Home Studio Upgrades

I made a couple of major improvements to my home studio recently and should be current for a few years. The improvements were way overdue, so when I saw some mind-bending deals over the holidays, I pounced. My studio laptop was more than a decade old, and my software didn’t even support plugins. It was time to move on.

I’d only ever used Propellerhead’s Reason music software to make music (and love the product to boot), so moving to Reason 12 was a no-brainer. Not only did it include all the changes since Reason 7 was released in 2013, but the familiar environment would allow me to keep focusing on making music, not learning new software. After reviewing recommended system requirements, I began searching for a laptop.

As had happened more than ten years previously, the HP Envy best fit my laptop needs, so I bought one along with Reason 12. I still use the same audio interface, monitor speakers, and headphones, but I’ve added an extension cable to the latter for reaching into my isolation booth, as well as a USB hub. The Envy delivers great performance and pairs great with Reason 12, and I look forward to spending lots of time with them.

Mixing “Anna Marie” for New EP

Studio laptop for mixing

Mixing New Song for Upcoming Release by The Jerrys

I’ve begun mixing “Anna Marie,” the last track appearing on The Wind Cries Jerrys, a six-song EP to be released later this year. This one may be my fave song ever by The Jerrys. Once mixed and mastered, it will be the third song ready for the new EP.

A single, “Chicago USA,” has been released ahead of the EP. Listen to “Chicago USA.”

Books I Read in 2014

Here are the books I read or reread in 2014:

  • Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio (Mike Senior)
  • The Subterraneans (Jack Kerouac)
  • Journey to Mindfulness (Bhante Henepola Gunaratana)
  • Get More Fans (Jesse Cannon and Todd Thomas)
  • Who I Am (Pete Townsend)
  • Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix (Charles Cross)
  • The Dhammapada
  • The Recording Engineer’s Handbook, Third Edition (Bobby Owsinski)

10 Things To Do Before Mixing a Recording

10 Things Before Mixing

After reading Mike Senior’s Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio earlier this month, I created a checklist of ten things to do to prepare a recorded song for mixing. My process has always been a bit too haphazard, so I plan to use this checklist to ensure that I never miss an opportunity to make my music sound better.

  • Organize tracks
  • Divide timeline
  • Listen to tracks
  • Identify gems
  • Edit out silences
  • Do multing as needed
  • Adjust timing and tuning
  • Camouflage edits
  • Comp vocals, lead tracks
  • Arrange

As these can be tedious, time-consuming tasks, many top-tier engineers give them to assistants to perform, but that’s not an option for those of us in home studios. If you’re a home studio user, feel free to use this checklist to better prepare your recordings for mixing. For more, be sure to check out Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio.