Shows
My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTaylor Larson of MixWaveSend us a textCreating software plugin versions of actual hardware is challenging. Acustica did a superb job of creating a plugin version of the D.W. Fearn VT-5 Stereo Equalizer several years ago, called Ruby. And now MixWave has done the same for the VT-7 Compressor.In this episode, I speak with Taylor Larson, founder of MixWave, about creating the VT-7 plugin. Taylor explains the process for the VT-7, and other plugins that MixWave has developed. Learn more about MixWave and their products at https://mixwave.com/Our conversation covered a lot...
2025-09-3054 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnSpring Birds: How I recorded birds in the woods in DSDSend us a textI live and work in the woods, surrounded by wildlife. There are many species of birds and in the spring their songs are pretty amazing. Over the years, I have thought about recording those birds, but the background noise level was a problem. Although very quiet by most people’s standards, there is still a lot of man-made noise -- too much noise to make recording the birds feasible.But an opportunity arose in May of 2020 during the Covid pandemic when there was very little travel. I took advantage of that sh...
2025-06-2229 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnThe Art of Producing - Part 2 - Mic'ingSend us a textThis is the second of three episodes on the Art of Producing. In this one, I talk about the mics and equipment I use in my studio, and the reasons why.The example used for this series features an album project for singer-songwriter Corrie Lynn Green. It is an acoustic-based project, although there are some electric guitars and bass on some songs. I explain why I make certain decisions for this project, and how a recording with a different artist or genre would require a different approach.Corrie’s al...
2024-08-3130 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnThe Art of Producing - Part 1Send us a textThe art of producing a record requires knowledge of music, mastering the technical aspects of the recording process, and an ability to work with people.This is the first of a three-part series about producing. In this episode, I talk about the role of the producer, using a typical album project for Corrie Lynn Green as an example. Not all productions will follow this example, since there are many different styles of music, different artists and musicians, that you may encounter.My approach to producing and recording is not...
2024-08-1131 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnFletcher, Munson, and YouSend us a textOur perception of frequency balance varies with loudness, a fact documented by Harvey Fletcher and Wilden A. Munson, two scientists at Bell Laboratories. In 1933, they published a paper called, “Loudness, its definition, measurement and calculation.” It was groundbreaking science in the field of human hearing, and has implications today for how we perceive music. This is especially important when we are mixing.In this episode, I explain the basics of the Fletcher-Munson Curves and how we can use that knowledge to make better recordings.email: dwfearn@dwfearn.comwww...
2024-07-0819 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnGetting the Best Vocal RecordingSend us a textAlmost all pop music features someone singing. Getting the best vocal performance is crucial, since most listeners respond to the words of a song and need to be able to hear them.In this episode, I first discuss the human factors involved in getting a great performance from singers, mostly from a producer’s viewpoint.And then I focus on the technical requirements of capturing that performance using microphones, mic preamps, processing, effects, and mixing. Often there are problems to be fixed in a vocal track, and I review so...
2024-05-2838 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnStudio AccessoriesSend us a textThere are many things that are important to create the proper studio environment for creative success. Most of these things are pretty mundane, but they do make a difference.Examples I cover in this episode include microphone stands and accessories, music stands and instrument stands, chairs, headphones, studio lighting and climate control, and mic and other cables.It’s not the most exciting equipment we deal with, but it is still important to get it right. After 50+ years of doing sessions, I have some solid ideas about what works fo...
2024-04-2941 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnShawn Dealey on Dolby AtmosSend us a textEver since its announcement, I have been interested in learning more about Dolby Atmos. I was skeptical at first, primarily because of my experience with “Quad” back in the 1970s. That 4-channel concept never gain any popularity with either the listening public nor in the recording community. I presumed that Atmos would be similar, just more speakers. The early demo sessions I attended left me convinced that this was going to be another dead end, like Quad. The early mixes I heard were gimmicky and did not serve the musical intent of the arti...
2024-03-1457 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnCompressionSend us a textCompression and limiting are tools we use to modify the dynamic range of the music we record. In this episode, I present a brief history of where this technique came from, how it evolved over the years since the 1930s. I discuss the various ways that compression circuits work, from the variable-mu vacuum tube, to the optical compressor, the FET, the VCA, the PWM, and the digital limiters. I explain how these different approaches affect the sound in different ways.There are often a lot of adjustments on a compressor, and...
2024-03-0141 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnAudiophiles Guide to Music Recording - Part 2Send us a textThis is part 2 of the Audiophiles Guide to Music Recording. You can listen to part 1 athttps://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/14335456Or you can access part 1 wherever you listen to podcasts.My Take on Music Recording is primarily aimed at people in the professional recording world, but there are a significant number of listeners who are music lovers and audiophiles. This episode provides an overview of the recording process for them. However, I think even people in our profession might enjoy how I attempt to explain the recording studio process...
2024-02-0141 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnAudiophiles Guide to Music Recording - Part 1Send us a textMy Take on Music Recording is primarily aimed at people in the professional recording world, but there are a significant number of listeners who are music lovers and audiophiles. This episode provides an overview of the recording process for them. However, I think even people in our profession might enjoy how I attempt to explain the recording studio process in layman’s terms.This reflects my experience and how I work as a producer and engineer. I tend to carry over the tools and techniques that I have learned over the la...
2024-01-1845 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnReverbSend us a textMusic is meant to be heard in an appropriate acoustical environment. But many times, we have to record in a space that does not have the right sound to it. Artificial reverb is often the solution.In this episode, I talk about good room sound in a studio, and the earliest methods of creating a reverberation sound. That started with spring reverb, then acoustic echo chambers, tape delay, plate reverbs, and finally the digital reverbs that are used today on most recordings.I discuss the origins of those techniques...
2023-12-1938 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnPlug-ins vs HardwareSend us a textIn this episode, I talk about software plug-ins vs hardware. It is a question that I get frequently from listeners. It is relatively short.Can a plug-in perfectly emulate a hardware device? What are the tradeoffs a plug-in designer needs to consider? What about a plug-in that has no hardware antecedent, but it something out of the mind of the designer? These are some of the topics considered.Thanks for listening, subscribing, and commenting. You can reach me with your questions for a future podcast, or suggest a topic...
2023-11-2217 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnImproving Acoustic SpacesSend us a textEvery recording is made is some sort of space. It might be a room, and studio, a church, a concert hall, or even outside.The space where the music is performed, and where the microphones pick up the music always influences the sound of the recording.You might think that close-mic’ing in a dead room eliminates the contribution of the room, but it is still there, for better or worse. The room influences our perception of the performance. Our brain draws conclusions about the space. A listener may fo...
2023-10-3140 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTwelve Rules for Better RecordingSend us a textHow do we make our recordings better? I have thought about this for over 50 years and in this episode, I have tried to distill what I learned into a dozen general rules.The best way to make great recordings is to start with great performers. But even if you aren’t recording the best talent in the world, there are still ways to improve what you get.email: dwfearn@dwfearn.comwww.youtube.com/c/DWFearnhttps://dwfearn.com/
2023-10-0819 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnRecording Unfamiliar InstrumentsSend us a textWhat if you were suddenly confronted with recording an instrument you had never had in the studio before? Or one you never heard before? Or one you never knew existed?How do you figure out how to capture its sound? Where do you place a microphone? What microphone will you use?In this episode I suggest various ways to evaluate an unfamiliar instrument or sound, using some examples from my own experience, and a few rules of thumb to get started.This topic was suggested by a...
2023-09-1628 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnIn Case You Missed It...Send us a textAfter three and a half years of producing the “My Take on Music Recording” podcast, I thought it would be useful to review the 80+ episodes and point out some of the interesting topics you might have overlooked.You might have missed some of the earlier episodes, or skipped over them because they did not interest you at the time.The most popular episode of all is the very first one, from March 2020, called “Your Hearing is Amazing.” Everything we do depends on our hearing and in this episode, I give a s...
2023-08-1619 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnJustin Gray on Immersive Audio Part 2Send us a textMy conversation with musician, producer, mixer, and mastering engineer Justin Gray continues, in this second of two parts. In this episode, Justin discusses how to provide optimum tracks for an immersive mix. He also talks about the minimum immersive monitoring system needed and why it will improve your tracks for remix into Atmos or another format.We explore loudness and how it affects an immersive mix.You can learn more about Justin Gray at his web sites: www.SynthesisSound.comAnd www.ImmersiveMastering.comemail: dw...
2023-07-1950 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnJustin Gray on Immersive AudioSend us a textJustin Gray is a musician, producer, mixer, and mastering engineer based in Toronto. His credits include many major artists.He was fascinated by immersive formats long before they became mainstream.In this first part of a two-part series, we talk about the various immersive formats, of which Dolby Atmos is best known. Justin explains how they differ and what they have in common.He talks about how immersive audio can enhance the listener experience, and provide the artist with an improved palate to present his or her...
2023-06-1950 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMusic/Life Balance with Corrie Lynn GreenSend us a textMost people have time conflicts between what they do for a living and the rest of their lives. That includes time for family and friends, hobbies, obligations, and exploring new directions.Musicians also must confront these same issues. It is often more difficult for a creative person because music and any art not generally lucrative, especially for those starting out.In this episode, I talk with singer-songwriter Corrie Lynn Green about how she manages her obligations with her family life, including a teenage daughter, her day job, which is...
2023-05-0947 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTroubleshootingSend us a textStudios are complex technological environments and it is common for problems to arise. But a problem in the equipment might be a minor inconvenience if you have the skills to quicky determine where the trouble lies and understand how to fix it. Most problems in a studio are human errors.There are often ways to work around the problem. That keeps the session going and you may be able to solve or bypass a problem without anyone else even knowing. There is already enough pressure in most recording sessions, and no...
2023-04-2433 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnDave HillSend us a textMost of you in the professional audio world have learned that Dave Hill, founder of Crane Song, died in February.Dave and I were friends for over 30 years. In this episode I tell some stories about our interactions over the decades. Not only was Dave an amazing engineer and designer, but he was also a wonderful human being.There is a terrific documentary about Dave, made by French filmmaker Alain Le Kim. It is now available on YouTube. Here is the link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68...
2023-03-2423 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnChoosing the Right MicrophoneSend us a textHow do you decide what microphone to use for any instrument or voice you will be recording? All microphones sound different from one another, which is a wonderful tool at our disposal. Making the right choice will improve your recording, eliminate many problems at the mixing stage, and minimize the amount of processing you need.In this episode, I talk about why I chose the mics I did on two very different projects. One was a punk session and the other an acoustic singer-songwriter project. I explain why I decided to...
2023-02-1035 min
Reasonably Spontaneous ConversationA (first) Reasonably Spontaneous Conversation with Doug Fearn and Dennis Tardan -- Corrie Lynn Green EditionOn this first edition of a series of RSCs with Doug Fearn and Dennis, we discuss how we met as raving fans of Corrie Lynn Green. Doug is her producer and I am one of the media folk who are honored to feature her. https://corrielynngreenmusic.com/home
Here is where you can watch and listen to "Arrangement" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mROT3VIDb68
Doug Fearn has made his living from professional audio since 1966. His first exposure to professional recording equipment was at his high school FM station, where he recorded school events and h...
2023-01-1930 min
Reasonably Spontaneous ConversationReasonably Spontaneous Conversation with Doug Fearn and Dennis Tardan -- Corrie Lynn Green EditionOn this first edition of a series of RSCs with Doug Fearn and Dennis, we discuss how we met as raving fans of Corrie Lynn Green. Doug is her producer and I am one of the media folk who are honored to feature her. https://corrielynngreenmusic.com/home
Here is where you can watch and listen to "Arrangement" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mROT3VIDb68
Doug Fearn has made his living from professional audio since 1966. His first exposure to professional recording equipment was at his high school FM station, where he recorded school events and h...
2023-01-0330 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnHeadphones for MixingSend us a textThe typical music consumer these days is listening on earbuds or headphones. Or maybe on the tiny speakers in their smartphone. Few are listening on speakers, at least none of any reasonable quality.It makes sense for us to take this into consideration when we mix a song.Engineers have always had to make adjustments and compromises in order for their mixes to translate well for the public. Since most of your work will be heard on some sort of personal listening device, it is often good to either...
2022-12-2821 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTerri Bright, SInger-songwriter and Behavioral ExpertSend us a textRecording is a technological endeavor, but it also invariably involves people. The psychology of recording sessions has always fascinated me, so when a listener suggested that I have Terri Bright on an episode, I was intrigued by Terri’s dual career as a singer-songwriter, as well as a someone with a PhD in Applied Behavior.In this interview, we discuss how behavioral science can be applied to a recording situation, from Terri’s unique perspective as an expert in both worlds.Thanks for listening, commenting, subscribing, and shar...
2022-12-091h 01My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnWhy Different Gear Sounds DifferentSend us a textWhat makes one piece of studio electronic gear sound different from another, similar piece?When it comes to the physical gear we need to record, there are only a few basic categories. You probably use microphones, mic preamps, equalizers, compressors, converters, reverb devices, delays, monitor amps and speakers.And for each of those categories, there could be dozens of manufacturers, and hundreds of choices. How do you choose one over the other?And why would they sound different from each other, anyway? They are fulfilling the same...
2022-10-2537 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnRibbon MicrophonesSend us a textIf you have listened to this podcast for any length of time, you probably know that I am a big fan of ribbon microphones.In this episode, I talk about my introduction to ribbon mics while I was in high school, and how over the years I tried to make them work for me. Eventually, ribbon mics became my favorite, and now I often do sessions that use only ribbon mics.I explain the characteristics of ribbon mics, good and bad, and suggest ways to get the most from...
2022-10-0639 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnDoug Fearn Interviewed by Corrie Lynn GreenSend us a textFor this 70th podcast episode, things are reversed and I am interviewed by singer-songwriter Corrie Lynn Green. Corrie was curious about how I got into recording, and later into studio equipment manufacturing. We also talk about my views on what makes a successful recording, and what I look for in a recording artist.You may recall Corrie from the 3-part series we did earlier this year called, "Studio Technology for Musicians."Thanks for your support. Please share this and any other episode with anyone you think would find it...
2022-09-2242 min
Insights In SoundInsights In Sound 88 - Doug FearnHe's been the secret sauce behind some of the finest preamps, EQs, and compressors you'll ever see in a studio rack. We chat with Doug Fearn, the sultan of high-end tubular pro audio.
2022-09-021h 22My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnThe Evolution of Contemporay Music with Chuck AndersonSend us a textYou may remember Chuck Anderson from a 2-part episode we did in 2021, where Chuck and I had a wide-ranging discussion on many musical topics. You can listen to those discussions here:https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/9161095https://www.buzzsprout.com/942952/9247297Chuck is a jazz guitarist, composer, and studio musician who has played with many prominent people during his long career. He is also a life-long teacher and lecturer.Today we talk about how the various musical genres evolved and interconnected to form pop music over the past 100 years. C...
2022-09-0141 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnListeningSend us a textFor anyone working in music recording, hearing is vital. But so also is our ability to listen.In this episode, I talk about the two ways of listening, and why both are important. Can you improve, even enhance, your listening ability? I offer some ideas on how you might do that.I also discuss how easily your hearing is damaged, and what you can do to preserve it.This episode does not go into details of how your hearing works, and how some strange anomalies in our...
2022-08-1936 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnYour Recording StyleSend us a textIf everyone recorded music the same way, everything we did would sound the same. But we don’t record the same way, and those differences are part of what makes up our recording style.In this relatively short episode, I talk about how I developed my recording style, and outline some of the things we might do to help us each come up with our own style.I would like to hear from you how you developed your style. Has it changed over the years? Do you have a di...
2022-08-0419 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnStudio Technology for Musicians Part 3 (with Corrie Lynn Green)Send us a textIn this third and final part of my conversation with Corrie Lynn Green, we deviate somewhat from the technology of the studio and discuss the role of the producer. There are plenty of additional topics that Corrie and I could discuss, and if there is sufficient interest, we can do more the next time Corrie is here for recording. Let me know if you found this episode helpful, and feel free to suggest topics for this or any other area of recording that you would like to hear about....
2022-07-0736 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnStudio Technology for Musicians Part 2 (with Corrie Lynn Green)Send us a textIn the previous episode, I had a conversation with singer-songwriter Corrie Lynn Green explaining some aspects of studio technology and how it applies to musicians. In this second installment, we talk about headphones and how they can affect a performance; what happens to the microphone signal after it leaves the studio and gets to the control room; consoles, mic preamps, and digital recorders; mixing and sound manipulation; loudness and what it means; and reduced file size formats like MP3 and how best to use those files. You can learn mo...
2022-06-301h 01My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnStudio Technology for Musicians (with Corrie Lynn Green)Send us a textFor many musicians, recording in a professional studio can be an overwhelming experience at first. There is a lot going on, it’s all very technical and mostly incomprehensible. Jargon is thrown around. Things often move fast. For a while, I have been thinking about doing an episode that explains, in the simple terms, the recording process for musicians.To help me, I asked singer-songwriter Corrie Lynn Green to join me in a conversation. Corrie is relatively new to recording, and I thought her questions would be a useful way...
2022-06-2456 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnThe Future of Vacuum Tubes & What Might Have BeenSend us a textIn the late 1800s, researchers were seeking a way to amplify an analog signal. The vacuum tube was invented in the early 1900s, but scientists were also investigating the properties of semiconductor materials. A very crude version of a transistor was developed even before the vacuum tube, but the technology of the day was better suited for tubes than transistors, and once the tube was widely available, research into the transistor was largely abandoned for the next 40 years. Tubes became the amplifying device that made radio broadcasting possible – and also ushered in the ag...
2022-05-1622 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnSession SociologySend us a textMusic recording is a technological process, but it also involves people. The technology exists to serve musicians, and the process of recording must consider the personalities of the people involved.This episode looks at how those human interactions work, from the perspective of the recording engineer.How do you deal with difficult people? Or insecure people? What does it take to provide a comfortable working environment so that musicians can be at their best? How does an engineer facilitate the recording process to keep every happy, creative, and relaxed?
2022-04-3037 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnKarttikeya of Music Together InternationalSend us a textThere are many different uses for recorded music, and we explore a somewhat unusual application in this episode. My guest is Karttikeya. He only uses one name. He is the engineer and often a musician for Music Together Worldwide, which produces music for early childhood education. Music Together’s goal is to instill a love of music in kids from infants, up to 5 years old. There are similar programs for older kids.You can learn more about Music Together at their web site, https://www.musictogether.com/And more abo...
2022-04-1546 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTuningSend us a textThe instruments on a recording should all be in tune with each other, right? In this short episode, I discuss how instruments are tuned, and why even with today’s remarkable tuning devices, there’s more to tuning an instrument than looking at a colorful display on the head of a guitar.Thanks for listening, commenting, and subscribing on any of the dozens of podcast providers that carry My Take On Music Recording. You can reach me directly at dwfearn@dwfearn.com I am always interested to hear which episodes you enjoy...
2022-02-0314 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnA Recording, DeconstructedSend us a textI take a behind-the-scenes look at a recent recording project I am working on as producer and engineer, explaining the technical details of the session, along with the pre-production planning. This episode has samples from the individual tracks, plus earlier versions and a close-to-finished version. The artist and songwriter is Corrie Green, and this is one song from a 12-song project we are working on.I welcome your comments. You can reach me at dwfearn@dwfearn.comIf this proves to be useful to you, please let me know and I...
2021-12-3040 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnRecording Critiques - The first FiveSend us a textIn the previous episode, I asked listeners to send me their recordings for my critique. In this episode, I play five of the songs submitted and offer my comments.I try to limit my remarks to things that the engineer has some control over, like the mic’ing, amount of room sound, any eq or compression, the mix, the use of processing and effects, loudness and levels, and how the engineer might interact with the musicians to help them get the best recording.Of course, my comments reflect my ex...
2021-11-2647 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnRecording CritiquesSend us a textRecently several people have suggested that I do a series of episodes featuring listener-submitted recordings for my critique.At first, I was not particularly enthusiastic about this idea. Sure, I can make lots of comments on someone’s recording technique. But where do you draw the line between technical issues and more abstract creative decisions? I’ve thought about this quite a bit and I’m not sure there is definitive line between the two.After all, we each bring our own aesthetic to our recordings. If we all did th...
2021-11-0411 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnStereo Mic'ing TechniquesSend us a textStereo has added new dimensions to our recordings, an effect that is difficult or impossible to achieve in monaural recordings. New immersive formats, such as Dolby Atmos, add even more dimensionality to music.You can achieve a kind of stereo by panning mono recordings of various instruments into the stereo field, but that is not what this episode is about. I talk about how to use a pair of microphones to pick up sound.I provide a very brief history of stereo to get started, and some simple concepts...
2021-10-0824 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnChuck Anderson, Part 2Send us a textMy conversation with jazz guitarist, composer, writer, and teacher, Chuck Anderson continues in this episode. We talk about recording his early albums, his trio, solo guitar compositions, and practical advice to aspiring musicians.We discuss the value of silence, why we both rarely listen to music, and details about the recording of his latest album, “Spontaneity.”You can learn much more about Chuck Anderson at his web site, https://chuckandersonjazzguitar.com/?v=757e5b5109edwhere you can also find links to all his social media outlets.
2021-09-2350 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnChuck Anderson guitarist/teacher/recording artistSend us a textChuck Anderson is an amazing musician. Not only is his technique on guitar remarkable, he is also a solid businessman who has made his living from music since he was a teenager. Over his long career, Chuck has worked with the top singers in the music business.But his steady passion is teaching. Since he was 16, he has taught thousands of students. He instructs them not only on the technique of the guitar, but also how to pursue their musical dreams, whether it is becoming a rock star, a studio musician...
2021-09-0848 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnStudio Drummer John O'Reilly Jr.Send us a textJohn O’Reilly Jr. is a studio drummer who spends most of his time recording drum tracks for clients in his studio. He talks about his experiences leading up to his business, “Boom Crash Drum Tracks.”Our conversation covers much more than that. We talk about his philosophy of drumming and music, the challenges and rewards of providing drum overdub tracks, and his commitment to teaching. We discuss the state of current music, and music of the past.https://www.boomcrashdrumtracks.com/We started off talking about John’s...
2021-08-2658 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnDSD Recording with George & Geoff HazelriggSend us a textDirect Stream Digital (DSD) is a different way to record music in a digital format. The concept goes back to the 1930s, and it has been used to record music for at least 20 years. But DSD has not been widely accepted in music recording because it has some serious limitations, which require changes in our normal workflow habits.This conversation with George and Geoff Hazelrigg is a continuation from the previous episode on audio quality. We do not get into the technical details of how DSD works, which will be the subject...
2021-08-1251 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnAudio Quality with George & Geoff HazelriggSend us a textGeoff and George Hazelrigg are not only my business partners, but also superb musicians with decades of studio experience.We seem to always agree on what makes a compelling recording. In this informal conversation, we talk about how artifacts of any kind will detract from the listener’s enjoyment. We share what we have discovered to be the best combination of gear and technique to make recordings we are pleased with.The second part of this conversation, where we discuss DSD high-resolution recording, will become an upcoming episode....
2021-07-2955 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnDolby Atmos explained by Dale BeckerSend us a textMajor record labels and other music providers are committed to adopting Dolby Atmos and other immersive audio technologies. There is a huge amount of work available to re-mix a label’s entire catalog in the new formats.Dale Becker, of Becker Mastering in Los Angeles, has become an expert on the practical aspects of Dolby Atmos. You may remember Dale from Episode 16 last year. Dale is a sought-after mastering engineer with decades of experience. He masters many of the most important recordings of our time.In this new episode, Da...
2021-07-1558 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnRobin Eaton: Songwriter, Musician, Studio OwnerSend us a textRobin Eaton is a songwriter, musician, vocalist, and studio owner based in Nashville. I’ve known Robin for over 40 years, since he lived in nearby Wilmington, Delaware. He came into my studio around 1980 to record demos for several songs and I was blown away by the quality of his compositions.In this informal and wide-ranging conversation, Robin talks about his early influences, such as writing poetry when he was five years old, his adventures in the music business in the U.S. and Europe, and how he eventually settled in Nashville an...
2021-07-011h 02My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTracking, Mixing, and MasteringSend us a textIn the days before tape recording, records had to be made “live,” with the performance going directly to a master lacquer disc. In the 1950s, when recording to tape became possible, the mastering step could be detached from recording, but the performance was still captured live.When multitrack tape became universal in studios in the 1960, the concept of mixing after recording emerged.In the decades that followed, many engineers chose to specialize in one of the three steps made possible by the technology. Some were tracking engineers, who captured the...
2021-06-1819 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnHarpischord RecordingSend us a textIn this short episode, I describe the process I went through on a recent recording project. We were recording a harpsichord, an instrument I had some experience recording, but never before as a solo instrument in the studio.Here is a link to a video made during the recording session.https://youtu.be/Kkg3m6Whydo We were recording a Bach Fantasy and Fugue piece, played by George Hazelrigg. George has been playing harpsichord all his life, although the piano is his main instrument these days.
2021-06-0415 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnLocation RecordingSend us a textMost of us record in studios of various types. But sometimes it is necessary, or advantageous, to record on location.I’ve had a studio most of my career, but in the early days, I recorded entirely on location. More recently, before I built my present studio, I did quite a few location recordings, in many types of venues. Some were concert halls, theaters, or sports arenas, but many were in churches, community spaces, outside, or even in people’s homes.Those location recordings taught me a lot about acou...
2021-05-2320 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnVacuum Tube FundamentalsSend us a textEver wonder how do vacuum tubes actually work? Tubes are one electronic device that you can actually see how they operate. I explain vacuum tube fundamentals in this conversation with Matthew Glosson.Matthew has been working for D.W. Fearn for the past year, mostly with Geoff Hazelrigg on the manufacturing side of the business. Recently he constructed some prototype circuits for me, as part of my new product development.Matthew recently graduated from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia with a degree in music technology, among other...
2021-05-1058 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTheater of the MindSend us a textThere is a story from the early days of television. A reporter asked a young boy if he preferred to watch a baseball game on TV, or listen to it on the radio.His answer was immediate. “On the radio. The pictures are so much better!”We work with sound, and except for music videos and live performances, the sound recording is all that people have to experience the work of a songwriter and artist. Part of our job as recordists, I believe, is to provide a rendition of the...
2021-04-2625 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnLatency and DelaySend us a textWe tend to think that electronic signals travel instantaneously, but they do not. They are merely very fast. And the time delay can be perceived by humans under some circumstances. In this episode, I tell the story of hearing my Morse code Amateur Radio signal coming back after circling the Earth, and how there was significant delay in the time it took for broadcast radio network signals to travel through thousands of miles of dedicated telephone lines.Our digital audio world is full of delays of a different type: l...
2021-04-0933 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnObie O'Brien: A Life In Music -- Part 2Send us a textThis is the second half of the conversation I had with engineer/producer/mixer/musician/songwriter Obie O’Brien. Obie is best known for his long-time work with Jon Bon Jovi, but as you will hear, he has done many things in his career.In this final part of our conversation, we talk about re-mixing Motown hits, digitizing a thousand reels of 2-inch tape from the Bon Jovi tours, and his latest venture, a vinyl pressing plant. But we started off talking about his own studio in Pennsylvania.I do...
2021-03-271h 00My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnObie O'Brien: A life in musicSend us a textTalk about a life in music! Obie O’Brien has done many things in his musical career, starting with playing drums when he was 12, to building a basement studio in the 1960s, to owning a sophisticated studio in Philadelphia. And for over 30 years, working with Jon Bon Jovi in many capacities.I first met Obie in the early 1970s, at my studio. We hit it off right away with our similar approach to music and recording. But we lost touch for a couple of decades. Now Obie lives not too far fr...
2021-03-181h 01My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnInside the PodcastSend us a textAs my podcast approaches its one-year anniversary, I look back on what new skills I have had to learn, and share the podcast creation process with you. It’s not a how-to on podcasting, but it might give you some insight. My approach is not for everyone, or maybe not for anyone else but me. My process evolved to satisfy myself and overcome my deficiencies in this area.Early in life, I found that people often asked me to explain things to them. I’ve been doing that ever since. Knowledge is s...
2021-03-0632 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnManufacturing Pro Audio EquipmentSend us a textManufacturing pro audio equipment was never really part of my plan, but it has become one of the most gratifying aspects of my career in music recording.It wasn’t until around 2011 when a documentary video about me was made that I realized how all the pieces came together, resulting in my career in recording, and in designing products for the studio. In retrospect, it seems totally logical.In this episode, I talk about some of those influences, including my early experience as a teenage business owner. I explain ho...
2021-02-2738 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMinimalist Mic'ing for Better SoundSend us a textUsing as few mics as possible on a recording session often leads to better sound for the project. In this episode, I describe how I went from one mic, to many mics, and back to one mic, over the course of my career.Some examples are truly one stereo mic for an entire song recording, while others use two or three mics, depending on the circumstances.There are high-res audio clips on my podcast web site, https://dougfearn.com/ where you can listen to some of the recordings discussed, p...
2021-02-1530 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnAbbey Road Studios: My three days of recordingSend us a textI’ve had the privilege to work in some iconic studios, but the one that made the biggest impression on me was Abbey Road in London.I spent three days doing sessions there, but since I was working with very competent studio people, there was significant opportunity to explore the facility and ask questions of the EMI engineers. This was in 2008.Abbey Road’s three studios opened in 1931. The largest room, Studio 1, was the largest purpose-built studio in the world – and it still is, 90 years later.Studio 2 is sma...
2021-02-0236 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnCables, Connectors, and Studio WiringSend us a textWe all need cables and connectors to tie all our mics and other equipment together. There are many places where problems can be introduced into your recording, caused by improper wiring. Even when everything appears to be working properly, poor wiring and connector practices can cause subtle problems that make your recordings less than they could be.In this episode, I talk about how we came to use the balanced audio lines in our studios, and why we have the connectors we use. I explain why it is vital that we...
2021-01-2125 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnColin Hay, Singer-Songwriter-RecordistSend us a textEven if you don’t recognize the name Colin Hay, I guarantee that you have heard him. Colin is best known for his band, “Men At Work,” the Australian group that had #1 hits such as “Down Under” and “Who Can It Be Now” in the 1980s. Men at Work sold over 30 million albums during their existence.Since then, the singer-songwriter has worked as a solo artist, touring the world, sometimes truly solo and other times with a band.He has been a “Star” on several tours with the Ringo and the All-Stars...
2021-01-121h 01My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn34 - All Kinds of NoiseSend us a textSince the earliest days of sound recording, noise has been a major limitation in audio quality. In early part of my career, tape hiss was usually the biggest challenge. But today’s digital recorders are virtually noise-free in most situations.We still have to battle with noise, but the sources of the noise have changed. Today’s engineer has to deal with noise generated by the switched-mode power supplies that are in our LED bulbs, computer equipment, and even appliances. These sources of noise can get into electric guitars and create quit...
2021-01-0746 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn33 - All Kinds of DistortionSend us a textDistortion is present in all electronic audio equipment and on all recordings. Sometimes it is part of the sound, such as in an electric guitar.But distortion is usually something we try to avoid.In this episode, I go through the most common types of distortion, their impact on the listener, where the distortion comes from, and what we can do to minimize it.This is somewhat technical, but I try to keep the explanations simple. Learning how to identify the sources of distortion, and how to...
2020-12-2840 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnDisc CuttingSend us a textI never did any disc mastering, but I did cut thousands of lacquer discs. I explained how I learned this art, and describe the process of cutting a disc. The medium imposes a lot of restrictions, not only in the disc-cutting process, but also going back to the recording and mixing.In addition, I include some thoughts on the vinyl record medium. I definitely have a love-hate relationship with records.email: dwfearn@dwfearn.comwww.youtube.com/c/DWFearnhttps://dwfearn.com/
2020-12-1036 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn31 - My Recording Career, Part 2: From 1973 to 2020Send us a textThis is a continuation of the story of my recording career, starting where Part 1 (Episode 30) ends in 1973 and covers the following years, up to 2020. During that time, my studio went from 8- to 16- to 24-track, more sophisticated equipment was added, and I moved to a much larger building. After my studio-ownership days, I continued recording, on location or in other studios. In 1993 I introduced the first studio product I designed, the VT-1 single-channel vacuum tube mic preamp.Since 2007 I have been recording in a studio carved out of the D...
2020-11-2738 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMy Recording Career, Part 1: Early influences and first studioSend us a textMy Recording Career, Part 1: Early influences and first studioThis two-part episode tells the story of my life in recording. It starts out with the musical and electronic experiences that shaped my career and then describes the process of learning about recording and the many disciplines required. I explain how my first studio was constructed and the challenges I faced and mostly overcame. I trace the steady increase in track count -- this was in the days of tape, of course -- and the transition from analog to digital....
2020-11-1844 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnThe D.W. Fearn VT-7 CompressorSend us a textThe VT-7 Compressor has an interesting backstory, including a Nashville dinner with my friend, Cranesong’s Dave Hill back in 2003.In this episode, I tell the story of how the VT-7 came about, and explain how a pulse-width modulator (PWM) compressor works and why it is an excellent way to create a versatile compressor/limiter. I also go through the history of the compressor and the various methods used over the years.The operation of the controls on the VT-7 are described, with some ideas on how best to se...
2020-10-1351 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTony Maserati, Mix EngineerSend us a textThis conversation with mixing engineer Tony Maserati is a little different from most of the other interviews I have done on the podcast. It is mostly just Tony and me having a very informal chat about the things that are important to us, both in our professional lives, but also in life in general.If you want to see the impressive list of artists that Tony has worked with in his career, go to tonymaserati.comYou will see artists ranging from James Brown to David Bowie, Queen Latifa...
2020-10-061h 14My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnThe VT-5 Equalizer: Design and UseSend us a textIn this episode, I describe how the D.W. Fearn VT-4 and VT-5 Equalizers came about. I start with some history of equalization, and then my experiences with various eqs and how that influenced the design of the VT-5.I talk about the design process, including the reasoning behind the choices I made in the frequencies and the curves, and the design of the amplifiers in the VT-5. Then I explain how I use the VT-5 on the sessions I do, which is not meant to be a tutorial on equalizing...
2020-09-2743 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnJoe Tarsia, founder of Sigma Sound StudiosSend us a textSigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia was responsible for a huge number of hit records, starting in the 1960s and continuing into the 21st century. Eventually Sigma had two studios in Philadelphia and three in New York.Joe Tarsia founded Sigma in 1968 but his career as an engineer goes back to the 1950s at Cameo Parkway Records. He started in a mono studio, using very few microphones, hardly any outboard gear, and recording to tape. He has lived through the evolution to stereo and multitrack tape and from mono vinyl records through...
2020-09-131h 01My Take on Music Recording with Doug Fearn25 Improving Your Audio For the World of Virtual CommunicationsSend us a textDuring the Covid pandemic, most of us have had to shift to the virtual world for our conversations, presentations, classes, and committee meetings.One thing that I notice is that almost everyone has bad audio. Not just low fidelity (that’s intrinsic in the on-line medium), but audio with poor intelligibility due to bad mics, bad mic technique, poor-sounding rooms, and extraneous noise.I compiled a few suggestions on how you can improve your virtual audio and made it into this short podcast episode. I also talk a bit ab...
2020-09-0417 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnWhat Flying Taught Me About RecordingSend us a textAt first glance, you would think that flying an airplane and recording music would have very little in common. And it’s true that there is not a whole lot that directly translates from one to the other.But there are many aspects of learning to fly, and constantly working to perfect and extend your flying skills, that have a parallel in recording.In this episode, I explain some of the fundamentals of flying, how my recording career helped me in mastering those skills, and how my audio background hel...
2020-08-2849 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnJason Miles, Producer, Synthesizer programmer, and Keyboard playerSend us a textI’ve known Jason Miles for over 20 years and I learn new things from him every time we talk. Jason is a keyboard player, synthesizer programmer from the earliest days of the Moog synthesizer, and a Grammy-winning producer.He has worked with artists such as Miles, Davis, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Sting, Chaka Chan, Suzy Boggess, David Sanborn, and many others.In this interview, Jason talks about how he got started playing music and how that lead into his pioneering work with creative synthesizer programming, and playing on...
2020-08-2156 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMicrophone Preamplifiers: how I designed the D.W. Fearn preamps and how you can get the most out of themSend us a textMicrophone preamplifiers are essential for almost all recording. In this episode, I look at the requirements for a quality preamp, and how preamps are designed and used.Although this focuses on the D.W. Fearn VT-1, VT-2, and VT-24 mic preamps, the principles are applicable to any preamp.We look at the extreme range of levels a preamp has to deal with, and the techniques used to accommodate this range. Why is there a 20dB pad on most preamps, and how best to use it (or not)? Many modern...
2020-08-1454 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMix Engineer Mike MillerSend us a textMike Miller is a great example of the latest generation of recording mixers. Mike started as a musician, playing piano at age 4, later switched to guitar and as a teenager he began touring with bands whose members were much older. Recording with those bands introduced Mike to the studio and he was instantly captivated and knew that was what he wanted to do.His early success as a producer doing most of the tasks involved in making records eventually led him to specialize in mixing. Mike started out in his home...
2020-08-021h 00My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnVacuum Tubes: Why They Sound Better for AudioSend us a textMy recording career started with vacuum tube gear, and it’s a sound I still prefer. In this episode, I tell the story of my early experience with a homemade mixer using tube mic preamps, and my reluctant transition to solid-state audio equipment and my eventual return to tubes.There may be many reasons why tubes sound different than transistors (solid-state), and I explore some of those differences. The biggest reason may be the distortion products that exist in all amplifiers, whether they are tube or solid-state, and why our ears pr...
2020-07-2635 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTad Rollow, Research EngineerSend us a textTad Rollow is a research engineer who has worked at companies like Eventide, Avid-DigiDesign, and Sennheiser. You probably own hardware or software whose design Tad has been part of.Tad has a wide range of interests and experiences, including hardware, software, and chip design. He’s been recording music since high school and continues to do that. He has a degree in electrical engineering and a PhD in acoustics.Tad understands the intersection between engineering and art, and knows that a product not only has to have great specifications bu...
2020-07-1659 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMy Conversation with Dom MorleySend us a textDom Morley is a Grammy-award winning British engineer, producer, and mixer who has worked with artists such as Amy Winehouse, Adele, Sting, Nick Cave, and many others. He has worked as a staff engineer in several top studios in London and now has his own studio in Oxfordshire. Educating aspiring engineers and producers is important to Dom, and he is in demand as a teacher and lecturer. He often conducts workshops at the NAMM Show.An educational service he offers is the Mix Consultancy, where anyone can submit their mix for...
2020-07-0946 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnWhat Radio Broadcasting Taught Me About RecordingSend us a textMy first job, and really the only time I have ever worked for someone else, was in radio broadcasting. While in high school, I started working as an engineer, on weekends, at WPEN, an AM/FM station in Philadelphia. The station was founded in 1926 and the studios where I worked were built by RCA in 1947. Little had changed by the time I started there in 1966. The AM transmitter site was several miles to the west of the city. It was one of the first directional AM stations in the country, and that site...
2020-07-0241 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnDale Becker, Mastering EngineerSend us a textDale Becker is a mastering engineer in Los Angeles. He is known for his work with artists such as Khalid, Chloe X Halle, Lauv, Macklemore, Rufus Du Sol, JoJo, Kesha, Tiesto, Meghan Trainor, Jeremy Zucker, Beast Coast, Fletcher, Gallant, Louis the Child & Bryce VineHe works at Becker Mastering, along with his father, Bernie.We talked about the art of mastering in the digital age, along with some discussion of mastering for vinyl, Dale’s experience as a recording engineer and producer, the new immersive formats like Dolby Atmos, lo...
2020-06-1859 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMicrophones!Send us a textWe all use microphones all the time, but how much do we know about how they work? Is that knowledge useful?In this episode, I discuss the three main types of studio microphones, dynamic, ribbon, and condenser, and the three main pickup patterns, omni-, bi-, and uni-directional, and why understanding some of the basic principles can help you get the most from your microphones.email: dwfearn@dwfearn.comwww.youtube.com/c/DWFearnhttps://dwfearn.com/
2020-06-1132 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMy Conversation with Producer/Engineer/Mixer Chris TabronSend us a textChris Tabron is a very successful Brooklyn-based producer, engineer, mixer who has worked with artists such as Beyonce, The Strokes, Robert Glasper, Battles, Lower Dens, The Voidz, and Charlotte Day Wilson.I spoke with Chris about how he got into music recording and production, and about his approach to working with artists – and the art of recording and the skills needed to be a producer.Our conversation went on for about two-and-a-half hours, of which this is the first hour. The second portion was less formal – really just the two...
2020-06-0459 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnRecording In Improvised SpacesSend us a textSometimes we have to record in less-than-ideal locations, such as at home, or perhaps on location. Understanding the challenges of adapting space for recording will help you get the best possible sound out of your improvised studio.In this episode, I give a quick overview of some of the acoustical principles that will affect how your recording sounds. Some are obvious, like sound-proofing, sound absorbing, and controlling echoes. Others may not be immediately obvious, such as the room proportions. A deeper understanding of these factors will help.I also...
2020-05-2833 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnMy Conversation with Mix Engineer Jon CastelliSend us a textJon Castelli is an up-and-coming mix engineer in LA who has had great success in recent years, working on projects like Khalid's Grammy-nominated for Record-of-the-Year, "Talk," Platinum record for Summer Walker and Drake's "Girls Need Love," and a Gold record for Harry Styles "Lights Up"Jon offers lots of good, practical information about how to refine your craft, and what it takes to work with top-level artists and producers.We talk about many things, including how he sets up for a mix, recording and mixing vocals, the software and...
2020-05-211h 03My Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnWhat Morse Code Taught Me About Music RecordingSend us a textThis topic may seem like a stretch in a podcast about music recording, but using Morse code on Amateur Radio taught me quite a bit about hearing acuity. And my experience building devices for my hobby taught me a lot about electronics, circuit design, and construction.From my first exposure to Morse code from interference from a RCA Coastal Marine station in New Jersey as a kid, to learning the code and using it for over 50 years, the code has been part of my life. Although I do not have much...
2020-05-1428 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnA Conversation with Wes Dooley - Part 2Send us a textIn this second part of my conversation with Wes Dooley of Audio Engineering Associates, I ask Wes about why ribbon microphones sound different from condenser (or dynamic) microphones. Wes also explains more about his recording background and how that led into ribbon mic design and manufacturing.(Technical info: Wes used an AEA KU5 mic into a D.W. Fearn VT-2 mic preamp and recorded into Pro Tools at the AEA Studio in Pasadena, CA. Doug used an AEA R44CX into a VT-2 and recorded to Pyramix, at the D.W. Fearn...
2020-05-0729 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnA Conversation with Jim Hamilton of Rittenhouse SoundworksSend us a textJim Hamilton is an interesting guy. His career includes drums and percussion, often with well-known artists.But also Jim is a tap dancer who performs around the world. And he owns Rittenhouse Soundworks, an amazing recording studio in Philadelphia. He has also been a life-long student of music and recording.Our conversation covers the relationship of tap dancing to modern drumming, the evolution of the snare drum. We explore how technology affects the recording process and the interface between the performer and the listener. We talk about the high-resolution...
2020-04-3046 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnUsing Magnetic Tape in the StudioSend us a textTape Recording in the Studio: A practical GuideThis is the final of the three parts in this series on recording to magnetic tape. I explain some of the differences in workflow between recording to digital and recording to tape. This is more “hands-on” than the first two installments.The limitations of the medium affect the way you will record. That’s part of the “tape sound.”I discuss the battle with tape noise, setting levels, routine calibration tones, punching in, bouncing tracks (which is a different concept th...
2020-04-2329 minMy Take on Music Recording with Doug FearnTape Machine Alignment & MaintenanceSend us a textTape Machine Alignment & MaintenanceIn this second of three parts on recording to magnetic tape, we look at why proper machine setup is critically important for good, consistent results. This episode is rather arcane because we are talking about an obsolete technology. It includes details on how and why adjustment is necessary, and a rough outline of how it is done.Tape machines from different eras and from different manufacturers have variations on these generic procedures, so if you want to learn how to do this, you...
2020-04-2320 min