Developing A Sound Recording Engineer's "Ear"

[Phreesoal]

Given that I'm completely new to music recording, I have what I feel is a very important question relating to this, regardless of what medium is used to record music with or what instrument is being recorded:

• How does a newbie learn the proper instrument and vocal balance, as well as sound, for recording? You know, how does one develop a sound recording engineer's "ear?"

Not all sound recording engineers went to school to learn this technique. Many are self-taught. I know there's alot of great info. on the 'net to help with this issue, such as using certain mics for certain instruments and placing them in a certain way, for example. However, even if I have all of the recommend (or sufficient) equipment to properly record instruments/vocals and place them like them like others recommend, that still doesn't teach me to have that "ear" needed to properly record them. How does one know if a vocal is overbearing, or if a real trumpet is not balanced right or perhaps bleeding? These are just examples, but I think you all understand where I'm coming from!

Thanks everyone,

Phree

[Ace2000]

It comes from listening to music. I don't believe you are taught the skill. I've worked in the studio (as a musician)recording with guys who went to school and spent a fortune, and still wouldn't know the criteria for a good album if it bit them on the ass.

The best textbooks you'll ever find are the records themselves.
Pink Floyd, RUSH, Hendrix, the Beatles, Genesis, Led Zep and a whole slew of others since then, really understood the studio and how to make an album that will outlive themselves. I've been studying these types of albums for years. I listen as a producer, musician, and for the life of me cannot listen as a casual listener. When i hear music I have to analyze it. Everything from panning the instruments in the strero spectrum, to how that wicked guitar run was executed.

A lot of engineers and producers spent the money on tuition, but still don't know how to listen to an album.

And I'm a firm believer that if you don't know how to *listen* to an album, you have no hope of producing a good one, even with a high priced certificate deeming you an engineer or producer..I'm sure we've all worked with a clueless producer who thought his way was the only way cuz that's what his textbook manual said so.

Your ears should always be the guide, not a manual or a preconcieved notion of what the "right way" is. Listen to your fave albums with headphones, study them. study them, study them and you will never need a guy who's never written a song in his life telling you what is "right" or "wrong."

Not to say that having certificates or schooling invalidates you, it does not - but neither does it vindicate you or magically bestow
neccesary listening skills upon you. Some never get it. Some do.

Just my opinion,
Ace.

[dobro]

Exactly what Ace said. The more you listen, the more you hear. After a while, you just start to hear what's going on. You think: "Hm, that guitar sounds boxy." or "Hm, that's tasty. Let's try it again with a tweak." I've been doing this for about two years now, and my biggest disadvantage is not my stupidity (well, it's a disadvantage, sure, but not the biggest one ), but my not *listening* to what's there.

[Phreesoal]

LOL@dobro!

Cool - so, it is what I pretty much thought it was all about, which is simply "listening" to how others have done it. If there are any other often overlooked, yet simple, techniques to help get that ear, put it on the table.......

Thanks always for your informative and quick replies everyone!

Phree

[Track Rat]

The next part of the equasion is listening on a system you can trust. It's one thing listening to the kick drum/ bass relationship on a boom box or a consumer stereo system and quite another listening to the same material on studio monitors.

[asi9]

Yeah, I started by doing this:

Woh, I love that guitar sound!!!

Then you research forever trying to learn how to get that guitar sound. Then give up because there are so many variables. Then you read articles, do experimentations and weird stuff with tracks in Cakewalk, Soundforge, whatever. After a while, you know enough to where you can go back and listen to your favorite sounding albums, and instead of trying to figure out how they got that guitar sound (what amp, what mic, what placement), you start listening for the QUALITIES of that sound that are what you like (ex: a lot of attack around 2.5khz). Then you do that with all the instruments you come across. You find out what you like about each instrument, then comes the fun of getting rid of unecessary stuff so that the things you like about each instrument comes through. I like the attack of bass guitar, around 2,000hz, and I love the meat at 100hz, but woh, that area around 200-300hz really doesn't add much, I'll just cut it. Woh!!! I can hear the beef of the guitars a whole lot better!!! Now, I'll cut those boomy frequencies on the guitar, between 80-120hz. Woh!!! I can hear the low end of the bass guitar better!!! Etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc......... (are you seeing a pattern, here?)

[asi9]

Oh, and I almost forgot.

Pretty much anything you can ever think of has been discussed in these forums. Just do a "search" for what you want to know about: 90% of the time you will find what you are looking for (and then some).