Yes,And the learning curve was huge to say the least.I have pulled off several miracles in format changes from one studio to the other.It can get very sticky importing tracks,American idol auditon and That Thing You Do! were dead in the water and now they live and breathe.The whole thing from a purely scientific aspect is just fantastic.This makes it for me able to walk in and concentrate upon being the artist.Which is to have a lot of fun you see.Yet at the same time I understand what is going on in the control room.I know what the EQ layout is on the mixing board,what is on track number 17,what patches are being used and why,what is a VSO and how does it work?When would you use it?Why would you use it?And you have got to know the tune inside out from every level,which is why I do the majority of the instrumental tracking even to the point of letting the band sit out so I know what and how it went down.I know where every lick sits.I was and am able to take advantage of the technology from the aspect of a major label production.That is why I returned to Tampa from Nashville,because of the great studios available at unreal rates.Full time 24/7 studios.It does not go down like you may think it does,a lead vocal track is not cut in one or three takes,well sometimes it is if the moment is right,most often the song is sung one line at at a time and you may have up to around 32 composite tracks that you are going to choose the best parts from.This is not to include the backing voxes.So you have this HUGE jigsaw puzzle that you have to put together before you go into mixing the recording.Everything seperate and independent and now you have got to put it all together as well as make it ambient which is the key to a great recording,the whole trick of it if you will...The mix!Stage two of making a record where you are no longer laying down track but listening to them and matching them up.Maxing out the EQ on everything,bringing in the judicious use of compression and effects and trimming.What you are going to put in and what you are going to leave out.This my friend is a surgical procedure.The very fine arena of production known as shortcuts.Why a top major producer makes 25 grand an hour.The sound from the final mix just pumps through the main studio moniters when this is done.This is the best it is ever going to sound.Whilst mixing you are always putting the sound through tiny speakers to set the levels for the average listener in their car or IPOD or what may be published to broadcast.But here and now in the studio you are going to hear the tune in it's purest form all pumped up through state of the art studio moniters within an enviornment acoustically engineered for this.The producer is running this and the original engineers want to be present for it if they can.Let us not take lightly the role of your recording engineer,the person cutting your tracks.They have to deal with "star trips" day in and out.They are not called engineers for nothing,they understand the properties of sonic fidelity and are due their respect.You may have cut a great track and the talkback comes on with them saying "Your B string is out of tune,"Whenever you are going to disconnect your guitar you announce it because it is going to make an obscene "click" when you pull it out so you want it turned down.All of this leads to the final stage of a recording,the mastering of the final mix.Anything serious you are doing you don't want to release until it is mastered on glass.This is the final preparation for your tune to be broadcast,the final mix great as it is may be will come out broadcast with the bass way to loud.Something uneven.If you have come this far with your project you will spend these last couple of little pennies to make sure it is mastered.It has gotten all of the final little tweaks to sound it's best under any circumstance.An extra couple hundred bucks to lock down your recording.To safeguard your hard work,anytime your tune is played it sounds the way you and your team wanted and worked hard at it for it to sound.When people crank it up it comes up uniform.Or if they just want to play it quiet they can hear everything you put on it.if it is not mastered when somebody cranks it up all of the levels are not going to rise the same and it is going to clip on some of the frequencies.And sound like shit.Same with low volume backround music,you can't hear everything that has been put on it.It has not been properly balanced.Ilike to know that when I am listening to and digging my own tune that it sounds the same for anyone else listening to it.and it is ready for any use,film score,advertisement,TV sound track.What have you?