Clinic Curriculum
Tracking, Mixing, Mastering, Publishing & Live Performance
Five distinct disciplines. One continuous signal path. Understanding where each begins and ends — and why they require different ears, tools, and mindsets — is foundational to everything we do at the clinic.
The Five Stages of a Recording
Most musicians conflate these stages — or hand them off without understanding what they are handing over. The clinic treats each as a separate craft with its own vocabulary, signal chain, monitoring requirements, and decision-making framework. A mistake made in tracking cannot be fixed in mixing. A mistake made in mixing cannot be fixed in mastering. And a master optimised for streaming will behave differently on a live PA. Knowing where you are in the chain — and what is and is not reversible — is the difference between a professional workflow and an expensive lesson.
Tracking
You cannot fix it in the mix.
ToolsPreSonus StudioLive 64S · NSB32.16 stage box · Studio One Pro · Condenser, dynamic, and ribbon microphones
Tracking is the capture phase — microphone placement, gain staging, headphone mix, room acoustics, and performance. Every decision made here is either an asset or a liability in every subsequent stage. A well-tracked recording gives the mix engineer options. A poorly tracked recording gives them problems. The clinic covers microphone polar patterns and placement, preamp gain structure, monitoring latency and its effect on performance, recording to a click, comping takes, and the discipline of getting it right at the source rather than relying on post-processing.
Key topics
Mixing
Serve the song, not the solo.
ToolsStudio One Pro · Fat Channel processing · Calibrated studio monitors · Reference tracks
Mixing is the process of balancing, shaping, and positioning recorded elements in a stereo (or surround) field so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. It is a creative and technical discipline simultaneously. The mix engineer works with level, panning, EQ, compression, reverb, delay, and automation to create a cohesive sonic picture. The clinic covers the signal chain inside the DAW, gain staging within the mix, parallel processing, bus compression, stem mixing, and the critical skill of referencing — comparing your mix to commercial releases on calibrated monitors.
Key topics
Mastering
The last set of ears before the listener.
ToolsStudio One Pro · iZotope Ozone · Loudness meters · Reference monitoring chain
Mastering is the final quality-control and optimisation stage before distribution. A mastering engineer works from the stereo mix (or stems) to ensure the recording translates across playback systems — earbuds, car stereos, club systems, and broadcast. This involves final EQ, limiting, loudness normalisation to streaming targets (LUFS), and format preparation. The clinic covers the difference between mix-bus limiting and mastering limiting, integrated loudness vs peak levels, true peak limiting, dithering for bit-depth reduction, and preparing separate masters for streaming, CD, vinyl, and broadcast.
Key topics
Publishing
Own your work before you release it.
ToolsDistroKid · TuneCore · ASCAP / BMI registration · AFM Local #99 resources
Publishing in the music industry has two meanings that are often confused: the act of distributing a recording to streaming platforms and physical formats, and the legal/business framework of music publishing — the ownership and licensing of the underlying composition (melody and lyrics) as distinct from the sound recording. The clinic covers both. On the distribution side: digital aggregators (DistroKid, TuneCore, CD Baby), ISRC and UPC codes, metadata standards, and release strategy. On the publishing side: the difference between a master recording and a composition copyright, performing rights organisations (ASCAP, BMI, SESAC), mechanical licences, sync licensing, and what AFM Local #99 membership means for session musicians.
Key topics
Live Performance
One take. No undo.
ToolsPreSonus StudioLive 64S · 32R · NSB32.16 · ATEM ISO Mini Extreme G2 · IEM systems · dbx DriveRack
Live performance is not a downstream product of the recording process — it is a parallel discipline with its own signal chain, monitoring requirements, and failure modes. The studio gives you unlimited takes, recall, and the ability to fix mistakes. The stage gives you one pass, a room that changes with every audience, and a PA that may or may not match what you rehearsed on. The clinic covers the complete live signal chain from instrument to PA, monitor mixing vs front-of-house mixing, IEM systems and feedback control, gain-before-feedback, the PreSonus StudioLive system in a live context, ATEM ISO capture for live video, and the business and safety considerations of gigging professionally.
Key topics
How the Five Stages Differ
Each stage has a different primary goal, a different set of tools, and a different definition of 'done'.
| Stage | Primary goal |
|---|---|
| Tracking | Capture the best possible performance |
| Mixing | Balance and shape the recorded elements |
| Mastering | Optimise for distribution and playback systems |
| Publishing | Distribute and protect the work |
| Live Performance | Deliver the work to an audience in real time |
All five stages covered at the clinic
The Clatsop Audio clinic is structured so attendees experience the full signal path — from microphone placement on Day 1 through live performance capture on Day 2. Every session builds on the one before it.