Plug a keyboard into a computer, press a key, and a piano sound comes out. It’s natural to assume the keyboard sent that sound down the cable. It didn’t. The cable carried no sound at all. That’s the part of MIDI that confuses almost everyone, and once you see it, the rest falls into place. Read More …
Tag: Home Studio
Video Monday :: Mastering Free Courses
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Video Monday :: How to Collect International Royalties
SoundExchange is the largest global neighboring rights organization, with agreements covering 87% of the neighboring rights market outside the US. These agreements allow us to collect and pay artist/rights owner royalties when their music is played in countries around the world. To take advantage of this service, you must be a SoundExchange member and complete Read More …
I Paid My Neighbor in a Zucchini
This post is about a zucchini, a broken microphone, and why I think the outrage cycle is the most effective inertia machine ever built. Today in Chicago it was Kanye and the ADL. Next week it’ll be someone else. I’m not interested in relitigating who’s right, I’m interested in what all this click-bait, rage-bait do Read More …
The Week I Switched DAWs
I had a few short pieces finished. I was into a fourth: “Haunted House”, and the music was already set in my head. The hard part was never going to be the writing or figuring out the melodies, chords, whatever. The hard part was getting a video file into Ableton without it choking. I spent Read More …
Scoring a Film With Two Old Computers
You don’t need a powerful machine to score a film. You need your computers to agree on what time it is, and to not fight over the same resources while they do it. This guide is for composers working with older hardware and no budget. The idea is simple: your desktop makes the music, a Read More …
Adding Motion and Depth with Delay Effects
Pads are often used as an almost unheard glue, but that doesn’t mean they have to be boring This is one idea to add a bit of motion. In the world of music production, adding depth and interest to your tracks is essential. One effective way to achieve this is through the use of delay Read More …
Adding Air and Punch
As a home studio enthusiast, you know that achieving a polished sound often requires a bit of extra magic, especially when it comes to pop vocals. One effective technique to make your vocals stand out is to add some “air” to them, giving them a breathy quality that jumps out of the mix. Here’s how Read More …
Achieving Punchy Drums in Your Home Studio
As a home studio enthusiast, you may find that getting your drums to sound punchy involves more than just slapping on some compression. The key lies in how you prepare and set up your compressors, which can significantly impact the final sound. Start by listening to your drum tracks without any processing. You might notice Read More …
Taming Snare Leakage in Overhead Tracks for a Tighter Sound
As an amateur home studio enthusiast, you may have encountered a common issue: your overhead tracks sound great, but there’s just too much snare bleed. This leakage can muddy your mix, making it difficult to achieve the clarity you desire. Fortunately, there’s a technique you can use to gain better control over this leakage and Read More …