The benefits of hardware synthesizers
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. […]
Recording with outboard gear
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. […]
Create your own presets and samples
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? […]
What is mixing music?
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. […]
Getting rid of writers block
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? […]
The producer-engineer
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. […]
9 tips for sharing DAW projects
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? […]
Using reference tracks
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. […]
How to make a guide track?
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. […]
How important is pre-production?
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. […]
Job Profile: Musicproducer
We have all heard of the term ‘music producer’, a name you can find on the inside of your cd case. But what exactly is a music producer? Before we can answer that question, we must first determine what kind of music producer we’re talking about. […]
