In this article Dom Morley asks whether, given the same gear and the same online resources, it is possible to have a sound which is identifiably your own?

Is it even possible to develop a signature sound in the modern world of music production?

The internet is an educational playground. With a quick search and a deep dive, you can find out how to do absolutely anything (especially if you stray into the dark web). But does the fact that we all have access the same information mean that all us producers and engineers will end up sounding the same? If everything you need to know about ‘X’ topic is already out there and free for all the discover, does that mean we will all end up using the same methods, and so getting the same results? And if we are also all using the same plugins and the same DAWs does that make it even worse?

Same Gear, Same Sound? 

I understand this concern and I’ve heard it expressed more than once, but I don’t think this is a problem at all, and for two reasons. Let’s address the second point first - if we all have the same gear, will we all sound the same? History tells us that this isn’t the case. Although things can feel fairly homogenous now, 2021 is nothing compared to 1991. Over 50% of professional users today are using Pro Tools to make their music (add in Cubase and Logic percentages and that’s pretty much everyone), but in the 90’s almost every record you heard on the radio was mixed on an SSL desk. In fact, in 1996 Billboard magazine reported that 83% of just the number 1 singles that year had been mixed on an SSL. That’s a remarkable level of uniformity, and that’s just the desks. I remember a standard studio conversation in the 90’s went along the lines of “Do Lexicon reverbs sound the best, or is it just that every record we’ve heard over the past decade uses Lexicon reverbs so now that’s just how we think records should sound?”. SSL and Lexicon achieved a level of market coverage that AVID, Logic, Waves and UAD would give their right arms for. And remember that every studio’s selection of outboard equipment - the plug-ins of yesteryear - was relatively limited too. Perhaps half a dozen compressor and EQ options in an average mix room - a dozen if you were somewhere posh - and three or four effects. That’s it. In comparison, the suite of stock plug-ins that ships free with your DAW has a variety of tone and flavours that could only have been dreamed of 25 years ago. Relative to any other time in music making history the sheer variety of equipment that we all have access to now is unrivalled.

Same Information, Different Conclusions

So if we don’t need to worry about everyone using the same equipment, what about the fact that we all have the same education? If we are all reading the same blogs, watching the same YouTube videos and following the same social media accounts - won’t we all have the same strategies and solutions in our productions?  Well, this is also a no. The internet gives the world ease of access to information, of course, but it also gives us ease of distribution of information. Everyone with an opinion is able to get it out into the world - good or bad, right or wrong. So while it feels like there is a wealth of information on, for example, the use of reverb in a mix, what we actually have is a wealth of opinion. Music production isn’t a science and there are no precise answers, so everyone has a take on it. You might have watched 10 YouTube videos about the use of reverb and picked up something different from each one. What you didn’t realise was the stuff you ignored because you thought it was boring, wrong or irrelevant - someone else picked up those little nuggets and considered them gold. So although information about music production is very easy to find, and it seems every trick and tip is already out there for all to see, that doesn’t mean that we all learn the same things (and as an aside, there are no “secret” methods that professionals “don’t want you to know about” so if you see anything with that tagline you can be sure it’s nonsense). We take the information that makes sense to us, and work that into ‘our sound’. This was highlighted to me recently when was on a recent podcast with a fellow mix engineer to talk about EQ. In a few respects we agreed, and in many others we had very different approaches. With something as fundamental to mixing as how to use EQ I found it interesting that our approaches were so different, but I did realise what a good thing that was. He does it the way he likes, and I do it the way I like. They are both valid approaches, and each gets a different sound. Give us both the same track and you’ll get back two very different mixes. And that is a great thing - as a result we have different kinds of clients. That means there’s room for everyone. The proliferation of information on how to do our job means we all get to discover and try different styles and techniques until we settle on those that we love. In the past you either learnt from the chief engineer of the studio where you worked, or from your college lecturers. Now that is a restricted learning environment.

Is “Your Sound” Like Your Accent - It’s Only You Who Thinks You Don’t Have One

The last thing I’ll say about developing ‘your’ sound is that from the inside it’s often impossible to tell. I once had a conversation with a very well-known mixer who to me has a distinct sound. I can often spot his mixes before I’ve checked the credits. I mentioned ‘his sound’ and he stopped, looked at me seriously and asked what it was, as he really didn’t know. This seemed crazy to me at the time, but of course it makes sense. He just mixes tracks how he likes to hear them. His individual taste and the techniques he’s picked up and developed over the years are all part of his journey, and they make up his sound. He just didn’t notice this happening as there weren’t any conscious decisions along the way. Not a case of “I’ll always do this with vocals and that’ll be my signature thing”, more a case of “oh this sounds cool - I love a vocal that sounds like this”. 

So don’t worry about developing a sound - you’re already doing it. As long as you keep making music that sounds great to you, and you keep trying out techniques that might help you achieve that, it’s happening now. All you have to do is keep going.

More Recording Resources From Dom Morley

Dom is the founder of the Mix Consultancy, a zero risk (money back guarantee) way to get notes on your tracks to help improve the sound. Whether you're an artist who likes to mix all their own work, a composer putting together a pitch on a limited budget, or an engineer who wants a discreet second opinion before sending a mix off to a client - we're here to help.

“I just completed a mix with the help of Dom Morley & The Mix Consultancy. The mix we turned over was qualitatively better than the one I would have gone with on my own.

It's been said that "a mix is never done, it's just abandoned", but the truth is, you *really* do feel a sense of completion and closure having worked with Dom because you know in your heart that you did everything you possibly could to get the best result possible for the client.

The beauty behind the process is that not only do you get a better mix for your client, but Dom's advice contains all kinds of gold that you can borrow and deploy in future mixes.”

Geoff Manchester

From engineering tips to production advice, EQ and compression basics to mix specifics, we’ll give you the information and guidance that you need to take your mixes to the next level. Find out more here

In addition to the one-to-one advice Dom has produced some excellent online courses;

• Everything You Need To Know About Recording Vocals
  Preproduction, DAW set-up, preparing the studio, psychology, equipment. Literally everything you need to know.

• Mixing 101

  This is a short, free, mini-course on the four things that you really need to know in order to get great mixes, and the four things that you really don't!

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