The art of recording music is a great one, if it’s done right. A lot of times many rookie musicians don’t have their mixes on point, meaning proper volumes of vocals, instruments as well as effects. Certain precautions have to be taken when mixing a song down for major record executives, they wont hear you if the mix isn’t perfect. When the mix is off, so are you! Here are 4 common recording mistakes that a lot of people make and must avoid. Below I have listed the cure to these annoying problems!
Easy on the Effects: Sure you’re aiming to get the full effect from your recordings, however; don’t go overboard! Going overboard with effects will ruin your song faster than the speed of light. When using reverb, be very careful not to add too much otherwise you will sound like you laid your recording down in a tunnel. The same can be said when it comes to using the echo and compression effects, use what you need, but not to much. If you are using voice box (talk box) effects really pay attention to the drive of the effect, don’t add too much!
Use Real Instrument Sounds: A lot of musicians depend on using the instrument sounds supplied in their keyboards or mixing machines, however; most of those sounds sound nothing like the instrument they are imitating. If you have a keyboard that has weak or artificial sounding, drums, strings and horns, obtain patch cards of the real thing. This means going to your local instrument dealer or online obtaining a patch card of “real” drums and strings. If you are forced to depend on the sounds supplied with your instrument, don’t add all of the instruments in the same spot on the song. If you’re using strings and drums, make sure they are both at different volumes at different parts in the song. Not following these important rules will cause your song mix to sound clutter and flat out like trash!
Edit the Song Over and Over: One of the most common problems when it comes to how the playback of how a song sounds is, having the proper edit. Sometimes at the beginning of songs there will be a long intro, edit those. By editing a long intro you are making it possible for the listener to hear the full impact of the song. If your intro is too long, the listener will already be bored of the song before the verse even drops.
Use Panning Wisely: When using panning through out your song, use it the right way or don’t use it at all. Try to keep the levels centered if you are confused as to how to use the panning function. If you have experience with using panning, make sure you double all of your vocal pans. This means if you have pans on the left and right coming in at the same time; make sure they are in stereo instead of mono. If you are using digital track recording, simply copy and paste another track below.
