There’s No Substitute for Emotions in Music

By JUICE Malaysia  •  25 Oct 2017 in Knowledge

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With how much technology has progressed, it’s easier than ever for aspiring musicians and bedroom producers to record all their hard work for the world to hear. Unfortunately, without background knowledge of the nitty-gritty technicalities, beginners are prone to making mistakes that would distort their intentions with their music.

For a primer on rookie mistakes, Edric Hwang – of GYRD studios – breaks down five myths about music production in JUICE Singapore’s recent editorial. Here’s a short recap of  his best advice:

1.  There’s a formula for everything

Each piece of music is unique and requires different arrangements, placements, settings, so and so forth based on the song itself. There’s no such thing as a universal technique that works for all songs.

2. Analogue sounds better than digital

First of all, ‘better’ is subjective. Digital equipment has been proven to be extremely consistent, don’t add noise to your signal, and can be recalled instantly. Analogue gear, however, adds noise to your signal and can be inconsistent.

3. We can fix the ’emotion’ later on in the mix

What goes into the recording studio, comes out of it. Technology can’t turn a light-hearted performance into a one of despair and sorrow.

4. It’s better to have more takes to choose from

More takes can easily lead to more confusion in terms of direction. Once you’ve got ‘it’, listen to your instincts and move on.

5. Mastering is the most important process

Again, the recording process lays out the groundwork here. If that turns out to be mediocre, no amount of mastering will save it.

For a more in-depth breakdown, head on over to our sister publication, JUICE Singapore.