+TanaChiarantano If you convert your mixes to mp3 every so often and go back and listen to the early mixes once you are near completion, 9/10 times you will hear something simplistic yet genius in the balance of what you once deemed crap. Having that reference is like having a co-mixer with similar taste give their critique and you agree on some points you had not noticed. Ive been lost in some mixes as I presume them pretty much done only to hear my early mix and have an "aha!" moment where I can hear exactly what Im missing to complete the song. Never doubt the power of your crap mix....even healthy organs look like mutilated guts....its all perspective and insight....balance of 1feeling vs 2thinking on what you are physically 3hearing.
***** Exactly. I also find it to be the same case if I am making 3D assets or animations. If I do them in one long session I will think they look great or at least sufficient. Then when I look at it the next day I realise it's absolute utter crap.
+TanaChiarantano Heheh, yeah... definitely. You'll very easily get your treble fucked up that way. I'm guilty of this error, and I never seem to learn.
Biggest mistake: not getting the right take. Not getting the absolutely 110% expressively appropriate accentuation out of each instrument or part. Getting mediocre takes and calling it good enough.
knowing when to walk away - we can drive ourselves nuts going over things again and again until we're overwhelmed, annoyed & so "in deep" we lose sight of the goal, or develop a skewed sense of how the song is perceived by an impartial listener. WE will hear every mistake, even when it's imperceptible to someone else, because it came from us, from our imaginations, our 'souls', if you will... our music is part of us, which is why music is such a universal language(and NOT just some 'product' to be pumped out like laundry soap). NO SONG will *ever* be perfect, so we have to learn when to say "it's done" and move on.
It's good not to over think a track too, you could end up with a mess . I've spent way too much time in the past trying to push something too hard when adding things . You need to develop a balance and know when to leave something at some point . My overall mistake was never being happy with something I wrote , I had to learn to trust my ability and understand that my own criticism of myself was rarely shared by those listening .
The biggest mistake I used to make was, I used to be too dependent on editing. Thus, not recording the parts accurately! Then I saw some of your videos and got to know that 'your mix can be only as good as your raw intakes'. Thanks for the amazing videos! So thankful! :)
A mistake I make a lot is I listen back to the track a gazillion times making insignificant edits, which essentially wastes time. I try to counter this by getting away from my computer and writing down a list of what I think the track needs, then I go back and do the work.
My biggest mistake has been not tuning the guitar properly. I had been recording one day and after that, starting the mixing phase I was hearing to the mix thinking "what's wrong?" then I realised the mistake and had to trash the whole session. Now I tune every single time I'm going to record a guitar. Yikes!
It's a good idea to have the player check tuning between EACH TAKE. Literally. Just punching in a little spot? Nope, check tuning first. I personally insist on it, always.
I used to open for this band that was always doing better than us. No matter how hard we tried they always clicked with the audience and sounded much bigger. Then I noticed. They tuned all their guitars after every single song. Even if it took 5 minutes. So they were always dialed in, and the unison parts sounded gigantic.
I mean this with the utmost respect, you give the best basic advice that is often overlooked. There are people out there with great technical advice (and you're among them) but you just point out the essentials for the bedroom artist and we thank you. Cheers!
You know, outside noise sometimes adds an extra umfff that actually sounds good. So next time a 747 flies overhead, don't pause. It just might give verse two some kind of unidentifiable background crescendo that distinguishes it from verse 1 and makes it more interesting.
Thanks Graham. I went from recording way too hot to going too far the other way and barely being able to see my waveforms. Close to a happy medium now thanks to advice from advice like this.
People just hate to be told they're doing something wrong; these videos usually go over like a lead balloon and elicit all kinds of angry comments...but I'm glad he does them anyway
I was taught by the old school masters, on tape, and yes, I record way too hot for digital. Still. This is a great reminder to not worry that I am missing that sweet spot. I have made poor recordings that needed lots of work later because of tracking too hot for digital. Especially vocals. I am glad to admit that and move forward now. Thanks Graham.
Awesome as always Graham! Definitely made all three mistakes in the past and still learning. I think someone mentioned it below, but it is good to walk away for an hour and come back with fresh ears during the sweetening stage, or else you risk over listening and often accepting not-so-good tracks. Also I like to switch between listening via my headphones and listening over the monitors; it just gives you a different take, especially getting vocals to sit in the right place. Thanks Graham and please keep up these informative videos!
Hello, I am the poster boy of beginning home studio recorder. IM still working on my first song or the tracks for my first song. These tips make so much sense to me that I will have to watch all your bids and soak up some knowledge. Thanks for the time and effort and key it up. Paddy
This videos really help me. When recording there are so many things that could go wrong. I think the first one is the most common and I have done it myself several times just because I want something to sound {bigger}. keep on posting videos. This is like going to school only with topics I like! THANKS..
Tip #2 is wonderful. I learned that one the hard way, lol. Something that really helped me, even without a good mic, was recording in my closet. It's such a simple thing to pass up, but it can really help your recordings, if you don't have a room that's designed for it.
Huge. Nice tips. Especially that last one! Keeping in mind that those subtleties are what will bring the song to life... Mine? I would say, the "we'll fix it in the mix" mentality. Always get the best possible signal/track going in, so you aren't trying to carve out a decent sound on an EQ. Mic placement, levels... Then the mix is just a fine tuning of great tracks... Thanks for your work. Great videos you are sharing!
Great common sense approach to a difficult thing to do well - record your own music. In hearing my earlier recordings, a big mistake was not being more consistent "staying with the the groove." At the time, I barely noticed this , but the lapse sounds glaring to me now. Very helpful. Thanks.
I'm quite sure I can speak for so many others, but I want to speak for myself that I must say that your videos are absolutely quite informative and helpful to a magnitude that you may not be aware of, and we all greatly appreciate you. With that being said, I can agree on this topic because one of my major mistakes during my home recordings, which are a lot recordings of backgrounds for other producers, a mistake I I'd been making due to for after so long recording in the analog world, not knowing how much it affected the digital recording world and which I'd learned from my mentor's advice, is peeking, if you will, recording TOO HOT, within the consideration of being in the YELLOW or NEAR the RED. That and microphone placement. Not just distance from the microphone, but, NOW, I've learned from YOU that these condenser microphones assist with NOT recording anything behind the microphone, so, NOW, I can make a placement even MORE conducive to getting even BETTER vocal recordings. Thank YOU, Brother!!!! 💯
Thank you for all of your hard work. Because of you I know LISTEN to music, analyzing how it is mixed, shifting the balance to compare the difference. I was self taught, and I would have never grown the way I have without your advice. Great job, keep up the good work and God bless!
Great video, and yes, as a producer and engineer a lot of the stuff that is sent my way usually has these mistakes in them, and I know I make them myself from time to time, so a really great video! My top mistake when recording (I mostly record others than myself) is that I allow myself to be lazy with the boundaries, usually resulting in a longer session than planned because of more takes, more "lets try this", and stuff like that
These are all great points to reiterate. I've been guilty of number 2 so often, but lately been trying to get the back of mic to block out unwanted noise. For my recordings in a basement with a bunch of stuff in there like laundry, shower, all heating and some of the water, it sounds pretty good.
It’s so nice to listen to someone who knows what they’re talking about. Thanks so much for creating these videos in the genuine and relevant way you do.
Great video! Common mistakes I have come across, guitarists/bassists not using fresh strings, people not practicing enough before recording, people not knowing how to use there amps and pedals properly etc before recording.
I've been guilty of recording things too loud.. But an even bigger mistake I've made is going to quickly. Sometimes I don't stop to think about what I'm doing and if it will hurt or help my mix/recording. Thank you Graham for all that you do, great video as always. : )
SO helpful! I'm finally getting my music from a fun mess to an enjoyable art and you have made this a much more enjoyable endeavor in 10 minutes, thanks a million times
I've made plenty but I also learned from them. But I see people making vocal booths out of tiny closets and I tried that before I knew better. I'm designing a home studio now and I'm making the whole room sound proof and using plexiglass to shield certain spots of unwanted noise. the plexiglass is 3/4 of and inch thick and 2 feet by 2 feet, and so far it's working good.
you sang in the back of the microphone? Haha! Well, same thing here.. You are amazing! I use RU-vid for many years of my young age, but this is by now the best channel! Greetings from Germany
Just wanted to say tip 3 while valuable is mostly a songwriting tip not recording advice. It looks like a few people have said things like this, but I think it's an important distinction to make because for the home studio-ist, the writing/mixing/recording/etc phases are generally intermixed. You do seem to acknowledge it, but the idea that a "maintaining the listener's interest" and "a good recording" are mutually inclusive, is a littttttttttle bit specious. In the words of Lauryn Hill "not everybody's tryina chart" Anyway, really enjoy your channel!
this is a very informative video, and i love it... but my favorite part is the part about the "sweetening phase." I'm so glad you spoke on that, because i am one who sits in a chair for HOURS making the slightest changes that add up in the overall work. it's so important for people to know that it's not done. in fact, it's usually far from done.
Thank you. You have given me confidence. Not because I don't make mistakes, I make all the ones you mention and hundreds more. The confidence comes from being able to understand what you say.I am always having to start over because of all the mistakes I make but I believe now that it is possible that I can learn to do better. Will be taking a look at your other tutorials. All the best.
I laughed out loud when you said that you sang into the back of the mic:) Been there, done that:) The funny thing is, once it happened on an acoustic guitar track and it actually worked and sounded great in the mix! Great stuff man!
Yep I definitely made all 3 of theys mistakes :D greetings from germany, you teached me so much in the last 2 years since I subscribed to your mailing service in 2013:)
Recording drums for my song "shadow factory" I mistakingly had one of the overhead mics pointed at the ceiling instead of the drums!! While mixing I duplicated that track and hi passed it and boosted the treble to try and restore the treble that was lost.. It actually worked pretty well, you'd never know when listening to the song
Mistake we made last time while recording, was regarding "earth loop". It took us two hours to troubleshoot and find where the hum was coming from. We ended up pluging all of the gear on the same electricity plug as a workaround. I don't know if you ever talked about it, it's rather boring, but it is an issue quite easy to run into.
I just bought a Tasca 2488 digital Porta studio 2 days ago. I'm about to start messing up and learning today. Ha ha, you've saved me a month of JACK UPS by watching your turorials. thanks again for taking time to "SPLAIN" as we say in Tuscaloosa. Ha ha!!
I made those ! One I made too is always looking for a "better" and more expensive installation, as an excuse for "it doesn't sound like I want"', instead of working with what I already had and progress. Most of the times, it's a loss of time and money. Thanks for the video !
Mistake one is probably the most common. I sure have recorded very hot tracks and ended up turning down the faders due to clipping on the master fader. Thanks a lot for the vid.
SAGE ADVICE you're giving! I've only seen a couple of your vids so far, and I agree with all you're saying. Some of the mistakes I encounter in recording are: Overkill, or too many layers of sound when less will work. "Less Is More" is one of my philosophies in recording. In that same vein, too much "Additive EQing" should be avoided; I think a lot of folks just start pushing EQ (and effects), and you end up with an over-saturated mix. I prefer attempting "Subtractive EQing" whenever possible, to achieve an airy, spacious effect in the mix. That's all I have (for now)... Thanks for the very inspiring and useful videos!
I have over 40 years in live sound engineering. As a recording engineer however, I am a noob! This was very informative. It's a mistake to think that the skills are the same, they are similar and have some overlap, but there are some distinctly different techniques and skills required when recording.
thanks again for a great video, Graham! my biggest mistake was a wrong speaker placement. I have some of mistakes now, even if I don't know about them :D
Hey Graham, thanks for all the videos, I've learned a huge amount from them. As to a mistake I made for along time while recording guitars via direct in, it was that I tended to focus way too much on how to get a good output from my amp sim rather than making sure all my signal chain was relevant before hitting my converters. Am I using the right pickups for the part? Am I doing some preliminary EQing for the part by adjusting my tone knobs? Am I using the right pick for the part? the right string gauge? are my action and intonation properly setup? Is my guitar properly tuned (I'm not kidding)? How good are my cables? IMO, it is by being very careful with the sound coming out of your guitar that you can get something great when it leaves your daw! Cheers Julien
what a smart guy - and he records his own speaking voice very well - unlike many who give advice about recording over their buzz clicks pops hums etc. etc. etc. keep up the good work
Just realized I've been recording toward the BACK of my microphone ever since.....for like 1 year I never noticed there are front and back sides of the mic... Anw thank you very much for making this video and let me know my mistake.
Hey man! Thanks for all your great videos! What's that cool looking "desk" i see in the background? I wanna get my outboard gear out of the rack and in between my speakers, so I'm curious. Thank! Kasper.
Sounds like some very logical tips, nice video. My biggest mistake was my first mistake. I decided to build a new pc and caught a good deal on an interface (Delta 66 with Omni i/o) early on.... before I finished my build and before I realized the Delta 66 was at the end of production/sale..... AND, that no drivers would be available for Windows 8.1! To be honest, I don't know it's functionality limits since I haven't tried any recording, nothing more than running basic audio through. Maybe I should at least try but now I have Windows 10.......
Mistake: Not to stop for a moment and think about "how is the sound I want for this song.. hot? warm? middle? wich album is a reference? how do I set the EQ to get that sound in the recording sessions?" I think that's so freaking important... Graham.. thank you for this videos, I really love to learn from you... thank you!!
I want to thank you for your videos:) They're really inspiring, and they are helping me out a bunch! :) I'm learning something new everytime I'm watching a video from your channel:) Keep it up! :)
Mistakes I've made: 1. Allowing the click to bleed while tracking acoustic or even vocals. 2. Recording acoustic and/or keys before bass, and having to redo them 3. Not trying a 2nd mic position (you've helped me on that one) 4. Not using a reference for getting sounds. Even with my terrible monitors, I can play a mastered reference and get in the ballpark. (You've taught this for mixing; do you think it applies for recording?)
Ive gone years not understanding balanced cables and unbalanced cables w/o problems(apart from using a ghetto rig formula to connect my preamp to my computer's line in) but now that I finally found issues hard to correct, I learned how easily I could have fixed my cable issue. Unfortunately, my current issue is still plaguing me...its this grainy, buzzy, crunchy sound I hear in what I believe is the highs. It sabotages my whole record and I have to do way too much work to mix it out(work that leaves the end result sounding decent but not as good as a clean dry recording mixed correctly). Ive bought new cables, new sound card, and spent hours troubleshooting the issue. My conclusion is that my cheap audio buddy mic preamp has went bad and now "colors" my recordings with this crappy high end. I had the same exact equipment for years and never had this problem until about a year ago so now Im finally being forced to buy a usb interface(and return the sound card and new cables I just bought to troubleshoot the issue). Im on a poor man's budget so I think I might sell the preamp on Craigslist for dirt once I confirm my solution...i wont trick anyone though, ill let them know what theyre getting.
