Every producer chasing a great reverb sound eventually runs into the same problem. Algorithmic reverbs can get close, but nothing quite matches the sound of a real chamber. The trouble is that almost none of us have access to one. That’s part of why Nashville’s Blackbird Studio has become such a destination for engineers, and […]
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I’ve covered studio etiquette rules here in the past, but they were primarily for when a session was in progress. When the session, or your part in it, is completed, the etiquette doesn’t stop though, as this excerpt from The Studio Musician’s Handbook (written with ace studio bass player Paul ILL) illustrates. It’s perfectly natural […]
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Song copyright protection for musicians who record ideas with a voice memo at 3am proves nothing in a dispute. That original moment completely unverifiable. On this week’s podcast episode, I speak with Nadim Rahman about Songproof, a dual-blockchain platform that recognizes that musicians needed an irrefutable timestamp at the exact moment inspiration strikes, not after […]
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Getting a bass to sit right in a mix is one of those jobs that looks simple until you’re actually doing it. Boost the low end and it turns muddy. Add a sub layer and it fights the pitch of the note that’s playing. Most bass enhancers are stuck using a fixed frequency or a […]
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You’ve seen and heard me rail against the evils of private equity over the years, but I’ve been especially focused on Francisco Partners acquisition of Native Instruments. After that happened in 2019, Native then acquired iZotope and Plugin Alliance during Covid when everyone was at home buying and creating to fill up the time. Predictably, […]
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Music industry professionals still betting on major labels to develop artists should know the system has structurally exited that business. On this week’s podcast episode, I break down the data showing UMG and WMG now redirect spending toward catalog acquisitions rather than new careers. . . . . . have made AI licensing deals explicitly […]
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If you’ve ever tried to run a rig full of synths, samplers, and drum machines into a standard mixer, you already know the problem. Regular mixers are built around mic and line inputs, and while they’re fine for those sources, they usually do a mediocre job with instrument level signals. That means DI boxes, adapters […]
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One of the hardest things for many mixers to determine is when a mix is finished. In fact, engineers new to mixing may think a mix is ready in an hour, but a pro will usually take considerably longer in most cases. How much longer? Well, some big hit maker mixers that I know may spend up […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, mastering engineer Jeff Graves talks about what happens when independent musicians upload masters that are so hot that they lose transient detail the moment streaming platforms apply loudness normalization. Jeff spent two and a half years measuring 214 audio fingerprints across 15 samples per genre to build a 24-stage AI […]
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Anyone who’s ever mixed on a real console and then gone back to mixing with a mouse knows it can be a letdown. Your hands miss the knobs, and your ears miss the instant feedback of turning something and hearing it change right now, not after a click and a drag. Softube built a following […]
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The use of reference tracks is a topic that has been popping up a great deal lately and there seems to lots of confusion as to how to select and use them. Here’s a quick guide that will tell you all you need to know on the subject. Why Use A Reference Track? The reason […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, session vocalist Darlene Koldenhoven tells us how her music hit #4 on the Billboard classical crossover chart with no manager or label. The common assumption that a major-label infrastructure is required to chart is exactly what her story dismantles, and she walks through the specific decisions that produced number-one worldwide […]
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Most musicians have faced a scenario at some point where you have a finished stereo master but you there are things you’d like to change, only to find that the multitrack session is long gone. Maybe the vocal needs to come up a touch, or the drums need more punch, but there’s no way back […]
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You may have been here before. You’re working on a song but it just isn’t coming together. If you’re experienced you probably know exactly where to start, but even after a couple of steps you might hit a dead end. This excerpt from my Music Producer’s Handbook provides 10 questions to ask in order to troubleshoot a […]
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On this week’s podcast episode, I speak with Keith Jopling about what separates artists who last from those who burn out chasing the wrong metrics. Keith spent 25 years inside the business, including time at Spotify, before interviewing 80 artists and bands to write Riding the Rollercoaster. The creative director model he extracted from that […]
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