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Nothing, nowhere - Trauma Factory (Full album)

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nothing,nowhere. - Trauma Factory - Full Álbum -2021 - nothing nowhere

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Kid Brunswick - XFOREVER (Full album + singles)

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Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory (Full album)

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Linkin Park Hybrid Theory 2000 [Full Album]

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SWMRS - Berkeley's on fire (Full album)

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Webpage on the production, recording, mixing and mastering of an album.

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5 Stages: Music Recording Process | Spike Leo Recording Studios - Spike Leo

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Here we break down the 5 Stages of the Recording Process, A good music producer should help guide, understand and bring your ideas to life! Learn more here

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Webpage on producing an album.

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Recording a full-length album can be a huge undertaking. It takes a ton of preparation, organization, and determination. But if you do it right, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your career. In this blog, we'll show you how to streamline each part of the process and produce a full-length album without going crazy.

Song Selection

Nobody is going to buy your record for the cover art. That's why your first step is to decide which songs you want to include on your album.

Start by identifying which songs resonate the most with your fans. Try performing a new song at your next live show or sharing a demo with a few close friends to gauge their reactions.

Recording a song can take a lot of time, effort, and money. So why bother recording a song that people aren't that interested in? There's no magic rule that says your album has to be 10 or 12 tracks long, either. If you have 6 or 8 amazing tracks, just record those!

Pre-Production

To save time (and potentially money) in the studio, you need to map out every detail of each song before you start recording. First, make sure you've written and rehearsed all of the parts for every song.

Then finalize all of the technical details, like song titles, as well as the key and tempo of each song. It's also a good idea to write down the kind of sound you're going for with each instrument, like "wide, distorted rhythm guitar" or "clean bass with lots of subs."

The more thorough you are during pre-production, the simpler the rest of the process will be. Start by creating a spreadsheet or even a chart on a whiteboard to help you keep track of what still needs to be done in the recording, editing, mixing, and mastering stages.

On the left, write down the name of each song. Then create columns for different tasks, grouped by which stage they occur in. For instance, in the recording stage, you would include columns for drums, bass, guitars, lead vocals, background vocals, overdubs, and anything else you plan on recording.

In the editing stage, you would include columns for different tasks like comping, quantizing, and tuning. The mixing and mastering stages would have checkboxes for the first draft, revisions, and final mix.

Recording

There are several different ways to approach recording an album. With the traditional method, you write and rehearse all of the music to a click track at home, then block out the studio for a few days and record everything at once.

When working with live musicians, one common mistake is trying to record all of the drum parts for every song, then all of the bass parts and so on. This inevitably causes two problems; the recordings get worse over time because the musician gets burnt out, and the rest of the band becomes disinterested in the session.

Instead, try recording one song at a time, then moving on to the next track. This will help keep everyone feeling fresh and motivated as you complete songs.

This approach can also be useful for those who are just starting out. Unlike full-time musicians, most artists releasing their first record are also working day jobs or in school, which makes it harder to find time to record. This method allows you to release songs as you go, building your audience as you complete your record.

In some cases, you may need to book some time in a commercial facility to ensure the best sound. With some instruments, like drums, a well-treated space and an array of high-quality mics are rather essential to attaining a professional sound. To help reduce studio expenses, you can record some of the tracks at home-especially soft synths and direct inputs.

When recording a song, it's typically best to build the track from the bottom up, meaning you begin with the drums, then add the bass and the core rhythm instrument like guitar before recording lead and background vocals. Then you can circle back and overdub additional parts or punch in to re-record anything that needs cleaning up.

While some tracks will sound better when recorded organically, recording to a click track will make the editing and mixing stages much easier and help you achieve a more professional sound. Some artists prefer to perform along with a demo recording or scratch track for a less rigid feel, which is fine as long as the demo was recorded with a click as well.

Editing

It's important to finish pre-production on every track before moving to the recording stage. There is a little more flexibility between the recording and editing stages. However, it's important to stay organized.

After you're finished recording the first track, you can begin the editing process as you continue recording the rest of your tracks. That way, you can finish editing a few songs by the time you wrap up recording!

During the editing stage, it's best to follow a checklist to make sure you don't miss anything, but a few areas that require special attention are; removing silence, applying fades, comping, correcting timing issues, applying pitch correction and listening for technical errors.

Mixing

For some projects, mixing and mastering will both be done in-house. For others, you may work with a mastering engineer to finalize tracks and prepare them for distribution.

If you take the "all at once" approach, it's typically best to wait until all of the songs are mixed before moving to mastering so you can make all of the tracks sound cohesive. Alternatively, if you record one song at a time, you can use the final mix and master of the first track as a template for the tracks that follow.

When working with multiple tracks recorded at the same studio, you can typically use the same signal chain as a starting point on the next mix.

For instance, if you dial in a killer vocal sound on the first track, there's no need to start from scratch on the next track unless you're going for a completely different sound. Instead, create a template in your DAW and import the files for each mix.

Of course, you'll need to tweak the settings a bit to find the perfect sound for each track, but this approach can significantly speed up your workflow.

Another useful tip for staying on track while mixing is to use reference mixes. Plug-ins like make it easy to quickly compare your mix to your favorite tracks to make sure you're in the right ballpark.

After dialing in the first mix, spend some time away from the track to refresh your ears. When you listen back the next day, check your mix on a few different systems to test the translation and take note of any problems you hear. After a round of revisions, repeat the process until you're happy with the mix.

Mastering

Before moving to the mastering stage, it's important that you listen closely to your final mix for technical issues and make sure you love the way it sounds. Mastering shouldn't make your track sound much different than it already is-it should only enhance what you've already done with the mix.

Before submitting your final master, it's important to listen closely and make sure there are no technical issues with your track-especially when it comes to volume levels. Use to check your mix and make sure it's the proper level for your desired distribution method.

It's also important to make sure you have all of your administrative work in order before moving to mastering. I know it's not exactly the part of music production, but misspelling the name of your album in the metadata is something you can never undo.

That's why it's so vital to prepare (and double-check) all of your metadata before moving to mastering. Each distribution platform requires different metadata, so check with your provider to see exactly what you'll need, but it's safe to assume you'll need the basics like artist name, album name and track title.

If you've chosen to release the whole album all at once, as opposed to releasing singles over time, there's one more thing you need to take care of-sequencing.

The order your songs go in has a huge impact on how your audience perceives them, so take some time to carefully sequence your tracks. Listen closely to the transitions between each song and make sure everything flows together seamlessly.

Once you're happy with the way each individual song sounds, as well as the record as a whole, it's finally time to pick a release date and start promoting your new full-length album!

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How to Produce a Full-Length Album (Without Going Crazy)

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Recording a full-length album can be a huge undertaking. It takes a ton of preparation, organization, and determination. But if you do it right, it can be one of the most rewarding experiences of your career. In this blog, we'll show you how to streamline each part of the process and produce a full-length album without going crazy.

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Webpage on recording vocals.

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Do you know when the quality of your vocals is decided?
In the recording phase.
Without a good recording, you can't produce good vocals. When recording vocals, you simply can't fix it in the mix.

In this guide, I'm going to teach you how to record vocals at home that sound like they were recorded in a multi-million dollar studio.
But if you just want to learn about vocal recording specifically, keep reading.
Recording Studio-Level Vocals (at Home)

There are several stages to a good vocal recording, but the process can be split into three vital sections:

1. Preparation

2. Recording Technique

3. Performance

Without good preparation, the recording won't sound good.
Without good recording technique, you could make the perfect room sound awful.

Without a good performance, you're wasting your time.

Skip any of these key ingredients and you are doomed to fail.

NOTE: Here's a great video on Recording terminology:

Phase #1: Preparation is Key

Choosing the Best Room

Good preparation starts with pre-production. Make sure the song is ready for vocals, and that you have a rough mix ready.

After that, you can start to think about the recording location. Choose a room with lots of soft furnishings, and avoid rooms with lots of hard surfaces or windows.

When recording vocals, you want the room to be as dead as possible. This is for a variety of reasons:

Reverb is not particularly desirable on vocals, neither are room resonances or reflections.

Reverb pulls the vocals back in the mix, making them harder to hear. You want the vocals to be in your face right at the front of the mix.

Lively medium and small sized rooms impose an amateur element onto the vocal. This noticeable reverb can also make it harder to blend in artificial spaces in the mix.

Pitch correction isn't as effective when vocals have reverb on them.

Due to the large dynamic range of vocals, heavy processing is often applied to balance out the volume (in the form of automation, compression and limiting). If the vocals have a noticeable reverb on them, heavy dynamic processing will also affect the reverb and sound unnatural.

But a room can be too dead.
Too much absorption can lead to muffled highs and an unnatural sound. The perfect balance is a room that is absorptive enough to prevent any significant reflections and resonances, but not so dead that the voice sounds noticeably muffled.

So chose a room with a lot of soft furnishings, like a bedroom or living room. Avoid kitchens and windowed conservatories.

Positioning the Microphone in the Room

Next you need to decide a position for the microphone.

There are two rules that you must take into account:

1. Don't position the microphone in the center of the room (due to a buildup of standing waves).

2. Position the microphone as far away from walls/reflective surfaces as possible.

The best place to position your microphone considering these rules if just off the center of your room. This means you're a) not dead in the middle, and b) as far away from the walls as possible.

Take the room below as an example. You want to avoid the red areas when possible.

Treating the Room Acoustics
You don't need to spend a fortune on acoustic treatment to improve the acoustics of the room and dampen the reverb.
If you have proper acoustic panels, use them to create a temporary vocal booth around the vocalist.

Otherwise, you can use materials lying around your home to absorb some of the sound.

Try mattresses, duvets, heavy curtains and anything else that would absorb a lot of sound. If you shouted into it, how much sound would it absorb? The more the better.
Create a temporary booth around the vocalist if possible.

If that's too inconvenient, place treatment behind the vocalists head. If you are using a cardioid microphone, this is the area that will affect the sound the most.

If you are using an omnidirectional microphone, place treatment behind and to the sides of the microphone too.

You can learn more about DIY vocal booths in this video:

Make sure to download the free Vocal Recording Playbook to use during your recording sessions! It'll get you one step closer to that pro sound at home.

Grab it here for free:

Choosing a Microphone
It's important that you test several microphones when recording a vocalist (if you have them available to you).
Matching the microphone to the vocalist will guarantee that you get the best tone for that particular voice.

The standard microphone for vocal recording is a large diaphragm condenser. For 95% of situations, this microphone type will just work.

If you are recording at home, I also recommend that you use a cardioid microphone.

If you are recording in a well treated room, you could also try using an omnidirectional microphone for a different tone. Plus, as there is no proximity effect, the vocalist can move around more and get closer to the microphone for whispery parts.

You can use a dynamic microphone for particularly aggressive vocalist (think hard rock and hardcore music) or to make a vocalist sound warmer.

Dynamic microphones also reject more background noise so are great if you are in a particular bad sounding room.

Make sure you have all the appropriate accessories too. Use a pop filter and shockmount to prevent noise from ruining your vocal recording. Use a strong floor stand that won't sag half way through the session.

Phase #2: Using The Right Recording Technique

Make Sure the Vocalist Is Happy

Before you start recording the vocals, make sure the vocalist is happy with the monitor setup and mix (always use closed back headphones when recording vocals).

Get some water, a music stand and a stool if appropriate.

Make sure there is a nice ambience in the room - you need the vocalist to feel comfortable. If they don't, they won't give a good performance.

UPDATE: We just released a great video on recording giant layered vocals:

Find the Best Microphone Placement

Perhaps the biggest variable in microphone placement is the distance.

Everything you need to know about distance is covered in this video, which I pulled from my Produce Pro Vocals course:
To find the best position for the microphone, some experimentation will be needed.
If this is a vocalist you have recorded for the first time, spend 20-30 minutes trying out different distances and placements if you have the time available.

Getting a great sound at the source is simple. All you need to do is set aside some time to experiment with different distances.

There's no secret. Most people don't realise how important this step is.

Microphone choice combined with mic position is 80% of your vocal sound. Skip over either of these steps, and your vocal is going to be a lot harder to mix.

All singers are different. This step will be easier with some than others. After a while you will learn what works and what doesn't.

If you are pressed for time, you will have to resort to your go-to position. My go-to microphone position is slightly above lip level, pointing slightly downward, at about 6 inches away.

In general, it's best to bit a bit further away from the microphone when using a cardioid condenser microphone. This is because variations in distance (when the signer starts dancing around) will have less of an impact on the tone and volume when the vocalist is a bit further back.

To stop a vocalist from moving around too much when tracking, you can use a pop shield as a physical barrier for them to reference.

Bear in mind that the proper microphone placement depends on the type of microphone that you are using.

Cardioid Condenser Microphones

With cardioid condenser microphones, you need to remember the proximity effect. In most cases, you don't want to get closer than 4 inches.

Some old school engineers (like Al Schmitt) will default to around 10 inches. For a modern sound, it's best to get a bit closer. Start at around 6 inches and experiment from there.

It's pretty simple, really. The further away they are from the microphone, the brighter the sound will be and the more of the room you will capture. The closer they are to the microphone, the warmer the sound will be and the less of the room you will capture.
Far away (12 inches) = open and airy.
Close (4 inches) = warm and intimate.

If you don't have trained ears and aren't 100% confident with your decisions, it's better to be further away than too close. The proximity effect can quickly ruin a good recording. 6 inches is a good starting point in 80% of situations.

Omnidirectional Condenser Microphones

As omnidirectional microphones don't exhibit the proximity effect, you can get much closer without affecting the tone.

It's still better to err on the side of caution and position the vocalist a few inches away - especially if they like to move around a lot.

For quiet, intimate sections you can ask the vocalist to get right up close to the microphone - about 1 inch away (or less). This is a great technique for whispery vocals.

Dynamic Microphones

These microphones are designed to be used up close. The low end is artificially lowered to account for the proximity effect.
For this reason, it's a much simpler procedure. Simply ask the vocalist to get right up close to the microphone. This works particularly well for aggressive rock vocals (and even screaming).
You can still experiment with positioning the microphone between 6-12 inches away. Some engineers like to use an SM7B at 12 inches - there are no rules. But I generally find that these microphones work best when used up close (as this is the purpose they were designed for).

For more info on the different types of microphones (and what instruments they sound best with), make sure to grab the free mic cheat sheet below. It has all the info you need to make you're using the right mics to get a great sound.

Download it here:

Microphone Height

Microphone height is another large variable in the tone of the vocal.

High frequencies are the most directional and emit from your mouth in a downwards cone. Therefore, a microphone positioned under lip level will sound brighter than a microphone positioned above lip level.

But there is another variable to consider - a lower microphone will also be nearer the chest. This increases the bass response.

On the contrary, as you move the microphone above lip level, the highs reduce as well as the bass. This leads to a more pronounced mid-range.

The go-to height for most people is lip level. This is acceptable in most cases, but can sometimes sound bland and lead to increased plosives and sibilance.

Another technique is to position the microphone a few inches above lip level (at eye level) pointing slightly downwards. This leads to a distinct boost in the lower midrange as we have reduced the bass from the chest as well as reduced the highs from the mouth. That midrange boost can complement some voices and help them to cut through the mix.

This is also a great way to reduce plosives and sibilance. Use a visual aid to stop the vocalist from pointing their head too far upwards and singing directly into the microphone.

I pulled another video out of my Produce Pro Vocals course to show you how much height can affect the tone:

Microphone Position (Axis Orientation)

You can rotate a cardioid microphone to reduce plosives, reduce bass response, increase treble and capture more of the room. Try rotating a microphone 20 degrees to make a small change to the tone.

As well as rotating the microphone, you can rotate the vocalist. Most people have an asymmetrical face, so sound slightly different on either side. Some vocalists will sound slightly better from the right side, for example.

Placing a microphone off axis can significantly reduce plosives and sibilance.

Setting Levels and Recording

Once you have decided on a good position and are happy with the tone, you need to make sure the levels are right on your interface and any outboard equipment (I recommend tracking vocals with some light compression if you have a hardware compressor, but this isn't essential).

Here's what you should aim for:

Averaging around -18dBFS

Peaking around -10dBFS

Never peaking higher than -6dBFS

You can see the dBFS level in your DAW on the channel meters (or you can use a dedicated metering plugin).

You can read more about setting levels and the gain sweet spot in my recent article on gain staging.

Ask the signer to belt it and adjust the gain until the volume is averaging around -20dBFS (they will probably sing even louder during an actual take, so set the levels a touch lower than necessary).

Phase #3: Getting a Good Performance

When recording vocals, it's your job to encourage the singer and make sure they are delivering their best performance.
Make sure they feel comfortable and are really getting into the music. Never criticize them during a vocal sessions, and compliment them at regular intervals to increase their confidence.
Ask the vocalist to read back the lyrics and think about their meaning. Ask them to get into the same frame of mind they were in when writing their song.

What emotions were they feeling? Where were they at the time? What was happening that inspired these lyrics?

If the lyrics were written by somebody else, get the vocalist to imagine how they felt when they wrote the lyrics.

Encourage them to lose themselves in the song. And I mean REALLY get lost in it. It often helps to ask everyone to leave the studio.

Take more breaks than you think necessary. Take a 5 minute break every half hour. Set a timer to remind you.

If the vocalist delivers a few bad takes in a row, it's time for a break. The best takes usually come straight after a break, so take as many as you can (within reason).

Step-by-Step Vocal Recording Checklist

Now that you know how to record vocals at home that sound professional, you need to go away and implement all of this.

It's useless reading all this information if you never put it into practice.

Here is a step-by-step breakdown of the entire process:

1. Before the session, choose a room with very little reverb.

2. Use some acoustic treatment. Create a vocal booth out of mattresses or acoustic panels.

3. Set up your equipment. Make sure you have all the right accessories. Use a shockmount, pop shield and sturdy floor stand.

4. Get a rough headphone mix going.

5. Position the singer 6 inches away from the microphone.

6. Add a small amount of reverb to the vocal. Use direct monitoring for the dry vocal combined with a 100% wet reverb version of the vocal coming from your DAW.

7. Get the vocalist to warm up. Play the song through a few times. Try removing one ear. If the vocalist doesn't feel comfortable, consider monitoring on loudspeakers.

8. Set proper levels (averaging around -18dBFS).

9. Apply subtle compression using outboard equipment if possible.

10. Go for a full song rehearsal. Record it just in case it's the best take.

11. Tell the vocalist how amazing they are.

12. Move a few inches, record again.

13. Move close to around 4 inches, record again (just in case, it's usually better to be further away).

14. Listen back - which end of the scale sounds best, close or far? Or does the standard 6 inches sound good? Find a compromise.

15. Record 3 full song takes minimum on different tracks or takes (depending on software).

Remember that a good vocal is made in the recording phase. Focus 80% of your energy on recording vocals and 20% on mixing.
This will get you the best results (and mixing will be easy).

Now it's time to move onto the backing vocals.

Most people overlook the importance of the backing vocals - don't be one of those people.

Bonus Tip #1: Recording Backing Vocals

You don't need to spend as long on backing vocals, but don't underestimate their importance.

Set aside a separate session to record backing vocals if you are using the same vocalist, or at least take a long break after the main recording session.

I like to swap the mic out to get a different tone (try using a darker mic so that the backing vocals aren't as bright as the lead) but this isn't essential if you're running out of time.

Layering different vocalists (rather than overdubbing the same vocalist several times) will always sound thicker and fuller.

The quickest and easiest way is to get great sounding backing vocals is to ask the vocalists to take a step back from the mic. Singing from an extra 6-12 inches away from the mic will give them a more natural, open sound. They will naturally sit further backing in the mix and won't require as much processing.

This might not work in particularly bad sounding rooms as you will capture more reflections and reverb, but give it a try.

Bonus Tip#2: Recording Ensembles

As with backing vocals, the more singers there are, the further away the mics should be. This will ensure a good balance between singers.

When recording several people it's worth using two microphones and recording in stereo. Use a matched pair of small diaphragm condensers in an X/Y pattern to avoid phasing issues.

Use the same technique for larger choirs but also add in a pair of microphones using the spaced pair technique. This will widen up the stereo image and capture anyone standing on the far left and right.

Bonus Tip #3: Double Tracking

It's worth double tracking the choruses or climaxes of the song if you have a skilled vocalist.

Double tracking can also create an interesting effect for bridges and verses when the two vocals are panned hard left and hard right.
For double tracking to be successful, you need a singer who can repeat a phrase almost exactly.
The exact same pitch, the exact same timing and the exact same dynamics. Any fluctuations in pitch and timing can lead to phase issues when mixing.

Record double tracked vocals in almost the same way as the main vocals, but try moving slightly closer or further away from the microphone to create a different tone. This will help to create separation between the original vocal and the double tracked vocal. It can also enhance the stereo imaging when using the hard pan trick (this involves panning the two vocal parts hard left and hard right).

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The 3 Key Phases for Recording Vocals Like a Pro February 2022

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Do you know when the quality of your vocals is decided? In the recording phase. Without a good recording, you can't produce good vocals. When recording vocals, you simply can't fix it in the mix. In this guide, I'm going to teach you how to record vocals at home that sound like they were recorded in a multi-million dollar studio.

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webpage on recording vocals for beginners.

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Vocals ...it's the one thing we all record.

And it's the one thing all listeners hear.

Therefore... it demands our best work.

But with all the knowledge, gadgets, and techniques it requires...

It can feel overwhelming for beginners especially early on.

The good news is, with a just few simple tips...

Virtually anyone can SIGNIFICANTLY improve their sound in almost no time at all.

So in today's post, I'll share with you the best tips I know.

Starting with...

Finding the Right Microphone

These days, good vocal mics can be bought CHEAP...

For only a few hundred dollars, which is well within reach of average home studios, you'll have your pick among dozens of great options.

To find out which ones I recommend, check out this article:

Moving on...

The 5 Issues That Ruin Vocals

In many ways, a good vocal sound comes LESS from employing fancy techniques, and MORE from avoiding common problems.

Specifically, these 5:

Now let's explore each one further...

1. Popping

One strange thing about the human voice is...

When pronouncing "P" and "B" sounds, a strong blast of air is expelled from the mouth.

In normal speech you don't even notice it.

But on recordings, these air blasts strike the diaphragm of the mic...

Creating a punchy low frequency sound known as Popping.

To understand it better, try this exercise:

Place your hand in front of your face as you say these two sentences:

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

Better businesses build big boxes.

Feel the air hitting your hand? That's popping.

To avoid it, the easiest way is to sing into the mic at a slightly off-axis angle, so the blasts don't strike the diaphragm directly.

However...since many singers can't or won't do it, engineers often use pop filters instead.

Here's how they work:

1. By creating a barrier between the singer and the mic, pop filters act like a net to catch "plosives", while allowing other sounds to pass freely.

2. The barrier also acts as a distance marker, preventing singers from moving in too close, as they often will.

To see which pop filters I recommend, check out this article:

Up next...

2. Sibilance

The OTHER strange thing about the human voice is...

When pronouncing "S" and "F" sounds, the mouth emits a high frequency blast of air, commonly known as sibilance.

You don't notice it in daily conversation...

But on recordings, when your mouth is right up against the mic, it often sounds painfully obvious.

Let's do another demonstration:

Using a condenser mic ( which is more prone to sibilance), record yourself saying this line:

She sells sea shells by the sea shore.

Now listen back and pay close attention to the "S" sounds. Hear that annoying hiss? That's sibilance.

To fix this problem, you COULD just mask it with software tools like de-essers and multi-band compressors ...

But the smarter strategy is to avoid recording it in the first place. Just like with popping, singing at an off-axis angle can USUALLY fix the problem.

If not though, here's something else you can try:
The Pencil Trick.
Grab a pencil, and secure it directly over the diaphragm of your mic with a rubber band, as shown in this picture.

Now...those high frequency blasts will be split in half by the pencil, and diverted off to the side. Problem solved.

Moving on...

3. Proximity Effect

Due to the design of the cardioid mics ...

Which is the standard polar pattern used on vocals...

Whenever a sound source is located within a few inches of the diaphragm...

The microphone exhibits a noticeable low-end boost in its frequency response.

The closer the sound, the stronger the effect.

With certain instruments such as acoustic guitar, this can serve as a useful tool in adding warmth.

On vocals however, when inexperienced singers use it unintentionally...

It can be extremely annoying to hear that low end boost appear and disappear at random.

If your singer is having this problem, here's how you fix it:

1. Use a pop filter - to prevent the singer from getting too close to the mic.

2. Use omnidirectional mics - which are immune to proximity effect because of their design.

Up next...

4. Poor Room Acoustics

You could do EVERYTHING ELSE perfectly...

But the fact is...

If the acoustics in your room suck, so will your vocals.

And without proper acoustic treatment, you can pretty much guarantee that your studio's acoustics WILL suck.

So if you don't have any yet, make it your top priority. Here's an article to help you get started:

If you don't have the money or space to do it the traditional way...

Reflection filters can be a good cheap alternative for anyone in search of a shortcut. They may not work as well as "real" acoustic treatment...but they're a thousand times better than nothing at all.

To see which ones I recommend, check out this article:

Up next...

5. Foot Noise

With certain flooring...

Every single footstep can be heard loud and clear throughout the entire house.

When singers tap their feet, those vibrations travel up your mic stand, and onto the recording.

The common solution to this problem is to add a shockmount , which works bycreating acoustic isolation between the mic and the stand.

To find out if YOU need one, here's what you do:

1. Setup your mic as you normally would, record enable the track, and crank up the gain.

2. Put on your headphones, walk around the mic stand, and listen.

If you hear your footsteps or any other floor noise, you could probably benefit from a shockmount.

While many vocal mics come with one included, if yours doesn't, here's what you do:

Because most shockmounts are designed to work only with a specific mic, you need to find the right match.

Try Googling something like "shockmounts compatible with " and if one exists, you'll know. If not, you might want to try using a different mic altogether.

Moving on...

Microphone Technique

As a home studio "engineer," you can do everything right to set your singer up for success...

Yet the final product is STILL mostly in their hands.

And other than their actual singing ability, the other HUGE factor that determines the outcome is their microphone technique.

Singers with little experience behind a mic make nervous, fidgety head movements at random, which can ruin the recording of an otherwise great performance.

Skilled singers on the other hand, make deliberate, purposeful head movements that SIGNIFICANTLY improve the overall sound.

For instance, here are 4 common techniques they'll use:

1. Controlling Volume with Distance

By moving closer to the mic as they get softer, and further as they get louder ...

They level out their own volume fluctuations, dramatically reducing the amount of compression required later on.

2. Avoiding Popping and Sibilance

By adjusting their angle and distance from the mic, they can virtually eliminate any traces of popping or sibilance.

And they can do it without even using a pop filter.

3. Purposeful Use of Proximity Effect

By moving in closer to the mic during softer, more delicate passages, they can add a beautiful sense of intimacy to their tone.

4. Controlling Breath Sounds

By turning their head to the side with each breath, they avoid those awkward breath sounds that must be later edited out.

And the really good ones know when to intentionally breathe INTO the microphone for effect.

Up next, let's talk about how to help your singers acquire these skills if they don't already have them...

Improving Mic Technique

The truth is...few singers you work with will have really good mic technique.

But rather than trying to fix everything with editing...why not give them a few pointers to help them fix it themselves?

You see, unlike pro studios...

The great thing about home recording is...the people you record are typically your friends, and you guys have all the time in the world to get things right.

So after you explain to them the 4 techniques I just showed you...let 'em practice. And assuming they're decent musicians, they'll eventually figure it out.

Up next...what to do if they AREN'T good singers...

Coaching Poor Singers

If a singer is bad, and doesn't know that he's bad, it's because he can't hear WHY he's bad.

So it's unlikely that any amount of coaching on your part will help much in the near future.

In this case, your best course of action might just be to stay positive and make him feel confident.

Never ask more from someone than you believe they are capable of. Having unrealistic expectations only discourages people, making them sound even worse.

While it may not be the best thing for him in the long run...to extract the best possible performance on a given day, it's MUCH better to have your singer feeling confident, than NOT.

And that brings us to the final topic of this article...

Using Effects While Recording

While SOME folks hold off on effects until AFTER the recording part is done...

OTHERS like to add them in BEFORE-HAND.

Many singers believe that adding a little reverb helps them stay on pitch.

In reality though, most of them just like it because it makes them sound better.

Which is good, because as we covered earlier...a confident singer always sounds better than an insecure one.

The downside is...

By adding reverb, (or any effect for that matter), singers can be fooled into believing their performance is stronger than it really is.

And every effect you add increases the chance they'll miss a problem which they might have otherwise heard and corrected themselves.

For example:

By adding a de-esser, it's harder to hear and avoid sibilance.

By adding a high-pass filter , its harder to hear popping.

By adding a compressor , it's harder to hear level changes.

By adding in auto-tune, it's harder to hear when you're off-key.

Therefore, good singers ...who have the ability to hear these problems and adjust accordingly, might be best off having minimal effects while tracking.

With less-skilled singers, who won't hear these problems anyway...

You might find the opposite approach to be a bit more effective.

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How to Record Better Vocals: The Beginner's Guide

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Vocals ...it's the one thing we all record. And it's the one thing all listeners hear. Therefore... it demands our best work. But with all the knowledge, gadgets, and techniques it requires... It can feel overwhelming for beginners especially early on. The good news is, with a just few simple tips...

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Webpage on mastering

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In this article, you’ll learn the essential steps of how to stereo master a song. This guide can be applied to any genre of music and will give you a foundational understanding of how to approach stereo mastering. What is Stereo Mastering?
Stereo mastering is the process of taking a single file of…

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Webpage on how to master a song

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So you've finished recording your song - finally! After hours of painstakingly re-writing your lyrics , summoning up your best performance, and deftly displaying mad production skills, your opus is ready to be unleashed on the world!

But wait just a moment; how will your song sound next to tracks by other artists? Will it sit nicely in that Spotify playlist, or will it be conspicuously limp compared to the other tunes? My friend, this is where mastering comes into play.

In this post we're going to be looking in depth at the process of how to master a song. Beginning with an overview of the difference between mixing and mastering , we'll move on to look at what options are available to you when choosing how to get your song mastered, along with what equipment and software you need to accomplish this.

You'll find a step-by-step guide detailing how to do it yourself, along with how to use an AI powered site to do the grunt work for you. Add some tips, common mistakes to watch out for when beginning your mastering journey, a handful of FAQs, and you have a complete recipe for how to master a song!

Ready? Let's do this.‍

What is Mastering?

In a nutshell, mastering is the final step in preparing your music to be released into the world. The so-called 'dark art' of mastering includes fine-tuning the levels and EQ of a stereo track and preparing it for replication and broadcast. The work also includes optimizing volume levels to meet industry standards.

Other chores in a mastering engineer's day include:

Removing any pops or defects missed at the mixing stage

Arranging tracks into a final sequence (for an entire album)

Adding metadata for distribution

‍Mastering vs. Mixing: What's the difference?

It's easy to get muddled when talking about mixing and mastering a song.

Mixing involves taking the individual tracks of a song and balancing them using volume adjustments, equalization , panning , compression , and other audio effects , to make your song sound great. This is bounced down into a stereo mix, ready for mastering.

The mastering process involves taking that final mix and fine-tuning the levels and EQ, preparing it for replication and broadcast. It can make your track louder, widen the stereo image, and bring overall greater clarity to your killer anthem.

In the case of an album mastering, it also involves making sure all the songs have a similar tonal balance and perceived loudness.

Mastering a Song Yourself vs. Hiring a Mastering Engineer

While it's tempting to try and maintain creative control over every stage of the recording process, one of the main benefits of hiring a mastering engineer is to have a second opinion. Once you've been mixing a song for a while you'll lose objectivity, and hiring someone else to master the track gives you a fresh set of ears to listen out for any problem areas.

You can also learn a lot about your own mixes by hiring someone. Professional mastering gives you an objectivity on your work that you won't get by being completely DIY, and ultimately you want to mix with the master in mind. I'd recommend hiring a professional to work on at least some of your mixes, just so you can hear what can be achieved through mastering.

DIY Mastering vs. Using an Online Mastering Service

An alternative to mastering your own work (or hiring someone else to do it) is to use an online service like eMastered. The benefits of using an online service versus doing it yourself is that you'll be harnessing the vast knowledge of many mastering engineers and applying it to your track in a tiny fraction of the time it would take for you to learn it on your own. They're also a good alternative if your album budget is stretched and there's not much left in the jar.

Services like eMastered give your track a professionally mastered result in minutes by analyzing your track and comparing it to others in your genre. You can play around with various settings, giving you some creative control over the outcome, and with eMastered you can even try it out for free .

So if you're the kind of dedicated artist who wants to focus on creating music and getting it out into the world, or if you're intimidated by the idea of mastering on your own, eMastered could be your ally.

Equipment/Software Needed to Master a Song

With advances in technology, it's easier than ever for independent musicians to control every step of the recording process, and mastering is no different. There's a wealth of affordable tools available to help you polish your music.

If you're not feeling flush enough to go out and grab dedicated software, fear not! Nearly any digital audio workstation (DAW) will include all the software you need to give your own mixes the additional processing you need to need to make your tracks sparkle.

Audio mastering is not simply a case of sticking a plug-in over your mix and calling it a day. It's about subtlety and using your ears. It's a skill honed over many years, and some would argue that mastering is best left to the experts.

But let's be honest: you're a knowledge junkie and want to feed your grey matter. You know what audio mastering is, and you're ready to learn about the process. Grab a cuppa and read on.

How to Master a Song in 15 Steps

We're going to break down how to master a song into 15 manageable steps:

1. Create your listening environment

2. Prepare your mix

3. Check levels for clipping

4. Bounce down a stereo track

5. Take a break

6. Find some references

7. Listen and take notes

8. Take another break

9. Listen again

10. Dynamic control - compression

11. Tone control - equalization

12. Other enhancements

13. Limiting

14. Final level check

15. Bounce the final master

You'll notice that a lot of the steps are about preparation. Alexander Graham Bell said it best:

"Before anything else, preparation is the key to success."

Whether you're inventing the telephone, or mastering, this advice is solid. Don't skip on getting all your ducks in a row!

So let's break down these steps and see what's involved with each one.

Step 1: Create your listening environment

The space you're in will affect how you hear the music coming out of your studio monitors. So if you were to do a slap up job of mastering your track but your room is poorly set up, your work will be wasted. Your song may sound great in your space, but everywhere else it's going to sound, well, kind of meh.

So make sure you have you monitors set up properly, with correct positioning. If necessary, treat your mixing room with acoustic panels . Whatever you do, don't master on basic computer speakers! If you're not in a position to spend money or time treating your room ,at least consider investing in a great pair of headphones, such as the Sennheiser HD600s.

Step 2: Prepare your mix

Next up you need to have a good mix. Scratch that; make it a great mix . While mastering can add glitz to your track, it's going to be a lot easier if the song already sounds good. A lousy mix will only give you problems at the mastering stage.

If the snare is too loud, a mastering engineer may be able to tame it, but you're much better off fixing it in the mix first. If you discover some problems with your own mix while you're in the mastering stage, don't be afraid to go back and fix the mix first. It'll be worth the effort in the end.

‍Step 3: Check levels for clipping

Keep your mixes clean, with minimal bus compression on the tracks. Check your faders to make sure none are clipping , and making sure you leave enough headroom on each track AND the stereo output. The loudest parts of your track should be peaking at -6dB.

Step 4: Bounce down a stereo file

Export your unmastered original mix at the resolution (sample rate and bit rate) at which it was recorded. This needs to be a lossless file, so do not under any circumstances bounce down to an mp3! At the very minimum, make sure you bounce unmastered mixes at 16bit/48kHz.

If your digital audio workstation has a ' normalize ' option on the bounce menu, make sure the box is unchecked before you bounce.

Finally, import your mix(es) into a new project in your DAW. If you're working on multiple songs for an album, place each song on a different track. Then proceed immediately to step 5...

Step 5: Take a break

Yep. You heard it; take some time off. What a difference a day makes! But ideally, leave your track a couple of days, or more, before you come back to it. Trust me - your mind will be fresh, your ears will be fresh, and you may possibly have had time to shower. The longer you can wait between mixing and mastering, the better you'll be at listening objectively to your work.

Step 6: Find some references

The first tool in mastering is to reach for someone else's song. Nature abhors a vacuum, and as you work you'll want to compare what you're doing with something that has been professionally mastered to keep you focused and help you make the right decisions.

Even if you're planning on hiring a mastering engineer or using an online service, you'd still be wise to choose some reference tracks to keep you on point.

Choose a piece that matches the tone and style of your track. If you're working on an EDM anthem, you probably don't want to reference a Nickelback single (but also, why would you anyway?).

Import these reference tracks into the project you set up in step 4.

Step 7: Listen to your track and take notes

Now sit back and listen critically to the mix-only version of your song. That break you gave yourself? It's going to help you identify what's missing from the mix. You're listening with a fresh set of ears, and this first listen is where you're going to hear most of the problems.

Listen on your regular studio monitors. Listen on different different playback systems, and make notes as you go along:

Do the higher frequencies sound too harsh?

Is it muddy in the low frequency range?

Does it sound boring?

By making notes, you can be intentional when it comes to the work, and not spend the rest of your life endlessly tweaking settings. Sometimes you just have to put your baby out into the world.

Step 8: Take another break

At the risk of overkill, I'd recommend taking another break here, even if it's just for a couple of hours. Seriously, ear fatigue is a thing, so give your ears have a chance to freshen up.

Step 9: Listen to the references and compare them to your mix

At this stage you'll want to listen to your references. It's essential to match the volume of this track with that of your mix. Bring the fader down until the peaks on both tracks are about the same. This way, you won't be fooled into hearing things as a result of a louder track.

If you have a graphic analyzer in your DAW , use it to gauge the frequency spectrum of the reference mix and compare it to your own.

‍

A spectrum analyzer will show you what your ears may be missing.

‍The secret to a good master is context. The final output has to sound good compared with other songs, so always use a reference track or three.

Step 10: Tone control - equalization

Place an EQ at the top of your signal chain, ideally a linear one if your DAW has one. These are designed to affect multiple instruments at once and are 'clean' sounding - great for mastering in the box. Refer to your notes to see what needed fixing.

Use it sparingly to brighten up a dull mix (add a small, wide boost around 12kHz), or scrape away the mud (scoop out some of those lower mids around 300Hz).

Logic's native linear EQ has a transparent sound.

Be sure to use broad cuts and boosts in your frequency bands, and don't change anything more than 3dB - remember subtlety is the key to mastering! If a frequency needs a more significant change, then there's most likely a problem with the mix.

Some people also choose to add an EQ after the compression stage (see below), as compressors can color the sound. Again the same rules about subtlety apply.

Step 11: Dynamic control - compression

If you listen to classical music, you'll hear that the recordings are noticeably quieter than your average pop song. That's because the dynamic range of classical music is much greater than, say, a Post Malone single. If you want your track to sit nicely next to a Billboard Top 100 song, you'll need to tame your dynamic range (down, boy!). Enter the compressor.

Dynamic range is the difference between how soft and how loud the music is. A compressor essentially 'squashes' a signal, reducing its dynamic range. This resulting signal means you can raise the overall volume without it peaking, making for a more even listening experience.

Back to your mix - insert a compressor after the EQ in your signal chain and start controlling the dynamic range. Again, subtle changes are the key here.

Keep the ratio low - around 1.5:1

Adjust the threshold to get no more than 1-2dBs of gain reduction.

Use a slow attack. Start at around 10ms and adjust from there.

If your compressor has an auto-release function, use that. Otherwise, adjust the release until it breathes in time with your tune.

Choose a compressor that doesn't color the sound.

Go back and listen to the mixed-only version of your track often. Use your ears - is it sounding better, or are you mangling the life out of it? Not every mix needs compression; many a good track has been ruined by over compression. So use your judgment. And don't forget to compare it to your reference track too!

Step 12: Other enhancements

There's a couple more tricks up your sleeve that may be useful at this point.

Multiband compression:

If you have a problem in one specific area of the frequency spectrum you might want to experiment with a multiband compressor .

A multiband compressor works the same way as regular compressors, except that you can set the specific frequency range you want it to act on.

So if you notice an inconsistent mid range throughout the song, use multiband compression to attenuate that frequency range with a small (-2 to -3dB) gain reduction. Remember subtlety? You don't need much, just enough to remedy the inconsistent parts.

Saturation:

Tape saturation plugins can add color to your mix; make them a little more exciting, more full. Give them a little ba-da-bing. But be careful! Too much saturation can lead to unwanted distortion . So use your judgment, and err on the side of caution. In this case especially, less is always more.

Stereo Widening:

This can help a mix that sounds too cluttered, by widening the stereo image and spreading the sounds apart. It can sound cool, but it can also cause phase issues when your audio is played in mono. So be subtle, and ideally stay away from it unless you absolutely have to use it.

Step 13: Limiting

Limiting is the final stage of the mastering chain . Here you can control the signal to make sure it never goes above a certain level and raise the overall perceived volume of the track.

You guessed it - subtle settings are what's required here too.

Set your output to between -0.3 and -0.8 dBFS,

Set your release time to 500ms (or auto if that's an option).

Increase the input gain until you have around 2dB in gain reduction.

Reduce the release time as much as possible without affecting the quality of the sound.

Some folks set the limiter first and then go back to the previous stages. Admittedly by doing it this way, you lose the magic moment when the limiter gets turned on, and your almost-mastered piece is immediately transported to Loudsville. But the benefit of working in reverse is that your choices at the EQ and compression stages won't be adversely affected by the limiter - you'll already be hearing it at work.

With the limiter, aim to level match to your reference track.

Step 14: Final level check

Almost there!

Now you've got the master sounding better than the mix-only version, and you've compared it to your reference(s), you need to listen to the result on a variety of systems. The average listener won't be using flat-response studio monitors. Most likely, they'll hear your music in a car, or on earbuds, or maybe coming out of a Bluetooth speaker.

So listen to your master on different playback systems and at various volumes to see how it sounds. If you're going to be mastering a lot, it may make sense to have a choice of listening options available to you right from your mixing desk.

The last thing you want to do before rendering is to check the final loudness level. This can be done with an LUFS meter, or a true peak meter.

If your DAW doesn't have a plug in that can read the perceived loudness level, don't worry about it. At this stage, you've earned the right to cut yourself some slack.

The main thing is to make sure there's no clipping on the master output. If there is, reduce the input gain on your limiter.

Step 15: Bounce the final master

Yay! You did it! You earned the right to bounce your song into a gold-certified audio file for distribution among all streaming services. Here are some basic settings to use when rendering a great master:

Format: WAV

Bit depth: 16-bit

Sample rate: 44kHz

Headroom: 1dBFS

And if the mix-only audio file was at a higher sample rate, don't forget to dither down to ensure a smooth sample rate conversion!

‍How to Master a Song Using eMastered

There may be times when you don't have the capacity to do your own mastering - perhaps you need to get your song submitted for distribution in just a couple of hours, and your ears are too baked from mixing.

Whatever the reason, sometimes you'll want to rely on an online service like eMastered to get the job done.

With eMastered you get the chance to try before you buy. It's a simple drag-and-drop interface where you upload your mix and, if desired, a reference track.

Once the file has been uploaded and processed by the magical power of AI, you'll be taken to a page where you can try out different settings on the song.

You can compare the difference between the master and original mix on the playback tab.

If you're mastering a bunch of songs with a similar sound, you can take advantage of the presets page to store your favorite settings.

The benefits of using an online service are the speed, efficiency, and low cost involved. You may want to go the DIY route if you want to learn about the ins and outs of mastering and how that can improve you mixes. If you're an artist who's spent a lot of time in the studio with live musicians to record an album, hiring a mastering engineer might be the way to go. I'd recommend trying all three routes, to see which one works for you and your music.

5 Music Mastering Tips For Beginners

Rest your ears often

It's easy to get ear fatigue when listening to the same piece of music again and again, so make sure you take regular breaks from your work so your ears stay fresh.

Use a reference track

Use a reference track when mastering your own song, and be sure to check back in with it often. How does your song stand up to the reference? Too much low end? Not enough punch? A reference will help you stay on course for a great master.

Monitor at a sensible volume

It's easy to just crank up your playback system and think you're doing an awesome job. But don't. Monitor at a comfortable level so you save your ears from tiring quickly, and to avoid making inconsistent choices.

Don't agonize over choices

While I'm all for making something the best it can be, there's a fine line between getting it right and overkill. At the end of the day, learning how to master a song is a journey that can take a lifetime. Do the best you can and move on to the next one.

Less is more

Both in terms of the number of plugins to use , and how you use them - don't go overboard. I recommend starting with just three plugins: EQ, compression, and peak limiting. And make any adjustments small and considered. If you need to you make large adjustments consider going back to the mix stage.

Common Beginner Mistakes

Using too many plugins

While you're learning, stick to the basics. EQ, compression, and a peak limiter are your basic tools. Once you've begun to learn a little more about mastering you can experiment with stereo imaging, saturation, and other tools.

Mastering on the mix bus

Yeah, no. There may be a temptation to get everything done in one project but resist it! Bounce your mix as a lossless file (i.e. the same bit and sample rate it was recorded in), and import it into a clean, empty project. You'll have more processing power available, and you won't be distracted with endless mix-fiddling.

Over-processing

If your ears are tired from not getting a break, or you haven't used your reference track, it's easy to go overboard with EQ and compression. It's always worth coming back the next day to make sure that high end boost was actually a good thing.

Not checking the file on different playback systems

Your final stereo file might sound great on your Yamaha NS10s, but have you checked to see what it sounds like coming through your sister's tiny laptop speakers?

Relying on presets

Don't get me wrong - presets are a great starting point. But you'll want to tweak that 'Rock Ballad Master' preset on your EQ to suit your particular song. So feel free to dial them in, just don't be the Prince (or Princess) of the Presets.

DIY Mastering FAQs

Can mastering fix a bad mix?

In a word, no. It can help smooth out inconsistencies, and add clarity and shine, but it won't mask a badly mixed song. If you come across problems with the mix while mastering consider returning to the mix stage to fix the problems first.

How loud should you master your music?

Always make sure you leave at least 1dBDS headroom, and make sure there's no clipping on the master channel. The requirements of streaming services and broadcasters are all different but a good rule of thumb is to aim for an integrated -14 LUFS.

How do you master low end?

Use multiband compression to tame any wayward low frequencies. Remember to use subtle amounts of gain reduction - no more than -2 to -3dB. It's also worth using a low cut to roll off anything below 3oHz. This leaves space for the low end to breathe.

How loud should my mix be before mastering?

While it's tempting to crank up the volume while you're mixing, don't! At the mix stage the loudest parts of your track should be peaking at -6dB. And make sure that you don't normalize a mix as you bounce it out. This option is often checked by default in some DAWs.

How loud is a SoundCloud master?

SoundCloud will normalize your song to -14 LUFS, so aim for somewhere between -18 and -10 LUFS.

How do I know if my master is good?

Great question! Try it out on different speakers, and in different listening environments. Your car stereo, your phone, laptop speakers, a soundbar. Can you hear everything clearly? Does anything jump out at you? Ultimately, the more you practice mastering the better you'll become at it.

Should you use a limiter before mastering?

Definitely not! Leave any processing on the entire mix for the mastering stage. Feel free to use a little compression and EQ on auxiliary channels (for instance a drum bus) to tighten things up, but leave the output channel empty of any plugins.

How much headroom should I leave for mastering?

Aim to have the loudest parts of your mix peak at -6dB at the mix stage. This way you'll have plenty of headroom for processing and increase the perceived loudness of your song.

Should you normalize after mastering?

Never check the 'normalize' box when bouncing down your final master! It will mess with all the hard work you've done to get to this stage. Leave the normalizing to streaming services, who will render your master to their requirements.

What is the best mastering software?

There are lots of individual plugins, and suites, that can help you master music. But really the most important thing to rely on is your ears. All of the techniques discussed in this article can be done with stock plugins that come with your DAW, meaning you can practice your art before you splash out on fancy software.

Is mastering more difficult than mixing?

Some people mix and master. Others gravitate toward one more than the other. Both require a good set of ears, technical knowledge, and the patience to practice.

What plugins should I use for mastering?

At the minimum, you'll need an equalizer for controlling different frequency ranges, a compressor to tame the dynamics, and a limiter to raise perceived loudness of the song and prevent clipping. If your DAW has a true peak meter that's great, but you can get by without it to begin with.

How do I get better at mastering?

The same way you get to Carnegie Hall: practice, practice, practice! Listen to your own work and commercial releases with a critical ear. What makes that song pop? How does your release compare? Don't get stuck in a rut of forever polishing one song; move on to the next and focus on improving your craft each time.

In Conclusion...

Mastering is a mysterious art that takes years to understand and a lifetime to perfect. Practicing will only make you better, so don't skimp on time when it comes to the mastering stage.

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How To Master A Song: The Ultimate DIY Guide

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So you've finished recording your song - finally! After hours of painstakingly re-writing your lyrics , summoning up your best performance, and deftly displaying mad production skills, your opus is ready to be unleashed on the world! But wait just a moment; how will your song sound next to tracks by other artists?

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Webpage on mixing metal tracks

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The standout quality of metal music is the loudness and energy of the performance. Therefore, when mixing metal, you must be ready to deal with stuff like big sounds, loud guitars, in-your-face drums, and aggressive vocals. We also know that in order to make metal music sound exactly how it's supposed to, it must be very loud, and you must attain this kind of loudness without having any distortion or irritation to people's hearing. How do you accomplish this? If you have ever mixed metal music, you would know that this is one of the most difficult things to do: achieving maximum loudness without distortion, clipping, or inducing ear fatigue.

Here are five tips to take your metal mixing to the next level:

1. Only use plugins as needed

In metal music, most of the elements and sounds come from live instruments and vocalists. This means that you would need less artificial or cooked-up sound. Most of the sound we mix is from instruments that already exist. This also means that while mixing, the goal is to have a natural-sounding song. So, you don't want to do too much processing that would remove the natural feel to these elements.

When treating the vocals, a drum sound, a guitar sound, or bass guitar, make sure you use as little processing as possible. If it is just one plugin you need to get the sound you want, by all means, use just one plugin. By the time you stack plugins on each other, the first thing you notice is the song begins to sound unnatural. Most metal fans want their favorite artists' music to sound like they are listening to them at a concert. If you don't bring that feel to them with your mix, you would be backing up the wrong tree.

Speaking of plugins, when you are mixing metal guitars, the guitar players already use their effects to achieve the sound they want. It will make more sense if you use less of your processing so you don't compromise their sound. It would be sad if, after you spend hours mixing, the artist complains that the guitar sound isn't what they were going for.

2. Energy over volume

When you're mixing metal music, you're obviously going for a loud mix, and sometimes you can be tempted to just crank up the levels on individual tracks as high as possible. Most of the time, to achieve a loud mix, you don't need to crank up the gain on all the instruments - sometimes you just need to drop some levels, and possibly do some EQ, to allow some parts come through better. As a matter of fact, what you need the most is not necessarily volume, but energy.

In metal music, the part that really pumps the music is the kick drum and bass, which are the foundation on which other elements sit. It's possible to have a loud mix with low energy; it's better to have a moderately loud mix with high energy. The fans can crank up their car stereos and other listening devices to get loud music, but they can't get energy if you didn't mix energy in the first place. Also, while going for loudness, remember to keep the dynamic range. This is essential. The dynamic range is simply the musical difference between the loudest and softest sounds. Sometimes, due to over-compression, we reduce the music's dynamic range. For metal music, this is an important part, mainly because it is mostly live music, and even studio recordings are tracked like live performances.

3. Kick-bass relationship

For any mix to have a cohesive low frequency, you must pay serious attention to the kick-bass relationship. As you may have noticed, the kick drum and bass guitar have their most important parts around the same frequencies. To get the best out of these two instruments, you have to master making your kick drum and bass not to clash with each other.

A straightforward way to do this is to use an EQ that has a visual analyzer. Look for where the body of your kick is. When you find that, go to your bass and drop those same frequencies a notch. Since the bass uses a wider frequency range, it shouldn't have so much effect on it. This way, the kick sound can shine through.

Another method you could use is sidechaining. Although this is more common in electronic music, sidechaining involves using the kick drum sound to trigger the bass, such that in that tiny frame of time, the bass sound comes up just after the kick drum. Of course, this difference is not noticeable by ear.

4. EQ in mono

For metal music and others, EQ is usually the first stage in creating enough space for every element in the music to shine through. As you may have noticed while mixing metal music, the guitars and vocals always seem to fight for their place in mid and high mid frequencies, while the kick drum and bass fight for space in the low frequencies.

To create space for all elements, we use EQ. While EQing, I would advise you to do so in mono because when you listen in mono all the elements are practically stacked on each other, and there's no stereo space to hide in. Therefore, you would have to create that space for every vocal and instrument. If you do this, you will be surprised at how spacious your music will be by the time you switch back to stereo.

Of course, you would still have to do some panning, but before that, try EQing in mono first to create the space needed. Another thing you could do in mono is setting your levels. Although, you may have to do some minor tweaks after returning to stereo, setting the vocals and instrument levels in mono has a way of forcing you to make things work, especially in the mid frequencies, between the vocals and guitars.

5. Use reference

When mixing a metal song, look for another metal song with a good mix that has a similar idea to the one you're working on, and use it as a reference track. This will guide you as to what sound you're going for at the end of your mix. Also, in the process of mixing, you should keep checking your mix with metal headphones and other mediums that metal fans listen to their music from. Metal fans favor some headphones over others for particular reasons. Asides from headphones, you could also try out your mix on regular home stereo systems and car radios. You may not need so much of this when you have lots of experience, but before that happens, testing out your sounds helps you to prevent any unpleasant surprises.

Also, in reference, you must know exactly how your mixing gear reacts to certain frequencies and artifacts. While most manufacturers try to make equipment with flat frequency response, most don't turn out to be perfect. Because of this, different studio gear may represent frequencies differently. You may need trained ears to hear these subtle differences though. When you keep checking your mix this way, you have an idea of what exactly the end consumers of the music are getting and not just what your studio monitors and mixing headphones give you. This does not mean you should follow your reference track's mix without thinking or being creative, the reference track only serves as a guide, especially if you're not very experienced yet. Every song has something unique about them, you can't possibly follow another song's mix to the latter and expect the best results.

Always remember that your job as the mix engineer is to put all the elements of the music in perspective so listeners can hear all the instruments and vocals. While the musicians and music producers have done their creative work, you have to put everything in its place. Also, if the song you're mixing is not yours, and you were not present while the recording took place, you should communicate with the artists or their rep if possible. This is necessary so that both parties can have the same vision or direction for the song. Sometimes, when a client is unsatisfied, it's less a question of quality and more about preference.

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Five Hot Tips to Mix Metal Like a Pro | Making Music Magazine

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The standout quality of metal music is the loudness and energy of the performance. Therefore, when mixing metal, you must be ready to deal with stuff like big sounds, loud guitars, in-your-face drums, and aggressive vocals.

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Webpage on punk rock EQ tips

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Easy EQ Tips for Powerful Punk Rock - Audio Issues

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Learn how to mix punk music with EQ tips for punchy kicks, snappy snares, growling bass, gritty guitars, and aggressive, in-your-face vocals.

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An introduction to working with grunge music

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An introduction to working with grunge music

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Webpage on recording and mixing grunge music

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Grunge music has grown so much since the early 90s both in the sonic quality of the music and the ways in which it gets recorded. In the earliest days of grunge, bands found their sound drowned in distortion and strived for the sound of unpolished, lo-fi sounding recordings. Today, the same aggression and raw performances are there, but the technology has changed the way we approach recording and mixing grunge.

Grunge music has always had a very specific sound and audience. It predates many other genres we discuss like metalcore and djent, but grunge mixers have found a way to take the modern practices of these genres and apply them to bands that are finding success with grunge music today.

Several notable artists from the peak of the grunge era continue making music today with a modern production approach, including groups like Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains & Stone Temple Pilots. More and more often, we're seeing these groups take influence from other genres, borrowing from hard rock and even psychedelic music to experiment with their sound. We're also seeing bands like Title Fight & Citizen combine elements of grunge with post-hardcore elements for a new spin on the genre.

From a production standpoint - what exactly should you be doing to create the best mix possible for a grunge artist?

Recording Grunge Music

Recording a band live is an extremely rewarding experience when done right, but it takes a ton of work and prep to get perfect. Successful grunge producers like Steve Albini know that it's all about the tracking session though. For those unfamiliar, Steve was the producer on Nirvana's album - perhaps one of the most definitive records in the genre.

Albini's approach to recording is almost all analog , which combined with his extensive experience in the studio, gives him a very organic sound. His focus during recording is to accentuate the elements of a band that make them sound unique and help the artists achieve their vision for a song.

Loud, powerful drums and buzzy guitars that are just as full of feedback and noise as they are notes are staples of the genre. It's all about artfully taking that noise and "bad" sounds and making them sound musical.

Digital audio engineers recording grunge should take heed of these concepts, because even in the box, a great sounding song starts from a great sounding recording. Learn to capture not only the instruments, but also the space around them . There's a reason "garage rock" brings to mind a certain sound and no amount of in the box processing is going to sound as natural as capturing that room for real as part of the recording session.

Grunge Vocal Production

Vocals are an essential part of the mix in grunge, and many producers opt for a largely double-tracked vocal approach thanks to the density and dissonance a loosely doubled vocal can add. Beyond the performance though, a grunge vocal should still be clear and present toward the front of your mix & compression can go a long way to help smooth out anything that's too dynamic or inconsistent.

Check out this great video example of how Gain Reduction 2 can be used on a grunge vocal as a complete vocal production suite - from de-essing to low-end cleanup and everything in between:

As you can hear from the video, Gain Reduction 2 is so much more than just a compressor. It's got everything you need to really dial in a vocal and it's got just the right amount of aggression/saturation needed to help dial in a grunge vocal in a mix.

Become a Multi-Genre Master

While some concepts and mix decisions can be defined genre by genre, the large majority of what we do as mixers and engineers can be largely independent of genre. For example, the process to get the perfect guitar tone doesn't have to be genre specific at all. While the gear might change, what your ear is listening for shouldn't. The same goes for many other techniques in your DAW, which is why so many different genres use the same software for recording and mixing.

If you're interested in learning the core competencies of any mixer or engineer, come check out all of the resources available to JST VIP members . We've got courses like Toneforge Bootcamp that teaches you to find any guitar tone and eBooks like Virtual Signal Chain Secrets that dives deep into how your in-the-box signal chain should flow from plugin to plugin for optimal results.

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An Introduction to Working with Grunge Music

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Grunge music has grown so much since the early 90s both in the sonic quality of the music and the ways in which it gets recorded. In the earliest days of grunge, bands found their sound drowned in distortion and strived for the sound of unpolished, lo-fi sounding recordings.

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Webpage with an analysis on NF's lyrics and writing style

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Webpage on producing a pop punk song

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ohn Feldmann is as close as pop-punk gets to a super-producer, a svengali in spiky hair and board shorts. His group Goldfinger were major players in the genre's first wave in the late 1990s. Even if you're not familiar with his band, you'll almost certainly have heard some of Feldmann's work: in recent years he's become pop-punk's go-to guy, producing and co-writing for everyone from Blink-182 to 5 Seconds of Summer, with credits on albums that together have sold more than 34m copies worldwide. So what's his secret? How do you pen a song that will conquer both the moshpit and the charts? Here's his foolproof guide to writing a pop-punk hit:

John Feldmann

Lighten up!

Pop-punk came from the ashes of the dying grunge scene, which was a very heavy scene. We're talking Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog. Pearl Jam came out of Mother Love Bone, whose lead singer died of an overdose. We've got Nirvana, who ended with a suicide. We've got some of the heaviest, darkest stories in the history of music. The mood at the time was anarchistic, nihilistic, political, very serious. But 1994 is really when pop-punk happened as a global movement. Dookie came out and it changed everything. It was about suburbia, jerking off and broken-hearted love songs. Every new music scene is a response to the last one. The Sex Pistols came out of seven-minute prog jams and arena rock. And it's the same thing with grunge and pop-punk. There has to be a pushback.

Tap into teenage angst

Good Charlotte are a great example of this. Girls and Boys and The Anthem are very "coming of age", teenage heartbreak, anti-college football kind of thing. Hope is the classic ingredient that most pop-punk songs have - that there is a way out. I can't think of a harder time in life than between the ages of 12 and 16. There's something about the hormones and growing up in that part of life that is so difficult. And a lot of times these pop-punk songs say: "This isn't so bad." They spread a message of hope.

Don't outstay your welcome

A pop-punk song can't be more than three and a half minutes. It just can't! Sure, there are exceptions - like Green Day's American Idiot. Rule one still applies! But then without the three-minute songs on Dookie, American Idiot wouldn't have existed. And Billie Joe Armstrong reinventing what pop-punk is - that's his right. He's the guy who spearheaded the scene, after all.

Blink-182's Travis Barker, Mark Hoppus and Tom DeLonge at the Whisky a Go Go in LA in 1996.) Photograph: Jim Steinfeldt/Getty Images

Don't get too political

If you look at the Spotify numbers for the biggest pop-punk songs, they're not the heavy, politicised, agenda-driven songs. Look at NOFX - Linoleum is by far their biggest song. And if you look at the lyrics, it's not really an intellectual game-changer. Linoleum is a song about being a drunk, broke idiot. Sleeping on a kitchen floor. And any teenager goes through those growing pains. Speaking for myself, as a teenager the biggest thing was: "How do I have sex?" That shit was all I really thought about. I was lucky to have a roof over my head - I never slept on the streets. Obviously, there are kids who have had that life - I've worked with the King Blues, for example [whose singer, Jonny "Itch" Fox was homeless as a teenager]. But for the most part, when you're growing up it's really about relationships and heartbreak.

Get to the chorus

Stylistically, you can add a double kick drum, a guitar solo, a breakdown or screamy verses. But for the most part, the people who go and see shows are not musicians. They're not there to study how to play the guitar. They're there to let loose all the stress of home. They want to sing along with the bands that they believe went through or are going through the same stuff. So a good chorus is always going to matter. So get to the chorus quickly and get to the point quickly: "This is what we're trying to say and we're saying it in a way that every single person can sing along." There has to be that sense of melody.

There are no rules!

I would say in the history of pop-punk, Green Day and Blink-182 are the most popular bands. And if you think about Longview, the Green Day song about masturbation, and Blink's I Miss You, the song has got a super major key chords, while Blink's is minor key, super dark and Cure-sounding. So when you ask, "What are the rules of writing of writing a pop-punk song?" I can't say that it has to be in a major key or go to the chorus to get to the relative major to get that lift, because that isn't really what happens. But typically it has to have an anthemic chorus, be super-simple and really catchy. And it has to have some sense of humour.

Goldfinger perform at Slam Dunk Festival at Birmingham's NEC's on Saturday 27 May, Leeds City Centre on Sunday 28 May, Hatfield's The Forum on Monday 29 May an d London's 100 Club on 31 May 2017.

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Angst, anthems and teen heartbreak: a super-producer on how to write a pop-punk hit

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ohn Feldmann is as close as pop-punk gets to a super-producer, a svengali in spiky hair and board shorts. His group Goldfinger were major players in the genre's first wave in the late 1990s.

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Webpage on grunge songwriting

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By: Lee Johnson Updated September 15, 2017

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Learning to write grunge lyrics is important if you are the vocalist in a grunge band or are interested in writing a grunge song. Grunge is a genre of music born in Seattle in the 1980s with the music of bands such as the Melvins. The genre hit the popular music consciousness with Nirvana’s release…

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Webpage with analysis' of album covers

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ALBUM COVER TASK & ANALYSIS | samlancea2media

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Website of a digital artist who designs album covers

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Album Artwork - Custom Album Covers For Bands

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Creative content artist available for hire based in Chicago. Album covers for pop punk bands, metal bands, pop artists, rap artists, and the like. Hand illustrated and layout design.

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Webpage with the story behind famous album covers

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Art direction by John Gillespie. Design by Spencer Drate. Illustration by John Holmstrom. Ramones, Road to Ruin, 1978. Courtesy of Warner Music.

John Holmstrom and Peter Saville give the stories behind the album covers for the Ramones's, Joy Division, and New Order.

With the rebellious invention of punk in the early 1970s came, not just a musical genre that was a response to the mainstream rock and roll of the era, but an entirely new movement based upon a DIY anti-establishment ethos. It was not just the music itself that captured the zeitgeist of the time, but also the wild graphics that covered punk albums and ephemera. The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York has an exhibition on view through August 18 titled Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphics, 1976-1986 that looks at the punk and post-punk movements through the graphic design that helped define them.

" Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die charts punk's explosive impact on design and examines its complex relationship with art, history, and culture," said Chris Scoates, the director of MAD. "Punk questioned everything, and it's that spirit of inquiry that is driving MAD forward today, presenting and debating innovative works and ideas with lots of energy, color, and noise."

The exhibition features over 400 works including flyers, posters, album art, zines, and more. The now-iconic album covers and graphics that stemmed from that era remain embedded in pop culture as a symbol of the time; who can forget Jamie Reid's iconic image of Queen Elizabeth in front of the Union Jack for Sex Pistols single "God Save the Queen"? Document spoke to two of the names behind some of the most legendary punk album covers: John Holmstrom, who illustrated the cover of the Ramones's 1978 album, Road to Ruin, and Peter Saville, the designer behind album covers including Joy Division's 1979 album Unknown Pleasures and New Order's 1981 album Movement , about the stories behind the seminal graphics.
John Holmstrom, illustrator of the cover of the Ramones's Road to Ruin, 1978 Peter Saville, designer of the Joy Division album cover Unknown Pleasures, 1979 Saville, on designing the Joy Division album Closer, 1980: Saville, on conceptualizing the 1981 New Order album Movement:
Probably the one thing I haven't mentioned many times before is how often that the image has been used in parodies and tributes and on Ramones merchandise. A custom guitar used the image, then there's the Joey Ramone bobblehead doll that recreated his image for the doll, the pizza place that used it for their menu, and so on. Also, so many bands have asked me to draw them in that famous "Ramones Road To Ruin " pose. For instance, The Boogers [a band that performs for grade school kids] uses a RTR parody image for every one of their album covers! It's nice to be associated with a famous image like this, it was the only record cover design I illustrated until Murphy's Law hired me to draw a cover for The Best of Times in the late 1980s. I always thought the cover looked so good that I would get more work drawing record covers but that never happened. I guess I was too associated with Ramones to get other bands to hire me after this.

I created the artwork for the cover before I had actually heard the album, and delivered it to their manager Rob Gretton the day he had received a test pressing. He invited me to listen and I was somewhat reticent as the first recordings I'd heard by Joy Division were quite raw, but obviously under the circumstances I couldn't decline his offer. From the first track I was astonished by what Martin Hannett had conjured with the group. From beginning to end it was remarkable and it remains so to this day. The image itself depicts radio waves emitted from a collapsed star. The original pulse, detected by astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell at Cambridge University in 1967, was named CP1919 and was later recognized as the first Pulsar. The signal was captured on a plotter as one long, continuous line, but was then enhanced and reformatted in layers by researchers from Cornell University in order to show the frequency and symmetry of the pulses which appeared every 1.337 seconds. The original image was discovered by Bernard Sumner in the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy (2nd edition, 1978). I reversed the colors as found in the publication to create white waves on a black background. In a radical move for the time, all text is absent from the front cover, leaving an enigmatic image floating in black space, a timeless image of a dead star.

The poster in the MAD exhibition is not by me but based on the cover I designed in 1980. Again, I had not heard the album but at a meeting with the group they shared my interest in a photograph by French photographer Bernard Pierre Wolff (1930-1985). I first saw the image in the magazine Zoom and assumed it to be fabricated, that Wolff had staged the setting to create a postmodern neoclassical tableaux. It wasn't until much later, when the cover had taken on cult status, that the actual sculpture was tracked down to the Appiani family tomb in Cimitero Monumentale di Stagglieno, Genoa, where there is a tradition of elaborate funerary statuary for family tombs. Within weeks of our collective decision on the cover, Ian Curtis had died. I was immediately aware that the imagery would take on controversial significance, but as it had been agreed upon before Ian died, the decision was made to honour the original concept. On reflection, there is an uncanny prescience to my proposition in light of the events that followed.

The design of Movement directly quotes Italian Futurist artist Fortunato Depero's poster for the 1932 exposition Futurismo Trentino . For me, [the album] title Movement and Futurism seemed analogous: Futurism celebrated the energy and speed of modernity and industry, which I referenced with a degree of irony for music created on the cusp of a post-industrial world in 1980, when the remaining members of Joy Division, reconstituted as New Order, were dynamically forward-moving. It seemed entirely appropriate at the time to make this quotation and I remember optimistically imagining that Futurist founder Filippo Tommaso Marinetti (1876-1944) would have approved.

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The stories behind the most copied album covers in punk history

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John Holmstrom and Peter Saville give the stories behind the album covers for the Ramones's, Joy Division, and New Order. With the rebellious invention of punk in the early 1970s came, not just a musical genre that was a response to the mainstream rock and roll of the era, but an entirely new movement based upon a DIY anti-establishment ethos.

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Creativity is hard sometimes. For music makers there are no shortage of potential roadblocks on the way to finishing a new project.
For some people that might come at the start, as a paralysis of choice sets in when confronted with an empty DAW and a wealth of potential tools and influences. For others, the hardest part comes later, when it's time to turn those initial ideas into a fully realised arrangement.

Whether you can relate to either of these situations or not, it's a rare thing to find a producer or musician who has never encountered some kind of creative stumbling block - and that's why our 30 day workshop is here to help.

What we're not going to do is tell you exactly how to write or produce your tracks. You can find plenty of specific genre, instrument and mixing tutorials on MusicRadar. But no two readers' aims and influences are going to be identical, so there's no point in us trying to tell you exactly what type of beat to sequence or what key your bassline should be in.

What we are aiming to do is provide a structured workflow, ideas for overcoming common creative roadblocks and a guide to writing, recording and releasing electronic music.

Whether you're starting a new project and want to work on your first release, or an established music maker looking for a way to shake up your process, we hope you'll find some fresh ideas and approaches over the next few pages.

Why a three-track EP? We wanted to aim for something achievable but still substantial in our 30 day window. We've tried to offer a few different approaches at each stage, and working on three tracks at once allows you to try a few different ideas.

That said though, there's nothing here that can't be scaled up or down. If you're short on time, aim for a single track. Want to challenge yourself more? Why not try a full album? Whatever feels right for you.

Days 1 to 7: inspiration

Aims:

Find inspiration

Plan our tracks

Gather sounds and creative ideas

There are a lot of producers and music makers who are happy to sit down in front of an empty DAW, or start a studio session with no preparation, and see where inspiration takes them. That's great, but it's not an approach that works for everyone every time.

Moreover, while starting a new project can often feel easy and exciting, developing those initial ideas is often much harder. Electronic musicians from beginner to pro can likely identify with the '16-bar loop' problem; the peril of creating a great initial idea but then getting stuck after listening to it on loop, unsure how to take it further, and eventually losing enthusiasm for it altogether.

Planning and preparation aren't essential, but it can help you defeat these hurdles when you come to them. It might seem like a waste of time to spend the first seven of our 30 days on things that don't involve making any actual music, but knowing exactly what we're aiming for will go a long way towards speeding up the creative process later on.

Taking inspiration

Music does not exist in a vacuum; however revolutionary a track might sound, it can always be related to something that's come before. There's nothing disingenuous about using an existing track as a jumping off point for your own creative ideas. That's exactly what we're going to do here.

Before getting to work on your own tracks, start by making a 'mood board' playlist of music you enjoy that exists in a similar genre space to what you want to create. Add a decent number of tracks with a fair amount of variety. Listen to the tracks together and make notes on common characteristics, such as mood, BPM, track elements. Try to establish what it is that appeals to you about all of those tracks, and what you'd like to capture in your own music.

The next step is to establish what exactly we want each of our three tracks to 'do'. Aiming to make the exact same track three times is going to be boring, not just for your listener, but you yourself. Think how each of your three tracks can complement one another. Perhaps you want one hook-centric 'A-side' followed by two more spacious or leftfield tracks?

Maybe choose to switch tempos or even genres - following a techno track with something at drum & bass tempo, then finishing off with something beatless and ambient? Maybe one track will focus on melody, another more on rhythm and percussion? For each track, write down a rough bullet point list of qualities and ideas you hope to capture.

Once we've established a rough idea for each track, let's make a 'placeholder' EP. We'll do this by selecting three songs from our 'mood board' playlist that most closely match what we want our tracks to sound like.

These don't have to be too similar to your intended result - the aim here isn't to rip off an existing song - but rather to provide a broad jumping-off point for the exercises on this page. We can also use these as reference tracks when it comes to mixing and mastering later on.

Building a template

A great way to overcome the '16-bar loop problem' is to create a rough song template before you even begin creating any sounds. Do this by creating empty MIDI clips across your DAW's arranger for each major track element, sketching out a map of how you expect your song to progress. This doesn't have to be a final arrangement you end up sticking to rigidly, but it will be much easier to 'remix' this rough idea than start with a totally empty timeline.

An easy method for creating these kinds of templates is to base them around a reference track. Drag one of your 'placeholder' reference tracks onto your DAW's timeline, and follow the steps below to create - and reshape - a template from it.

(Image credit: Ableton)

Step 1: Play through your reference track one 16-bar section at a time. Whenever a new element is introduced, create a new MIDI track and add an empty MIDI clip to represent this new part. Duplicate parts as you listen to the track, but remove any part that cuts/fades out. Listen through to the reference track a couple of times to make sure you haven't missed anything.

(Image credit: Ableton)

Step 2: Label each element. No need to be too specific - we're not trying to replicate our reference track - simply tagging elements as percussive or melodic would do. Or use rough labels such as 'kick', 'bassline', 'pads', 'chords'. Try using colour coding to show how a part progresses throughout the track - eg make a synth's clips a light colour as the filter opens.

(Image credit: Ableton)

Step 3: Now we can start 'remixing' our reference track, even before creating any elements of our own. Try extending sections, or moving the breakdown. Does your reference track start with just drums? Try swapping it out for a melodic element. Again, we don't have to stick to this, but it will provide a starting sketch to work around later on in the process.

Make a 'shopping list'

Based on the exercises on the previous page, we should now have a few things: reference tracks for each of the three songs we're going to create, a list of the qualities we'd like to capture for each track, and a rough arrangement template.

From these, we can now create a 'shopping list' of the elements we'll need for our track. List everything you think each track will need, from drum elements to melodic parts - eg 8-bar chord progression, bassline 1, bassline 2 - to one-off stabs, hooks or FX.

You don't have to match the parts in your reference track like-for-like, but if you decide to ditch something, consider what role it was filling and whether you need something else to replace it. You may not want a lush synth pad in your track, for example, but is losing it going to make the mid-range feel too empty? Try replacing it with some reverb-drenched piano chords.

Searching for samples

Whether you choose to use samples in your track is up to you. You may want to create something entirely from chopping and layering loops, or compose around a central sampled hook.

On the other hand, you might forgo samples altogether in favour of synths and drum machines. If you are planning on incorporating them, it's worth compiling a sample pack before you set to work. For something unique and inspirational, vinyl bargain bins and YouTube are tried and tested sample sources. But remember, using samples with unknown or uncleared copyright could hinder your ability to release your tracks!

Don't forget, for guaranteed royalty-free one-shots, chords and loops, you can head over to SampleRadar, where we've collected over 75,000 free music samples for you to use in your own productions.

Processing samples

Building a library of appropriate samples is half the battle, but applying some simple processing can go a long way too. For one-shot drums in particular, it's worth doing a bit of prep to make sure your beats hit the mark when it comes time to sequence. For weaker-sounding samples, layering is often a good idea - try adding high-mid 'clicks' to help kicks cut through.

Alternatively, cutting unnecessary low or sub frequencies from elements that don't need them can help prevent muddiness later on. For percussive sounds, applying some light compression, transient shaping and a touch of room reverb to individual hits can make the difference between a beat that jumps out of the speakers and one that needs a lot of work at the mixdown stage.

Set up a toolkit

Whether you plan to use samples, plugins, hardware or a mix, it's worth deciding on the tools you plan on using before you begin. Consider what's right for the sound you wish to capture. Certain genres lend themselves to specific sounds - eg TR-909s for techno, MPCs for hip-hop or breakbeats. Feel free to subvert these conventions.

If you're not sure what gear suits a particular style, do some research. MusicRadar's YouTube (opens in new tab) channels (opens in new tab) are crammed full of studio tours and track breakdowns that allow you to see what a variety of producers are using. One final tip: set limitations - paralysis of choice is a real problem. Decide in advance on a few instruments to use for your tracks and try to wring as much from them as possible.

Ready your setup

The final step before we begin is to make sure your setup is optimised for quick creativity. If you're working in the box this is fairly simple, but it's still worth making sure your software is up-to-date and any sample folders are organised and accessible.

The more hardware you're using, the more you're at risk of setup issues. Make sure all your audio inputs are appropriately routed, listen out for unwanted noise/electrical hums and check for sync or latency issues - all factors that can derail your creative sessions.

Finally, make sure your studio is a pleasant and inviting place. Clean and tidy the space. Set your lighting how you like it. Ensure your gear is ergonomically positioned.

Return to MusicRadar on Tuesday 8th March for the next edition of our 30-day EP workshop...

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How to finish an EP in 30 days: Week 1 - inspiration and ideas

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Creativity is hard sometimes. For music makers there are no shortage of potential roadblocks on the way to finishing a new project. For some people that might come at the start, as a paralysis of choice sets in when confronted with an empty DAW and a wealth of potential tools and influences.

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Spitfire Audio x Abbey Road Studios are pleased to announce the third instalment of our most detailed sample library to date, 'Abbey Road Orchestra: Metal Percussion'. Following on from 'Low Percussion' and 'High Percussion', this versatile and diverse collection of percussive instruments features everything from cymbals and crashes to more eclectic cinematic sounds such as oil drum, waterphone and giant ...

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How To Record and Process Studio Vocals At Home

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Many of you out there are likely singers, musicians and producers who for the first time, are beginning to record your own vocals whilst at home and aren't quite sure where to begin. Recording the perfect vocal is not a perfect science.

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Originally, the role of the mastering engineer was to transfer the audio signal from the tape machine where it was recorded and mixed to a vinyl record where it could be played on a common turntable.
Over time, as technology continued to grow and evolve and new formats like cassette tapes, 8-tracks…

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Mastering in Logic Pro X is absolutely possible, even with just stock plugins!
Many get lost though.

Not because they don't know, but because they don't know what they are aiming for.

Perhaps you can relate!

This article should help you get going, so you can confidently make great sounding masters for your music.

I've broken it down into a series of actionable steps.
You can also download a FREE PDF version of this guide so you always have it to hand!
Table of Contents

How To Prepare Your Mix(es)

There are many articles and cheat sheets out there that tell you things in absolutes like needing 6 dB of headroom and such.

In digital, that's not so important.

All you need to do is make sure you have a great mix that isn't clipping.

If you are confident in the sound of the mix then just bounce it down to a 24 bit wav file.

Then master the wav mix in a brand new session another day with fresh ears.

Give your brain time to forget about it for a bit!

You might even to choose to take up to a week between mixing and mastering the same song, without once listening to the mix in between. Your call.

With regard to peak headroom, here is an article I wrote about it.

The gist of it is that it doesn't matter, as you can adjust gain in the mastering session anyway.

Just make sure there is an appropriate amount of dynamics in the music.

If you would like a general guideline, around 14 dB of difference between peak and RMS in the loudest moments in the mix is a good place to start.

Peak headroom (space between peak value and 0 full scale) doesn't matter so much.
+ Mixing in Logic Pro X : The Basics
Calibrate Your Mastering Level

This bit is huge.

Measuring EQ, dynamics, and loudness are not things you can rely solely on meters for. However, they can (and will) work as a supplement to your hearing, but nothing more than that.

This is why it's ever so important to calibrate your mastering level and stick to it.

I wrote an easy-to-follow guide on how to do that using simply your ears, your amp/speakers, and Spotify.

Gain Stage Your Reference Track(s)

Now that you have set up your monitoring level, you may also choose to use a reference track in the mastering session.

There is only one tip you need to know about using reference tracks...
Turn them down (or up) to your mastering level!
That way, there is no loudness bias between your master and the reference track.

The easiest way to do this is to use a gain utility on the reference track until it's playing back at your mastering level. Do this by ear and make adjustments along the way so that comparisons are always fair.

Remember, a slight difference in loudness also equates to a difference in how we perceive dynamics and frequency balance (EQ). It's just a psychoacoustic reality we have to deal with.
+ Gain Staging in Logic Pro X
Set The Ceiling

As you probably know, a limiter is very much a usual suspect in your mastering chain.

Not because it makes things louder (because it doesn't) but because they allow you to adjust the gain of the track whilst retaining a peak ceiling.

This means that if necessary, we can make it louder without clipping. This is the true purpose of a peak limiter.

Now what I am going to advise here is to use Logic Pro X's Adaptive Limiter.

Load it as the final plugin in your chain and set the ceiling to -1.0 with True Peak Detection turned on.

Now it's set up, you don't have to look at it again. You probably want to make sure it's not applying any extra gain by default, so make sure the gain dial is at 0dB.

Find Loudness

This where we start to work backwards, at least as far as the order of plugins in your chain is concerned.

Before, I mentioned how playback volume has a huge bearing on how we perceive frequency balance and dynamics. This is where we work to minimise that variable.

Earlier, I shared this article on how to set up your monitoring level.

Now that's done, it's time to raise the mix to your playback level. You can do this by ear now, slowly turning up your mix via a gain stage before the limiter, until you start to feel it's loud enough for listening purposes.
+ 6 Useful Metering Plug-ins for Mastering Audio
Problem Solving

Now that you are close to the goal, any issues with regard to dynamics and EQ will start to make themselves apparent.

Now you can work your way back into the chain, tackling these specific issues. Such issues could be unbalanced frequencies, dynamics, or distortion at the limiter's ceiling.

Use the tools at your disposal to solve the problems. If there are no problems, have the courage to believe that and move onto the final step.

Bounce/Export

This is where you actually create the master files. Simply use the Bounce command in Logic Pro X and select the appropriate formats for where you want to submit your music.

Tip: If you are uploading your music to an online distributor or Soundcloud, definitely use WAVE (.wav) as your format. The platforms will encode it to their chosen lossy format (MP3, AAC, Ogg etc) on their end.

Tip: Dither your master. Don't worry so much about which dither. Any dither is better than truncation distortion!

Happy mastering!

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Mastering in Logic Pro X is absolutely possible, even with just stock plugins! Many get lost though. Not because they don't know, but because they don't know what they are aiming for. Perhaps you can relate! This article should help you get going, so you can confidently make great sounding masters for your music.

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Mastering a track is the final step before publishing your work. It's a fundamental yet often overlooked aspect of music production, yet artists often ignore the importance of achieving industry-standard volume levels and overall sounds.

The reality is that a good mastering process can make your sound truly stand out. The role of a mastering engineer is to take what's been recorded and mixed and make it sound more cohesive and (more often than not) louder.

To think that mastering a track means simply raising its volume is a misconception many artists have. Instead, mastering is an art that requires an incredible ear for music, combined with a rare feature in the music industry: empathy.

The mastering engineer has the ability to understand the needs and vision of artists, and their knowledge of what the music industry requires makes these audio experts essential you might also be interested in learning a little more in the creation of a unique sound.

Today I'll look into Mastering with Logic Pro X process, using one of the most powerful digital audio workstations in the world. Opting to master music with Logic Pro X is a fantastic choice, as this workstation offers all the stock plugins you'll ever need to create a professional master.

Let's dive in!

Logic Pro X: An Overview

Logic Pro X is a digital audio workstation (DAW) that works exclusively on Apple devices. It's a powerful software used by many professionals to record, mix, and master tracks.

Its affordability and intuitive design make it ideal for beginners, but the tools available inside Logic ensure this is software that will satisfy the needs of even the most professional audio engineer.

Mixing and mastering music is where Logic Pro X truly stands out, with all the plugins that can make the entire process run smoothly and drastically improve your workflow. Incredibly, you can get Logic Pro X for just $200.

What is the Mastering Process?

There are three fundamental steps when producing an album: recording, mixing, and mastering. While everyone knows, at least approximately, what recording music means, audio mixing and mastering might be, to laypeople, confusing terms.

Mastering is the final touch to your track, a necessary step that will improve the audio quality and make it ready for distribution.
When you record an album, each musical instrument is recorded separately and will appear in a separate track of your DAW.

Mixing means taking each track and adjusting the volumes throughout the song so that the overall feel of the track is the one the artist envisions.

Next comes the mastering session. Mastering engineers receive the bounced mixdown (more on that later) and will work on the overall audio quality of your track to ensure it sounds great on all platforms and devices.

Later in the article, we'll find out more about how mastering engineers achieve this.

Is Logic Pro X Good for Mastering?

Mastering music on Logic Pro X is simple and effective. The stock plugins you get when buying your copy of Logic Pro X are more than enough to achieve good mastering.

There are dozens of tutorials on how to make the most of Logic's free plugins when mastering, my favorite one being this tutorial by Tomas George.

Overall, there's no huge difference between mastering with Logic and other popular DAWs like Ableton or Pro Tools.
The main difference lies in the cost: if you're on a budget, Logic Pro X provides you with everything you need at a price much lower than the competition.

However, if you don't have a Mac, is it worth getting an Apple product just to use Logic Pro X? I'd say no.

Although Logic Pro X is great for mastering, there are plenty of similar DAWs that provide professional results on Windows products without investing a thousand dollars on a new MacBook.

How do I Make a Master Track in Logic Pro X?

We'll start with some general suggestions as to how you should prepare yourself before mastering a track.

These are fundamental steps that will help you achieve a professional sound, and most of all, understand whether a professional result is possible at all with the mixdown you have. After that, we'll look into all the plug-ins you should use to enhance your audio.

The effects below are listed in the order I use when I master a track: there are no rules in the plug-ins' order, so once you feel confident enough, you should definitely try to use them in a different order and see if it has a positive impact on your audio and production process.

For the purpose of this article, I'll focus exclusively on what I believe are the most fundamental effects. But before we go any further, you might also be interested in learning a little more about Flex Pitch in Logic Pro X and how it can improve your mastering process.

Audio mastering is an art, so my suggestion is to start by learning these essential tools and then expand your sonic palette with new plug-ins and combinations of effects.

Evaluate Your Mix

Making sure your mix sound is ready for mastering should be the first thing you do before you sit down and do your mastering magic. Let's take a look at what we need to look at when we analyze the audio product we're about to master.

If you're working on your own mixes, it might be especially difficult to evaluate your final mix and scrutinize your mixing process. However, this is fundamental, and by ignoring a bad mix, you'll compromise the final result of your mastered files.

Just like mastering, mixing is an art that requires patience and dedication, but it's necessary for people who are making music regularly.

Contrary to a mastered track, mixing engineers can listen to individual tracks and adjust each one of them independently.
This major difference gives them more control, but also a bigger responsibility in delivering audio that sounds perfect across all audio frequencies.

If you're making music and relying on a mixing engineer for your tracks, don't be afraid to send them back if there's something you don't like about the way they sound.

Adjusting tracks' frequencies during the mastering phase can be a daunting task and something a mixing engineer could do much more easily, given they have access to the individual tracks.

Look for Audio Imperfections

Listen to the entire track. Do you hear clippings, distortions, or any other audio-related issues?

These issues can be fixed only during the mixing phase, so if you find problems in the track, you should go back to the mix or send it back to the mixing engineer.

Remember that, unless you're the song's creator, you're not supposed to evaluate the track from a music quality point of view but merely from the audio perspective. If you think the song sucks, you shouldn't let your opinion affect the mastering process.

Audio Peaks

When you receive a mixdown from the recording studio or mixing engineer, the first thing to do is to check the audio peaks to ensure you have enough headroom to add your chain of effects.

Audio peaks are the moments of the song when it is the loudest. If the mixing was done by a professional, you'd find the headroom to be somewhere between -3dB and -6dB.

This is the industry standard within the audio community and gives you plenty of space to enhance and improve audio.

LUFS

A term that's become popular in recent years is LUFS, the acronym for Loudness Units Full Scale.

Essentially, LUFS is a unit of measurement of a song's loudness which is not strictly connected to decibels.

It focuses mostly on the perception of certain frequencies by the human hearing and evaluates the volume based on how we humans perceive it rather than the "simple" loudness of a track.

This extraordinary evolution in audio production led to some significant changes in the audio normalization for TV and movies and music. Let's focus on the latter.

The music uploaded on YouTube and Spotify, for instance, is at -14 LUFS. Roughly, this is eight decibels lower than the music you'll find on a CD. However, given the loudness levels are carefully-tailored according to humans' needs, the songs don't feel quieter.

When it comes to loudness, you should consider -14 LUFS as your landmark.

The loudness meter is present in most plug-ins, and it'll both measure loudness and quality of your audio as you make the adjustments. Use the loudness meter to achieve optimal results from the streaming platform where you'll upload your music.

Given the importance of these two music platforms, you should do the best you can to avoid this situation.

If you master it louder than -14LUFS when you upload your music on streaming services like Spotify or YouTube, these platforms will automatically lower the volume of your track, making it sound different from the final result of your master.

Reference Track
"If I had eight hours to master a song on my DAW, I'd spend six listening to the reference track."
(Abraham Lincoln, supposedly)

Regardless of whether you're mastering your own music or someone else's, you should always have reference tracks to get a clear understanding of the sound you aim to achieve.

Reference tracks should be of a similar genre to the music you're working on. It'd also be ideal to have as reference tracks songs that had a recording process identical to the one you're about to master.

For instance, if the guitar part in the reference tracks was recorded five times but only once in your track, then achieving a similar sound will be impossible.

Choose your reference track wisely, and you'll save yourself time and unnecessary struggle.

EQ

When equalizing, you mitigate or remove certain frequencies that may affect the overall balance of your audio. At the same time, you enhance the frequencies you want in the spotlight to ensure the final result sounds clean and professional.

In Logic Pro, there are two types of linear EQ: channel EQ and vintage EQ.

The channel EQ is the standard linear eq on Logic Pro and does wonder. For example, you can make surgical adjustments at all frequency levels, and the plug-in guarantees optimal transparency.

The vintage EQ collection is ideal when you want to add a bit of color to your master. This collection replicates sounds from analog units, namely the Neve, API, and Pultec, to give a vintage feel to your track.

The vintage EQ plug-in features a minimal design that makes it extremely simple to adjust frequency levels without overdoing it.

My recommendation would be to master the channel EQ first and then give it a try at the vintage collection when you're ready to add additional color to your masters.

When using a linear EQ, don't make abrupt changes in the audio, but maintain a wide Q range to ensure the transitions feel smooth and natural. You shouldn't cut or boost frequencies more than 2dB, as overdoing it will have an impact on the song's feel and authenticity.

Depending on the genre you're working on, you might want to give an extra boost to the lower frequencies. However, don't forget that enhancing higher frequencies will add clarity to the song, and over-amplifying the lower frequencies will make your master sound muddy.

Multiband Compression

The next step in your chain of effects should be the compressor. By compressing your master, you'll reduce the gap between louder and quieter parts within the audio file, making the song sound more coherent.

There are a plethora of multiband compression plug-ins available on Logic Pro X, so all you need to do is choose the gain plugin that best suits your genre and start adjusting the frequencies.

Since all these different compressors may sound confusing at first, I suggest you start with Logic's compressor called Platinum Digital, which is Logic's original gain plugin and is the easiest to use.

The threshold knob is what you need to focus on the most as it defines when the compressor will activate and start affecting the audio track. Increase or decrease the threshold value until the loudness meter shows a gain reduction of -2dB.

The attack and release knobs allow you to adjust how quickly the plug-in will start/stop working. As a rule of thumb, keep the attack anywhere between 35 and 100ms, and the release anything between 100 and 200ms.

However, you'll need to use your ears and determine the best course of action for your track, depending on the genre you're working on and the effect you want to achieve.

When listening for the compressor's impact on your track, listen to the beat or the snare drum to ensure the release settings aren't affecting their impact. Aside from that, you should just keep trying until you achieve the optimal result.

Bear in mind that, once again, being subtle is advised: even though reducing the dynamic range will make your song sound more consistent, if not done properly, it'll also make it sound unnatural.

Stereo Widening

For some music genres, adjusting stereo width will add incredible depth and color to the master. However, in general, this effect is a double-edged sword as it can compromise the overall frequency balance you have created so far.

Enhancing the overall stereo image will create a "live" effect that will bring recorded music to life. In Logic Pro X, the Stereo Spread plug-in will do a fantastic job at spreading your frequencies out.

The drive knob of this plug-in is sensitive but extremely intuitive, so make adjustments until you're happy with the stereo width you achieved on your music, but make sure you keep it to a minimum.

When applying stereo imaging, you should avoid affecting low frequencies, so make sure you set the lower frequency parameter to 300 to 400Hz.

Limit

For most mastering engineers, the limiter is the final plugin in the mastering chain for good reason: this plug-in takes the sound you created and makes it louder. Similar to a compressor, a limiter increases the perceived loudness of a track and takes it to its volume limit (hence the name).

In Logic Pro X, you have a limiter and an adaptive limiter at your disposal. While with the former, you'll have to do most things yourself, the second one will analyze and adjust the limits throughout the audio track, depending on the audio peaks in the audio signal.

In general, by using the adaptive limiter, you'll be able to achieve a more natural sound, as the plug-in can automatically identify the loudest value for each section of the track.

The adaptive limiter plug-in on Logic Pro X is straightforward to use: once you upload it, you'll have to set the out ceiling value to -1dB to ensure the track won't be clipping.

Next, adjust the gain with the main knob until you reach -14 LUFS. In this final phase of mastering, it's fundamental to listen to the track in its entirety and multiple times. Can you hear any clippings, distortions, or unwanted sounds? Take notes and adjust the plug-in chain if necessary.

Export

Now, your track is ready to be exported and shared with the rest of the world!

The final bounce should be a mastered version of the track that's ready for publication, which means the audio file should contain the highest possible level of information.

Therefore, when exporting a mastered track, you should always opt for the following settings: 16-bit as bitrate, 44100 Hz as sample rate, and export the file as WAV or AIFF.

For more information, you can check out our recent article What is an Audio Sample Rate and What Sample Rate Should I Record at.

If you were using a higher bitrate while mastering the track, you'd need to apply the dithering to your track, which will ensure the piece won't lose quality or quantity of data even if the bitrate is lowered by adding low-level noise.

What dB is Best for Mastering?

When you master music, you should have enough headroom to add plug-ins that'll enhance your audio.

A headroom between 3 and 6dB is generally accepted (or required) by a mastering engineer.

Different platforms have different targets, but since we live in a Spotify-governed music system, you should adjust your loudness according to the current most popular platform.

Therefore, the end result should be -14 dB LUFS, which is the loudness accepted by Spotify.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article helped you get a better understanding of what it takes to master a track on Logic Pro X.

Although the initial results may not be as good as you hoped, the more you use this DAW to master songs, the easier it'll become. Eventually, you might need more plug-ins to achieve the optimal sound you envision.

However, let me reassure you the free plugins that come with Logic Pro X should be able to satisfy your needs for a long time, regardless of the musical genre you're working on.
If you master music regularly inside Logic, you'll realize that a good mix is crucial.
You can't rely solely on the mastering effects provided by Logic to fix issues that should have been dealt with previously.

Before publishing a track, remember to:

Measure perceived loudness with the appropriate meter. If you don't measure loudness before publishing a track, some streaming services might reduce its perceived loudness automatically and compromise your track.

Select the appropriate bit depth and sample rate.

Check the loudest part of your song and make sure there's no clipping, distortion, or unwanted noise.

When you feel ready, you can also choose a mastering course among the dozens available for logic users and upgrade your knowledge in mastering music.

If you do that, try to master the same tracks once again and see how much your skills improved. You'll be amazed by the good investment you made in your career!

Having more knowledge as to what a good master requires will give you more control over the final audio result.

Furthermore, it'll give you all the necessary information to make the most of EQ, compression, gain, and all the other fundamental tools you need to bring to life music that's ready to be released worldwide.
Good luck, and stay creative!

FAQ

How loud should a mix be before mastering?

As a rule of thumb, you should leave between 3 and 6dB Peak, or around -18 to -23 LUFS, for the mastering process to have enough headroom. If your mix is too loud, the mastering engineer won't have enough room to add effects and work on audio levels.

How loud should a master be?

A loudness level of -14 LUFS will meet the needs of most streaming platforms. If your master is louder than this, chances are your song will be altered when you upload it on streaming platforms like Spotify.

How can you make a mix sound good on all devices?

Listening to your mix on different speaker systems, headphones and devices will give you a clearer understanding of how your song actually sounds.
Studio monitors and headphones will provide you with the transparency you need to edit your track professionally; however, try to listen to your mix on cheap headphones or from your phone's speakers to experience how casual listeners might listen to your music.

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Mastering with Logic Pro X: Step-by-Step Guide | CrumplePop

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Mastering a track is the final step before publishing your work. It's a fundamental yet often overlooked aspect of music production, yet artists often ignore the importance of achieving industry-standard volume levels and overall sounds. The reality is that a good mastering process can make your sound truly stand out.

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How to MASTER in Logic Pro X with STOCK PLUGINS! (EASY)

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https://www.soundspheremag.com/news/culture/kid-brunswick-shares-video-for-depression/

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There's a remarkable difference between taking two weeks to complete a project and taking two years. With two years, there's more time to learn, grow and excel at your craft. There's also more time to experience life. That's the process that nothing,nowhere. ( Joe Mulherin) landed on for his latest LP, Trauma Factory.

The Massachusetts-born emo-rap-rock riser was in a position where a series of panic attacks interrupted his music career. After stepping back for some time, he used that experience to make a project which, he hopes, will thank those who stood by him during the wait.

"Not long after [my 2018 project], I had to ruiner step away from touring and music for a while because I was having a lot of panic attacks and dealing with my panic disorder," Mulherin says. "So that anxiety and depression really hit hard for a minute. So that was the last time I put out an LP. And Trauma Factory is me coming back into music and putting out a full-length project once again with more material than ever to write it in terms of what's been going on in my life and all that. It's definitely helped me. If I didn't have music, I guess I'd have to find something else to do to release the emotions and all that."

With entering the world Feb. 19 via Trauma Factory Fueled By Ramen, he continues to push music that doesn't align with a single sound. And this time, Mulherin's using his lived experiences from one of the most difficult points in his life to create whatever the hell he wants. It makes for his most "unpredictable" effort yet.

When did you start recording this one, and what, for you, kicked off the process?

I think the oldest track on there is from late 2018, early 2019. So it's almost been two years, which is weird for me. When I first came up on SoundCloud, I would make a song, and I would post it the same day. It's weird sitting on so many songs. And it came to a point where I had over a hundred songs for the project, and I obviously narrowed them down into what is now Trauma Factory . But I like being experimental with the process as well. With ruiner, I made that LP in two weeks, and I made this LP in two years. Different modes of thought and it just keeps things fresh.

In the title-track intro, we hear human life called a "trauma factory." Can you break this down and why you felt a spoken-word intro was perfect for a record of this nature?

It's harking back to the days of what I used to listen to. Growing up listening to started with something similar. I think I just wanted to write a poem. I had this idea to state what it was about, and the whole thing about human life being a trauma factory is inspired by Sunny Day Real Estate, Buddhism. Buddhism is stating that human life is suffering, but it's not looking at it in such a bleak [way] like I used to. Human life is suffering, but it's beautiful to be able to feel any emotions at all. And knowing that human life is suffering, that's knowledge. There's some type of comfort in that, knowing that everyone suffers. It's not just you. Braid and American Football and then going into second-wave emo. Listening to . Especially with Alexisonfire, I remember hearing those types of moments on albums and them really resonating with me. Sitting in the back of the school bus, just listening to these spoken-word moments on these post-hardcore and albums. I just wanted to do that. I made it a point to do that on my records-

You mentioned it a bit in the track, but is it hard to balance this new role of being an inspiration for these fans?

I had a stretch of time where there was a lot of pressure because when you have people looking up to you and you're someone in a spotlight or under a microscope, you almost want to be perfect. You want to show people that you're perfect. But obviously, we know that no one's perfect. We're all human beings with our own faults. And so being someone who struggles with mental illness, I want to be a beacon of light to these other kids who are struggling. But I know now that I'm only human, and I can't always be this beacon of light or a perfect example of what a recovered ex-depressed or ex-anxious person looks like. So I think early on, I put so much pressure on myself to display an almost fabricated version of myself. Like, "OK, I'm better now." But these days, I realize that it's OK to just stay vulnerable. You don't get better overnight. It's a journey-the path to peace is a journey.

On this journey toward being yourself, you're also taking a journey sonically. How would you describe what you've been able to do on this project?

I just said, "Screw it, I want to make an album that sounds rad, and I don't care if the songs mesh. I don't care if the whole project flows a certain way. I don't care if it lands on a certain playlist or whatever." I listen to so much music in so many different genres. I just want to make music for the sake of making music and put it in an album format and put it out there. I always used to get so caught up in "What will the old fans think, or what will the new fans think, or what will the critics think?" Now, it's just like a band here on Earth to make some art. And I'm not going to overthink it. I'm just going to have fun with the process and just make music because that's what I love to do.

When you work now, and as you look to mix things up even further sonically and conceptually, how often does the legacy of Fueled By Ramen come to mind?

I think about what label I'm on all the time. I grew up in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Now I live in Vermont. Growing up listening to the music that I did and then ending up on Fueled By Ramen would be the same thing as a kid playing football, loving the New England Patriots and then becoming the quarterback of the New England Patriots or just playing for the New England Patriots. And it's just one of those things where I don't think I knew that it would happen. When I was growing up, I always knew that I could do something and I could become something. But I always did have that self-doubt. So the fact that I am here now on [this] label is one of those really bizarre full-circle things that makes me really wonder if you can manifest things. Is destiny a real thing, or is this just a coincidence? I just worked really hard to get here. I don't know what it is, but it's a trip. I do think about it every day.

What do you feel the biggest takeaway will be from Trauma Factory, either thematically or as a whole?

Don't be afraid to follow your gut and follow your intuition. Don't be obsessed with what other people think of you. And just create from the heart. Art isn't meant to be one way or the other. And on a broader scale, lyrically, obviously there's some vulnerable stuff in there because it's me. But it's OK to have bad days. I was driving the other day, and I saw a sign that said "Every storm eventually has to run out of rain." And I thought that was really cool because that's just how I've been feeling lately. I may not be exactly where I want to be, but every day is a journey. I think Trauma Factory , lyrically, conveys that. And I hope that people can find comfort in listening to it and just know that life is a process, and you'll get to where you want to be eventually.

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nothing,nowhere's new album is unpredictable, and that's how he wants it

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There's a remarkable difference between taking two weeks to complete a project and taking two years. With two years, there's more time to learn, grow and excel at your craft. There's also more time to experience life. That's the process that nothing,nowhere. ( Joe Mulherin) landed on for his latest LP, Trauma Factory .