Hey audio professional….yes you….picture this scenario!

You’ve been working quietly at your boss’ studio. You know, the daily drudge; setting up microphones, setting up drum kits, getting the vocal mic ready for the latest singer dreaming of stardom. Hey, you even double up duty as the “lunch grunt”. Still though, by watching, imitating and learning, you have even managed to be able to cobble together a good mix of the recorded instruments. Nice and clear, not clouded and muddy. You can hear each instrument clearly. Good for you. Now, how exactly is this done? Or more to the point, how do you do it? The mechanics, the math…you know, the step by step methods? If you can’t answer, don’t be embarrassed. Read on!

Now, let’s get back to our scenario. Your boss calls you in and announces that the studio picked up a major artist. Let’s call her “Jill”. Your boss’ best friend in Nashville referred her to your quiet town, where she can cut her latest opus in peace, away from the shutter bugs. Your boss’ friend has faith in him, and so everyone is onboard. (The label, the band, and our starlet “Jill”.)

Naturally, your boss expects your “A” game. No problem. Click to read the rest…

Can you identify the frequency of a kick drum? How about a snare drum? A woman’s voice? A man’s? How about an F#2 played on a piano? As an audio professional (audio recording/mixing engineer, music producer, mastering engineer, etc.) you should be able to identify these frequencies.

Why? We’ll get to that shortly. First, there are some obvious questions. What is the definition of frequency? That leads to why exactly do you need recognition skills? That ultimately leads to the overarching theme of this discussion; how do you train your ears to recognize the individual sonic fingerprints of each sound? Or, to be more precise; what exact mechanisms, or exercises do you need to develop and practice?

The practice of ear training is not relegated solely to musicians, but to anyone working in the “audio” field. Specifically, we will focus on music/recording engineers, producers, and so forth.

A lot of the beginning material will undoubtedly be familiar to seasoned professionals.

To you; be patient. Use this as a refresher.

To the audio professional just starting on the journey; we will leave nothing to assumption. Your basics will be covered.

Let us begin.
Click to read the rest…

Welcome back to the continuation of the frequency training series. For the next 5 articles, we will expand, break down and analyze this topic in much greater detail. For those who are just now joining us, let me say just one thing:

Stop! Do NOT read any further!

As a matter of fact, go back and first read the introduction overview to frequency training. You’ll need the background information! Trust me, it’s not filler, and will save you much unneeded frustration! Go on…we’ll wait.

From this point on I’ll assume we are all caught up. (The beauty being, you can always go back and re-read and review….remember, no one is chasing you here. Work slowly, at your own pace. I’ll probably repeat that at some point in this series, so I ask your forgiveness and understanding ahead of time!)

Last time we left off with an overview of the nature of sound, and more specifically, the way it is measured (frequency, measured in Hertz, or Hz). Along with this, were some “must know” basic frequencies with exercises for recognizing and identifying them.

Reference frequencies

Briefly now, let’s take one tiny step back. (I think now is good time to revisit this.)
I always have, and still do recommend that you find whatever reference frequencies you are comfortable using as the anchor to your training….BUT…. Click to read the rest…