When people talk about ear training they usually mean identifying musical pitches and intervals. For those of us focused on more technical aspects of audio exercises involving identifying EQ moves and frequencies but in this free excerpt from Tony Maserati Mixing Lifeboats Episode 1, Tony talks about the importance of a different kind of ear training: learning the sonic signatures of the gear and software in your studio.

This takes practice but is a key difference between an experienced engineer and the rest - while others experiment and try options, these veterans know the sounds they have got in the past and have a good idea what a particular combination of gear will do with a new source.

To demonstrate the kind of ear training he’s talking about, Tony plays three different tracks that were captured when recording the arpeggiated intro guitar on “Lifeboats.” On one, the amp was mic’ed with a Shure SM57, another with a Royer R-121 ribbon mic, and the third was a DI track. He stresses that each of those mics has its recognisable sound and that it’s essential for an engineer to know the difference. “It takes practice and a lot of repetition,” he says.

Of course this is very apparent with microphones but this also applies to the influence of preamps, compressors and the rest. head over to the PureMix Blog where you can find out more and test yourself against audio examples.

In part 1 of this addition to the Lifeboats series, Award Winning Engineer, Tony Maserati, opens the multitrack for the Will Knox song, "Lifeboats", and takes us all the way from hearing the song for the first time, to a completed powerful and energetic mix with his signature sound imprinted upon it.

Watch as Tony:

• Discusses his process starting with his vision of the song.

• Sets up the session with his template and workflow

• Listens to the song for the first time to gather ideas

• Experiments with drum sounds

• Discusses the importance of ear training

• Mixes the song in sections to flush out his ideas

• Dials in the lead vocal sound early in the process

How Do I Watch Tony Maserati Mixing Lifeboats?

This video tutorial is available to Pro PureMix members and can be accessed by signing up to a PureMix subscription for as little as $25 a month.

Sign up to get advanced audio tutorials where Grammy-winning engineers teach you mixing concepts by showing you their techniques and tricks while mixing song by Pharrell, Imagine Dragons, Ziggy Marley and more. 

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