It’s a commonly asked question: should you equalize before or after the compressor? Much of the online advice is “it depends”. I think we can give a better answer to aspiring mix engineers. What does EQ before compression versus after compression do for us? EQ before compression affects the frequencies that the compressor acts on.Continue reading “Compression Before or After EQ?”
Category Archives: Gear and Hardware
The Best Mixing and Mastering Plugins
Every producer is looking for an edge to make their audio stand out. You want your track to shine brighter than the others in your genre, right? What’s the easiest way to do that? Figure out what plugins your favorite producers use, and buy them, of course! In this article, I’ll explore ways to buildContinue reading “The Best Mixing and Mastering Plugins”
Idea Harvesting
Where do your ideas come from? This is a common question asked of artists and other creative people. Austin Kleon, among others, is famous for encouraging folks to “steal like an artist”. In that spirit, I’ve found a couple NPR Tiny Desk Concerts that show some interesting audio production ideas that I thought were worthContinue reading “Idea Harvesting”
Remove reverb & echo in Logic Pro X for free
I was editing a voice-over for a client recently, and it sounded like it was recorded in a living room or kitchen with hardwood floors. There was lots of resonance and room tone! With more recordings being done at home, I wanted to share how you can remove reverb and echo from some of yourContinue reading “Remove reverb & echo in Logic Pro X for free”
Gear Review: Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm Headphones
This is a review of a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm open-back headphones that I bought a month or two ago. Neither the store where I purchased these headphones, nor Beyerdynamic are supporting this review. This is my own opinion. I hope this review answers questions that others may have while shopping forContinue reading “Gear Review: Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 Ohm Headphones”
Vocal Booth: build or buy?
As promised, here is a longer post about building versus buying a vocal booth for voice over recording. This is a cost-benefit analysis of building my booth. Cost When making my decision to build or buy a vocal booth two considerations were at the front of my mind: The cost of building a booth TheContinue reading “Vocal Booth: build or buy?”
Where it counts most
After listening to hours of audio books and building my studio, I find it is possible to worry too much about audio quality. The noise floor in your studio only has to be good enough. Because the broadcast medium or network connection that sends your work to consumers will almost certainly be noisier than yourContinue reading “Where it counts most”
Recording Booth: Done!
The recording booth is done, and it sounds great! I’ll do a longer post about the details of building this booth, but I think building a booth is a great option for handy voiceover artists. My booth cuts out the ambient sounds and room acoustics that previously dogged my recordings, and it allows me toContinue reading “Recording Booth: Done!”
Sound Booths
One thing every voice over or audio production business needs is a quiet place to record. There are several solutions to this problem. Many companies make different types of sound booths. The problem with these prefabricated booths is their price. They cost thousands of dollars. For a fledgling voice over company, that is a steepContinue reading “Sound Booths”
Greg Douras Audio 