Think of a lived-in, worn-in, nice shirt: it feels like home. A lived-in sound is like an indie, folk acoustic guitar that sounds intimate and worn-in, which may sound like albums like: D'angelo, Bon Iver, Big Thief, Mk. Gee ======== THE PROBLEM ========== Sometimes I really like samples that are polished, pop, well-mixed, pristine and played perfectly – but it doesn't feel "lived-in" (these are typically samples you get from Splice). It feels soulless. I've tried saturation, aux room ambience, Sketch cassette plugin, lofi plug-ins. It still sounds like a polished pop sample, like a $200 shirt you bought, but doesn't feel like you wear it often, so it doesn't feel like you or your style, so it just ends up feeling like you're compensating. ======== EXAMPLES ========== 1. Bad Bunny, surprisingly is good at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X4uckVyk9o The whole record sounds like the typical polished pop music that's well produced, but at 3:26, the latin percussion and choir, feels so lived-in, and it feels like you're there celebrating with them: it feels like the song is not just some catchy, soulless tune, but a song that has heart; a song that people have actually lived in and lived through. 2. Another example is in fashion. When you wear a nice outfit, that's tailored, polished – but it still somehow feels "lived-in" and "worn-in". ======== THE QUESTION ========== How do you get a sound or a sample to sound lived-in or worn-in? If most of production and mixing, is really about sound selection – then is it just about the recording itself? Or is there anything you can do to enhance it? I really like some indie sounds, and I really like some pop sounds – but combining them together doesn't seem to gel. Any advice?

Interfaces! Which one do you use?

I've noticed several times when "time" becomes an issue. Things get changed and people get confused as to what time a thing is going to happen in their location. Why don't you switch to 24 hour UTC time? That way everyone knows what time the event will be occurring even if they are traveling. People in fixed locations can simply learn their offset. Or they can simply type in... "What time is it in [ my city ] at 17:30 UTC 11/15/2026? Most everyone's phone, tablet, computers are tied to UTC and they will get an exact time. Aviation is all tied to UTC/Zulu. 2026-09-28T16:52:00Z Year-Month-Day(T=Time)Hour(in 24 format):Minute:Seconds(Zulu = tied directly to UTC:00:00) But again any search engine can convert normal spoken words. So "The show starts at 13:00 ( 1PM ) UCT on October 2nd" works just fine. If you live on east coast USA that's 9AM EDT 10/02. If you live in Madrid it's 15:00 ( 3PM )11/02 When a contest ends "at midnight" it's much more easily understood and can not be improperly calculated if the contest ends at 23:59 UCT 10/01/2026. It would simply eliminate all confusion even as time zones change through travel or seasonal standard vs daylight savings. Also it seems to me if you had an instructor in different time zone or a mentor call and one party or both need to quickly coordinate a time. Anyway just a thought. If it saved everyone a couple minutes on all the varied communications, videos, etc., it would seem worth it in the long run.

I'm hoping to kick of a robust discussion about using channel strips versus individual plugin components. Your thoughts please.

I have a free plugin to give away for all Premium Members today! The plugin is BASSROOM by Mastering the Mix (usually $79). This is a really unique and fun plugin for EQing your low end - it sounds great too. "When your low-end is muddy or weak, your entire mix suffers. BASSROOM shows you exactly how to shape it, for low-end that hits hard, sounds clear, and translates across every system." Moving forward, we're going to try and get a free plugin every month for you guys as a perk for being a Premium Member. (If you're not a Premium Member yet, you can upgrade here to instantly unlock the free coupon code. The cost for a month of membership is a lot less than what the plugin would cost you to buy.) ➡️ Claim your plugin code by entering your registered email address on this page: https://support.mastering.com/codes This will be the email address you signed up with on our website or here in Skool, depending on how you became a paid member. You will only be able to claim the plugin code if you're an actively paying member. If you have any trouble, please contact support@mastering.com or leave a comment below. 🚨 BUT that's not all... We also have a new 30% discount for all Premium members at Naturl Audio, the makers of the popular new AL-1 limiter. This discount can be access at the same page as above. Simply enter your email, and you'll also be able to request your unique discount code. Enjoy! Rob