Music

Music Production

Tutorials, how-tos, and gear reviews from a decade behind the board. For finished work, see the portfolio.

Audio production desk mid-mix with waveforms on screen

Looking for finished work? Browse the audio portfolio for compositions, recordings, and commercial spots.

An opened Pro Tools session on a studio monitor in a dim production workspace

Studio Clusters

3 articles

Arrangement & Subtraction

Impact comes from contrast and space, not volume. When a chorus feels weak or a mix feels crowded, the fix is usually what you remove.

  1. Nobody Hears What You Added Listeners feel what you removed. Space reads as confidence, in a mix and everywhere else. Lesson · 1 min read
  2. If the Chorus Isn't Hitting, Check the Verse Impact is relative. A chorus only lands as hard as the space the verse leaves for it. Lesson · 1 min read
  3. The Best Plugin Is the Mute Button Nobody ever complimented a mix for how many tracks it had. If muting a part improves the chorus, the part was the problem. Note · 1 min read

3 articles

Recording & Signal Chain

Clean levels, honest takes, and fresh ears. The habits that prevent problems from reaching the mix bus.

  1. Fix It at the Source A better take beats a better plugin, every single time. The mix can polish a performance. It cannot perform one. Lesson · 1 min read
  2. Gain Staging Comes First Most muddy mixes are gain problems wearing an EQ costume. Set levels properly at the source and half the "fixing" disappears. Note · 1 min read
  3. Reference Tracks Are the Tuner for Your Taste After two hours in a mix, your ears drift and everything sounds correct. A reference track is how you find out it isn't. Note · 1 min read

Lessons

Lessons 1 min read

Fix It at the Source

A better take beats a better plugin, every single time. The mix can polish a performance. It cannot perform one.

Read thought →
Lessons 1 min read

If the Chorus Isn't Hitting, Check the Verse

Impact is relative. A chorus only lands as hard as the space the verse leaves for it.

Read thought →
Lessons 1 min read

Nobody Hears What You Added

Listeners feel what you removed. Space reads as confidence, in a mix and everywhere else.

Read thought →

Production Notes

Production Notes 1 min read

Gain Staging Comes First

Most muddy mixes are gain problems wearing an EQ costume. Set levels properly at the source and half the "fixing" disappears.

Read thought →
Production Notes 1 min read

Reference Tracks Are the Tuner for Your Taste

After two hours in a mix, your ears drift and everything sounds correct. A reference track is how you find out it isn't.

Read thought →
Production Notes 1 min read

The Best Plugin Is the Mute Button

Nobody ever complimented a mix for how many tracks it had. If muting a part improves the chorus, the part was the problem.

Read thought →

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