In Case You Missed It...

After three and a half years of producing the “My Take on Music Recording” podcast, I thought it would be useful to review the 80+ episodes and point out some of the interesting topics you might have overlooked.

You might have missed some of the earlier episodes, or skipped over them because they did not interest you at the time.

The most popular episode of all is the very first one, from March 2020, called “Your Hearing is Amazing.” Everything we do depends on our hearing and in this episode, I give a simplified overview or how our hearing works, and what makes it amazing. It is our most complex sense, in terms of resolution, dynamic range and frequency response. It is subject to all sorts of strange defects, like our varying sensitivity to many frequencies, depending on the loudness.

That’s one example of many that I hope help you to be better at what we do.

In this short episode, I point out some of the most popular topics, and several of the episodes that never received a lot of downloads. Perhaps my explanation of the contents will suggest that there are some topics you might now found more interesting and helpful.

Thanks for listening, subscribing, and commenting. And your suggestions for future topics are always appreciated.

email: dwfearn@dwfearn.com
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

Transcript

I’m Doug Fearn and this is My Take on Music Recording

I have recorded over 80 episodes since I started this podcast in 2020. That seems like a lot, and I have to say it has been a lot of work. But I have enjoyed doing it and intend to continue.

Podcasting doesn’t provide the podcaster with much statistical information. Determining how many listeners there are to any given episode is difficult to determine. And there is no distinction between someone who downloads an episode but never listens to it, and the person who listens to it multiple times.

But I do get some sense of what topics are the most popular.

The all-time most downloaded episode is the very first one I did, “Your Hearing Is Amazing.” Now, you might say, “of course it has the most listens – it’s been available the longest.” But that doesn’t appear to be the case. Several other early episodes have far fewer downloads.

And that first episode continues to get more downloads every week.

I chose that topic for the first episode because I thought a good foundational look at our hearing was the best place to start for a podcast that is about recording music.

If I had it to do again, I might change some of the content. I hope I have learned about podcasting in the three-and-a-half years since that first one. But fundamentally, I think it is still a great starting point for anyone who wants to improve their skills as recording engineer, producer, or musician.

The second most popular episode is my conversation about Dolby Atmos with mastering engineer Dale Becker in July 2021.

Because there was such a strong response to that topic, I recorded a two-part interview with Justin Gray, who had been involved in immersive audio about as long as anyone has. I learned a lot from Justin’s explanation and suggestions for recording and mixing in the new formats. You can listen to that one from June and July 2023.

Often, a conversation with someone in our profession goes on for quite a while. When that happens, I split the conversation into two, or sometimes three, separate episodes. I try to keep all episodes shorter than an hour. What I see, however, is that the second part never gets the number of listens that the first part did. That could be because someone listened to some or all of the first part and didn’t find it all that interesting. But I think it makes sense to listen to part 2 of any two-part episode because often the second part has more useful information that we all can use.

Since there is a great deal of interest in Atmos and other immersive formats, I plan more on this topic in the future.

It’s not just the cutting-edge of technology that I find fascinating, but also the history of recording. Early in my career, I wanted to learn as much as I could about the pioneers in professional audio. I wanted to understand the problem they were trying to solve and how they went about finding solutions. There were some remarkably smart and clever people who pioneered the technology we use today, and I have always been inspired by what they did.

Learning about the origins of audio recording has been immensely helpful to me in my co-career as a studio equipment designer, and as a recording engineer and producer. So, when I talk about the products I have designed, I don’t want it to be a sales pitch. I want to help people understand the thinking and technology behind the product. You will find episodes on the goals, designs, and solutions I came up with for the mic preamps, VT-1/VT-2/VT-24, in August 2020. The equalizers, VT-4 and -5, in September 2020. And the VT-7 compressor in October 2020. Understanding what I wanted the product to do, along with the decisions I made, can help anyone learn how to better use my products, or any similar product.

And speaking of history, I find myself today, after nearly 60 years of recording, living through a lot of that history. In several episodes, I describe what it was like when I started recording in the 1960s. I talk about my earliest attempts to record and how I was frustrated by the sounds I was getting – and how I learned to improve.

Recording techniques were quite a bit different back then, primarily due to the limitations of the equipment that existed at the time. But many of the fundamentals that I figured out for myself 50 years ago are still the techniques that work for me today. I hope some of those insights will give you some ideas, as well. Take a listen to the two episodes from November 2020.

The development of new products to improve the quality of what we do is ongoing. For example, listen to my conversation with design engineer Tad Rollow from July 2020. Tad has been at the forefront of equipment design for his entire career. He has helped bring products to life for Avid and Sennheiser/Neumann, for example.

I have called upon several of my long-time friends in our profession to record their thoughts about the areas they have specialized in. For example, ribbon mic expert Wes Dooley in two episodes from April and May 2020. Like many in our field, Wes is much more than a creator of wonderful products. He has been engaged in music and recording his entire life. Wes is the founder of Audio Engineers Associates, AEA.

The same could be said for Dave Hill, the founder of Crane Song. Sadly, I never got Dave on the podcast. We always think we will have time in the future, but we never know how long of a future exists for any of us. Dave passed away in early 2023, and in an episode from March 2023, I talk about my 30-year friendship with Dave Hill and his impact on recording.

Some of the other friends I captured over the course of My Take on Music Recording include mix engineer Tony Mazzerati, October 2020. In this very informal conversation, we talk about many things that influenced us in our careers, some of them fairly removed from the technology of the studio and music. We are all a product of our life experiences, and in retrospect we can see how some of those influences guided us into the career we love.

Mix engineer Jon Castelli is another one. Listen to Jon as he talks about how he rose to becoming the go-to mixer for so many top artists. That episode is from May 2020.

Other world-class mixers, engineers, and producers include Chris Tabron from June 2020, and Dom Morely in July 2020.

Some of my guests have been exceptional people I have known for a long time, like Jim Hamilton, from an April 2020 episode. Jim has had a long career as a touring musician with big artists, a studio musician, a studio owner, and a life-long seeker of knowledge.

Others have been pioneers in our field, including Joe Tarsia, founder of Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. Joe was always on the cutting-edge of studio technology and built a powerhouse of talent in his studio to accommodate producers like Gamble and Huff. Along the way, he recorded many icons of the music business. I was fortunate to spend some time with Joe to capture his history and stories before his recent death. Listen to our conversation, recorded at the retirement community where Joe lived for the last decade of his life. You can find it in the September 2020 episodes.

Another amazing friend is Obie O’Brien, who works with Jon Bonjovi. In a two-part conversation in March of 2021, we discuss his amazing career as a musician, engineer, producer, and studio owner.

Others include singer-songwriter Colin Hay, known for his mega-hits with Men At Work, his solo career, and touring with Ringo Starr as a member of “Ringo and the All Stars.” Colin is also an accomplished recordist, working from his well-equipped studio in California. That one is from January 2021.

There are three episodes with jazz guitarist Chuck Anderson, recorded in September 2021 in two parts, and another September 2022. Chuck has been a teacher since he was a teenager, played with many of the biggest names in music, composed several albums of unique jazz pieces. His is a true lifetime of commitment to music. His perspective is useful and should inspire us all. I don’t know anyone with a greater commitment to his art.

My colleagues and close friends, George and Geoff Hazelrigg talk about DSD recording and audio quality in two episodes in July and August of 2021. The brothers are not only superb musicians who have devoted their life to perfecting their craft, but also talented engineers and producers. Geoff and George have taken over the manufacturing and marketing of the D.W. Fearn line of products. I also designed products for their own company, Hazelrigg Industries.

Another long-time friend, singer/songwriter/engineer/Nashville studio owner Robin Eaton talks about his career in an episode from July 2021. You have certainly heard songs written by Robin, some of which were big hits for other artists.

Many things I have done in my life have influenced my career in audio. I talk about how Morse code taught me useful things back when I received my Amateur Radio license when I was 12 years old. Learn about that in the May 2020 episode.

Also, learning to fly airplanes taught me lessons that were applicable to my life in recording, producing, and designing products. It, and Morse code, may not seem all that interesting to you, but I suspect you also have things you have done that seem disconnected from your career, but yet they made you better at what you do. Hear my story from August 2020.

Some of the most popular episodes were simply me talking about some of the things that I found directly useful. That could be discussions of room acoustics in April 2020, recording outside of a studio environment in May 2020, why vacuum tubes sound better for audio (July 2020), lacquer disc cutting (December 2020), noise and distortion (December 2020 and January 2021).

I talk about the mundane, but critical things, like cables and connectors and how they affect sound quality (January 2021). Minimal mic’ing to improve the sound of your recordings (February 2021), latency and delay (April 2021), vacuum tube fundamentals (May 2021), the challenges and rewards of location recording (March 2021), and a concept of doing the tracking, mixing, and mastering all yourself to preserve a vision of a song (June 2021).

Some episodes are highly specific, like the June 2021 episode on the challenges and solutions to recording a notoriously difficult instrument, in this case a harpsichord. Even if you never have occasion to record a harpsichord, you may find it interesting to learn how we solved the problems to get the sound we wanted.

In October 2021 I reviewed various stereo mic’ing techniques, with my preferences and why.

Another very specific one is about the challenges and solutions for tuning instruments, and I don’t mean using software. Getting it right out of the instrument is always better. Learn why in the episode from February 2022.

I have always believed that each of us should develop our own recording style. It can be helpful to listen to what others are doing, and even emulate them on occasion. But we should all have our own “sound.” I talk about that in August of 2022.

Why does gear with the same function, say an equalizer, compressor, or even a mic preamp, sound different from each manufacturer? I explore why this is true in October 2022.

I am always interested in the perspective of musicians when it comes to the studio. In December 2022 I spoke with singer-songwriter, and behavioral expert Teri Bright. She brings new insight into the human factors of studio work.

Corrie Lynn Green is a talented singer-songwriter I have been working with for a couple of years. She had no experience at all with recording prior to our collaboration. I was interested in her perspective on the recording process, and you can hear our conversation from June and July 2022 where we discuss studio technology for musicians in three episodes.

Later, Corrie turned the tables and interviewed me, in September 2022. I always enjoy getting questions I would never have thought of, and you can hear my answers in this entirely impromptu conversation.

The life of an independent artist just starting out is not an easy one, especially if you have family obligations. Corrie talks about her challenges dealing with her life as a business owner, wife, and mother while trying to make her way in the music business. Some of her solutions may be useful to others in a similar position. Listen to our unscripted and wide-ranging exchange from May 2023.

The studio technical infrastructure can be complex and things can go wrong. Even in a simple recording setup, frustrating problems can arise in the equipment and the interconnections. In April 2023, I discuss a logical approach to troubleshooting. A problem does not necessarily have to interrupt your session. I explain ways to find and fix many problems before anyone is aware that something has gone wrong.

Many listeners these days consume music with headphones or earbuds. We need to accommodate their perspective on the mix, which can be very different from the same mix heard on speakers if we are not careful. In December 2022 I talk about the advantages and pitfalls of mixing for headphones, and why you might find that you get better results mixing with headphones, for any listening environment.

I have not covered every episode. I hope this creates some interest in you to listen to episodes you might have missed, or passed over because they did not interest you at the time.

Several episodes have come from listener suggestions, so if you have a topic you would like to learn more about, let me know and if I feel qualified to answer, or if I can find someone to have on to discuss that topic, I’ll do my best to provide some useful information.

You can reach me at dwfearn at dwfearn.com

Thanks, as always, for listening, subscribing, and giving me feedback. It has been an amazing three and a half years so far and I would not do it if it wasn’t for you.

This is My Take on Music Recording. I’m Doug Fearn. See you next time.