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Keith Hatschek

NAMM Notes, Day 3: Peavey’s auto-tuned guitar, a new ribbon mic from AT, and another awesome stomp box

by Keith Hatschek February 9, 2012

BC RIchBy Saturday, many of us are moving a bit more slowly than we were on the first day of the NAMM show. Evenings are filled with friends, live music, and a libation – or two. By day three, experienced NAMM attendees have made up a short list of products that we may have heard of from another attendee or read about in the NAMM daily, which is packed with new product announcements. Read more.

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NAMM Notes, Day 2: Vintage Vibe’s Rhodes coup, LouderLogic app, and a DJ revolution in the Emulator DVS

by Keith Hatschek February 8, 2012

EmulatorI switched shoes, from New Balance to Keens, to try to preserve the most abused portion of any tradeshow attendee’s body – da feet. Walking three to four miles on concrete floors day after day takes its toll, but you have to keep up. Each day starts with a massive crush of people trying to beat you into whatever hall you’re trying to explore. OK, what’s on today’s menu? Read more.

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Notes from NAMM 2012: Day 1, Apps, Harpejjis, and Delays

by Keith Hatschek February 7, 2012

Delay LlamaIt’s January 19th. It’s 65º and sunny and I’m standing in line with a few thousand other musicians. Ah, Anaheim. Time for the annual ritual known as NAMM.

This year’s show drew 95,000 attendees and more than 1,400 exhibitors. Amidst the sore feet, schlepped shoulder bags, and (too tight) spandex on some of the aging rock stars in attendance, it’s a heck of a party and a real look ahead at what music products will be making waves in the coming year. So what products caught my ears and eyes at this year’s NAMM? Read more.

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Vocal Health Basics – How to Properly Care for Your Voice

by Keith Hatschek January 9, 2012

It seems that hardly a month goes by where a top singer isn’t forced to interrupt a tour, take a break, or undergo a medical procedure due to problems with their voice. Vocal health is often taken for granted, but once problems develop, they can stop a singer dead in his or her tracks, and in some cases require surgery and a lengthy post-surgery period of rest and recovery. Read more…

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2012 Gear Guide: Four pieces of music gear priced under $300

by Keith Hatschek December 6, 2011

Samson Mic Time for our year-end round up of music equipment for your wish list that’ll offer outstanding value without breaking the piggy bank. We’ll take a look at music gear that includes an innovative router to help you make maximum use of your guitar pedals, a great USB microphone, an eight-track recorder, and a dock to help convert your iPad into a recording hub. To help me select this year’s picks, I consulted one of my own music tech gear gurus, Bob Furlong, Sales Engineer at Fort Wayne, IN-based Sweetwater Sound.
Read more…

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Optimizing your music for digital distribution – Sonnox’s Fraunhofer Pro-Codec in the studio

by Keith Hatschek October 12, 2011

As the discovery of new music increasingly moves to downloading and streaming, taking the time to ensure your online music sounds as good as it can takes on ever greater importance. For many independent artists, a new listener’s first impression will be formed by hearing some type of compressed audio file. Read more…

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Anatomy of a Cover Song – Four takes on "Big Yellow Taxi"

by Keith Hatschek September 15, 2011

So you picked a cover song, now what? Rather than copying the original version note-for-note, the best covers typically take the essence of the original and reshape it, so that the performing artist makes the song their own while adding something special and recognizable to their repertoire.

To try and help quantify this concept, I met up with veteran studio engineer Jeff Crawford to compare four versions of Joni Mitchell’s classic song "Big Yellow Taxi," originally released in 1970. Read more…

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Performance Contracts: For private events, weddings, and special performances, a band contract is key.

by Keith Hatschek August 10, 2011

Imagine this scenario: Your band agrees to play at a private event at a local hall for a healthy fee. You learn six new songs requested by the person that hired you and are counting on the gig and the fee you will earn. Two days before the show, you get a text message saying that the gig is off because of a mix-up between the person throwing the party and the owner of the hall. What do you do? Read more…

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Building a Home Studio
Focus on acoustics and get the most of your home recordings

by Keith Hatschek July 14, 2011

Mixing BoardMany of us have the gear to make our own home recordings, but often physical and/or acoustical limitations in the space where we record have an impact on the sound of our recordings. Parallel walls, cramped square rooms, or loud appliances can quickly ruin any home recording. If you are contemplating improving your garage, attic, basement, spare bedroom, or loft into a home studio to make better recordings, how do you go about it? Read more…

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Creative Resources and Tips for Aspiring Songwriters

by Keith Hatschek June 16, 2011

For any aspiring songwriter, the road to success is one that is often uncertain. Two challenges face those wishing to take their songwriting abilities and career to the next level. The first is how to develop and enhance your own songwriting skills. The second centers on the need to build connections to the web of publishers, film and TV music supervisors, producers, artists, and others in the business that can use your song in a commercial venue. Read more…

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Indie Touring Strategy: Getting Out on the Road

by Keith Hatschek April 28, 2011

Megan SlankardWhat are the realities of touring for an independent artist today? How do you set up your gigs? Does touring make financial sense? What should you hope to gain from going on any tour? These are just some of the questions you might – and should – be asking yourself if you plan to take your show on the road.

Megan Slankard is traveling through rural Wisconsin, where cell coverage can be spotty, as a part of a three-month, 75-date tour to promote her latest album, A Token of the Wreckage. Read more…

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Copyright Basics: Exclusive rights, licensing lingo, and more

by Keith Hatschek March 24, 2011

So you’ve written a new song. It may have the potential to be a hit, but one thing is certain: it makes sense to properly protect your song if you hope to profit from its recording and public performance. How do music copyrights work? What is required to have ownership of your song’s copyright? Why should you register it with the Library of Congress? What are some of the common music licenses that generate income for songwriters? Read more…

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Using Compressors and Limiters

by Keith Hatschek February 25, 2011

For many recording musicians, the compressor presents an enigma. Most of us know that compressors and their more specialized cousins, limiters, are used to control the dynamic range (aka volume) of an audio track or mix. But exactly how do they work, and from a practical point of view, how can you use them to the greatest advantage? We’ll provide a brief overview, and then head into the studio and see how the use of a compressor can help the recording process. Read more…

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Last Day in Gear Heaven – NAMM Blog, Day 3
“When Worlds Collide”

by Keith Hatschek January 17, 2011

More than ever, the NAMM show is becoming a mash up of the analog world – with its historic musical precedents made up of strings, reeds, mallets, speakers, mics and the best traditional music making elements – with the increasingly digital music world, where speed, portability, and innovation rule. When it comes to acoustic instruments and music making, there really are no new products, simply refinements and leaps ahead that improve existing tools and techniques. Read more…

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Another Day in Gear Heaven – NAMM Blog, Day 2
“Show Me How It Works”

by Keith Hatschek January 17, 2011

Yesterday, I ran into a friend who suggested I check out a soft synth program from Spectrasonics called Omnisphere 1.5, and I caught the tail end of a demo by keyboardist Jordan Rudess that day, but just what the Omnisphere program could do was still a bit murky to me. So today, I trekked back to the Spectrasonics’ booth and got a full 20-minute demo from the company’s founder, Eric Persing. Rarely have I seen a company’s found having as much fun with his creation as Eric did. Read more…

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