4 COMMON MISTAKES

HURTING YOUR
AUDIO CONTENT
QUALITY

LEARN FROM
MAHAL STUDIO
 1 Poor
Recording
One of the biggest reasons listeners can get turned off
by your music is poor audio quality. No matter how
good a singer/musician/band you are, if you are not
able to deliver your content with quality to your
audience, chances are they will simply hit the skip
button without thinking twice. There are two ways that
can cause you to mess up your audio content:

Poor recording techniques: if you're recording in a

noisy environment or with the wrong equipment
like the built-in mic of your laptop it is almost
impossible to fix these "at-source" issues later on in
the production process. Record in a quiet
environment on your smartphone with the Dolby
On app, it will reduce noise as well as enhance
your audio quality. For even better results: plug in
an inexpensive but decent lapel microphone.

Bad production: while it's not necessary for you to

"overproduce" your content and get it mixed and
mastered from an international studio, you should
at least ensure that your content sounds pleasant
and loud enough, but not harsh. Every instrument
and vocal in your mix should be audible and
CLEAR.
 2 Shoddy
Effects
Effects can make your audio content more interesting and
appealing to your listener, however if not used properly
they can have exactly the opposite effect (pun intended).
Here are some ways you might be using effects in your
audio wrong:

Bathroom reverb: if you're applying one of those

Instagram audio filters or random apps to add some
reverb to your vocals. they often sound ringy, as if
you're singing in a bathroom, which is not desirable.

Too much effects: at times you might overdo it and

add too many or too much of effects to your audio
content, turning it into a confused hodgepodge.

Not tweaking the knobs: for an effect to be truly

effective (again, pun intended), you need to fine tune
it to make sure it fits the overall style of the track, or
use automation to even bring it down in places where
it feels too much. This leads to a more dynamic track
that can spark more interest in the listener.

Not considering your overall mix: effects should be

used in a way that complements the other elements of
the mix, rather than competing with them. That cool
reverb might make your vocals sound better, but if
you apply it to the drums as well it would sound quite
amateurish. In the end it should all work TOGETHER.
 3 Lack of
Editing
Poor or no editing can make your audio content sound
unprofessional. The one non-negotiable aspect in audio
content creation is good software, and good doesn't
necessarily mean expensive. Here are some tips to
enhance your editing process:

Cut out and CORRECT your mistakes: some people

consider this cheating, but can you imagine buying a
CD of your favourite artist where they play the
wrong notes or pause awkwardly in the middle of
the song? If you're not doing a live performance on
stage, quality has a very different meaning when it
comes to pre-recorded content.

Go for multiple takes: trust me, every piece of

professional recording that comes out these days is
"comped", meaning the singer or the musician
records the same thing multiple times and then the
best parts of these tracks are stitched together.
Again, no one's giving you bonus points for being
perfect in one shot. Would you rather spend an
entire day trying to get that one flawless take or
record 3-4 songs during the same time to generate
even more content that your audience will love? Yes,
as an artist it is definitely important to improve
yourself continually, but that is an entirely different
thing compared to delivering quality content to your
listeners on a regular basis.
 4 Ignoring
Levels
This is probably the top reason listeners might choose to
ignore your audio and promptly skip to the next piece of
shiny content available. If you underestimate the role
levels/gain/loudness play, your audio content is doomed
to fail! So make sure you're not making one of these two
mistakes:

You audio content is too weak sounding: if you

simply record a video on your phone and post it
directly to your socials, it might sound too low and
chances are you're audience will simply ignore it
rather than making an effort to turn up the volume
(it might already be set to max!). Over the past few
decades, recorded music has generally grown louder
in order to compete and stand out against each
other. Although that's not necessarily the best thing,
ignoring this fact might also not be the wisest idea
for you when your audio is fighting to stand out or
be at par with the hundred other pieces of content
that's screaming for your listener's attention!

Your levels are too high: this typically means your

music will sound distorted and unpleasant, a
phenomenon known as clipping, and will cause a
ringing sensation in your listeners' ears. Therefore,
it's important to set levels correctly and ensure that
they remain CONSISTENT throughout the mix.
 So, my friend, those were the 4 common
mistakes you might be making that is preventing
your audio content from getting heard!

Whether you're an independent singer, musician

or band, in order to get your amazing stuff gain
your listeners' attention you need to be able to
create high quality audio content consistently,
and with so many creators out there on social
media and digital platforms today, you definitely
will need more than a few skills to produce top-
notch content that stands out from the rest and
gets you heard!

You'll agree that it does not make much

financial sense to hire a studio along with a
producer and an engineer each time to get
content done for you regularly. However, the
truth is: all of this is no rocket science and you
could learn it by yourself, starting with zero or
no investment and growing from there.

So I hope you found this useful and I cannot

wait to hear which of these mistakes you have
been making and how you intend to fix it. Do
write to me at mahalstudio@outlook.com

Looking forward to hearing from you!