Gospel Industry Tip Of The Week 6/27/11
3 Things Your Engineer Wishes You Knew
This week, we’re closing our conversation with renowned recording, mix, and mastering engineer, Marcelo Pennell. At the end of our visit, I asked him to tell me if there were any remaining bits of information he wished to share. Just as cheerful as he’d been throughout the conversation, Marcelo smiled and gave me three final pieces of advice every indie should know.
Because his words were so simple and profound, this week I’m going to share them with you with very little editorializing on my end.
Thing #1: “Ask questions.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask a dumb question,” Marcelo said. “As recording professionals, we don’t expect the artist to be an expert in our field. If you don’t understand the jargon or terminology we are using, get us to clarify.”
Thing #2: “Try to give constructive feedback.”
According to Marcelo, this is one of the most important parts of the recording process: “When you hear what the engineer has done with your song, always give constructive feedback. By constructive, I don’t mean positive, but rather specific. Rather than to say, ‘The track needs to hit harder,’ try to figure out what you would like to hear that would make it hit harder. Request specifically more drums or more bass. Maybe it’s brighter background vocals or a different sound on the lead vocal. This can be done in layman terms and doesn’t have to be so technical as to include frequencies and decibels. Details always help the communication.”
Thing #3: “Remember that we are here to help.”
In his parting comment, Marcelo shared, “As engineers we want you to be thrilled with your recording, and we want it to be successful for you. Any ideas or suggestions we bring are not personal criticisms. Our goal is to help you achieve the sound you are looking for.”
A perfectly insightful ending to a truly enlightening conversation!
I want to thank Marcelo Pennell for making time during a very busy recording season to share his wisdom and insight. In my years in this industry, some of my greatest lessons have come from sitting and listening to the people behind the scenes. I hope you were blessed by this series as well.
Published: June 27, 2011 | 0 Comments
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