Q: Recently I’ve been finding that when I’m recording and mixing, a lot of time is being wasted.
However, darned if I know where it’s going!
Lately I’ve really been trying to focus in sessions and not get off task, but, I still feel like the little things are taking up time when they shouldn’t.
Do you have any advice?
A: There’s no doubt that your workflow within the studio can be critical.
Unfortunately, getting just the right balance is rather personal, however, we can offer a few hints that have been helpful in the past.
The next time you finish tracking a song and are getting ready to do the mixdown, go ahead and set up several reverbs and delays in your mixer ahead of time.
Go for a long hall, a medium plate, and a short room — just get the plug-ins or boxes plugged in and a generic preset called up and ready to go.
Do the same thing with a couple of delays — pre-set-up a long delay and a short, slap delay, and any other effects or VI’s you anticipate using throughout the mix.
This way, as you’re mixing, you can just route tracks through these effects and apply them to taste. You don’t have to disrupt the creative flow of mixing to load up plug-ins or make other decisions.
As always, we welcome input from the PSW community and would love to know your thoughts on staying productive in the studio. Feel free to let us know in the comments below.
For more tech tips go to Sweetwater.com
