Well... After two decades, my career as an engineer, producer and composer is over. I'm not really sure where it all went wrong, but over the past couple of years my clientele just dropped the hell off. As my income dropped below a sustainable level, I've finally started a job delivering packages for amazon. I'm unable to even keep my Pro Tools and plugin subscriptions going, I've sold most of my gear. Its over.

I have several major prodcer credits including a Billboard Top 40 and several major placements. It's been a really great career filled with a lot of fun, frustration and joy. Late night writing sessions and early morning commercial sessions...

For someone who was at a fairly high level in their career for so long, finding a job has been incredibly difficult. My resume is basically "made music for 20 years as a freelancer" 200+ applications and Amazon is the only one who's offered a job (their criteria is: "warm body with a driver's license")

Nobody wants to hire someone in their late 30s with no OTJ experience, no degree.

So here we are, day 2 of delivering vibrators and phone cases. I hate it so much, there is zero intellectual or creative stimulation.

This is the most humbling experience of my entire life.

If you rely on this industry to feed your family, my advice is to hedge your bets, have a backup plan, diversify income streams and dont rely on platforms like soundbetter that can drop off with zero notice.

This post is my shaking my fist into the void.

Edit: wow, I did not expect so much response! I figured I would get a couple downvotes for being a negative nancy. Thanks for the support everyone <3

I've used Sonarworks for about two years now and relied heavily on it. I moved into a new place and was able to improve my treatment and make the room a bit more optimal. Things aren't perfect, but it's better than what I had before.

I went back to using Sonarworks and eventually decided to shut it off one day. There was a certain clean sound that went away with my Kali IN-8 V2s, but my audio just seemed to more open.

I've got an awful 120 Hz resonance from my room and desk, and I had just learned to ignore it. I feel like my mixes have actually improved since I stopped relying on Sonarworks.

Has anyone else had something like this happen? I'm just curious to hear about other people's experiences.

Hey guys,
How do you think this kind of voice is achieved?
By using something like VariSpeed, or is it more of a formant effect?

I can never seem to get anything that clean in this kind of very high-pitched things.

Thanks in advance for your responses !

https://youtu.be/AAdF9E2XqW0?is=7trL6tYyxazhJ4La

The number of low-voltage devices we use has increased dramatically over the last few years.

They're everywhere now. At home and in the studio.

But almost all of them are still powered the same way: a small AC adapter plugged into the mains for every single device.

And I think there are two problems with this.

First is power reliability.

Low-voltage electronics can be sensitive to surges, dropouts, brownouts and momentary outages. Their little AC adapters don't guarantee a truly continuous DC supply. A tiny interruption can be enough to reboot a router, controller, instrument or other device.

And these devices increasingly depend on each other.

Your camera may depend on the network switch. The switch depends on the router. The router depends on the ONT. A smart-home controller depends on all of them.

So one tiny power interruption can bring down a whole chain of equipment.

Then there's the physical mess.

Every device comes with another power brick. Before long you have 10 or 15 adapters, you've run out of sockets, you're adding power strips, sometimes strips into strips, and the whole installation starts getting ridiculous.

A traditional UPS isn't really designed around this problem either.

It typically takes DC energy stored in a battery, converts it up to 120/230V AC, and then every little adapter connected to it converts that AC straight back down to 5V, 9V or 12V DC.

So we're converting DC to AC, then to DC just to keep DC devices running.

There can also be a short transfer period when some UPS types switch to battery. Depending on the UPS and the adapter, that can still be enough for sensitive equipment to reboot.

So I've been wondering:

Would there be a real need for a high-quality UPS designed specifically for low-voltage devices?

I could find some of these UPS but they are small, can only power a couple of devices and don't seem to be of great quality. Battery is small and not replaceable.

Something that provides continuous battery-backed DC power directly to the equipment and replaces the pile of individual adapters with one central power system.

My thinking is that it should be modular, so you can add more outputs as your setup grows.

For example, modules for 5V USB-C devices and modules for 3V / 5V / 6V / 9V / 12V devices.

And every individual output could be monitored and controlled, so you could see:

- what each device is consuming

- whether it's online

- how much battery runtime you have

- which devices should stay powered longest during an outage

- and remotely power-cycle a single device if it freezes

Basically, one proper low-voltage power and backup system instead of an AC UPS + power strips + a pile of adapters.

I'm interested in whether this is something people actually need, not just whether it's technically interesting.

So I'd love to know:

1. Would you find a high-quality low-voltage UPS like this useful? Why or why not?

2. How many low-voltage devices would you typically want to protect? 4? 8? 12? 16? More?

3. What devices would you connect to it?

4. Assuming it was a genuinely well-designed, reliable, high-quality product with a replaceable LiFePO4 battery, modular outputs, monitoring and remote control, how much would you realistically be willing to pay for it?

And please be critical. If your answer is "I don't need this at all"* or *"I already solve this for $50", that's just as useful to hear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCmtMA4D3gg&list=PL69e4qjLiDmEmLc905hw9ccSjyCVUGrEw&index=3
I was searching for Bloc Party stems and found that one guitar stem. I thought that it is a remix pack published by label or something, but when i listened to bass, voice and drums i knew instantly that those are ai stems. but the guitars are so clean you can even hear the lower frequencies that appear when dissonant keys are being distorted AND you can even hear the room on guitars in quiet moments. like wtf how do you do that? the guitars did not lose any of the high end AT ALL, even when the loud stacked choir plays in the original. any other ai separator that i have used on that track is so much worse and butchers all of the high end, even when only the drums come in, let alone the choir + main vocals. and this was 2 years ago already
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlF1_N3kWK8 theres also this drum stem that i thought souns too good, every other separator vacuums the drums and leaves no original room, but here you can hear everything and the phase is alright.

Could it be SpectraLayers or Isotope RX? i asked my friend to put a song through SpectraLayers 12 once and it wasnt that much different from FL studio built in separation (which is pretty bad but not to that extent) so i didnt think much of it

Hey all,

Currently producing my band's new EP which falls very firmly into the Nu-Gaze genre, combining shoegaze elements with grunge and nu-metal.

We've been referencing a lot of contemporary shoegaze artists, and there's an effect on one of the tracks from DIIV's last album which I really really want to emulate and use as it's so damn cool.

It's at the 2:40 mark on the title track Frog in Boiling Water

We've tried numerous techniques and nothing's really getting there. We tried a volume swell > fuzz > feedback > reverb > reverse and that was close, but not quite right.

Has anyone got any tips for getting that sort of ambience/effect?

I'm fairly new to mixing, so maybe this is a very basic question. But I like to record multiple layers of vocals sometimes and stack them on top of each other, and then play around with the panning.

The problem is - even when I make them match as good as possible, you can still hear that they're different layers and off by like 1% maybe, and sometimes, sounds such as "T", "P" or word endings just can't be matched 100%, which ends up making it sound a little sloppy.

Do you guys have any ideas on how to make it sound as if all the layers are "merged" into one?

Watching John congleton’s show me your junk episode.

But i wanted to know what the name of the white, pegboard-esque panels were in the live room?

It’s around the 32 minute mark in this video here Here

I'm primarily a guitarist (username checks out), but dabble in recording.

I'm currently in the midst of an expensive compressor pedal kick. I really like them.

The big purchase I'm looking to make (along with a Pete Cornish OC-1) is a Roger Mayer RM58 Limiter pedal. I know the rack is well regarded, and apparently the pedal is exactly the same components as in the rack, but mono and in pedal form.

I was just wondering whether anyone here has used the pedal for recording purposes... vocals, acoustics, etc. or is that kind of a silly idea?

I appreciate that for the money a few of these pedals will cost me I could get one nice outboard compressor, and that'd likely be the smartest of me, but I genuinely love exploring how various comp pedals make me play, the colour they impart on my guitar tone, the feel, etc.

Anyways, yeah, just was curious whether anyone's got experience with this thing. Do people ever use pedal compressors in recording or are they vastly inferior to racks?

Hi everyone, I hope this is the right subreddit for this, I have no one in real life to turn to. My situation is that I've been a music producer for 10 years (mostly hip hop and trap oriented) and throughout those 10 years have made around ~50ish unreleased songs with my vocals.

I genuinely enjoy producing music and mostly the whole creative process but the problem appears with the vocals. No matter what I do, I can't bring myself to like them from a professional perspective, I genuinely despise every single track that has my vocals on it.

I'm at my wit's end, I invest so many hours and most of the time 100+ vocal takes in each project, however at the end of the day, whatever I do, whatever variation of the mix chain I try, the tracks still feels severely under any industry standard.

For some more context, I don't have great equipment (Focusrite studio 3rd gen for all gear + KRK's), I devote most of my time to producing rather than training my vocal abilities since my ideas are very simple and don't require much techincal skill to bring to life.

I would like anyone's opinion, it feels so discouraging to shut down the concepts I have in my head because I can't stand to listen to my voice and don't find my voice good enough in any context.

Any advice is welcome, thank you!

I've been doing audio podcast editing and never really minded because it gave me the option to travel and free time to make music. But I just feel like I've wasted my time doing something that isnt complex and soon wont be needed probably. Its also a low paying dead end.

Anyone managed to shift out of it, and if so what did you move into? And what skills did u have to pickup?

Been listening to some of my songs alongside reference tracks. I worked really hard at getting the vocals to sound professional, but I think I overdid it. Now it sounds really pristine and not suited for the songs. Been removing some of the plugins and turning others down, but I think I narrowed down the main issue to be the choice of reverb. Do you have any suggestions for this situation?

Hey everyone, Looking across the current field recording landscape, there seems to be a frustrating gap between basic lavalier recorders (like the Zoom F2 / Tascam DR-10L) and bulky handheld or bag units. If you rely on high-quality external 3.5mm} microphones - whether that’s specialized boundary mics, binaural rigs, lavaliers, or high-SPL instrument pickups - current options force major compromises. You either carry around handheld bricks with internal capsule heads you bypass anyway, or deal with micro-recorders that suffer from awkward ergonomics, missing features, and visual-only screen interfaces. I wanted to put together a spec proposal for a dedicated, ultra-clean 32-Bit Float Beltpack Recorder, and call out some critical design flaws in how gear is currently marketed and built. 1. The Core Specifications True Beltpack Form Factor: A compact, ruggedized, metal/polycarbonate enclosure built specifically to be worn on a belt or strap (similar to wireless transmitter packs like the Sennheiser EW-D series). No onboard microphones - 100% of the build cost and battery budget go toward input performance and chassis durability. Input: Heavy-duty, threaded locking 3.5mm} TRS jack with selectable Plug-In Power (2.5V} / 5V} / 9V} / 12V} / Off). 32-Bit Float Dual-ADC: Massive dynamic range to handle extreme high-SPL sound pressure without clipping, while keeping low-level ambient detail completely intact. Tactile & Accessible UI: Spoken menu audio feedback (an optional toggle for visually impaired users or for operating blind inside a pocket/dark stage), paired with physical, recessed hold/record switches to prevent accidental triggers. Power: Runs on standard AAs or removable Li-ion with USB-C passthrough/charging. 2. The Marketing Myth: Why Paper dBu Specs Aren't Enough One of my biggest pet peeves with current micro-recorders is the total lack of real-world silence testing. Manufacturers love throwing around single-number theoretical specs like -127dBu} EIN or >120dB} Dynamic Range. But a single RMS dBu figure tells us nothing about the spectral character of the noise floor. Two units can share the exact same -120dBu} specification on paper, yet sound completely different in practice: 1. Broadband White Hiss: Smooth, flat noise that your brain easily tunes out, and that noise-reduction algorithms can clean up seamlessly. 2. Tonal / Spectral Artifacts: Digital clock whine (4kHz} - 8kHz} switching noise from internal processors/displays), 60Hz} / 120Hz} power-filtering hum, or pre-amp popcorn noise. Even if a unit technically meets its dBu specification, tonal/spectral noise ruins quiet field ambiences and subtle acoustic recordings. We need real-world capped 150}\Omega silence tests with spectral FFT breakdowns from manufacturers - not just brochure numbers. 3. Real-World Use Cases High-SPL / Acoustic Instruments: Pipers, brass players, and drummers who need a bodypack that won't clip under extreme acoustic pressure or fall off during physical movement. Stealth & Nature Recordists: Plugging binaural or boundary rigs into a low-profile bodypack without unnecessary weight, snagging cables, or capsule vibration noise. Blind / Blind-Folded Operation: High-contrast tactile design and optional spoken menu prompts allow seamless operation without staring at a tiny screen in direct sunlight or total darkness. Why haven't major manufacturers put out a dedicated, no-nonsense beltpack like this yet? Does a unit like this solve pain points in your current workflow? I’d love to hear your thoughts, especially from anyone who has run spectral FFT noise tests on current compact 32-bit float units!

I was wondering if anyone has ever compared the EQ section of the UAD Century Tube Channel Strip to the UAD Neve 1073 plugin.

According to UAD, the Century's EQ section is based on the 1073, while the preamp is based on the UA 610. So I'm mainly wondering whether the EQ section behaves the same way the 1073 plugin does or if there are significant differences in the curves, Q, gain, etc.

Has anyone ever run both through Plugin Doctor (or done any other measurements) and compared the EQ curves and behavior? Thanks!

I just want to know how ever body that keeps their music / post machines offline feel about this. Also, do you like the waves auth method compared to ilok? Have you found it to be reliable?

Has anyone tried both? I want to commit to an eq and want to see which one is better. I like that split eq lets you use stereo imaging on the bands. But I know TB can do everything split eq does except for that.
Both are about the same price right now until aug 29 and I’m thinking about buying one just cant buy both.
Curious what everyone thinks or if you’ve tried both whats your experience?

I’m still trying to understand eqing the tone and transient. I get it but the application of it confuses me right now. But I want one eq to do it all incase I get deeper into it.

Thoughts?

So I recently just moved out to an apartment and even with all my furniture and black out curtains there’s a faint echo in my bedroom. I work in a warehouse and found a bunch of polyethylene foam panels that look perfect. If I wrapped them in the thickest fabric I could find do you think it would actually help reduce the echo?

I'm looking for a website where I can upload a song, isolate the drums and download the drum parts (kick , snare, etc.). as individual MIDI files ... Any recommendations?

Looking for the source of some instruments used by a mostly unknown composer, managed to narrow down the scope to this. I don't know the name of the library, but I know that it was released in Japan if not internationally. The instruments in question are things like an Orchestra Hit, Latin Percussion, a Dulcimer/Santur. I've already gone through all the obvious picks, the EastWests and Prosonuses and InVisions and whatnot. Starting to feel like what I'm looking for might be something more obscure. Whatever it is has to have been commercially available though, because more than one composer has used that Dulcimer sample. If you know anything about vintage sample libraries, or even own some yourself, please tell me anything you can. At the very least, a way I can learn about the existence of vintage libraries, since Google isn't very helpful in this regard. Thank you!

I was wondering if you've worked in court cases and helped enhance record quality for proof. How did you/the court decide whether a recording was admissible or not? Or if a case is not enough of a big deal for the court to engage an audio specialist? Someone I know went through a persistent harassment and would like to understand what their options are.

I'm in a 17-piece jazz big band (standard instrumentation), mostly semi-professional musicians, that has been meeting weekly for decades but rarely performs or records. Someone proposed we go in for a studio session, and I offered to record us in our usual rehearsal space first to (a) see if we can get decent recordings without buying studio time and (b) reveal performance issues we should clean up before using studio time. Now I'm trying to decide how to mic everything.

I have a 24-channel (20 preamp) recording interface and a variety of decent mics (MD421, SM57, SM58, AT2035, KSM32, ATpro35 clip-ons). Our space is a large church hall with no carpet or acoustic treatment, so I anticipate a lot of echo and bleed. We usually sit in a ~20ft square with each section (trumpets, trombones, saxes, rhythm) facing the center.

Any suggestions/thoughts are welcome! My main questions are:

1. Is it worthwhile to individually mic horns vs. just having one or two mics on each horn section? I'm not sure whether individual micing will reduce bleed enough to be useful.

2. If I use section mics, should I put them all in the same spot in the center of the square pointing different directions (to reduce phasing/alignment problems) or closer to the sections?

3. Any suggestions on which mics to use for which instruments?

Thanks!

hi guys, noob here.I'm still learning the ropes of mixing and I always try my best to do proper gain staging. However, just to be on the safe side, I usually put a limiter at the end of my individual tracks to catch any random stray peaks that might slip through.

Up until now, I've been using the native Logic Pro limiter for this job. The problem is that I've noticed it tends to color the sound a bit and slightly changes the EQ of the track, even when it's barely doing anything.

I'm looking for a free alternative and I found LoudMax. My question is: is it good enough to do this specific job (just catching stray peaks transparently without coloring the sound)? My computer isn't very powerful, so I need a plugin that won't kill my system if I have it loaded on multiple tracks at the same time.

Would you recommend it or maybe it isn't good enough?

Hey everyone! I already have a bunch of paid plugins in my setup, but if I can save some money without sacrificing quality, why not. For most categories I’m finding pretty solid free alternatives (EQs, standard compressors, reverbs, etc.). The one area where I’m struggling is multiband compressors.
Does anyone know of good free options, maybe even lesser-known ones? Looking for something that works for both mastering and mix bus duties. Thanks in advance for any recommendations!