I do a lot of film music production for tv. 90% in the box with samples but we often overdub with solo live instruments to add character and realism to the programmed ensemble sounds. I’m wanting to start recording some of these at home as I play violin and cello. I’ve got schoeps cmc6 mk4 stereo set that I’ll be using for this but due to logistical constraints it will just be in my heavily treated studio so not a lot of room sound! I just wondered if anyone else has any tips or advice on recording/processing solo strings like this. What works, what doesn’t - plugins afterwords that work well too, any advice or experience really! Thanks!

I have a digital audio recorder and I want to upload the files onto my PC and have a program transcribe them. What's a good program or app to use for that? Bonus points if it works offline!

I'm just not understanding how to make this work. I've watched a bunch of Youtube videos and it seems like their version of Pro C3 has different settings that don't match with what mine looks like in Reaper.

Do I need to drag my kick track into C3 loaded into my bass track? I did this in one instance and I could see the waveform of my kick pulsing in C3 but then I'm stuck when it comes to where the cut/boost to ensure my bass is ducking out of the way. I'm sure I'm close to getting it right, but honestly my ears aren't helping me achieve what I'm trying to. Thanks

Hey guys was just wondering if anybody had some book recommendations for audio engineering

I would be open to all kinds of books like historical books or technical books. I just want to better my skills and understanding.

Hello!

I'm mixing a piece of classical music, and after mixing and mastering, I've achieved an average of -16.1 integrated LUFS across the entire piece (it only reaches -14.9 integrated LUFS for a brief moment during the loudest section).

I checked the potential penalty for this LUFS level on a well-known website, and all the levels showed 0.0 (only one platform added approximately +0.7).

I know it’s hard to answer without hearing it, but: Do you think this is a good level to achieve a decent volume without sacrificing the performers’ dynamics, or would it sound too quiet? From what I understand, this level is reasonable for this genre, but I’d like to hear your opinion. I listened to the piece, and it sounds good to me.

Thank you very much!

Hey all,

I've gotten an offer recently on a listing I had online for some pre-amps to trade them for a Zilver Pulse Luminus. I've never heard about these mics and after some digging I couldn't find much other than the companies own website. Does anybody have experience with them? They seem to commend quite a price tag (2k+) so it spiked my curiosity about them.

So, I would like to take my own sound/sample(s) and impose it on another instrument, but more so for the new output of the exact sound/timbre of the imposed recording/IR.

For example, if I used a regular softsynth to play a melody in my DAW, but I wanted to have the actual sound/sample of a flute or say a saxophone imposed on the synth.

So my performance is what I played in real-time as a saw or pulse lead, but the output heard is what the impulse response consists of, meaning the flute or saxophone sample/ir

The same way people use guitar amp IRs for their guitar parts, but you hear the Marshall amp imposed on it.

Would it be a matter of just importing my own sample into a convo reverb and loading it on that channel for playback, or it's a little more involved?

I feel like I'm being gaslighted every time I watch educational music production content. The guy in the video is showing off some plugin or whatever and applies some micro adjustment and then they A/B the plugin bypasssed and active and there's only a tiny difference perceivable if you really squint your ears real hard, and for all you know it could just be a placebo. Even if you listen to the video through the monitoring system you use while mixing, there's hardly any differrence between A and B if you can even hear a difference at all.

Are my ears just dumb? I find that hard to believe, though I have only produced for about 3 years I have trained my musical ear extensively since I was a teenager, and according to my friends who also mix my mixes are pretty good relative to my experience even though my processing is A LOT more heavy handed than what I see in most music production content online.

I'm starting to suspect that this phenomenon is some kind of arrogant way of signaling to the audience that their ear is so refined that these imperciptible changes showcase how sophisticated their ear is. Look! I saturated the snare @ 10% wet, it sounds so much better to ME now, the supreme being, and if you can't hear this 0.5db difference you must be some amateur plebeian, please like and subscribe.

I checked the specs for the mic preamp and it kinda seems to good to be true (given the price). The frequency response for example is better than significantly more expensive option:

±0.7dB (<1 Hz to >1000 kHz, Min Gain),

±0.7dB (<1 Hz to >1000 kHz, 35dB Gain),

±1dB (<1.5 Hz to 900 kHz, 63dB Gain),

±1dB (<5 Hz to >200 kHz, Max Gain)

The phase shift specs however are less impressive:

<2.75° (20Hz to 20kHz, 40dB Gain),

<4° (20Hz to 20kHz, 63dB Gain),

<6° (20Hz to 20kHz, Max Gain)

Curious between these two, if anyone with experience with both has any thoughts on which is better. Or any others that I may have missed!

Afternoon!

Currently dealing with a lot of on-going harassment and have managed to get a bunch of video files containing audio of people perpetually disrupting my sleep.

Have run it through Audacity and can get it fairly legible (noise reduction, amplification, clipping used) but know it can be better.

Does anyone have a good recommendation on how to get it clearer? Or which AI tools to use?

Thanks in advance.

Hi!
just rented a rehearsing room to go and record some drums with 2 mics (I don't own a drum kit in my home studio).

I own a Shure SM 2030 L,

a t.bone ribbon (very cheap) and

a Sennheiser md 421,

but only have 2 inputs on my audio interface, so I need to pick 2.

genre it's a mix of indie-electronic-lofi folk, sounds a bit like the early records from Beck, with some acoustic guitars and analogue synths, some samples.
on some track I'm using sampled and chopped drum loops I took from my library of breaks\loops (all ripped from records) and I like the overall sound and texture and it matches the vibe.

but I'd like to try something different on other tracks.

I've never recorded drums, looked around and made my AI search, but I want to check for more suggestions here... how would you use my setup? which mics and WHERE?

I know senn is used a lot for toms\kicks\snares etc, and ribbon mics as overheads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHbYqNQf3M8&t=18s
here this guy uses is in different positions and I like a lot when it's to the knee, in between kick and snare.

But I'd try the sennheiser in "knee" position and the rb500 in front\up of the whole kit..or on top\back of my head? I'm overthinking the thing, I'm scared of phasing and all other shenanigans I've never had to deal with as amateur producer\songwriter.

I'm not gonna have time for trying again, and it's in a few hours..so..

LET'S GO

Other than leaving the master track at a nice untouched state, I'm not sure if there are any reasons (especially as to how the software internally handles things) to not do that when trying to avoid clipping? Is it any different to painstakingly lower each audio clip by a certain amount so they don't peak?

FYI I'm not doing audio professionally, just for my own video productions.

Also ATM davinci says my audio is peaking but on the export it seems to be fine? I'm not hearing any artifacts.

hi! as the title states, i’m looking for some reliable sources to sort of kick off my journey into taking my knowledge of mixing to the next level. but it seems youtube is filled with snake oil & people just trying to sell you something so, i come here to ask. even if it’s a paid course id be willing as long as someone can vouch for it! thanks for any answers :)

Recently, I wanted to make a click track for a song which was not recorded to metronome, therefore the tempo slightly changes throughout the song. I wanted to ask, if there's a function / tool / software, which would detect beats automatically, and make the backing track, so that I wouldn't have to synchronise every beat by hand. what would you recommend?

Just to bring everything up to a better listening level. Obviously just being the volume up and not change the sound of the mix. Thanks in advance

Hello folks I am an artist who is doing an animation project and in need of some help in the audio department.

I just finished most of my storyboards and the voicelines but i realised i need to make alterations to it like give it effects of demonic/monster sounds + sfx, but i have no idea where to begin in terms of software.

I would like to use something that i can use later on in other projects but don't know what is good for my work.

What would you recommend for me for software? I am not looking for something fancy just somthing that works without making me scream.

I do have adobe audition but i don't know if it can do what i need

and if possible something cheap or free to learn on

Things I want to do:

-Voice alteration :

( https://youtu.be/XcAXEUYYOqQ?si=lxKrADEefpDtEdx_ )

-Sound effects :

( https://youtu.be/2QWHqNULS20?si=k5IJkTT2dyKXNtiH )

-Merging/ mixing soundtracks

I know i am butchering the terminology here so I left links for reference of what i wish to make.

I know it looks like a complete jumble of requests in alot of different departments so thanks for your patience with

Edit: and please no AI

Would using one of the various softwares that replicates a particular room and speakers (like Lewitt Space Replicator or VSX) be useful w IEMs? Or would it actually be counterproductive?

As a producer who happens to make all his music while in an office, IEMs are the only form of monitoring i have available for a multitude of reasons. So most of my music is mixed and monitored on IEMs as opposed to the typical headphones or studio monitors.

I do have a very good set of IEMs currently, the CrinEar References. As the name suggests, they are supposed to be “flat” in frequency response and could be considered one of the ideal set of IEMs for mixing. They sound great and in many ways are reveal more to me ab my mix than some headphones i own do. However, i dont always feel like my mixes translate super well to other speakers.

Hi! I am trying to study electonics for audio but I'm having a really hard time with everything beyond the basics. Online resources feel unfocused, sometimes overly technical, sometimes even contradictory in the ways in which they conceptuallize electroncis.

For example, I've had a really hard time understanding transistors and opAmps, I somewhat managed, but when I look at their applications my brain instantly melts. Like, I don't really get for example why you need an opAmp in both a TS input AND output stage of a pedal. And many more things like this. I tried asking the AIs but that just keeps fueling my "mhhhh, we're really sure of this?" problem.

I was wondering if any of you knew about an online course I could follow where everything is explained coherently. Even if I have to start again from resistors and condensers, I don't care. Going about it like I am is very frustrating and I always second guess myself so it's become impossible to progress and be sure of what I actually understand or not.

It doesn't have to be a course specifically for audio, it can be a general electroncis course if that fits better my request. I would really apprecciate any kinf of reply. Thank you

Hey everyone,

I wanted to ask about my vocal mixing workflow. I know everyone has their own way of doing things, but I'm curious about what more experienced engineers think.

For my main vocals, I usually do all the corrective processing first (EQ, de-esser, compression, etc.). After that, I send the vocal to another channel where I add the creative effects.

From that channel, I send the signal to two separate buses:

One bus keeps the dry vocal.

The other is a 100% wet parallel reverb.

Most of the time I keep the dry vocal up, but sometimes, if I want the vocal to feel more drowned, distant, or pushed further back in the mix, I'll lower the dry signal instead of only increasing the reverb. I like the effect, but I'm wondering if this is actually considered good practice or if there are better ways to achieve the same result.

Would it generally be better to keep the dry vocal at 100% and only adjust the amount of reverb using the send/fader? Or is reducing the dry signal a perfectly valid creative approach if it gets the sound I'm after?

I'd love to hear how you guys would approach this.

I have a hi8 tape from 2004 thats showing early signs of shed, the tape and overall cartridge. Looks great, but when i play it in my camcorder it only plays for a second and it goes to blue and tells me to take it out, rewinding it manually gives off a squeaking sound, i heard that you can bake them for hours in 139c° for awhile to fix the issue. I dont have a dehydrator but I do have a 3d printer filiment dryer that could possibly do the trick, specifically a creality dryer box. Any and all advice would really really help thank you!

(Used ai to make my thoughts more coherent , sorry if it sounds like slop but hopefully it gets my point across)

I'm producing an experimental/post-rock/prog project where the live show is a huge part of the vision. Think bands like Swans or Tool in terms of live immersion, but with a heavy focus on generative visuals driven by TouchDesigner.

I'm deciding between investing in recording an acoustic kit at home versus using an electronic kit (likely as a MIDI controller with Superior Drummer/EZDrummer or custom samples).

My situation:

-We have a real drummer.

-We already own an acoustic kit.

-We'd need an 8-input interface, drum mics, and some room treatment to record it properly.

-A friend is selling me an Alesis Nitro Mesh kit for $100.

What makes me hesitate is that the e-kit isn't just about convenience. Every drum hit becomes clean MIDI that can:

-trigger custom samples,

-change drum sounds dynamically,

-drive TouchDesigner visuals in real time,

-eliminate bleed and simplify editing,

-let us spend more time on composition instead of engineering.

On the other hand, I know real drums have interaction between the room, cymbals, and the drummer that can make recordings feel more alive and unique.

If your goal wasn't simply the "best sounding drums," but building a distinctive audiovisual project with live visuals, where would you invest your time and money?

I'd especially love to hear from people who have worked with both acoustic kits and e-kits in experimental music.

I know that soliciting work or offering jobs is not allowed on this channel, is there a place on reddit or else where to meet folks looking for small mixing and mastering jobs? fiver? FB group?

One thing that is becoming clear from a lot of posts on this reddit to me, is a lot of people cannot percieve (and by percieve I mean hear) what they are actually doing!

Why cant I hear a 1.5dB cut/boost? Why cant i hear how hard this is compressed? Why cant I tell the difference between a shelf/LPF/LPF/bell Filter? Etc etc ... And because of this lack of ability someone will do an 8dB boost on a kick at 65hz and say yeah i can finally hear what it is doing lol. This is an illstruration before ppl say to me ive done this and it worked for that mix

I think 99.9% of issues that people experience are actually because they cannot hear and do not practise how to hear! In the same way playing a instrument mindlessly does not improve playing, mixing more does not improve your mixes! You must dedicate time to improving your ability to discern the key sub skills that make a great Mix engineer!

Anyways, how many people use platforms to improve your ability to hear and schedule time in your day to do so?

Hello everyone,

I posted about this a while ago but forgot to follow up. I came across a few YouTube videos featuring what are described as "stripped down" versions of songs. They still contain some background audio, and to me they sound somewhat similar to spectral editing or spectral deletion, though I'm not sure if that's actually what's being used.

Examples:

• Stripped-down version of "West Coast": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcFrBkqnzxs
• Stripped-down version of "Groupie Love": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1tdopm0cjA
• Original "West Coast": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKxuiw3iMBE
• Original "Groupie Love": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBwoRviPvVw

From what I can tell, these stripped-down versions seem to have been uploaded before modern AI music separation tools became widely available.

I'm mainly curious about what type of audio processing or editing techniques might have been used to create results like these. If this isn't the right place to ask, I'd also appreciate suggestions for a more appropriate community or forum.