For me, it's harmony. I'm a Jazz guy. So, I like to add color tones either melodically, or in a chord. I have learned over the years that "less is more", and to dial it back a wee notch. This allows the producer the chance to either encourage a little color in my playing, or not. And usually, dialing the color back just a bit, and using my ears, I know when I can add color or not. And that applies especially on Sunday mornings at Church.
This is one of the most important videos for everyone who's making music in 2023! Thank you for explaining!!! This is exactly the mistake I've done for so long!
One of the great things about doing everything yourself in terms of leaving space is that it is more easy to control wide dynamic range and have parts drop out (tacit) and return, without having hurting someone’s ego. I always live the idea of “How can we miss you, if you won’t go away?”
My Dad and I used to play in the praise band at church together - both on guitar. I was a young musician at the time with my focus on me and what I could do, and many, many times I’d look over at Dad and he wouldn’t be playing. I’d ask him why and he always said “there’s no room.” Once you get that lesson into your skull you can’t unhear it and it drives you nuts. Now I’m a pro audio engineer at a mega church and I constantly battle having to edit and arrange from the console - a task never meant to be.
Congratulations on your addition! You are a great inspiration to many folks. I wish i could actually write music and play instruments outside of drums.
I got the email Joe with the announcement!!! So happy for you and for the channel (Recording Revolution) What´s going on with Graham anyway??? Somebody else took over the channel a while ago and never saw him again!! 🙅♂ Follow you both for years Congrats!!! ✌🏻😉
Great video Joe! This is so true. I try to live by this axiom live and in studio settings; play to make the whole band sound good. Start playing everything simpler and connected, then see if you need to hear a lick or two once the song has a good foundation. One of my favorite bands from the 80s is Duran Duran. Yes they are laden with all kinds of keyboard and rhythm parts, but they are layered in such a way that they all complement each other or play with other. I could go on for years about space too. 😁
Congrats on the merger! Love the concept of this video. I've played with this idea and had good results. I wanted my snare to pop louder so I intentionally had the guitar and bass rest on 2 and 4 which is where the snare hits. Not only did it allow the snare to pop, my bass and gtr parts became more interesting.
While there's some truth to this, I feel like these videos do more harm than good. There's no corresponding "Don't Underplay" video. And the fact is that some people just like maximalist music. It's not appropriate for all genres. But if that's what you like, you should pursue it. Who cares if it's harder to mix? I just shudder to think of all the people who are going to ignore all their natural impulses and start writing roots and fifth bass lines, when what they have in their heads and hearts is something far different and more interesting.
Really good advice here. I already know this but knowing it is one thing being able to do it is another especially if you don't often play with other musicians. FWIW my journey trying to learn this, arrangement/orchestration is I suppose what it is, has followed a number of stages: 1. First, before I got a DAW, I just played guitar by myself. What I did was try to play an impression of bass and the drums at the same time as the main guitar idea. Using scooped mids is an example of trying to do that, adds something approximating to a bass and a hihat. So I'm trying to learn to play much less on guitar parts. Leave space. 2. I'm trying to learn to choose guitar tones that sound good in mixes rather than sound good on their own. Two different things and no one-size-fits-all answer. 3. Being better at guitar than keys/drums/bass I naturally play it more, want to play it more, rely on it. And 'cos my guitar parts are better than my bass and keys etc I want to push them in the mix. Which of course doesn't work. I have to force myself not to do that and apply myself to the grind of getting better at keys and drums particularly. Which feels like practicing more than recording and takes a lot longer :(. But it's got to be done to get more balanced interesting arrangements that sound good. 4. When I got new ideas I started to stop and think of tunes I know that have something similar about them and spend some time listening to all their parts, see how the tunes were arranged. What are the guitars doing, how busy is the bass, how are the drums raising and lowering energy and when, why does that bit sound so sickeningly good and so on. Then shamelessly steal some of the arrangement ideas and proceed accordingly. Not the music ideas as such, just the arrangement ideas, if that makes sense. 5. I started to stop developing guitar parts beyond outlined ideas until I'd found a groove for them - a decent drum and bass pattern idea. My guitar parts can then develop in the context of the groove which usually means, going back to point 1, they tend to end up less busy, more focused and leave more space.
Great advice here. And wishing you the best in the new task. Something I've discovered a long time ago regarding mixing, it's just like computer programming. Garbage In Garbage Out. Seems to go along with GIRATS, if you get it right at the source, garbage isn't going in or out. PS, just curious, is SPACE the final frontier? ☕🙂
Right on Joe. Space starts with musical arrangement. You need a leader or at least an agreement on the concept for the project to keep egos in check. I have played with groups for decades, but currently there is only one chair in my studio. It is sort of occupied by three “entities” - Songwriter, Musician and Listener. As Songwriter Me began working on his solo project, Musician Me was thinking that this was going to finally be his chance to shred some more and make the music that he wishes others had been making. Songwriter Me put a stop to that pretty quickly, because Listener Me wanted to hear the core idea without hearing exhausting distractions. Songwriter Me compromised and gave Musician Me a few (surprisingly short) spots to do his thing. “Why don’t you do YOUR thing as we fade on an extended coda and Listener Me can bail or stay if he wants too?” I think that is Musician Me ever learns to play on the level of Herbie Hancock, he might make is own album. 😊
It always freak me out when I do the sound for a band and they DON'T LISTEN TO EACH OTHER ... all the wannabe super star forget that we play for the music not for your ego
I knew there had been some changes over at Recording Revolution. I just didn't realize he was letting it go. Is it because his "Money Making" courses are paying off more for him?
Congratulations Joe on take over Recording Revolution. Only good things ahead.
Music, particularly when performing, is a conversation. If everyone is talking at the same time, that’s not a conversation.
The Recording Revolution is in great hands. Congratulations Joe for taking over. Looking forward to seeing new content again!
For me, it's harmony. I'm a Jazz guy. So, I like to add color tones either melodically, or in a chord. I have learned over the years that "less is more", and to dial it back a wee notch. This allows the producer the chance to either encourage a little color in my playing, or not. And usually, dialing the color back just a bit, and using my ears, I know when I can add color or not. And that applies especially on Sunday mornings at Church.
Space is why Pink Floyd works so well. Nobody is going nuts, just playing simple parts and it's so THICK!
Congrats!
This is one of the most important videos for everyone who's making music in 2023! Thank you for explaining!!!
This is exactly the mistake I've done for so long!
What a great announcement. I am so happy for you. It was the first place I started learning to mix. It led me to you and HSC. Congrats.
Thinking Big OhYeah! Great vids!
One of the great things about doing everything yourself in terms of leaving space is that it is more easy to control wide dynamic range and have parts drop out (tacit) and return, without having hurting someone’s ego. I always live the idea of “How can we miss you, if you won’t go away?”
What a Great Video on " S P A C E ". Thanks Joe
Thanks Joe, I just watched the video you referenced and it's great; really illustrated your point.
Great news about Recording Revolution as well 👍
My Dad and I used to play in the praise band at church together - both on guitar. I was a young musician at the time with my focus on me and what I could do, and many, many times I’d look over at Dad and he wouldn’t be playing. I’d ask him why and he always said “there’s no room.” Once you get that lesson into your skull you can’t unhear it and it drives you nuts. Now I’m a pro audio engineer at a mega church and I constantly battle having to edit and arrange from the console - a task never meant to be.
Yay!
Congratulations on your addition! You are a great inspiration to many folks. I wish i could actually write music and play instruments outside of drums.
Wow. Grahams channel was the first I came across, when I started home recording. And that was how I learned about Home Studio Corner.
I have studdied this mixing thing so learning about Space will be the final fronteer.
great advice!!
Been listening for years now. Congrats!
I got the email Joe with the announcement!!! So happy for you and for the channel (Recording Revolution)
What´s going on with Graham anyway??? Somebody else took over the channel a while ago and never saw him again!! 🙅♂
Follow you both for years
Congrats!!! ✌🏻😉
Graham is teaching people, how to build their own online business. That channel has become his focus, seems to me like that's the case.
@@cowboys4life956 thanks bro!!! ✌🏻😉
One word: AMAZING!
"It's not fair to ask the mix engineer to fix that." 😆🤣
Great video Joe! This is so true. I try to live by this axiom live and in studio settings; play to make the whole band sound good.
Start playing everything simpler and connected, then see if you need to hear a lick or two once the song has a good foundation.
One of my favorite bands from the 80s is Duran Duran. Yes they are laden with all kinds of keyboard and rhythm parts, but they are layered in such a way that they all complement each other or play with other.
I could go on for years about space too. 😁
Congratulations 🌻🌻🌻🌻
Great news! I have been a subscriber of both channels. I've learned so much from you two!
I believe what you are saying here is less = more. I heard this concept in a video with Jeff Skunk Baxter.
Yes, remember seeing this
Awesome! To me, principles of orchestration and arranging helped a lot towards more "storytelling" textures
Congrats on the merger! Love the concept of this video. I've played with this idea and had good results. I wanted my snare to pop louder so I intentionally had the guitar and bass rest on 2 and 4 which is where the snare hits. Not only did it allow the snare to pop, my bass and gtr parts became more interesting.
While there's some truth to this, I feel like these videos do more harm than good. There's no corresponding "Don't Underplay" video. And the fact is that some people just like maximalist music. It's not appropriate for all genres. But if that's what you like, you should pursue it. Who cares if it's harder to mix?
I just shudder to think of all the people who are going to ignore all their natural impulses and start writing roots and fifth bass lines, when what they have in their heads and hearts is something far different and more interesting.
Really good advice here. I already know this but knowing it is one thing being able to do it is another especially if you don't often play with other musicians. FWIW my journey trying to learn this, arrangement/orchestration is I suppose what it is, has followed a number of stages:
1. First, before I got a DAW, I just played guitar by myself. What I did was try to play an impression of bass and the drums at the same time as the main guitar idea. Using scooped mids is an example of trying to do that, adds something approximating to a bass and a hihat. So I'm trying to learn to play much less on guitar parts. Leave space.
2. I'm trying to learn to choose guitar tones that sound good in mixes rather than sound good on their own. Two different things and no one-size-fits-all answer.
3. Being better at guitar than keys/drums/bass I naturally play it more, want to play it more, rely on it. And 'cos my guitar parts are better than my bass and keys etc I want to push them in the mix. Which of course doesn't work. I have to force myself not to do that and apply myself to the grind of getting better at keys and drums particularly. Which feels like practicing more than recording and takes a lot longer :(. But it's got to be done to get more balanced interesting arrangements that sound good.
4. When I got new ideas I started to stop and think of tunes I know that have something similar about them and spend some time listening to all their parts, see how the tunes were arranged. What are the guitars doing, how busy is the bass, how are the drums raising and lowering energy and when, why does that bit sound so sickeningly good and so on. Then shamelessly steal some of the arrangement ideas and proceed accordingly. Not the music ideas as such, just the arrangement ideas, if that makes sense.
5. I started to stop developing guitar parts beyond outlined ideas until I'd found a groove for them - a decent drum and bass pattern idea. My guitar parts can then develop in the context of the groove which usually means, going back to point 1, they tend to end up less busy, more focused and leave more space.
Talking talking talking no solution!
Though it sounds counterintuitive, there's is immeasurable value in learning how and when to play the holes (the rests).
one of the best recording artists i have heard for having space in his mixes is alan jackson, drums bass guitar and a splash of fiddle or steel guitar
Great advice here. And wishing you the best in the new task.
Something I've discovered a long time ago regarding mixing, it's just like computer programming. Garbage In Garbage Out. Seems to go along with GIRATS, if you get it right at the source, garbage isn't going in or out.
PS, just curious, is SPACE the final frontier? ☕🙂
Cool video. Have you moved into a new home studio space?
There is more to life than Nashville, they have several mix problems they refuse to address for decades.
What's is Graham up to now?
Right on Joe. Space starts with musical arrangement. You need a leader or at least an agreement on the concept for the project to keep egos in check.
I have played with groups for decades, but currently there is only one chair in my studio. It is sort of occupied by three “entities” - Songwriter, Musician and Listener. As Songwriter Me began working on his solo project, Musician Me was thinking that this was going to finally be his chance to shred some more and make the music that he wishes others had been making. Songwriter Me put a stop to that pretty quickly, because Listener Me wanted to hear the core idea without hearing exhausting distractions. Songwriter Me compromised and gave Musician Me a few (surprisingly short) spots to do his thing. “Why don’t you do YOUR thing as we fade on an extended coda and Listener Me can bail or stay if he wants too?”
I think that is Musician Me ever learns to play on the level of Herbie Hancock, he might make is own album. 😊
How do we get GIRATS stickers?! 😀
You’ve got one on the way to you
@@HomeStudioCorner
Sooo gooood!
Thanks 😀
Ha as soon as you said it wasn’t subtractive eq I was like op arrangement
I was a member of RR until late last year. I might rejoin. Will I still have access to the courses that I have already purchased over there?
Yup
It always freak me out when I do the sound for a band and they DON'T LISTEN TO EACH OTHER ... all the wannabe super star forget that we play for the music not for your ego
You know. I just realized that my music just might be sounding better because I CAN'T overplay anything. Except maybe the bass. LOL!
I knew there had been some changes over at Recording Revolution. I just didn't realize he was letting it go. Is it because his "Money Making" courses are paying off more for him?
Looking for links?
The Recording Revolution:
www.youtube.com/@recordingrevolution
Don't Overplay:
th-cam.com/video/d6Y3PCYgjkg/w-d-xo.html
5:42 LESS IS MORE 🤪
As we always say, "Yeah great, but what does it add to the song?" It's an oxymoron but in this context sometimes less is more.
Took you 10 minutes to say "overly complex playing / arrangements are harder to mix"
But less than 20. That’s a win. 🤣
I do have an allergy to religion.
That was funny.