Wearing the right head gear

[Sonic Idiot]

I've found that when mixing various forms of music, wearing an appropriate hat while mastering really helps nail down the desired vibe. For instance, if its a swing band, I like to wear a fedora. Country music: cowboy hat. New age: hat made of twigs and aluminum foil.

The material of the hat coupled with how said hat sits upon said head influences the sound in an instructive way. If that Delta Blues tune your mixing sounds good while wearing a straw hat, you know your target audience will be receptive. Thoughts?

 

[giraffe]

have you ever tried mixing hat/genre up?

like try the aluminum hat and zydeco? just to see what comes out??

(i'm going to have to learn how to spell zydeco, it's the butt of a lot of my jokes)

 

[Sonic Idiot]

I feel that wearing an aluminum foil hat while mastering/mixing zydeco (spelled, in this instance, like a drug that treats erectile dysfunction) would result in somthing truly ugly...Think Brundle-Fly.

 

[Sonic Idiot]

If you have symptoms of enjoyment, ask your doctor about Zydeco. Side effects include ear aches, nausea, vomiting, gut rot, jimmy legs, cancer, helplessness, extreme weight gain, brain death...

 

[Atterion]

So what about heavy metal? Bandana and lot's of leather???
How about heay metal and a straw hat??? Huh???
Think about that one, will you!!!



"Y'all sound like 'dem there Slayaaaahhhh boyz"

 

[Gonny]

Doesn't a cheap tube hat make everything sound better?

 

[scrubs]

Side effects include ear aches, nausea, vomiting, gut rot, jimmy legs, cancer, helplessness, extreme weight gain, brain death...

"Doc, uh gots me a case o the jimmy legs"

 

[Sonic Idiot]

Try mixing traditional Norwegian folk music while wearing ear muffs. I promise, you will NAIL the sound.

 

[mattamatta]

Hmm, I think you might be on to something.

I have some picture from a session with my old band where we're all wearing straw hats.

Of course, that wasn't exactly the greatest recording project...

Spent a month or two working on three songs, mainly because we kept having to start over, as we'd realize partway through the process that there was a tempo problem in the underlying drumtrack or something of that nature.
One of those times where tension soar in the band.

Although usually after running into frustration and tension at practice, we'd go get mexican food, come back and write amazing stuff.


Anyway, I think I'm going to have to start doing the hat thing.

I've got this cool straw hat that I bought at the grocery store for 5.99 when I was shopping for taco fixin'.

I call it my taco hat.

Perhaps it will have to become my recording hat as well?

Things like that really do make it more enjoyable. One of the best recording sesion I've had was when I had a lamp on the floor near the kick drum for looks. Also had a picture of a girl from school that we idolized taped to a mic stand with it's own dedicated light aimed at it.

Make sure to center those picture stands relative to the drums, or the drummer will be distracted and look to the side too much.

 

[Sonic Idiot]

If you wear a lamp shade on your head when you mix, everything comes out sounding funny and breaks the ice at parties.

 

[pdadda]

OK, I'll be the nerd. In some part of Bob Katz's book on mastering, he mentions how wearing a hat with a brim puts some dip at a certain place in the frequency range. I'll have to look it up when I get home.

 

[Sonic Idiot]

Yeah! See, if you're mixing songs for, say, Texans, you better make damn sure that you boost the frequencies that are cut out by a ten gallon hat, otherwise your songs will sound lifeless. Only way to do that is to wear a ten gallon hat while mixing. (Making love Texas Mule style with your boots on helps you hear these frequencies, btw. Little known fact...)

 

[firby]

Can we put a lid on this thread now ?

 

[7string]

... (spelled, in this instance, like a drug that treats erectile dysfunction)

No, that drug is spelled zyDICKo...

 

[MadAudio]

Well from now on in my studio it will be mandatory to wear a Washington Nationals cap while in the control room (or "Womb" as Mixerman would call it). But it can't be just any Nationals cap. It has to be the one that has DC and not W.

In the studio itself, though, anything goes. Even no hat. Wigs are also allowed, but weaves are banned (fucks up the vacuum cleaner).

 

[timboZ]

When I put my tube socks on things seem to sound so much better.

 

[timboZ]

but weaves are banned (fucks up the vacuum cleaner).

Mr Ray must not be one of your clients

 

[Kevin Deschwazi]

I think you're on to something but I don't think it's restricted to the engineer and I think there are other things besides hats which have an effect.

Last time I was in the studio I wore a stick-on moustache to record the guitar parts and I played like I'd never played before. (I got through The Ukraine folk song from The guitarist's way- book 2, fluff free).

Can we put a lid on this thread now ?

When Klaus Behringer came up with the idea of putting a small lightbulb behind tubes in gear he had his detractors.

Now don't they all look silly?

 

[Sonic Idiot]

Man, you might think I'm joking. Put on various hats and see--this isn't funny. Or, if you're from the South, this "ain't" funny. Po-tato/Poo-tato. To-mato/To-mooto.

 

[dgatwood]

I've found that when mixing various forms of music, wearing an appropriate hat while mastering really helps nail down the desired vibe. For instance, if its a swing band, I like to wear a fedora. Country music: cowboy hat. New age: hat made of twigs and aluminum foil.

Better not get too much foil. Tinfoil hats can interfere with the ability of Major League Baseball to manipulate your mind and read your thoughts. Then the song might not be as popular in the mainstream teenie pop world because it didn't have the blessing of "them". Who "they" are is another question....