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In today’s society, we’re obsessed with immediacy and getting things done quickly. But as the old saying goes, quality is better than quantity and if you are churning out music at a fast rate without concentrating on the quality of your mixes, you are setting yourself up for disaster.
Old techniques tend to get discredited, simply because they are old and “outdated” compared to the modern technology of today. C.S. Lewis; the author of the Chronicals of Narnia series calls this disregard for past techniques as “chronological snobbery”. He described this notion as:
“The uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our own age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is on that count discredited.”
As a leading recording studio in London, we agree that this can be applied to audio recording and track mixing.
We’re so heavily reliant on technology to produce this quality and sometimes we can rely on it too much. This heavy reliance on digital products has got us thinking here at Soho Sonic; what can we learn from the past when it comes to music production?
Try and Record in Full Where Possible
Back in the day, it was extremely difficult, if not impossible if you go back far enough, to edit your track once it was recorded. This means that a lot of music was recorded in one take, making the music have a lot more feel and emotion than some of the tracks that are produced today.
It’s more of a performance than a recording, which the listener will most definitely be able to pick up on. This gives the track a smoother sound, rather than a whole host of tracks edited together to try and sound smooth.
It is entirely possible to produce a song that doesn’t need to be mixed. That is what artists should be focusing on creating when they step into the studio. When creating a new track, try and minimise the amount of mixing that you will need to do, and we guarantee that your listeners will love it.
Take a Step Back From Technology
We’re not suggesting you strip out all your electric guitars and go back to being entirely acoustic, but when in the studio try not to focus on the fact that you are recording a track. The pressure that you might feel like you are under will no doubt affect how well you play.
Try to disguise and hide the essential technology that will be in the room for the recording, and try to relax. Think of it as more of a jam session with your band where you are making music rather than being super serious in a recording studio.
Hiding the microphones is a great way to minimise this studio feeling, as we’re willing to bet you don’t have microphones hanging around during your jam sessions. Creating a comfortable creative space will improve the effort and motivation of everyone involved.
Find the Sweet Spot
Every room has a sweet spot which makes your music sound the best. This will differ from musician to musician and style to style, but it’s an excellent feature that is often forgotten. Experiment by moving around the room and recording test samples and find the perfect area within the room to record your tracks.
We hope that we’ve proved that past techniques can still be applied in the technologically dominated 21st century in music production. Older isn’t always out dated, and we think that some artists will benefit from taking some of these handy tips on board.
Soho Sonic are here to help you with all your recording studio needs. We have over 10 years of experience in producing, mixing and mastering tracks, and we want to help you get the best out of your recording experience. For more information on our services, feel free to contact us today by calling 020 7193 4467 and one of our friendly team members will be happy to help.
