Audio recordings and mixes by| |
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We practice recording in all different genres of music as well as encourage new and unique forms of art. Recording is a fairly simple procedure involving the talent of the artist(s), the vision and ear of the producer in combination with the knowledge of the engineer. The product that is envisioned by these parties will evolve as the idea becomes tangible. Changes usually occur at this point or new ideas may emerge in to the project and the project can revert back to the writing. An experienced recording artist will practice at home and only engage with a recording service when the sone is complete and ready. This allows the recording artist to spend money efficiently and not waste time by making changes or re-writing parts. The type of microphone and pre amp can give a different color to the sound and often are mixed an matched to a desired effect complimenting the song.
Mixing audio can become a very time consuming and tedious procedure. We have the ability to open any Pro Tools session file and edit mix and master the material as desired. The very process of blending tracks and sifting thru multiple takes can involve quite a bit of patience and vision. Not all audio will sound as it does directly after recording. The processes and effects that might be added will give most audio projects a completely different feel than the raw original recordings. With the proper mixing techniques implemented your audio project will come to life. Digital mixing procedures ensure that the raw audio data is not affected while maintaining the highest standard quality possible. Have you recorded your music, and are now in need of a Professional Mixing Engineer?
Cry$tyle Productions can provide the knowledge and experience that your music needs prior to Mastering with our audio mixing service. It takes a great mix to create an excellent master. The process begins by forwarding or bringing your audio project with separated tracks (vocals, guitar, beat track, bass, etc..) on CDR/CDRW or DVDR/DVDRW. Our preferred method is to be sent the project as a Pro Tools File. If you need help saving a project file that includes all your media, or exporting (rendering) the individual tracks from your software please contact us by using the contact page and leave an email address that we can contact you back on. When exporting please note that we prefer everything to be dry with no effects. The exception is if you have a special effect such as a long delay or a flanger that you want included in an individual track. Once our Engineers receive the project, we will begin to mix the audio to a stereo track adding effects such as compression, EQ, delay and reverb to each instrument or vocal as needed. Mixing can be very subjective; therefore samples of each song can be made giving the artist(s) the opportunity to provide feedback. Any modifications that are requested will be reviewed and returned as a new sample. We will continue this process until the artist(s) are satisfied with the results.
Due to the time consumption of editing, prices do not include elimination of unwanted audio within tracks, such as pops, loud breathes, talking, instrument and vocal noises before and after takes, etc. Please clean up unwanted audio parts on tracks before sending. The cost for our engineers to edit these problems will be extra, depending on how many tracks and how much unwanted audio parts must be edited out. You will be notified if we find any noises that we feel need to be removed. If you have any questions, please contact us. Also, please visit our rates page to view our prices for services. Upon request we will send you an Mp3 of your project. Mp3 files are great for sending via email, posting on a web site, or for additional backup on your hard drive. We offer this service at no additional charge.
Cry$tyle Productions can provide the knowledge and experience that your music needs prior to Mastering with our audio mixing service. It takes a great mix to create an excellent master. The process begins by forwarding or bringing your audio project with separated tracks (vocals, guitar, beat track, bass, etc..) on CDR/CDRW or DVDR/DVDRW. Our preferred method is to be sent the project as a Pro Tools File. If you need help saving a project file that includes all your media, or exporting (rendering) the individual tracks from your software please contact us by using the contact page and leave an email address that we can contact you back on. When exporting please note that we prefer everything to be dry with no effects. The exception is if you have a special effect such as a long delay or a flanger that you want included in an individual track. Once our Engineers receive the project, we will begin to mix the audio to a stereo track adding effects such as compression, EQ, delay and reverb to each instrument or vocal as needed. Mixing can be very subjective; therefore samples of each song can be made giving the artist(s) the opportunity to provide feedback. Any modifications that are requested will be reviewed and returned as a new sample. We will continue this process until the artist(s) are satisfied with the results.
Due to the time consumption of editing, prices do not include elimination of unwanted audio within tracks, such as pops, loud breathes, talking, instrument and vocal noises before and after takes, etc. Please clean up unwanted audio parts on tracks before sending. The cost for our engineers to edit these problems will be extra, depending on how many tracks and how much unwanted audio parts must be edited out. You will be notified if we find any noises that we feel need to be removed. If you have any questions, please contact us. Also, please visit our rates page to view our prices for services. Upon request we will send you an Mp3 of your project. Mp3 files are great for sending via email, posting on a web site, or for additional backup on your hard drive. We offer this service at no additional charge.
The loss of audio quality in analog tapes is inevitable. Time will only continue to destroy these priceless fragile artifacts so it is imperative you get these memories digitally backed up. Other benefits to digitally transferring your data is include; faster copies, easier accsess, restoration capability…
Do you have an old 78 rpm record or reel to reel tapes of your parents, grandparents, a childs first words, or other precious family members singing, playing musical instruments, celebrating an important occasion or just sitting around the holiday table talking? We know what a treasure old audio can be, and we know how to bring them back to life for you. We can gradually remove the layers of noise that conceal their voices. Once this noise has been reduced, we can enhance their voice to sound natural by adjusting the tone with very precise tone controls. Finally, with maximizing software, we can make their voice louder and more present. Where ever you have digital or analog audio that has noise we can improve the quality. Try us for free with any sample piece you have so you can hear the difference yourself. Just give us a call and we’ll help you with the process of getting the old recording to us safely and quickly.
Here are some of the most requested enhancements from clients:
Remove tape hiss from old reel-to-reel tapes and cassettes
Correct tone inconsistencies
Make audio programs louder, or balance inconsistent volumes
Make a mono recording into a stereo program with spatial enhancement technology
Isolate particular sounds for better recognition, such as speech or background sounds
Adjust spacing between musical selections on a tape/record and remove unwanted sounds from start or end of songs
Remove unwanted footage within a song, such as skips in records, with seamless editing
Make songs longer or shorter, seamlessly And we can handle –
Audio Restoration Services
How can we help? Would you like to hear your old analog audio with those pops, clicks and scratches removed? We can do just that with our sound restoration services. Do you have on old tape of a family member you would like to pass onto your children? Let us transfer it to CD and make copies for your entire family.
Cassette, Reel to Reel,
We can restore and transfer your treasured Reel to Reels, Cassettes Tapes, Microcassettes and Wire recordings to CD’s or data files that will last.
So how do I get started?
check our pricing or… contact us now for a free consultation
Do you have an old 78 rpm record or reel to reel tapes of your parents, grandparents, a childs first words, or other precious family members singing, playing musical instruments, celebrating an important occasion or just sitting around the holiday table talking? We know what a treasure old audio can be, and we know how to bring them back to life for you. We can gradually remove the layers of noise that conceal their voices. Once this noise has been reduced, we can enhance their voice to sound natural by adjusting the tone with very precise tone controls. Finally, with maximizing software, we can make their voice louder and more present. Where ever you have digital or analog audio that has noise we can improve the quality. Try us for free with any sample piece you have so you can hear the difference yourself. Just give us a call and we’ll help you with the process of getting the old recording to us safely and quickly.
Here are some of the most requested enhancements from clients:
Remove tape hiss from old reel-to-reel tapes and cassettes
Correct tone inconsistencies
Make audio programs louder, or balance inconsistent volumes
Make a mono recording into a stereo program with spatial enhancement technology
Isolate particular sounds for better recognition, such as speech or background sounds
Adjust spacing between musical selections on a tape/record and remove unwanted sounds from start or end of songs
Remove unwanted footage within a song, such as skips in records, with seamless editing
Make songs longer or shorter, seamlessly And we can handle –
- telephone recordings or conference calls
- reel to reel tapes
- cassette tapes
- VHS
Audio Restoration Services
How can we help? Would you like to hear your old analog audio with those pops, clicks and scratches removed? We can do just that with our sound restoration services. Do you have on old tape of a family member you would like to pass onto your children? Let us transfer it to CD and make copies for your entire family.
Cassette, Reel to Reel,
We can restore and transfer your treasured Reel to Reels, Cassettes Tapes, Microcassettes and Wire recordings to CD’s or data files that will last.
So how do I get started?
check our pricing or… contact us now for a free consultation
What Is Mastering & Why Is It Important?
Mastering is the final process audio will go thru before it is to be released to the public as a complete work of art. The cover art and the over all design of the album will begin to take shape as the finishing touches will be attached to the mixed audio tracks. The order in which the tracks are to be presented on the CD as a whole are discussed and emplaced at this time. The levels are measured and evened from track to track emulating the illusion that all tracks were recorded in the same studio or at the same time. Most recordings are manipulated at a variety of studios that possibly make use of different microphones and pre amps.
In music production, mastering serves as the final stage in the creative process. The stage where a lot of additional magic happens, bringing the listener closer to your music by giving them a stronger sense of connection. In short, it can amplify the very essence of why you created this music in the first place. However, it’s crucial to know how to prepare your music for the ‘master’ to create an extra layer of enchantment to your creation.
So, time for the allusive question. What exactly is mastering and why is it important? To explain more, we spoke to our award-winning engineering team who carry with them a wealth of experience, passion and expertise. In this article they break down the process of mastering, sharing some valuable tips with you in the process.
What Is Mastering?
Mastering is the final quality check in the recording process and the initial step in the production process for an audio project, such as a CD, album, or single.
When our team receives a project, they listen to the overall sound and begin to fine-tune it for aesthetic purposes before formatting it to meet the technical requirements for manufacturing. It is important to note that mastering is distinct from the mixing process and should not be used as an opportunity to drastically alter or transform the genre or style of the music or project. While some tools may overlap, mastering has its own unique set of tools and objectives and the artist has to trust the mastering engineer’s ears and judgement.
Eventually, the goal of mastering is to keep the original intentions of the artist and producer and ‘polish’ the sound, bringing the listener closer to the emotional content of the music.
Purpose of Modern Mastering
Why would you want to get your project mastered? Simply put, it is to improve the quality of the sound – but even more importantly, it is to elevate the listening experience and foster a deeper connection between the listener and the music, devoid of any jarring disruptions.
Secondly, it is to create a cohesive thread and seamless flow throughout an album so that it feels unified to the listener. Lastly, mastering can adapt the material for various distribution formats such as CD, Vinyl, standard digital, hi-res digital, MFiT, etc.
Our engineers listen particularly to the vocal level in the mix, the level of each track in an album compared to the others, the consistency of the sound between tracks. What they actually do can vary from doing almost nothing (because the mix is already great), to making adjustments to the sound of every track.
Techniques to achieve the above might include equalisation (EQ), compression and/or limiting. Adjusting levels, pauses between tracks and fade-ins/outs are also part of the mastering process that help add colour, tone and define attributes and character.
Mastering is the final process audio will go thru before it is to be released to the public as a complete work of art. The cover art and the over all design of the album will begin to take shape as the finishing touches will be attached to the mixed audio tracks. The order in which the tracks are to be presented on the CD as a whole are discussed and emplaced at this time. The levels are measured and evened from track to track emulating the illusion that all tracks were recorded in the same studio or at the same time. Most recordings are manipulated at a variety of studios that possibly make use of different microphones and pre amps.
In music production, mastering serves as the final stage in the creative process. The stage where a lot of additional magic happens, bringing the listener closer to your music by giving them a stronger sense of connection. In short, it can amplify the very essence of why you created this music in the first place. However, it’s crucial to know how to prepare your music for the ‘master’ to create an extra layer of enchantment to your creation.
So, time for the allusive question. What exactly is mastering and why is it important? To explain more, we spoke to our award-winning engineering team who carry with them a wealth of experience, passion and expertise. In this article they break down the process of mastering, sharing some valuable tips with you in the process.
What Is Mastering?
Mastering is the final quality check in the recording process and the initial step in the production process for an audio project, such as a CD, album, or single.
When our team receives a project, they listen to the overall sound and begin to fine-tune it for aesthetic purposes before formatting it to meet the technical requirements for manufacturing. It is important to note that mastering is distinct from the mixing process and should not be used as an opportunity to drastically alter or transform the genre or style of the music or project. While some tools may overlap, mastering has its own unique set of tools and objectives and the artist has to trust the mastering engineer’s ears and judgement.
Eventually, the goal of mastering is to keep the original intentions of the artist and producer and ‘polish’ the sound, bringing the listener closer to the emotional content of the music.
Purpose of Modern Mastering
Why would you want to get your project mastered? Simply put, it is to improve the quality of the sound – but even more importantly, it is to elevate the listening experience and foster a deeper connection between the listener and the music, devoid of any jarring disruptions.
Secondly, it is to create a cohesive thread and seamless flow throughout an album so that it feels unified to the listener. Lastly, mastering can adapt the material for various distribution formats such as CD, Vinyl, standard digital, hi-res digital, MFiT, etc.
Our engineers listen particularly to the vocal level in the mix, the level of each track in an album compared to the others, the consistency of the sound between tracks. What they actually do can vary from doing almost nothing (because the mix is already great), to making adjustments to the sound of every track.
Techniques to achieve the above might include equalisation (EQ), compression and/or limiting. Adjusting levels, pauses between tracks and fade-ins/outs are also part of the mastering process that help add colour, tone and define attributes and character.
A film can have beautiful visuals, but to really immerse the audience in the drama, it has to have good sound. The sounds of film and television productions include anything from snappy lines of dialogue to soaring film scores to a careful mixture of in-scene music and sound effects. That mixture is called sound design.
What is sound design? Sound design is the craft of creating an overall sonic palette for a piece of art, especially media like film, TV shows, live theater, commercials, and podcasts. It can also apply to multimedia visual art forms (video art) and even music recordings that incorporate ambient sounds or sound effects.
6 applications for sound designSound design can pop up in many forms of art, but it’s particularly essential to six specific types of media.
What does a sound designer do? In most cases, the creative sound design on a film or TV project is overseen by a professional sound designer. This specialist is part of a project’s design team, along with a director, a production designer, a lighting designer, and other design roles. Films and TV shows typically have dedicated composers whose sole duty is providing the musical underscore. For example, John Williams wrote the famous film score to Star Wars but he didn’t create the beeping sounds of R2D2 or the electric hum and clash of the lightsabers — that was sound designer Ben Burtt. Sometimes a sound designer doubles as the composer and contributes both music and sound effects to the finished product, but that’s more common in live theater and podcasting. Here are the main tasks on a sound designer’s plate:
6 elements of sound designTypical sound design includes these six elements.
Sound design vs. sound mixing: What’s the difference?
Many sound designers engage in sound mixing, but the role of a professional sound designer is a little bit different than the role of a professional sound mixer. Sound mixers, sometimes called sound editors or engineers, specialize in taking pre-recorded audio tracks and balancing their levels to create a clear and aesthetically pleasing final product. Live sound mixers balance the sound coming from on-stage microphones and any pre-recorded audio tracks.
Sound design, on the other hand, does involve a degree of mixing, but it also involves creating or sourcing the audio tracks that form the bedrock of a sound mix. Sound designers create sound effects, source pre-recorded songs, create original music, and build layers of ambiance through their designs. They’ll often do sound edits and create sound mixes in the course of their work, but they play a more integral role in the creative process than your standard sound mixer.
What is sound design? Sound design is the craft of creating an overall sonic palette for a piece of art, especially media like film, TV shows, live theater, commercials, and podcasts. It can also apply to multimedia visual art forms (video art) and even music recordings that incorporate ambient sounds or sound effects.
6 applications for sound designSound design can pop up in many forms of art, but it’s particularly essential to six specific types of media.
- Film. Film sound design mostly involves creating sounds that mimic real life. If a scene takes place in a field in Oklahoma, the film’s sound designer might create a sound tapestry that incorporates the rustle of wind, the chirping of crickets, and maybe an idling truck. If a scene takes place in a diner in the 1970s, the sound designer might combine the sounds of a kitchen, the clinking of glassware, and some era-specific music drifting from the jukebox. Film sound designers rarely compose original underscore; most movies have a separate composer for that portion.
- Television. The duties of a TV sound designer are pretty close to those of a film sound designer. The one main difference with TV is that many shows have episodes that return to the same location time and again. As a result, a TV sound designer might design a core template for scenes shot in those locations so they can create consistency from one episode to the next.
- Advertising. If you listen closely, you can hear all kinds of sound effects in TV and radio commercials. Sound designers create sonic palettes that transport audiences to the various worlds where those ads take place. The goal of most commercial sound design is to blend in without being distracting. In most cases, you should barely notice the sound.
- Music. You can find examples of sound design in music recordings, particularly when you delve into the works of avant-garde composers. Mid-twentieth century classical artists like Karlheinz Stockhausen and Steve Reich made good use of field recordings and special effects as part of their works. Sound tapestries have also taken hold in more recent eras of music history. Artists associated with rock music like Brian Eno and Jim O’Rourke have released many albums that combine sound effects with musical instruments.
- Podcasts. As a purely sound-based storytelling medium, podcasts require careful attention to sound design. This particularly applies to narrative podcasts, where the right sonic textures can transport a listener into the world of the story. News podcasts and chat shows may not require sound design and get by with basic sound mixing and some theme music.
- Live theater. Sound designers make immense contributions to live theater. Theater sound design may include sound effects, pre-recorded voiceover, and music coming from an onstage radio or television. In live theater, sound designers also oversee sound mixing and reinforcement, which is particularly necessary when staging musical productions. Sound designers might also compose incidental music that pops up at different points in the play.
What does a sound designer do? In most cases, the creative sound design on a film or TV project is overseen by a professional sound designer. This specialist is part of a project’s design team, along with a director, a production designer, a lighting designer, and other design roles. Films and TV shows typically have dedicated composers whose sole duty is providing the musical underscore. For example, John Williams wrote the famous film score to Star Wars but he didn’t create the beeping sounds of R2D2 or the electric hum and clash of the lightsabers — that was sound designer Ben Burtt. Sometimes a sound designer doubles as the composer and contributes both music and sound effects to the finished product, but that’s more common in live theater and podcasting. Here are the main tasks on a sound designer’s plate:
- Recording. A sound designer may be the one to record sounds for use in a production. These can be studio recordings or field recordings, where the designer brings a recording kit to an outside location.
- Mixing. Sound designers mix audio in two ways. Nearly all create studio mixes of sound design palettes and individual cues beforehand that are played during a production. In live theater, a sound designer (or a crew member supervised by the designer) may be in charge of mixing all audio elements of a show live, including music cues, sound effects, and the actors’ microphones.
- Sampling. Sampling is the art of taking an individual sound and allowing it to be triggered by an outside device. For example, a sound designer could sample a car horn by recording the sound of a car horn and then programming it into a MIDI sequence so the car horn sounds every time they strike a certain key on a MIDI keyboard.
- Modifying effects chains. Sometimes a sound designer processes audio recordings using different types of effects. These effects include audio equalization (EQ), compression, reverb, delay, distortion, phasing, flanging, vibrato, and ring modulation. A sound designer works to create an effects chain that manipulates raw recordings in just the right way to mimic the sound they might be hearing in their head.
- Sound editing. Sound editing describes the entire process of editing audio. Mixing, sampling, creating sound effects, splicing, and manipulating audio all fall under the umbrella of sound editing.
- Underscore. In podcasting and live theater, sound designers often contribute original underscore and incidental music, in addition to handling sound effects and microphone mixes. In filmed entertainment such as movies, TV, and televised ads, the design team typically includes a separate composer whose entire job is to compose original music. The team might also include a music supervisor who finds (and secures the rights to) pre-recorded music by other artists.
6 elements of sound designTypical sound design includes these six elements.
- Voice-over. Voice-over is pre-recorded audio, typically provided by one of the actors in a production. It can serve as a narration or come from an off-stage (or off-screen) character. In many productions, the sound designer is in charge of recording and editing voice-over audio.
- Ambiance. Ambiance describes the sonic tapestries created by a sound designer to create a sense of time and place. Ambient sound design contains all the real-life sounds of a setting in order to transport an audience to any sort of location, from a medieval castle to a present-day train station to a futuristic space capsule.
- Foley sounds. Foley involves using physical objects to create sound effects, such as using a pair of coconut shells to mimic the sound of galloping horses. Foley artists played a huge role in sound design during the Golden Age of Radio. Today, most sound designers use pre-recorded digital sound libraries, but a small number of Foley artists still work in film, television, radio, and live theater.
- Audio effects. Audio effects consist of various sounds related to specific objects — like a ringing telephone, a firing gun, or a revving motorcycle. They can also describe standalone audio cues that layer on top of ambient soundscapes. Audio effects can be recorded as Foley cues, designed from scratch using synthesizers, or sourced from vast libraries of pre-recorded sound effects.
- Music. Sound design often involves music — both preexisting music licensed for a production and original music created specifically for the project. This music can appear in a film or theater scene as sound heard by the characters, such as music from a radio or a song a character sings. It can also be underscore, which is textural music that the audience hears but the characters don’t.
- Live microphones. In live theater productions, a sound designer is often in charge of sound reinforcement, which involves miking actors and projecting their voices through a theater’s speakers. The designer might mix live microphones themselves or they might hire a soundboard operator to handle the live sound mixing.
Sound design vs. sound mixing: What’s the difference?
Many sound designers engage in sound mixing, but the role of a professional sound designer is a little bit different than the role of a professional sound mixer. Sound mixers, sometimes called sound editors or engineers, specialize in taking pre-recorded audio tracks and balancing their levels to create a clear and aesthetically pleasing final product. Live sound mixers balance the sound coming from on-stage microphones and any pre-recorded audio tracks.
Sound design, on the other hand, does involve a degree of mixing, but it also involves creating or sourcing the audio tracks that form the bedrock of a sound mix. Sound designers create sound effects, source pre-recorded songs, create original music, and build layers of ambiance through their designs. They’ll often do sound edits and create sound mixes in the course of their work, but they play a more integral role in the creative process than your standard sound mixer.
