Looking Glass

I spent the evening back in the leatherette saddle at the helm of Studio Redline for the first time in several days. As you may have read in the last Redline Project blog post, my wife and I made the six hour drive across southern barrenness to spend a few blissful days in coastal Carolina. With nothing but hot sun, frosty iced tea, shady umbrellas, and rolling ocean waves, our time off the grid was utterly blissful and way too brief.

Alas, I have returned to the world of graphic design, non-profit pioneering, and yes, music recording and mixing. Though I miss the lazy nothingness of a sand and surf holiday, it feels pretty good to be back at the Mac.

Three songs got a spit shine tonight, and I am pleased with the subtle differences of fore and aft. Somewhere along the line, I read a rule about EQ changes that said not to add or subtract a certain amount from the equalizer curve. I read a better rule recently that said this: do what sounds good.

Ditching the first axiom in favor of the second has enabled my feeble vocal tracks to pop through the mix more, replacing muddled fog with clean, balanced tone. Swish.

Time continues to be the looking glass of musical truth in this project; as it passes, details emerge from the mix that were once shrouded by flashier elements. Though part of me wants to pull the trigger on the album release already, a wiser half delights in the subtleties of the slow burn.