Tag Archive: HSC Production Club

New Video: Pre-Production Tip

Do you find yourself re-recording entire songs from time to time? This quick video talks about one way to save a LOT of time in the studio.

[flashvideo file=http://hsc-video.s3.amazonaws.com/arrangement_quickvid2.mov /]

Thinking about joining the HSC Production Club? Sign up to the interest list here: (disable pop-ups if you can’t see the form)

And here’s the link for tonight’s webinar:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/840427904

Ask Joe #28 – HSC Production Club, Home Studios, and more [HSC Podcast]

Image by DTGraphix

You may have caught wind of this in the last few days or so, but it’s time for me to re-open the doors to the HSC Production Club!! Listen to the first part of this podcast, where I talk through the Club and discuss some new features.

Links from the show:

Got a question for the podcast? Leave a message in the official HSC voicemail. The number is: (615) 852-8472.

Subscribe to the HSC Podcast in iTunes.

Podcast RSS Feed.

Editing: Why We Do It

Do you edit your recordings?

Once everything has been recorded, before you start mixing, do you edit the audio? Do you fix things? Do you think it’s cheating? Do you think it’s stupid NOT to do it? I’m going to give you my take on it, but be sure to let me know your opinion in the comments section below.

What is Editing?

An audio editor is much like a book editor. He takes the original audio file and adds or removes bits and pieces to make it better.

An audio editor at a radio station will take a spoken-word commercial that’s 34 seconds long and trim it down until it fits into a 30-second spot. A book editor will read the manuscript and suggest that certain parts be taken out…or certain parts be stretched out.

With regard to music production and recording, editing involves any changes made to the audio between the recording phase and the mixing phase. This can involve normalizing audio files, correcting timing issues, removing unwanted sections, or even changing the actual performance itself.

Webinar Replay, and Other Exciting Things

HSC Production Club

Last night’s webinar went really well. Thanks to everyone who came out, we had quite the crowd! I always love interacting with folks and answering questions, etc., and I hope you got a lot out of it.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, I do have a replay for you! As you might have guessed, the HSC Production Club is now accepting new members. You can watch and/or listen to the replay over on the order page.

There are two parts to the webinar:

  1. 7 Home Studio Obstacles
  2. HSC Production Club

I have the audio of the entire webinar posted, but I only have video for the second half of the presentation. That’s fine, though. You didn’t miss much visually during the first half. It was mostly me going through the seven obstacles.

Both the audio and video are fairly long, but I think you’ll get a lot of value out of them.

Also, while you’re listening/watching, take some time to read about the Production Club. If you’re looking for a place to learn a TON and be a part of a group of like-minded folks, I invite you to join. You will get a ton of value, I promise.

I’m only accepting 50 new members, so you’ll need to act fairly quickly if you want to join.

Bonus!!

If you sign up for the Production Club between now and 9pm CST on Thursday, February 4th, you’ll receive a FREE copy of my new video product Understanding Pro Tools. This is over 3 hours of in-depth Pro Tools training. I’ll be making it available to purchase here on HSC later this month, but for new Production Club members, it’s free.

Alright, head over to the order page and check out those replays. Got questions? Ask in the comments. I’ll be holding a live Q&A session later this week.

My First Album, and Also the Sad Story of Bob

How did you record your very first album? My first one was a doozy. Imagine a clueless, 17-year-old version of Joe, hunched over an old PC in his parent’s living room, playing guitar and singing into the skinny little diction microphone that came with my parent’s computer.

You know the mic I’m talking about, right? It’s the same mic the computer nerd used in Ocean’s 11 to communicate with Brad, George, and the rest of the gang. Here’s a picture to jog your memory.

So you’ve got this mental picture, right? I’m sitting there with some recording software my buddy let me borrow, thinking I’m the coolest thing since sliced bread. After all, I was recording an album!!

You couldn’t pay me enough money to release those recordings to the public now. However, it was that first experience with recording that got me hooked.

Years later, I’ve gone from being a kid with $10 microphone to having a fairly nice home studio. (Click that link to check out the video tour of my studio.)

Do I have the best setup in the world? Not even close, but I do have a nice setup, and I can get some great-sounding recordings out of it.

How Did I Get Here?

7 Home Studio Obstacles (Free Webinar)

Obstacle. Roadblock. Hurdle. Challenge.

Whatever word you choose, we all have them, particularly in our home studios.

My goal for all the articles and videos here on HSC is to help you overcome some of these obstacles, or at least to get you moving in the right direction.

That’s why I wrote the roadmap eBook. I saw something in myself and in a lot of you. We have great intentions of finishing an album or a project, but we lack a plan of action to get it done.

Since releasing the eBook, several of you have emailed me to tell me that you now have a release date for your album. That’s awesome!!

Having a plan is certainly a challenge, but there are so many other challenging things about recording in a home studio. Perhaps you’re just dabbling in recording for the first time, and you’re completely lost. Or maybe you’ve been at this for a long time, and you’ve acquired a lot of nice gear, but you still aren’t happy with the results.

Let’s talk about it.

Free Webinar

Next Tuesday I’ll be hosting a FREE webinar called 7 Home Studio Obstacles. It will be at 7pm CST on Tuesday, February 2, 2010.

I’ve made a lot of dumb mistakes in the studio. I’ve run into all sorts of dead ends, too, and I’ve had to figure out how to get around them. Hopefully I can save you some time by sharing some of this at the webinar.

You’ll notice this webinar is NOT called 7 Super Top-Secret Recording Tricks That Have Never Been Revealed Until Now. I don’t have any secret ninja tricks for you. Sorry. I’m simply going to share with you my experience as a fellow home studio owner. I figured a lot of this stuff out on my own, and I also learned a TON from people who had gone before me. Now I’d like to help you.

If you like recording, come to the webinar. It’ll be fun.

HSC Production Club

If you’re new to Home Studio Corner, then you may not know about the HSC Production Club. This is a 12-week online training course that I launched at the end of last year. I’m having a blast with the first round of students, and I’ve managed to work out a lot of the kinks. So now it’s time to start it up again!

As a part of the webinar next Tuesday night, I will be explaining the Production Club and answering your questions. At the end of the webinar, I’ll be opening the doors, and you can sign up.

Even if you decide that the Production Club isn’t for you, there will still be a lot of value to the webinar, so come on out. I would be thrilled to have you join me. Here are the details again:

7 Home Studio Obstacles
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 at 7PM CST

Click here to register.

What’s the “Glue” in Your Mix?

glueOne of the members of the HSC Production Club posted a question in the members-only forum that I think is a GREAT question. What’s your glue instrument? Or to broaden it a bit – what’s the “glue” in your mix?

Part of last week’s content involved me recording a B3 (organ) part for one of my songs. I was talking about how much I love the organ. It really fills things out. A lot of times it’s the “glue” that holds the mix together.

Here’s an excerpt from the Production Club Week 4 content:

HSC Production Club Class #2

Last month I launched the HSC Production Club. The first class has been a great success. I’m having a blast doing it, and several of you have asked when I’m going to open the doors again. I have good news.

I’m opening registration again this weekend.

The introductory price of $39 per month was exclusively for folks who signed up for the first class. In 2010, the price will be going up significantly. (A lot of my current students feel that somewhere between $79 and $99 per month is what they feel the course is worth.) However, before the increase happens, I want to run a Christmas special.

You can sign up for the next round of the HSC Production Club for $49 per month.

Registration will be this weekend. The doors will open for 72 hours, starting Friday, December 11th at 9am CST. You will have until 9am on Monday, December 14th to sign up.

If you’re on the fence about it, don’t forget the money-back guarantee. If you’re not completely happy for any reason, I’ll issue a refund. No problem.

Head over to the Production Club page to find out more.

Alright, back to your regularly scheduled programming. I’ve got a cool gear review coming down the pipe later this week!!