I wish I had a million dollars for every time I've had to sit here and listen to someone's shitty mix and then offer up an opinion on the subject. I don't mean to be unsympathetic, but I've gotten to the point where I don't even want to be bothered with that any more. 

Sometimes it's difficult to pinpoint the root cause of a bad recording simply by listening to the end result. Most of the "problem" recordings that clients have brought in sounded muddy or unbalanced. The reality is that recordings can sound muddy or unbalanced for a lot of reasons. It may have nothing to do with fader positions or EQ settings. I wasn't there while the record was being made so all I can do is listen and make vague assumptions.

Whatever the reason, it's an unfortunate situation. It really is. It's disheartening to walk away with something that falls way short of your expectations. I can sympathize because I've been there too. 

In the interest of making sure you won't get burned again, here are some things to consider:

1 - Try a "sample" session to see how things go before recording an entire album. Record one or two songs and have them mixed and mastered. If you like what you hear, great! Continue on. If you don't like what you hear, look elsewhere. Better to lose a little money than a lot. Also, pay attention to how long it takes to get things done. If you sense that it's taking an inordinate amount of time to accomplish simple tasks, then that's a warning sign. Is the engineer being distracted by a lot of cell phone calls? Does he mysteriously disappear for extended periods of time? Is he watching Jerry Springer on TV during the session? Is he getting drunk or stoned during a session? Those are all warning signs.

2 - Don't be afraid to ask questions. If you don't like the answers you're getting in return, then walk away. If you feel as though you're being patronized, or you detect any sort of condescending attitude, walk. However, remember something: you're paying this person to provide a specific service. Not to teach you the meaning of life or Recording Techniques 101. It can be a big distraction to have someone standing over your shoulder asking you tons of inane questions while you're trying to work. People do it to me all the time. I try to be accommodating and patient at all times but at some point I have to stop what I'm doing to focus attention on the person asking the questions. You don't realize how easy it is to delete or erase or destroy audio files. You can wipe out a session's worth of data with the single mouse click. If what you really want to do is learn the recording arts and sciences, then maybe it might be a better idea to schedule a separate session for that or wait until the end of the session to deal with specific questions.

3 - Trust your ears! If it sounds good, then it's good. If it sounds bad, then there's probably something wrong. If you don't trust your own ears, bring along someone who's ears you do trust. Ya know, people don't become wine connoisseurs overnight. They have to drink a lot of wine. It's the same with music appreciation. Musicians that have done a lot of recording are going to be more in tune with the way things sound than someone who's never been in a studio before. It's not a bad idea to bring along a few commercial CD's that represent the production qualities you want to incorporate into your project. Have the engineer A/B the commercial recordings against your own music. You'll hear the difference immediately. If things don't sound right, then ask the engineer to tweak your mix so it sounds like the music on the CD (or as close as possible). In fact, it's probably a good idea to discuss this with the engineer before you start recording so that the engineer will understand what he needs to do to help you achieve your goals.

4 - If you ask the engineer to tweak or change something to your satisfaction and are told that it can't be done (or they just simply refuse), run, run as far away as you can from this person. There might be occasions where a request could compromise the overall sound quality of a recording or the studio just doesn't have the tools necessary to perform a specific task. Fine. Whatever. At very least, the engineer should provide a logical explanation as to why something can't be accomplished. But you should expect to receive a few useful alternative suggestions. There's always a solution. And don't fall for the "I'll fix it in the mix later" routine. A rough mix shouldn't sound like shit. It should sound pretty darn good - maybe not final master quality but good enough to tell that everything is balanced and the mics are positioned properly and the preamps adjusted correctly, etc. If the rough mix sounds like shit then stop right there. Get the rough mix sounding good first. If you can't get a good sounding rough mix, then what's the point in going any further? In the end, it's your music and your money. Always remember that. You don't work for the engineer. The engineer works for you.

5 - Be careful what you ask for. This especially applies to the mixing and editing process. Make sure you understand the ramifications of changing things in the mix. Changing one thing usually affects something else. I suspect this issue might be the root cause of many problems. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked to turn up the guitars, then the vocals, then the bass, then the drums, then the guitars again and so on and so forth until the mix is a muddy mess. If the individual band members can't agree on how the recording is supposed to sound, then get a producer or neutral third-party in to make those decisions for you.

6 - Beware of the studio owner/engineer with a hidden artistic agenda! It can be difficult to spot these types until it's too late. A good warning sign is when the engineer asks if he can play guitar on one or two of your tracks. This might sound like a harmless request at first, but you'll often find that this type of person wants to impose some type of artistic control on your music. The stuff this person adds to your music may not jive with your artistic vision. Then what do you do? It's a tricky thing to tell someone that their screaming guitar solo doesn't belong on your mellow pop song - especially when so-and-so is the person who will be mixing your music later on. You ruffle their feathers by making them remove the annoyance and the next thing you know, this person is playing games with the mix in an effort to sabotage your project. I've seen this happen. It's not pretty. 

7 - Make sure you get the master tapes or source files before you leave. There's a good possibility that things can be repaired at another studio. See my FAQ section on source files. Might cost you a little extra but at least you'll have it.

OK...now... let me turn this around a bit. Yes, there are unqualified recording engineers out there or studio owners who are out for a quick buck. I've gotten the bum's rush a few times myself. However, having worked both sides of the glass, here's a few more things to ponder:

1) If you're using equipment that is substandard, then don't expect miracles. It's one of the occupational hazards of running a studio. I've lost count how many shitty sounding amps, guitars and drums I've recorded and tried to spit shine into perfection. We have a saying that goes something like this: "you can polish a turd until it looks like a diamond but in the end, it still smells funny". Garbage in, garbage out. Look, I understand what it means to be starting out. When I first started playing music I didn't have a clue what good tone meant. I was happy to be able to play anything that sounded remotely like music. It became clear to me early on that if you want a good sounding recording you need good sounding equipment and you need to be able to play your instruments with good technique. I'm not suggesting you can't get a good recording with shitty equipment and sloppy playing but you're not going to impress too many record company executives (or any other human being for that matter) with that stuff. Engineers are human beings too (well, most of them anyway). Ultimately, the engineer is the guy that's going to have an impact on how things sound during mix down. The more time I spend doing this the less tolerant I am of rubbish. I suspect that's the way it goes for all engineers. Our threshold of pain gets lower and lower over the years.

2) How you conduct yourselves in the studio will often have a bearing on how things turn out. If you come in acting like your shit don't stink or you have zero respect for the studio and/or engineer, guess what you'll probably end up with? Do you have an abrasive or childish personality to begin with? It's one thing to demand perfection of yourself and those around you and another to be a total jerk. Conduct yourselves like professionals and treat the studio staff and equipment with a bit of respect. You'll find people will usually bend over backwards for you if you treat them the same way you'd expect to be treated.

3) If you agree to be at the studio to start a session at a particular time, I suggest you get there at that time or even a few minutes early. I've had people show up two hours late to a session and actually expect me to still be there waiting on them. A phone call to let the engineer know you're running a little behind, or you're on your way, is a nice touch. 

4) If you are on a tight budget with limited time, what do you expect to walk away with? Compound this problem with a lack of rehearsal, too much beer the night before, shitty equipment, etc etc etc and you have almost guaranteed yourself a shitty recording. Be reasonable about your expectations. Musical perfection takes time and effort. Often times more than you realize. It might take a return trip or two to get things perfect. Try not to mix on the same day that you record. Come back a day or two later with fresh ears.

5) Have a common musical direction. I've lost count how many bands come in here and each member seems to have his or her own artistic direction. The band isn't thinking or working as a team. The band is four or five individuals who are all looking out for number one. Too many cooks spoil the broth.

6) Engineers are human and need a break every once in a while. If someone is making a food or beverage run, ask the engineer if he or she would like anything. 

The point I'm trying to make is that the door swings both ways in the music business. Good luck!

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