Mastering Process Explained with Alan Silverman – Part 1 Alan Silverman is a Grammy nominated engineer and producer. He coproduced, mixed, and mastered “Winter Stories” by Judy Collins, named “The Best Folk Album of 2019” by Digital Journal. “Mountain Girl,” a single from the album, hit #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart. He mastered Catherine Russell’s “Alone Together” a Grammy finalist and the most played album on jazz radio in 2019, and the ground-breaking “SYSTEM EP” by DJ Delia Beatriz, listed in Pitchfork’s 10-Best EDM albums of 2019…
Playing Well with Dr. Kertz — Posture Review for 2021 It’s the start of a new year, and Dr. Kertz reminds you this month of the basics of good posture habits to help prevent potential injuries and problems caused by tension from things like hunching over the laptop, holding the cell phone too often, or holding your instrument incorrectly. Dr. Kertz’s monthly column addresses how […]
NAMM Show 2021: Product Spotlight on the Yamaha YDS-150 Digital Saxophone Yamaha recently introduced the YDS-150 Digital Saxophone, a first-of-its-kind instrument that allows saxophonists of all levels and those new to playing a wind instrument to create great sounding music from the very start. The YDS-150 effectively emulates an authentic saxophone experience digitally—from the sound and key layout to feedback from the instrument—while maintaining the sense […]
World’s Smallest Guitar/Bass Multi-Tool GrooveTech Tools has released its newest guitar and bass multi-tool, the Mini-Multi. Based on the premise that some players don’t adjust truss rods using a multi-tool, GrooveTech concentrated on action, tremolo systems, intonation, pickup height, and most other adjustments on guitars and basses. The Mini-Multi consolidates 14 tools into a body that’s less than three […]
Recording Acoustic Guitar in Stereo for Beginners Chuck Schiele takes you through the beginning steps on how to record an acoustic guitar in stereo. Part one is a general overview for beginners on the basic thinking and process of recording, what a signal chain is, and a thing or two about microphones and mic’ing technique.
Gideon Waxman’s Ultimate Guide to Buying Cymbals Cymbals play an integral part of a drummer’s set up, and they are a significant investment. With a cymbal purchase, you will have to be completely confident that sound is right for you and your music. They cannot be altered or tuned in the way that drums can. So it’s imperative to invest in cymbals that will compliment the styles of music you play! In this guide I aim to provide as much information as I can about cymbals to help educate you on how to choose the perfect cymbals that are right for you, and what you need to consider when looking to invest in new cymbals.
Tracy Silverman: Defying Dogma with Electric Violin (Interview part 2) The first thing violinist Tracy Silverman did was to earn his degree from Julliard. The second thing he did when he graduated was to throw it all out the window and join a rock band…
NAMM Show 2021: Yamaha Announces New DGX-670 Digital Piano During the 2021 NAMM Show, Yamaha unveiled the DGX-670, a new digital piano featuring a modern, attractive aesthetic and a simplified user interface. The new “Portable Grand” ensemble instrument is a full, 88-note weighted action keyboard with exceptional playability, superb sound and visual appeal, making it ideal for beginners and accomplished pianists alike. It replaces […]
9 Tips to Avoid A Hoarse Voice During the Holidays The holiday season is a time for numerous music events, late nights, and celebrations. Here are 9 tips to avoid a hoarse voice during the holidays:
The Harp: A Global Story of Music, Man, and Medicine In simplest terms, the harp is a plucked string instrument where the plane of the strings is perpendicular to the soundboard.
ProSoCoustic Wave Pro Series Acoustic Panels Take Control of Your Room Announced at the 2021 NAMM Show: The ProSoCoustic Wave Pro Series offers a unique blend of absorption and diffusion in one product. Their unique diffusor pattern inside each panel allows greater absorption efficiency in the same amount of space. Wave Pro panels also include convenient machine screw inserts that provide […]
Rupert Neve 5059 Satellite Summing Mixer Announced at the 2021 NAMM Show: The Rupert Never 5059 Satellite Summing Mixer features 16 channels with individual level, pan, inserts, stereo-2 sends, and master texture controls, providing easy integration with outboard equipment, complete control for two separate stem mixes, and the ability to dial in analogue mojo in two modes. With the same sonic […]
NAMM Show 2021: Yamaha Announces New DGX-670 Digital Piano During the 2021 NAMM Show, Yamaha unveiled the DGX-670, a new digital piano featuring a modern, attractive aesthetic and a simplified user interface. The new “Portable Grand” ensemble instrument is a full, 88-note weighted action keyboard with exceptional playability, superb sound and visual appeal, making it ideal for beginners and accomplished pianists alike. It replaces […]
Yamaha MSP3A Powered Monitor Speaker Just announced at the 2021 NAMM Show: The Yamaha MSP3A Powered Monitor Speaker features a 22-watt built-in amplifier and Twisted Flare Port for clearer bass, the MSP3A reference monitor produces sound that is faithful to the original. With a variety of inputs, controls and optional support brackets, the MSP3A is ideal for small studios, post-production, […]
Senneheiser HD 200 PRO monitoring headphones The Senneheiser HD 200 PRO monitoring headphones deliver powerful studio sound wherever you are. Record your own tunes, practice silently, or simply enjoy your favorite music at home. The HD 200 PRO’s ambient noise attenuation enables you to fully concentrate on your job. Soft ear pads ensure outstanding comfort during long creative sessions (e.g. electronic […]
Mastering Process Explained with Alan Silverman – Part 1 Alan Silverman is a Grammy nominated engineer and producer. He coproduced, mixed, and mastered “Winter Stories” by Judy Collins, named “The Best Folk Album of 2019” by Digital Journal. “Mountain Girl,” a single from the album, hit #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart. He mastered Catherine Russell’s “Alone Together” a Grammy finalist and the most played album on jazz radio in 2019, and the ground-breaking “SYSTEM EP” by DJ Delia Beatriz, listed in Pitchfork’s 10-Best EDM albums of 2019…
Distortion Packs a Punch! Amps Explained with Christopher Ames; Part 2 Making Music Mag visited with Christopher Ames at Guitar Center where he shares practical insights about distortion with the help of and Orange amplifier, a Marshall amplifier and a Les Paul.
Step By Step Mixing How to Create Great Mixes Using Only 5 Plug-ins Learn a proven step-by-step mixing process that’s helped thousands of musicians make amazing mixes in their home studio, using only EQ, compression, reverb, delay, and saturation. Step by Step Mixing by Bjorgvin Benediktsson will help you make better mixes immediately in your home studio that translate […]
Classical Recording: A Practical Guide in the Decca Tradition Classical Recording A Practical Guide in the Decca Tradition is the authoritative guide to all aspects of recording acoustic classical music. Offering detailed descriptions, diagrams, and photographs of fundamental recording techniques such as the Decca tree, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the essential skills involved in successfully producing a classical recording. Written by […]
Modern Recording Techniques, Ninth Edition Modern Recording Techniques by David Miles Huber is the bestselling, authoritative guide to sound and music recording. Whether you’re just starting out or are looking for a step-up in the industry, Modern Recording Techniques provides an in-depth read on the art and technologies of music production. Using its familiar and accessible writing style, this ninth […]
Understanding Audio: Getting the Most Out of Your Project or Professional Recording Studio Understanding Audio by Daniel M. Thompson explores the fundamentals of audio and acoustics that impact every stage of the music recording process. Whether you are a musician setting up your first Pro Tools project studio, or you are a seasoned recording engineer or producer eager to find a reference that fills in the gaps in […]
The Mixing Engineer’s Handbook, Fourth Edition Mixing music —the process of combining and shaping the component parts of a song into a polished, completed recording —was once considered an unteachable art. The first edition of Bobby Owsinski’s The Mixing Engineers Handbookdestroyed that myth forever, breaking the craft of mixing down into discrete, understandable steps and showing musicians, audio engineers, and producers […]
The Recording Engineer’s Handbook, Fourth Edition Bobby Owsinski’s The Recording Engineers Handbook has become a music industry standard, and this fully updated fourth edition once again offers the most comprehensive and up-to-date introduction to the art of audio recording. Written with special emphasis on today’s technology and the evolving marketplace, The Recording Engineer’s Handbook Fourth Edition includes a complete overview of […]
Dave Sanborn, Legendary Saxophonist, Presents the First Season of His New Show “Sanborn Sessions” Dave Sanborn, the veteran saxophonist, and six-time Grammy Award winner, has announced he will soon present the first episode of his new music show, Sanborn Sessions. The new series is hosted by Sanborn and features a diverse roster of accomplished artists from a variety of genres and generations. In its initial season, Sanborn welcomes Kandace Springs, […]
Musical Theory: Give It a Rest! Just like notes, rests have precise rhythms; every type of note value has a corresponding rest with the same time value. And although there is no sound, in order to play with rhythmic accuracy, rests must be carefully counted. The following chart breaks down the types of rests you are most likely to find in music…
Clip ‘n Save: Stepping Up and Stepping Down: Augmented and Diminished Intervals n our “Intro to Intervals,” we learned how to recognize major, minor, and perfect intervals—first, recognizing the distance between the two notes on the staff and then counting the precise number of steps between the two pitches. In addition to major, minor, and perfect, there are two other interval qualities that can come into play: augmented and diminished…
Going the Distance: Intro to Intervals To confidently identify intervals, you’ll first need to master your understanding whole-steps and half-steps—also known as tones and semi-tones. A half-step (semi-tone) is two different notes with the smallest possible distance between them—for example, B up to C, or E down to Eb. Think of two frets right next to each other on a guitar, or two keys (including the black keys) right next to each other on the piano. A whole-step (tone) is made up of two half-steps—for example, B up to C#, or E down to D…
A complete history of Tom Petty in Los Angeles When Tom Petty arrived in Los Angeles in 1974 in search of a record deal for his band Mudcrutch, the Gainesville, Florida native found one almost immediately. While he thought he had found exactly what he was looking for in L.A., it would take years for Petty and his subsequent band, the Heartbreakers, to break […]
8 Songwriting Tools for Recording Your Ideas Featured Article, Music Theory, Products June 26, 2019April 27, 2020 Becky Holton 0 Comments
9 Tools for Effective Composing Featured Article, How To, Music Tips June 18, 2019June 21, 2019 Becky Holton 0 Comments
Guitar Tips and Techniques to Enhance Your Playing Featured Article, Guitar March 12, 2019March 7, 2019 Becky Holton 0 Comments
6 Beautiful Quotes on Singing to Boost Every Singer’s Confidence Featured Article, Vocal March 4, 2019March 19, 2019 Becky Holton 1 Comment
