Whoa, 6am comes awfully early when I spend all night in the studio. I can’t help it thoughI’m stuck in the moment like a deer in the headlights. The studio is virtual reality and was so long before it migrated into the realm of microprocessors. In that environment anything and everything is possibleand it happens on a second by second basis. And you know what? No matter how well you conceive the final product to be, and how diligently you plan, practice, and prepare, the end is always greater than sum of your anticipation. You can’t foresee how your internal rhythms will respond to the bright snap of a snare, your imagination will perceive the wail of a blues harp rippling through consciousness carried on by a spacious echo, or the sweetness of an acoustic guitar joyfully ringing a chorus. These things first happen in the playback. There always is your faith that the world will love and wholeheartedly accept what you hear too. That is what it is all about.
The studio is a blank canvas. There are four points of reference on this canvas, but you should not look at it (or think of it) as a white sheet of paper before your eyes. If you take that sheet of paper, look at the EDGE of it, and tilt the back upward a bit, that will give you a physical picture of the canvas dimensions. Can you picture it? The four dimensions of recorded music are Left and Right (of course) imaged by the pan control, and “painted” by the left and right speakers. Obvious reference points–it is the way we experience live sound.
What are the two other dimensions? Top and bottom? No, in order to simulate that we would need top and bottom fade controls and speakers to deliver those dimensions. When you hear a band do you hear music down low or up high? No. The other two canvass reference points are front and rear. How then, do you sonically move something from the front to the rear you might wonder? Volume. Our brains are wired to perceive that which is loud as closer than that which is quiet. It’s natures way. This is why we must look at our sheet of paper canvas on edge, to get left, right, front and rear.
With those four dimensions in mind you can begin putting down sonic paint on your canvas. It is not important at this point to know where everything will be placed, but these reference points will help you think about your sound, and plan your work. When it is time to mix down, you will place all your colors on that virtual canvaswhich is of course, the air itself.
There always is a drive for ultimate perfection in the studio, but take if from a guy that has lived in a studio for years, perfection is relativerelative to the moment and your state of mind. The first hour in is ultimate perfection, and twelve hours later the definition of perfection warps. Consider this, most of us will not have the opportunity or funding to spend in a commercial studio, with top gun players, distinguished producers, or leading-edge engineers.
Think back at the songs that you have loved over the years, especially vintage songs of the sixty’s and seventy’s. Imperfection is part of their characteristic charm. You probably will not be able to match the perfection of today’s commercial musicso decide what is important. I have always been a huge advocate of a great performance and lively presentation over a flawless output. People will respond to the musicnot necessarily the complexity of the song. Remember that, it will help you think about your sound. I’ll have more professional studio tips next articleuntil then stay on track.
Gary “g-man” Wesselhoff is an acoustic blues writer/performer working the Chicago Metro area. You can contact him at: gman@gmanblues.com
Please Visit his site: http://www.gmanblues.com
If you are music lover then its sure that you too shall be interested to know about the upcoming future music trend. Music since years has been crucial in making you free of your daily stress and provides you with fun and enjoyment. In the recent times pop music culture has overtaken other forms of music but in future it might happen that any other music hits the charts.
Even if you are an upcoming music recording artist you should be aware of the trends in the future of the music industry. For all this internet shall be a great resource where you can find all kinds of downloadable music. This has paved the way for consumers to get more music but at the same time affected the quality of music by providing various music sharing files which in turn lead to piracy of music. This is indeed a great threat to the future music industry.
Upcoming music releases also show that there is advancement in the kind of quality of the music by use of different musical and electronic instruments and at the same time new innovations in the rhythm and music tunes. As more volume of albums are releasing in the market now consumers have a wider variety to choose from. Now consumer is not restricted to a specific kind of music, be it jazz, pop, rock or classical.
The future of the music business is indeed good but the piracy of music is sure a matter of concern which can cut down the costs of music production and bring down the revenue of the music business. Music business shall grow aggressively if music laws implemented are followed and there is no piracy or illegal acts performed.
Visit our recommended website music-future.com
for more details.
Olivia Andrews is a freelance journalist and has written many reviews on subjects such as finance, education, entertainment, music, apparels and mobile phones.
