I was doing a Google search the other week looking for some information on the attack and release settings for Andrew Schepp’s rear bus technique. I wanted to set up a preset with multiple 1176 clones so I could easily audition them when mixing.
I clicked on the top result. I couldn’t find what I was looking for BUT I did find a very opinionated and misinformed article on parallel compression that mentioned the rear bus technique. Basically the author told people to avoid it and stick to parallel compression on the master buss instead.
I’ve heard Andrew Schepp explain the technique and what it does. It makes sense and has definitely helped my own mixes. I’ve also used parallel compression on the master buss and it has its place too.
Welcome to the internet.
This got me thinking about top producers and mix engineers etc. Are they really the best in the field just because we know about them? Are they as good (maybe even not as good) as some lesser known individuals because they are better at marketing themselves and making connections?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think any of the known names of the industry are slouches at their craft. It’s just an interesting confirmation bias we have where we see someone successful and assume that they are the experts in their field.
When we consider it, there are so many factors that put them in a position of being “visible”. They worked with an artist that blew up but then they leveraged that win and got better gigs. They had a better agent. They serendipitously ended up assisting on a session for a name artist that the original producer quit on and they got the gig instead etc.
I’m sure that many of those same producers and engineers would probably point you towards lesser known producers and engineers they feel should be known as being experts in their field.
It’s an interesting thought experiment.
The Takeaway: It’s helpful to keep in mind that those people who have the recognition and are out front as experts in their field aren’t necessarily the only experts. There are many music creatives, both artists, bands, producers and engineers who will never win a big music award or the recognition that they might deserve and that’s okay.
This leads me to an exciting thought, run your own race against yourself as a music creative. Instead of a competitive mindset toward others, be inspired by their work and celebrate their wins with them. You might not win any awards but I guarantee you’ll enjoy your music making much more.
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