Musician's Survival Guide to a Killer Record

You're a musician. Like most musicians these days, you write songs. And when you write a song that you're all excited about, you record it, probably mostly at home, perhaps in some local studios too. You may even invite some friends to participate. Then you probably put your new record on streaming sites, band sites, and social media sites, perhaps all of those, because you feel you absolutely killed it, and the whole world needs to hear this record right now. 

Some months later, you listen to your record again, only to realize you still adore the song, but the record itself? It fell short, somehow. Just like the last one did. Which brings up a very important question:

Are you 100% satisfied with your records?

I ask, because I already know that most of you are going to answer no to that. Some of you might even believe it's not possible to be 100% satisfied with your records.

I'm here to tell you that it is. 

Who am I? I'm Mixerman aka Eric Sarafin. I have multiple gold and platinum sales awards as a mixer, producer, and recordist, and I’ve written several popular books on the recording arts. I was in precisely your position at the early stages of my career. I was a musician, frustrated that I could write a great song, only to feel the record itself fell short of it's potential. I can help you reduce that learning curve significantly. Think musically.

The stated goal of this book is to convert recording decisions into musical ones, and technical decisions into practical ones. Not only do I explain the musical strategies for making a Killer Record, I also break the technical information down to its core so that you can get it out of your way. The best part? So long as you have what you need to make a record, I can help you make it a Killer Record, and you don’t have to purchase anything beyond this book. You have what you have and what you have is going to change. 

It doesn't matter whether you make hip-hop or country, electronica or metal, indie rock or power pop, there are certain truths that are universal to all music. You are operating within a set of limitations both musically and technically and that's where your creativity will shine. Great Art is made with the resources available to you.

This field manual is chock full of recording strategies designed to keep recording a fun and focused process. You will return to this manual time and time again to help you overcome any impediment–technical or musical–that might prevent you from achieving the results you seek, regardless of your recording environment, regardless of what equipment you're using, and regardless of your current skillset.

You can make a Killer Record under nearly any circumstance. It just requires the right mindset.