In the right hands a synthesiser is capable of creating almost any sound you can imagine, but no matter what synth you’re using the process of building a patch pretty much always starts in the same place: with an oscillator. The oscillator is the part of the synth’s circuit that actually generates the sound – this is your initial building … Read More
5 Steps to Better EQ
EQ is an essential tool for any producer, and is used in almost every circumstance in the studio. Whether it’s surgical EQ to cut out annoying resonant frequencies, or broad tonal shaping to help the track fit better in the mix, you’re bound to be using EQ throughout the mixing process.Even if you’ve recorded everything perfectly, you’ll always need to … Read More
What is Mastering?
Many musicians seem to regard mastering as some sort of dark art, completed through mysterious means by mastering engineers with super-human hearing and attention to detail. There are also a fair number of misconceptions around what the purpose of mastering actually is, ask ten different musicians and you may well get ten different answers. So, what is mastering? Put simply, … Read More
AI in Music Streaming
While talk of Artificial Intelligence may conjure up visions of science fiction-esque robots, the reality is a little more mundane. Even though you might not realise it, AI is now a part of our everyday lives. From email spam filters to Instagram suggesting appropriate emojis, countless companies have been exploring the potential of AI technology, and music streaming platforms are … Read More
Sound Design: the Missing Link in Your App’s UX
With smart speakers becoming a common feature in homes around the world, companies are having to consider their approach to audio branding. After all, if you make an Alexa Skill, how are people going to identify your brand without a visual interface? Just take a look at Visa, they spent over a year developing and deciding on a less than … Read More
What is Logic Remote?
Combining iOS and Desktop Many of iOS musicians find that using either an iPhone or iPad as a music making platform gives them something that working on desktop just doesn’t. Whether it’s the unique workflow or simply the portability factor, a large number of iOS musicians have stopped making music on desktop entirely using only their mobile devices instead. But … Read More
5 Tips for Better Co-Writing Sessions
Pairing up with another musician can be a great way to get ideas flowing, some of the greatest songs of all time have been written by great songwriting partnerships: Lennon and McCartney, Morrissey and Marr, Chas and Dave… the list is endless. Just look in the charts, and you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that’s credited to a sole … Read More
How to Set Up a GarageBand Jam Session
I Hope you Like Jammin’ One of the downsides of making music in a DAW like GarageBand is that it’s a lot more difficult to collaborate than with physical instruments. You can’t have spontaneous jams and bounce ideas off of each other in quite the same way. Instead you’re forced to send files back and forth or just try and … Read More
Microphone Basics
Step in to any studio worth its salt and you’re likely to see a huge range of microphones of all different shapes and sizes. But why do producers need so many mics? Well, as it turns out, not all microphones are created equally, with some best suited for specific circumstances. And as anyone who has ever tried to ‘fix it … Read More
What is Reverb?
Reverb is one of those tools that is absolutely essential for music producers of every kind, whether it’s to add a subtle sense of space or slather on layers of shoegaze-esque haze, producers are regularly reaching for their reverb plugins. But what is reverb? If you’ve ever been inside a huge, open building like a cathedral, then you’ll have noticed … Read More