Master Class?

[Phil O]

This forum is in part for gripes, so...

Boy, am I tired of wasting my time with videos from vendors claiming to teach you "advanced" techniques for mixing/mastering. Either they get some Grammy winning producer to chat about his favorite hardware or plugins, or talk about how compression can add "glue" to the mix, how not to overdo reverb unless you're using it as an effect (duh), how to "gain stage properly" (but they obviously don't really understand the term), how to mix vocals like a pro ( ) etc., etc., bla, bla, bla.

I bought several good books early in my career, but they were pretty basic. I've looked into several newer books, but they're pretty basic. I went to a workshop with a multi-grammy winning engineer (whom I won't mention) and it was pretty basic - in fact extremely basic. It seems as though "pretty basic" is all I can find anywhere. There are some really great engineers out there using some pretty advanced techniques but I guess no one is sharing. I know a couple of folks who have gone to school for "mix engineering" and their knowledge is pretty basic. Have I reached a point where the only way I can learn more is to reinvent the wheel? Is anybody out there offering a master class that is worth it's salt, that's worthy of being called a master class? Jeesh!

[monkey man]

Amen to all that, Phil!

[Phil O]

Thanks. I can tell by your avatar that you really get what I'm saying.

[terrybritton]

For a book, Sylvia Massy's "Recording Unhinged" goes well beyond "basics" and is a fun read.

She has a short "course" at Lynda.com that is probably worth the bother of signing up for their free month to check out. I haven't yet.

Terry

[Phil O]

Thanks, Terry. Looks interesting. I'll check it out.

[FMiguelez]

Hi, Phil.

I could not agree with you more.

There are a couple of YouTube channels I REALLY enjoy. since each video is short and clear in its aim, you can collect a lot of more-advanced knowledge if you start collecting those vids.

They usually deal with ONE issue applied to a very particular mix. Obviously, you're an advanced mixer/producer. I think you might still find material in there that could be of value to you, especially if their main focus styles are different than yours.

I really like Warren Huart's Produce Like a Pro, and MixBus TV.

https://www.youtube.com/user/WarrenHuartRecording

https://www.youtube.com/user/mixbustv

They both have the required "Best Plugins" and "Plugins VS Hardware" videos that are so popular, but if you ignore all those money makers, you'll probably find something good there with specific techniques for specific problems.
I know I have learnt a lot from them, but then again I'm not anywhere as advanced as you


Also, have you checked the Master Class website? You can learn or improve your chess skills with Kasparov, learn to cook with Gordon Ramsay, film scoring with Hans Zimmer, acting with Kevin Spacey, Jody Foster, etc.

They have a production/mixing set in there too with Timbaland, Herbie Hancock and Armin Van Buuren (EDM).

I haven't taken any of those, but they look (or at least they market them as) promising.

Worth checking out.

[Phil O]

Hey thanks, FM. I'll check out those links. I really don't consider myself advanced. I just think the stuff most of these guys are peddling is basic techniques all engineers should already know.

And just for the record, I think I could teach Gordon Ramsay a thing or two about cooking. I can't stand that guy.

Philippe

[FMiguelez]

Hey thanks, FM. I'll check those out. Just for the record, I think I could teach Gordon Ramsay a thing or two about cooking.

Philippe

Awesome!

You wouldn't like to taste my cooking... I burn water

[Phil O]

Yeah, I taught my daughter to cook and now she's my teacher. She's working in Boston as a sous chef and is being trained for a chef's position in another one of the owner's restaurants. I guess she turned out OK.

[wylie1]

The best stuff I've learned is from unlikely places when I wasn't looking.
I've always been challenged mixing recorded drums.
This guys a metal head but I've picked up a few good tips from him plus hes pretty entertaining.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1A-nXhoqlU

[Phil O]

Phew, lots of stuff to look through here, guys. Thanks for the suggestions. I will be checking them all out in my spare time.

Spare time?? What's that?

Seriously though, thanks. I will get to these.

[terrybritton]

Seriously though, thanks. I will get to these.

Same here! Great stuff!

Terry

[FMiguelez]

Seriously though, thanks. I will get to these.

Same here! Great stuff!

Terry

I think you guys will particularly like the MixBusTV guy. He HATES bogus marketing schemes and claims, and he especially dislikes tutorial-misinformation and the YouTube Dunning-Kruger types, which sadly dominate the internet.

Some of his stuff is pretty basic, but he also covers more advanced and specific problem-solving stuff.

[Phil O]

Well, I'm excited about checking out Sylvia Massy's book (haven't ordered one yet, but will). Sounds like more of a "think outside the box" book than a master class, but that's OK. It still sounds interesting.

I've checked a few videos from the links you all provided and while I don't doubt that there are probably a few nuggets of great info provided by these guys, I have to say what I saw was still pretty basic. I think I'd have to watch many videos to cull out those "Ooh, that's cool. I hadn't thought of doing it that way" moments. I don't mean to diminish in any way your suggestions, as these guys certainly are better than much of the other stuff I've seen and they don't claim to be presenting "master class" level stuff. So thanks so much for taking the time to respond but it's not really what I'm after.

I'm looking for the stuff that nobody's talking about. Things like how to really fine tune stereo image with the interactions of Haas effect, pan and EQ. What are the specific frequency curves created by the outer ear in 3D positioning (for binaural recording)? What do those Hollywood guys know that I don't know when creating those lush sonic landscapes in epic films? I can never seem to get the perfect "space" - close but not perfect. And many other topics. I've found discussions of these things but they are all superficial. They'll give you a layman's introduction then say, "Adjust to taste. Experiment." I'm looking for detailed explanations. Bring on the calculus if necessary, damn it.

I can experiment. In fact I do it all the time. But there are some really, really GREAT recordings out there made by people who have already done the experimenting, spent countless hours perfecting their techniques and really understand the science behind the art. I'd like to hear from them. I feel that when you really understand what you're doing, only then can you maximize your creative possibilities. That's the sort of stuff I'm looking for.

I'll get off my soap box now. Thanks for listening, guys. And thanks again for the suggestions.

Philippe

[terrybritton]

The Warren Huart "Inside the Song" series holds promise. I watched the Tom Petty "Don't Do Me Like That" one and it was pretty cool how they went for different "sounds" for the drums, organ and guitars. I'll put it below - a fun episode. I hope the others are like that!

I agree that the topics you mentioned really need full treatments in somebody's YouTube videos!!! I did a search for fine tune stereo image with the interactions of Haas effect, pan and EQ and found quite a range of items. Not sure how much of it is going to be satisfying. (I'm almost afraid to look now!)

Terry

Don't Do Me Like That - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Warren Huart "Inside the Song" w/ Shelly Yakus