Music production survey
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Posted on Oct 10, 2005 06:35 am
Emmie
Member Since: Oct 10, 2005
Hi,
I hope it's ok to post this here.
I'm doing some research for a uni project, and was hoping some of you guys would be able to answer a quick questionaire for me. The more detail you can give, the better.
You can post replies on here, or send them to [email protected]
Thanks, Em
1) How many years have you been involved in music production?
2) What elements of music production do you still find most difficult?
3) What equipment do you use?
4) Do your tracks sound how you want them to sound? How do you think they could be improved?
5) Do you ever read any books on music production? Do you find them useful? If not why?
6) What is your main method of learning music production skills?
7) Have you mixed and mastered any musical tracks?
8) What method did you use to learn your mixing skills?
9) Do you find it easy or difficult to achieve the results you want?
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Oct 10, 2005 06:53 am Howdy Emmie, I have a cousin who goes by the same name as you. Wow.
1) 1 year and counting
2) The production during recording. Mainly getting energy into the band.
3) homerecordingconnection.com/profile.php?id=1661
4) They will never sound how I want them to but I will keep on trying. Then Main problem I have is instrument seperation and frequency masking, in particular kick, bass and distorted guitar.
5) I read a lot of books and magazines about music production. Yamaha Sound Reinforcement, Mix, and Modern Recording Techniques are favourites of mine.
6) Experience. Although I am studying recording arts at the moment.
7) I have mixed and mastered many musical tracks.
8) Again experience. And also getting to know my gear.
9) I have not yet achieved a mix I am proud of lol. So extremely difficult I would say.
zekthedeadcowEat Spam before it eats YOU!!!Member
Since: May 11, 2002
Oct 10, 2005 08:21 am 1) How many years have you been involved in music production?
Home recording for 4 years.
2) What elements of music production do you still find most difficult?
song writing.... I've been a drummer for 14 years so I'm not used to dealing with melody.
3) What equipment do you use?
I am in the process of converting to a linux workstation but right now I use:
SONAR 2.2 XL
Aardvark Q10
rebuilt Pearl Export 5 piece drum set
Samic 5 sting bass
Fender 300 bass amp
Hartke 4-10 cabnet
Alvarez Dreadnaught Acoustic Guitar
SPL Vitalizer
Antaries ATR-1
Panasonic WV-F250 Dockable Camcorder
Panasonic WV-AD250 Studio Adapter
3 Shure SM57s
2 Rode NT1's
1 Shure Beta52
1 Sennheiser ME66K6
and a couple cheap mics for effects... like a VOM harp mic.
4) Do your tracks sound how you want them to sound? How do you think they could be improved?
No, high frequency has been a problem for me... it has gotten a lot better sence I picked up the ME66K6... but it is much more expensive than my other mics.
5) Do you ever read any books on music production? Do you find them useful? If not why?
No, only online articles...which I find very helpful.
6) What is your main method of learning music production skills?
trial and error, followed by reading articles, followed by asking people.
7) Have you mixed and mastered any musical tracks?
A couple local bands and just finished an indie movie.
8) What method did you use to learn your mixing skills?
same as 6
9) Do you find it easy or difficult to achieve the results you want?
It's easy... it just takes patience and focus.
Oct 10, 2005 08:25 am 1) 15+
2) mixing
3) www.homerecordingconnection.com/profile.php?id=1
4) They sound decent, could likely use better mixing
5) Rarely, cuz most of them say the same things.
6) by doing it
7) loads
8) by doing it
9) pretty easy if I have the patience
HuePinnipedal Czar (: 3= Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004
Oct 10, 2005 09:41 am 1) How many years have you been involved in music production?
= 15 years of playing instruments, a couple of years of being recorded elswhere, and 6 years of home production .
2) What elements of music production do you still find most difficult?
= Mixing, without a doubt . Choosing the final mix seems to be the hardest part .
3) What equipment do you use?
= www.homerecordingconnecti...ile.php?id=1136
4) Do your tracks sound how you want them to sound? How do you think they could be improved?
= Satisfied thus far . Better front-end .
5) Do you ever read any books on music production? Do you find them useful? If not why?
= A few . Somewhat . Alot of sruff is 'relative' .
6) What is your main method of learning music production skills?
= Trial and error, while picking up any applicable knowledge from 'public' sources .
7) Have you mixed and mastered any musical tracks?
= Yes, but not in the last 6 months .
8) What method did you use to learn your mixing skills?
= Trial and error, and critical listening .
9) Do you find it easy or difficult to achieve the results you want?
= Mostly easy, but it also depends on the goals and conditions . Lately... impossible : ( .
RigsbyUltra MagnusMember
Since: Nov 13, 2004
Oct 10, 2005 09:42 am 1) How many years have you been involved in music production?
14 years with gradually increasing seriousness, the last two fairly seriously.
2) What elements of music production do you still find most difficult?
Deciding what i want to be on any given piece, instrumentation and intonation-wise.
3) What equipment do you use?
Mac running cubase, rac pac mixer, digi eight-track/DAT/MD for portability, 4-track for fun or for sketching ideas out. I use a friend's studio with digi002 and pro-tools on occasion, and another place with logic, usually for drums.
Mics: 57, 58, C4000, C451B, couple of sony MD mics, SE1a, couple of early solid-states and cheap dynamics, D112.
Instruments: Acoustic and electric bass, acoustic and electric guitars, violin, cello, berimbau, glockenspiels, percussion, drums, saxophone, trumpet, flugelhorn, fan organ, melodica, household percussion, oud, clarinet,piano and some samples.
4) Do your tracks sound how you want them to sound? How do you think they could be improved?
My recordings i'm generally happy with, my mixes less often, i'm not mixing my current record. sometimes you're too close to the project to do it justice yourself.
5) Do you ever read any books on music production? Do you find them useful? If not why?
Occasionally, and occasionally they're useful, but unless i'm spending a lot of time on trains i don't tend to have the time and thus the inclination to read through lots of information in te hope of coming across something interesting and useful.
6) What is your main method of learning music production skills?
Discussion, in person and on the internet and the phone. Probably more than anything though i'll think things over for a while and come up with a solution or idea or whatever.
7) Have you mixed and mastered any musical tracks?
Yes, though mastering is a real art and i tend to think that 98% of people who master don't really do the work as much justice as the other 2% and it would be possibly better left alone. I rarely if ever master.
8) What method did you use to learn your mixing skills?
Practice and trial and error, though i did study sound engineering for a year.
9) Do you find it easy or difficult to achieve the results you want?
Relatively easy with patience for the most part.
Oct 11, 2005 05:42 am 1) How many years have you been involved in music production?
About 2 years on and off.
2) What elements of music production do you still find most difficult?
If it was not captured with the right tone in the first place, trying to make it sound better - esp guitars and drums, and sometimes working with bands who don't always play in time, so i have to move stuff in the mix... often harder when no click track is involved.
3) What equipment do you use?
www.homerecordingconnecti...ile.php?id=2931
4) Do your tracks sound how you want them to sound? How do you think they could be improved?
Not yet... I'm always working on improving things I've mixed.
5) Do you ever read any books on music production? Do you find them useful? If not why?
The most useful thing I've found is just trying it out, thoo there are some really good articles on this site I may yet browse through...
6) What is your main method of learning music production skills?
Just doing it?
7) Have you mixed and mastered any musical tracks?
Yes, many especially in the last year since I started my own recording studio (well... shed really ;-)
8) What method did you use to learn your mixing skills?
I went to SAE, and then practiced on bands that wanted to be recorded for free.
9) Do you find it easy or difficult to achieve the results you want?
Sometimes, but then always striving to get better, so I guess the answer is it is difficult, but i still love doing it no matter what!
Oct 11, 2005 08:57 am 1) How many years have you been involved in music production?
15 years or so in various guises
2) What elements of music production do you still find most difficult?
mastering bigness (probably cos i use words like 'bigness')
3) What equipment do you use?
reason 3, cubase, wavelab, t-racks , old style instruments as well, guitar, baglama, bass
4) Do your tracks sound how you want them to sound? How do you think they could be improved?
eventually, cos otherwise they dont leave the dessk
improvements would be better if i had all the equipment i want (outboard)
5) Do you ever read any books on music production? Do you find them useful? If not why?
i try, i should, but i don't. use web help a lot. i am impatient and learn what i need to do what i want to do that day.
6) What is your main method of learning music production skills?
listening and emulating
7) Have you mixed and mastered any musical tracks?
yes. mixed my own and went to get them mastered in labels studio.
8) What method did you use to learn your mixing skills?
mainbly trial and error. am musician before technician.
9) Do you find it easy or difficult to achieve the results you want?
yep, but thats half the fun!
Oct 11, 2005 09:06 am 1) 3 years
2) Finding time to produce music
3) www.homerecordingconnecti...ile.php?id=1347
4) No...better equipment and more patience would make them sound better.
5) I don't read books on music production because I don't have the time.
6) HRC, baby!
7) Yes
8) Trial and lots of error
9) Difficult
TallChapAnswer:On a good day, lipstick.Member
Since: Jun 24, 2004
Oct 11, 2005 10:56 am 1) About four, with any real seriousness. Was always the one to mix when recording deos with bands.
2) Getting the vocals to sit properly in the mix. Mastering.
3) See profile.
4) I wish I could sing! Also, I need to spend more time learning drum programming.
5) Usually, they offer little new stuff. I usually find what I need at HRC.
6) Trial and error, and HRC advice.
7) Just finished remastering a friend's CD. Very happy with it - so were they!
8) Using my ears, rather than logic, and knowledge. If it sounds right, it is right. If it sounds wrong, it is wrong.
9) A little of both. It all depends on the songs.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Oct 14, 2005 09:35 pm 1) 30 with a bit of time off in the 80's
2) Mastering, getting some musicians to play nice with others.
3)www.homerecordingconnection.com/profile.php?id=5 and a couple of racks of outboard gear.
4) Yes. Better pre-mastering skills.
5) yes. Yes.
6) I learned by working with others and just doing it. And reading this forum brings in new ideas.
7) Yes.
8) Hands on learning and experimenting.
9) Fairly easy.
TadpuiI am not a crook's headMember
Since: Mar 14, 2003
Oct 14, 2005 10:07 pm 1) less than 3 years
2) EQing mixes with too many instruments in them (finding each instrument its own place in a crowded mix).
3) I'll follow suit to the smart gentlemen above and link to my profile for my equipment list: www.homerecordingconnection.com/profile.php?id=551
4) Sometimes. Since I'm using gear that's targeted for hobbyists, I don't get the clarity and low noise floor that I'd like to have.
5) No. no. I find the internet has plenty of sources for the hobbyist sound engineer. If I need more depth of knowledge, then I ask around here for it.
6) Reading this website.
7) I have mixed and premastered several tracks. I have not put together a collection of premastered tracks yet, so I haven't had an opportunity to do any mastering yet.
8) Reading this website.
9) Difficult. But it usually turns out that the results that I wanted weren't as cool as what I ended up with.
