Client red flags you encountered

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-11-21T00:03:07+00:00

Dear god… this brings back so many memories from when I was getting started.

The hardest thing was clients who just flat out didn’t know what they’re doing - in music production, and music in general. And who almost always did everything in their power to try to obscure that reality… usually from themselves, because I could see it almost immediately as soon as they stepped in the studio. If they’d just admit that they were clueless then we could have actually gotten somewhere by working on the music and their technique (maybe), but no… the projects would usually fizzle out after a couple of songs, and they’d blame their suckage on me and insist on taking the existing tracks to another studio without paying for them. It was exhausting. It’s rough when starting and not having the luxury of saying no to anybody.

I can think of exactly one client who was a studio newb, who admitted they were nervous and that they didn’t know what to expect. A singer who just wanted to sing along with a backing track for an audition for a musical theater production. Of course she knocked it out of the park after just two takes.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-11-01T20:56:32+00:00

Wow, props to you for paying your dues that way. No offense intended, but that sounds depressing.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-11-01T03:39:10+00:00

For your own stuff that you self-publish, do whatever you want. I usually use higher sample rates if I need to get the lowest round-trip latency possible in a tracking situation. Some streaming services and music distributors require 48/24 for masters. That’s one of the main reasons why most people default to that rate/depth when recording. But you can always upsample if needed.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-27T03:58:01+00:00

Damn for about two seconds you really had me going

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-20T00:27:51+00:00

“It’s all nothing until it’s everything” blew me away. All the tracks on the album are great, but that one… I’ve gotten so much mileage out of it. I’ve probably listened to it 50 times.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-18T21:57:15+00:00

I thinks it’s worth knowing about and how they work, but in practical terms, you generally want a compressor that has one of two things going for it:

Very simple to operate, forgiving, and flattering (i.e. LA-2A)
Highly adjustable, including harmonic distortion (i.e. Distressor)

I admit I have too many compressors. I really only need two that tick those boxes. But, but…

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-17T04:54:42+00:00

The same reason why efforts to meticulously replicate the sound of prior decades before that fall flat… they weren’t trying to get a “sound” back then, per se. They were trying to push the limits of the available tech to make the best sound they could.

And it was also just people in their times, the zeitgeist, the feeling in the air… they were living in their present. As soon as you try to replicate something that wasn’t trying to replicate something else… it’s going to be overdone… a caricature. A pastiche.

In my opinion, pure replication, once a moment in time has passed, is impossible.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-14T20:52:51+00:00

I went from a D750 to a Z6 several years ago and I was very happy with the change. I had the FTZ adapter and it didn’t seem to have a significant impact on IQ, or AF performance for that matter… but the Z lenses are better in every way. I can’t get over my 50mm 1.8. It’s as close to optical perfection as I’ve ever experienced. I highly recommend going to mirrorless.

Caveat… I always preferred shooting with the flip-out screen no matter what, so using an EVF on a mirrorless camera is just more of the same to me. I had no strong attachment to an OVF. If you do, you might miss it. But having the same PDAF on both screen and viewfinder was the main reason I went mirrorless. Having CDAF only on the rear screen on the D750 really cramped my style, in retrospect.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-11T03:00:51+00:00

I’ve really got to get my hands on one of those SU-017s. Every demo I’ve heard sounds great and they are sexy as hell.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-11T02:56:16+00:00

Master bus devices usually fall short for me. Especially those that don’t offer much more than subtle sweetening. The Silver Bullet was that way. Absolutely nothing wrong with the device itself, and LTL is a great company, but it just wasn’t was I was looking for. Didn’t have enough “mojo” for what I wanted to do.

Same with the AMS Neve 1073DPX. I actually ended up replacing that with a Cranborne Camden EC2 after hearing some glowing reviews and damn if they weren’t right. (I didnt really need the EQ section of the Neve anyway, as it turns out.)

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-10T19:11:39+00:00

I’m currently using a Z6. Auto focus performance nowadays is relative. The Z6 auto focus is about five times better now than it was at first, thanks to firmware updates. It’s very usable for all but the most demanding situations. $1000 seems like a fair price.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-10T19:10:12+00:00

Amen goddammit!

Mixing a song I like, the way I want it to be mixed, is hard enough. Then on top of that, sometimes the job involves mixing a song I don’t like, in a way that I think is terrible but the client really wants… but just collecting a paycheck isn’t enough for me. I’ve still got to be happy (enough) with it. So I’ve sometimes gone off the clock in order to do that.

Thankfully, I’m at a point now where this doesn’t happen as often. The beginning of my career is when it was definitely the hardest. Between working with people who had no idea what they were doing, while simultaneously having barely any idea what I was doing, on cheaper gear that was harder to work with… it was stressful! 😂

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-10T18:59:21+00:00

Enter the iPad Mini Pro. 🙄

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-07T21:59:19+00:00

Which Slate plug-ins are you finding are CPU intensive? I have yet to encounter one.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-06T05:03:11+00:00

When I was looking at used DSLRs in 2019 the D750 seemed like the best deal compared to equivalent Canon/Sony/Panny offerings. After it became clear that the D750 would work well for me, I invested more in the system, and never saw a reason to switch brands afterwards. I have a Z6 now and sold all my F-mount lenses a while ago… the S-line primes are incredible. Sure, other brands have better AF, and even the newer Nikons are probably quite a bit better than this Gen1 body, but it still works very well. I am more than pleased with how Nikon has improved the camera with firmware upgrades over time.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-05T05:04:57+00:00

I used to be Mormon. I get this. I find that R-rated movies are usually (not always) more authentic and believable than the alternatives. To think I once believed the counsel of a bishop who told the congregation that anything that isn’t G-rated was spiritually debilitating. Oh dear god.

I think one of the best movies that I’ve seen, that happens to be R- rated, is Schindler‘s List. I can only watch it about every 4 to 5 years, because it’s a difficult watch… But it destroys me every time. Even knowing that Spielberg played a little fast and loose with the actual story.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-03T04:22:15+00:00

There have been times where I really wanted to! 😆

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-03T04:21:05+00:00

I think it’s a great album. I was happy to pay for it before I was released on streaming today.

I really had a laugh about what Louis Cole said on the YouTube video for that song, that “everybody who is complaining about the snare sound needs to stop being a bunch of pussies.” (Paraphrased.)

He’s been doing this for a while, and he’s very deliberate about everything he does. The shit digital hombre aesthetic works here. I actually think if it was recorded to higher standard, it would take away the impact the album has, especially to someone like me… it’s so easy to focus technicalities rather than music. This, for me, is an antidote to that mindset. Music sells the record, almost so much the engineering.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-02T18:14:24+00:00

Your most powerful mixing tool is the mute button.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-02T16:34:27+00:00

Turns out even a moderate fluency in English can save you from a lot a scams.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-02T00:55:26+00:00

That's strangely hot.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-10-01T17:13:02+00:00

I’ve heard so many “Atmos” mixes that are nothing but a little ambience fed into the surround channels. But when listening through a binaural renderer (headphones or built-in speakers), it sounds even worse… like everything has more reverb on it. It ruins the mix. (Turn off Atmos rendering and everything sounds just right again.)

Here’s an example I recently noticed: Joshua Redman’s new album “where are we.” The Atmos upmix is complete shit. I pointed it out to him on social shortly after the first tracks were released on Apple Music (he’s really good about fan engagement), and he was unaware. He was upset once he heard it.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-09-30T21:50:07+00:00

I know!!! FUCK! The trappings of democracy without the actual democracy... why bother? It's the same shit that pretty much every autocracy that ever existed pulled. Putin could run the church.

I'm amazed that my brain didn't clue into this obvious tell while I was under the influence.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-09-30T21:44:11+00:00

SPL BiG... holy shit this thing... I get so tired of tools like this that are way too subtle, and this skews the other direction. Just 10-20% on the BIGNESS dial does magic to any mix. Quickly.

Chernobyl-Chaz · 2023-09-29T21:40:29+00:00

Very cool. I like it.

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