any of these have been holding you back, now's the time to change that.

We hope this episode inspires you and makes you feel empowered to just do whatever serves your song.


--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/140

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH COACHING CALL TO GET FEEDBACK AND A STEP-BY-STEP PLAN TO TURN YOUR SONGS INTO PRO QUALITY RECORDINGS:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

--

Sibilance in recordings needs to be controlled. The top end needs to be balanced and appropriate for the song. Period. You have to get it right at the source and in the mix. And sometimes additional refinement has to be done in mastering. 

Whatever it takes to get a clear, bright, but smooth and pleasant sounding top end. 

An overly sibilant recording/mix is a dead giveaway that you're listening to an amateur production, unless it's intentional. 

It's worse than a slightly dull/dark production in most cases, because it's distracting at best and even painful to listen to in some cases.

In this episode we're talking about different ways to do this at every stage of the process:

• We're explaining mic positioning techniques and other recording tricks.
• We're discussing signal flow, plugin order and of course go-to plugins, settings and starting points
• And we're talking about special tools and techniques outside your typical de-essers and EQs

Here's to a bright but smooth sounding future!

-Benedikt


--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/139

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH 1-ON-1 FEEDBACK CALL WITH BENEDIKT:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

Check out Collidastate:
https://collidastate.com
--

On this Episode I'm talking to Graham and James from the Australian Rock Duo Collidastate.

Yes, they are duo, but also yes, they sound like a full band! They started with only drums and acoustic guitar (of all things), and soon they were creating full arrangements around these two instruments that really sound unique and exciting. All from their home studio.

Their music has been described as "Australian rock storytelling", which I think is a perfect description for what they do.

We're talking about their Ep "Resilience" that came out in 2022, and specifically about one song that's called "Out of Time" because that one is featured in our "Mixes Unpacked - Vol. 2" course that we did here at the Self Recording Band.

Mixes Unpacked is a series of mixing courses where we walk you through exactly how we've mixed real songs, that have been released, and transformed them from basically raw DIY recordings to finished, radio-ready, professional sounding productions.

I'm not gonna claim, though, that it was whatever I did in the mix that made this particular record sound cool. Because it all starts with a great song that Graham and James definitely wrote. It all starts with their friendship, their influences, everything that goes into the music they're making and the way they captured it. That is what makes the song and the record great and what made the whole thing work.

Based on that foundation we were able to refine it all and bring out the essence of the band and their vision.

On this episode we're talking about that and we're also talking about the future, things that are coming up in the Collidastate camp, how they are preparing for future recordings and what has changed over the course of last year. 

We've been working together for a while now, I've been their coach and I've helped them prepare for the next record and set them up for success so that their future releases will sound even better and better each time.

If you enjoyed this episode, please check out Collidastate and their music!

Also, check out our Mixes Unpacked courses and if you're interested in leveling up your recording skills, so you can make your own dream record, book a free first call with me and let's talk about how we can help you do this!

-Benedikt


--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/138

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

Get 10% off your first month of Maastr:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/maastr

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH 1-ON-1 FEEDBACK CALL WITH BENEDIKT:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community
--

Jay Maas has made some of the most iconic, influential and important records in punk, hardcore and indie music.

He's worked with bands like Have Heart, Bane, Counterparts, State Champs, The Story So Far, Verse, Propagandhi, Somos, No Trigger, Polar Bear Club, Title Fight, Carpathian, Strike Anywhere, Drug Church, Make Do And Mend, the list goes on and on and on...

Almost 20 years into his career he started to work on a new project, called Maastr.io.

Maastr is an automatic online mastering software, that allows musicians and engineers to master their songs and collaborate efficiently in one place.

Knowing that existing automatic, AI-based mastering tools get a bad rep (often for good reason), Jay and Maastr set out to transform the audio mastering process forever.

So they built a new kind of intelligent mastering engine, constructed with the expertise of the industry’s very best talents to help you achieve sonically beautiful masters and professionally elevated audio in minutes.

And they didn't stop there. Maastr has a built-in collaboration platform that allows engineers and artists to easily communicate and iterate, all in one place.

I've been talking to Jay about it for a bit on my other podcast (Outback Recordings Podcast - Episode 54), when he had just started it (among many many other things, so go listen to that episode), then later I became a Maastr subscriber myself, mainly out of curiosity.

I've been testing it thoroughly over the past couple of months and had lots of questions about this fascinating tool, Jay's personal approach to mastering, how he uses Maastr and how it can help the self-recording artists out there.

So I just had to reconnect with Jay and bring him on this podcast, which was an absolute blast. He's not only brilliant at what he does, but super fun to talk to and an open book when it comes to his knowledge and what he believes in.

Enjoy this deep dive into AI-mastering, mastering in general and of course Maastr.io.

-Benedikt


--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/137

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

Send us Fan Mail

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

Room Sound Premium Drum Samples:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/roomsound

BOOK A FREE IN-DEPTH 1-ON-1 FEEDBACK CALL WITH BENEDIKT:
https://theselfrecordingband.com/call

Join the free Facebook Group ("The Self-Recording Band Community"):
https://theselfrecordingband.com/community

Benedikt's voice on this episode has been recorded with the Antelope Axino Synergy Core
--

Dave Piatek and his company Room Sound set out to make the ultimate, realistic, authentic sounding, premium drum sample libraries.

I've been using them for years and keep recommending them for this exact reason. They are my favorite drum sample company in the world, absolutely sound like a drum kit and blend really well with your recorded drums. It's mind-blowing.

So, we were always wondering what they might be doing differently. What's the secret? How the hell do you make a library like that? Are there best practices for us to follow, when we create our own drum samples? Or when we use those samples?

This episode gives you the answers and boy, did we underestimate what goes into all of this. 😅

Dave talks about the mind-numbing, insane amount of tedious detail work that's part of creating these libraries, as well as the incredible process that they came up with to make sure they get it absolutely 100% right every single time.

He explains how they made the new Kurt Ballou Vol. 2 library that just came out (this is late summer 2022), how they kept the drums perfectly in tune, how they captured and cut 36000 (!) hits accurately and how they created a super versatile kit that combines multiple world class rooms (Steve Albini's Electrical Audio), mic configurations, processing chains and even recording mediums in one plugin.

This one got me really excited and I'm stoked to share it with you now!

-Benedikt

PS: Sorry again, Dave, for completely butchering your name! What an embarrassing way to start an episode 😅


--

For full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/136

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

Send us Fan Mail

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