A crucial part of the production process is to ensure that the audio tracks are properly edited. This means that unwanted sounds are removed, and that the desired parts are working together to their best effect. Effective editing will typically have a significant impact on the finished sound of your production.
Sometimes this means altering the timing of a recorded performance on drums, guitars, even vocals, to best align the parts to agree with one another. And it also includes correcting pitch of an instrument or voice when that helps to improve the song delivery. It is my opinion that the recorded version of your song should represent your, and your musicians’ performance on the best day, but it also needs to capture the emotional quality that best delivers your song. At times it can be extremely challenging to serve both needs, so be comfortable with the knowledge that your most compelling performance can be adjusted to remove any distractions with regards to pitch or timing.
With respect to the often contentious topic of pitch correction, it is my typical practice to exercise pitch correction in such a way that it is transparent, not glaring. Rarely will I use an automatic correction plug-in – unless it supports the sound you’re after – but rather manually examine pitch and use judgement to choose where and by how much to adjust your performance.
Whether you supply recorded tracks or record them with me, we’ll be sure to discuss editing requirements so that you’re fully aware of the steps we’ll undertake to finish your project.
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