And now some articles that at one time were featured in our Newsletters!

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Mix Downs

(It Makes 'em or Breaks 'em)

>     The most time consuming and attention demanding procedure in the production of an albumn is the mix down. It is what makes or breaks the songs. And this is what it initials.

>     First the tapes, three- one into three different sequenced recording machines, is rewound and logged in then it is played back, one song at a time.

>     Faders, the sliding lever that determines the amount of sound outputted to the final tape, in this case a DAT (Digital Audio Tape), are all wiped down to zero, all the way across the board and they are raised one at a time.

>     First the tracks containing the drums are balanced. Each individual track is carefully scrutinized for the correct tonal qualities. Sometimes, even when thought to sound perfect, when mixed in with the rest of the song may clash with other parts or be drowned out so that a re-editing may occur.

>     Each drum, the snare, toms, bass (or kick), and symbols are all balanced against each other. EQ's on each track are set and entered into the boards computer. They are then 'panned' out. Panning is one of the most crutial steps in the mix down procedure, it is where most of the 'damage' can occur.

>     Pan settings determine in which ear the music will be heard from. Panning hard left will place the music in the left ear alone, panning hard right the right, the center both equally and anywhere in between will place more of that track in one ear and not the other. Then everything must be balanced out. Sometimes it sounds great through the headphones but horrible over the speakers, a balance must be achieved.

>     After suitable pan settings have been logged in and levels are reasonable the rest of the instruments are then introduced.

>     The bass comes in and then the guitar(s), all balanced, and then the keyboards. They are listened to individually to be assured of the correct settings and then listened to while placed into the mix. If all is acceptable then the secondary instruments, piano, other keyboard lines, and leads are then introduced and placed into the 'holes' in the mix. Usually 'not stepping on anyone's toes' they are inserted into places where no other instrument is yet panned. Their EQ's set and levels adjusted.

>     Finally Vocals are placed over top of everything mixed and subsequent back up vocals are balanced into the equation.

>     Because not all of the music is recorded at the exact same level, sometimes you find yourself playing a little bit harder than at some other section of the song, or you may wish to bring out an instrument for dramatic enhancement, the faders have to be hand moved during the song. Therefore the producer must listen to the song and 'practice' the fader moves, when to raise and lower certain instruments or vocals to get the 'correct' mix.

>     There are obviously an infinite number of ways in which to mix a song down due to the infinite number of factors involved and the particular sound that one may strive to achieve. It is hoped that the mix down will reflect the sound the musicians wish their listening audience to enjoy and while simultaneously reflecting the hard work that they have undergone in recording the selections.


Come Visit Us At Our Most Recent Site!

Guitarist Cheek Hunt!

Well, here we go again! Back to Port Nomad! The Sip & Sail in Port Nomad has kindly asked for our return after such a large response at our last visit. But we also have a new dilemma... Being that our band funds are so low we cannot afford another fleet of buses like the last time. All we have to offer is two bucket seats! (Real Buckets) in our Stonehenge Luxury Equipment Van.

The dilemma being, with such a large response from our followers we had to come up with a fair way of giving up the two seats to our loyal fans.

Alas, we came up with a plan of action. We're going to ask our followers to play a twisted sort of "Pin The Tail On The Donkey," only the Donkey in question being our "Guitarist" Mike Young.

The Tail can be affixed any way that seem 'fit'. Most of the Band Members suggest a two inch dull finishing nail (Guitarist shys away from idea).

Also, the main rule is: the Guitarist has to be away from a Gig oriented area, ie: a Mall, Grocery Store, (Nudie Bar, even though he professes not to frequent such establishments), or even a Music Shop (what the heck).

Anyway, Good luck and Happy Hunting!


On The Road

Bbbrrrruuuummmmmmm!

      On their most recent excursion STONEHENGE headed toward Port Nomad, NJ. But before they could could get underway, they came across a dilemma. After numerous calls from their followers, with a lack of transportation, STONEHENGE had to rent a large fleet of shuttle buses, and I mean a lot. They headed down the Garden State Turnpike with not so much as one mishap.

      By the end of the weekend, after a close census, it was brought to the attention of "Governour Whitman" that there were no reported accidents in the state of New Jersey, which in turn drove the state-wide car insurance plummetting down.

      Governour Whitman was so overwhelmed she decided to name a rest stop after your's truly, STONEHENGE. But after a brief battle with "Shock Jock" Howard Stern whose name was priorly used, to suit all involved, we settled upon a name.

      So the next time you're traveling down the Turnpike, stop in and visit the

"SternHENGE" Rest Area!

Bbbrrrruuuummmmmmm!

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