There are no Secrets

I like looking for certain words on magazine covers. The word “Sex” features often on the covers of both women's and men's magazines. It obviously occupies a lot of our thoughts. Almost as common is the word “Secret”. “Angelina Aniston's amazing secret diet”, “Secret Sex lives of the Stars” (that one guarantees maximum readership). The music production magazines are no better. “Secrets of mixing pros”, “Mastering secrets revealed”, “ten secrets to a killer guitar sound”. Almost without fail the word will appear on the front cover, enticing readers to buy the issue and “get in on the secret”.

It makes sense for the magazine publishers to do this. It's basic human psychology. We're all wired to find the easiest, quickest way to get the results we want. And yes, often these magazines will provide us with a lot of fantastic information - “Jennifer Jolie is sleeping with whose chauffeur? Wow!” Or the magazine may indeed help us towards a better sounding guitar. The issue I have with this method of selling magazines is that there are no secrets! Whenever I've looked, I haven't managed to uncover any secrets. Hmm, this diet and exercise combination expends more energy than it takes in. Kinda makes sense why it leads to weight loss. Hmm, this section on mixing describes a number of really useful techniques, such as cutting out the low end from sounds which don't require it. I'll try it, and find out that this technique does make sense, it does clean up my low end a bit.

I realize the word “Secret” will sell many more magazines than the word “Technique”. Secret implies easiness. It implies “I can eat all the chocolate cake I want, then I just need to, once a month, apply the secret technique of standing on one foot and clapping my hands three times while saying 'fat begone from my temple' and I'll have the body of a supermodel”. The music magazines' “secrets” aren't quite so bad – it's easier to break the habit of excessively boosting bass frequencies when you can see the benefits for the mix, as opposed to replacing chocolate cake with celery when you can see the benefits for your health. The music magazines probably end up being more helpful.

There are many advanced mixing techniques, effective combinations of audio processors arrived at through years of experience (or a lot of trial and error, or “happy accidents”). The tools are rarely custom made or exclusive. With experience we generally get better at uncovering the techniques behind these sounds (though it doesn't hurt to ask the source directly). If you have a number of “secrets” of your own, ask yourself whether it's possible that no other engineer has tried that combination of audio processors. I think very few of us will take any secrets to the grave.

Keep making great music!

Fabian