Help: A More Comprehensive Recording Book

[the.blode]

I have only two questions


1) Where do you draw the line on the tradeoff between volume/intensity in the mix and space/clarity? A record such as 'In the Absence of truth' by Isis is as loud as most, yet there is still so much space in the mix - what is the methodology behind this?


2) Is the path to home recording and/or project studio assembly really a rewarding one? or would a would-be engineer/producer be better off finding a job in a commercial studio?

[Vulconizer]

1. How do I make enough money at this to not ever have to worry about money again so I can r e a l l y experiment with my techniques without distraction?

2. Does anyone else talk to themselves and cackle like a mad scientist when they discover a new and "cool" recording trick?

3. I want to know when I'll figure out the low end in our room so I can get better translation of the low end. Not really a question unless you're psycho, er, psychic.

[Singularity]

Hey,

Hope the book is going well.

I'm in the process of figuring out stereo buses at the moment, and I'm a bit confused as to how they actually work. Does it double up a mono wave and bounce it left and right?

Applying effects to a bus instead of a wave seems to work better and save system resources, especially when the same compression is needed on several tracks, but for me it's still a lot of guess work.

Also, many surround sound systems use proLogicII processing to include more speakers while playing a stereo song, how does that work? I've not had much luck getting one of my stereo tracks to use the rear speakers, regardless of how much panning I include. (maybe the problem lays with my cluelessness about stereo buses... )

I'd like to know more about surround mixing, because: Why are we still working in stereo anyway?? We have better disks, surround systems are prevalent, we have the technology... So much room for creative mixing in a 3D audio space.

Hope these sorts of things make it into the book!

Thanks

[magno]

Just 1.
How do you put up with all these crazy musicians coming in to your home?

[Vulconizer]

Originally Posted by magno

Just 1.
How do you put up with all these crazy musicians coming in to your home?

Heh. My guess is they think he's the crazy one.

[Electriclight]

3. Why do I stay a Bengals fan year after year ?

Try being a Chiefs fan sometime. Can't wait for the big showdown in Cincy ! Yeah right.

[46and2]

1) When recording, how hot is too hot? Do I want to record within a hair of having the overlimit light coming on or would it make more sense to keep the max level to 75%-ish? Lastly, what affect would any of these have on my ability to crank up the final mix to high volume levels?

2) My mixes, when played on my car stereo (acura, if this matters), sound muddy. By contrast, when played on my home stereo, they sound much better. Why?

3) When mixing multiple rhythm guitars (say, two guitars with two channels each), are there any panning guidelines for getting a "thick" sound? Asked differently, what role can panning play to get a rich, thick sound?

[grathan]

Just newbie questions:

1.) With experience would i know within a couple of seconds that a guitar and bass track will never mix well? or will they?
2.)Will surround music ever catch on. I really think a mtv hd channel with surround sounds would be neat to watch.
3.)Why don't musicians practice and love what they do anymore? You can listen to any genre back 20 or more years ago and 3 out of 5 songs were good. today you don't even get 1 of 10. The lyrics are all angry and tell no story. there is no catchy rythyms, copy cats are the only ones who can fill an album.

[Electriclight]

Originally Posted by 46and2

1) When recording, how hot is too hot? Do I want to record within a hair of having the overlimit light coming on or would it make more sense to keep the max level to 75%-ish? Lastly, what affect would any of these have on my ability to crank up the final mix to high volume levels?

It has been very difficult for me to learn the lesson that less is more.

The more headroom you give yourself on the mix, the more the final compressor has to work with. When tape was the medium, it was really important to record everyithing as hot as possible to keep the noise level low. That's really not as much of a factor in digital.

For me, keeping my initial levels lower had made for clearer, louder final mixes.

[46and2]

Originally Posted by Electriclight

It has been very difficult for me to learn the lesson that less is more.

The more headroom you give yourself on the mix, the more the final compressor has to work with. When tape was the medium, it was really important to record everyithing as hot as possible to keep the noise level low. That's really not as much of a factor in digital.

For me, keeping my initial levels lower had made for clearer, louder final mixes.

Interesting. Thanks. I'll give it a try.