How to Reduce CPU Usage in Your iOS DAW

iOS CPU Overload

While your musical creativity may have no limits, unfortunately your device does. If you’re loading up multiple instances of a complex synth or piling on tons of plugins and effects, it won’t be long before your device just can’t take any more. This limit depends on the CPU of the device. The better the processor is, the more your device … Read More

Basics of Synthesis Part 3: Filters

Synthesiser Filters

Following on from last time, where we looked at shaping synth sounds with an amp envelope, in this instalment we’re going to be looking at how to shape sounds with a filter. Filters allow you to attenuate and cut out different frequencies. This is an essential part of subtractive synthesis, as you’re generally starting with a harmonically rich waveform as … Read More

5 Steps to Better EQ

EQ Technique

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

How to Set Up a GarageBand Jam Session

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

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?

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

Why You Should Check Your Mix in Mono

Mix in Mono

There was once a time where mixing in mono was standard practice for producers and stereo mixes were just an afterthought, often left to an assistant to complete after everyone else had gone home (just check out the stereo mixes of The Beatles’ early recordings and the unorthodox panning choices). But the way we consume music has changed significantly since … Read More

10 Beat Production Tips for Better Drums

Beat Production Tips

With pretty much every genre of music the drums are the backbone, holding everything together and providing the groove. And for many electronic music producers, drums are often the starting point when beginning a new track, so getting them right is crucial. Without further ado, here are our ten top beat production tips to help set your drum programming apart … Read More

7 Ways to Turn Your 8 Bar Loop into a Song

Breaking out of the 8 bar loop

We’ve all been there, after that initial burst of inspiration you’re left with an 8 bar loop of music – and it sounds awesome. The only problem is where to go next? No matter what you do, you can’t come up with the next section of the track, you’re not even sure how the song builds into your 8 bar … Read More

What is Delay?

What is Delay?

So what is delay? Put simply, delay is an effect that repeats your signal, much like an echo. However, despite its relative simplicity, delay is massively versatile with a ton of different applications. Most delay effects units give you control over a few basic parameters of the effect such as the amount of time between the repeats (delay time, repeat … Read More