All posts by fanu

[VIDEO] Compressing samples – compression basics

I was recording some samples off records as always and wanted to compress some louder passages before chopping things.
Wanted to do a video of that. So what I’m doing is I’m giving some (slowish) compression to a loud section in the audio whose level I want to bring down.
I also do a real quick aggressive, quick, peak-based compression at the end to squash a pop at the end.

Compressor plugin used: Tokyo Dawn Kotelnikov.

Info on my engineering services.
Contact: fanu@fanumusic.com

Octatrack 2-tracker retouched

I went and gave these two D&B tracks a quick new polish:

https://fanu.bandcamp.com/album/octatrack-2-tracker

Pay what you want, as before.

These two were my “Octatrack exercise” tracks where I learned how to use the amazing Elektron device.
I quickly threw the songs out after finishing; I checked their mix/master later on and thought they could be improved.
So, I spent two coffee breaks giving them a new makeup and fixed the frequency balance.
Enjoy.

Spotify

Fanu now official @ Spotify.
Will be having control over that page now, and to celebrate and kick it off, I’ve created a “FANU PICKS” playlist full of bass music and D&B to show you some tracks that have inspired me and which I think you should hear. This is the stuff I also play as a DJ, so let’s get those bookings in.

Access the page and peep the playlist
Direct link to playlist

Will be updating the playlist every two weeks.

 

DOs and DON’Ts of working with a mixing/mastering engineer

 

Looking back at what I’ve learned from working hundreds of different producers along the years, I wrote a few quick DOs and DON’Ts for working with a mixing/mastering engineer.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but considering these will mean way fewer headaches in my job.


DO:

• Know how your music should sound; words often fail here, so 1–3 reference songs from your favorite artists/labels is an excellent starting point. We all have those songs, so just spend a bit of time finding those that you think represent your style somewhat close. Remember, a good song does not necessarily equal a good-sounding song. It’s happened to me many times that I get to hear, “Yeah, actually, it doesn’t sound good, but I thought it’s just a good song”…and then we start all over again. This will cost you the price of two masters in the worst case.

• Prepare to express your wishes/criticism regarding the master; what to emphasize, what is too loud, what’s too buried in the mix/master etc Continue reading DOs and DON’Ts of working with a mixing/mastering engineer