Why Different Gear Sounds Different

Compression and limiting are tools we use to modify the dynamic range of the music we record. In this episode, I present a brief history of where this technique came from, how it evolved over the years since the 1930s. I discuss the various ways that compression circuits work, from the variable-mu vacuum tube, to the optical compressor, the FET, the VCA, the PWM, and the digital limiters. I explain how these different approaches affect the sound in different ways.

There are often a lot of adjustments on a compressor, and I go through the most common controls you are likely to encounter and what they do to the sound.

Compressor and limiter effects on the music are subjective, so I try to give general guidance for getting the sound you want from your hardware and software devices.

Your ideas for future episodes are always welcomed. And your comments are useful to me. You can reach me at dwfearn@dwfearn.com

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

This is part 2 of the Audiophiles Guide to Music Recording. You can listen to part 1 at
https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/14335456
Or you can access part 1 wherever you listen to podcasts.

My Take on Music Recording is primarily aimed at people in the professional recording world, but there are a significant number of listeners who are music lovers and audiophiles. This episode provides an overview of the recording process for them. However, I think even people in our profession might enjoy how I attempt to explain the recording studio process in layman’s terms.

This reflects my experience and how I work as a producer and engineer. I tend to carry over the tools and techniques that I have learned over the last five decades. They work best for me and my style of recording. I know that there are other approaches, and I try to acknowledge and explain those, too. But my focus is on what I do, which isn’t always mainstream.

Your feedback on these episodes is especially interesting to me. Tell me what you think.

As always, thanks for listening, commenting, and subscribing. I can always be reached at dwfearn@dwfearn.com

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

My Take on Music Recording is primarily aimed at people in the professional recording world, but there are a significant number of listeners who are music lovers and audiophiles. This episode provides an overview of the recording process for them. However, I think even people in our profession might enjoy how I attempt to explain the recording studio process in layman’s terms.

This reflects my experience and how I work as a producer and engineer. I tend to carry over the tools and techniques that I have learned over the last five decades. They work best for me and my style of recording. I know that there are other approaches, and I try to acknowledge and explain those, too. But my focus is on what I do, which isn’t always mainstream.

There is a lot to cover, so this topic is split into two episodes. I will publish the second half next week.

Your feedback on these episodes is especially interesting to me. Tell me what you think.

As always, thanks for listening, commenting, and subscribing. I can always be reached at dwfearn@dwfearn.com

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

Music is meant to be heard in an appropriate acoustical environment. But many times, we have to record in a space that does not have the right sound to it. Artificial reverb is often the solution.

In this episode, I talk about good room sound in a studio, and the earliest methods of creating a reverberation sound. That started with spring reverb, then acoustic echo chambers, tape delay, plate reverbs, and finally the digital reverbs that are used today on most recordings.

I discuss the origins of those techniques for creating reverb, and the strengths and weaknesses of each, along with my impression of how each of them sounds.

I also provide my own insights into using reverb. What kind? How can we modify the basic sound? And how much reverb is appropriate. And maybe no reverb at all is best.

Thanks for listening, subscribing, and commenting. I am always looking for your questions and suggestions for future topics.

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

In this episode, I talk about software plug-ins vs hardware. It is a question that I get frequently from listeners. It is relatively short.

Can a plug-in perfectly emulate a hardware device? What are the tradeoffs a plug-in designer needs to consider? What about a plug-in that has no hardware antecedent, but it something out of the mind of the designer? These are some of the topics considered.

Thanks for listening, subscribing, and commenting. You can reach me with your questions for a future podcast, or suggest a topic you would like to know more about. Send me email at dwfearn@dwfearn.com

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

Every recording is made is some sort of space. It might be a room, and studio, a church, a concert hall, or even outside.

The space where the music is performed, and where the microphones pick up the music always influences the sound of the recording.

You might think that close-mic’ing in a dead room eliminates the contribution of the room, but it is still there, for better or worse. The room influences our perception of the performance. Our brain draws conclusions about the space. A listener may form a mental image of the musicians and the room, based on what they hear. Usually, most listeners are unaware of the space, unless it is very obvious. But it does influence their response to your recording.

Learn some of the basics of acoustics that can help you make your studios and control rooms sound better.

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

How do we make our recordings better? I have thought about this for over 50 years and in this episode, I have tried to distill what I learned into a dozen general rules.

The best way to make great recordings is to start with great performers. But even if you aren’t recording the best talent in the world, there are still ways to improve what you get.

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

What if you were suddenly confronted with recording an instrument you had never had in the studio before? Or one you never heard before? Or one you never knew existed?

How do you figure out how to capture its sound? Where do you place a microphone? What microphone will you use?

In this episode I suggest various ways to evaluate an unfamiliar instrument or sound, using some examples from my own experience, and a few rules of thumb to get started.

This topic was suggested by a listener. If you have ideas for a episode, let me know. dwfearn@dwfearn.com

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

After three and a half years of producing the “My Take on Music Recording” podcast, I thought it would be useful to review the 80+ episodes and point out some of the interesting topics you might have overlooked.

You might have missed some of the earlier episodes, or skipped over them because they did not interest you at the time.

The most popular episode of all is the very first one, from March 2020, called “Your Hearing is Amazing.” Everything we do depends on our hearing and in this episode, I give a simplified overview or how our hearing works, and what makes it amazing. It is our most complex sense, in terms of resolution, dynamic range and frequency response. It is subject to all sorts of strange defects, like our varying sensitivity to many frequencies, depending on the loudness.

That’s one example of many that I hope help you to be better at what we do.

In this short episode, I point out some of the most popular topics, and several of the episodes that never received a lot of downloads. Perhaps my explanation of the contents will suggest that there are some topics you might now found more interesting and helpful.

Thanks for listening, subscribing, and commenting. And your suggestions for future topics are always appreciated.

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

My conversation with musician, producer, mixer, and mastering engineer Justin Gray continues, in this second of two parts. In this episode, Justin discusses how to provide optimum tracks for an immersive mix. He also talks about the minimum immersive monitoring system needed and why it will improve your tracks for remix into Atmos or another format.

We explore loudness and how it affects an immersive mix.

You can learn more about Justin Gray at his web sites:  www.SynthesisSound.com

And  www.ImmersiveMastering.com

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/