5 Beginner Recording Mistakes (You Should AVOID)!

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We all make mistakes, so in this video we look at 5 beginner recording mistakes you should avoid! This includes mistakes when recording vocals, busses, FX presets, and compression.
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CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:34 Getting Too Close to the Mic
04:33 Copying Instead of Doubling
11:06 Avoiding Sends and Busses
15:31 Relying on FX Presets
18:39 Compression on Everything

[@jaigreen7738]

I use a lot of presets when I mix, depending on what I’m looking at. Once I find one that I feel is pleasing or an improvement, then I will grab some knobs or dots and make adjustments to sweeten the sound. I do find the undo feature is very helpful in these scenarios, but I do think it’s helpful. Glad to hear this mentioned in a video like this as it affirmed that my instincts are correct. Thanks for validating and helping me approach this phase with more confidence!!!!

[@donaldgossett1736]

Your lessons are the best I’ve found on the topic of studio one. Thank you.

[@pero.pitas__]

OMG, another video from Mike that just blows my mind. You are one of the best teachers I've ever seen. Thx a ton! I subscribed to your channel which will be a big juwel on my beginner's home studio recording journey. All the best to you, you absolutely rock!

[@t-boog2173]

Cheers Mike! I've actually gotten pretty good with cakewalk thanks to u. If it wasnt for ur videos I think I would've thrown my pc in the river. Please know that ur tutorials are greatly enjoyed & appreciated. Take care my friend & God Bless!

[@DDIII3]

Excellent demonstrations Mike. Thank you. Merry Christmas.

[@jimfogle184]

Great tutorial. The discussion about using plugin presets surprised me. While Mike did say presets are good starting points he implied it is usually better to start from scratch. I believe one sure way for beginners to learn what the plugin is doing is by applying a preset and then compare the sound with the plugin against the sound with the plugin bypassed.

[@pierrecarter3090]

Thanks for such good information. You're the best Mike. Happy Holidays.

[@geezerbliz]

The pop filters with the goose neck are great for keeping you from getting too close to the microphone. Set it back 6-8 inches from the mic!

[@CreativeSauce]

Yup!

[@czr7j9]

nice tip with the buses i have only used them for controlling volume of say the entire drum kit which has different tracks at different volumes.

[@soundsgoodmanrecords]

I can't believe I've never used busses like that reverb idea. Thanks for the clear explanation on this stuff, good job.

[@garyflessert142]

Thanks Mike! Your instruction on the use of sends in this and other videos has been a godsend!

[@matthewpenna1711]

Thank you Mike! Your information is always helpful to this Recording community and friends across the world! My brother Thommy and I get so much out of your videos. Sometime you hear what we have been working on. Your a good soul Mike and you have a gift in sharing and communicating. God bless you and family and Merry Christmas!

[@arpeggioblues5924]

wow Mike, when you select your Audio FX, blown away by how big your VST library is.. mine is half that..talk about being over-whelmed.. good on'ya mate.

[@zijun01]

Copying and doubling are different techniques used for entirely different effects. For copying to work, the copied tracks need to have slightly different EQ and compression (and panning) to the original. The result is a 'firmer' (not louder) voice with a bit more stereo width that still sounds like only one person singing. The listener wouldn't be able to notice the effect without first hearing the original track as a reference. With doubling, it is clear that there are two or more vocal tacks there (even if they are from the same person). So copying isn't a shortcut...it is a way to get a slightly firmer sound while still keeping the 'single voice' sound. For example, you can record a song with a single voice in the verse (for a more vulnerable sound), with copied tracks in the pre-chorus (for a firmer vocal sound) and then with doubled tracks in the chorus (for a bigger vocal sound).

[@crobilly19]

Wow, your awesome man, your time, that you give to help others is not taking for granted, by this reporter.....thank you

[@joegrint6280]

Great advice as always Mike - hope you all have a splendid Christmas and a happy and productive 2023!

[@undobold]

Mike, you do a great job !

[@evermusic6222]

Mery Christmas !!! Thanks Mike! as always, great video! Reminds even "graduated recorders" to avoid errors in the recording which cause supplementary work when mixxing/mastering

[@guitargod6997]

Invaluable insights and lucent and logical explanations of concepts! Thank for teaching this "old dog" new tricks!

[@nodaysback1]

Hey Mike, I hope you're well and that you and your family are having a very nice Christmas season! Thank you for all of the great instructional videos you give to the world! Your selflessness is our blessing! PS: I like to use the Pro Channel Hi-Pass Filter and EQ instead of an EQ plugin before the reverb on the Reverb Buss in order to save a bit of CPU.. Thanks Again!

[@nicerperson1]

Some really good advice about the problems of getting too close to the mic, it's better to prevent problems beforehand rather than try to fix them after recording.

[@davidloflin3098]

I'll never forget the first time I heard my heavy rhythm guitar tracks after I learned to double the tracks instead of copying them. I still love the look on a client's face when they hear themselves recorded properly that way! I've dabbled in quad-tracking guitars but I rarely use it. Still, an invaluable concept. Cheers Mike, I hope the Holiday season is treating you well.

[@jemwand2530]

Hi Mike, great video, very informative, I really enjoy your laid back approach, you seem to have a real investment in sharing your knowledge with your viewers, so, respect for that. Toward the end of your video, you mentioned a video you had made on the subject of understanding compression. I think that understanding compression, how it works, how the various parameters affect the signal etc, is very important and valid information. I would like to suggest another video on The House Of Kush channel on the subject of how to hear compression. Maybe highlighting that presentation or doing your own video on the subject might be helpful to your viewers. Blessings for the work that you are doing.

[@СерикТоктаровичУсенов]

Excellent information. Definitely Mike needs to buy your course for beginners in cakewalk)

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you :)

[@angel006a]

Good advices. In my case I use presets, but I only take it as a suggestion, an start point

[@darrenoak7187]

Great explanation Mike, spot on. thanks for reminding me.

[@CreativeSauce]

Cheers Darren!

[@KarryConway]

great stuff as usual thanks Mike

[@CreativeSauce]

My pleasure Karry :)

[@nickpritchard7130]

Hi Mike.. Great vid full of useful info. Big thanks for all your vids over the last couple of years. Have a great xmas and super productive new year. All the best, Nick, West Oz.

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Nick. Oh I didn't realise you are in WA also!

[@nickpritchard7130]

@@CreativeSauce yep. Booragoon. 😀👍

[@CreativeSauce]

Ahh, close to my preferred Mega Music :)

[@juanlondono1706]

Thanks man! This is really useful

[@CreativeSauce]

My pleasure, thanks for watching!

[@jhstudio749]

Ken Townsend created ADT so that John Lennon didn't have to rerecord his vocals. Waves has had that plugin available for a long time. It works great.

[@HappyFamilySingers]

To me there is a very distinct difference when I listen to ADT and a doubled track and while I like both results when applied well but there are a lot of times when ADT just is not what the passage of a given song REALLY needs so, taking the time to "twin" a track really pays off big time. Most beginner singers I have tracked will get the idea ADT is the same as an overdub then by the next song they are asking for the artificial double track through the whole song on lead vocals where it can be fine but then cannot widen a chorus or bridge... As a singer the is a subtle art to branding your voice with an overdub that ADT can never bring you. As you develop studio chops and a unique sound, for myself or a client I put a high priority on things you can't get down on the track with a knob or a fader such as the added character of a well performed double.

[@Studioinsession]

Good Teacher 🤙

[@mlwsf]

glad you talked about the inverse square law even if you didn't mention it by name.

[@CreativeSauce]

:)

[@HouseMerlot]

Copying Instead of Doubling: I agree with Mike and accept everything he said as gospel (as usual). One extra tip: Sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you just can't double the track. Maybe the artist who recorded the track is no longer available. Or maybe creating the first track you now want to double took an inordinate amount of comping and you just can't invest that amount of time once again. I find that if you copy the track, but start the second track a few milliseconds later, then pan the first track hard left and the second track hard right, you do get a widening effect. I believe the scientific, psycho-acoustical name for this is the Haas Effect.

[@cburkill2234]

Hi Mike, you're videos are great. I wouldn't consider myself a beginner, but I still got an awful lot out of this video. One thing that does bug me however, is remembering to set Offset rather than Envelope mode when I come to mix and gain stage. Is there another way around this?

[@MatthewSwasta]

Pertaining to the sends and busses section, if we have a lot of guitars routed to a guitar bus, which that bus is routed to the master bus, would you route the reverb bus to the master or the guitar bus first? My guess is whether that reverb bus is dedicated to just guitars or if other instruments would be sending to that reverb as well, and in that case, routed to the master bus.???

[@davidwatts5019]

Hi Mike, as ever thanks for the video. May I ask what the difference is between using clip gain and volume automation for adjusting a part of a track? Thanks

[@CreativeSauce]

It's a great question, and was actually a part of one that was on my draft list (I may do a part 2). The main thing is that with clip gain, the volume change happens BEFORE we hit the plugins - and so, we will affectvthe behaviour of the plugins. For example, a louder signal my trigger a compressor. With volume (fader) automation, is happening AFTER the plugins, so thier behaviour is not affected.

[@davidwatts5019]

@@CreativeSauce Thanks very much.

[@madisonsinclair5123]

Q: what device is that digital Vu meter flashing beneath your monitor? I went through your gear list and couldn't find it. I doubt it would be tremendously useful to me, but it just looks cool so I want it. BTW, l I'm an old school guy from the dark ages of 2-in Scully machines. It would never occur to me to copy and paste vocals. We sang everything, we played everything on actual instruments. I find this new technology absolutely baffling and quite a bit soulless in my opinion. But I want that meter...

[@AlexD12345]

THE BEST!!!

[@PingeMusic]

Thanks for an intresting video I like your way to explain. Be safe and skilful. Pinge

[@CreativeSauce]

Thanks Pinge - appreciated!

[@dantutor62]

Thanks!!!!!

[@propman1823]

Hi mike quite a basic question here but wondering how i record a vocal without it recording the music too

[@August_Hall]

great video - i think before all of this is not being certain about song structure and not practicing (including practicing set ups with mics and guitars, room abience etc) is another mistake- like what you say in record, mix, release series - still best advice you gave before I do anything - hence 1 year later still practicing my bossa nova track 😂

[@CreativeSauce]

:) Thanks so much for your support. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year :)

[@eshortsax]

Another great video I wished I had a few years ago! 😂

[@businessmail-cx5cn]

THANKS MAN

[@CreativeSauce]

Glad its helpful, thanks for watching :)

[@jpilkonis]

Question: I'm relatively new to using busses, and was under the impression that when a track is routed to a bus, the entire signal goes through it (and nothing to the master). When you used the bus to EQ reverb on the guitar track, you had the reverb bus, but the master also got the dry guitar signal. Is there a special method of routing to that this happens?

[@maseratifittipaldi]

You can either route the guitar track to a guitar bus which is then routed elsewhere like to the master bus or straight to the master bus . You can also set the output of the guitar track as "none" and use sends to any other track or bus you wish. As far as the reverb on the bus is concerned, the best is to have it full wet.

[@dylanroman7738]

Whats the name of the song? 8:40

[@audiosounddoctor5834]

Is it better to insert eq after reverb when using sends?

[@CreativeSauce]

Actually, I've heard of people doing it both ways. I happen to prefer before, but I think it can work well after also.

[@davarjos]

What else would a recording engineer be called but Mick

[@daliusBSP3]

We all make mistakes. Especially me. Lol.. Opinions vary.

[@coppermeloman9143]

... 👍👍 !!

[@ShilpoKarkhana]

[@xlsxmusic]

5/5 for me. What do I win? 😂

[@CreativeSauce]

Lol. You win the joy of discovery :)

[@striverfor7628]

8:21 Plugins that double. But they tend to be too uniform. Best way is to record separate performances then pan them. 9:01 DistroKid revenue share. 11:06, 12:14 It's worth EQing the muddiness away. 12:45 Put the EQ and reverb on a bus instead. 14:21 14:50 15:31 Might end up boosting something that has already been boosted. Better to listen to it then apply the desired changes. 17:09 With a compressor. 18:40 Not everything needs to be up front and punchy. 19:33 An example where we should not use a compressor to turn it down. Use automation instead. 20:41 Even it out with clip gain. 21:56 22:59

[@CreativeSauce]

Thank you :)

[@striverfor7628]

@@CreativeSauce I'm still pretty new and getting used to all of this. It's for my benefit if no-one else's, I always do it. Thank you so much for your work Mike, I'm studying it intensely just now. So far you're mainly responsible for me learning how to use a DAW.

[@MindControlUltra]

My biggest recording mistake: I sang!