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Tips and tricks for producers and songwriters
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  • How to get stereo width on modern bass sounds

    There’s a general rule in music production that low bass frequencies should be kept in mono. This is still largely true as it provides compatibility with multi-speaker club systems and prevents the stylus from jumping off the record if your music gets cut to vinyl. However, future bass, house and drum and bass genres all…

  • Create unique beats with clip envelopes

    You don’t need to be a drummer or even know that much about rhythm to start creating your own, unique beats and loops in Ableton Live. In this week’s blog I’m going to show a really simple technique using clip envelopes to cut up your loops and generate original ideas to use in your tracks. This is a lesson that pretty…

  • 5 top video channels for music producers

    In no particular order of preference… 1.   Ill Gates Electronic music production tutorials and live workshops. Interesting tips on methodology and work habits. 2.   Pensados Place Learn from legendary mix engineer, Dave Pensado. Also include interviews with top music industry artists,engineers, producers, mixers, and record executives. 3.   Automatic Gainsay Analogue synth guru, tutorials and demos.…

  • 7 steps to perfect compression

    Compression is one of the most important skills to master in music production but is usually seen as a dark art by those who haven’t quite grasped it. In this blog post we’re going to walk through the best way to set up a compressor so you can really hear how it’s changing your sound…

  • 3 New Year workouts for new music producers

    Start the New Year with three music production exercises to improve your composition skills. 1. Reference an existing arrangement Pick a simple track you like which works on the dancefloor and copy the arrangement bar for bar. Use it as a guide to understand why a track is successful. Replace the sounds with your own similar sounds…

  • The fastest path to better music production

    Live by the ethos: source is king I only began getting great results when I realised that the source sound is the most important thing in achieving a professional mix. It’s a simple tip but nonetheless very important and often overlooked by people, especially when starting out. In a nutshell, it’s all about getting the best…

  • Boosting vocals or instruments with overdrive and saturation

    Here’s a simple but great alternative to EQ that can be used when you’re looking to boost frequencies in an instrument or voice. What are benefits to using overdrive and saturation rather than EQ? Boosting with digital EQ can be a hit and miss task – unless you have an analogue style equaliser and the source…

  • Choosing equipment for a budget home recording studio

    Researching what you need to make music can be a daunting task, especially when you’re on a budget. Here’s a break down of the most important pieces of kit you’ll need to get your home studio up and running. 1. DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) The DAW is the centre of your operation. It’s the name…

  • Get your song ready to be mixed by a pro in 5 simple steps

    Getting ready to have your tracks mixed by a professional sound engineer? Here are some simple but important steps that you should take before you send them off that will save you both time and money: 1. Get the timing right Make sure that every synth part, vocal line and guitar piece are played exactly on…