The last 5% to a "pro" sounding recording.

J

Jeremy LaRue

New member
I'm new here. I've started recording music again after some time off, I'm getting some good results. Good tonal balance, good dynamics etc., but there's something subtle missing. Just a little something that I can't quite figure out. Not looking for specifics, just any good tricks I may not be aware of. Could be automation, "ear candy". I just don't know. Pretty vague, I know, just curious what you all think.
 
With music, there is a lot going on and it is easy to misdiagnose a problem.

What you could be thinking is a mix problem might be an arraignment problem or a poor choice of tone for an instrument.
 
Usually it is down to the performance and arrangement. I've seen so many bands where things don't feel quite right. There's nothing wrong that you can put your finger on but they just don't have that "groove" that you get from a great band. A great performance will almost record and mix itself.
 
The thing I have been guilty of over the years, particularly in the beginning, is settling in to a groove and an arrangement and key, and sticking to it all the way without much change. That will wear out even the nicest melody quite fast.

The subtleties in arrangements are what I hear as being a difference, the "Ear Grabbers" as Jack Clement put it.

It can be differing, slightly surprising chords at the end of a song (or on the bridge) where it's been the same up to that point.
In some cases, a few additional notes from a completely different instrument, never to be heard again, give a lift.

Keeping it fresh is, to me, the thing that showcases good production. Keep the listeners engaged by catching them a bit by surprise, like with a good film or book where you think you know the outcome.

It's a learning process, and I am only at the beginning.

C.
 
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