There are seemingly endless genres and sub-genres of electronic music. While creativity is almost always a good thing, mixing and matching styles across genres can be risky. Imagine if Kirk Hammett (guitarist for Metallica) and Taylor Swift tried to do a duo. There might be some novelty to it, but its appeal would be very limited compared to a duo with Tony Iommi (guitarist for Black Sabbath) and Kirk Hammett. There are certain aspects of electronic music that are definitive of certain genres, and the bass in trance is one of those. Getting it right takes practice, but if trance is your thing, it will be time well spent.
You can read a detailed tutorial on how to produce aggressive trance bass here: http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/production/quick-tip-how-to-make-an-aggressive-trance-bass/
Archives for March 2013
A Final Mixdown Before Mastering
Many music producers opt to send their albums out to a specialized mastering engineer instead of trying to do it themselves. It’s great to recognize when this type of delegation is appropriate in your production process, but be careful not to get lazy about what gets sent for mastering. Having a step-by-step process that you follow after the mix is complete but before the album drops in the mail box can greatly improve the source material that your mastering engineer gets to work with.
You can read the full article here: https://www.musicclout.com/contents/article-181-a-mastering-engineers-guide-to-final-mixdown.aspx
Lewin's 6 Favorite Microphones For Home Recording
I have my own collection of microphones and my own opinions about what would constitute the top 5-10 mics to use for home recording. But there are a lot of mics out there to choose from and it would be difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to try them all. So it is nice to get a different perspective on these things from time to time.
In my case, I would probably list the Rode NT2-A, Shure SM81, Audio-Technica AT2035, AKG C3000, Sennheiser MKH416, and Oktava MK-319 as great choices for my top 6.
Lewin Barringer put out the below video talking about his 6 favorite mics for home recording, which are very different from the ones on my list. In fact there is not a single mic in common to the two lists.
Anyway, see below for the video from Lewin:
Boom Bap – Dark Kits Now Available From Future Loops
Future Loops has released the Boom Bap – Dark Kits sample library. This collection of hip-hop samples is a great addition to any producers collection. Whether you’re just getting started, or just looking to add some variety to your lineup, do yourself a favor and at least listen to the great demos.
You can listen to the demos and read more about this collection here: http://www.futureloops.com/product-boom-bap-dark-kits.php
Loudspeakers Versus In-Ear-Monitors
In-ear-monitors sometimes have a negative reputation, and that is not without reason. Loudspeakers are arguably the most natural way to reproduce sound, and shoving electronics into your ear is sure to create some challenges for sound reproduction. Technology has come a long way, though. If you wrote off in-ear-monitors long ago, they’re worth taking another look at!
You can read about some of the new technologies here: http://audioundone.com/in-ear-monitors-why-do-they-sound-like-that-jay-kadis-and-stephen-ambrose