X Factor Autotune – A step too far ? 22 Aug 2010, 1:27 pm

First of all, let’s get this out of the way – yes, I watch X Factor. Even though I’m always banging on about authenticity, about being natural, unconventional and genuine – I’m a regular viewer. Why ? Mostly because I’m a parent of two highly active little boys, and at the end of a long, [...]

10cc – I’m Not In Love in the recording studio 14 Aug 2010, 1:05 am

People loved this when I posted it on Twitter, and I thought it was well worth putting it up here, too. If you think you put loads of effort into your recording and mixing – watch this, and think again ! Brings new meaning to the phrase “playing the studio”. No extra commentary is [...]

Foley Room by Amon Tobin – In the studio 25 Jul 2010, 12:50 am

This is an enjoyable short film about the making of Amon Tobin’s excellent Foley Room – a great album which you may already know about. If not, I strongly recommend it. I talk a lot about classic albums, recording live instruments and ¨real, natural sound¨ on Production Advice, mainly because in this time of [...]

Put some real space in your mix 19 Jun 2010, 1:18 am

I have so much work to do at the moment I really shouldn’t be blogging, but this is just too good not to share. The video above is number four in a sequence of song-writing tutorials posted by the awesome Artist’s House Music – if you aren’t already subscribed to their feed and Twitter [...]

Metallica ‘Enter Sandman’ isolated vocals 9 Jun 2010, 2:33 pm

- or: Read Bobby Owsinski’s Blog ! I can’t take any credit or thanks for finding this video – it’s lifted straight from a series of posts on  Bobby Owsinski’s blog, featuring isolated instruments and vocals from a fascinating range of artists, each with some interesting comments. If you’re a Production Advice reader, I’m sure [...]

And this is where the story REALLY starts… 20 May 2010, 1:06 am

I quit my job yesterday. It’s a big deal for me – I’ve worked at SRT for over fifteen years now, so I hope you’ll forgive me if this turns out to be a slightly self-indulgent, sentimental post ! Working at SRT was my first “proper” music industry job. I didn’t even know it was [...]

What is Mastering ? 5 May 2010, 3:23 am

There are plenty of moments to enjoy in this video with veteran mastering engineer Howie Weinberg – not least, proof that mastering engineers really do have a sense of humour ! I want to pick up on just one thing he says almost in passing though, and amplify it. People are always asking “What is [...]

Recording and mixing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ 27 Apr 2010, 1:43 am

Welcome back my friends, to the show that never ends, We’re so glad you could attend, come inside, come inside… I know, it’s been ages. And, the way things are looking at the moment, it’s going to stay slow for a while longer yet… So, stay tuned to the RSS feed for future updates, including a [...]

TODAY IS DYNAMIC RANGE DAY ! 20 Mar 2010, 3:55 pm

AND YOU KNOW WHAT ? I’m not going to shout about it. Even though that was the whole idea – to be honest, I’ve been SHOUTING non-stop since midday yesterday, and I’m getting a bit of a headache. (“Shouting” on the internet means typing in ALL CAPS) When I suggested this gimmick for Dynamic Range Day, I had [...]

Dynamic Range Day – How to take part 18 Mar 2010, 11:40 pm

…Wow. I hoped it really was a good idea, but I never expected this kind of response. I announced the idea of Dynamic Range Day almost exactly one month ago now, inspired by Derek Siver’s thoughts on starting a movement and Seth Godin’s suggestion to Declare A Holiday to publicise issues we care about. Now, we have over [...]