[manninomusic]

Hi everybody,

I am looking for help in improving my home recording studio. I have the basic necessities to record in my studio, but im looking to see if I can make my sound even better then what it is now. I think it's pretty good atm, 100x better then when I started, but there are always new toys that I can play with out there to make my sound better. Currently, this is my gear list.

Interface: M-audio quad
Monitors: Mackie mrk5 (i think thats what they are called)
Microphones: Samson C01 and Blue Spark condensers, Shure Sm58 x2
Computer and Daw: brand new Imac with logic pro x installed
Mixer: Yamaha mixer with compression, Mx console


This is probably the most important gear I currently have to record. I am not looking to improve my current gear, but im looking to add to this setup. Maybe buying some Rackmountable gear like compressors and such. I dont have any knowledge with that kind of gear, but I want to learn!

Thank you so much!

[mihkay]

You have everything you need to make great recordings. Now all you have to do is learn how to use them. The next new toy is not going to make your set up any better unless you now how to use what you've already got. One of the best things you can invest in is time and practice. 

Don't go on the endless quest for the "one great plugin" or "box that makes everything better", it doesn't exist. Been there done that and made no progress. I sat down and learned to use the kit I have and have made huge strides forward.

Now obviously I haven't heard any of your productions so I may be talking out my arse but you say you want to by some rack-mountable gear but don't have any knowledge. I think that if you don't know what they are you probably don't need them yet. 

cheers dude and happy recording.

[manninomusic]

Thanks for your reply! Sorry, this post may have sounded like I was new to recording, but I have been doing it for sometime now, and I do know how to use the gear. I was just thinking that I see studios with rackmountable gear, and such, and I think to myself that some of these studios have great sound, and I wonder if any of the rackmountable gear is helping them.. Instead of using a software compressor, how about a physical compressor? I wanted to get my hands wet with using rackmountable gear, but I really dont know what to buy to get started (since I dont know much about it). Does anybody here use rackmountable gear and can post what they use? Thanks!

[Boydie]

I would agree with MIHKAY that any money spent on "education" is an investment, regardless of what level you are at

I believe GROOVE 3 are doing a good deal for access to their video tutorials and MAC PRO VIDEO is another excellent resource

I would personally recommend AVOIDING outboard gear

In my opinion you will not notice any sound improvement over "real" gear because the software equivalents are just soooooo good nowadays

Doing things "In The Box" is going to be much more cost effective than the improvement outboard gear may give (and plugins will have less zeros in the price!)

I would suspect that that big difference you are noticing is the MASTERING that the big studios do (or get done)

I haven't listened to your stuff yet (I hope to catch up on some reviews tonight) but I would be happy to do a quick free master of one of your songs with my toys to see if this gets you closer to the sound you want - If it does I can let you know what I did and what plugins I used

Drop me a PM if you want to give this a try

[manninomusic]

This was my post in the forums for my song.

http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/song-reviews/feedback-for-newly-released-song/

If you want to take a listen and tell me what you think about the quality of the sound. This was my first production with this new gear that I bought.

And I also think you answered my question. So software is just as good as the physical equipment then?

[Boydie]

So software is just as good as the physical equipment then?

The purists would say no - but I would definitely say that software plugins would be more than good enough for you, especially if you don't have a great deal of experience using outboard gear

It is similar to the whole "vinyl v CD" debate

Technically vinyl is better quality for the purists with high end gear

However, CD is much more convenient and delivers a "good enough" quality

You pays your money!

I will take a listen to your track soon...

[manninomusic]

Got it. Thank you very much for all your help!

[Boydie]

Just had a listen...

In my honest opinion I think there are a few things you could do using the stock plugins within logic to improve your mixing / production - as well as improving your arrangement approaches

I don't mean any of this to sound harsh but I agree with MIHKAY that there are things you can immediately improve on without spending a penny

The following examples are truly meant to help you improve as I wouldn't normally be so critical but I think  you could be sooooo close to getting a really punchy, pro sounding, mix with a few tweaks and different approaches...

The whole mix sounds a little "distant" to me

There are lots of techniques you could use with what you already have at your finger tips - eg using compression and EQ to bring things forward and use EQ and reverb to push things back in the mix to add some depth

I also found the mix very narrow with everything down the middle - I think you would get a more engaging mix if you panned things around the stereo field and even move things around using automation as the mix progresses - eg pan the little guitar fills to one side, bring the guitar into the middle for the solo, then pan it back to where it was

Your current mix seems to be lacking any bass instrument? - I think I can hear one but there is certainly something missing in the low end

If you can get your kick and bass mixed well together you will be half way to a solid mix

I also found the high end quite "harsh" and the cymbal crashes were a little "thin"

There is a constant ride cymbal that seems to be "washing out" the mix - just replacing this with a hi-hat would really tighten things up and make the mix clearer

You could also play with other techniques - eg add some side chain compression to your pad to give it some movement and clear a bit of space in the mix to let the bass through or try some parallel compression on the drums to beef them up a bit but maintain a natural sound

What about triggering a really low sine wave synth that only plays when the kick drum plays to sure up the low end

These are all techniques that you can probably do with the stock logic plugins (I am not too familiar with logic)

I can tell that you do have an ear for mixing but I think you could get an overall improvement by investing in some education - if you have the time I would recommend not paying for any new plugins but try out Groove3 and check out some of their mixing tutorials: https://www.groove3.com/

There are 35 videos dedicated to logic ( https://www.groove3.com/logic-training-videos ) as well as loads of "general principles" videos that are always helpful

I ALWAYS learn something new and helpful from watching tutorial videos


To get a pro sounding "pristine" mix you really need to start off with good source material

What are you using for your drum and piano sounds?

If these are being played live a recorded via microphones you will need to start with mic choices, mic placement technique, dealing with phase issues, dealing with the acoustics of the room etc. etc.

You may be better off getting some good VST (virtual) instruments that will give you an instantly good sounds - eg having a good drum and piano VST is always handy

Last (but certainly not least) how is your monitoring set up?

Have you tried playing a test tone in your room that plays all the frequencies at the same level

In your room you will likely notice that the volume will appear to increase and decrease at different frequencies depending on the acoustics of your monitoring environment - you may be amazed by the results

There is an example of a "sweep test" here: http://www.genelec.com/audio-test-signals

Your second best investment (after education) may be some acoustic treatment to improve your monitoring

If your room over exaggerates low end you are likely to mix with less low end, which will then be lacking on other systems/environments (or vice versa)

Acoustic treatment is not as sexy or as much fun as a new plugin but has the biggest potential to improve your mixes


But having said all of this it can always be fun to get a new plugin so I can recommend lots of fun stuff when you have a clearer idea of what you are after 

[manninomusic]

I  extremely happy to hear your advice on mixing my music, and you have brought up some great options in mixing the song. I specifically like the idea of panning the guitar fills.

Everything was recorded live on this song except for the drums, in which I have used the drummer software in Logic Pro X. For the piano sound, I used my Korg keybord. Also within the mix, I did record bass, I have recorded it with my keytar used as a controller for a bass sound. These instruments are directly connected to my audio interface. The only thing I used a mic for in this song was the voice.

The room does have a few pieces of acoustic treatment, but when I get home, I will be working on building some more panels for the corners of my room, as well as some panels hanging from the ceiling.

I think thats the move really, to purchase some educational videos that actually deal with logic pro, so that I can learn some of the techniques that are used in the process. Thann you so much again! This is extremely beneficial to me.

Also when I get home, I am interested in doing the sweep test. I really want to see what thats about!

[Boydie]

Also when I get home, I am interested in doing the sweep test. I really want to see what thats about!

Do this first before deciding on the acoustic treatment as it will help you decide what needs tackling - otherwise you are shooting in the dark and could even make things worse


As it is a short song I would be happy to have a crack at doing a mix on my system if you wanted to send me the original, unprocessed, tracks as I would then be able to "show" you the kind of things I am talking about

[manninomusic]

I have some treatment up on my walls already. The room itself was just an empty room that I had for storage, so it is not the best room to record in. When I emptied the room a bit, there were tiles on the floor. The studio is located in my basement, so atleast there really isnt much noise, which is a plus. I laid down some rugs, but there not the best type (better then tiles I think though).

That would be so beneficial to me for you to mix one of my tracks. The only problem is I dont have the original unedited sound sources with me currently because I am away for the summer, but I get back next wednesday. I will pm you when I am back home, and maybe Ill be able to email them to you! Thank you!