8 Essential Plugins Every Music Producer Needs
Every Digital Audio Workstation comes bundled with a ton of instrument and effect plugins. These default plugins are more than enough to get you started. More experience music producers however might want to take it one step further and invest in some essential plugins to improve their productions. That’s why I made this list of […]
Best studio headphones for mixing & mastering
Headphones are essential in the studio, not only for recording but also for mixing and even mastering. To achieve better-sounding music productions and mixes, you need an accurate listening environment. However, acoustically treating your room is an expensive endeavor that is not possible for everyone. Especially if you’re just starting out with music production, there […]
9 Music Production Myths Busted
Music Production is surrounded by myths and general internet advice like ‘use your ears’ or ‘don’t record with effects’. A lot of advice that is doing the round online or even in music education is outdated, and can even affect your music negatively. Some of these rules are created as a guideline to help beginning […]
The #1 thing to make your music sound better
One question I regularly get is: ‘why does this track from artist X sound so fricking good? What’s the secret to making my music sound professional?’. Well, that’s a tough question I’ve been thinking about lately. And by now I believe I’ve found the answer. The key to solving this problem has to do with […]
3 ways to record audio from VCV Rack 2
Recording audio in the free version of VCV Rack 2 isn’t as easy as you might expect it to be. In this video, I’ll show you how to record audio in 3 different ways. 1. VCV Rack Recorder Module The first method uses VCV Rack’s own Recorder Module. All you need to do is Patch […]
Patching LFO’s in VCV Rack 2
VCV Rack 2 a.k.a. the Eurorack simulator is an amazing piece of software to learn modular synthesis. When you’re just starting out with modular synthesis, I usually recommend patching your own subtractive mono synth. In my previous tutorial, I’ve talked about Sequencers. In the video above I’ll dive into LFO’s or Low-Frequency Oscillators. When you’re […]
Adding punch to your mix with parallel compression
Parallel compression is the perfect way to add punch to your mix. By using compression as a send effect you can use heavy amounts of compression to bring up all the little details of a track without ruining dynamic range. By adding an EQ after the compressor you can shape the sound even further. This […]
How Does Music Leak?
The word ‘leak’ is enough to send shivers down any music industry player’s spine. A leak can be accidental, or deliberate; it could go viral, or be unnoticed — so what does it mean to leak something?
Online Resources for Musicians
If you’re a musician and you’re looking to improve your instrumental skills check out the following online resources for musicians. I’ve personally learned a lot from these people and I still do. I’ve also added resources for composing and songwriting. Marketing and sync-licensing is also something that brings up a lot of questions. Drums Drumeo […]
Production Basics #22 – Transition Effects
In the previous part about music production basics, we’ve learned the basics of tension & release. It’s good to have contrasting sections in your music but sometimes you need to gradually change from one section to another. This is where transition effects come into play. What are transition effects? Transition effects in music production are […]
Production Basics #21 – Tension & Release
It doesn’t matter what genre you make. Keeping listeners interested is essential in all genres. Contrast is the most important tool you have at your disposal in keeping people hooked. People are always looking for patterns, breaking up those patterns will be unexpected and thus interesting. Music is supposed to ebb and flow. Let’s talk […]
Production Basics #20 – Mixing with Inserts v.s. Send Effects
Now that you know a little bit about effects and how to use them, it’s time for some practical information on where to place them. Yes, there’s actually more than one position to put your effects. One is called an insert effect and the other is called a send effect also known as aux (auxiliary). […]
Production Basics #19 – Mixing with Distortion
In part 14 of this series about music production basics, we’ve introduced distortion & saturation effects. If you ever listened to rock or metal music you know that distortion is used on guitars all the time. But did you know that distortion is used in almost all types of music? Especially modern genres like EDM […]
Production Basics #18 – Mixing with Modulation Effects
In part 14 of this production basics series, we’ve introduced a few modulation effects. A modulation effect is basically every effect that is automated over time. Modulation effects are powerful tools that can add movement and interest to a mix. Let’s look at some examples. Chorus As we’ve seen previously, phaser, chorus and flanger are […]
Production Basics #17 – Mixing with Reverb & Delay
In the previous parts, we’ve learned how to mix with EQ and compression. This time, we’ll get to know reverb & delay. In part 14 we’ve seen a quick overview of different reverb & delay types. Now let’s dive a little deeper into the various parameters we can use. Delay Most delay plugins have the […]
Production Basics #16 – Mixing with Compression
In production basics part 15 we’ve learned some things about one of the most important mixing tools: EQ. Another tool that is used all the time when mixing is compression. Compression is often overused and misunderstood. I hope this article will clarify the mysticality’s of compression a little bit. What is compression? As we’ve discussed […]
Production Basics #15 – Mixing with EQ
In part 14 of this production basics series, we briefly went over the different types of effects. In the next couple of articles, we will dive deeper into each effect category. Let’s start by looking at one of the most important plugins that exist: the equalizer. An equalizer is a powerful tool that is often […]
Production Basics #14 – Effects
Effects are used everywhere in music production. Effects are found inside synthesizers, guitar pedals, and mixers. The sheer number of different effect types can be overwhelming. That’s why I want to give an overview of the different effects used in music production. The practical use of these effects will be covered in feature articles. Filtering […]
Production Basics #13 – Mixing
We’ve looked at music theory and synthesis so far. Now let’s look at mixing. Music producer and mix engineer used to be two completely different jobs. In fact, in traditional music, many people worked together to create an album. A songwriter would compose melodies and chord progressions while a lyricist would write the words, band […]
Production Basics #12 – Sampling
Samplers are powerful tools to play and manipulate short audio fragments. Whether it is a drum sample, chord, or vocal fragment. All kinds of audio can be tweaked to fit perfectly into your mix. Now that you know a thing or two about synthesis, using a sampler is not that much different. A sampler also […]
