- Use EQ filters (highpass & lowpass)
- Do not have headphones too loud (to avoid leakage)
- Cut the room down with sound absorbtion (for vocals)
- a small space for vocal will give a more full recording.
- Listen before recording (record silence to get a noise profile)
- Point the Null of the microphone where there is noise.
- Turn off cell phones and other unnecesary lights and electronic
devices to avoid static or buzzing.
- Filter out low and subsonic frequencies (on all instruments except kick drum and bass)
- Dont overdo midranges, human hearing is most sensitive to this.
- High ranges give the vocals or guitar "air" which gives it definition.
- About one-hand length away from the microphone as a starting
point, but depends on the song and vocalist
- No digital clipping
- all peaks should be kept below -3db. Some digital meters lie.
- have the gain at a "sweet spot", not turned all the way up
- clipping cannot occur on any level, track, or mix
- use compressor or limiter to lower peak (it can kill dynamics or
smooth out punchy pieces)
- try out compression on drums (parallel compression)
- Cut most bass frequencies from instruments that are not the bass (high pass filter)
- frequencies that arent important to the mix shold be cut
- individual tracks wont sound as good solo, but a good mix is the goal
- panning, tasteful reverb, and delay can be used to eliminate overlap of tracks.
- bass instruments and drums usually left in the center
- Good final mixes should be punchier than the final master
- The final mixes will not sound like a commercial master
- Avoid excessive high frequencies.
- Well balanced mixes are necessary
- Reverb is crucial to acheiving certain sounds, but simple reverb is not the answer to
huge sound. Use Predelay for a fuller sound, but not so it effects the dry track.
- Drums recorded in a bigger room generally have a better, fuller, tone.
- Put 4 bars in before the beginning of the recordings to allow preparation time.
- Use compression and EQ on drums, but do not eliminate the pulse all toghether.