Frankly Audio

This step in the recording process can be very complicated or very simple, depending upon the objective. If I seem brief in covering this at this time it is not because I am trying to trivialize this step it is because I tend to have a different approach to learning and teaching this kind of material. I have noticed that several course syllabuses in audio engineering begin with the physics of sound and build from there. To me this puts the cart before the horse in a way. It is certainly a valid sequence to take but I think you will appreciate more in-depth topics and discussion once you are more familiar with the process. I want to get you going.

In tracking you want a good solid signal that will require as little manipulation as possible in the mix. Certainly, you can color the sound as much as you want if that is the effect you want and are sure that you won’t want to uncolor it later. If you can, take the time you need to get the track to sound the way you want it. Don’t rely on “fixing it in the mix”.

There are differing philosophies regarding weather or not to track with compression. In the digital domain if you have a low noise floor and can manage to be confident that you will not exceed acceptable input levels, you can do without it. If you happen to be using analogue tape and have access to a high quality compressor, maybe just a tad will help you maximize signal to noise. Generally speaking I recommend against it.

We’ll talk a little more about tracking and compression.

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