Filter It Out! - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 7
LearningToday we'll deal with another element that is essential to sound synthesis: Filters. They are widely used in subtractive synthesis, which is the most widespread form of synthesis, making filters pret…
Mixing with Myself…or Not! - A Guide To Mixing Music - Part 2
LearningWe'll devote this second installment of our mixing article series to a bit of advice that is worth its weight in gold: Whenever possible, let someone else mix your songs and/or recordings
Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Pa… - Swing It!
LearningToday we'll begin our exploration of the different elements that constitute a synthesizer. "It's about time!," I hear some of you say... And it's true, but it's important to have a theoretical backgr…
Make Some Noise! - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 5
LearningIn the previous article, we explored sounds based on waveforms with more or less harmonics, but they all had one thing in common: They were periodic. As we saw, if you refer to periodic cycle, you re…
Talking to BT about his upcoming throwback album and hi… - BT Goes Back to the '80s
LearningThere are few musicians who are as skilled with technology and as articulate about it as BT. For his latest project, a band called All Hail The Silence, BT and Christian Burns produced an album as if…
In Search of the Perfect Wave - Sound synthesis, sound design and audio processing - Part 4
LearningIn the previous articles of this series, we explored sound at its core and discovered waves and what defines them. Today we'll look into the main waveforms that are usually adopted as the basic ingre…
Basic Guitar Chords - Guitar essentials for writing songs and playing with other musicians
LearningSome people may just want to learn the basic guitar chords to impress girls (or boys) on the beach or to modestly accompany themselves when singing. Whatever your reasons, here are some basic chords …
Avoiding Feedback with an Acoustic Guitar - Tips for Playing Acoustic Guitar Live - Part 1
LearningCommonly used by electric guitar players, especially to liven things up, feedback is the worst enemy of acoustic musicians. In this series of articles we'll look into the solutions to play a relaxed …
Of Sync Fees, Royalties and Exclusive Deals - Making Money From Music Licensing - Part 2
LearningIn part 1, we discussed what licensing is, and described how music libraries work. In this second and final part, we’ll look at the different ways you can make money from a licensed piece of music, t…
Sound Synthesis, Sound Design and Audio Processing - Pa… - What's the Frequency?
LearningAs we saw in the previous article of this series, if a waveform is recurrent, it is called a periodic wave. From a theoretical point of view, for example, musical notes are all based on a periodic wa…
How to Get Started Licensing Your Music - Making Money From Music Licensing - Part 1
LearningOne of the few avenues left where you can still make money from selling your music is through licensing. Although the market has become saturated over the last several years, there are still opportun…
Surviving as a Hired Gun in the Studio - Advice on How to be Successful as a Studio Musician
LearningBetween the proliferation of home studios, digital music technology, the Internet, and the development of music genres that are programmed rather than played, the amount of session work available, as…
Wave's Anatomy - Sound Synthesis, Sound Design and Audio Processing - Part 2
LearningIn the previous article we saw that sound is made of waves. Like many things in life, they can be simple or complex. You can't find an absolutely "pure" sound in nature. The closest to that is the s…
An iPhone, iPod touch, and Especially an iPad, Can Grea… - iOS Onstage
LearningWith the right apps and accessories, an iPhone, an iPod touch and especially an iPad can be a real boon to your live performance setup. Your iDevice can function as a sound source, effects processo…
Getting Down to "Bassics" - Create Authentic Sounding MIDI Bass Guitar Parts
LearningIf you're a recording musician who doesn't play bass, creating realistic MIDI bass guitar parts can be a challenge. The tips and techniques offered in this article will help you put together authenti…
Richard Devine on sound design, synths, software, studi… - A Sonic Guru Speaks
LearningYou may have heard Richard Devine’s distinctive electronic compositions, or seen his name on patch collections in various synths, but most likely when you hear his work it’s a system sound in a compu…
Improve Your Mix with A/B Referencing -Part 2 - What to Listen For When Comparing a Mix
LearningIn part 1 we looked at different ways to setup your gear for an A/B comparison. This time, we’ll offer some suggestions for specific aspects to focus on during your referencing session.
Tips on Alternate Tunings - How to Adapt Your Electric Guitar to Your Alternate Tuning
LearningFans of alternate tunings (especially metalheads) will often find themselves with overcooked noodles instead of strings, compromising their sound. Here are a couple of recipes to make sure your strin…
Improve Your Mix with A/B Referencing - Part 1 - Compare Your Mix to That of a Professional for Valuable Sonic Guidance
LearningReferencing your mix against an existing recording via the process known as “A/B-ing,” is a great way to check the quality of your work and help you overcome inaccurate studio acoustics. Here in part…
Get Ready, Get Setlist, Go! - Strategically Planning Your Set List Can Make All the Difference
LearningA well thought out setlist is critical to the success of your gig. Whether for a band or a solo singer, the order in which you play your songs could mean the difference between a good show and a grea…
Mastering at Home - Part 22 - How to Use Volume in Mastering
LearningThis penultimate article in our series dedicated to mastering at home is surely the one you've all been waiting for. Indeed, today we will talk about a couple of tricks to get a really HUGE sound. Bu…
Tips on Recording Vocals for Musicians - Vocal Recording Clinic with Kris Crummett
LearningNo matter what musical style you're into, if you own studio gear, you probably record vocals at least some of the time. So when we had a chance to tap into the expertise of Kris Crummett — a prominen…
Scoring to Picture — Part 3 - Finding the Tempo and Writing the Music for a Commercial
LearningHere in the final part of this 3-part article, I’ll finish scoring the hypothetical commercial, working with variables like tempo, start time, and meter, while never losing sight of the original assi…
Mastering at Home - Part 21 - Best Audio Formats When Rendering a Mastered Track
LearningIn this antepenultimate installment, we'll discuss several points that you need to bear in mind to get an optimal final result, depending on how your music will be distributed.
Mastering at Home - Part 20 - Tips for Using the Oscilloscope When Mastering Music
LearningTo finish with the helping tools for mastering, in this installment we'll talk about the oscilloscope — very often underestimated by home studio owners — and a utilitarian plug-in, which, even if not…
