Jessurun Audio

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Jessurun Audio

My name is Arend (pronounced like "errand"). I'm a producer-engineer based in LA, and I love making home-grown records.

14/01/2023

TL;DR: use clip gain or a gain plug-in to fine-tune the gain staging of your recorded file. Consider using an automatic "normalize to -18 RMS" command in your DAW for even greater ease. And a shoutout to who make an affordable plugin called TheNormalizer, which may make your gain staging easier.

07/01/2023

TL;DR: RMS is a practical way to determine the average level of an audio signal. When recording, I like to aim for -18 RMS, which helps me ensure I'm not close to the noise floor.

05/01/2023

Arend here. To ring in 2023 and thank you for following, I'm doing a New Year's Resolution Sale now through the end of January: $17/hr for production sessions and $140/mix. Swipe for terms.

Can I pay now and redeem later, say if I want to book time for another month or get a mix done later in the year?

Yes! After you pay a 50% deposit, services can be redeemed/delivered anytime within the year of 2023.

How many sessions/mixes can I book?

I'm limiting it to 3 sessions per person/band and 3 mixes per person/band. You can of course use them all or just use one or two. Any additional services will be subject to my usual rates.

How many hours can I book for a production session?

My usual way of working applies here: you can book 3-hr or 5-hr sessions.

There's nothing stopping you from making your allotted session bookings into 5-hr sessions, if you want.

Is this just gonna be a mediocre, bargain-bin mix?

No, I will still perform all that needs to be done to make a great mix. My heart here is to thank all my early adopters.

That's all for now. Thanks again for your support in 2022, and here's to you and your music in 2023!

04/01/2023

I'm super sick—my ears are all congested, which is no good for mixing. So today, I'm moving from my mixing desk to my secretary desk for a day of study. I've got my cough lozenges, my tea (though these two things don't pair well), my note-taking app Obsidian, and a new book. I learned about Roey Izhaki's book via a free ebook called Level Rodeo by Helmut Gragger. Izhaki's insights on compression have revolutionized how I use this common audio tool, and I look forward to learning more from this book.

19/12/2022

TL;DR: where clipping is oneextreme of unwanted audio artifacts, noise is the other. If you're recording healthy levels that peak around -12 to -6dBFS, you likely won't incur much noise. If you do, look into specialized denoiser plugins like the ones mentioned.

16/12/2022

TL;DR: keep an eye on your peak level in your DAW's built-in channel meter so you don't clip. Don't go above 0dBFS. Stay negative. 😉

04/12/2022

TL;DR: gain staging is a fancy, intimidating, though helpful term for setting levels without introducing clipping or noise.

13/11/2022

TL;DR: GarageBand and Cakewalk are free DAWs available on Mac and PC respectively. Other budget friendly options are Logic Pro ($200) and Reaper ($60).

For third party plugins, Tokyo Dawn Labs, Klanghelm, and Melda Production make great freeware that will offer you more options beyond your DAW's stock plugins.

19/10/2022

Today marks the release of 's EP "Late July," which I had the pleasure of producing and mixing. When I first heard Isabel perform, her songwriting immediately reminded me of Joni and Judee, and I secretly hoped we might get to work together one day.

Isabel and I met and recorded this in about two weeks, just before she left LA, and we nearly didn't finish recording due to sickness! My favorite story from the process was trying to get the right parts and arrangement for one of the tunes: it just didn't seem to be working until the last hour of our session, when we added just one simple piano part, and suddenly the whole arrangement made sense!

We tracked her guitar and voice live, with no click, for an organic feel, and then overdubbed bass, piano, lap steel, and electric guitar. I used Melodyne to create a tempo map that followed the natural fluctuations of Isabel's playing, which I used for editing overdubs to a loose, rubato grid—a workflow that took some time but was well worth it!

Thank you for bringing the record across the finish line. And thank you Isabel for entrusting me with your music. Congrats on the release, my friend!

14/10/2022

TLDR: Closed-back headphones, like the Sony MDR-7506 ($100) and Audio-Technica ATH-M20x ($50) are best suited for tracking, and open-back headphones, like the semi-open AKG K240 ($80), are best suited for mixing. And yes, you CAN mix on headphones! 🎧

11/10/2022

A friend of mine asked me a while ago, "Why do I need an audio interface? Can't I just use a USB mic?" You certainly can, however, in this post we'll explore why a self-recordist might instead consider using an audio interface to connect a standard XLR mic to a computer. I'll also offer you my budget picks on audio interfaces.

29/09/2022

A student of mine asked about different microphone types, and it inspired me to write this post about dynamic and condenser microphones, along with my budget picks.

TLDR: Dynamic mics are best for loud sources and live sound. I recommend a Shure SM57 or SM58. Condenser mics are best suited for anything that requires subtlety and studio sound. I recommend an Audio-Technica AT2035.

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