Two Secrets to a Professional Sound

Two Secrets to a Professional Sound By Jason Johnston Everyone is looking for an "easy button." It happens with dieting, relationships and even (gasp) with recording. People are looking for that proverbial plug-in with an "awesome" switch. While there is no easy button, I have found two essential keys to making your recordings sound as professional or even more professional than any recording studio in Canada. The first key is signal path. The chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Below is a simple and typical home studio setup for recording vocals.

The illustration shows a microphone connected to an audio interface sending sound out to powered monitors. (The computer would be connected via a firewire or USB cable, but this is not important in the context of signal path right now). Here is the all important input signal chain:

Microphone > XLR Cable > Interface

If any one of these links in the chain are of low quality or damaged then your signal is going to be low quality or damaged. If you keep this signal chain as high a quality as possible, then you will reap the benefits of having a top quality, professional sound. For example: you could have the best microphone and best interface but if you are using a frayed XLR from the 70's, your signal chain is as weak as that link. Buy the best quality you can afford for every chain in the link, especially on the input signal chain. The second key to a professional sound is simple: Your Knowledge. This is even more important than your gear or signal path. Your command and control of that gear is the most important aspect of your studio, and in the end the greatest secret to a professional sound. So go back and evaluate your signal chain and make it as strong as possible then learn all you can to use it so your recording will sound as good as possible too. Some sources for learning: 1. Classes: we host a wide range of classes here at our Mississauga Store Front 2. Books / DVD's: If you are not local, books and DVD's are here to help 3. Make Friends with other home studio users: Make friends at our Revolution Audio facebook group. Ask questions. Help some others at the same time. Jason Johnston is the leader of the Revolution, musician and part-time professor of Music Technology at Sheridan Arts College.

Getting the Vocal to "Sit" in the Mix

Getting the Vocal to "Sit" in the Mix by Jason Johnston

Have you ever stopped to think about what make a great photograph? Often it is a matter of clearly focusing on one subject and placing that subject clearly against some sort of interesting background. If the subject is a person, it is maybe a close up with the other crowds of people blurred behind. Or perhaps a lone tree contrasted against a sunset.

Good audio mixes are like a great photograph. Especially when it comes to solo subject matter like a lead vocal or guitar. The best mixes create an interesting background on which to set your subject. The key is how to set the subject against this background without it being either too separate from the rest of the music, or blending into the background too much, being obscured. Usually raising and lowering the volume of a vocal track is just not enough to make it sound just right. Here are a few tips on getting a vocal to sit well on a background, without using volume:

- Compression: Using compression with a ratio of 4:1 or so will allow decrease the high and low dynamic of the vocal and make it easier to place in the mix. It will also highlight breaths, pops and even subtle clicks, so be careful. Most pop music uses too much compression for my taste, but you have to admit that lead vocals on the radio reach out and grab you.

- EQ: Sit the vocal just under the surface of the background and then use a little EQ to bump it up just enough to hear it. This is often either in the upper-mid ranges (around 7-8K) for more bite and into the higher regions (around 12K) for more sizzle. Using EQ on all the other tracks to notch out a space for the vocal is a great method used by the best everywhere. (Listen to U2's Beautiful Day for a great example of a vocal set into the mix using EQ)

- Reverb: Most amateur mixers use too much Reverb. This can often make the lead vox muddy, blending too much into the background and making it almost impossible to place it correctly in the mix. Most engineers tend to record completely dry and use as little reverb as possible, unless there is a particular creative effect that is desired.

As always, the major rule is this: there are no rules. Or at least rules are only guidelines or a starting point. Experiment. Use your ears. And just keep the hard drive rolling!

Jason Johnston is the leader of the Revolution, musician and part-time professor of Music Technology at Sheridan Arts College.

Five Things to Do BEFORE the EQ

By Jason Johnston

It is so tempting. Those fancy little knobs or virtual sliders where you can dial up a little more high or low frequency, maybe scoop out the mid or try to get a little more life out of that vocal sound. But, there may be some actions to do BEFORE you reach for that Equalizer (EQ). So, use some restraint and think through this list to see if these questions apply:

the UAD Cambridge EQ

1. Is it the Right Microphone?

If you find yourself immediately adjusting the EQ to get a little more "presence" out of the microphone, maybe it's not the right mic for the job. You can't boost something that is not there. And if it is there in just a smaller amount, you will also be boosting the noise with it. If you have some other mics you can try, take a couple minutes and do it. It always serves you to know your microphones - read the manual, study the frequency response graph that came with them or look them up online.

2. Is it the Proper Mic Placement?

The distance of the microphone from the source you are recording can make an enormous difference in the frequencies. For instance, have a cardioid microphone really close the source will boost the proximity effect, creating a much boomier lower end (also called the James Earl Jones effect...). Putting the microphone further away will thin out the sound. This can be effective when recording backup vocalist or other instruments that will not be front-and-center.

When it comes to recording acoustic guitars a mic in the wrong place will make it sound dull and lifeless and in the right place will make the sound come alive. Trust me - you don't want to be trying to create sonic life out of a lifeless track with EQ! It will be like beating a dead horse.

When recording drums, mic placement is king. Even a good mic in the wrong place will have you fumbling to your EQ for more thud, snap, crack or sparkle. I know the band is waiting. Just tell them that perfection takes time and find those proper placements for the drum mics to get the sound you want.

3. Do I need to Change the Strings, the Drum Heads, the Picks, get a setup etc.?

If you are trying to capture a sound and make it sound better than the instrument does in real life you will have a difficult time of it. Many instruments have "consumables" that wear out over time. I often instruct acoustic guitar players to change their strings a few days before, play a little bit to let them get worked in (so they will stay in tune) but not too much to smack the life out of them again. New strings on a guitar might sound a little bright to your ears, but tend to record very well. A proper guitar setup with a trusted (and timely) guitar tech is usually a good choice before an important recording.

In a similar way, Drums have heads that need to be replaced depending on use, especially when it comes to the kick batter head and the snare head. If you are looking for that "smack" try tuning and mic placement first, but if the head looks like the original that came with kit in the 60's you might have just found your problem.

4. Is the Cable the Culprit?

Signals sent from a microphone or guitar cabinet are converted into low level electrical impulses and sent through cables first before going to your recording device. If it is sounding lifeless, the cable could the culprit. Either because they are low quality to begin with, or because of wear and tear, the signal may not be getting through as cleanly as it should.

Do this test sometime: Go out and buy one high end cable like the Monster Pro 1000. Put your pile of old cables on the floor. Setup your best microphone and record something like a voice or guitar in the same piston strumming the same chord over and over using a different cable each time. You'll be amazed at the sonic and volume difference you will come up with.

5. Is it the Room?

If you are using a microphone, think about the room in which you are recording. Your microphone will not only pick up the source but the room the source is resonating in. This is especially true of louder sounds and instruments. If the vocalist is sounding a little dull and lifeless on the top end, and you know you have the right mic and placement for the job, maybe your room is too absorbent in the high frequencies? You can remedy this by replacing some of the absorbent material with hard surfaces to make the room brighter. I heard of one studio hanging old CD's in their vocal booth to help reflect a few of the high frequency sounds. Use your imagination but think about the room you are recording in.

Okay, you can use your EQ now....

When you need to use the EQ: 1. Use it sparingly at first.; 2. Cut first, boost second. 3. Use your ears not just your eyes. You've heard the phrase "We'll fix it in the mix." Well I like this idea much better: "Let's do it right the first time." Think about what you are recording, where you are recording, and the method or tools of recording it first before reaching for that EQ.

Jason Johnston is the leader of the Revolution, musician and part-time professor of Music Technology at Sheridan Arts College.