Level-Headed Approach - Posted on 2017-02-17 by Robert Avila

This week's focus seems to be what many aspiring engineers get confused about. Largely because they aren't as common to those without an audio background, like microphones, equalizers, and amplifiers. My mentor has been giving me pointers on how and why he uses certain settings on each compressor or limter. I appreciate the warning not to make the mistake of relying too much on the meters for visual cues. Which is easy to get caught up doing, while cautiously adjusting switches. It is an enlightening experience to find out how we treat the vocal tracks while making a record, in the studio setting, versus a live scenario. Sure, it's great to see the before and after of classic gear, but listening to the effect as it is coming to life is a whole other story!