Record production is comparable to a wide variety of jobs – from office manager to school teacher to film director to lion tamer (and clinical psychologist). But at its core, record production is mainly about being a conduit that helps the entire creative process flow – a record producer’s primary directive is to help the artist excel. Read more.
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Your home studio acoustics could be causing you to make mistakes in the mixdown stage. Find out how you can fix up your home studio to get a better mix. Read the post.
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A song demo is trying to accomplish one thing: sell your song to the listener. While there’s no magic formula for rising to the top, these 9 tips will help you avoid sinking to the bottom of the pile. Read more.
I had thought that, even though the gig was outdoors, we would have no problem plugging in amps and instruments. Many parks have outlets tucked away inside lamp posts and maintenance buildings, accessible for public events. As we moved closer to the date, we discovered the city would not in fact turn on the juice. Read more.
Engaging on social media is about promoting your act, marketing your music and gigs, and attracting new fans. But that doesn’t mean sales via social media are impossible, and with Facebook’s “Call to Action” button, you’re one click closer to converting fans to buy your CDs, merch, and tickets. Read more.
You’ve got the songs. You’ve logged the miles, played the gigs, and built your following. Now it’s time to record. But how do you choose the right recording studio? Good question! You want to choose wisely as this is for posterity, after all, and choosing the right recording studio is both a right- and left-brain activity. Read more.
Getting feedback from a sample of your audience is a great way to measure your success. But what happens when you get feedback that is the opposite of what you wanted to hear? Finding your true voice and an audience to whom you appeal requires time, patience, dedication, motivation, and effort. Read more.
Part of developing as a guitarist is learning how to dress up chord progressions so they don’t sound stale and boring. One way to make your chord playing more dynamic is to incorporate hammer-ons and pull-offs. Hammer-ons and pull-offs use the fretting hand instead of the picking hand to articulate notes. Read more.
As a music publicist, I’ve worked with a lot of bands and musical acts. In more than a few cases, I’d say the artist’s interview skills could have used a tweak or two. Allow me to share some interview tips that will make you way better at giving interviews and help you get the most out of every one. Read more.
Beyond songwriting, the fact is visuals really matter, so press photos and all your visual material shouldn’t be an afterthought. Enticing photos, videos, album art, and graphic design will go a long way toward getting attention and will help to establish your brand and get people to pay attention and listen to your music. Read more.
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Perhaps the most famous records in the universe are the two copies of the Golden Record aboard the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecrafts. The records feature musical selections and spoken greetings in fifty-five languages. Read more.
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A microphone that picks up sound from the front and back is called bi-directional, or a Figure 8 mic, and there are several cool things you can do with them. Read the post.
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When people come to me for band practice tips, one of the questions I get asked a lot is, “What’s too much rehearsal? We want to keep it spontaneous.” Well, spontaneous is one thing, and winging it is another. And most people wing it. When you’re making it up as you go onstage, instead of in rehearsal, you’ll never be great, consistently. Read more.
Just how serious a risk are extreme climate conditions to your instrument’s well being? Bob Taylor, co-founder and president of Taylor Guitars, stated that, “At one time, probably 70% of the repairs performed in our service center could have been avoided if the guitar had not been exposed to humidity extremes.” Read more.
With every industry comes a set of terms that is specific to that field; the music business is no different. Check out this quick list of compiled definitions and music business terminology so you can learn to speak the language of the music industry. Read more.