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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

Doug Fearn

Doug Fearn draws on his 50+ years as a recording engineer, record producer, studio owner, and pro audio equipment designer to explain the art and science of recording for the audiophile, music lover, and people in the music recording industry.

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Top 10 My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Justin Gray on Immersive Audio

Justin Gray on Immersive Audio

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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06/19/23 • 50 min

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Justin Gray is a musician, producer, mixer, and mastering engineer based in Toronto. His credits include many major artists.

He was fascinated by immersive formats long before they became mainstream.

In this first part of a two-part series, we talk about the various immersive formats, of which Dolby Atmos is best known. Justin explains how they differ and what they have in common.

He talks about how immersive audio can enhance the listener experience, and provide the artist with an improved palate to present his or her work.

Justin discusses the challenges and rewards of re-creating a classic song in the new format.

You can learn more about Justin Gray at his web sites: www.SynthesisSound.com

And www.ImmersiveMastering.com

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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04/24/23 • 33 min

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Studios are complex technological environments and it is common for problems to arise. But a problem in the equipment might be a minor inconvenience if you have the skills to quicky determine where the trouble lies and understand how to fix it. Most problems in a studio are human errors.

There are often ways to work around the problem. That keeps the session going and you may be able to solve or bypass a problem without anyone else even knowing. There is already enough pressure in most recording sessions, and no one needs to have the mood of the session disrupted by a problem.

In this episode, I talk about the most common causes of problems and offer tips for determining the cause. I give several typical session problems and ways to address them.

This isn’t the most exciting part of recording for most people, but troubleshooting is a skill you can develop and utilize when necessary.

Thanks for listening, commenting, and subscribing. I can be reached at [email protected]

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Choosing the Right Microphone

Choosing the Right Microphone

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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02/10/23 • 35 min

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How do you decide what microphone to use for any instrument or voice you will be recording? All microphones sound different from one another, which is a wonderful tool at our disposal. Making the right choice will improve your recording, eliminate many problems at the mixing stage, and minimize the amount of processing you need.

In this episode, I talk about why I chose the mics I did on two very different projects. One was a punk session and the other an acoustic singer-songwriter project. I explain why I decided to use a particular microphone, and sometimes suggest alternatives.

Of course, this reflects my style of recording. I don’t expect my choices to be your choices, but perhaps this explanation will help you when it comes time to make your decisions.

In this episode, I talk about microphones from AEA, BeyerDynamic, Flea, Neumann, Royer, and Shure. To be clear, I have no connection with these companies except that I love the mics they make. And I have friends at some of the companies. There are mics from many other manufacturers in my collection, but in these examples, those were the mics I used.

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Music/Life Balance with Corrie Lynn Green

Music/Life Balance with Corrie Lynn Green

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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05/09/23 • 47 min

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Most people have time conflicts between what they do for a living and the rest of their lives. That includes time for family and friends, hobbies, obligations, and exploring new directions.

Musicians also must confront these same issues. It is often more difficult for a creative person because music and any art not generally lucrative, especially for those starting out.

In this episode, I talk with singer-songwriter Corrie Lynn Green about how she manages her obligations with her family life, including a teenage daughter, her day job, which is her own business, her extended family and network of friends, while pursuing her musical career.

She also talks about other challenges for the independent artist, including managing social media, choosing the right gigs to accept, travel, and keeping in touch with her fans.

At the end of our conversation, one of Corrie’s songs is included.

This episode was entirely spontaneous, recorded one night after two very long days of sessions.

Thanks for subscribing, commenting, and helping others find My Take On Music Recording. I can be reached at [email protected]

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Studio Accessories

Studio Accessories

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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04/29/24 • 41 min

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There are many things that are important to create the proper studio environment for creative success. Most of these things are pretty mundane, but they do make a difference.

Examples I cover in this episode include microphone stands and accessories, music stands and instrument stands, chairs, headphones, studio lighting and climate control, and mic and other cables.

It’s not the most exciting equipment we deal with, but it is still important to get it right. After 50+ years of doing sessions, I have some solid ideas about what works for me. I hope you will find these ideas and suggestions helpful.
And here are the links for the Spring Birds recording I mentioned at the start of this episode:
https://www.outermarkerrecords.com/
https://www.nativedsd.com/label/outer-marker-records/

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Recording Unfamiliar Instruments

Recording Unfamiliar Instruments

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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09/16/23 • 28 min

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What if you were suddenly confronted with recording an instrument you had never had in the studio before? Or one you never heard before? Or one you never knew existed?

How do you figure out how to capture its sound? Where do you place a microphone? What microphone will you use?

In this episode I suggest various ways to evaluate an unfamiliar instrument or sound, using some examples from my own experience, and a few rules of thumb to get started.

This topic was suggested by a listener. If you have ideas for a episode, let me know. [email protected]

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Fletcher, Munson, and You

Fletcher, Munson, and You

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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07/08/24 • 19 min

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Our perception of frequency balance varies with loudness, a fact documented by Harvey Fletcher and Wilden A. Munson, two scientists at Bell Laboratories. In 1933, they published a paper called, “Loudness, its definition, measurement and calculation.” It was groundbreaking science in the field of human hearing, and has implications today for how we perceive music. This is especially important when we are mixing.

In this episode, I explain the basics of the Fletcher-Munson Curves and how we can use that knowledge to make better recordings.

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - The Art of Producing - Part 2 - Mic'ing

The Art of Producing - Part 2 - Mic'ing

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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08/31/24 • 30 min

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This is the second of three episodes on the Art of Producing. In this one, I talk about the mics and equipment I use in my studio, and the reasons why.

The example used for this series features an album project for singer-songwriter Corrie Lynn Green. It is an acoustic-based project, although there are some electric guitars and bass on some songs. I explain why I make certain decisions for this project, and how a recording with a different artist or genre would require a different approach.

Corrie’s album, “Time To Be Brave,” will be released on Outer Marker Records on September 6, 2024, and distributed by Native DSD as a download purchase only. But you can listen to all the songs for free (in mp3) on the Native DSD web site. https://www.nativedsd.com/label/outer-marker-records/

The third and final episode of this series on producing will look at mixing and mastering.

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Headphones for Mixing

Headphones for Mixing

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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12/28/22 • 21 min

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The typical music consumer these days is listening on earbuds or headphones. Or maybe on the tiny speakers in their smartphone. Few are listening on speakers, at least none of any reasonable quality.

It makes sense for us to take this into consideration when we mix a song.

Engineers have always had to make adjustments and compromises in order for their mixes to translate well for the public. Since most of your work will be heard on some sort of personal listening device, it is often good to either mix using headphones, or at least check the mix that way.

In this episode, I talk about my personal preference for headphones for mixing and listening, which goes back decades. Sure, I use the studio monitor speakers as another reference, but when it comes to details, I just hear more with the headphones. This is especially true when editing.

Everyone has to develop their own approach to this, and I expect many people prefer monitoring and mixing through their expensive monitor speakers. And there are times when speakers are the way to go, such as when more than one person has to listen, or when you want to get that visceral experience of feeling the bass.

Many people in the world of recording were saddened to hear of the death of Joe Tarsia, founder of Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. Joe was a pioneer, always on the forefront of new technology. Many successful engineers came up under Joe’s mentorship. I know I will miss the interesting conversations I had with Joe, going back to the late 1960s.

You can listen to my conversation with Joe Tarsia from 2020 in episode 26. Here is the link:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/5418067

There is also a YouTube video of the same conversation, with some extra content, including a series of photos from Joe’s career:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMwTQ8XhY9c

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn - Recording Critiques - The first Five

Recording Critiques - The first Five

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn

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11/26/21 • 47 min

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In the previous episode, I asked listeners to send me their recordings for my critique. In this episode, I play five of the songs submitted and offer my comments.

I try to limit my remarks to things that the engineer has some control over, like the mic’ing, amount of room sound, any eq or compression, the mix, the use of processing and effects, loudness and levels, and how the engineer might interact with the musicians to help them get the best recording.

Of course, my comments reflect my experience and my taste, so they are not the last word on the work submitted.

The songs are embedded in the podcast, but since podcasting uses a low bit-rate MP3, the audio quality is quite poor, especially for music. If you want to hear the full resolution versions of this music, go to my podcast web site, https:\\DougFearn.com. Look under “Extras” and then click on “Critique Audio.” Here is the direct link to the high-res versions: https://www.dougfearn.com/Extras/CritiqueAudio/critiqueaudio.html

I look forward to hearing from listeners to determine whether this is a useful endeavor or not. If the response is positive, I will do more critiques as an occasional feature. You can send your full resolution audio file to [email protected], using whatever large file transfer service you prefer. Please do not send MP3s or equivalent.

This podcast is carried by over 30 podcast providers. Your support is much appreciated.

email: [email protected]
www.youtube.com/c/DWFearn
https://dwfearn.com/

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FAQ

How many episodes does My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn have?

My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn currently has 102 episodes available.

What topics does My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn cover?

The podcast is about Audio, Music, Podcasts and Arts.

What is the most popular episode on My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn?

The episode title 'Studio Accessories' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn?

The average episode length on My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn is 39 minutes.

How often are episodes of My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn released?

Episodes of My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn are typically released every 14 days.

When was the first episode of My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn?

The first episode of My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn was released on Mar 19, 2020.

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