Revised & Updated! This is an old article I wrote in the early 90s. Quite a bit has changed since then, but most of the advice here still applies. With the reworking of my site in 2012, I have gone through this article and made some additions and revisions to make it more relevant. MAXIMIZING […]

I have another question for you about EQ'ing...you answered an earlier one for me with great detail and I learned alot from it..... I was experimenting with sweep EQing after watching a video of George Massenberg? demonstrating a parmetric EQ he'd designed. Anyway, after reading up on it and trying it I found I was […]

I just started using an audio editing software, and the decibels are negative scaled (zero is SUPER loud, -24 is no noise). I can't find anything in the software documentation about the reference level; is there a standard used in the music biz? Also, is there any chance that the decibels shown in the program […]

DAWs are a very specialized application that requires a high performance machine that is stable, and where all the hardware works together without any conflicts with your audio interface and other devices. The wrong choices can lead to random clicks, pops, and other audio glitches, or simply not being able to achieve a low enough latency to work effectively with VST instruments. In the worst cases, hardware conflicts can cause random crashes or freezes, or the system may not even boot up.

I'm curious as to how often you might (and I know it probably depends wildly) cut high frequencies as a matter of course. For example, I usually cut quite a bit of low frequencies on most tracks just to keep the muddiness to a minimum in the overall mix. Do you also do the same […]

Just a quick question regarding compression - in the DAW environment, is it better to use "more" compressors on a track or fewer compressors " but work them harder? Theoretically, in the DAW world, you could have "unlimited" compressors on a track, but in a real studio, that is using hardware compressors, most of them, […]

In theory, reversing phase on a noisy signal should get rid of unwanted noise, right? I have a guitar signal I've recorded using a small headphone AC powered amplifier. The sound is great except that it contains a "buzz" that is very noticeable during the silent parts. I copied the buzz to another track and […]

My question regards the additive or non-additive nature of frequencies. For example, if I have 2 frequencies at 500 Hz each at -6 dbs, and maintaining that same volume, if both frequencies were played simultaneously, would the result be -4 or -3 dbs at 500 Hz? Keeping that same scenario in mind, what if 2 […]

I'm wondering if someone could explain what serial compression and parallel compression is, and the advantages of each and when one would be used vs the other. Serial compression is when the compressor is inserted in the signal chain and you use 100% of the processed/compressed signal. Parallel compression is when you set up a […]

I greatly appreciate this site. It is such a treat to be able to speak to experienced and knowledgeable mixers. Question: I know technology in the recording field has come far in the last 40 years, but compressors were around in the 60's yet you do not hear the "punch" on those records like you […]