Member Dana Nielsen
MemberForum Replies Created
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As @-PT mentioned, excellent questions, sir!
- I tend to stick to one main set of nearfield speakers I really know and trust (my ATC 45’s are large enough to be considered mid-field, tho I position them at near-field range)
- I always have a subwoofer and it is ALWAYS on a separate button on my Avocet monitor controller. It stays off 99.9% of the time but it’s nice to be able to push the “sub” button and hear what might be flopping around down there needing finer tuning. Or sometimes I turn it on and crank the system up super loud for “club mode.”
- I always have (and depend on) a set of crappy Radio Shack Realistic speakers placed way out of the sweet spot on the other side of the room, pushed together so they’re mono. This inexpensive yet essential setup gives me the feeling of “listening from another room” which is always revealing, and it also gives me a sense of what my mix will sound like on laptops and small budget systems.
- Of all the fancy studios around the world I’ve worked in, I have yet to encounter “mains” that I like to listen to. I’m fairly certain their only purpose is to excite label reps who drop by during sessions.
This forum discussion has pix of my Realistic speakers as well as my old beloved 5″ Yamaha nearfields I started my career on (and mixed a #1 album on 😲). It also details my 4-step process to declutter any mix. In fact … I turned that 4-step process into a handy pdf but never shared it … until now! Mua hah ha ha haaaa. I’ll attach it here for the time being as a fun little Easter Egg. Enjoy!
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Whelp … I didn’t realize my video capture settings got changed to the “1998 AOL Dial-up Modem” preset 🤦🏻♂️ but hopefully the audio commentary will make up for the lackluster pixelated video quality, lol.
Wanted to touch on your excellent questions with a quick vid reply while I consider making a more in-depth video about this topic.
Would a longer deep-dive “reference mix” video be interesting or helpful to anyone else here? Please rate your level of interest using ear emojis, lolol.
👂👂👂 = VERY interested!
👂 = kinda interested
🦻 = i’m in, as long as there are captions -
Oooh ooh ooooh! I love these questions so much and have so much to add – gonna circle back in the next day or so w some thoughts and suggestions as well as my own process and tools for referencing.
I also look fwd to reading replies and suggestions on this topic from others here in the MP fam! Please chime in y’all with any of your fav tips, thoughts, and/or additional questions! ⚡️⚡️
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@Bigchrizzle!! Awesome song and track, man – love the title too. Great work and thanks for sharing!!
The main thing on my mind while listening (aside from what a fun banger this is) was a curiosity if the lead vocal could breathe a bit more on the top end, could the whole track be mastered a bit brighter? I love the knock of the kick, but is it deep enough? Stuff like that. I tried to think of a good reference track for you and this is the first thing that popped into my head, based on the tempo and similar clap-snare. I think if you listen to this as a reference and A/B it to your current mix, you’ll know exactly what to do in a few relatively easy, broad strokes.
Lemme know if this helps, man (and no worries if not haha). ☺️
PS – If u don’t have Tidal this link should still open a landing page where u can choose your preferred service, which is a smart new feature of theirs, “YEAH!” (in Lil Jon voice). I adore Tidal because they list full album credits. What a concept….
tidal.com
USHER - Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris)
Listen to Yeah! (feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris) on TIDAL
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Heck yeah, David!! Ya beat me to it! I downloaded the free version the other day and can’t wait to check it out. Have you tried them yet?
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This is awesome, Paul! Sounds great, and what a fun happy tune! Without the sounds of a live audience you made this soundcheck sound like a record made in a badass 100-yr old “recording studio” – love it! Thanks so much for sharing the audio and pic of your “office”. haha. Amazing what you’re pulling off with Ozone and a 2-track! ⚡️
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Hahaha, touché!
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Ooh, yeah, the double-compressor combo-punch of the 1176 AND LA2A is a lot of fun! Especially when the singer has a huge dynamic range (whispery soft verses into ripping loud choruses). These days, when tracking live with compressor(s) on the front end of the signal path before digital conversion, if I need that double-comp scenario I’ll reach for a lightning fast Distressor to do the heavy lifting and then a CL1B after that for some final slow ‘n’ gentle smoothing.
NOTE: lest I give the unintended impression that I’m constantly double-compressing things on input I should mention that, for me, this technique is fairly uncommon. 99% of the time I’m fine using 1 compressor on the input chain. But in the right situation the double-up is perfect!
And H-Comp – nice! I forgot about that oldie but goodie … gonna bring that back into rotation!
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What an amazing mastering experiment! I bet that was super fun to hear all those options. The variety of “flavors” or styles you get back from different mastering engineers who’ve all been given the same stereo file is always so fun to hear — especially when you as producer or artist or mixer, etc, are so deeply connected to- and invested in- the current sound of that source file.
And then on top of the obvious sonic differences from each mastering engineer, you must also consider the workflow, communications, etiquette, deliverables, quality control, and personality of those you’re considering.
I always remind myself that there are many people who do what I do and do it reeeeally well, especially in a competitive, creative, entertainment-hub like L.A. So I do my best to ensure that the operations and personal interactions side of my business is as good as can be. Cause sometimes (read: often!) that can be one more benefit that tips the scale in your favor. (i.e. “well, engineers A and B both delivered incredible sounding work I’d be happy with forever. But engineer B was a lot more fun to work with and communicated everything clearly. Let’s go with B!”)
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What is this “willpower” you speak of? … I’ve heard of that but don’t really know what it is. 🤔😂
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Ooh, this is such an awesome endorsement and explanation man thanks! And love that you shared your fav room models too – makes me want to check those out!
Every time I try the headphone-room-model thing (or car or earbud etc) I always get an odd vibe, like it just doesn’t feel “right” to me or particularly useful — or maybe I just kinda love the unadulterated sound of tiny speaker cones strapped mere millimeters away from my eardrums 🤷🏻♂️ — BUT … all that said, I have not ever heard the Slate version! So I’m definitely keen to try it when the opportunity presents itself. I’ve heard good things from lots of folks about the Slate headphones system, including you, so I’m sure they’re badass.
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Lookin fwd to hearing this when back in the studio – thanks Paul for your insights and experiments! Wayyyyy more fun than taxes, indeed!!!
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My pleasure, homey!! So glad you’re here and sharing and chimin’ in!
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Oh damn, the show itself! That’s awesome 🙌
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Jesse! Hope u won’t mind me copy/pasting my response from our sidebar text, and the awesome youtube rendition you did with Amy Cerveni too so that others can check it out – and damn, wasn’t expecting those pipes of yours too! 😲
That’s wild man – i love that u too have a connection w that song. I saw that movie many times as a kid when it came out, and while as an adult I don’t remember the movie at all, but I remember vividly the first time I heard that song as a kid in the film – i was spellbound!!! I couldn’t get enough of it. And of course there was no Spotify back in the 80s, so the only way i could hear the song again was on VHS lol. – Dana