The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Tips and advice for getting the most from Scope. No questions here please.

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dante
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The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by dante »

Graham Cochrane has some great tips on mixing http://therecordingrevolution.com/

And free references http://therecordingrevolution.com/free-tools/

This is the guy that will tell you why you should mix in mono. Or the benefits of mixing at low volume. And all you need is on your channels are simple volume, eq and compressor. Breaks the marketing hype that tells people they need to spend more money if they want better results.
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garyb
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by garyb »

that sounds like what i said....
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dante
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by dante »

Yes - I noted it was similar to some of your tips. The low volume one Ive been using for some time now. Mono I havent fully exploited yet
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garyb
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by garyb »

well, if you use a lot of stereo sources or modulation, it's good to at least check the mix in mono.
if you several mics in a live mix, checking the mono mix is also a good idea...
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by hubird »

I'm not sure if he's meaning mixing in mono or checking in mono...
Checking in mono is never bad :)

He's a smart guy and a great communicator...as you can see here:
http://therecordingrevolution.com/2014/ ... than-last/

I've read his introduction e-reader, and the principle is true: more choices is holding you back.
It's a good thing he's emphasising it.
It's a common principle tho, applicable to any challenge.

I'm not sure if not some endorsement is involved, considering his recommendations for specific gear.
But it looks all authentic...and smart :)
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ronnie
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by ronnie »

The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Listen to garyb :)
"I’ve come to the conclusion that synths are like potatoes, they’re no good raw—you’ve got to cook ‘em, and I cooked these sounds for months before I got them to the point where they sounded musical to me." Lyle Mays
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garyb
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by garyb »

:)
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dante
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by dante »

Yes mono monitoring can help identify phase issues from multiple mics - but there is a second psychoacoustic factor involved. Stereo gives an extra way to seperate elements in a mix that may clash in mono, coupled with the assumption that everyone will be listening in stereo. A lot of these mini boom boxes have speakers so close together that from a distance may as well be mono.

Listening at low volume also has 2 benefits : firstly, and probably the one I'm more familiar with, is the psychoacoustic affect of bass and treble being relatively louder at higher volume - eg non linear.

If you want more bass on earbuds, just apply pressure a bit with fingers!

But the second benefit - with monitors at low volume - the room has less effect. Turn up your volume and that's when the sound starts bouncing around. So may not be as much need for acoustic insulation in a home studio, if you reference your mix from time to time at low volume.
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grappa
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by grappa »

My thoughts on this..

If you really want to improve things at home where lets be honest usually most monitoring environments and monitors are less than ideal (I'm being kind here!) I suggest the following;

1. Get yourself a great pair of headphones! Don't skimp here. Try Shroomz Can Control to give some perspective..
2. Get yourself an Avantone Mixcube and run a mono mix into it. No crossover, little transient ringing, minimal room mode excitement, mid-range focus, smooth roll off at the bottom & no phantom image issues. Get a solid sounding mix on this and you're a lot of the way there. Horrortone's rule and don't forget that, other than earbuds, in the real world most people listen to a predominately mono mix of your creation with mostly the mid range intact.
3. Mix predominately at the volume you expect the material to be played back (within reason). Change the volume frequently to give you some perspective of the impact on the low and high end when you crank etc.. it's all a compromise remember given the nature of the way ears work..
4. Learn to use reference mixes as a mechanism of objectively understanding where you are in comparison to accepted 'standards'. Warning - this can prove somewhat depressing but is far and away the best way of getting to where you need to be.

Of course the sensible peops use all of this in conjunction with their monitors understanding (and capitalising) on the strengths and mitigating the weaknesses of each..

With the above in place and Scope there are no excuses....

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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by happycritter »

grappa wrote:
With the above in place and Scope there are no excuses....

Si
Having been introduced to SCOPE through an old Pulsar 1 card, and having researched the capabilities of the XITE-1, this has been my conclusion (I've done live sound for quite a few years, been offered tours, yadda-yadda-yadda).

There is NO fixing it in the mix: I recently tracked w/ the wrong bass tone for the song and fought it the whole way through the mix only to admit to myself that it needs to be done over...
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garyb
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Re: The #1 Rule of Home Recording

Post by garyb »

that is always a given.
apps and gear are sold to the public as though they'll turn water into wine, but this is never the case.
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