You might have already read about this but there’s a bunch of talk regarding the sound of Metallica’s new record Death Magnetic. The main complaint is that it’s “too loud.” Obviously that’s a non-technical analysis. The reason it sounds that way is thanks to excessive compression & limiting. Decreasing the range between the loudest peaks & the quieter stuff in the mix allows for a “louder” mix but it seems in this case the process was used to the extreme. According to Ted Jensen, mastering engineer on the record, the mixes arrived already excessively compressed. Here’s a link to an article discussing the situation that includes a YouTube video comparing 2 different masters of the same song. It’s funny cause I think a lot of engineers were wondering when this would finally happen. Finally I’d just like to add that I print my mixes with as much dynamics as I can. I have good relationships with the people that master my recordings & I’ve come to rely heavily on their talents & judgement to make my mixes loud while still retaining the dynamic punch & the vision for the mix. The picture to the right is a recent mix I did which shows the dynamics well preserved.

Hello gang! I’ve added a flash mp3 player that boasts 13 songs to check out. Hopefully you dig the tunes & the production of course. If you get a chance head on over to the MySpace page to further check out these & other great bands I’ve had the privilege to work with. Also, I’ve got lots of open time in the coming months. Hit me up & I’ll hook you up! peace-out!

So in an attempt to make life easier & possibly post more often, I’ve decided to migrate my web publishing over to RapidWeaver. We’ll see how this goes for now. In the meantime, Digidesign finally released the Pro Tools update for OS X Leopard which I waited forever for. I’m happy to report that so far I find it to be very stable. However, as cool as elastic audio is, it’s a little glitchy. I bet that it will improve over time & become something I use quite often. In other upgrade news I recently picked up 3 new eq plugs from URS & a matched pair of Cascade Fathead ribbon mics which I’m loving. I first used them on a record I did at Innovation Studio in Stuebenville, OH.

Speaking of recent projects, I just completed records for Gene The Werewolf, The Promise Hero, Yukon Ho & Sleepwalk A Robot. Watch for those releases soon. Upcoming projects include a couple of tracks for The Loveblisters whose full length “Nowhere West” should be coming out any day now & some more work with the world famous Gin Blossoms. Both projects are to be done at Uranus Recording in Tempe, AZ. Stay tuned for some new mp3s as I get the site more operational.

Finally, If you’re thinking about recording now is a good time. I’ve got plenty of availability in the next few months but things could change quickly. Feel free to contact me with questions or a request for a quote. Until then please enjoy the new site & wash your hands!