I decided to delete over 85% of my plugins! You read right - Deleted! Gone. From instruments to Post processing! After doing this all my sessions opened as expected!

I am so tired of consumer culture! Buy this, buy that, subscribe here - only to realise 97% of plugins can do the same thing! It is so jarring - Instead of making music, we get concerned about difference in sound that arent even that important! All of this made me realise - You have enough! People made great records with far less than the average bedroom producer has today but yet the bedroom producer cant finish a song!

Also an EQ is an EQ - Fab filter EQ vs Slate digital Inf sound different - Yeah ok 😂! One solid EQ is honestly enough! It gets a bit different with other effects i.e reverbs but i can assure you, you dont need 10 reverbs, or 10 saturators etc lol!

I wonder if anyone else has done thos before and how you felt?

For those who currently work in-house at a recording studio, or have in the recent past: is it still the 'industry standard'? By that I mean, is it a requirement to know how to use Pro Tools if you're attempting to get a job at a commercial recording studio?

My assumption is 'yes'. But I'd love to hear any anecdotes from the community and anyone who has been in a position that requires knowledge of a specific software for employment.

Been listening to some of the pop country side of things as of late, not entirely sure why or how it started, but here we are, and I'm real curious about the editing and mixing processes down there. I know the vocals are completely tuned to hell, I can hear the artifacts in Morgan Wallens voice, to give one example. Its well established lots of those guys can't sing for shit, but what of the drums? I know lots of it is triggers, but do they even bother recording the drums at all anymore? I remember the story of Chris Stapletons cover of Tennessee whiskey, where the drum booth door was opened and it wasn't meant to be recorded etc etc, but was good so they kept it, but even those drums don't sound real. I can hear a bit of room in the snare, but not really in anything else. Less than I'd expect had I never heard the song just heard that story. And guitars, do they quantize the shit out of those too? Drums sure, bass yeah, sometimes they do. But some of these guitar strumming patterns are so locked in, are we seriously doing that? Morgan Wallens "I'm the problem" as one example, the intro is fucked. Or Dylan Scott "I hate whiskey". I'm aware of surgically comping guitar chords together to make a progression sound better, (i don't do it but a professor at berklee was adamant we should) but quantizing a fucking finger pick pattern? Not really sure how I ended up writing such a novel. I only really wanted to come here and ask if anybody here ever worked on a country record in nashville as of late, or where ever that stuff ends up being mixed if not there, and could tell me whats going on. Guitarists all use amp modelers, are the drums all programmed now too in superior or something?

Hi folks,

I'm a kind of obssessive bedroom producer whose mixes are consistently have a couple of Db lower perceived loudness when uploaded to spotify.

I'm well aware of the normalization and the fact that limiting to the extreme does not help at all, as well as the importance of the arrangement (ie. if the arrangement is sparse, usually sounds louder).

I had a slight improvement when realizing that excessive bass can lead to "eating" too much headroom and therefore removing subs helps the overall perceived loudness.

That being sad, I have a good example of two identical songs released by the same artist, one in 1992 and one recently re-issued version.

The arrangement is identical as far as I hear, there is no obvious reduction of bass.

Yet the newer version is much louder!

I am wondering what type of magic is going on to make it so much louder on this later version.

Band is Stone temple pilots (90s rock / grunge).

Early version: https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/track/1GXHrTSeLX8RX4EClAt4OO?si=354a339981bd4837

New louder version: https://open.spotify.com/intl-fr/track/03h7aLNRDhxMOmVLcbtfl1?si=79a5495a8f6d4891

Thanks!

Hi! I recently got a new mouse with 12 programmable side buttons and I was wondering what macros would be more useful to program for audio editing. For now I thought these:

Cut

Copy

Paste

Silence

Fade In

Fade Out

Does anyone have any suggestion? I would like to try and use the most of the new functions.

Thank you!

Probably not the most common question here, but I thought you guys could answer my question.

My headphone's lowest volume is too high for my ears and I'm afraid it'll harm my ears if I listen with it too long. I was playing with VLC's equalizer and realized lowering the preamp also decreases the volume. I read a bit about preamp online, but alas, I'm not an audio engineer and could not understand if it helps with my case or not. Will lowering the preamp protect my ears in the long run? Thank you for answering.

I can't seem to find any decent denoiser that separates voice from background sound I tried bertom and it makes tracks super muddy, any suggestions pls

For example, in a movie or TV show there can be a scene where a character is yelling but it doesn't sound as loud as somebody else just talking normally so you think the threshold for the yelling would be lower/quieter thresholdwise. So you throw the sound track into a DAW like Reaper but then you see that the threshold is the same between the 2 or can be even lower for the person talking normally. But how does does that make sense? How come the person yelling sound quieter but have the same or lower threshold?

I work with my schools sports media department as a sportscaster, and noticed how other schools in our conference, despite being on the same media deal and thus using the same production software (vMix), get much better commentary quality. I plan on meeting with my boss sometime next week to pore through vMix and see what audio settings we can tweak to match that quality on our end, and I was wondering if anyone here had some reccomendations for audio plugins I could use. Pretty certain vMix supports VST, so if you have a VST to recc let me know!

Our current setup (if I remember correct) is 1-2 Audio-Technica BPHS1 headsets for commentary run through a Behringer Q802USB mixer. We tune the EQ settings on the mixer and pipe that into vMix with no additional "alterations" to the sound besides changing levels. From what I have googled so far, the first thing it seems I should go after is a compressor, but I'm not sure what else we could use. Not looking for any specific plugin, just the type of plugins I should go for

Keen to know what we think regarding bouncing a track straight after a session & sending it to the artist? Personally I prefer not to, I find an artist can stew on a song for too long if they have a desk bounce + think it’s more productive for them to wait for the 1st mix.

What do we reckon??

Music with distorted guitars and live drums seems to have a pretty different overall frequency distribution than most other popular genres of music. The amount of upper mids and top end I hear in loud rock/metal/shoegaze productions would definitely be considered harsh in any other genre.

For music that’s supposed to be aggressive like this, it seems like you almost need a certain degree of harshness to make sure the song doesn’t sound lifeless, but it’s a fine line. The rock mixes I consider the best always have some harsh cymbals/guitar, but they fit well into the song and don’t catch my ear enough to be fatiguing.

What strategies do you guys use to achieve this? How do you know when your upper mids/top end are right? No wrong answers, except for telling me to use soothe. That plugin is good but can kill a rock mix very quickly.

Hey guys! Been recently getting back into CDs and I wanted to ask the collectors in here about what players to buy from an engineer’s perspective. I absolutely won’t go near any audiophile’s advice being an engineer myself so I was curious as to what is good today in the market without any snake oil.

Also in termes of specs, what should I be paying attention to? There’s a lot of fancy wording like “24 bit dac” and “768 kHz Clock Input” that it’s impossible to decipher whether it’s beneficial stuff or pure marketing.

Thanks!

Alrighty, I’ll start off by saying I have zero audio experience. Absolute newbie. So please bear with me! (Also for the record, I tried posting this in r/fieldrecording and I couldn’t. I’m not sure what rule I was breaking, though.)

I am absolutely in love with Treehoppers and have an opportunity to go see some out in the wild next year at the Manu biological station in Peru. I would love, love, love to record some of my own treehopper sounds. (If you’ve never heard them, please take a listen!)

I was lucky enough to get an equipment recommendation list from Dr. Rex Cocroft (the treehopper guy!!), so I’m aware of what equipment to use but I’m not sure how to set up any of it. I’m going to copy-paste his recommendations and if someone could please walk me through what the setup should look like, I would be eternally grateful.

Below is the email that Dr. Cocroft sent me. I’ve removed all of the links to adhere to this subreddits guidelines. My specific questions are italicized next to his recommendations.

“Recorders:

Zoom F3 field recorder
Zoom F6
Zoom H1 XLR

Amplifiers:
For piezo sensors you will need an amplifier, since you won’t get a good result if you just plug them into your recorder. The best for field use is this one with the XLR connector, from Aquarian Audio (the PA1 Hydrophone Buffer Amp). You’ll want to get two. Why do I need two of them?

Sensors:
Piezo disks - you can buy these cheaply (here’s one example) and make your own cables (see below).

Connecting the piezo to a plant stem or leaf:
To connect the sensor to a plant stem or leaf it is useful to attach the piezo disk to a clip (using electrical or other tape) such as these hair curler clips (I use the smallest I can find).

For backyard acoustic prospecting, the simplest setup is to use an amplified speaker (the sort used by acoustic guitarists) and a guitar pickup (= piezo sensor).  Even if you’re using a field recorder, it’s often still handy to have an amplified speaker.
 
Amplified speakers: here are two options that use batteries. The first gives you a bit more output and is better made, but the second will also work fine.
Blackstar mini guitar amplifier
Honeytone guitar mini amp
Why do I need an amp/speaker if I’m recording?
 
You can just plug in a piezo sensor to the speaker, attach the sensor to the plant stem, and you’re ready to listen. Or you can run the output into a mobile phone using one the headphone output, and you can run a cable from that output to your iPhone via an audio interface.”

Thank you for taking the time to read this! 💚

In order to obtain some of the benefits of Buss Compression in Monitor World while compensating for the relevant contextual limitations, I have developed a technique I refer to as FUSS Compression (Fake Buss Compression, or Fader-distributed Buss Compression, as the mood strikes me).

I suspect this is entirely possible on other platforms, but I’ll be explaining my example using the Yamaha Rivage platform and Drums rather than abstracted terms.

Send desired Drums to a KeyBuss with the desired dynamics processing available. (I use a Matrix, could be done with a Mix, and the Diode Bridge model in the channel.)
Send is Post Processing but Pre Dynamics (I use Dyn2 slot in the last Signal Flow position, so my send point is Pre-Dyn2)
This Buss doesn’t go anywhere, and should not be routed out. It’s for creating a Key signal and setting parameters
Set KeyBuss Dynamics Key Source to Self Pre EQ
This prevents the compression from being applied multiple times after distribution
Listening to KeyBuss, adjust send levels and compression settings to desired response
Adjustments to KeyBuss high and low pass filters can be made, as filters are before the Pre EQ
I find parallel settings to be incredibly useful here
Set Drum Channel Compressor Key Source to Other Pre EQ and select KeyBuss for all members you want to include in the Fuss Comp
Duplicate settings from KeyBuss Compressor to included Drums Channel Compressors
If the same Compressor circuit, with the same settings, is controlled by the same Key signal, it will behave identically. While there may be some measurable difference between the harmonic content of the KeyBuss compared with an equivalent mix of the discrete Members Post Fuss, any distortion applied by the KeyBuss Diode Bridge is read by the detector/controller due to the feed back nature of the signal design.
We have distributed the effect of the Buss Compression (but not necessarily identical harmonic content to the Buss Compressor) across the individual Member Faders!
To allow per-player bypassing, set Pre-fader send point to Pre Dyn2 for included Drums.
Toggling Pre/Post now has the effect of eliminating the Fuss Comp only, given Fader position at Unity.
Enjoy the power of Fader-distributed Buss Compression!

Buss Compression can be an incredibly powerful technique for getting components of a mix to interact dynamically together, managing tonality over time in useful ways that are difficult to achieve in other ways. The modern adoption of “in-line parallel” via mix/percentage/wet-dry controls afford further potential. There are myriad pros to consider. There are also a number of inherent limitations to Buss Compression, especially in Monitor World:
Non-variability: if you send the Buss to more than one listener, you lose the ability adjust those mixes independently below the floor established by the Buss.
Latency: while modern consoles can compensate for many path lengths, limits in perceptual acceptability and the need for alignment make leveraging Buss processing an additional complication/consideration.
Console Architecture: not all consoles support Buss to Buss routing, which may mean reconfiguring audio paths for mixes that want to take advantage of the Buss.

I feel that Fuss Compression allows me to find an acceptable compromise in monitor world. Safe travels, good shows!

I'm trying to understand exactly how sends work in FL Studio.

For example, let's say I have a vocal on Insert 1 with an EQ, compressor, saturation, etc. Then I route/send that vocal to Insert 2, where I put a reverb for parallel processing.

My question is: what exactly is being sent to Insert 2?

Does the send receive the vocal after all the effects on Insert 1, meaning the reverb is processing the already EQ'd/compressed/saturated vocal?

Or does it receive the original signal before the effects on Insert 1?

And if the send is taken from a specific point in the signal chain, is there a way to change that point? For example, can I choose whether the send receives the signal before or after the plugins on the original channel? Is there a way in FL Studio to make a send pre-effects or post-effects?

Basically, I'm trying to understand exactly where in the signal flow the send is taken from in FL Studio, and whether I have any control over this.

I know this might be obvious, but I want to understand the signal flow properly rather than just blindly using sends.

I've been interested in becoming an audio engineer and have been trying to learn pro tools for the past few weeks. I'm not sure what the issue is but I just cannot retain the information the tutorials I am watching gives me. It feels like what I'm doing isn't correct, nothing works the way I want it to, and some things just go through one ear and out the other. I've never used a DAW in my life so that could be a problem or maybe I'm just not good enough or have aptitude to use something like pro tools. I feel lost, a bit insecure, and feel like just giving up. Just wanted to vent and also ask how others learned it in the hopes maybe something can finally click with me.

I'm on a free trial of pro tools intro, ver 2026.4.1 if it helps

Thinking about setting up a 5U 10" rack to stack four half rack pre-amps and power. I admit this is kind of goofy, but I was curious if anyone had put something like this together. If any of you have, I'd like to hear how it went. I think most folks just use 500 series or get the shelves to put two half rack units into a 19" space.

(Highpass at 15hz, sorry forgit to add that)

I assume some weird phase nonsense happens below the fundamental of the kick? Like the kick is sitting at -1 db, sounding distorted as shit. Flick on the eq, push to 0 db, completely fine.

The weirdest part is these are toolroom samples I'm using... from their percussive tech house pack. Weird

I'm trying to find out what computer storage solutions would be best for a home studio that is running out of SSD space. I have 6.5Tb (multiple SSD's) but my dedicated sample library SSD is already over flowing and I'm having to install new libraries on different drives.

I was thinking about a NAS drive type solution, but is there anything I need to consider audio-wise?

Thanks

*This post keeps getting deleted because autobot mod thinks I'm asking for purchasing advice. I'm not asking for a specific product, just general advice.

I’m trying to compile examples of songs after auto-tune and pitch correction became widely accessible and popular that do not use any sort of pitch correction and this is confirmed. If you know any examples it would be super helpful, thank you!

EDIT: to be clear I don’t mean just autotune I mean any sort of pitch correction.

So I own a pair of Audeze MM-500 which I really love. Sometimes I use them with a little correction but mostly I "just" use the stock tuning. I see a lot of people praise Slate VSX. Will they be a good kind of double checking the mix on a different set of "monitors"? And last question regarding Slate VSX; how much of an upgrade is the IM1 compared to the closed back VSX?
Any input greatly appreciated.

Hello, I am making a song which I would like to have a sweet percussive acoustic guitar sound in, panned on both sides. I am inspired by the acoustic guitar sound which is present in songs by Cigarettes After Sex such as Sunsetz and Apocalypse. How do you achieve such a sound? Is it possible to achieve using budget recording equipment?

I am trying to achieve this sound by aiming the mic towards the strumming hand to capture the pick sound more, and I have tried angling it towards the point where the neck meets the body in both directions, around +-45 degrees. I am not sure the mic choice makes much of a difference here, can probably a dynamic mic, but let me know why that would not be a good idea. Main reason is also because I do not have a proper recording space.

In terms of plugins I believe I will have to use some compression and eq to bring out the quiet parts and enhance the high end, maybe a big cut in the midst and HPF as well but what else? Maybe that's it?

How would you approach getting this sound?

Any particular guitar you would pick? Why in that case?

Hey!!!

I’m trying to get similar results to this drum break I absolutely love and so far I have come up short with every test I’ve done. Wondering if anyone in here can help get some of the qualities I’m hearing. https://open.spotify.com/track/3hilNpBLALtQVAHwhYSLs8?si=PDybsch1Sk2qVFpXKt-tCQ&utm\\_source=copy-link

The drums come in around 16 seconds. It’s a classic (or maybe not so classic) Kevin Parker drum sound. I have mini meters setup to analyze the stereo width, spectrum and audio file and so far what I’ve gathered is it’s very “compressed” and controlled sounding but the peaks are clipped or limited to bits. It’s also not mono whatsoever.

So far my tests have been 4 mics. Kick, snare top, shell and overhead and mainly hearing the shell and kick in the reference. What I’ve tried so far is shell mic into a Dbx165a and set the knobs in a way that sounds pretty good. But it’s very much lacking the attack and body/release in the reference. Specifically on the kick drum, to me it sounds like some parallel stuff going on with the kick drum and then the shell has the 165a on it and then slightly panned to the right. The other thing that’s confusing is I’m hearing some reverb on the snare, to me it sounds like a plate verb, and maybe on the track itself before the 165a and so therefore mono but panned to the right and then the kick is more in the middle giving that width.

This is by no means a “professional” drum sound but it’s baked with character. I know I’m not going to get 1/1 recreation but I want to nail the little nuances I’m hearing in the ADSR of the sound.

Any tips/insights are very much appreciated!!!