Have you ever wondered what it would be like to produce electronic music that could unite people from all across the globe? Music that touches people, makes them dance and forget all the struggles that life throws at them? Well, why not try it for yourself? […]
The holiday season is a period of two months where I have the time to learn new things. It is also a period where I wrap up all the tasks left on my to-do list. Updating software and setting up automated backup solutions are two examples. […]
It is never wise to procrastinate decisions. This applies not only to writing new songs but also during recording, production and even mixing. A well-known phrase is: ‘we will fix it in the mix’. Shifting a decision to another moment may not seem disastrous. But often when mixing, problems come to light that actually had to be solved during the recording session. […]
In previous articles, I talked about coaching music producers and producer/engineers. Today I want to talk about the electronic music producer. […]
Back in the day when computers were nothing more than glorified calculators. Which they still are today, by the way, only a bit more powerful. Music producer and musicians had to use hardware devices to create sounds. I am talking about hardware synthesizers, samplers and effect units. […]
You might think it would be a waste of time and money to invest in outboard gear while we have access to an unlimited amount of powerful software plugins. The differences between plugins and hardware are getting smaller. But there are more practical uses of outboard gear that I want to talk about in this article. […]
After producing music for a couple of years, you’ll start to develop your own sound. You probably have dozens of tracks laying around filled with custom presets and samples you spent hours creating. It would be a shame to do nothing with these samples, right? […]
Today I want to talk about mixing music. What is the difference between mixing and music production and what exactly is a mix engineer capable of? In this article, I hope to clarify some of the common misconceptions about what mixing music actually is. […]
You start a new project and come up with some sick ideas. You seem unstoppable. But after a while, you start to doubt yourself. Perhaps this idea isn’t all that great after all. You suddenly have the tendency to hand the project over to the waste man across the street. Why don’t I just start from scratch again? […]
Sometimes you want to create something new and different then what you usually make. How do you make something different without getting bogged down by old habits? If you sit down with your instrument, chances are that your muscle memory will take over. […]
In the golden age of the music industry, different disciplines often worked together on a music recording. When labels saw their income shrink and more artists started to work independently, there was a need for a new kind of producer. One that also needed to be an expert on the technical side of recording music. […]
If you are going to collaborate with a producer for your next album, there’s little chance he or she will be using the same DAW. What if you are satisfied with the sounds you made but the producer doesn’t have access to the same software? […]
When you start mixing for the first time the process may seem daunting. You have all these powerful plugins and effects at your disposal and you want to make use of every single one of them. You might focus on all the little details and soon you will be working on a mix for days or even months. […]
This is something you might not realize at first, but having a place where you can work at ease without any distractions is absolutely necessary to enhance your music making practice. Making music is a very creative process and requires a lot of focus that should be maintained. […]
We all know those popular audio guru forums where people love to talk about their favorite piece of gear. There is, however, one subject that keeps returning time after time and it is often asked by people just starting out. […]
If you are looking for a certain sound, it is easy to refer to a well-known artist or band. If you tell a guitarist to Hendrix’ up his solo or if you tell the drummer to play more like Bonham, they immediately know what to do. Use reference tracks to get your point across. […]
When you are preparing for the studio and you want to record one instrument at a time, it is necessary to have a solid guide track. Without it, the drummer, or whatever musician plays first, has a tough time maneuvering through the arrangement. […]
Finally, you are ready, after weeks of tiresome repetitions, it is time to visit the studio. Studio time isn’t cheap and therefore a good preparation goes a long way. In this article, I will give a brief overview of all important aspects about pre-production. […]
Recently music producer Erik van der Horst gave us a speech about his musical journey. His story indicates that you can end up in a very different place than you initially deemed possible. […]
At the Utrecht school of arts, I occasionally get lessons from guest lecturers. This is really useful to learn more about the field of work. In this article, I talk about how Djuri Boot landed his first job as a media composer and I will tell something about his daily activities. […]
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