Day One: Optimism is High - Posted on 2013-04-19 by Anthony Howell

My first day with Lionel at Trench Recordings was great! We first went over the assignments and talked a bit about the course material which was helpful and very interesting. We talked about compression in relation to the "loudness wars" in production and sound engineering. It was great to put some science behind the argument and speak in greater detail about the factual elements that are behind this phenomenon. We also focused on the idea of monitoring a mix at 85 dB and the psycho acoustic benefits to that process in achieving the best possible mix. Psycho-acoustics is a fascinating topic and I was until recently unaware of the physiological reasons people prefer loud music to soft music. It is believed that if you put two songs side by side, the one that is played louder will be, to the average listener, perceived to be 'better' simply because of the psycho acoustic properties of the ear and the brain and the ears effect on the brain in the perception of sound. Lionel and I spoke in depth about the ears' natural ability to create compression and thus loud music will sound more robust to the listener. We also 'talked shop' for a good portion of my first day at Trench, Lionel had a lot of great anecdotes ranging from the history of the eagles and their recording process with Glyn Johns to discussing how music executives and A&R guys filter new talent through 'educated listeners' (producers, engineers). My anology for this is that being an educated listener is similar to an expert witness giving their professional testimony at a trial. All in all, I am very optimisitic and I cannot wait for the coming months of my apprenticeship.

Cheers!

Anthony