In part one, we rewind some of the history of these interesting devices, including links to product pages and demos of effects pedals in action. In part two, we identify some of the current stomp boxes and multi effects units that can help you create signature sounds. Read more.
As a member of multiple musical projects, I’ve discovered that even when you feel like you don’t have time, there are ways to move forward musically, steps you can take to put yourself in the best position to deliver a great performance once you step on stage or behind the glass. One of the most effective? Learn to listen. Read more.
In life, and when making an album, things happen. The more you understand about the process and the more detail-focused you are, the better your chances for success. So here are some things I wish I had been told before I started putting together an album’s worth of material to be pressed and distributed. Read the post
2015 ended with a number of iconic artists dying, and there were many others who passed throughout the year. This list is nowhere near comprehensive – but includes 26 musicians who died in 2015. The names link to the All Music bios for the artists (in most cases), and there are links to videos in the body text as well. Read more.
If you’re at the point in your career where music journalists and bloggers want to interview you, it’s important to be prepared. Getting press requests but not convinced you know how to give a great interview? These seven tips can help you prepare, focus, and deliver an interview that can impact your music career. Read more.
Whatever the circumstances, we all get burned out. In that fatigued state, it’s easy to think that this is the end. We might as well apply for that job at the shoe store now and sell the guitars on Craigslist. Our minds will give us 1,001 reasons not to do something, and especially will attempt to kick us when we are down. Read more.
You’ve heard it before, “it’s called the music business for a reason,” and one good business practice that can help you meet your music career goals is holding effective band meetings. To ensure your meetings go smoothly, check out the following eight easy-to-execute tips. Read more.
One of the most important jobs I have as a teacher is to identify and share the common elements I observe in successful songs while steering students clear from the pitfalls in songs that fall short. If you want to learn how to write a country song, here are some of the biggest lyric pitfalls to avoid. Read more.
Controlling volume is one of the most important elements in audio production. Understanding amplitude, volume, normalization, and automation are all part of music production basics and will help you in the recording and mixing phases of your project. Read more.
Sometimes “useful” is better than “precise,” though it is helpful to know what the differences are between technical terms in the recording studio. Even if you do misuse terms like loudness, volume, and gain on a regular basis. I work in the audio world and I still had to look up the exact definition of “gain.” Read more.
Being intentional with different visual presentations for the variety of moods your songs invoke is part of what Tom Jackson calls changing the pressure on your audience during your live performances. “I’m not talking about acting or choreography, I’m talking about thinking, “What should this song look like?'” Read more.
It’s a cliché to say that show business is tough, but the reality is that it’s worse than that. It eats good people alive. Here are three survival skills I’d like to pass along that have helped me get through 15 years playing solo acoustic cover songs in bars, restaurants, private parties, corporate events, and pig roasts in cemeteries. Read more.
Traditionally, a record producer is tasked with the big picture – the entire recording process. A vocal producer is a specialist who concentrates on getting the best vocal performance possible. We spoke with David Pramik to learn more about the role of a vocal producer and what benefits an artist receives when working with one. Read more.
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If you focus too much of your work on a single instrument in a complex arrangement, you likely will miss the fact that even if you have improved the sound of that one instrument, everything else may have been impacted negatively. Get the mix you want, mix down to a stereo file, and then perform mastering as a separate last step. Read more.
Few would argue that the drumming of Ringo Starr was one of the most singular aspects to the band’s music. We’re here to make that argument. Ringo’s playing added shape and texture to the band’s iconic recordings while carefully creating patterns and dynamics to create and resolve tension within each song. Read more.