Recording Secrets Khaliq Glover

From the Pages of
"Musical Underdog" Ezine

(email magazine)
By Grammy Winning Engineer

Khaliq Glover aka Khaliq-O-Vision
copyright © 2006 Khaliq-O-Vision

www.khaliq-o-vision.com
FREE Music and Audio

Mini-Lessons at
7 Insider Audio
Secrets
NEXT HIT SONG!

for Your
khaliq@khaliq-o-vision.com
Page 2 of 30
In a moment I am going to share with you some
concepts and techniques that I’ve observed in
almost 25 years of working with many Grammy
winning Artists and Producers. I’m going to take
you INSIDE the thought processes that go on in the
studio so that you can dramatically SKYROCKET the
quality of your Next Hit Song.
Stop and take a moment to imagine one of your
songs that you’ve been working on. What does it
sound like when you hear it in your head? I’ll bet

that it’s absolutely SLAMMIN’. It’s totally mixed and
mastered and already at #1 on the charts, right?
But then reality sets in. It still doesn’t sound quite
like it does in your head. How frustrating.
Have you ever had the opportunity to play some of
your songs for someone pretty important? Did you
start to feel nervous and a little unsure as your
song plays back and suddenly you start noticing all
these things that sound – a little bit strange?
You never noticed it before but suddenly the vocal
isn’t loud enough, the track is sounding a little
Page 3 of 30
dull, that snare drum is taking your head off, and
what happened to the guitar? All those clever
keyboard parts and samples now just seem to step
all over each other. Nothing sounds clear anymore.
You try to peek at them out the corner of your eye
to see if their toes are tapping or if their head is
bobbing but they just kinda sit there. After your
song plays they just turn it off and hand it back to
you saying “that’s nice”. Does this sound familiar?
After the meeting, you're pissed at yourself because
you didn't catch all these things before letting
someone else hear it. Oh well, it's too late now.
I know that I've been through it before, and I've
seen it happen dozens of times, even to people who
are already famous.
Page 4 of 30
This Tip Booklet contains a few key elements from
"Mu sical Und erdog” Ezi ne (em ail mag azine)
and from my upcoming books and my new course
called–“Ti ps for the Mus ical Und erdog” ©.
These are NOT just engineering tips, instead these
are HOW TO THINK tips to GUARANTEE that your
music ends up sounding just like it did in your
head.
These materials are designed to "SA VE YEA RS of

Tri al and Err or and Gue sswork" for the average
musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and artist
who is still trying to find a way to break through in
the musical industry. These tips will give you the
competitive edge that will get your songs noticed.
Page 5 of 30
Bel ow are som e fre quentl y asked que stions
that peo ple alw ays see m to want ans wered.
=========================================
B efore you start to do anything, I recommend that

the first thing you should do is to listen to a few
reference CDs of several different types of songs
that are similar to what you’re trying to work on.
Then listen to your music and immediately go back

and listen to some more CDs so that you form a
mental picture in your “mind’s ear” of what it is
you want to accomplish - what do you want your
sound to be like? What is your intention?
This accomplishes 2 things – first, it will help you

familiarize yourself with what the speaker system
really sounds like that you’re listening to. If the
CDs that you just listened to sound powerful and
clear and your song sounds darker and kinda weak
in comparison, then you’ll get an idea of what you
need to work on to improve your quality.
You want to get used to it so that you’ll have a

point of reference and that way you’ll know exactly
what it is that you are trying to do before you start
doing anything.
=========================================
Page 6 of 30
Question 1: What’s the best way to
start polishing and mixing the new

song that I just wrote, so that it ends
up having the same impact and
quality as the Cds that I buy?
Answer: After listening to a few refs, listen to
your song and get a mental picture in your
mind of how it actually sounds - the sound
quality - and then imagine what you want it
to sound like. What was missing?
Always start with a vision. Always know your
destination before starting. A big mistake that
many people make is to just dive in without
having a clue what it is they are really trying
to do.
Page 7 of 30
You’ve got to form a mental image so that it
becomes clear to you, then make it happen. If
you don’t happen to have a clear vision,
you’ll only have a 50/50 chance that the
result might or might not work. Then you
probably won’t know how to fix it if things
start to go wrong because you didn’t know
exactly what it was you were trying to do
from the very beginning. Always know your
destination before starting on any journey.
You have to build the impact into your song
like building a house one brick at a time. The
trick is to identify the main elements and
make sure that they NEVER get lost.
If you add something new and suddenly a
main part of the groove that you heard
before is not quite as clear, get rid of it or
pull it down or mute it in and out. Don’t fall
in love with any part. Get rid of it if needed.
Page 8 of 30
Question 2: When it’s time to mix my
song, is there a certain order that I

should do things? Should I always
start out working on a certain
instrument first or does it really
matter?
Answer: I’m a believer that you should listen
to everything all together at first to get a
quick idea of the big picture. Then you
should see what each part is doing before
doing anything else.
Just push it all up and use your instinct for
the balance. Do it very quickly. Just push up
all the drums and percussion, etc. Push ‘em
up real quick then push up the bass then
push up all your keyboards, vocals, guitars,
samples, effects, and everything.
Page 9 of 30
The key is to do this very quickly because
your instinct plays in big role in achieving a
good balance and I feel that you can trust
your instincts a lot. You’ve been listening to
music all your life so you know more than
you think you know.
Your ears are fine-tuned from a lifetime of
listening. Your spirit is fine-tuned to make
decisions that your mind might mentally
over-analyze.
It’s funny but if you listen, the song will tell
you what it wants. It will tell you if a certain
instrument’s too loud, you know, maybe the
bass is too loud, or the drums aren’t loud
enough and the kick drum is getting lost.
Maybe the snare drum is killing you or it
needs to be brighter.
Page 10 of 30
Doing this in the very beginning will help you
answer all these questions so that you can
decide which direction to go.
It forces you to make a fast decision which is
usually very close to being the right decision.
That way you get in the ball park quickly
don’t spend hours second-guessing every
single thing that you do.
Page 11 of 30
Question 3: How can I make sure that
my Drums and Bass are always

punchy, powerful, and clear? My
beats and low end usually start out
banging, but as I add more things to
my song, somehow it ends up muddy
and doesn’t have the same impact
when I’m finished.
Answer: The first thing you need to do is ask
yourself if this a Kick song or a Bass song?
This important because it will help you
determine which should be the main focus.
Here are some guidelines. Is the bass melodic,
singable, hummable, and memorable. Is it a
memorable line when it’s soloed all by itself,
if so, feature it as the main low end
instrument because that is what everybody
will lock onto and remember.
Page 12 of 30
Think back for a minute. Whenever you listen
to a hit song that has a memorable and
melodic baseline, you automatically have to
sing along with it in your mind and the
drums are just supporting it. How many times
have you hummed a bassline to someone
when you are describing a song?
If the bass is mainly a rhythmic, pulsing,
thumping, enhancement type of sound that is
mainly following the rhythm and drive of the
kick drum, it should play a supporting role
for the pulse of the beat. The drums are
definitely what’s driving it. The drums are
the propulsion and the bass is simply the low-
end support. Decide on the balance BEFORE
adding any EQ or compression.
Many times I receive songs that have “The
Fattest Bass In The World” in addition to “The
Page 13 of 30
Fattest Kick In The World” – recorded all on
the same song.
You need to have contrast in the bass
frequencies to keep it from getting muddy. It
has to be one or the other, not both.
You need one instrument to handle the low
lows, and the other instrument to handle the
upper lows, so that each one is out of the
other one’s way - that way you won’t end up
with a muddy sounding low-end because
each instrument is playing separate, but
supporting roles without getting in the other
ones way and not competing to fill out the
low-end.
Page 14 of 30
Question 4: What can I do to improve
my Vocal sound so that it’s fat and

clear, not cloudy and weak sounding?
Sometimes my Vocals either get lost
in the track or they end up sounding
too loud and the music feels weak.
Answer: One of the biggest things that you
can do to improve you Vocal sound is to make
sure there is very little is competing with it.
Guitars, keyboards, and almost every other
instrument go through the mid-range. In
order for your vocals to be clear and present,
you’ve got to make room for them by making
sure the other instruments are not competing
as much. This may mean that you might have
to thin out your guitars a bit or the
keyboards if they are up in the same range as
Page 15 of 30
the vocals. For your vocals to have room you
have to make sure that nothing is fighting
them in the upper mid-range of presence
which is between around 2.5k to 4k or 5k.
Sometimes you have to make certain
instruments a little duller in that range to
make them get out of the way of the vocal.
For example, the guitars, you may have to
make them a little duller or a little thinner
just so that they don’t fight with the vocals.
Sometimes it might be a piano part or the
strings or any other instrument that runs
through that part of the mid-range. You have
to cut them in that same frequency range to
make a little dip. It’s called “carving out”.
The biggest improvement that you can do is
to make sure that it is recorded well up front.
Try to have several different microphones
Page 16 of 30
available if you are using them. You should
try each one to see what gives the best sound.
Listen to be sure that the microphone is
crystal clear but still warm. Make sure that
the vocal is not sibilent with a lot of ess’es
sticking out. If you record your vocals with a
good microphone and Mike preamp up front
you will have to do less when it comes time to
mix.
A good tip is to use opposites. If the singer
has a bright and thin sounding voice, then
use a darker and warmer sounding mic such
as a tube mic and/or preamp to counteract
the problem.
Change the mic before using EQ. Your choice
of mic IS your EQ. Also, you can use light
compression with a low ratio if you want to. It
will sit better when it’s time to mix.
Page 17 of 30
The thing no one told me and I had to figure
out was what to look for on those meters of
the compressor when setting it for vocals.
The key term is GAIN REDUCTION. Imagine
Shaquille O’Neal or Yao Ming walking into an
normal house. They probably have to duck
down or squat a bit to get in the door. That’s
like gain reduction. The sound has to “squat
down” to get into the room.
When you see –2, -3, -4,……-10, -20, etc on
the meter, that’s how low you’re making it
squat. YOU SHOULDN’T SEE THAT METER
MOVING ALL THE TIME. Set it so that it only
moves on very loud passages and –3 to –6 will
not sound unnatural on a vocal if it only
happens occasionally. Be very conservative
when recording your vocal and if in doubt –
leave it out. Compressors can save or ruin.
Page 18 of 30
Question 5: Is there a secret technique
that I can use to guarantee that my

music will hook people and keep
them interested?
Answer: Don’t have too much going on at
one time. This is the single biggest mistake
that I see time and time again. The human
brain and ear can ingest a ton of information
at one time, BUT it can only PROCESS and
comprehend 2 or 3 things occurring at the
SAME TIME.
That means that your mind’s ear can follow
about 2 hooks going on in each section of
your song along with the main groove.
Usually this is a vocal hook and some type of
instrumental hook. Almost everything else is
part of the rhythmic foundation and should
Page 19 of 30
be subservient to the strongest and most
memorable parts. These parts are usually
“hummable”.
The trick is to identify, highlight, and
strengthen the “hookiest” parts and either
lower, mute, or delete anything that might be
fighting for the attention of your hooks. This
is a dynamic process and it does NOT mean
that you set it and forget it. Use automation
to move things up and down at the
appropriate times. This concept applies to
songwriting, mixing, and even when creating
backgroung vocal parts or music sweetening.
Try not to have your parts step on each other
unless it’s to strengthen. Keep your hooks
clear.
Think about you current favorite song right
now. There is probably some type of melody
Page 20 of 30
or rap that you’ll sing and some type of
instrumental hook that you’ll hum that
identifies the song. For instance, this might
be a strong bass line or guitar lick or even a
signature drumbeat. If you try to sing it out
loud, you can only sing and vocalize 1 of the
2 hooks of the song and you’ll imagine the
other one in your head. Just try it and see.
You will alternate between the strongest
hooks that you can vocalize. Those are the
hooks that GOT YOU. This is the key to
keeping YOUR SONGS irresistible. Do the
same.
Have you ever watched the “Ellen” talk show?
She has a funny contest segment where the
show’s guest must listen to someone hum a
hit song and then they have to guess it. Even
if the person isn’t very good at humming,
Page 21 of 30
many times you can usually guess the song if
it has a strong and identifiable hook.
Also remember, “Melody is King”.
The King will NEVER leave the building
Page 22 of 30
Question 6: I always read about
compressors and controlling the

dynamic range but I really don’t
understand what it all means. I’ll just
keep turning the controls until I
think I’m doing something that’s
sounds good, but I’m simply just
guessing.
Are compressors really necessary

because I can’t easily hear the
difference?
Answer: This is definitely a very common
question and I can totally relate to this since
the first time I got a chance to go into the
studio I heard the chief engineer or producer
saying something needed a compressor and I
didn’t have a clue what they were hearing to
Page 23 of 30
make that decision. It literally took me years
before I really knew what was happening with
compressors because it is supposed to be a
subtle effect. If you can hear it then it’s
probably too much unless you are actually
going after an extreme effect.
What exactly does controlling the dynamic
range mean? In fact, I hate to admit it, but in
the beginning, I didn’t even have a clear
concept what dynamic range actually was.
Also, whenever an engineer put a compressor
on an instrument or vocal, I really couldn’t
hear that big a difference even though I
watched and listened while they turned the
knobs. This includes plug-ins.
Have you ever automatically put a
compressor on something because you read
Page 24 of 30
somewhere, or someone told you that’s what
you were supposed to do?
Do you immediately put a compressor on the
Kick drum, Snare drum, Bass or Vocal without
listening to it first to see if it even needs it?
Do you automatically use certain compression
ratios or thresholds or even worse, plug-in
presets just because it’s convenient?
Don’t misunderstand me. Many times it is
needed to smooth things out but THE KEY is
to LISTEN FIRST BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING
and listen in context with all the other music.
Many people don’t know that compression
can actually suck the life out of your
instrument or song if used improperly. Just
as was stated above, have a goal, a reason,
Page 25 of 30
and a destination before you do anything to
anything. Always ask if it’s really NEEDED.
A good rule of thumb is to do the least
amount of processing that you have to do.
Your music will sound 1000% better.
Also, don’t forget about the other kind of
dynamics - Music Dynamics - use contrast of
loud and soft sounds in different sections of
your songs to keep them interesting.
Sometimes use a shocker sound that is almost
TOO LOUD to wake people up again - Use
silence as a weapon like they do in horror
movies. It always gets real quiet before the
monster jumps out at you.
Page 26 of 30
Question 7: Is there anything that I
can do to stop second-guessing

myself, because I’m never satisfied?
Answer: Trust your instincts. You’ve been
listening to music all your life. You are an
expert and you just don’t know it.
This doesn’t mean hyping yourself and
thinking that everything that you do is great.
It means stepping back and being honest
about what you’re doing.
Act like you are the town HATER toward your
own music and find all the flaws that he
would find before he gets a chance.
Listen to that little nagging voice that makes
you cringe if you know something isn’t quiet
right and keep trying different ways to fix it.
Page 27 of 30
Be careful because this can become a double
edged sword. You’ve got to know when to quit
nit picking if you step back and listen to the
big picture and everything’s working as a
complete unit.
Once you are sure that you haven’t stopped
short, and you’ve done EVERYTHING to make
it the best it could be, THEN and only then
should you trust your instincts when they tell
you it’s finished, and ignore the little pixie
that keeps telling you it’s not.
Page 28 of 30
Well, that’s about all for now. This is just
a small appetizer from a huge meal.
I hope that these insights have helped you to
THINK a little differently about how to
approach your music. It’s the little details
that separate the Stars from everone else. You
can do it too, if you do some of the same
things that they all do. It’s not some
unattainable talent that can’t be learned.
Pay particular attention to items 1, 5, and 7.
If you take the time to keep learning these
small but crucial details, it’s just a matter of
time before you have that big breakthrough.
Here’s To Your Musical

Success and Abundance!
(But Wait – There’s More!)
Page 29 of 30
I’d like to give you some a couple
of FREE BONUSES as a Thank You.
Go to http://www.khaliq-o-vision.com/
Please email me if you have any questions:

khaliq@khaliq-o-vision.com
Also, be sure and sign up for my FREE EZINE –
“Musical Underdog" Ezine

(Email Magazine)
http://www.musicalunderdog.com/
If any of the links above don't work or if you have

any problems downloading, just email me directly
and I'll manually send you your free bonuses and
subscribe you to the magazine.
Please Tell Other Musicians To SIGN UP at My Site

and Download This For FREE
Page 30 of 30

Recording Secrets Khaliq Glover

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Recording Secrets Khaliq Glover

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From the Pages of

"Musical Underdog" Ezine

By Grammy Winning Engineer

copyright © 2006 Khaliq-O-Vision

FREE Music and Audio

NEXT HIT SONG!

In a moment I am going to share with you some

concepts and techniques that I’ve observed in

almost 25 years of working with many Grammy

winning Artists and Producers. I’m going to take

you INSIDE the thought processes that go on in the

studio so that you can dramatically SKYROCKET the

quality of your Next Hit Song.

Stop and take a moment to imagine one of your

songs that you’ve been working on. What does it

sound like when you hear it in your head? I’ll bet

mastered and already at #1 on the charts, right?

But then reality sets in. It still doesn’t sound quite

like it does in your head. How frustrating.

Have you ever had the opportunity to play some of

your songs for someone pretty important? Did you

start to feel nervous and a little unsure as your

song plays back and suddenly you start noticing all

these things that sound – a little bit strange?

You never noticed it before but suddenly the vocal

isn’t loud enough, the track is sounding a little

dull, that snare drum is taking your head off, and

what happened to the guitar? All those clever

keyboard parts and samples now just seem to step

all over each other. Nothing sounds clear anymore.

You try to peek at them out the corner of your eye

to see if their toes are tapping or if their head is

bobbing but they just kinda sit there. After your

song plays they just turn it off and hand it back to

you saying “that’s nice”. Does this sound familiar?

After the meeting, you're pissed at yourself because

you didn't catch all these things before letting

someone else hear it. Oh well, it's too late now.

I know that I've been through it before, and I've

seen it happen dozens of times, even to people who

are already famous.

This Tip Booklet contains a few key elements from

"Mu sical Und erdog” Ezi ne (em ail mag azine)

and from my upcoming books and my new course

called–“Ti ps for the Mus ical Und erdog” ©.

These are NOT just engineering tips, instead these

are HOW TO THINK tips to GUARANTEE that your

music ends up sounding just like it did in your

These materials are designed to "SA VE YEA RS of

musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and artist

who is still trying to find a way to break through in

the musical industry. These tips will give you the

competitive edge that will get your songs noticed.

Bel ow are som e fre quentl y asked que stions

that peo ple alw ays see m to want ans wered.

B efore you start to do anything, I recommend that

Then listen to your music and immediately go back

This accomplishes 2 things – first, it will help you

You want to get used to it so that you’ll have a

Question 1: What’s the best way to

start polishing and mixing the new

Answer: After listening to a few refs, listen to

your song and get a mental picture in your