Know Your Program

Now that I’ve spent a lot of time with Reaper (awesome program, by the way), it’s amazing the things I can do now. When I did my first recording, it was rough, to put it lightly. And the mixing/mastering process was even more so. I wanted to pull my hair out. But I stuck with it.

I recorded two of my own songs, with the purpose of learning my DAW and getting to be proficient with it. Now that Iv’e spent a chunk of time with Reaper, I’m going back to my previous recordings, and it is SO much more enjoyable of an experience. And I listen to what I had done before, and what I can do now; the difference is kind of humiliating and awesome at the same time.

I guess the point of this random post is to choose your DAW and stick with it! Don’t give up, and just continue to work out the bugs. It seems like every DAW get more and more customizable to each user as well, so be diligent and know your program; don’t give up!

Taking the Steps

I have to say, stepping out and trying to start a business is a scary thought. I mean, what if I fail? What if people don’t like the job that I do? Will I be able to legitimately help up and coming musicians while still be able to provide for my family? There are a lot of scary thoughts.

 

And with a baby on the way, it makes it even more complicated and scary. What kind of time will I have? If this becomes a legitimate business, what will my time look like? Man, there’s a lot to chew on. But, this is something I really want to do, and to excel at; and I’ve got to start somewhere. I look forward to when I can upgrade [much needed] equipment, and expand my knowledge. It’s going to be a tough road, and it will take me a lot of work. Which leads me to the axis of my little rant: working for something you love will not be easy, but it will be fulfilling. I’m looking forward to the day when I’m not scared of these things anymore, but rather, it is commonplace and I deal with it all the time. Anyway, I’m done with my thoughts for the day, and wasting your time on random thoughts and fears. Have a great day, and remember to work towards your dreams and not be ashamed of the road taken to get there!

Ready to Go

Hey all! If anyone is actually checking this blog out anymore (or ever was!), you should check out the couple of Sinnett Studio samples that we have up. You can click here to check them out. If you have any recording needs, whether far or near, perhaps I can help you out. Anyway, I hope you have a great day!

 

~Mike

A Battle Between Mixing and Mastering

So, after going through some songs that I’ve recorded and mixed (and attempted to master), I’ve come to the conclusion that I not one to master songs. Tracking and mixing, I can do. But as far as mastering goes, I need to send the projects to someone else.

When I first started looking into recording, one of the first things I noticed was that many suggested having a different mastering engineer if you are the tracking/mixing engineer. At first I thought, “I can be the exception.” Well, I was wrong. Some people can, but I am now in the camp that believes whoever tracks/mixes a song or album should send their finished product to an engineer who knows their what they are doing.

I began thinking why this might be; why is it better to have a separate person master than the one mixing? Why couldn’t I [efficiently] do both?

I think it comes down to this: you are your own worst enemy. We all have gifts, and the sooner we realize what we are not good at (along with what we are good at), the easier each project will become. I found that the more I messed around with a song after I felt I had finished it, the more is made it soundworse. I guess some people (me!) have to learn the hard way sometimes.

Product Review – CAD 4 Drum Mic Kit (4 Piece)

Today I’m going to review a little microphone kit I picked up a year or so ago. There are some really big pros, and some unavoidable flaws. Read on to see if this kit will meet your need.

When I was just beginning to gather equipment to get my recording studio off the ground I immediately looked for drum mics. Recording the drums is tough; getting a nice clean sound from ALL of the pieces without sacrificing the natural tone of the kit is difficult to say the least. I needed to get some quality drum microphones to help with my work; however, I wason a budget. After much searching I found the CAD 4 drum mic kit. Lets start with the pros…

This pack is affordable. I paid $80 after tax for these four mics. I looked at many others and the price went up significantly with other kits. And for the quality of the mics, it is a really decent price tag. The other really big benefit to these microphones is that you only need a stand for the bass mic. The other microphones clip onto the rim of the desired drum shell you want to place it on.

As far as quality, the snare mic has a really good frequency range to bring out the best in your snare. The two mid microphones (for your toms) are decent at picking up the mids in your drums and adding a little extra filler to the tone. Which leaves just the bass drum mic, and leads into the one unavoidable flaw of this kit.

The bass drum mic simply doesn’t cut it. Every time I record, I have to do major work on the bass end alone. The rest of the kit is relatively easy to mix (I’m pretty OCD when it comes to getting the sound I want when I record, not when I mix), but this one mic has caused many a headache. The mic can easily go between sounding like a heartbeat (not in a good way) and sounding like your kicking a box. It just doesn’t meet the standard the rest of the microphones set.

Overall, this kit is excellent if you have a quality room mic or different bass drum mic. Great price, pretty decent quality for the beginner sound engineer, and easy set up/tear down. But the bass drum is fairly low quality. For a sample of the drums, you can visit my SoundCloud account and listen to the song “Unite” (which was created after many hours of mixing the drums alone).

Rating – 3.75 out of 5

The New Logo

I now have a working logo for my studio! Here it is:

First Song Up

In case you wanted to listen, the first song from my debut album is up at my Bandcamp site. You can listen or download the second song on the album, “Just Right.” So go have a listen and let me know what you think!

To Be Mobile or Not to Be

I’ve gone back and forth so many times: do I get a laptop or desktop? My next purchase will sure be a Mac, but which to get? The desktop (iMac) has more screen space, power, and more storage for the same price as the MacBook Pro 13″. However, being mobile could really be a great investment, especially for live sets.

At work on lunch

What do you think? I would like to get some opinions, just to get a little more clarity.

Coffee Music Album

I just finished the first song from the upcoming album, “Coffee Music.” Stay tuned for the release date!

 

On a related note, if you haven’t already checked it out, there is a contest going on. Look up the blog post “Lend Me Your Minds,” and enter to win two free copies of the album! Send your entry to mbowerman256@gmail.com by July 21, 2012.

Product Review – Mackie ProFX8

When I started looking for a mixer that would suffice with the little amount of room I currently have, the right price range, and still did a sufficient job of transferring live sound to my laptop, I was skeptical to say the least. I walked into Guitar Center (of all places) one day just to kill time. My wife was there, and was over in the keys/piano section while I was browsing. I noticed a small table that had a sign – “Discounted.” Of course, I took a look.

 

I’m usually very wary of buying used electronics; ESPECIALLY sound equipment. However, sitting on the table for $179.00 was a Mackie ProFX8. The only thing missing was a power supply (I already had an extra one lying around not being used), and it didn’t have a box. I quickly asked my wife if it was cool with her, and she (being the most awesome wife in the world) let me buy it. I didn’t realize what a solid little product it would turn out to be.

 

The mixer is about 1′ long x 9″ width x 3″ tall. It has 8 channels (7 and 8 you have to share, mono for each), 4 being XLR and 1/4″ while the remaining channels being on 1/4″. The cool thing about this mixer is that it can easily double as a live mixing board for smaller gigs. It has built effects that, amazingly enough, are quite satisfactory. Each channel has 3 EQ knobs (High, Mid, Low), as well as monitor and effects volume knobs. In addition, you can completely bypass all effects at any time. The strongest selling point for this mixer is the price (for what you get) and the compact size. I highly recommend this for those of you who need something cheap, small, and most importantly EFFECTIVE.

 

Price: $179.99 – $229.99

Specs: 8 channels, 4 XLR & 1/4″ jacks, built in effects, individual EQ as well as general EQ

Pros: Compact, cheap, very effective, good effects, can easily be used as a live mixing board

Cons: Limited XLR jacks, can easily be outgrown, limited adjustments with individual EQ