20 years of audio - 7 most important lessons I learned

Actually it's a lot more than 20 years but that's when I stopped counting. And yes I have learned a thing or two, or three, four, five, or six. So here are seven of my most important lessons, not necessarily in order, but they all play a part in my day-to-day audio routine. Check out the Audio Masterclass Music Production and Sound Engineering Course at bit.ly/3W3tpKo
CREDITS
The Seven the-boys.fandom.com/wiki/The_...
Graffiti art - Banksy
Banking image - Mary Poppins
Longden mixing console - Engineer: Grahame Gambles Photo: Geoff Atkins
Vintage recorder - Blattnerphone
Oscilloscope richardsears.wordpress.com/20...
Movie goof - Star Wars
Shakespeare - Source unknown, please advise if aware
Old records old78s.com/
My way or the highway www.amazon.com/Humorous-Rusti...
'I Never Metaphor I Didn't Like' www.amazon.com/Never-Metaphor...
Swimming baby - From cover of 'Nevermind' by Nirvana

[@rossknowles5608]

i think the knowledge and experience you gain is transferable so long as you pay attention to the principles rather than the specifics. listening, adjusting, editing, balancing, making tonal adjustments, problem solving, considering which approaches to use, rather than leaning on the latest xyz plugin or wham-bam gadget. in the same way that a photographer can get decent photos from any camera. its not the camera, its the knowledge of photography that gets it done

[@jonwatchesnyc8777]

While you speak specifically about “music” , “technique” and “equipment”, you are also speaking about life, learning, and things. This was a wonderful talk. Thank you (I’ve sent it to my 13 year old son, who plays electric guitar. And cello. Great kid)

[@josepessoa8543]

As a musician I feel that "work with what you have" is the best possible advice. I will concentrate and look into my music rather than worry about my equipment (saxophone). I will try to see minor issues with equipment as possibilities, maybe even as "colours" waiting to be added to the music. Thanks!

[@Holocausticfumes]

take a look at the upgrades he's made to his overall product...he hasn't stuck with what he had. He's a hypocrite .

[@oldvalvemic]

Mine is to never stop pushing the equipment that you use and your abilities, to the limits of what you think it and you can do, but maybe that’s part of your never stop learning advise.

[@donaldbundy3499]

Avoid relying on the use of the phrase Fix it in the mix. Also though I agree with lesson #2 , I will always remember the accomplishments I made along with the great musicians I had the privilege of working with. There was one time during a mix session where there was a brief click on an otherwise excellent guitar track and the producer did not want to re-record and attempting to the mute the track on the fly wasn't working. So I shuttled the analog 16 track to the click's position and marked it. I could also see the problem section of tape using a magnifier lens. I then set the tape on the splicing block and cut a tiny square hole in the tape. Then using a tiny piece of previously erased tape I spliced the blank piece to the the session tape with the 'window'. It worked. Saved hours of setup and retakes.

[@donclingan3925]

The most important thing I've learned is not to put too much ego into a piece and let it flow and evolve thru the tech or instruments u have. Everytime i think im great im going to do a great mix or piece its awful if i just just switch off and let the music evolve itself its amazing and it almost sounds like someone else's work when listened back a few days after. Happy new year and keep up the good work pal

[@JeffWardMusic]

So much good advice here (as usual!). Thank you. Case in point: I am, as I write, waiting for a rather expensive 450gb string library to download on my pedestrian internet connection - 2 days in and nearly there. I have convinced myself that my orchestral arrangements will sound oh so much professional for it and my nascent 2nd career as a composer will accelerate to the stratosphere forthwith. I am, of course, painfully aware that this venture will do nothing of the sort as the fault lies, somewhat obviously, in my dubious compositional talent rather than the absence of five multi-sampled layers of sforzando con sordina tremolo spiccatto violas which has been holding me back all these years. I wonder whether Mozart felt that the quill and paper were holding him back?

[@edmaster3147]

' It's not his convictions, but his certainty that worries me' , but the best lesson I've learned it that that the more I learn, the more I know I don't know anything.

[@toddpurnick5848]

I really love your posts. Thanks

[@AudioMasterclass]

You're welcome. DM

[@edowusu]

Thank you Sir for these priceless and valuable lessons. Much appreciated

[@henri3648]

Thank you very much, these lessons are well and compassionately explained, and your narration style is very clear and easy to listen to.

[@marcelsoares3577]

A true master of his craft. I am very grateful to have learned pro audio at Audio Masterclass Course. Thanks for sharing your knowledge, Mr David.

[@nelsonnichols922]

Those comments are spot on. I would be hard-pressed to come up with anything else that would be more important than the ones you mentioned.

[@donjohnstone3707]

I could easily think of other areas of life where these lessons could also be applied and be helpful. Thanks for your relevant and useful insights.

[@vilvd3934]

This is more life advice than music advice

[@RobertMatichak]

@audiomasterclass Like you I have several decades behind me. I love your lessons learned. And like you I have many. But if I have to name one that probably still holds true today, that’s to always be in “record”. Thx for your video!

[@jackhreha4907]

The Synergy of the moment . When you captured the angles on pin heads was part of putting the light ing the bottle. To know when to stop and not mess with what you have ! Best Regards Jack. As all in all good advice.

[@doctorrobin3040]

Wise words.

[@umdesch4]

One lesson I learned, up near the top is "know when to take a break." Ear fatigue, and just general burnout is a thing. It's easy to get frustrated after listening to something for hours, applying all kinds of tweaks, and nothing seems to work. Conversely, it's possible to listen to something for so long that it starts to sound "right" even though there's something really bad about it. Going away, and coming back to your work with fresh ears often instantly reveals things that are harder and harder to perceive, the longer you sit there bashing away at it. Always (and I mean ALWAYS) listen to your results one more time, after taking a healthy break, before you sign off on what you've got!

[@DWHarper62]

Best teaching video yet...

[@samsonmanohar4024]

Thanks Sir.

[@IndigoDavei]

The most important lesson I've learnt is: Although I really don't know what I'm doing, I mustn't let that that stop me from doing anything. Can't find your way round Muse? Make do with Audacity. Just get the stuff recorded. It's better than being overwhelmed and doing nothing. (But don't unleash unlistenable tosh on the world - learn just enough to make it listenable.)

[@mudover11]

Thanks!

[@mcpribs]

It’s about the ear, not the gear. And, the song rules all. Revolver recorded through a paper tube onto a wax reel will still be amazing music.

[@dharmachile999]

So many engineers have recorded at Abbey Road. How did Christopher Parker get it so right, so often.

[@JamesMaximilianJason]

Awesome teachings that are worth gold to me. The most imp lesson I learned ? Templates are a great way to mix fast and secure but sometimes, if you want to go the extra mile, you need more time and you have to risk, starting from the scratch, in order to rise your mix above "the average standard".

[@swagmund_freud6669]

Aim for greatness, not perfection.

[@mazmitrenko7558]

Re. point 4; As Steve Albini pointed out once, those remainder bins are full of perfectly recorded music.

[@smyrnianlink]

It all boils down to "it is all about music" Moreover .. we don't know what music is ! (magic? ) Therefore some of the "right answers" will always be subjective Such as whether a certain type of distortion could be acceptable / preferable or not...

[@spectrelayer]

Once again - another wonderful video. Let me explain where I'm running into some "issues". The demos I create for YT inevitably end up compressed with Opus lossy compression. And I can really hear the difference between this process vs the lossless originals. And that surprises me because I've never been sensitive to losses introduced by lossy codecs in the past. Maybe I'm over-analyzing. However, I'm trying to find a better overall tonal curve that accommodates lossy better without deviating so far from comfortable-to-listen to that it seems a negative. I'm working with some state of the art tools - some proprietary. And these often restore missing transients that some engineer high-filtered out unintentionally or rebuild entire waveforms with harmonics that were compressed to oblivion in the original master. If the reconstruction is clearly better than the original - even when recoded into lossy; - should I accept "imperfect" or keep seeking a methodology to accomodate the limits of lossy better? Here's a before/after real time demo where I A/B switch back & forth between the original track vs. the version I've reprocessed w. Spectrelayer. the demo was recoded into OPUS & makes my point (but still lacks the clarity that defines the edges of the high-end when listened to losslessly): kzbin.info/www/bejne/o33Lk4KvnLCeha8

[@meilstone]

Thank you for sharing your wisdom! Speaking of keeping up with technological advancements: what camera do you use? It creates such a crisp image...

[@andreasboe4509]

My best lesson is to keep it simple. Most tasks are challenging enough without overloading them with individual tweaks of different kinds. Try to standardize as much as possible. The packaging is often just as important as the contents.

[@tjebbevanderkooij276]

The things I have learned ..... Maybe these are more aimed for musicians then for engineers but nowadays they want us to do all of the above and it can be frustrating to have to do so much, if u just want to record your creative proces take it step by step not all at ones. 1: Is to always keep listening in all aspects, Like to really listen may it be your fellow musicians while playing, or feel the energy, what is ment to be played? just listen and ride it. even if u just record a friend for fun go with it listen and feel it that is key for me. 2: this one I think is more for intrumental music (in my case) and the musician recording, Then a song with specific lyrics. But it can apply for both it is all about the interpretation. Other people's experiences of what u recorded or play live can do wonders especially when u made it with a specific feeling or meaning what the song is to u. Other people can have a total different view on what u made while listening. And their view can open up many fascettes of the sound u made and change your perspective with what u want to achieve with the song. These views can be eye opening and can learn u to focus on what u want the music to do for you or in the future. it learns you to steer listeners to feel or experience more closely what u want to tell them (story) this also includes the engineers musicians u work with. 3: Dont be to critical on what is recorded and just throw projects away blindly ...... what is your garbage today can be your gold later. keep it whatever format it might be. It will give u insight where u where and where u are. Explaination: Sometimes what had been recorded in a session sketch demo etc..I dont really connect to it at that time or dont know really what I needed to do with it (lack of knowledge) in the mixing stage. But when I let it rest or go back to it (some of them can be more then 10 years ago or even a day). It suddenly works and I understand it more or what it misses and what others felt while listening to it. And then I find what it is and what I was trying to do and make changes accordingly and the experiences u been trough can be used for things u made in the past. (there are no mistakes only things to learn) In otherwords never throw away what u have recorded maybe there is a lesson to be learned. reason : why throw it away I recorded it in the first place? 4: Take your time, Accept that there is no certain time frame to finish something if it is your own music. no pressure ( if your the musician and engineer) Some of the best out there took years, so just take your time. U can always work on it, Maybe it just wasnt finished yet. 5: Know your own limits but never stop trying. U dont need to know it all right now and do it all alone just go and be creative if that is what u do best and always record. If u cant dont worry sometimes its better to trust others may it be recording mixing or mastering you will learn from them for your own benefit. 6: Information conversation dialog is key for mixing and mastering ( technics and theory) I always try but in the end I rather leave it to the professional and the art they bring. But always trust yourself if u think something is off, the ears of others might hear what is overlooked and this is also the otherway away around let them know, they can be the best but if they have to do it blind u never gonna get what u want make them understand what u want to achieve and work together to make it the best u possible can. 7: One I think is special and I experienced in many studios is too record everything! Let them play first, Get their groove on. Just push record when they are all out of the room. I say this cause sometimes it takes away the creative process and suddenly people have the urge to over do it and suddenly feel pressure when the rec button is lid If they dont know they are being recorded it most of the time results in the best takes. 8: Less is more 9: Teach yourself the art of silence 10: subscribe to this channel great stuff great lessons by a great teacher

[@johncostigan6160]

Conrad Hilton once said: "The secret to success is keeping the shower curtain inside the tub". That's how I record.

[@huwmorgan74]

Because I have several learning difficulties that hinder my creative process, the first one that always gets me started is JFDI.

[@mondoenterprises6710]

He has a Grant Wood American Gothic and an Edward Hopper Nighthawks at the Diner on the wall behind him.

[@AudioMasterclass]

Congratulations, you're only the second person to notice. DM

[@ericquasney8832]

Good advice. May i add for musicians, play or learn songs you hate or are bad?, 50 years In seen alot boxes,knobs,buttons,switches, lights,and computers come and Go.all had one thing in common. There was was no more talent Control. 🙉

[@sandranoonan3141]

I love your channel and I don’t know if it’s an artifact of the audio treatment that KZbin uses but so many of the channels I watch have such terrible sibilance coming from the presenters, yours included. If your not using a deesser could you please consider doing so. Kind regards

[@AudioMasterclass]

I could do all sorts of things but the purist in me says stick to the simple sound of me and the mic. The only processing I use is limiting to bring the audio up close to KZbin's preferred -14 LUFS. DM

[@RocknRollkat]

Hello DM, Here's what I know from well over 60 years of recording. Start with ONE mic, ONE mono tape recorder and ONE basement. Add friends that can actually PLAY MUSIC and learn how to record from the ground up. That's how Sam Philips did it, good enough for Elvis, good enough for you. Learn my way and you'll learn more than you could ever learn starting out in a modern facility. Best regards, Bill P.

[@494ihi]

basement is good for sound the stuff in tbasement matters-mats , couches decoration , for echo and sound - even big drwawers in corners might change the sound , wodden floor ,walls or stone floor , but one might need to an audiofile to notice just as notice the sound reflection and placement of you speaker matter for you listening

[@RocknRollkat]

@@494ihi It's all part of learning how to record !

[@shipsahoy1793]

Well Dave, fundamentals don’t change when it comes to technical stuff, and the more advanced technology gets, some of the fundamentals get lost, and people actually can become stupid. It’s really a matter of knowing which information doesn’t become outdated.😉

[@COLDMKULTRA]

😂🤣😅 ... the old saying (in film) ... if you cant do it with an 816 (or 416) ... then it cant be done !!!

[@1622steve]

Hifi enthusiasts: Their recordings are technical wonders! You can't believe how lifelike they sound! You don't listen very long. The musicians did a lot of takes or played cautiously. Dull! Musicians: The sound is some of the worst that you've ever heard, but the performances are stunning! They're once in a lifetime moments that you keep listening to over and over again!

[@tonyjedioftheforest1364]

No one should have to work for free. I worked for years for a company that didn’t pay overtime and I worked 16 hour days, 7 days a week for years. What an absolute idiot I was.

[@tonyfrench1081]

The 7 nos. So what positives ?

[@eddiewillers1]

The magic may not be in the machinery, but Joe Meek and Phil Spector couldn't have produced the sounds they did without it.

[@jmsjms296]

Good point

[@dharmachile999]

Seven lessons in seven minutes. More vids should be as direct.

[@KenTeel]

Great video, great info. One quick comment: Why do the English say "teT-nically"? The "ch" in the work "technical" has a "k" sound, as in "teK-nically."

[@AudioMasterclass]

Did I say that? If so I'll try not to in future. But why do Americans say "labratory" and all kinds of English speakers "nucular"? DM

[@KenTeel]

@@AudioMasterclass Good point !.... it always puzzles me when people say Nuk-U-lar. This is especially true, when it is educated people saying this. Eisenhower, George Bush Jr., are just a couple of people who did said Nuk-U-lar. The only thing that I can figure with these guys, is that they've learned the pronunciation of words, strictly by immintating the sound of the word from other people, who mispronouce words. They did not seem to equate the alphabet characters that make up the work nuclear, with the sound of the word. It is a bit curious. Now, the word laboratory, that gets interesting. Yes, U.S. people generally do say lab-ra-tory. It appears to be a case of mass mispronunciation of a word. How the heck did we do that !!! Maybe someone out there knows the answer? Anyway, thanks for mentioning this apparent screw up in pronouncing this word. I will personally practice saying it the right way (I already leave the "D" out the the word seventy, eighty, etc. I repeatedly practiced saying these numbers, like practicing an instrument, until it came naturally and automatically to me.) One of the other words that I hear with English people, apparently mispronoucing, is the word "vulnerable." I hear it pronounced vun-er-a-ble, in English TV dramas. The "L" is missing. I find this one a bit curious, too. When there is an alphabet to refer to, mass mispronunciations become kind of an interesting thing. Thanks for getting back to me. I find your words to be quite thought provoking. Good stuff !!

[@TheMicrophoneChannel]

@@AudioMasterclass I think it might have to do with those people's familiarity with the word "nuke". The nuke part of nucular sounds more separated or emphasized than with nuclear. But I am no linguist. Maybe we should ask Noam Chomsky. He supposedly answers anyone who emails him.

[@rabarebra]

@@KenTeel Don't you have better things to spend your time on than focusing on how other people pronounce words? Djesus, get a life. 😂

[@teashea1]

Number 8 (which is my number 1) ----- No one is required to like your music.

[@birgerolovsson5203]

It takes time to train your hearing so you hear everything you want to hear. A hearing test machine don't say ANYTHING about how good hearing you have when it comes to listen to music via a stereo.

[@thomasbrouwer3243]

You are too truthful to ever make a go of relating to real people. Real people, especially those with no limits on their spending ability. Real people rely on lies to keeping a good, “healthy” attitude in this life. Marketing and sales people are the experts in lies and other mistruths such as exaggerations. If they weren’t our commercial economic systems would collapse.

[@jen3800]

you should be teaching in a school. i'm your age, and agree wholeheartedly with everything you say. you manage to keep it all in perspective, ever focused on the end result. Hats off !

[@islandlightphotodotcom7162]

American Gothic, interesting picture to see there!

[@AudioMasterclass]

Well spotted. What's the other one? DM

[@islandlightphotodotcom7162]

@@AudioMasterclass ?? Doesnt look like a Wood... Last Supper?? lol

[@AudioMasterclass]

You're not there yet. DM

[@islandlightphotodotcom7162]

@@AudioMasterclass Ahhh...Hopper, Nighthawks

[@AudioMasterclass]

@@islandlightphotodotcom7162 Congratulations. Unfortunately there is no prize. DM

[@fredashay]

My most important lessons? 1.) Fix what you know is broken before searching for that pesky intermittent bug that eludes you. 2.) If your locomotive stalls on switch points, make sure your track is clean. 3.) Pee high and bury your poo.

[@AudioMasterclass]

4.) When the cylinders of your bike's hydraulic brakes start binding, buy new brakes.

[@fredashay]

@@AudioMasterclass I'll add that to my list 😛

[@jongriffin2608]

Across 20+ years of experience, I think I’ve never learned anything for certain. Obviously, gear does not write great music, but then bad gear can be uninspiring and an obstruction to a creative flow. Otherwise, the advice differs depending on what your role in the studio is. An engineer is completely entitled to want better tools and in his case this does in fact make better music. A musician should focus on writing better music and playing his instrument to the best of his ability.

[@DavidComdico]

Strong disagree about letting go of knowledge. Bad advice. For example, the fundamentals required to read an oscilloscope are not only still useful but widely applicable to “new” practice. The real issue is that, in the past, such knowledge created opportunities for rent seeking which technology, thankfully, made untenable. But that is no reflection on the knowledge itself, which probably, now, requires more rigor than it did in the past.