How-To Guides 4
How Motown Made It Work: Drum Recording
All eras of music teach us lessons about recording, playing, and mixing. When it comes to tracking a drum kit, something changed in the 1950s and early sixties ’60s in Detroit, where the Motown sound was born. Modern recording has migrated from the expensive studio spaces of the past into basements, garages, and bedrooms all […]
Five Drummer Gifts You May Not Have Thought Of
Let’s face it, there are little to no silent nights when you’ve got a drummer in the house. By their very nature, percussion instruments are a loud and disruptive family. But even though the journey to drumming mastery is filled with groans from non-drummers, the payoff is a well rounded musician whose instrument of choice […]
What? Why Would You Use a Rubber Bridge?
Why a rubber bridge? When I bring up in conversation that I’ve been fiddling with this old parlor acoustic guitar, it’s usually brought to some general confusion. For the last several months, I’ve been on the search for a cheap acoustic guitar with a floating bridge with a trapeze tailpiece, to change out the conventional […]
Shoegaze-in-a-Box: Catalinbread Soft Focus FX40
Some say shoegaze is making a comeback. The moody, reverb-rich, guitar-based genre plays on feelings of nostalgia, melancholy, and a lust for Jazzmasters. The folks at Catalinbread believe shoegaze never left, and we’re inclined to believe them after experiencing the Soft Focus FX40 Shoegaze reverb pedal. Pitched as an instant shoegaze button, the FX40 is […]
Building Ambient Pads in Phase Plant
Let’s get back to the basics! Building an ambient pad is an ideal application of software synthesis and what better platform to explore this medium than Phase Plant? This top-of-the-line software synth from Kilohearts does just about anything you can imagine and more. Whether you are looking for traditional subtractive synths, a robust wavetable engine, […]
Songwriting Series: Blog Collection
Songwriting Techniques and Tips Do you dream of writing your first song, or just need some tips to enhance your own works? You’ve come to the right place. Find our collection of posts offering songwriting tips that will guide you from the first verse to the very end of your next song! A Guide to […]
Touch That Dial: Three Overdrive Pedal Tricks for the Studio!
Nearly every pedal company offers an overdrive effect. It’s a decently simple circuit to create, and there are a ton of variations available on the market today. From the first overdrives that were built to emulate tube amp breakup, to the modern active EQ-equipped studio darling ODs, overdrive pedals can serve a higher purpose on […]
Want a Big Drum Room Sound? These Three Tricks Will Save Your Mix!
Not everyone has access to a perfect live room with 20-foot ceilings and sound treatment fit for an orchestra. But you don’t necessarily need unlimited space or money to achieve a huge, wide drum sound! Considering you’ve got your close microphones covered, there are a few simple tricks that can elevate your recorded drum sound […]
The Post-Bridge: Finishing Your Song Strong
If you’ve been following our songwriting series to this point, you’ve gotten tips on how to write an intro, pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge. We’ve reached the end, and to close the series out, we will cover how to write various post-bridge sections! This area of your song builds on your bridge with a final chorus, […]
