Heya folks,
Welcome back to the weekly newsletter! Here's what's new.
Why I love house shows
There's nothing like getting to truly connect with folks through song and conversation, and house shows are where it's at. Moreover, there are so many shady concert promoters in LA trying to make a buck off artists, but the DIY, communal spirit of house shows is an antidote. I hope you'll join me at Friday at the Fox Den Jun 30. I'll be sharing the stage with Kat Hamilton, Abby Posner, Chris Siders, and Ryan Cassata. Doors are at 7pm, and music starts at 8pm.
How to effectively de-ess
In my mixing work, I often find myself fighting against sibilants, or the esses in a vocal performance. When a vocal is EQ'd and compressed to sit "in front" of the mix, it almost inevitably brings up the level of sibilants. While working on this record for The Brothers Landau, I've come upon a new technique that involves chopping and moving the sibilants to another track, so they aren't processed with those EQs or compressors, and I've been loving the results. You can read more about different de-essing techniques I've collected here.
An exercise to balance vocal nasality
When I'm working with voice students, one of my primary goals is to help them develop a balanced nasal resonance, which is key to healthy singing and beautiful tone. But how do you know if it's out of balance? My favorite exercise for this is to sing a single sustained note on an "ah," and as you sing, take your hand and pinch your nostrils closed. The goal is to find a consistent tone whether the nostrils are closed or not. If you start to sound like Squidward when you pinch your nostrils, "place" the sound more inside your mouth by lifting the soft palate.
Odds and ends
- Ever wonder why we prefer spontaneity in a musical performance?
- In a win for LGBTQ+ rights, Tennessee's anti-drag ban has been judged unconstitutional.
- Anyone else playing the newest Zelda game? Here's how Nintendo does sound design in the game.
Peace,
Arend