The Learning Curve

[westonreed]

Alright, I have been learning as much as I can about audio production over the past year, but I still have trouble with a lot of it. For example, I get incredibly frustrated when trying to mix a song and it is probably because I am just guessing and I don't know what I need to know about EQ, compression, etc. EQ especially has been an uphill battle for me from the start and I am honestly not much closer to understanding it now than when I first started.

So even though this site is probably filled with mostly everything that I will need to learn, I know that it will be easier for me to learn from a single resource and/or a single book. The pdf, "Killer Home Recording" looks like an all-inclusive resource, but I am not sure how reputable the author is (Brandon Drury). Have any of you read this? Any book recommendations, advice or suggestions on how you all learned?

 

[Audiosprite]

I haven't read Drury's book so I can't comment, but Roey Izhaki's [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Audio-Concepts-Practices-Tools/dp/0240520688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313386446&sr=8-1]mixing book[/ame] is a beastly guide.

 

[NoSoup4you22]

I just jumped in and started recording shit without really knowing what I was doing... Over the course of a couple years, through a combination of referencing other albums, lurking on sneapforum and just doing what I thought sounded good, my mixes steadily improved. Studying is an important part of it, but remember your ear is the most important tool at your disposal!

 

[AudioGeekZine]

Killer Home Recording is a great book for beginners, get the freebie guide and if you like how he writes and explains things in a real world way then consider getting the full package.

You can't buy experience, the thing that really makes you get better is doing this shit every day.

A little inspiration to help with your frustration : The Mixing Learning Curve

 

[ShelbyStanga]

The best thing to do is to sit down, start mixing a song, and as soon as you run into your first problem, or the first thing that you need to know, use this...

http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=007593470310830667409:4qw46y8lnza

Search function for the forum. I can honestly say that as a beginner, there isn't a single thing that you'd like to know that won't be in this forum.

Start with drums. Search "Kick drum processing", read about it, try something. Read about it, try something. On and on until you feel like you've made a legitimate advance, and understand what it is that you just did to achieve that sound.


Good luck!