Tracking is essentially the process of recording songs. The name comes from the fact that each instrument is recorded individually and given it’s own “track” in the mix, so that the balance and sound of each can be controlled later. Originally, “track” referred to a thin width of analogue tape, today it usually means a file on a hard drive. Performances can be “live”, with all the musicans playing at once; one instrument at a time; or a mixture of the two.
Update – I wrote this post a few years ago now, and the TT meter is no longer the only kid on the block – although it’s still a great choice. To see a new video round-up of some currently available dynamic range meters, click here.
Loudness has always been an important topic in mixing, and especially mastering – never more so than today.
Knowing how loud is too loud has always been difficult. I’ve written before about how we hear loudness, and different software solutions for measuring loudness - but now, everything has been made far easier.
Recently a new tool has been released, purpose-designed for measuring the loudness of music. You can now see at a glance how loud your mix is, make informed decisions about compression and limiting, and choose to make your recordings punchy, loud and competitive.
And best of all – it’s free. (*)
(*) Kind of
This tool is the TT Dynamic Range Meter, released by the Pleasurize Music Foundation. It comes in two flavours – the one in the animation on the right is the real-time plugin version, available for both Mac and PC now, in AU, RTAS and VST versions.
There is also a second, off-line version of the meter, which generates an overall DR dynamic range measurement for a complete WAV file or CD and allows you to generate a log file, which can be submitted to the (unofficial) Dynamic Range Database.
The real-time plugin version shows peak and RMS level metering for the left and right channels, but also a measurement of the dynamic range – the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of the music – in the centre, labelled “DR“.
Broadly speaking, the idea is to keep the dynamic range as wide as possible – up to a point, at least. Click to continue »
The aim of this site is to help you get better, more professional results from your recordings and mixes.
Affordable digital technology has brought about a revolution in the way music is recorded and produced. It’s now possible for anyone to indulge their passion for recording on a limited budget and make a recording to a similar standard as most professional studios of the 80s or 90s.
This only applies to the technical aspects, though.
"Production Advice gives me an objective, professional opinion. It's easy to get lost in the details of a recording and mix, whereas Ian sees the bigger picture."
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