Optimizing your workflow | FAQ Friday - Warren Huart: Produce Like A Pro

[@Producelikeapro]

How do you optimize your workflow? What’s your best kept secret? Let me know below!

[@HerrNox]

Best tip: have lots of coffee by your side.

[@gilbertspader7974]

I don't let myself have any drugs till I finish my bass part . SERIOUSLY

[@gilbertspader7974]

@@HerrNox Just coffee.

[@ragingchimera8021]

Have everything setup and ready to go, the least amount of switches to turn on, buttons to press and cables to patch the better. For demos I use Guitar Rig, so no mics to setup, I just plug my guitar direct into my interface , boot up my DAW with my template and off I go.

[@jasonflaherty8364]

That's an interesting question about picking up projects that have gathered some dust. I'm a computer programmer by day so I'm constantly stepping away from projects for weeks or months at a time. I keep a master task list for all things I expect to be doing on projects. This includes all things pre- through post-production. When I start a project, I copy this to a project task list and customize it to the new project. When I know I'm going to have some studio time, I copy the items I think I can get done to a session task list and then mark off items as they are completed. I keep *highly* detailed track sheets on each and every instrument. Anything I improvise gets immediately transcribed, no matter how tedious that is. I always know where I left off, how I set things up and what I played. This has been crucial for me since I used to have many projects that just sat on my harddrive and went nowhere because it would require re-re-refiguring what the heck I did. Hope this is helpful!

[@CazadorNocturno]

I finally found 20 minutes to watch it, dude I learn a lot by just watch you talk! Thanks!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Allan Lacayo you’re very kind my friend!

[@ragingchimera8021]

Idiosyncrasy is often where the beauty lies in music... the "shivers up the spine" moments.

[@sirdaveandre]

yeah loved that part too :)

[@Producelikeapro]

I agree 100% Raging Chimera!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@sirdaveandre yes, indeed!

[@Astronomater]

even with programming, there is still an artist making the music.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Harmony Smurf absolutely!!

[@niclastname]

Exactly. My analogy is always composers. Nobody argues that composers are hacks just because orchestra musicians are performing their music instead of the composer. On top of that. There are plenty of people that can play an instrument but aren't very good at writing original music, as well as the people that can write music well but can't play an instrument. Not to mention the fact that it would be absurd to expect everyone writing music to either know a player of every instrument there is or learn them all, if they want to use it in a song.

[@erikduijs2723]

I very much agree with the suggestion of leaving things connected and ready to go. This is the main reason I went for an audio interface with more inputs than I would technically need (although a simple patch bay goes a long way too in that regard). In my humble home studio (basically a desk with a PC, speakers, an audio interface and my instruments within reach), I found that another big time saver is to spend time on making and maintaining my own templates. So that plugins you often go for are already set up, your typical routing to buses is already set up, your control room settings don't need fiddling with every new project, virtual instruments you like are already assigned to some tracks, some channels are already assigned for reference tracks etc. I know I'm not saying anything new or profound here, just putting it out there because having my own templates was a pretty big game changer for me in terms of workflow :)

[@Kevin-vq6rv]

Sheet music paper and a sharp soft pencil with an eraser, indeed. I can't work without it.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for sharing Kevin!

[@smoreshaunted]

I went FROM recording with real amps and cabs TO using amp sims and cab sims inside my DAW!! I can lay down tracks and change up my sounds so quickly that I can write a song from scratch within a few hours. Now I might rerecord the parts later on real amps and cabs, but for creating and getting the ideas down virtual amps and cabs have been amazing for ME. Love you guys!!

[@JoeLewis14]

Great video. Another useful thing I try to tell everyone who records, is to set up a template. Mine is titled, 'Songwriting Template'. Nothing kills the creative flow like stopping your inspiration to create tracks, route internal buses and aux tracks, and troubleshoot why it isn't working like last time. Color coding each track and mix bus is also a must, including clips themselves. It takes 30 minutes to set up a perfect template the first time, then it saves you endless amounts of time down the road with recording, editing and mixing. Cheers.

[@jeffroberts_tunes]

Great comment! (And another great video) Mine would be not to confuse recording and writing. Even when you've got it all efficiently laid out, looking at a screen and wave forms can just suck the life out of a creative impulse. Keep a cheap mic and Audacity handy (or even a phone now), and capture an idea the minute you get it--they will disappear otherwise. And you can catch things with an impromptu take that just open up the more you listen to them. Then get the hell out of the boiler room and go play your guitar/piano and sing the tune out--or just work it out in your mind until you have a *song*. Then put the blue coveralls with the name tag on them and do the hard work of recording the song. You know how the tune goes and can focus on getting sounds and takes right. No rule is written in stone but this approach has really helped me get from creative spark to finished product with a lot less wasted time and lost fire.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing your process Event Horizon Records! That all makes incredibly good sense to me!! Indeed once you've created and refined the template it really helps!!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@jeffroberts_tunes wow! Thanks amazing commentary here! This kind of discussion really helps everyone in our community!

[@S.K.166]

I love you Warren, my favorite thing to watch on youtube, great community vibes!! Love from Australia

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Sam in Australia!!

[@jpr1est783]

@whoever wrote the first question: It actually takes a lot of work to make a sampled library (such as strings) sound good. It is in no way cheating. What might be cheating is if you used a chord pack to create chord progressions and how the harmony is written. As a composer I hear people in bands with no orchestral experience doing absolutely zero work to the strings, making them sound synthy/fake, dull and lifeless. For instance, you need to not just be adding in realistic dynamics, but controlling the speed of the legato transitions, and even the vibrato from note to note, etc.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Jie Pon, thanks ever so much for sharing your experiences with us! I agree, the extra attention you give virtual instruments is what it takes to make it amazing!

[@ryKirwan1]

In my home studio with my limited amount of outboard gear, I try to take the same approach as you and leave things patched. I’ll also take pictures of signal chains that work well. Love my virtual instruments and my analog ones. Good faq Friday. Print it! 🎧🎤🥁🎸🎼👍🏼

[@JUD2784]

Warren, what do you think is a good secondary mic for guitar amp next to an sm57, what do you think of the Lewitt LCT441?

[@Producelikeapro]

Big fan of all Lewitt Mics! Yes, that would be quite a cool combination! Try it out and let us know how you get on!

[@guitarlusteuphoria4507]

In my low tech world I use a Line 6 Helix as my interface for all instruments. I have my favorite amp/mic sims saved for most basic recording. At band rehearsal I take snapshots of different effect patches to easily be recalled in the studio.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much for sharing my friend! If you are making music that is wonderful! Please don't let a lack of high tech equipment stop you making music!

[@jagould2000]

This might be a boring question for some, but have a question about your preferences for patchbays and normalling. I assume most people normal their live room tie-lines to their console / preamp inputs, but I've often wondered about outboard gear in a hybrid studio settings. Do you A) put the ins and outs of the outboard gear on different patch bays, normalled to ins and outs on your computer interface or B) Put the outboard gear in and out on the same patchbay, non-normal of course, and always patch it with cables to wherever you need it?

[@lucabiolzi1767]

Great tips and explanations from you Warren, as usual! You make everything so clear, every time. I've been working as studio assistant in a professional studio for years, then I walked away from music production... anyway, what I think should never be missed in both enviroments (pro and homestudio) workfow is TIDINESS. Keep everything to the essential and always know where you can find what you need! Then, a couple of things which always work and help in my worklow are: 1) Take notes of particular settings or ideas (mic, eq, etc.) DIRECTLY on the protools track. 2) Save as new sessions and NAME them properly, each time you reach a certain goal or step in the mix. For instance, once the drums sound right save it as Song_DRUMS_mix_ok. If drums and bass are ok, it would be Song_BASS_mix_ok. So, no matter if the very next day or the following month, I'll always know where I left it.

[@jasonsimmons7479]

Great video as always Warren!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Jason!!

[@TonyMullinsMusician]

Love the thought about sampled vst's are at their best and using real instruments have flaws or your playing effects them differently. Good Stuff!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much Tony!

[@JesusArmasOficial]

I personally have everything set on my PT session when it's time to track any sort of source. Vocals, guitars etc. I can't record drums here, neither for my band or for any clients. On that instance I get prepared in two ways. One of them is to ask what they'd like to have virtual drums or organic drums. In any case I have a solution. In case of virtual, my go-to plugin is already in the session. And in case of organic drums, I book a session with a studio nearby for that matter. Greetings from Spain.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hello in Spain! Thanks ever so much my friend for sharing your experience! I really appreciate it!

[@Steelplayer59]

Hi, Warren. One addition to workflow that keeps me straight during a recording session is a connection diagram of the hardware in my studio. Though I have done as you recommended, and keep patches in place (via “normalled” connections in a small patch bay), I can easily lose track of the signal flow through occasionally used devices without the diagram to keep me straight. Mine is a simple hand-drawn diagram, with many copies made to highlight signal flow for a session that may be using different hardware than my normal pathways. Thanks for the great content of your videos, and being so open willing to share all these great tips!

[@DeSRecordings]

peg board is a necessity for my home studio. I hang all my cables, headphones, and shock mounts on it

[@Producelikeapro]

Marvellous idea!!

[@mendedarrows9394]

I do most of what you’ve suggested in my little studio, drum mics were taken back by the person I borrowed them from. For a single person, my only addition would be keeping the recording console (I use a laptop, and digital 8 track) at arms reach from everything in the room. I can hit the red button from the drums, keys, and all the other stationary instruments.

[@curtisburns]

If you've recorded a DI of an electric guitar as well as Mic'd up the the amp, when it came time to compress the Mic'd guitar have you/would you ever use the DI'd signal to trigger the key input of the compressor?

[@kimklbk3721]

Just a tip: Wow Control from Soundtoys, or any plugin "tape wobble" or detune effect, can dramatically help virtual acoustic instruments in a mix. Thanks for all the great stuff, Warren. And for hoping we're all doing marvellously well. Ditto:-)

[@patkelly3966]

Pitch drift on soft synths too.

[@kimklbk3721]

@@patkelly3966 Indeed. Anything moving and fluttering resembles "real life" a little more:-)

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Kim Kølbæk absolutely! I love randomising digital sounds!

[@Producelikeapro]

Pat definitely!

[@Producelikeapro]

Kim Kølbæk absolutely! Agreed

[@KosmasLapatas]

Amazing video full on unbiased opinions and truths!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much my friend!!

[@KosmasLapatas]

@@Producelikeapro thank you. I have been watching everything you post and aside your talent and expertise, what sets you apart from anyone else in the music business is your unparalleled ethos and work ethic, which is the most crucial (but overlooked) element in music

[@Producelikeapro]

@@KosmasLapatas aw shucks thanks ever so much my friend!!

[@miltonex]

Great video as always thank you Warren

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much!!

[@niclastname]

Noob Question: How do you learn to get passed/fight the urge to have your mix be symmetrical? Maybe I'm just weird in this feeling, but I constantly want everything to be heard on both sides in stereo, and it's a real problem. As you know, if everything is everywhere, stuff gets too busy real quick. Not only that but it takes away from the dynamics and space of the mix. How do I get over this problem, and what is a good way to practice and learn good guidelines for what, when, and where to pan tracks in a mix?

[@patkelly3966]

Nic Lastname. Depending on the style of music you make its not a bad rule of thumb to pan instruments to mirror that of how an audience would visually and acoustically perceive an onstage band.

[@niclastname]

@@patkelly3966 That's a good way to look at it, at least the case of a real band/orchestra "layout". It's just a weird mental block I have a lot of trouble with when it comes to mixing. Because I LOVE hearing the fine details of instrument placement etc when I listen to someone else's work. Yet, when I'm doing it I can't help thinking "don't do that like that, it doesn't sound right" even though I hear it in other places and enjoy it. It's a personal mentality issue I guess. I get the same way writing music too. Like I ALWAYS argue that simplicity doesn't make something worse, and can even be a benefit. However, when I'm writing something, I can never shake the thought that it's boring if I make something simple. Maybe that's just some kind of insecurity that I need to get over with time.

[@patkelly3966]

@@niclastname hate to say it mate but those are issues you need to overcome. All the best

[@BLACKSYNTH]

Great tips. As usual, When recording bass/guitar & working on the computer at the same time I ALWAYS run over my cables with my chair wheels, might use shorter cables and keep them hung up in between sessions. I also struggle with bass settings from the passive/active controls & pedals (which get used for guitar parts and change) and which kemper profiles I was using I always struggle to get my sound back for overdubs weeks later.

[@stephanaulenbacher9125]

Hi Warren, thank you for the nice videos you're posting so frequently. I do have a question which might be interesting for a future video: How do you manage, to give an entire albung a "sound of this albung". Would you for instance advice to copy settings from eq and compression from one song to the other? In order that the listener can identify a song as a part of this particular album instead of mixing each song to a completely different vibe. Regards Stephan

[@kevinlong4657]

Warren, have you done a video on mixbus compression yet? I'm wondering what pro mixers and also mastering engineerings think about using it vs not using it, and any tips etc.

[@Kineticartist]

Hey warren long time listener 1st time caller We’ve seen and thoroughly enjoyed your forays in to some of the coolest hallowed ground studios in the world and learned much. Do you think you would ever visit other people’s home studios? Keep up the Simply marvelous videos from one fer schizzle talented man (that’s you warren no really you’re the bo diggity)

[@marchesi8]

Real Master!!!!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Marchesi you’re very kind my friend!

[@edwincrain986]

Zip ties..... Are always a help in my home studio.

[@Producelikeapro]

Great tip Edwin!!

[@WhaleBluePRS]

7:53 Wow, saying I agree is a massive understatement. My drums are always mic'd up, bass DI (Geddy Lee Sansamp) is always ready to go. 16 channels of I/O are all patched in, except for the channels required to track acoustic guitars, electric guitars and vocals. Talk about a time-saver when you're the entire "outfit" (writer/arranger/engineer/artist/producer/mixer etc).

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate your great comment!

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks ever so much! I really appreciate your great comment!

[@WhaleBluePRS]

@@Producelikeapro My pleasure! Glad to have something to offer from time to time!

[@nothingatall8]

Great info again!!! :) Question : If your hard drive were to crash what would you do? Would you have to reinstall everything on a new drive or is there a way that you would have some type of drive backup to put on a new drive? Thank you!

[@iengineer_247]

I have a Mobile Rig. I record at Churches,Places galore mostly live stuff then mix at home. I been doing it for 10 years now. I like having a mobile setup because you can start up fast because it's my go to rig ready to plug and play and record!!!!

[@MartinLuxen]

Thank you warren!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Martin Luxen thanks you ever so much!

[@mickeymessstudios109]

Warren - I own almost every guitar amp sim available, and all the cabinet sims too ! But it's often so difficult to get "that" guitar tone mostly because I don't have anything to compare to. Can you put up 10 or 20 top choice guitar files which we could download and listen and use to compare with ? Your top choice of Metal and Hard Rock guitar files to help us learn. Greetings from Switzerland !

[@FelipeQueiroga]

Hey Warren, what an amazing video! What advice would you give for people who want to mix professionally or for those who want to have a recording studio?

[@gilbycoyote]

An enormous workflow improvement for me were templates. I mostly use a fully equipped one with all virtual instruments i tend to use, a virtual drum bus, real drum bus, guitar tracks set up for miked amps as well as amp sim. All plugins i might use are preloaded and disabled as well as all auxes setup and turned off.

[@lassebang]

The most common VSTi in my work flow is Superior Drummer 3. I am primarily a guitarist and sadly don't have the room for a real drum kit, but when ever I work with it, I have a rule about always changing something in the samples I use. I never just use them as they are. It makes them sound alot more like my own and I can add ideas here and there to make them stand out. Samples may not be the real thing, but there's real emotions and real artistic decisions behind every note played.

[@omniripple]

me too! i was using addictive drums 2 for years, and superior 3 blows it out of the water, even using the ez drummer samples as well, love it!

[@lassebang]

@@omniripple Exactly. I started out using EZD2 and the fact alone that all my samples, user MIDI etc. was compatible with SD3 made it a no-brainer to switch over and I have never felt the need for another VSTi since :)

[@terrydoylemusic]

I have a small single room studio so while not a home studio I don’t have enough clients yet to call it commercial either he. I leave the drums micced up, the piano micced up, a 57 in front of a guitar amp so that we can move quickly. I have had musicians comment at the end of sessions that they felt it had been the most productive session they had seen. I do also prep for each session by being there an hour or two before the downbeat time and tresting dignal on each mic etc. You would be amazed atthe number of times something doesn’t work! So its better to do your headscratching on your time not the artist :-) Great video Warren!

[@splashesin8]

I always tried to keep it ready to record, saving my settings for each project with quick mix. It would inevitably still have to be adjusted some way, if I ever left the house and came back. That or I'd forget to turn off the A/C and mute the landlines. Sometimes the window would be open and a loud muffler or other dying A/C would go off. Thankfully it became easier when it all was not completely on tape each go at it. Yes, it makes sense on the good enough to walk away. The best way to turn it over in my mind, just playing it back waiting for the bus for a few days. It did make the fixes very easy.

[@JoePerkinsMusic]

'Bouncing' always sounds far more daft than 'Printing' to me....but we all still know what they both mean! :P

[@Producelikeapro]

Joe Perkins haha yes, indeed!

[@bradjonesband1818]

Hey Warren, any chance you could make a video on the routings of a standard commercial studio. basically explaining how to run from mic through patchbay, console, converters and back ect. If not, are you able to point me in the direction of a video that could help me. Thanks heaps and keep up with the amazing content!

[@do-majeurvii4659]

How do you mix your bass line and the kick to make them be present and also listenable in the way to tell the difference. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@IFeeeeelGood]

What do you think about recording a guitar Amp with an SM 57 and a SM 57 copy as a 2 mic configuration?(front and back). What microphone whould you put front and what back, the original or the copy? Also, would you choose an SM 57 copy on the bottom snare in conjunction with a real SM 57 on the top?

[@Kevin-vq6rv]

If it is a copy, it doesn't matter, right?

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi IFeeeeelGood I would yes! Try it! I’d be excited to hear it!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Kevin maybe! Haha be great to hear!

[@jasonsimmons7479]

We've found that using the Sennheiser 609 or 906 with a 57 works fabulously.

[@jasonsimmons7479]

Both are relatively inexpensive.

[@JUD2784]

As far as workflow secrets go make sure the band is well rehearsed, because you can't kick a dead horse-lol

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha well that definitely helps!

[@TheBassMan533]

Hey Warren, love the videos! Been learning a lifetime amount of information through following your channel. I know you're a great supporter of the ILoud Micro from IK Multimedia and have seen you do an interview about their new ILoud MTMs. I'm looking into buying myself a pair of the MTMs but I can't find enough professional reviews of the product to help me make up my mind. I'm on a relatively limited budget and these seem to be top class when compared to anything else in the price range. Would you be so kind as to posting a review of it yourself? That would be incredible.

[@zackshrout6726]

Hi! I’m about halfway through my first album, using a Focusrite 2i2, Rode and Blue mics, and a combination of Waves/Slate/etc... plug-ins. No front other front end gear. I’ve just now acquired several upgrades, including the Warm Audio versions of the 1073, 1176, and La-2a. Should I finish the album using the outboard gear, finish it in the box, or re-record everything I’ve already done with the new gear?

[@gotyor]

Here some things I dig about my home studio vs pro. I laid out my whole studio to sit in the sweet spot the whole time, eveything is on tiers in front of me. I use lots of controllers that are assigned to all my plugins. I am from the old school of knobs, and love to just listen while a turn a knob vs watching the graphics ( on most things) but I am totally in the box now and use the controllers to get that hands on feel. Last note, when it comes to recording things like drums just go to a pro studio and book a day, Save the money you would have spent on pres, comps, and mics and block time and support the dying pro studios. You will most likely get way better results then at home.

[@acmebrandinc]

Warren, I just borrowed a roland JC-120 to record cleans..ala Metalica sanitarium..do I record/ Print the buit-in chorus or record Dry and then reamp the Jc-again and just record the"wet" speaker ? to then blend inside the daw? i'm not sure what they did back in the 80's for this sound..i have a feeling they printed the chourus to tape..which then leads me to think you cant double the track using this method because 2 chrorused performances would create a swirling phase when panned hard left and right...maybe a video on this quandary..for instance did Mr. Jerden record AIC rooster dry or print the chorus...any help is Greatly appreciated.Have a great weekend!

[@ksparbanie]

In the past several years, how often have you layered sampled drums with organic live recorded drums?

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi ksparbanie marvellous question! I would say if it’s recorded at somewhere like Sunset Sound not very much, at my studio with a very small live room then more often.

[@ksparbanie]

@@Producelikeapro Thanks!

[@patkelly3966]

@@Producelikeapro Love room?...........Perhaps a Freudian slip there lol

[@Producelikeapro]

@@ksparbanie you're very welcome!

[@Producelikeapro]

@@patkelly3966 haha yes, indeed!

[@studiofischer6115]

Hey Warren, if been searching for a great workhorse vocal mic for quite some time now. I especially find it hard to find a mic that gets good or at least workable S-sounds. Do you have a tip for a great and reachable vocalmic and tipps to handle the S-sounds in vocal recordings?

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Studio Fischer Marvellous question! I am a huge fan of Lewitt and the mics they make! Also Audio Technica make amazing mics for the money!

[@neovxr]

in the home studio, you can have the heating or cooling temperature always where you like it best, and you may find a common ground with the guys that you know since long. in the home studio, you have one main harddrive in the computer, holding everything relevant to YOU, and you have only 1 or 2 backup drives that are removable. putting headphones, gadgets and cables of the day back in their right places when going to bed, is still very recommended, also it makes it easier to keep the place clean.

[@stephen7185]

Any time someone asks me why I prefer to use any many real instruments as possible im gonna respond with your G G G example.

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha thanks ever so much Stephen!

[@Keigan884]

Hi Warren, could you please talk a bit about physically routing a studio for hybrid mixing, for those of us unfamiliar with how a true console works. I'm trying to integrate a Focusrite Clarett with 24ins/outs with a Crest Console xFour, where I'd use 16channels on one side to go in, and the other 16 to go out. But I just don't understand how outboard gear and a 4track get integrated. And also how everything is wired for hybrid mixing using buses etc. Basically I'm just not sure how an old school console functions, and how to integrate it.

[@alexanderewing3779]

Good stuff as per, Warren. Could you do a bit on referencing? My music is all on my computer, i.e. mp3. Can referencing still be valuable in this case? keep on rockin' Cheers Alex

[@royglennie]

Warren! Sound advice as always my man! I have a question - I recently heard that you did the music for the trailer for Inglorious Basterds - was that a case of 8:10 (Boom ching boom ching) in your own studio there? And what did you use for guitar sound, it is awesome!! Thanks as always!

[@edwincrain986]

Interesting and full of good idea's , as always.

[@tespiteng]

I think "printing" comes from newspaper era.. Printing was a term which meant (and still means) "ready to go" and/or "final" in editorial world and I think it is stuck with studio people, especially in 60's and 70's when they used tapes. It actually makes sense today too, it represents a clean, raw track which is "ready to go" for the next stage.. :)

[@HeathAllyn]

For next FAQ Friday: After all that I've learned over the last 20 years (and a LOT over the last few weeks after discovering this channel), I'm tempted to go re-mix/master one of my earlier tunes, but I'm torn as I don't want to be like George Lucas, just constantly tweaking my old stuff forever and changing it, and also wonder if maybe it should just live on as it is with all its imperfections as a sign of the times and where my skills were then. Perhaps its "sound" good, bad, and ugly is just now part of it's personality and character. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!

[@gilbertspader7974]

I am learning computers and computer recording. At 55 I'm used to Tascam 44 , 288 , 688 and now I have a computer and Reaper DAW. It has taken me 2 months to learn how to get stereo tracks in and out of it . Just starting to try putting vocals on original tracks . This recording is so much easier in some ways . Crazy harder other ways . Your channel and Glenn Frickers are holely responsible for me knowing anything about this at all . Thanks for all you do and the Promix Academy. Total gratitude !!!!!!

[@davetbassbos]

Hey, I actually have the same story!, you probably know about Kenny Gioias videos on the Reaper site? if not they are fantastic!

[@gilbertspader7974]

Yes they are excellent, also look at Cake Walk which is free and has good VSTs .

[@Galdi_]

What kind of audio interface you are using?

[@billium99]

Good vid! Just to be clear, Storyblocks sells royalty-free music that gets regularly dinged by KZbin as a copyright issue. Even the pay sites like Storyblocks resell material, and their support is terrible. You are on your own, filling out forms, etc to fight each random KZbin violation flag.

[@srobson2797]

Hi there . I'm doing some drum recording it mo to a click track . is it Wong to do 9 layers and then comp them or should I just get it in one good take

[@NacekO]

Any thoughts on drum programming. People say that programmed drums suck but I would argue that programmed drums only suck if the person programmimg them doesn't understand how the real instrument is played thus ending up with drum grooves that would require three hands or sound sterile because the hi hat is programmed on the same velocity for every hit and so on.

[@16914]

question what about cable angles or having 1/4 jack in right and out. would there be over time a tarnish or swelling or causing stress.. unplug or keeped plugged ??

[@krissinistar6959]

Pulling in and out causes more harm over time

[@16914]

That's what I was thinking. But banging them around keyboardist. Mixer. Amp but yes I agree. Thanks for reinforcement

[@Fedbo]

Thoughts on using realistic sounding drum loops from ez drummer/superior drummer into a finished song of an independent artist? Can the song come out as if a real drummer played it? Is it cheating? (to quote the question on this video )

[@Producelikeapro]

Definitely! If it works and you get great results then definitely do it!!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi ryanshreevedrums agreed 100%! So glad everyone is getting involved in this question!

[@Fedbo]

@@Producelikeapro thank you both so much for your answers! by mic bleed you mean how much of the kit is picked up by the panoramic over head mics?

[@peterbrandt7911]

I don't know. I find printing is much more suitable today, than it was back in the days. Mostly, because "printing" today, is often different from recording these days. It's more exporting tracks from my DAW silently. Regarding homesudios, I would love to share insights, but I guess it's more or like the average one guy / jack of all trades, master of none setup :). You know a really good mic, a good channelstrip, a stereo comp, a good interface, a few synths, instruments and samplers, a controller, 2 pairs of non fancy monitors, tons of plugins and old stuff which isn't even hooked up anymore. So probably the most boring and uninspired workplace. But it didn't break the bank. Thanks for the FAQ, liked it very much...as always.

[@neilbarbu]

Remember though that physical models have come a long way. Check out GeoShred which is getting better by the year thanks to Mr Scandalis

[@Producelikeapro]

Marvellous! Thanks for sharing Neil!

[@rawkinj6609]

I was also recording with two tape decks into one another when i was young!! So I'm recording a cover album for someone right now, i play all instruments and he sings. I record a click track and a rough but with intent guitar track at home. Then I record drums in a drum studio downtown that has a great recording set up ready to go for 15$ hour. Take about 2-3 hours, eat your boiled chicken and patatoes and drink liquids, do alot of drums! Get good takes, with feel and intent! Then i go home, piece a good drum together with the click (that i played over as best as i damn could!) , but i don't go overboard...i don't line up every hi hat shot to the click!!!! omg! Next i do a rough guitar track, (sm57 and a condenser on something not too big, Marshall 15 Watt or Fender, turn up and old Roland orange Cube 40 holy hell...anyway if i have a jam room...i'll use a cab and mic the individual speakers. .)..depending the guitar sound i need. i've once done just a Boss OS 3 overdrive pedal directly into the mic input of the pc, sounds huge when doubled... Anyway, get a good, maybe even, dare i say DIFFERENT sound right off the bat and COMMIT!!! Then a P bass through bass Sans Amp....awesome, tasty and easy! Maybe 3 -4 bass takes. I'll send to singer so he can practice his vocals and for comments on the pre mix, and overall feel. Then a couple more guitar passes and leads, also any other instrument test parts wil be done here. Singer comes in for Vocals takes and final comments...yeah right!! If need be, I do Keys, Percussions, extra cymbals ( i have a few hanging around!) Final Vocals, Guitar Solos and sound effects last... Mix, send to singer ( client ), remix send repeat. Done! He gets it mastered so....my mix gets destroyed! But sometimes enhanced hahahahahahaha..... My rig is not always routed already and my cables are not all rolled up nice and hung. My Vocal booth is in the closet and sometimes i record bass and keys on my patio when it's nice out. I would call it adventure hybrid recording (Sylvia Massy thank you!) and my clients don't seem to mind! Enjoy your channel very much, thanks for keeping it real in a world of make believe! JJ

[@mattgreenlee5377]

"It's definitely not cheating" Glenn Fricker: TRIGGERED.... (Pun intended) :)

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Matt Greenlee haha yes indeed!

[@mattgreenlee5377]

Love you guys, keep it up! 😁

[@Producelikeapro]

@@mattgreenlee5377 Thanks ever so much Matt!!

[@TimDolbear]

Work flow: You have the gear you use, and don't have all the extras you don't, and you want to arrange everything so its in proper reach, meaning the things you use most are closest and accessible. This rarely happens in a commercial studio. My biggest pet peeve about commercial studio is having to leave the sweet spot to adjust almost everything. Example having a rack of gear behind you that is 20ft long.

[@davetbassbos]

I think electric guitar has got to be one of the most difficult instruments to emulate realistically, think how sensitive even a distorted guitar is to playing technique! I personally prefer obvious samples of guitar over an emulation that falls short, like Tone Loc - Wild Thing (samples Jamie's Crying)

[@gabsauvage]

What would be your biggest advice to people mixing their own productions? Traps to avoid, etc.

[@Producelikeapro]

Marvellous question! Check out this video! :- kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6KnmqOHbd-Jp9E

[@erikduijs2723]

I was always under the impression that 'bouncing' meant something slightly more more specific than 'printing': I thought 'bouncing' means recording a mix of tracks to another track (perhaps to free up tracks) while 'printing' just means just means recording. Maybe I was wrong all this time. Not that it really matters :)

[@niclastname]

One of your cons about digital instruments is actually kinda false (on paper, but tends to be true in practice). You're totally right that programed instruments don't have infinite dynamics, and that's to me the issue (albeit not a big issue, and Midi 2.0 adds even more velocity steps doesn't it?). However, what you were saying about uneven chords and stuff, that's totally doable with programed instruments. Not poorly fretted notes etc, but you can control the dynamics of each not individually. So I can take a programed piano bit, and click in a G chord, and each of those notes are separate and individually adjustable. So you actually _can_ do what you were saying about making the notes uneven or accentuating specific notes etc, or have some notes ring out longer than others. You can even adjust the pitch and stuff. So you could even simulate a guitar not being perfectly in tune by making all of the notes that would be on the D string slightly sharp if you wanted to. As well as shifting the timing of each note so that it strums, or rolls the chord on a piano. To me the biggest issue with programed instruments, is that most people that use them don't know or want to put in the time to consider and tweak all of the available details to make them sound more real and organic. Someone really good at programing instruments (and I certainly _don't_ include myself in that) can make a piano sound nearly indistinguishable from a real one, however someone else who just writes all the notes exactly in time and all at the same velocity. I do agree that analogue real instruments are obviously still better and always preferable where possible though. Great video as always! I enjoyed it ever so much :D

[@Kevin-vq6rv]

Well no. That’s in fact the whole issue. If you sample a G, B and a D tone from an acoustic piano and you play back those individually sampled tones, you hear a G major chord, but the harmonic structure is totally different than when you play that G major on the acoustic piano. With "harmonic structure" I mean the way the overtones or 2nd & 3rd harmonics are blending together. You don't have that with separate sampled tones.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Nic Lastname I didn’t argue against using digital, anywhere. Not sure what you mean? We talked about the pros and cons of using virtual instruments and recording analog instruments. Both have their place and I use both every day. I have never made an argument against ‘using digital’. I wish you all the best and hope you review the video again! Many thanks Warren

[@niclastname]

@@Producelikeapro Oh I think there's just a misunderstanding in my wording. I didn't mean you were arguing against using digital. I was just addressing that one con of digital where you were talking about perfect performances of digital vs imperfect performances of humans. By "your argument against digital", I meant that as "one of the reasons that you're citing as a drawback". I didn't mean to misquote you as arguing against using it. Sorry for the confusion! I'll try to fix the wording there.

[@Producelikeapro]

@@niclastname ok, thanks for rewording your original comment! Yes, I believe my only real point is the random that is generated in natural performance. With virtual we have to go back randomise these things ourselves, they don't appear in the same natural way. However, as I was saying I use both forms every day and love the sound of something very consistent in many situations and random in others! So both have their place in my productions! Thanks for your marvellous comment!

[@jeffroberts_tunes]

Even if you're a great drummer with a place to play them when you want, getting a decent recorded sound of drums is what engineering careers were made of (and production budgets got eaten up too). Who can afford to do that? As a non-drummer, working with a Fostex 4-track cassette record and a Roland Drumatix or 505 back in the 80's was so incredibly frustrating, because no matter how good your conception, the sound and groove just wouldn't be there (yeah you could get the right rhythm banging on a table and holding the mic up). And even those things were big advantages. Now you can drag and drop a fantastic drum sound and part into a DAW and move on. Hard to exaggerate just how freakin' amazing that is.

[@lahattec]

Print... as in 'imprint'.

[@halidharis]

i produce my drum track by midi controler...is it cheated?? i don't think so..there is no such thing (just my oppinion)..as long as the drumer can play it on stage. i call it "an alternatife way"

[@rocknrollguitar]

My homestudio, Plug vocal mics. here, guitar here, other instruments here, press record, e voila

[@Producelikeapro]

Lovely! Sounds good to me!

[@Bring_MeSunshine]

I find it odd: We are nearly 2 decades into the 21st century, where samplers have been around for 4 decades, synthesizers have pretty much been a part of popular music for 60 years (with a far longer historical development period prior); We've had sequencers (hardware) around for most of that time, drum-machines have a very long developmental vintage, polyphonic synthesis, FM synthesis, Fairlights, Kurzweil's Then, let's be fair, how many years has multitrack tape recording been around; tape speed manipulation, tape editing, double-tracking, ADT, mixing consoles, individual channel EQ, effects sends, processing; digital delay, analogue delay, phasing, flanging, filtering, compression, blah, blah, blah. This is RECORDING, ENGINEERING & PRODUCTION; in some people's opinion (not mine BTW), it's all fakery; double tracking a vocal part is fakery, overdubbing a lead guitar part is fakery, but it's the way recorded music has evolved, so why are people so obsessed with the idea of 'is it cheating?' Cheating whom? Surely the people asking this question are blissfully unaware that most, if not ALL of the music they've bought into from the last 60 - 70 years contains elements and techniques that have captured and manipulated sound. Techniques might have developed and evolved, but who's counting, ideas are still important, performances still valid. When people say music today is fake, I tell them to go and listen to Delia Derbyshire's rendering of Ron Grainer's original Doctor Who theme, all done by splicing bits of sped-up and slowed down tape of a single plucked note, with some white noise and test-tone oscillator, and, it's a wicked sound by anyone's measure

[@jasonsimmons7479]

Taking advantage of the tech you have is not cheating. It's more akin embellishing what you already have.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Jason Simmons absolutely! Would Beethoven call recording music cheating because he only wrote it down? Haha thanks for the great comment!

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Bring MeSunshine absolutely! We should use whatever we have to make amazing music! It’s a wonderful time to make music!!

[@theartistone5860]

I totally disagree with you. When I recorded a triangle on my last album I specifically rented a perfect hall and a U87 to get that perfect ambiance and depth to that one note in my epice 20 min song. worth it.. know the Cowbell I totally sampled, but never a triangle.

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha I love it! Genius! One of course must spend at least $2,000 on every triangle beat, it's thoroughly worth it!

[@patkelly3966]

I wonder if the Q regarding Printing the DI was also wondering what DI means?

[@Producelikeapro]

You may correct! Great point indeed!

[@adamfox9651]

"If you're not cheating, then you're not trying," as someone once said.

[@Producelikeapro]

Haha interesting statement indeed!

[@a1guitarmaker]

On Friday, according to Hindu culture, one should wear orange or yellow. Tomorrow at work, Saturday, I'll be wearing dark blue rather than the preferred black.

[@Producelikeapro]

Thanks for letting us know Ken!!

[@a1guitarmaker]

@@Producelikeapro, according to Thai astrology for warriors, black scares away the enemy! Concerning workflow... I miss it. Haven't had it since I moved to Charleston. My previous studio was a spare bedroom, emptied of furniture and acoustically treated, with 5 mics on the drums at all times, a guitar amp with mic, bass amp with mic, and the best mic through an ART channel strip for vocals. Having everything set up all the time and uncluttered was my trick.

[@omniripple]

I can say 100 percent cheating with midi or synth is perfectly fine, I don't play a violin, cello, or viola. but i'm recording my album and needed a string section. note by beautiful note I've crafted a string section for one of my songs that i don't think most people would realize was programmed, and i'll never take credit for playing the instruments. But my album required it so I've put it on there. A good example would be noel from oasis coming home to his wife, and his wife asking what he did that day, and he said sitting on a synthesizer for hours....and she say's but you don't play synthesizer, and he says something like i know but the music needs it or something like that. So even noel is basically saying even if you don't play the instrument do what ever needs to be done to get it on your song the way you want it pretty much.

[@andrewstevenson3807]

Real instruments are great. The issue we have as engineers/producers is the fact that those instruments are very rarely played by competent, never mind brilliant musicians. A virtual instrument will ways sound better than a real instrument played by a total arse who won’t practice and doesn’t know his parts.

[@Producelikeapro]

Hi Andrew, yes, that can be an issue! It's a big part of our job to get great performances from the musician!

[@kcctradio5751]

Real musicians, playing REAL instruments will NEVER go out of style! Sorry, I'm an old musician/engineer, mixer who believes that people who program music aren't musicians, they're programmers.