True Shine Studios, Portland’s premiere recording studio, exists primarily to take your vision from inception to completion. To learn more about True Shine Studios, visit the official studio website HERE.

Our studio’s core system is Digidesign’s state-of-the-art Pro Tools system. We incorporate all tracks into the SSL Super-analogue Channel/SSL 9000K (the same kind that Dr. Dre uses) to give you a warmer, fresher sound. There is no other studio in the nation, that charges less than $100 an hour and gives you access to the SSL 9000K—except True Shine Studios. And, there is the option to mix your tracks on a huge, customized Digidesign Control 24 board, which usually sounds better than digital (aka “in-the-box”) mixes, due to the “muddy” nature of digital bussing. For monitoring, we use a variety of speakers by Rokit, JBL and Event. Our microphones are a solid selection of condenser and tube mics, which includes most of the brand names every experienced engineer requests, like Neumann, Sennheiser, Shure, Blue Microphones etc. Our extensive beat library is a producer’s treasure chest and can accommodate any style and arrangement.

• Quad-core PC w/SSL Super-analogue Channel/SSL 9000K (more on this later)

• Pro Tools(LE & M-Powered) w/Production Toolkit: Pro Tools® is the most popular sound creation and production system in the world. Featuring professional hardware and award-winning software that work together with your computer, Pro Tools lets you easily accomplish everything from composing music and recording to editing and mixing sound for broadcast and post production — all within a single environment. Learn more HERE

• JBL LSR4328P Studio Monitors: These monitors are designed for critical stereo and multichannel audio production applications that require exceptionally high grade acoustics. Learn more HERE.

STUDIO LAYOUT
• Spacious Custom Designed Vocal Booth: Big enough for a drum set, bass guitarist and singer all jamming together
• Wet Bar/Lounge: stocked with drinks, soda and water. Xbox360 with a huge 72 inch flatscreen TV.
• Production Center & Control Room

To learn more about True Shine Studios, visit the official studio website HERE.

Classes are open to youth and adults of interested in learning about any element of the music production industry. Note: All classes have a 4 student limit, as we offer personalized attention to our students. Our class instructor, Isaac, has several years of tutoring students of all ages in the school setting, and is able to apply that same level of instruction, patience and professionalism. Students that complete the class will receive a certificate of training from True Shine Studios.

True Shine Producer/Songwriter/Engineer Isaac Weiss offers several level of training in audio engineering and production. Classes include:

Pro-Tools 101:

Learn everything you need to get started recording a song. You will learn how to record, basic mixing and bouncing. [This is a weekend course and requires two 3 hour days to pass]. Cost: $150 per person for the entire weekend

Hip-Hop Production 101:

This course is a lot of fun but requires a great deal of concentration as you will be learning how to use new equipment and involved recording techniques. This is a must-take for aspiring producers who would like an inside look at the production process. [This is a one day course and requires one 3 hour day to pass] Cost: $75 per person for the entire weekend.

Intermediate Recording:

This class will challenge most novice musicians and demonstrate more involved techniques of recording, mixing, microphone setup, and use of production equipment. We will be working with Pro-Tools 7.4 and Wavelab 5.0 to record, mix and enhance audio recordings. [This is a two day course and will require two 2 hour days to pass] Cost: $100 per person for the entire weekend.

Hip-Hop MC’ing 101:

This course will instruct students, ranging from experienced to novices, how to develop their unique rap style and deliver a memorable performance every time they step to the mic! We will work on techniques of writing, concept development, on and on off-stage delivery and studio skills. [This is a two day course and will require one 4 hour day to pass]

Cost: $100 per person for the full session.

Introduction to mastering:

We will be exploring the mastering process, both theoretically and practically. After going over the basic principles and objectives of mastering, we will get a little bit of hands-on experience and try to master several tracks using very sophisticated plug-ins.

How to start a recording studio:

We will discuss the basic hardware and software needed in a home studio setup and learn how to start your own home based music studio. Home recording studio design is also explored. This includes but is not limited to rock recording studio, blues recording studio, jazz recording studio, acoustic recording studio or just a music recording studio.

To schedule a class, email us at Learning@TrueShineStudios.com.

Why Do You Need Mastering?

The least understood part of the recording chain is the mastering process. It is a process that is much easier to demonstrate then it is to describe, however, it is essential to the final presentation of the audio in question.

Mastering is “The art of finishing a recording by using the highest quality absolute dynamics and frequency control.” In laymen’s terms it the process of final leveling of volume and tonal issues throughout a recording via the use of Limiting/Compression, EQ, and noise removal.

When do you use mastering?

Mastering is the last processing to occur before reproduction/distribution. The needs of the mastering process depend upon issues rendered during the recording process and vary with the particularities of the mix. Issues include frequency problems, bass/treble or mid-range issues, elements that are mixed at low or high volumes, noise/hum/clicks in the recording, etc.

Mastering takes your final mixes and can do the following to it:

1. Normalize the volume: Mastering will set the final volume of all the songs so that they are at the same level. If this is not done, there could be drastic changes in volume between tracks. Most modern genres are mastered to boost the volume of the songs.

2. High End EQ: The mastering process performs overall EQ on the final mixes. With proper EQ techniques, your final master should sound more clear and translucent.

3. Order the songs: The songs will be placed into the proper order with fades/cross-fades where applicable.

4. Other: There are an abundance of effects that can be used to alter the final master; some will smoothen out the recording, some will broaden the track via stereo imaging techniques, some will add warmth and analogue qualities as desired. There are a multitude of options at this stage and it depends upon the needs of the client.

5. How to prepare: Make sure that the mix-down is sufficient to your ears. Be sure to preview it in different systems and obtain feedback from other people. While mastering can fix and enhance a range of different issues, there are errors in the recording/mix-down that might not be able to be addressed in the mastering phase, so PLEASE be certain of your mixes before mastering! Bring your track order, leave some headroom on every track and we look forward to providing you with excellent mastering services. Thanks!

The Results… Our goal is to master your music to the highest possible standard so that it stands out from the crowd and sounds the way you intended it to sound… Clean, Clear, Loud and Punchy.

Read more about Mastering HERE.

To check out the studio, or make an appointment, Click HERE.

The word “mixing” means two different things in the context of audio recording:  Adjusting the fader levels, balance, equalization, etc. so that the live sound is properly recorded in the first place and the art of turning the live sound you recorded into a finished, polished masterpiece that’s ready to listen to.

“As a Mix Engineer, I like to find a sound for each album that works with the artists vision, then try to kick that up several notches with the use of compression, EQ and effects to make it competitive with what’s being played in the music industry right now. I also try to keep or create dynamics that allow the song to build”~ Raz, Production Engineer, True Shine Studios. Click HERE to read more about Mixing.

True Shine Studios can accommodate ALL digital mixing needs. Our engineers have mixed albums from other studios, old tapes, even from MP3’s online (although you should avoid mp3’s if you can as they are inferior sound quality).

Please be ready to provide us with the following info before we begin mixing:

-Total Song Count, -Total Length, -Bit depth and Sample rates (16 or 24 bit/44.1, 48, 88.2, or 96khz), -tracks count, -file type(WAV, AIFF, MP3, etc), -make sure that all your files are consolidated. (This means that they are the same length and match one another).

To make an appointment, visit True Shine Studios.

To attain optimum sound quality requires quality equipment, knowledgeable workmanship, and attention to detail. True Shine Studios has a great compliment of microphones, outboard/plug-in processing, a superior Solid-State Logic Superanalogue 9000K channel. This unit offers a SSL mic-pre, EQ unit and compressor, based on the actual circuitry of the SSL 9000k and a knowledgeable staff of engineers/producers. – Click HERE for more details on the SSL 9000K channel. With a large control room, production center, state of the art isolation booth, and mix center, True Shine Studios can accommodate just about everyone and definitely any genre of music, including large bands.

At True Shine Studios we love what we do and you will fit right in the True Shine Family if you are about good times and great music!

Visit the Studio Website at http://trueshinestudios.com to book your appointment today!