SEAN DIVINE PRODUCTIONS

“So our biggest worry is a polo sweater, then we’ll...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 21:01:00 -0800

“So our biggest worry is a polo sweater, then we’ll fall asleep next to that cold, cold shepherd”

I have a couple questions about EQ when mixing. I don't have De-esser plug in but will be getting one soon and some of the vocals I mix sound very bright when there's a "T" or "S." How much gain do you boost in the 9-11khz? And do you ever use a low pass filter for High frequencies? And it looks like I can't give you a link to my mixing samples I was gonna show you haha. But really love the mixing you did for "Cruisin" on soundcloud Thanks! :) Hope to hear back - Lazaro

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:30:52 -0800

Hey Lazaro, do yourself a favor and get a dedicated deesser (most DAWs include it, I know Pro Tools & Logic include usable ones). I stick the Deesser AFTER my EQ, always worked well for me. The 9-11khz boost is done to taste, it really depends on how bright the recording is. Mic, preamp and voice will all play into this. At times, you’ll want to roll off anything >20khz as it can be pretty harsh.

hey sean i was just wondering what plugins you use to mix vocals to make them sounds soft and smooth. also could you advice me anything to get a clear sounding vocal? what do you use/what do you do?

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:13:01 -0800

See this post: www.seandivine.net/post/8981493994

BT- Nicht Musik

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 21:13:00 -0800

BT- Nicht Musik

I've been studying your beats & I've noticed that some of your tracks be having quite a bit going on with the instrumentation. your leveling is so right to where you can hear every sound in it clear, drums & all. On every single track I do my mixes always come out wrong. The sounds always end up drowning out the drums and percussion. I EQ the sounds as best as I know how. for some reason I just can't get the leveling right. Why is that and what should I do to improve that?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:43:38 -0800

Every element should have its own place in the mix. If one of your instruments has a lot of presence at 8k, don’t try to boost another channel at 8k. Roll off low frequencies. I roll off pretty much every channel below 120hz unless it’s my kick or bassline. This will get rid of the mud in the low end and give you more space. With the mixing, I say this every time- it’s just practice and ear training. The more you do it the more natural it becomes. Also, do plenty of critical listening to records you think are mixed well and try to match it sonically. With drums, the majority of the clarity is achieved with layering, compression and EQ.

What studio do you use for all your production and is it possible to work with you in person?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:36:56 -0800

I’m currently based in a studio just outside of Los Angeles and can make arrangements to work out of others also. Contact zackf@seandivine.net for rates and details.

yo dude.... i got stuck with a snare mixing, cause every time i put limiter on in to protect from cliping, limiter changes the sound of my snare... any idea how to keep sound of snare and get that limit effect ? thanks bro ;)

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:51:00 -0800

Snares always seem to give me the most trouble with limiting as well :/ I prefer my snares very “snappy” and loud, best if you blink while listening… This doesn’t play nice with the clip indicators for sure. Honestly, if things aren’t distorting I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

If you still want to take the edge off without taking away the character, try the Fab Filter Pro L. I went through a lot of limiters with the same “dulling” effect but find that one to be extremely transparent.

by Leslie Ann O’Dell

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 21:45:07 -0800

by Leslie Ann O’Dell

saturday at the studio :) mixing and tracking out beats!! (Taken...

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 12:58:17 -0800

saturday at the studio :) mixing and tracking out beats!! (Taken with instagram)

production is brilliant… @ILLANGELO

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:50:46 -0800

production is brilliant… @ILLANGELO

Live from #NAMM 2012

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:30:00 -0800

Live from #NAMM 2012

Live guitars, sax, soul… Sean Divine- ‘Grey...

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:25:46 -0800

Live guitars, sax, soul…

Sean Divine- ‘Grey Street’ (Instrumental)

Free Download: http://snd.sc/yh221T

What kind of microphone does yonas use? And what microphone would you suggest? Thanks for your help, im saving up for rode ntk microphone but i would like to get your opinion first.

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:44:00 -0800

I believe it’s an AKG C414 in his studio if I’m not mistaken. We also used a Shure KSM32.

I haven’t tried the NTK but have heard good things about it. Here are some suggestions:

Rode NT1000, Audio-Technica AT4040, Shure KSM32, Neumann TLM-103, Neumann u87, Mojave Audio MA200, Shure KSM44

First of all I really like your instrumentals they sound not like all the other instrumentals on soundclick. In your music every melody fit perfect to the rest of them and i try the same but i dont know what i do wrong. Maybe that are my bad mixing skills, that make my music sound so "unperfect". I was wondering if you could listen to something from me and maybe you could give me some tips. soundclick_com/unchartedproductions i hope my english is not too bad im from germany

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 20:14:00 -0800

Good english, actually :) The more time you spend on your instrumentals, the easier it will be to pick out melodies and make things mesh. Mixing even more so, it’s simply training your ears.

I listened to a few of your tracks and personally thought the melodies were good- like those pizzicatos on “Listen”. As far as drums, possibly you could try some subtle reverb on hats and snares to make them a bit less dry. Have you tried layering your drum samples?

Don’t get too carried away with melodies, less is more. Instead of having a number of different melodies it works best to try to have supporting melodies that simply enhance the main one. I use something I call “the morning after” technique. Work on a new track…if the next day when you wake up you can remember the exact melody, it’s a keeper and you can build upon it.

Otherwise, I would tell you to simply continue to challenge yourself to achieve the level of quality you’re going for. It’s within reach…

Moog announces new monophonic bass synth...

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:52:53 -0800

Moog announces new monophonic bass synth “Minitaur”…

http://www.moogmusic.com/products/taurus/minitaur

i got one problem and one question ... lets begin with problem : i got a m-audio axiom 49 and i cant connect it with steinberg software at all .... for example in FL Studio its working just fine, but i dont wanna work it that program so if you got some idea or know some link where i can get the idea whats the problem or how i can fix it, that would be nice. Question now : if i got some melody, brass, drums etc recored how to make them look so wide in spectrum as yours are ?

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 20:27:00 -0800

In Cubase, open the VST instrument panel and add a plugin. Then, create a new midi track. In the left side, there is a window with input/output. Your input should say Axiom 49 Port 1 or similar, route the output to your VST plugin.

The second question is a little more difficult to answer as there are a lot of factors in adding the wideness your talking about. I don’t use any stereo imaging plugins, it’s mostly achieved with EQ and use of reverb and delay. Layering and use of panning play a key role in the overall sound.

the new MPC Renaissance. revolution for Akai or just an...

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 10:51:00 -0800

the new MPC Renaissance. revolution for Akai or just an overpriced NI Maschine?

Hey Sean, I had a question about clipping! Not really sure how to word this correctly but when you're officially done with the mastered song, do you let the Master channel clip out? I have heard that the right thing to do is have it clip every 3 to 4 seconds. Or is that just up to you? What I'm doing right now for artists mixes is having the Master limiter at -.10 dB. and if you do agree on having it clip every 3 to 4 seconds, how exactly do you manage to do that? Thanks - Lazaro

Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:57:00 -0800

Most engineers will tell you clipping should be avoided at all costs. I don’t fall into this group. There is a big difference between distortion and digital clipping. If your track is distorting, that’s a problem. However, I tend to let things clip sometimes and you would never HEAR it, only see it indicated by the red.

You can easily put a brick wall limiter on the master bus, set it to a value of -.03 or -.1 as you mentioned and this will keep the track from clipping. It’s a step I take sometimes, depending on what kind of limiter I’m using and how the limiter affects (or doesn’t affect) the sound of the track as a whole.

I think it’s easy to get carried away with limiting especially just so you’re not SEEING red indicated. Limiters can do more harm than good and take away your dynamics in the track so if you can avoid them, do it. I wouldn’t worry too much about clipping. Trust your ears- if the track is loud, transparent and has no audible distortion, whether “clipping” or not, that’s all you should strive for.

Ok This Is My Seconds Time To Ask Question Im Really Beginner BeatMaker And I Have Alot Of Question In My Head !Ok First Question Is How Is Chord Progressions Work ?? In There Are Rules I Work On It To Make A Good Chord progr And When I Make Chord Progressions How I Can Make Melody Can Fit in the Chord Progressions ?? I Saw Alot Of Youtube Tut But I Can Find A Some explan how its work I Feel Really Lost

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:07:58 -0800

There is no magic to it…you just have to train your ears and learn what chords work together. Once you do that, you will already know where to begin with supporting melodies because most of the notes will have been already contained in your chords.

My advice would be to pick up a simple book with chord tabs and names and learn to play as many as possible. Play them together, see what works and what doesn’t. It’s also a big help to learn basic music theory which will cover a lot on chords and chord progression.

Photo

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:56:54 -0800