Want to Say, "I Love You," to that Special Someone with a Professionally Recorded Video for your YouTube Page?

Here at Xitmuse, we've teamed up with Jahte Productions to offer high quality audio and video recordings so you can tell your loved ones how much you care about them, in song. 

What we are offering is a 3 hour session where we record both video and audio of you in our high end studio of any song you'd like. We will professionally mix it and package it so that it is ready for publishing on your very own YouTube page. 

You will get this professional service, that is normally $1200, for only $649+tax. You will get everything done the same day, so that by the time you leave the studio, you will have a professional looking video of your amazing performance!

This is a limited time offer and is only good until February 13th. Our studio is located at 401 Richmond Street West in Toronto. Please email us at info@xitmuse.com, with the subject line "Valentines Day Special." 

Things you will need to bring, in order for us to provide you with adequate service;

1. Yourself
2. Your instrument of choice, however, we do have a Grand Piano available for use.
3. There can only be a maximum of one person singing and one person playing an instrument. This offer is not extended to groups.
4. Please bring a large USB stick that can hold a large HD video (at least 6gigs), or a Mac compatible Hard Drive.
5. Please be well rehearsed for this as you only get a total of 3 hours for recording, mixing and video editing.

How many times have you mixed vocals and as soon as you apply compression you say, “dude! why is the singer so breathy!?”… Well, for starters, you’re probably using too much compression… However, sometimes you want that compressed sound, but without the annoying byproducts, like “Breathiness.”

Compression can be a beautiful thing, and I use it a lot!… like, on everything… I mean, compression is like Franks Red Hot, I put that shit on everything!

Using compression isn’t just a processor to control dynamics, it’s also an FX processor. You can use compressors to bring out subtle nuances in a performance that would otherwise be unheard.

In this video tutorial, I show you how to control, or even completely remove, those overly loud and unnatural sounding breaths caused by compression. You’ll see how I use volume automation to achieve these results, as apposed to using other less reliable processors such as gates. 

I use Pro Tools in this video, however these techniques can be be applied to most other major DAWs. If you have any comments or questions, please post them in the comments section here or on the YouTube video’s page. And, as always, feel free to like and share this with all your friends!

Until next time, happy mixing!

Here’s a question from one of my Twitter followers, Grant Hale @grantthale

It's difficult when you're first starting out and looking for work in the music industry. A lot of places will ask you for a resume to see what artists you've worked with or what production/music school you've studied at and so on. If you don't have any records under your belt or any formal audio/music education, you may think you're out of luck, however that's not necessarily the case.

Resumes for a Studio?

I get it, it’s the music industry... You may think resumes are reserved for your mates that actually got degrees in boring things like; accounting, computer science or aerospace engineering... pft!... Who would ever want to be a rocket scientist, right!?... Anyone?... Anyone?... Ok, fine! Rocket scientist would be cool... And it would probably land you a job at a studio just cause it’s that cool... But! Why a resume?

Well, running a studio is still a business and having a business means that there will be paper work. Resumes are important! One of the main reasons is that in most cases, when you try to apply for a job at a studio, you’ll most likely be rejected the first time around.

Submitting this piece of paper allows you to leave a paper trail of yourself... before they give you the boot out the door and get back to their awesome job, producing epic music... Well, hopefully epic... This paper trail might come in handy, in your future interactions with these studios. Yes, there will likely be multiple attempts. 

First off, the cover letter should be no more than a few paragraphs about who you are and why you want to work at that studio in particular. Try mentioning things like, what you can offer in terms of skills, discipline or even short personal narratives about how dedicated you are. 

Explain your desire to work at that studio, despite your lack of musical background (if you lack it). Be humble, yet express confidence in your ability to learn and succeed... But, in a humble way... The line between confidence and cockiness is a fine one. Don't make the cover letter more than a page... Actually, if your near a full page, it's already too wordy. The shorter, the better. Understand that these people are busy. If they are so busy that they need interns, they may not have the time to read through your entire cover letter.

For the resume, I can recommend you put down whatever your work experience is, including any volunteer work you've done... Even if it's not music related. 

Some Politics and Formalities

Start off by sending them an email, introducing yourself, including your resume and your cover letter. In the body of the email, you will want to express your interest in being an intern at their studio. 

The next day, you should follow up with a call. See who is in charge of hiring interns or at least talk to the person that deals with the general incoming emails, to confirm that they've received your email. 

If you do get a chance to speak to the person that is responsible for hiring the interns, introduce yourself to them, and express your interest in interning at the studio. Let them know that you are fairly inexperienced but willing to work hard and learn on the fly. Before ending your first interaction with this individual, ask them for their personal email address. If they are ok with that, follow up immediately after the conversation with an email directed to them, thanking them for their time. 

Bring this up when the moment feels right. This would be great to give them a visual representation of who you are. Face time is important, as it will give you an edge over the competition whom remain faceless to the people that run these studios. Meeting people in person and networking is so important! There's nothing wrong with being personable. Ideally, people want to work with others that they can get along with. Being honest and true to yourself, are great qualities. If it’s genuine, people will recognize this.

Go Ahead! Be Social!

Start with these simple things. You should try these steps with any and all of the studios in your area. Don't be too concerned if the smaller studios get back to you and the bigger ones do not.

Interns may be so far down the food chain at these large format studios that you'll probably never get past collecting coffee orders and dry cleaning. Getting an internship at a smaller studio may not get you working with Mick Jagger, but it might mean that you'll move up quicker and get to work more closely with the engineers... And, maybe even take over some of their sessions, if other engineers aren't available. You'll have the opportunity grow your portfolio faster, people will start to hear about you through other artists and even through the music you've worked on. They may even request to work with you!

I hope this article was helpful for all of you! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask them in the “comments” section below, or even discuss your thoughts on the content. If you have any tips you’d like to add to this, feel free to do so below. Also, don’t hesitate to like this post and even share it with your friends!

Keep an eye out for my next post!... Pst... It may be a video tutorial ;)

See you all next time!

INTO THE MIXING LAIR

Once you’ve found your Mixing Engineer, whether they are online or local, begin sending your files to them. This entire process, depending on the project, can take several hours to several months of mixing. This depends on a number of different factors. 

Some songs have dozens of layers of various instruments that can take hours for an engineer to work through. Something that really helps Mixing engineers out is having a well organized recording session. Remove all the unnecessary takes that you don’t plan on keeping, label what each track is (ie. Electric Guitar 1, Electric guitar 2, bass, drums, etc.). Hey! Maybe let out your inner Picasso out and color code those tracks!... My sessions look like all the different shades of a rainbow. This alone can really save you if you have time and budget limitations. I can not emphasize enough the importance of organization! 

Typically, the mixing engineer’s goal is to take what you have and give your music a sense of clarity in the direction your music is going in... That sentence about clarity seemed kind of vague, actually :P... What I’m trying to say, is that your song has a particular sound. In many cases, that sound isn’t very clear. Your recordings may sound cluttered or dynamically flat or maybe the sounds need some taming/shaping. It’s not a very black and white kind of job. However, what a mixing engineer will do, is just make everything sound like it fits together... *With my campy voice* And kids, isn’t that what we all want?... Just to fit in?... (This PSA was brought to you by your local mixing engineer)

IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE GEAR, IT’S HOW YOU USE IT

Judging a studio by the gear it has isn’t always wise. Some artist are surprised when walking into a studio, not really knowing what to expect. In a lot of cases, they expect a massive studio with tons of fancy gear with lots of lights and big knobs. The reality is that many Mixing Engineers, including myself, work from home or small studios. I have a little set up in my bedroom and this is my familiar place. What you should be concerned about is how well they use what they have. There have been Grammy award winning records that have been mixed on a macbook Pro using stock software. 

Just to be clear though, I’m not undervaluing the big studios. I’m simply giving recognition to the Mixing Engineers themselves and the value in their skills as apposed to what kind of console they are using. Great mixes come from years of experience and understanding how music works and fits together. You’re not  just paying for the studio and the hardware/software that these engineers use, you’re paying for their experience. Think of it like this, if you wanted a new house, you could very well build it yourself. You have access to buy all the tools that any other contractor would need. But, do you know how to build a house? I’m sure if you’re willing to learn how to build a house, you can start building as you learn, but do you really believe that this house would be just as good as one that was built by someone who actually does that for a living? 

Here's a side note from living mixing legend Dave Pensado.... Take it away Dave!

Dave and Herb host an in-depth industry Q&A Session on the 120th episode of Pensado's Place! SIGN UP FOR THE GEAR EXPO HERE: http://pensadosplace.tv/gearexpo Subscribe on iTunes: Video: http://itun.es/iV97k2 Audio: http://itun.es/iVX6Zc Please 'Like' and 'Follow'... http://twitter.com/pensadosplace http://facebook.com/pensadosplace Art Institue of California -- Los Angeles: http://www.artinstitutes.edu/los-ange...

MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO

Many people have a natural hunger for knowledge that is brought about by curiosity. This is very healthy and comes from a good place. In fact, these impulses should be exercised more often! That being said... If you’re a musician looking to make a record, play to your strengths and just play the music well. Mixing music is an art unto itself. Find a mixing engineer that is the yin to your yang that can take your music to the next level.

Please feel free to comment, like and/or share this article with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or would like me to write about something that you would like help on, reach out to me! 

See you all next week!

Once you’ve narrowed down your search for the right engineer, here are some suggestions as to what kind of questions you should put on your list of questions to ask; 

Reputation: How reliable are they? Did someone you know recommend them to you? What has their success been like? 

Fee: How much do they cost? Do they have rates for indie artists that differ from their standard pricing? What forms of payment do they accept? Do they charge hourly or is it a flat rate? Will they accept points on your record in order to lower their rates?... I say lower, because they will still expect to get paid for their work.

Availability: When are they available to mix? If you’re on a time constraint, are they able to provide their services to you before your deadline? 

Location: How far are they from you? If they are in your city, can you sit in on the mixing sessions? How important is it for you to partake in the mixing process? If they aren’t local, do you feel comfortable with the idea of an engineer potentially on the other side of the world mixing your album? Do they provide access to some sort of online delivery service for the delivering of your files, such as DropBox?

Customer Service: How attentive are they? Do they get back to you in a reasonable amount of time? Are they helpful in answering any questions you may have with the mixing process? Are they amicable?... This last one doesn’t determine how good the mixes will turn out, but it’s always better to work with someone you get along with because this could be an ongoing relationship.

It’s important to understand what it is you are looking to achieve in terms of the artistic direction of your music. Finding someone that can make your vision a reality is very important. For some, money is a major factor when deciding who they work with. For others, it’s geographical location. Sometimes, there’s a deadline and the person you want to work with isn’t available at that very moment and you have to find someone else that is. There are very few instances in which everything just perfectly lines up. Sometimes you just have to make it work. Just take it one step at a time and get it done. In the words of Nietzche, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” Don’t make that mistake.

Feel free to comment and share with your friends! Talk to you all soon!

TO MIX OR NOT TO MIX?

Now that you’ve got your album recorded, what happens next? Many people believe that when they leave a studio after recording their album, all it needs is mastering. My good sir/Madame, you would be sadly mistaken. I could not count the amount of times I’ve been presented with music from various artists and was asked to master a song that wasn’t even mixed. When asking these people if they had anyone mix their music, they would respond in such confusion as if I had asked them to point me in the direction of the nearest unicorn ranch. 

Many think that mixing and mastering is one in the same and assume it is done by the same person. Yes, it is true that a Mastering Engineer can switch roles and Mix an album, but that doesn’t mean that every Mixing Engineer can Master an album. Mastering requires a great deal of skill, special software/hardware and an acoustically treated room to achieve what is required of a properly mastered product. 

HUNTING FOR A MIXING ENGINEER

Let’s start off by saying that mixing is an essential part of the completion of an album. It has been said, and is now written in stone! How do you find a good mixing engineer? There are plenty of options for mixing engineers... Actually, let me rephrase that... There is an abundance of mixing engineers. What you need to find is a quality engineer. How do you do this, you ask? Well kid, stick with me and I’ll show you things (said in a 1920’s Chicago mobster accent).

First, if you’re in a major city, it’s a good chance that you can find an engineer in your immediate geographical location. Second, THE INTERNET!... Speaking from personal experience, the internet is a great way to find qualified people to do a specific job that you need done. The majority of my clients, that I produce and mix for, don’t even live in the same country as me! 

Regardless of where you find your engineer, make sure you do your research on them. Look for their discography to see what albums they worked on or who they’ve worked with and whether or not you think this person can understand your style of music based on their previous albums and what genres they’ve worked on. Choosing someone based on their previous work is a very smart thing to do, especially if they’ve worked on something that aligns with your vision of what you want your music to sound like. This is something that great producers like Rick Rubin do on a regular basis. If Rick Rubin has a particular vision for an album he’s producing, he knows exactly which engineers can make that happen.... So, if Rick Rubin does it, that means it’s right... Cause the man is a music producing god. Yup, I went there.

Next week, I will provide a checklist of some things you should keep in mind when looking for the right mixing engineer for you. It’s a short, yet sweet, checklist. 

Until next time, keep making epic music! Also, please feel free to comment and share this article with fellow music making friends of yours... Unless you want to make better music than them, cause you’re a dubious person... Hey, hey, I don’t judge. People are entitled to being evil.

See you all next week!

IT’S GO TIME

Let’s pause for a moment and think about this. What is it that you need? If you’re a 4 piece band of drums, bass, guitar and vocals, and you want 5 songs recorded for an EP. How do you go about doing this?

There are quite a few methods to achieving this. The main three are 1) Completely live off the floor 2) Record bed tracks and over dub OR 3) Individually track everything.

The first option, which is one of my personal favorites, is a great way to get the best sound and groove out of your music, provided that the group is very very tight! I’ve had the pleasure of working with a band not that long ago that recorded a track live off the floor and it was beautiful and required very little mixing. The reason something like this usually doesn’t require as much mixing is because in most cases, the battle within mixing is trying to make everything sound like it’s played together organically. When you record everything together, you don’t have to worry about this problem. However, you need to be much more careful about mic placement and also musician placement, more so than the other two methods of recording.

The second option, most typically used in large format studios with bands, is typically a favorite for most as it offers to maintain some of that groove from the live feel of the band playing together, but also offers more clarity and distinction between instruments. Also, this method offers the flexibility of editing various takes together, which the first option doesn’t allow so easily... And when I say, so easily, I mean it’s utter hell trying to get any editing done with a session that is only done live off the floor. 

Recording “bed tracks” usually refers to the entire band playing together, then removing most, if not all, the instruments except the drums and start recording the other instruments on top of the edited drum takes separately. As stated before, this keeps the groove of the band playing together, but now we can have the other instruments recorded separately without any other instruments bleeding into any of the other instrument’s takes. This makes the engineers life much easier when it comes to editing and mixing both in clarity and precision. 

Option three is something that is more commonly being used nowadays with the closure of many large format studios and the vast majority of artists taking the production of their records into their own hands, financially. Not everyone is a one take wonder like Paul Shaffer (David Letterman’s band leader and musical director), which means that keeping the costs down by recording in smaller studios or in their bedrooms, makes recording an album  possible for many indie acts. 

This option usually entails each artist to record with a click and start from the ground up. Some start with guitars and vocals and build the other instruments around it and arrange it afterwards or they’ll start with the percussions and build up from there like many typical recordings. 

In some ways, this gives much more freedom to the bands to express themselves more because every instrument is individually recorded without any bleed from any other instrument and allows for a ridiculous amount of editing and mixing possibilities. However! What this lacks in many cases is life or feel. These aren’t things that you can just easily inject into a song. With this method, there are many advantages, but also disadvantages that make the songs sound like, well... in the words of the inexperienced listener, “not right”... It’s almost as if something is missing. This is where the mixers come in and really showcase their talents. This is where the mixer can become the glue in the song making everything just fit together properly. 

What Next?

Next week we’ll discuss the hunt for the right mixing engineer!... That’s if you decide not to mix your album yourself... And trust me, if you lack the needed experience in the world of mixing, it really makes a difference to get some one that has it.

Please feel free to leave comments and discuss! I will definitely respond to all the comments here.

See you all next week!

START AT THE SOURCE

Regardless of how good a mixer is that you are working with, you always want to start off with a good quality recording. I’m telling you right now, the better you’re recording is, the better your final product will be. Some mixing and mastering engineers can work wonders, but they aren’t exactly witches and wizards from Hogwarts. Lets look at what you need. 

If you’re a band, you’re going to need some sort of recording space such as a recording studio or even a rehearsal studio to record certain instruments. The first instrument that needs the most amount of attention would be drums. If you’re planning on recording live drums instead of using drum samples, you’ll want to do this properly. Here’s a great two part video series from SonicScoop on various miking techniques to know exactly how to mic your drums and how the different miking patterns will sound. Part 1  Part 2 

Find a recording engineer and or producer that understands your musical direction and figure out what you’ll need to succeed with whatever resources you have available. If you are limited in resources, GET CREATIVE! 

Many don’t realize what our present day can offer in terms of studio solutions. Nowadays, you can rent all the gear you need for most of the production you want to do for a nominal cost. But!... Yes, there is a but... It still requires a certain amount of skill. This is where your handy engineer comes in to play... Now for my rant... :P

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

There is a large misconception when it comes to recording a record. People believe that everyone and their mothers can record a high quality album from their bedrooms with an Mbox and that’s it. Well friends, this isn’t the case. Of course, there are exceptions. It isn’t the gear that you use in many cases, it’s how you use it... Oh my... This conversation sounds oddly familiar... Ahem!... Quality recordings can come at quite the price and it’s not because of the gear you buy or the price of the studio. It’s about the engineers or producers that you record with. It’s about their experience. This is your biggest expense and asset!

Well folks! That’s all!... Well, not really... Next week, I’ll talk about some of the various methods of production you can choose to go through when recording your album. I’ll be covering 3 of the main ones to be specific. For now, feel free to comment below or ask questions and make the discussion interesting! 

See you all next week!

Over the years, I’ve stumbled quite a bit and have fallen prey to many gimmicks, but experience has brought me to where I am. In this multi-part article titled "Mastering the Mix" we'll journey through the various things you should know about working on your first album. Also, if you've already made an album but haven't found the success you've been looking for, there a may be a few pointers in this series that will make sense of some questions you may have. 

Please feel free to comment and ask any questions you may have about this series of entries. All comments are welcomed! So, till next time, keep doing what you love!

Ask your artist what kind of song they want

If they tell you that they want to sound like Ellie Goulding and want that electro-pop/dance song, great! It sounds like they know what they want... Right? Sure! Ask them for samples of their music that they've done already to get some sort of context on their current sound. You listen to it, and you realize that they are closer to Dolly Parton than anything else that is even remotely electro... No offense to Dolly, I'm sure she could rock an electro track, but let's just say your artist doesn't really have the voice for it. 

Go With the Flow

For the sake of reducing friction in a situation like this, go with the flow. You never know how it’s going to turn out unless you try it. Thinking that you know something isn’t the same as actually knowing something. As a producer, you’ll learn to have better judgement over time, however, don’t ever not try something just because “it isn’t what everyone else is doing” or “it doesn’t sound like everyone else.” Good! You shouldn’t aspire to be normal, you should aspire to be different! Who knows, this small town, country-folk singing girl might surprise you. You might even have a hit! But, you won’t know until you do it. 

When Things Just Aren’t Sounding Right

If you aren’t having success with your current track, direct them towards something that you feel would better suit their skills or maybe start fresh with a new song in the same genre... Maybe that particular song didn’t work for them. Just remember that as a producer, your time is valuable and you don’t want to be stuck on any one project for too long and then realize it’s a lost cause.

In many cases, your job as a producer is to give your artist the hard truth and tell them that they may not suit this particular sound. The problem with this is that not many people want to create conflict between them and their artist. The disturbing reality is that your artist could easily walk out on you if they are offended or feel that you don’t believe in their talents. This is something that you have to be very weary of, as artists tend to be extremely emotional and irrational beings and may over analyze what you say to them and will close you off because they are giving you their heart and soul and they feel shot down... So, be very selective of the words you use when addressing an issue like this. There is definitely an element of psychology when you’re a producer and you’ll eventually learn how to conduct these types of uncomfortable conversations with experience. (Sounds like something you’d experience in a relationship :P)... 

In Conclusion

The best thing to do before getting into this situation is establishing an open dialogue with your artist from the beginning of the project. You want to establish where you both stand in this relationship. And yes, a lot of the times, working so much with these individuals can begin to feel like you are in a relationship with them. You want to make sure there are boundaries established. When it comes to working in the studio, you guys are coworkers until this album is over. Then, you can go out for drinks after all is finished and sounding good and talk about how all of you at some point in the project wanted to strangle each other. It’s easier to get a long with people when you’re friends with them, but when you’re making a record, it isn’t always going to be rainbows and lollipops. During hard times, they don’t need you there to be nice to them, that’s what their friends and family are for, they need you to push them to get the best out of them. It’s a lot easier to do this when they look at you as someone that they respect. Someone that will make objective decisions that are best for the project. 

Ultimately, everyone wants what’s best for the project to make it sound as amazing as possible, so, even if you have to tell an artist something they don’t want to hear, the finished product should speak for itself and show whether or not the direction you gave throughout the album makes it shine or is just utter crap. I know it’s all art and it’s relative, but final products speak for themselves. Some projects are great and you’ll cherish those projects forever, and others, you’ll want to wash your hands of immediately. Regardless, every album is an opportunity to grow whether it’s a success or not.

Every so often, I will write about the various things I experience on a regular basis as a producer. I've primarily produced music over the past 8 years and am recently taking on TV... Which is a whole different game. 

I will talk about everything from dealing with artists in the studio to writing music to even putting together my first web series... (Which is set to release early 2014... Or at least I hope) ... Here, you can learn from my successes and also my failures... And there are plenty of both.

I hope you find this blog informative and maybe even get a good laugh out of it from time to time.

Cheers,

Mateo