SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Any "secrets" that may exist - there are very few, if any, real secrets, IMHO - are based upon experience and training, and *require* that expereince and training to execute. There are no real secrets in the form of shortuts or magical settings that anybdy can dial in but the pros keep to themselves in order to save their pro status. That is myth. It's not that they are "secrets" that the pros keep to themsleves, sharing only with each other once the secret mason's handshake is given, it's just that they are techniques that require mastery of the fundamental skills to perform.But now I know there are many, many production secrets that are never shared with us Little Joes. And most of those secrets I cant afford anyway.
There are exceptions. The Power Plant (I think it was) was a studio that allowed no photographs of it's live room ceiling, because it has a proprietary faceted surface up there specifically designed to, when miked certain ways, created certain natural reverb effects, and they didn't want anybody duplicating their proprietary design. So yeah, occasionally that stuff does happen.
But far more often than not, at the basis of any "secret" is simply having sharp enough critical listening skills. Build on that with an intimate knowledge of just what kind of personality each piece of gear you own has and how they shape the sound that you hear (that itself requires sharp critical listening skills). Then sprinkle over the top a liberal dose of basic technical knowledge (e.g. 3:1, meter reading, calculating delay and tempo, etc.) and that's everything anybody will ever need. That's the big secret.
G.