While studying the SSL 4000 E Channel Strip, I stumbled on info that completely changed how I think about music production process. It defined my new direction where I want to go next in my journey -> dive deeper into producer skills of sound selection. It turned out, in the past engineers didn’t rely on endless plugins to fix a mix later.There was no “I’ll repair it in mixing” approach. Instead, they relied heavily on the quality of the source and the great sound selection so sounds fit together without forcing. Once it hit the SSL console and a few pieces of outboard gear, that was basically the mix. No 50 plugins. Quick mixing decisions for each channel. No endless tweaking. Just great sounds going in. I was like “whaaaat… only SSL console?” Suddenly I caught myself doing exactly that, relying heavily on forcing the sounds to fit together later in mixing. I realized I have absolutely no strategy in sound selection. It cannot be just “oh I like it”. So, that it's one of the most important lessons in this March 2026. Focusing now on new direction, on how producers are good at the sound selection. How to do it.

As we are currently bombarded with Black Friday deals, I am considering purchasing a portable hard drive to back-up my Logic Pro files. Then it occurred to me to touch base with the community and explore alternative ideas. So, good people of this amazing group of creatives 'How do you back-up your files?'

For Black Friday we're running our biggest discount ever on our full audio school, The Reverse Engineer. If you want to develop pro-level skill sets in mastering, mixing, recording, and production in 2025, this is your best chance. You can save $2,000 until midnight TOMORROW, November 30th (about 24hrs from now). Schedule a call with the admissions team below to learn more. https://mastering.com/free-training-book-black-friday/?utm_source=FTMSkool&utm_medium=Direct We only have 2 call slots remaining for tomorrow, and they will go fast. So go ahead and book a call for next week, and as long you schedule a call before midnight we’ll still honor the discount. Good luck navigating all the deals! — Rob

Working on "We Are The World" was one of the greatest blessings of my life and career, and I learned a lot of lessons watching him, Michael Jackson, and Lionel Richie put together that legendary song from beginning to end. I think this might be helpful to others too. Quincy Jones was not a legend by accident. Everything he did, from what I observed, was based on immense talent, deep insights, and life lessons that made him look beyond the surface for what touches the soul. This goes way beyond just musical skills. It's a way of looking at all things. From the first day of tracking I was like a fly on the wall listening to the conversations he and Michael would have about what they wanted people to FEEL when they heard the song. It was way beyond the notes. It had to touch the heartstrings and tap into us all being one, no matter what color, nationality, enthnicity, or religion. To make that happen via sound was very intentional. Watching and listening why they cast certain musicians, find the right sounds, modify the feeling of different parts, and craft the lyrics was amazing. Listening to them explain why things like the bass part and sound had to be changed to not draw too much attention to it ,or be too funky was an incredible insight. The song should always be about "We" and never "I" am the world. Mind-blowing! Watching Michael Jackson pull out the original lyrics and then they all zeroed in on certain lines like changing it to "there's a CHOICE we're making. We're saving OUR OWN LIVES" instead of (and I'm paraphrasing) "there's a chance we're taking. We're saving all their lives" was so eye opening because they always wanted the song to be INCLUSIVE so that it's not a separate US vs THEM thing, even though the song was about saving starving children. We are all in this together and that was their purposeful mission. Changing little lyric phrases like that made the song a masterpiece, so MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!! There were so many lessons I learned during that time that I will always carry with me and I still use to this day. So dig DEEP beyond the surface of all aspects of your music and never stop short.

BOO! Attention freaks, geeks, fools, ghouls, zombies, ghosts and…HUMANS! Is it the Monster Mash? How about Thriller? Maybe the Time Warp again? What is your favorite Halloween tune? Even better…have you ever written your own spooky music? HAPPY HALLOWEEN!