Getting a great mix can be very tough. Recording well requires quality inputs, correct performance, and extreme listening skills. The adage, “It’s not the gear, it’s in the ear” holds some truth. Better listening begets qualitative judgement, which enhances desire for equipment that that can satisfy ever expanding qualitative judgement, which creates gear sluts, people who always need some better gear. That’s me.

Of course subjectivity is involved, but its more satisfying to be objectively subjective (oxymoron, maybe) when proper equipment is utilized.

My first real studio experience was when I was 19. Our band was terrible but we didn’t know it. We spent three hours recording four cover tunes on traditional two inch tape and some big console. The engineers mixed it out for us in about a half hour. Those big old JBL studio monitors sounded great at full tilt. You know, loud is best. We were super excited when they presented us with a cassette tape of our session.

Feeling like rock stars, disappointment was huge when we compared our three hour session to cassettes produced by big labels, not understanding that those projects could take weeks and months of ten to twelve hour days before mastering would be under taken. Mastering?

We understood nothing. Sometimes it still feels that way.

Is there anyway we can help?