"Evaluating The Mix"
I’ve listened to tips from well-known producers and engineers
on getting recordings to sound good.
I used to tune my studio speakers
by putting white noise (pure static) through them,
and holding up a microphone connected to a frequency analyzer.
The analyzer would show red and green lights
indicating which sound frequencies were too soft or too loud.
I would then use a graphic equalizer to make them all even,
or “flat”.
I told my method to a famous producer/studio owner in Nashville
and he said it was wrong.
He said to do this:
Hang your speakers,
and then sit down for a week or so
and just listen to big hit major label recordings through them,
adjusting the tone controls until they sounded best.
Then mix your recordings to sound as good as the proven hits
on the same speakers.
Also, I learned somewhere along the line
to place my near-field monitor speakers
so that my head is the third point of a perfect triangle.
If the speakers are too close,
I will hear too much stereo spread
and not enough of the middle.
If they are too far away
I don’t get enough stereo,
and I start to get distracting room ambient sounds.
I learned to be very conservative with EQ,
which means adjusting the tone to you folks at home.
I’ve also learned that you can get a hit record
without knowing any of this.
© August 17, 2003 Jack Blanchard. All rights reserved.
