Music Production
Announced just prior to the NAMM 2020 show, Solid State Logic's new compact and competitively priced desktop audio interfaces are destined to be a hit among producers, home recordists, musicians, and songwriters. The 2-in / 2-out SSL 2 and the 2-in / 4-out SSL 2+ USB audio interfaces put legendary SSL analog
by Staff Writer ·Posted
It looks like this Fall season is bringing great weather and even greater news for software fiends working in music or post-production. iZotope has unleashed a flurry of new versions and bundles to equip you with powerful, effective, and efficient tools that make mixing, audio restoration, and mastering easier.
First up is the ever-popular Ozone, now on its ninth version and
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Are you just starting out in music production or a seasoned music producer who needs help getting out of a creative rut? We put together 8 tips to help you improve your skills and take your production to the next level. What tips have helped you become a better music producer? Let us know in the comments below!
by Staff Writer ·Posted
Music producers, beatmakers, and electronic musicians across the genre spectrum should be excited about Roland’s latest creations. With three keyboard workstations, two grooveboxes, and one synthesizer, this batch is a big deal for anyone wanting to supercharge their music-making process.
The FANTOM Series of keyboard workstations are available in 61-, 76-, and 88-key versions. The
by Jason T ·Posted
Whether you’re into pop, rock, hip hop, EDM, jazz, or anything other style, every producer or composer finds themselves in a creative rut once in a while. If you’re like me, this may happen quite a lot. Here’s a list of things to try to break the spell that have worked for me, and maybe they’ll work for you, too.
Check Out New Music
This is my number one go-to when I’m in a creative rut and is usually all I need to do to get inspired. I don’t care who you are, if you’re not exposing yourself to new music and new ideas, you’ll eventually hit a
With so many speakers on the market, it’s always intriguing to see a new company doing something fresh with their monitors. Founded by a team of professionals from the world of pro audio, Kali Audio is an American company that designs and engineers its products in Southern California, and plans to name each product line after a different locale in the great Golden State. Though you may not be familiar with the name Kali Audio, its staff has been integral to the production of highly successful loudspeaker products throughout the last 30 years.
Among music producers, beatmakers, and musicians, Arturia has a solid reputation for delivering products that ignite new ideas, open new performance possibilities, and solve common technical challenges. This company’s latest offerings expand the AudioFuse line of audio interfaces and KeyLab-Series hybrid synthesizers to include exciting enhancements for all sorts of productions. Whether you’re a touring artist or a studio dweller, there’s something to see in these new goodies from Arturia.
The
Finding solid headphones for general-purpose listening isn’t too difficult, but homing in on purpose-built cans that are optimal for drummers, vocalists, and audio engineers is a challenge on its own level. With the staggering number of headphones on the market, it can be difficult to filter your options and remain confident that you’re getting closer to a good choice. Wireless, wired, in-ear, on-ear, over-ear, open-back, closed-back, etc.… there are so many types and models to sort through. So, maybe instead of scrolling through hundreds of
Recognizing the needs of small studios, production suites, and compact touring setups, Korg has released two new desktop analog synthesizers, the Volca Nubass and the Minilogue XD Module. Both boast an assortment of powerful functions in a space-saving form factor, making them ideal for use with DAWs, sequencers, and
by Jason T ·Posted
When I first started engineering and producing music, I was, strictly speaking, a complete and utter mess. I would often lose project files, samples, preset libraries—I couldn’t keep track of anything. Sometimes I’d find what I was looking for by sheer luck, other times it would be gone forever.
After several frustrating years of data loss, I decided to get serious about organizing all my music production audio and files, and regularly backing up my projects. And, what do you know? My productivity increased, my system ran more smoothly, and I
Not long ago, you needed a computer to provide sufficient processing power, graphics prowess, and connectivity to meet the demands of digital pro audio production tasks. Thanks to the robust performance, captivating display, and long battery life of Apple’s current iPad Pro, producing anything from polished podcasts to complex multi-track sessions on a tablet is now a reality within reach. The iPad Pro can supercharge your mobile recording
by Nicholas Messitte ·Posted
Just in time for NAMM 2019, Akai Professional—the famous manufacturer of the MPC—has made a big push into the world of computer-free music production. The Force bills itself as a stand-alone music production and DJ performance system, and that's just what it is: You can launch clips, play notes and chords, arpeggiate patterns, mix it all to your needs, easily trigger global effects, build entire live shows, and
If you make beats or create electronic music, you've probably heard of FL Studio, the music production DAW from Image-Line. For years, it has been a go-to tool for producers and songwriters operating on anything from compact laptops to tricked-out desktops. However, there has never been a hardware controller designed specifically for FL Studio… until now! The new Akai Pro Fire, created in cooperation with Image-Line, is the
by Nicholas Messitte ·Posted
Say you’re a musician traveling on the road, or a producer—somebody who likes to make music from a laptop-based studio. You camp out at a hotel and program what you need to program, or mix what you need to mix. Eventually, you’ll run into problems.
The files you’re working on will require more space than your laptop allows. Or, you’ll run a lot of samples and virtual instruments, both of which tend to run more smoothly on an external drive. Even if you can fit all your projects on a laptop, you can’t forget about backup—the threat of losing
Part 1 of Little Things That Make the Song Big laid out some important considerations about song structure, section lengths, choice of instrumentation, and how they change the impact of songs. In Part 2, the focus will be on instrument- and pitch-specific alterations, tempo, groove, and mixing tips. Moving forward, always remind yourself that these elements form a somewhat fragile musical ecosystem. Though identifiable as