What Not To Ask

After I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago entitled "Here's What's Wrong With Your Music," I received a number of emails from people who apparently got the mistaken impression that I was looking for artists or songs. That's not the case at all. That's not the business I'm in. But I do like to help people with their production, arrangement, engineering, etc. if I can.

Look, here's the deal. I promise I will do my best to help you if you have a specific question!

When you make a question that's too general you put me in an impossible situation in that you probably don't really want to hear any criticism in the first place, you just hope that I'll fall madly in love with your music and open every door in Hollywood for you. I wish I were that powerful or had those kinds of contacts.

If I tell you "This is no different than something I've heard a hundred times before," or "I have no idea. I don't know your market," you're going to say, "That guy doesn't know what he's talking about," or "He doesn't want to help me." Let's face it, you really weren't looking for a critique in the first place. You were looking for help placing your music, which I can't provide. That's why specific questions are the only way you'll get a specific answer from me.

So here's a list of what not to ask not only of me, but most other music professionals as well:

Take a listen to my song. Here's where you can download it. If you have a specific question, I'll be happy to listen to your song, but it must be a stream and not a download. There's a potential legal issue if I accept a download, sort of like record labels not accepting any unsolicited material. Put it on YouTube with a private link or on Soundcloud, ask a specific question, and I'll have a listen.

What do you think of my song? Go ask your fans. They're much more important and relevant to your success than I am. You do have fans, don't you?

My songs are on iTunes or We just finished our CD...... Sorry, it's too late to ask any questions about it. You're product's already complete. If you want advice on distribution or marketing, go to the Music 3.0 blog, but check the archives first, and once again, be specific with any questions.

Will you listen to my CD? See above.

Give me some feedback. On what? The mix? The songs? The arrangement? The production? The sound? A question like this makes me think that you're only looking for a pat on the back.

Which song is the most commercial? Once again. Ask your fans. They're the ones that count. And by the way, so many times the song that you think is least commercial is the one that everyone likes anyway.

How can I make my songs better? Do you really want to hear me tell you to write better, play better, and use better sounding instruments? That's a good place to start.

Can you introduce me to.....? Nope, I probably don't know them, and if I did, it's unlikely that I'd introduce you unless I knew you a lot better than just from an email.

Can you introduce me to publishers, record labels, etc? Nope. You probably know more of them than I do at the moment. Here's a tip. To meet publishers, join the AIMP for 60 bucks a year. Want record label contacts? Try the A&R Registry.

I have some songs that I'd love to get to ..... Sorry, I'm not a songplugger and I barely have enough time for my own things as it is.

Will you write with me? I don't write songs anymore, and if I did, I'd do it alone.

Can I write with you? See above.

Can I watch you work in the studio? Highly unlikely. If I'm working in the studio, I'm with a client who I can guarantee doesn't want any distractions from people that they don't know.

Can I visite you in the studio when you're working? See above.

Will you produce, record, mix my band on spec? Nope. My time is valuable and I get paid well for it.

Will you partner with me on a project? Only if there's some money involved, and even then, I have to be absolutely in love with the project first. I no longer work on anything that doesn't knock my socks off.

Wait, don't listen to version 7 of the mix I just sent. Mix 9 is so much better. You've wasted my time. Next.

A full quality recording is attached. Next. I already told you I will only listen to a stream because of any potential legal issues that might come with downloads.

What should I do to get my music noticed? Sorry but there's not enough time to write you an email that long. I already wrote a book that tells you all that, or you can read my Music 3.0 blog every day for free.

Can you send me one of your books for free? Nope. I don't get that many complimentary ones myself, and the rest I have to pay for.

I'm from (pick a country) and I want to translate your books. I have 3 book publishers that control my copyrights so you'll have to ask them. I have no say in the matter. Be aware that they'll probably want some sort of a license fee.

For students:

Can you please answer these 10 questions to help me with my desertion? I'm sure you want answers that are sufficiently helpful and thoughtful, but I'm slow at writing and it takes me a looong time. I'm really happy to talk to you by Skype and answer every question and more. Make sure to record it because you'll get more info than you ever expected. If you're happy with a one sentence answer to your 10 questions, no problem, but neither of us will probably like that.

Wow, this sounds really harsh and I didn't mean it to sound that way. Once again, I'm really happy to help if you have a specific question. Here are some good examples:

How do you do (name the technique)?  Finally, a specific question. Ask away. I'm pleased to help if I can.

Do you think the bottom of this song is too big?

The song isn't working. Can you tell me why?

How can I get the vocalist to sing in tune?

How do I get a better guitar (bass, sax, piano, etc.) tone?

What can I do to make the reverb work better with the track?

What can I do to make the drums punchier?

See what I mean? With a specific question I can get right to the core of the problem and help you. So ask away, but once more - no downloads, only streams!

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You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

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The Pros And Cons Of Mixing On Headphones

Christine Lavin recently sent in the following question: "Where do headphones fit in the mix for you, or do you listen just to the speakers? I've been in studios where they have 3 sets of speakers -- small medium and large -- and the producer or mixer (if it's someone else) listen on all three.  But I'm a headphone person. Wonder what your opinion of that is?"


I'm a firm believer that you can get great mixes out of virtually any set of speakers in just about any room, and that includes headphones as well. The trick is that you have to have enough listening time to get a reference point as to what sounds good or bad when you play your mix back elsewhere. That's why mixers began to take their own speakers wherever they went (or asked for NS-10s) in the first place. It was something that they were familiar with, and since they were nearfields, the room didn't come too much into play during the mix so they could be surer of the result.

Mixing on headphones does have 4 significant downsides though:

1) You can't wear them for as long as you need to (8, 10, 12 hours) before your head and ears get tired from the extra weight. 

2) You have a tendency to turn them up, which can lead to some quick ear fatigue, again limiting your ability to mix for long periods. 

3) Because most of the more expensive professional headphones really sound great, you get a false sense of what the mix is like (especially on the low end), and it causes you not to work as hard getting the frequency balance of the mix right. 

4) The vast majority of the audience won't listen on phones after the mix is completed. Since a mixer is always aiming for a mix that sounds great on most speakers that the material is played on, you want to stay in that realm if possible, and even listen on some crappy speakers if possible as a check. Headphones just sound too good for that.

That said, headphones do have their place. They're great for editing in that you can hear clicks, pops and inconsistencies that you may otherwise miss while listening on speakers, and they're a great check for panning and checking reverb tails when mixing, but I wouldn't personally use them for an entire mix.

But if you're mixing in your bedroom and don't want to wake the the kids, significant other or neighbors, then by all means, go for it. Just make sure that you listen to some other material that sounds great on speakers first so you have a reference point of what sounds good and what doesn't.

Here's a bonus question also from Christine: "Do you think it's optimum to mix in a different studio from where you record, and/or bring in someone with fresh ears who hasn't been there for the recording of all the tracks?"

The only time I think that it's worth going to a different studio to mix is if you think that your mix is going to sound a whole lot better as a result, like in the case of mixing through a console rather than in the box. Otherwise, I'd stay in the same studio that you tracked, if for no other reason than not having to worry about software and plugin compatibilities that always seem to crop up when you go to a different system.

As for getting a different mixer, if you're stuck on the sound of the project for some reason, then it's great to have a fresh set of ears (as in someone else's) for the mix. Also, if you can hire someone who's a great mixer who you think can beat anything that you might come up with, then it may definitely worth it ("may" is the operative word here - you might not get what you expect). Otherwise, I think you're a lot better off using the same team that tracked the song(s) from the beginning for the sake of vision and continuity.

Any other questions? Feel free to send them along to requests@bobbyowsinski.com.

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Help support this blog. Any purchases made through our Amazon links help support this website with no cost to you.

You should follow me on Twitter for daily news and updates on production and the music business.

Don't forget to check out my Music 3.0 blog for tips and tricks on navigating social media and the new music business.