It is said that the English language is fluid and evolving and we shouldn’t get hung up when people start using different words for the same thing. Often said by those who are using the wrong term as they order their expresso coffee. Whilst it is true that language can evolve, it’s also important to agree that certain terms mean the same thing to everyone working in the same industry.
It’s unlikely that anyone in the bomb disposal industry would argue that red and blue can be interchangeable words in that line of work. It’s unlikely that pilots would suddenly decide it’s OK to make the words ascend and descend interchangeable. Some terms have exact meanings, they save confusion and in the cases cited above would certainly save lives.
The audio industry has its own words, in fact we’ve got as much jargon and as many acronyms as an episode of Line of Duty. Many of them matter, here are five we need to stop confusing… now.
Stems And Multi Tracks
Highlighted by Bob Clearmountain, stems are not multitracks.
Tom Bullen wrote an excellent article on stems, here’s a couple of extracts;
“Stems are submixes of a larger mix, that when played together at equal volume will exactly recreate the full mix.
Typically, this will mean dividing larger ensembles, whether recorded naturally or artificially, into smaller subsections. An orchestral mix might be stemmed into strings, brass, woodwind and percussion, or a rock band into drums, guitars, keys and vocals. Crucially, stems are groups of elements that make up the final mix, not the individual elements themselves.
As such, anybody given the stems can alter the relative balance of these sections. For instance they’ll be able to control the levels of the brass against the strings, or the guitars against the drums, but not the individual instruments such as violins against the violas, or the kick drum against the snare drum.
So what is the difference? If multitracks is also an odd word for you, just think instead of “audio files”. The term multitracks comes from multitrack tape - a single piece of tape that could hold multiple, well, tracks. Much like stereo tape can hold two tracks of left and right, multitrack tape can simultaneously record and playback up to 24 tracks across 1 reel of tape up to 2 inches wide in the most common instance. Although physical tape as a recording medium is now generally long gone, the term multitracks is still used to describe all of the audio files that make up your recording and will be mixed into the final piece of music.”
Producer & DAW Owner
Modern tech has made it possible for anyone with a modestly powered computer and even free software to be able to produce their tracks at home. Some pretty big hits started life like this, so we want to be clear that we are not talking about THIS definition of being a producer. Can anyone make their music at home and have success with it? YES, so this is not a cheap attempt to belittle either the technology or the talent that has achieved it.
BUT can that same person then work with other talent to nurture creativity into a great recording? Not always, because being able to produce your own track does not necessarily make you a producer - which is someone who helps other artists to realize their creative visions.
Being a capable producer requires many skills that go way beyond merely being able to write, record and mix your own tracks, they include;
Nurturing talent
Analysis and development of material
Project management
Handling budgets
Dealing with AR and record labels
Obtaining talent to work on projects
Securing recording locations
Musical arrangement
Songwriting with others
And of course, it may also include (but not always) being able to play an instrument, record and mix. The bottom line is that being a producer is far more about dealing with people than it is about gear. On many occasions it’s the engineer and mixer who handle the recording and the mixing, this gives the producer freedom to make the creative decisions.
MPG member and a Producer with over 35 years experience Mick Glossop also underlines perhaps the most crucial role of a producer and that is objectivity;
“Anyone can buy a laptop and a microphone, but not everyone can produce their own music. Most people need help from an outside and experienced pair of ears. Producer is such an overused term adopted by anyone who has recorded anything that it has the potential to undermine the skills and talents of those who excel at it.”
An illustration; If there was a fire in your kitchen, you might be able to reach for the fire extinguisher and put it out, but that one act does not make you a firefighter. If you have more than one fire in your house, you may get lucky and put the second fire out, but that still does not make you a firefighter. However, you might then consider a career as a firefighter and embark on the training that is required, you may ultimately qualify and excel at it to such a degree that you can genuinely describe yourself as a firefighter. Until that point you are just a lucky person who managed to invest in a fire extinguisher.
If you are determined to be the next generation of great music producers, then commit to being one who works hard to nurture your craft. Find other experienced producers who can help you on the journey, who can help you develop the skills required. There are plenty of places to do this with organisations like the MPG who exist partly so that like-minded people can share their experiences and ideas.
Phase And Polarity
Julian Rodgers wrote a comprehensive article on the difference between phase and polarity;
“Lots of people, myself included, silently correct anyone who refers to “flipping the phase”, “pressing the phase button” or similar. If that is you then you are also a pedant and welcome to my world. As well as being a pedant I also understand that many of the people saying it “wrong” understand the difference between polarity and phase and are using it in the vernacular. It’s fine to use it that way as long as you are aware of the difference. But what if you don’t? What harm does it do to use “phase” wrong?
The issue is that polarity is simple to understand, it’s very tidy and gives predictable results. Phase isn’t discussed as often, is harder to understand and people might conclude that because they understand polarity, they understand phase - no they don’t.”
Mixing And Mastering
Several pro engineers and producers felt the terms mixing and mastering are now being interchanged, and being they are entirely different processes it’s worth clarifying the difference.
Mixing
In his excellent article What Is Mixing? The Anatomy Of A Mix, mixer Dom Morley explains;
“Although we can define mixing as simply “combining recorded sound from a multi-track recording into a single audio file (be it mono, stereo or surround)”, the act of “combining” in a way that actually sounds good to us can be pretty complicated.
To make it simpler, let’s break down the art of mixing into four basic processes – balance, EQ, compression, and effects..”
You can read more on what is mixing here
Mastering
Mastering takes place after the mix process has been completed. Studio guru Bobby Owsinski has an in depth tutorial series on mastering on LinkedIn - here is a short extract.
“The term Mastering is either completely misunderstood or shrouded in mystery, but the process is really pretty simple. Technically speaking, mastering is the intermediate step between mixing the audio and preparing it to be replicated or distributed. But it's really much more than that. Mastering is a process of turning a collection of songs into a record by making them sound like they belong together, in terms of tone, volume, and timing, which means the spacing between songs in an album.
Here's what mastering is not. It's not a plug-in that you run music through, and it automatically comes out mastered. It's more of an art form that mostly relies on an individuals' skill, experience with various genres of music, and good taste. Just to be sure that we are clear on what you are trying to accomplish by mastering, you are trying to raise the level of the song so that they are competitive with others on the market. Make a group of songs all sound the same in relative level and tonal quality. Finish them by editing out count-offs and glitches, fixing fades, adding PQ and ISRC codes and creating spreads for CDs and vinyl records.
Mastering is a simple process, but like most simple processes, it's a lot more involved than it first seems, once you really get into it. As long as you know all the things that go into the mastering process, you can make your song sound as finished and complete as others on the market. That's exactly what we will be covering throughout the rest of this course.”
Sound Proofing And Acoustic Treatment
Sound proofing has little to do with acoustic treatment, you may sound proof a room but it still could be an acoustic nightmare to mix in. Conversely, you might have a room that has great acoustics but leaks sound in and out like a sieve.
Sound Proofing
Sound proofing is the process of keeping sound from coming into or out of a space.
There are two main reasons why you may want to soundproof your studio. The first reason being to limit the level of airborne sound (such as traffic noise) from entering your studio from the outside world. The second reason being to limit airborne noise (from studio monitors) or impact noise (from drum kits) transmitting through the structure of your studio to the outside world upsetting your neighbours.
Sound proofing often takes place at a structural level of the studio build as it requires items like floors, walls, ceilings and associated items like doors and windows to be constructed to isolate the space from each other and the outside world.
Do You Know How To Soundproof Your Studio? Watch This Excellent Video To See How Soundproofing Works
Acoustic Treatment
Acoustic treatment is used to reduce issues within a room that may colour the sound. If a room has bad acoustics then mixes don’t translate when taken out of the room. Acoustic treatment comes in a variety of different styles such as absorption and diffusion. Recording studios that do not have at least some form of acoustic treatment in place can suffer terribly with reflections and flutter echoes.
Of course, budget depends on what you are trying to achieve. If your studio is aimed at high end clients or needs to produce mixes that will translate correctly in movie theatres or on TV, then you may need to invest more to ensure a flat response.
If you are on a tight budget and are using your studio for less mission-critical work, then a room does not have to be perfect. The good news is there are some basic, low cost treatments that can help reduce some of the most common issues. In some cases you can build your own things like acoustic panels and get surprisingly acceptable results.
What About You?
What drives you crazy every time someone mixes up two audio terms? Let us know in the comments below and there may be a part 2, 3 or even 4!