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A few years ago, I ended up in a really weird conference call with a couple members of Great White, Snoop Dog's band and the manager of P-Funk all at the same time. This is when I was back in marketing - before the studio took over my life. Anyway, these guys started some weird label and wanted to s...

I have been told that sending in one solid track for side A and one for side B has some affect on the grooves in the record itself. I figured it was just space between songs, but I've heard that the vinyl ME actually has to put those grooves in. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I start with what I've been calling the pan/volume mix. Starting with the bass and vocal, I pull up every instrument with the promise to myself that I won't touch EQ or effects until everything has been placed in both pan and volume. I do this in headphones, knowing that the rest of the mixing proce...

The Motown Museum is worth the trip. I visit at least twice a year to keep a clear mind. Seriously- it helps.

I think compressors serve both purposes (colour & control) very well. No one is better than the other - they're both totally valid. Both methods can ruin your track if used incorrectly or they can be the difference between an "okay" mix or a great mix. It's up to the engineer.

Get to know the people who can benefit from this kind of information. Label people, booking agents, etc. If you send the really talented people to them, they'll send people looking to record your way. If they end up "making it", having produced or engineered their album is going to bring a handful o...

If you mixed in your own room, you're going to mix according to the sound in that room. If the room is bass-heavy, your mix is going to be light on bass. When the mastering engineer gets it, he brings the bass up to compensate for your room. Compensating for the room(s) used in the recording/mixing ...

Thanks man. It's been a blast so far. Just trying to keep busy to pay the rent and bills right now. If you know anyone in the area, please let them know.

If you're new to live sound or touring, you'll probably have to take what you can get. Depending on the band and the tour, obviously these figures can change a great deal. Either way, pick up any book about negotiating. It'll pay for itself in the first deal, I'm sure of it.

I double vocals a lot. I really like the sound of it. One technique to make them sit a bit better is to over-compress one of them and run it a bit lower in the mix. Then, the more dynamic "lead" is backed up by a smoother background vocal of the same person singing the same thing, as opposed to two ...

Toronto has a handful of pro level studios, a million guys with an mbox, but very very few mid-level studios. I've opened one because that's the level I'm most comfortable with at this point in my life. So far, it's a dream come true. I've got pictures, audio samples of recent recordings, and most o...

I grew up in the days of the cassette recording and yeah, things today might be "cleaner" or more "accurate" but they're definitely a lot less interesting. It's the imperfections of all the local cassettes I had that made them fun to listen to. Hitting tape a couple times - even cassette tape - gave...

My problem with these mics is I have a hard time turning it up past 9-o-clock without totally distorting the source, regardless of what it is.

My friend's dad, who is about age 55 and who has a bona fide music PhD, cannot name the four Beatles. He is from Canada though. Maybe he'd do better if we asked him to name the three human and one non-human members of Rush or something.... I assure you it has little to do with him being Canadian. W...

I'm a big Yes fan. About half their stuff isn't very good in my opinion, but Fragile, The Yes Album, Close To The Edge, Drama, Relayer -- those are all great records.