When I used to multitrack on magnetic media, I was always at the mercy of transmission error. It’s what happens to sound every time you copy it. Each minute flaw in the copying of the sound stays through the next recording. Typically you’d start out by laying down a track. Then you’d mix the tracks down to stereo tracks, then you’d do some high quality recording to create a master. Each generation would eat highs, and you’d wind up with a soupy mess.
Because of this, I’d often try to mix straight down to the master. It would save sound quality by a whole generation.
Since I always recorded straight into the board, rarely playing a miked piano, my sound quality was very bright and pristine, fed straight from quarter-inch cables. They produce a very broad spectrum of dynamic sound.
Lately, I’ve been recording everything flat, as the keys are very rich, but in mastering I haven’t been controlling any of the frequency. As a result, my digital recordings have been too bright, and I need to tone down some of those highs, in my opinion.
So I’m finally taking the patient approach, and devoting some time to mix-down and mastering. I’ve got many songs ready for mixing at this point, and a couple are ready to be mastered. Flak has been reworked, and I’m working on over a dozen songs, even having a little fun on the Strat in the meantime.
My Summer Sessions are now Autumn Projects. Good stuff to come.
