Three minute reads for artists and producers
who want to make better records

By Thomas Dulin

Hey Reader!

Just wanted to say briefly -- this little email list recently crossed the 1000 subscribers milestone and I'm so appreciative of everyone who reads it and takes time to respond. I really enjoy writing it.

If you're interested in sponsoring an email, please reply and let me know.

Here's this week's Take Three email.

TAKE ONE: QUICK LINKS

• Free plugin: Freq Echo by Valhalla does the "infinite self oscillating delay" thing really well. And free is a pretty good price.
• ​Bloomberg reports that Spotify plans to offer high fidelity audio to users for "at least $5 more per month."

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TAKE TWO: RECENT RELEASES

Here are some releases I've worked on since the last time I emailed you.

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When We Were Young (Live) Drew Holcomb & The Neighbors PREVIEW   ​

Colorado Admiral Radio PREVIEW   ​

Tomorrow Is A Long Time Adam Simons PREVIEW   ​

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TAKE THREE: THE ART OF THE INPUT LIST

Here's a bold claim: the most likely reason anyone experiences technical issues in a recording session is lack of organization.

The mic is making a buzz, or you're not getting signal in Pro Tools, or there's crazy latency.

Very rarely are these caused by actual hardware anomalies. Usually after tracing the cables or double-checking the routing, we realize -- "ah, I made a mistake."

And the easiest way to prevent mistakes like this is to use an input list.

Failing to plan is planning to fail

Before you setup for any session, fill out an input list. Make sure it includes these things:

• The instrument or placement. "Snare bottom" for example.
• The microphone or DI you plan to use.
• Any routing or patching you need to do for that input.
• The DAW channel you will use. "Apollo ch. 4" for example.
• (Optional) What kind of mic stand do you need?

To do this, you can use Google Sheets, a note in your phone, or if you're like me -- grab a pencil and write it down.

It will really help you plan out your session and it's super helpful for tracing signal paths when something isn't right.

​Here's a PDF download of the input list I use every day. Feel free to download it, use it, or edit it as needed. Let me know what you think.

Short and sweet this week. I am waist-deep in mixes right now but loving every minute.

What are you working on? I love receiving your replies!

Until next week, happy music making, Reader.

Thomas Dulin Producer / Engineer / Mixer