tag:aviblummusic.com,2005:/blogs/musical-engineering?p=2Musical Engineering2018-10-25T22:15:02-04:00Avi Blum Musicfalsetag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184732017-01-02T13:37:00-05:002023-10-16T10:50:35-04:00From Writing to Mastering: Producing Your Own Music<p>Hey guys! <br><br>Yesterday, as the New Year came rolling in, I officially released my debut solo EP called <a contents="Vision Never Dies." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep" target="_blank">Vision Never Dies.</a> It is a big deal for me, as I have never really released music as a recording artist before, though not for years of pining over such a dream. <br><br>The crazy thing about this EP is that I did it all myself, from writing to mastering; all the parts, the instrumentation, the recordings, performances, editing, mixing, and mastering, all done in-house in my home studio. In a way, it was the culmination of years of developing my skills as an engineer, composer, and songwriter. In that sense, I thought I'd share a few lessons I learned throughout this entire process of making my debut EP a reality. This might get a little long, so why don't you listen to my new EP while you read? Just make sure to click that first song so you get to hear the whole thing :-) </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2326812186/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 400px; height: 241px;">&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href="http://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep" href="http://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Vision Never Dies EP by Vision Never Dies&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe></p>
<p>1.<strong> Writing and Recording are the single most important parts of the process.</strong><br><br>I know this seems obvious, but if you can get it right on recording day, the engineering almost doesn't even matter. You'll hear some top-level engineers say things like "the song basically mixed itself." What they are really saying is: "The recordings, writing, and arrangement of the song were so well done and so thought out, that there were vastly less decisions for them as a mix engineer to make." <img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/system/95e2c6647471e892e7514a34ddd2a9ecfc0d785f/medium/live-4.jpg?1399641818" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><br>There's a very good reason why classical music is barely processed at all engineering-wise; it's because the quality of musicianship is at such a level that every note is purposefully placed. Every pitch, breath, and dynamic. For that reason, maintaining the integrity of the performance is of utmost importance–also in general, but classical music particularly pertains to this principal. This is contrasted to mosts kinds of popular music, where a decent amount of processing is routinely used at the minimum, even on recording day. So whenever you hear anyone say you can "fix it in the mix," you're not doing yourself any favors. Get it right on the recording, and the end-result will always be better 100% of the time.<br><br>2. <strong>The One Thing NO ONE Ever Talks About...Editing.</strong><br><br>This somehow eluded me for the longest time. I knew it existed, but before making this EP, I had zero editing skills or even its context within the engineering process. I literally had to go asking around <a contents="The Recording Revolution" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.therecordingrevolution.com" target="_blank">The Recording Revolution</a> to find out, because even Graham doesn't talk about it all that much. The reality is that editing is one of those unnoticed parts of the process that can make the biggest difference in your final product. There could be some sort of cabal of top-level engineers conspiring against us lowly beginners, willingly withholding certain information so that they can maintain their evil profits...<br><br>As funny as that is, the truth is far more mundane. Editing isn't really talked about, because it's just a given. Any pro-engineer who has interned at a studio has set up a senior engineer's project and edited it so that the engineer can just focus on the mixing. In fact, that's when you as an intern get to look over their shoulder as they mix the song. That's the traditional way of learning how to be an engineer. Editing is part of the training that you get. It's such a basic engineering skill that it's barely talked about because it's so obvious...to those from that traditional world. Even if you wanted to be a full-time engineer, the current economy doesn't quite allow for an adult to commit that much time without running into financial trouble–something too many pro studios just don't understand. So we have to find our own way, which is why the online audio engineering tutorial market is so huge and saturated.<img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/system/082992c0a1fe3c6bfb992b8f9284f00fa4593b67/medium/s-dj-720589-1920.jpg?1460987910" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br><br>Let me know in the comments if you've ever done this as a beginner; but there was a time where I would lay down a recording, and then immediately start fiddling an EQ and compressor before even finishing all the other parts. To be clear: I wasn't creating a sound to be recorded, I was processing an already recorded sound. Now, this is fine if you're doing this with purpose and focus; but, I wasn't. All I knew was, "EQ and compression are used when mixing," so I'd pull out an EQ and compressor and just go to town with no real goal, direction, or awareness of where I was in the process of making this EP. <br><br>Editing was sort of all wrapped up into that somewhere. I would start comping and editing things before the recording process was even finished. By constantly switching between two distinct processes, any sense of flow and momentum was lost as the constant back and forth was just exhausting and caused a ton of self-doubt. Editing is it's own step. It's not part of mixing, though, if it were, it would be the very first step. Here's a basic rundown of what you want to do, AFTER all of the recording is completed:</p>
<ul> <li><strong>Go through every single instrument and make sure they are all on tempo and that all the entrances and exits sound smooth and solid (look up micro-fades). </strong></li> <li>
<strong>Looking for artifacts in the recording–like clicks, pops, mouth noises, etc.</strong></li> <li><strong>Anything, absolutely anything that sounds off or takes you out of the song in any way needs to be edited so it doesn't.</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>Editing takes serious critical listening skills. <span style="font-size: 12px;">Make sure everything sounds as awesome as possible. Believe me, you do not want to be doing mix revisions and realize there's a terrible hiss on the acoustic guitar...been there...</span><br><br>3. <strong>Don't do it all alone.</strong><br><br>If I could do one thing over, I would have asked my friends to help me write, record, and arrange this EP. I'd even outsource the mixing or mastering if I had the budget to, and here's why: Writing, recording, editing, mixing, mastering; these are all separate processes for a reason.<img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/system/1d5e49276d3f6825904eb6c5f98862050090ab83/medium/live-3.jpg?1399641809" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><br>Not only are they separate processes, but it's extremely common for the recording engineer to separate from the mix engineer, and the mix engineer separate from the mastering engineer. Put simply, it's because the more finely-tuned ears that get into the project, the more perspective you have, which results in better music. This general workflow for releasing music has been cobbled together through decades of record releases. Ignoring it, or failing to educate yourself on it is a recipe for disaster...<br><br>...But we can't afford all these professionals when we're starting out, so the best thing to do is to collaborate. Find other people to work with to make your creation as amazing as it can be. Even just sending your mixes to some friends or people you look up to, or on an engineering forum somewhere will give you some desperately needed perspective. As the sole creator, we are simply too close to the project to be as objective as we need to be.<br><br>Sure, you CAN do it all alone, I did; but guess what, it will never be quite as good as having another set of ears to chime in, to feel invested in the music and the final product, even if you have to pay them. It's worth it. There's nothing more bittersweet than having a glass of wine alone on New Years Eve to celebrate the realization of your dreams. Including others in those dreams only serves to elevate them and everyone involved.<br><br>If you haven't already, you can stream my debut EP Vision Never Dies below for free, or if you want to download it, you can name your price. I would absolutely LOVE to hear what you think in the comments!<br><br>Thank you all so much for all the love, support, and strength you have given me in this long and arduous process.<br><br>Happy New Year 2017!</p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2326812186/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=7137dc/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 905px;">&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href="http://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep" href="http://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Vision Never Dies EP by Vision Never Dies&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe></div>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/45340592017-01-02T13:37:00-05:002017-01-03T11:01:26-05:00From Writing to Mastering: Producing Your Own Music<p>Hey guys! <br><br>Yesterday, as the New Year came rolling in, I officially released my debut solo EP called <a contents="Vision Never Dies." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep" target="_blank">Vision Never Dies.</a> It is a big deal for me, as I have never really released music as a recording artist before, though not for years of pining over such a dream. <br><br>The crazy thing about this EP is that I did it all myself, from writing to mastering; all the parts, the instrumentation, the recordings, performances, editing, mixing, and mastering, all done in-house in my home studio. In a way, it was the culmination of years of developing my skills as an engineer, composer, and songwriter. In that sense, I thought I'd share a few lessons I learned throughout this entire process of making my debut EP a reality. This might get a little long, so why don't you listen to my new EP while you read? Just make sure to click that first song so you get to hear the whole thing :-) </p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2326812186/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/artwork=small/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 400px; height: 241px;">&amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href="http://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep" href="http://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep"&amp;amp;amp;gt;Vision Never Dies EP by Vision Never Dies&amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe></p>
<p>1.<strong> Writing and Recording are the single most important parts of the process.</strong><br><br>I know this seems obvious, but if you can get it right on recording day, the engineering almost doesn't even matter. You'll hear some top-level engineers say things like "the song basically mixed itself." What they are really saying is: "The recordings, writing, and arrangement of the song were so well done and so thought out, that there were vastly less decisions for them as a mix engineer to make." <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/system/95e2c6647471e892e7514a34ddd2a9ecfc0d785f/medium/live-4.jpg?1399641818" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><br>There's a very good reason why classical music is barely processed at all engineering-wise; it's because the quality of musicianship is at such a level that every note is purposefully placed. Every pitch, breath, and dynamic. For that reason, maintaining the integrity of the performance is of utmost importance–also in general, but classical music particularly pertains to this principal. This is contrasted to mosts kinds of popular music, where a decent amount of processing is routinely used at the minimum, even on recording day. So whenever you hear anyone say you can "fix it in the mix," you're not doing yourself any favors. Get it right on the recording, and the end-result will always be better 100% of the time.<br><br>2. <strong>The One Thing NO ONE Ever Talks About...Editing.</strong><br><br>This somehow eluded me for the longest time. I knew it existed, but before making this EP, I had zero editing skills or even its context within the engineering process. I literally had to go asking around <a contents="The Recording Revolution" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.therecordingrevolution.com" target="_blank">The Recording Revolution</a> to find out, because even Graham doesn't talk about it all that much. The reality is that editing is one of those unnoticed parts of the process that can make the biggest difference in your final product. There could be some sort of cabal of top-level engineers conspiring against us lowly beginners, willingly withholding certain information so that they can maintain their evil profits...<br><br>As funny as that is, the truth is far more mundane. Editing isn't really talked about, because it's just a given. Any pro-engineer who has interned at a studio has set up a senior engineer's project and edited it so that the engineer can just focus on the mixing. In fact, that's when you as an intern get to look over their shoulder as they mix the song. That's the traditional way of learning how to be an engineer. Editing is part of the training that you get. It's such a basic engineering skill that it's barely talked about because it's so obvious...to those from that traditional world. Even if you wanted to be a full-time engineer, the current economy doesn't quite allow for an adult to commit that much time without running into financial trouble–something too many pro studios just don't understand. So we have to find our own way, which is why the online audio engineering tutorial market is so huge and saturated.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/system/082992c0a1fe3c6bfb992b8f9284f00fa4593b67/medium/s-dj-720589-1920.jpg?1460987910" class="size_m justify_left border_" /><br><br>Let me know in the comments if you've ever done this as a beginner; but there was a time where I would lay down a recording, and then immediately start fiddling an EQ and compressor before even finishing all the other parts. To be clear: I wasn't creating a sound to be recorded, I was processing an already recorded sound. Now, this is fine if you're doing this with purpose and focus; but, I wasn't. All I knew was, "EQ and compression are used when mixing," so I'd pull out an EQ and compressor and just go to town with no real goal, direction, or awareness of where I was in the process of making this EP. <br><br>Editing was sort of all wrapped up into that somewhere. I would start comping and editing things before the recording process was even finished. By constantly switching between two distinct processes, any sense of flow and momentum was lost as the constant back and forth was just exhausting and caused a ton of self-doubt. Editing is it's own step. It's not part of mixing, though, if it were, it would be the very first step. Here's a basic rundown of what you want to do, AFTER all of the recording is completed:</p>
<ul> <li><strong>Go through every single instrument and make sure they are all on tempo and that all the entrances and exits sound smooth and solid (look up micro-fades). </strong></li> <li>
<strong>Looking for artifacts in the recording–like clicks, pops, mouth noises, etc.</strong></li> <li><strong>Anything, absolutely anything that sounds off or takes you out of the song in any way needs to be edited so it doesn't.</strong></li>
</ul>Editing takes serious critical listening skills. <span style="font-size: 12px;">Make sure everything sounds as awesome as possible. Believe me, you do not want to be doing mix revisions and realize there's a terrible hiss on the acoustic guitar...been there...</span><br><br>3. <strong>Don't do it all alone.</strong><br><br>If I could do one thing over, I would have asked my friends to help me write, record, and arrange this EP. I'd even outsource the mixing or mastering if I had the budget to, and here's why: Writing, recording, editing, mixing, mastering; these are all separate processes for a reason.<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/system/1d5e49276d3f6825904eb6c5f98862050090ab83/medium/live-3.jpg?1399641809" class="size_m justify_right border_" /><br><br>Not only are they separate processes, but it's extremely common for the recording engineer to separate from the mix engineer, and the mix engineer separate from the mastering engineer. Put simply, it's because the more finely-tuned ears that get into the project, the more perspective you have, which results in better music. This general workflow for releasing music has been cobbled together through decades of record releases. Ignoring it, or failing to educate yourself on it is a recipe for disaster...<br><br>...But we can't afford all these professionals when we're starting out, so the best thing to do is to collaborate. Find other people to work with to make your creation as amazing as it can be. Even just sending your mixes to some friends or people you look up to, or on an engineering forum somewhere will give you some desperately needed perspective. As the sole creator, we are simply too close to the project to be as objective as we need to be.<br><br>Sure, you CAN do it all alone, I did; but guess what, it will never be quite as good as having another set of ears to chime in, to feel invested in the music and the final product, even if you have to pay them. It's worth it. There's nothing more bittersweet than having a glass of wine alone on New Years Eve to celebrate the realization of your dreams. Including others in those dreams only serves to elevate them and everyone involved.<br><br>If you haven't already, you can stream my debut EP Vision Never Dies below for free, or if you want to download it, you can name your price. I would absolutely LOVE to hear what you think in the comments!<br><br>Thank you all so much for all the love, support, and strength you have given me in this long and arduous process.<br><br>Happy New Year 2017!<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe seamless="" src="https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=2326812186/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=7137dc/transparent=true/" style="border: 0; width: 700px; height: 905px;">&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a data-cke-saved-href="http://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep" href="http://visionneverdies.bandcamp.com/album/vision-never-dies-ep"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Vision Never Dies EP by Vision Never Dies&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;</iframe></div>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184742016-10-31T14:51:45-04:002021-10-01T13:33:14-04:00What Do You REALLY Want?<p>Hey guys!<br><br>So I know I haven't written in awhile; I've been going through a whole lot and want to make this a really short post, because I'm long-winded enough! <br><br>Anyway, these days there's such a blur between the lines of recording artist and audio engineer, that it's really hard to not get confused about which aspects you really want to focus on. It was only recently that I realized that my musical journey had taken a backseat to my engineering journey. Funny enough, the entire reason I started the latter was to able to better communicate and enhance the former! Has that ever happened to you? Have you pursued one set of skills to help with your passion, only to lose yourself in the process? <br><br>Well, today I wanted to share a resource with you that has helped me TREMENDOUSLY in my journey, and has recently helped give me the perspective I needed: <strong><a contents="The Recording Revolution." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.therecordingrevolution.com" target="_blank">The Recording Revolution</a>.</strong><br><br>If you're an artist and you want to engineer your own tunes: that's awesome, more power to you. But, don't fall into the trap I did and forget to practice your instrument and your art. You'll hear the founder, Graham Cochrane, tell you all the time that <strong>your mixes are only as good as your music</strong>.<br><br>That couldn't be more true. </p>
<p>I haven't posted any new music in a LONG time because <strong>I've suffered from perfectionism</strong> (my worst enemy). It wasn't until recently, when I was doing some mixing for one of my oldest and best of friends: We were sitting in front of my rig and we set a <strong>DEADLINE</strong> that he would leave that day with the mixes done. NOT FINISHED, DONE. Suddenly, it all clicked: that the music is the most important. That mixing is just a way to understand it, and that your job as a mix engineer is done when you can hear and enjoy every aspect of the song. I didn't have time or energy to tinker with compression settings: I did what I knew I wanted to get the sound I wanted, and that's it. What would've taken me MONTHS to do previously took me only a day. <strong>ONE DAY. </strong>Such is the power of perspective. </p>
<p>There are a ton of resources that will give you multi-tracks like <strong><a contents="David Glenn Recording" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.davidglennrecording.com/" target="_blank">David Glenn Recording</a>, <a contents="Pro Mix Academy" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://promixacademy.com/" target="_blank">Pro Mix Academy</a>, </strong>and<strong> </strong>others<strong>, </strong>to practice on; and don't get me wrong, those are AMAZING resources. I know because I've used them all. BUT....<br><br>...those are geared only towards MIXING, not SONGWRITING, at least not as much. Sure, you can learn about songwriting because those multi-tracks are great songs, and you learn cool things about arranging from incredibly talented artists and engineers; but, if you want to learn to record, produce, and engineer your own music, than your best bet is to <strong>keep writing and recording your own music. </strong>It's as simple as that. <br><br>Too often we (or maybe just me) get sucked into these tutorials without giving them their due context. If you want to be a full-time engineer, then this doesn't really apply to you. But if you want to do it all, then honestly stop worrying about the gear, about which plugin to get, and just record AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Get it out there. Put yourself out there. Only then will you see improvement on all fronts. <br><br>I guess this wasn't so short was it? ;-) <br><br>It may seem obvious, and you may <strong>know </strong>it superficially, but you have <strong>feel </strong>it and <strong>apply</strong> it in order to get anything out of it. And all of this wouldn't be possible without the guidance from Graham at <strong><a contents="The Recording Revolution" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://therecordingrevolution.com/" target="_blank">The Recording Revolution</a> </strong>and others like him who share their art and passion with us. Hope this helps you on your journey. <br><br>As Graham likes to say: "Here's to making better music NOW!"<br><br>Avi<br> </p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/44456822016-10-31T14:51:45-04:002016-12-02T02:40:54-05:00What Do You REALLY Want?Hey guys!<br><br>So I know I haven't written in awhile; I've been going through a whole lot and want to make this a really short post, because I'm long-winded enough! <br><br>Anyway, these days there's such a blur between the lines of recording artist and audio engineer, that it's really hard to not get confused about which aspects you really want to focus on. It was only recently that I realized that my musical journey had taken a backseat to my engineering journey. Funny enough, the entire reason I started the latter was to able to better communicate and enhance the former! Has that ever happened to you? Have you pursued one set of skills to help with your passion, only to lose yourself in the process? <br><br>Well, today I wanted to share a resource with you that has helped me TREMENDOUSLY in my journey, and has recently helped give me the perspective I needed: <strong><a contents="The Recording Revolution." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.therecordingrevolution.com" target="_blank">The Recording Revolution</a>.</strong><br><br>If you're an artist and you want to engineer your own tunes: that's awesome, more power to you. But, don't fall into the trap I did and forget to practice your instrument and your art. You'll hear the founder, Graham Cochrane, tell you all the time that <strong>your mixes are only as good as your music</strong>.<br><br>That couldn't be more true. <p>I haven't posted any new music in a LONG time because <strong>I've suffered from perfectionism</strong> (my worst enemy). It wasn't until recently, when I was doing some mixing for one of my oldest and best of friends: We were sitting in front of my rig and we set a <strong>DEADLINE</strong> that he would leave that day with the mixes done. NOT FINISHED, DONE. Suddenly, it all clicked: that the music is the most important. That mixing is just a way to understand it, and that your job as a mix engineer is done when you can hear and enjoy every aspect of the song. I didn't have time or energy to tinker with compression settings: I did what I knew I wanted to get the sound I wanted, and that's it. What would've taken me MONTHS to do previously took me only a day. <strong>ONE DAY. </strong>Such is the power of perspective. </p>There are a ton of resources that will give you multi-tracks like <strong><a contents="David Glenn Recording" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.davidglennrecording.com/" target="_blank">David Glenn Recording</a>, <a contents="Pro Mix Academy" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://promixacademy.com/" target="_blank">Pro Mix Academy</a>, </strong>and<strong> </strong>others<strong>, </strong>to practice on; and don't get me wrong, those are AMAZING resources. I know because I've used them all. BUT....<br><br>...those are geared only towards MIXING, not SONGWRITING, at least not as much. Sure, you can learn about songwriting because those multi-tracks are great songs, and you learn cool things about arranging from incredibly talented artists and engineers; but, if you want to learn to record, produce, and engineer your own music, than your best bet is to <strong>keep writing and recording your own music. </strong>It's as simple as that. <br><br>Too often we (or maybe just me) get sucked into these tutorials without giving them their due context. If you want to be a full-time engineer, then this doesn't really apply to you. But if you want to do it all, then honestly stop worrying about the gear, about which plugin to get, and just record AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. Get it out there. Put yourself out there. Only then will you see improvement on all fronts. <br><br>I guess this wasn't so short was it? ;-) <br><br>It may seem obvious, and you may <strong>know </strong>it superficially, but you have <strong>feel </strong>it and <strong>apply</strong> it in order to get anything out of it. And all of this wouldn't be possible without the guidance from Graham at <strong><a contents="The Recording Revolution" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://therecordingrevolution.com/" target="_blank">The Recording Revolution</a> </strong>and others like him who share their art and passion with us. Hope this helps you on your journey. <br><br>As Graham likes to say: "Here's to making better music NOW!"<br><br>Avi<br> Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184752016-08-13T12:02:07-04:002019-10-07T16:06:35-04:00Music School vs Private Instruction: Which Is Right For You?<p>There are three basic ways to learn how to play an instrument: Teach yourself, go to music school, or get private instruction. There are pros and cons to each choice, so let's discuss them! </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Teaching Yourself </strong></span><br>If you are just starting out on your first ever musical instrument, this is probably not the way to go. When you pick up your first instrument, it's very important to have a structured learning environment. This is because music theory is highly cumulative; meaning that if you are misunderstanding a concept and aren't even aware of it, you're entire learning curve is automatically inhibited. It's extremely important to have a trusted resource to explain concepts and how to use them properly, which sets you up to properly understand the next concept. </p>
<p><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/204519/40fe223f6821293597335af916797a7dbd70abaa/medium/vatch-music-teacher-01.jpg?1471104093" class="size_m justify_center border_" />If you already play an instrument, teaching yourself another is a much less daunting task. Of course, this varies depending on the instruments you know and are trying to learn; but even so, you're existing knowledge and discipline with one instrument will greatly aid you in learning another. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Music School </strong></span><br>The institutional method of music education is an extremely valuable tool. In a few years, you can go from knowing next to nothing about music, to understanding the highest levels of music theory, composition, and ear training. Such value comes at a real cost: the cost of a college education. And given our current economy–on top of decades-long trends in colleges and universities–the cost of a higher education is only going to rise, at least in the USA. If you're more into the technology side of music and audio, music programs also include audio engineering or sonic arts degrees as well. This is really a brand new area in academia which didn't really exist even just 20 years ago. <br><br>One of the best parts about a music program is being surrounded by other musicians who are also learning; discussing concepts, getting their take on music theory, and having different professors to ask questions of. This all builds up into a powerful network in the musical community, and can help lead to career opportunities, even just by having it on your resume. For this reason, it will continue to be as relevant as ever and continue to provide the standard by which music education is measured. So go for it, if you can afford it. </p>
<p>At the end of the day, it comes down to your goals. If you want to play in an orchestra, then making the investing in a college degree might be a good idea. If you want to start a band and rock out, getting a music degree certainly won't hurt; but it might not be necessary. Discover your goals, and your path will form around them. </p>
<p><strong><span class="font_large">Private Instruction</span> </strong><br>This is by far the oldest and most traditional method of learning musical concepts or a musical instrument. In times of old, if you wanted to learn to play an instrument, you go to someone who knows how to play it and ask them to teach you. Better yet, go to someone who's famous for playing it! That's it. It's the time-tested, tried and true method of mastering both an instrument and the concepts of music theory. This method is so in-grained in music education, that many of us received some kind of private instruction for an instrument as a child (most likely piano or violin) in addition to general music education in public school, whether we were musically inclined or not. And that's a great thing! Let's keep it going. </p>
<p>Another benefit to private instruction is that it directly supports working musicians and artists. Especially in the United States, making a livable income as a musician is a heady task. In reality, these people do not have one full-time job called "Musician." Chances are, they are doing a great deal of things, trying to set up multiple income streams that fall in-line with their commitment to music (whatever that means to them), just to make ends meet. One of the most popular of these income streams is private instruction. It pays the bills while they work on that masterpiece. <br><img src="https://d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/204519/4306773b286ca306a9630a3acc30d490f762a57f/medium/jean-marc-nattier-la-lec-on-de-musique-1710.jpg?1471104329" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>In the last few decades, music schools are having somewhat of a revolution. A popular secondary option has emerged that, in a way, bridges the gap between the traditional music classroom and private instruction. These are programs like Bach To Rock. While traditionally, one could obtain private instruction at your town's music store, companies like Back to Rock offer private and group instruction for specific instruments and ensembles. There is some blowback, as private instructors complain that their wage per hour is sometimes less than half than what it would be with their own students. Defenders of these programs claim that the increase in number of students balances this out. What they might fail to see, however, is that if you even make 50% of your standard rate, your have to work twice as many hours, and take on twice as many students to make the same amount of money. Ultimately, that equates to less real energy you can put towards each student as a teacher and mentor, which negatively impacts the quality of the education in each lesson.</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Whatever Is Right For You</strong></span> <br>These days, there are more options than ever to someone who wants to learn an instrument or music theory. Take your time, do your research, and see what feels right for you. Oh, and make sure you can afford it. You can take a Music 101 Class at your local community college, find a private instructor, or give teaching yourself a shot. In the end, you might find yourself trying all of these in an effort to see what kind of musical environment you thrive in, and that's just fine! Follow your heart, and you'll never regret a single moment. </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! Please share this article if you found it helpful!<br><br>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43236642016-08-13T12:02:07-04:002021-10-01T13:34:09-04:00Music School vs Private Instruction: Which Is Right For You?<p>There are three basic ways to learn how to play an instrument: Teach yourself, go to music school, or get private instruction. There are pros and cons to each choice, so let's discuss them! </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Teaching Yourself </strong></span><br>If you are just starting out on your first ever musical instrument, this is probably not the way to go. When you pick up your first instrument, it's very important to have a structured learning environment. This is because music theory is highly cumulative; meaning that if you are misunderstanding a concept and aren't even aware of it, you're entire learning curve is automatically inhibited. It's extremely important to have a trusted resource to explain concepts and how to use them properly, which sets you up to properly understand the next concept. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/204519/40fe223f6821293597335af916797a7dbd70abaa/medium/vatch-music-teacher-01.jpg?1471104093" class="size_m justify_center border_" />If you already play an instrument, teaching yourself another is a much less daunting task. Of course, this varies depending on the instruments you know and are trying to learn; but even so, you're existing knowledge and discipline with one instrument will greatly aid you in learning another. </p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Music School </strong></span><br>The institutional method of music education is an extremely valuable tool. In a few years, you can go from knowing next to nothing about music, to understanding the highest levels of music theory, composition, and ear training. Such value comes at a real cost: the cost of a college education. And given our current economy–on top of decades-long trends in colleges and universities–the cost of a higher education is only going to rise, at least in the USA. If you're more into the technology side of music and audio, music programs also include audio engineering or sonic arts degrees as well. This is really a brand new area in academia which didn't really exist even just 20 years ago. <br><br>One of the best parts about a music program is being surrounded by other musicians who are also learning; discussing concepts, getting their take on music theory, and having different professors to ask questions of. This all builds up into a powerful network in the musical community, and can help lead to career opportunities, even just by having it on your resume. For this reason, it will continue to be as relevant as ever and continue to provide the standard by which music education is measured. So go for it, if you can afford it. </p>
<p>At the end of the day, it comes down to your goals. If you want to play in an orchestra, then making the investing in a college degree might be a good idea. If you want to start a band and rock out, getting a music degree certainly won't hurt; but it might not be necessary. Discover your goals, and your path will form around them. </p>
<p><strong><span class="font_large">Private Instruction</span> </strong><br>This is by far the oldest and most traditional method of learning musical concepts or a musical instrument. In times of old, if you wanted to learn to play an instrument, you go to someone who knows how to play it and ask them to teach you. Better yet, go to someone who's famous for playing it! That's it. It's the time-tested, tried and true method of mastering both an instrument and the concepts of music theory. This method is so in-grained in music education, that many of us received some kind of private instruction for an instrument as a child (most likely piano or violin) in addition to general music education in public school, whether we were musically inclined or not. And that's a great thing! Let's keep it going. </p>
<p>Another benefit to private instruction is that it directly supports working musicians and artists. Especially in the United States, making a livable income as a musician is a heady task. In reality, these people do not have one full-time job called "Musician." Chances are, they are doing a great deal of things, trying to set up multiple income streams that fall in-line with their commitment to music (whatever that means to them), just to make ends meet. One of the most popular of these income streams is private instruction. It pays the bills while they work on that masterpiece. <br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/204519/4306773b286ca306a9630a3acc30d490f762a57f/medium/jean-marc-nattier-la-lec-on-de-musique-1710.jpg?1471104329" class="size_m justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>In the last few decades, music schools are having somewhat of a revolution. A popular secondary option has emerged that, in a way, bridges the gap between the traditional music classroom and private instruction. These are programs like Bach To Rock. While traditionally, one could obtain private instruction at your town's music store, companies like Back to Rock offer private and group instruction for specific instruments and ensembles. There is some blowback, as private instructors complain that their wage per hour is sometimes less than half than what it would be with their own students. Defenders of these programs claim that the increase in number of students balances this out. What they might fail to see, however, is that if you even make 50% of your standard rate, your have to work twice as many hours, and take on twice as many students to make the same amount of money. Ultimately, that equates to less real energy you can put towards each student as a teacher and mentor, which negatively impacts the quality of the education in each lesson.</p>
<p><span class="font_large"><strong>Whatever Is Right For You</strong></span> <br>These days, there are more options than ever to someone who wants to learn an instrument or music theory. Take your time, do your research, and see what feels right for you. Oh, and make sure you can afford it. You can take a Music 101 Class at your local community college, find a private instructor, or give teaching yourself a shot. In the end, you might find yourself trying all of these in an effort to see what kind of musical environment you thrive in, and that's just fine! Follow your heart, and you'll never regret a single moment. </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! Please share this article if you found it helpful!<br><br>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184762016-06-17T17:35:00-04:002021-10-01T13:34:26-04:00Using 9 Chords<p>What if I told you that there was a special kind of chord you could use to give your music an extra sense of depth in the writing? If you went to a music school, or have extensive musical training, then you already know what I'm talking about. For those who don't, this is for you: </p>
<p>So when I say "9 chord" what exactly do I mean? Well, it's definitely a chord. And we know what that is, even if we're a beginner. So we're already half done! AWESOME. </p>
<p>But what about the "9"? What does that mean? To make things simple, let's look at a C major scale. Now, basic music theory tells us that there are 8 steps in a major scale: But what if we went further? We're just repeating the scale, only an octave up, right? Exactly. </p>
<p><strong>That "9" is just the second scale degree added an octave above the root note, or the C we started on at the beginning of scale, or, "1."</strong> </p>
<p>So how does this sound? What difference can it make mid-song? Check out the first installment of Six Minutes To A Better Song:<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="W2xH_dWGi3A" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/W2xH_dWGi3A/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W2xH_dWGi3A?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>Cool sound, right? That major second interval really adds a sense of romance, especially in a more open position. </p>
<p>What do you think of 9 chords? Will you use one in your next song? </p>
<p>Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading. </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43225242016-06-17T17:35:00-04:002021-10-01T13:34:58-04:00Using 9 Chords<p>What if I told you that there was a special kind of chord you could use to give your music an extra sense of depth in the writing? If you went to a music school, or have extensive musical training, then you already know what I'm talking about. For those who don't, this is for you: </p>
<p>So when I say "9 chord" what exactly do I mean? Well, it's definitely a chord. And we know what that is, even if we're a beginner. So we're already half done! AWESOME. </p>
<p>But what about the "9"? What does that mean? To make things simple, let's look at a C major scale. Now, basic music theory tells us that there are 8 steps in a major scale: But what if we went further? We're just repeating the scale, only an octave up, right? Exactly. </p>
<p><strong>That "9" is just the second scale degree added an octave above the root note, or the C we started on at the beginning of scale, or, "1."</strong> </p>
<p>So how does this sound? What difference can it make mid-song? Check out the first installment of Six Minutes To A Better Song:<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="W2xH_dWGi3A" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/W2xH_dWGi3A/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W2xH_dWGi3A?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>Cool sound, right? That major second interval really adds a sense of romance, especially in a more open position. </p>
<p>What do you think of 9 chords? Will you use one in your next song? </p>
<p>Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading. </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184772016-06-13T17:35:00-04:002021-10-01T13:35:20-04:00Power of the DAWside: How and Why to Make Templates<p>When you open up any given DAW--digital audio workstation--you are almost always presented with a small screen that has multiple templates to choose from. </p>
<p>For years, I almost always chose "Empty Project" and would then start setting up my session for songwriting, mixing, or whatever I was doing that day. One day, I decided to do some scoring to video, so I decided to check out the corresponding template. That day changed everything. </p>
<p>All of a sudden, I had all the tools necessary to start composing, INSTANTLY. </p>
<p>Sure, I knew I would change the arrangement and instrumentation, or what instruments I use; but I now had a starting point where I could merely import the video file and get to composing. Deciding to apply this to songwriting, I setup a "standard" songwriting/recording session, and simply clicked "Save As Template". </p>
<p>What used to take 20 or 30 minutes of setup is now done instantly. </p>
<p>Check out the video:<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="CBrOs3ZUnMw" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/CBrOs3ZUnMw/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CBrOs3ZUnMw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>Do you make templates for songwriting, composing, or scoring? </p>
<p>Will you after watching the video? </p>
<p>Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading. </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p> </p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43225232016-06-13T17:35:00-04:002019-07-10T01:46:39-04:00Power of the DAWside: How and Why to Make Templates<p>When you open up any given DAW--digital audio workstation--you are almost always presented with a small screen that has multiple templates to choose from. </p>
<p>For years, I almost always chose "Empty Project" and would then start setting up my session for songwriting, mixing, or whatever I was doing that day. One day, I decided to do some scoring to video, so I decided to check out the corresponding template. That day changed everything. </p>
<p>All of a sudden, I had all the tools necessary to start composing, INSTANTLY. </p>
<p>Sure, I knew I would change the arrangement and instrumentation, or what instruments I use; but I now had a starting point where I could merely import the video file and get to composing. Deciding to apply this to songwriting, I setup a "standard" songwriting/recording session, and simply clicked "Save As Template". </p>
<p>What used to take 20 or 30 minutes of setup is now done instantly. </p>
<p>Check out the video:<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="CBrOs3ZUnMw" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/CBrOs3ZUnMw/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CBrOs3ZUnMw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>Do you make templates for songwriting, composing, or scoring? </p>
<p>Will you after watching the video? </p>
<p>Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading. </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p> </p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184782016-06-05T17:30:00-04:002019-10-07T16:06:35-04:00Power of the DAWside: Virtual Drummer in Logic Pro<p>Last time, I showed you guys why it's helpful to arrange your music within your DAW of choice. So in that same vein, I want to talk about Logic's Virtual Drummer and how it can help you realize your musical vision much quicker. </p>
<p> I just read a great article over at The Recording Revolution, where Graham called a home studio the ULTIMATE SONGWRITING TOOL. I could not agree more with that sentiment. In fact, I've literally done all of my writing in my home studio. Here's an example, one that Graham uses in his article: </p>
<p> Say you just finished recording the guitar parts to a song you're riding. But you don't really have any ideas for any drum parts. Well, thankfully, in any DAW, there are a set of virtual instruments and/or samples you can just pull up and start programming a beat. </p>
<p>But, I want to make it even easier for you. And Logic helps us to do that with Virtual Drummer. </p>
<p>Check out the Power of the DAWside:<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="U69u8BmDMG4" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/U69u8BmDMG4/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U69u8BmDMG4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>With Virtual Drummer, or any similar plugin, you can literally write fairly complex drum parts for your song and have it sound absolutely fantastic. The only actual limitation is that you can only use Logic's stock drum samples, which are by far not the worst, but also not the best. </p>
<p>What do you think of Virtual Drummer? Have you ever used it? </p>
<p>Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to Musical Engineering on <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> and SIGN UP to the mailing list for weekly content!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43225222016-06-05T17:30:00-04:002021-08-02T13:01:45-04:00Power of the DAWside: Virtual Drummer in Logic Pro<p>Last time, I showed you guys why it's helpful to arrange your music within your DAW of choice. So in that same vein, I want to talk about Logic's Virtual Drummer and how it can help you realize your musical vision much quicker. </p>
<p> I just read a great article over at The Recording Revolution, where Graham called a home studio the ULTIMATE SONGWRITING TOOL. I could not agree more with that sentiment. In fact, I've literally done all of my writing in my home studio. Here's an example, one that Graham uses in his article: </p>
<p> Say you just finished recording the guitar parts to a song you're riding. But you don't really have any ideas for any drum parts. Well, thankfully, in any DAW, there are a set of virtual instruments and/or samples you can just pull up and start programming a beat. </p>
<p>But, I want to make it even easier for you. And Logic helps us to do that with Virtual Drummer. </p>
<p>Check out the Power of the DAWside:<br><br><iframe class="justify_center" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="U69u8BmDMG4" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/U69u8BmDMG4/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U69u8BmDMG4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>With Virtual Drummer, or any similar plugin, you can literally write fairly complex drum parts for your song and have it sound absolutely fantastic. The only actual limitation is that you can only use Logic's stock drum samples, which are by far not the worst, but also not the best. </p>
<p>What do you think of Virtual Drummer? Have you ever used it? </p>
<p>Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to Musical Engineering on <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> and SIGN UP to the mailing list for weekly content!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184792016-05-31T17:30:00-04:002019-10-07T16:06:35-04:00Power of the DAWside: The Secrets of Signal Flow<p>I know this is the last thing we want to think about as creative musician-types. But we kind of always are anyway... </p>
<p>Say you're a guitarist or bassist and have a pedalboard. Now, it's pretty common to have a compressor or EQ on it. But, when you were setting it up, did you ever notice that things sounded different when placed in a specific orders? </p>
<p>That difference is signal flow at work. Without being all science-y, it's basically the path that the audio signal takes through your gear. It's as simple as that.<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="1Qgj8GAC4ug" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/1Qgj8GAC4ug/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Qgj8GAC4ug?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><br> </p>
<p>When I was starting out, this took me forever to grasp. But once I realized that I was using signal flow every time I plugged in my guitar, it all clicked. </p>
<p>What do you think? Is signal flow still a mystery to you? </p>
<p>Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading. </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://Subscribe" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43225212016-05-31T17:30:00-04:002016-08-12T17:27:27-04:00Power of the DAWside: The Secrets of Signal Flow<p>I know this is the last thing we want to think about as creative musician-types. But we kind of always are anyway... </p>
<p>Say you're a guitarist or bassist and have a pedalboard. Now, it's pretty common to have a compressor or EQ on it. But, when you were setting it up, did you ever notice that things sounded different when placed in a specific orders? </p>
<p>That difference is signal flow at work. Without being all science-y, it's basically the path that the audio signal takes through your gear. It's as simple as that.<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="1Qgj8GAC4ug" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/1Qgj8GAC4ug/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Qgj8GAC4ug?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><br> </p>
<p>When I was starting out, this took me forever to grasp. But once I realized that I was using signal flow every time I plugged in my guitar, it all clicked. </p>
<p>What do you think? Is signal flow still a mystery to you? </p>
<p>Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading. </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://Subscribe" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184802016-05-31T17:15:00-04:002019-10-07T16:06:35-04:00 Power of the DAWside: Compression Basics<p>Compressors are one of the most utilized pieces of gear/plugins in audio engineering. So how can we use that to make our songs sound better? </p>
<p>I really like <a contents="Graham Cochrane of The Recording Revolution" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.therecordingrevolution.com/" target="_blank">Graham Cochrane of The Recording Revolution</a>'s way of talking about compressors. He says that their basically a "smart volume fader" and that's exactly right. It's actually really simple, which is confusing for such a widely-used tool, at least for me when I was starting out. </p>
<p>Today's video takes a look at the stock Logic Pro X compressor and how to get started, check it out:<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="7lmmpxPSGME" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/7lmmpxPSGME/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7lmmpxPSGME?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>You can use a compressor to get a variety of different effects, however, all you're really doing to the sound is chopping off the loudest parts and adding makeup gain. </p>
<p>The simplicity of it all can be deceiving. But the more you use it, the better you will get. As with everything. </p>
<p>What do you think? Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43225092016-05-31T17:15:00-04:002021-10-01T13:35:50-04:00 Power of the DAWside: Compression Basics<p>Compressors are one of the most utilized pieces of gear/plugins in audio engineering. So how can we use that to make our songs sound better? </p>
<p>I really like <a contents="Graham Cochrane of The Recording Revolution" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.therecordingrevolution.com/" target="_blank">Graham Cochrane of The Recording Revolution</a>'s way of talking about compressors. He says that their basically a "smart volume fader" and that's exactly right. It's actually really simple, which is confusing for such a widely-used tool, at least for me when I was starting out. </p>
<p>Today's video takes a look at the stock Logic Pro X compressor and how to get started, check it out:<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="7lmmpxPSGME" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/7lmmpxPSGME/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7lmmpxPSGME?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>You can use a compressor to get a variety of different effects, however, all you're really doing to the sound is chopping off the loudest parts and adding makeup gain. </p>
<p>The simplicity of it all can be deceiving. But the more you use it, the better you will get. As with everything. </p>
<p>What do you think? Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184812016-05-28T17:15:00-04:002021-10-01T13:36:47-04:00Power of the DAWside: Make EQ Work For You<p>An EQ can and usually is the single most powerful tool in any DAW. That's why there are stock EQs in the first place! If there weren't, they wouldn't come with literally every DAW, free or paid. </p>
<p>So what does it really do? How can you use it to your advantage? Here's a quick tutorial on the EQ that comes with Logic Pro X, what it's features are, and what it can do for your tunes. </p>
<p>Check out the video:<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="wYrlgP-0Xus" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/wYrlgP-0Xus/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wYrlgP-0Xus?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>A well equalized mix can literally make or break it. We use these tools to shape the sound so that we can fit all the parts together and make it all sound as amazing as possible. This is the entire job of a mix engineer! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43225072016-05-28T17:15:00-04:002021-10-01T13:36:32-04:00Power of the DAWside: Make EQ Work For You<p>An EQ can and usually is the single most powerful tool in any DAW. That's why there are stock EQs in the first place! If there weren't, they wouldn't come with literally every DAW, free or paid. </p>
<p>So what does it really do? How can you use it to your advantage? Here's a quick tutorial on the EQ that comes with Logic Pro X, what it's features are, and what it can do for your tunes. </p>
<p>Check out the video:<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="wYrlgP-0Xus" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/wYrlgP-0Xus/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wYrlgP-0Xus?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>A well equalized mix can literally make or break it. We use these tools to shape the sound so that we can fit all the parts together and make it all sound as amazing as possible. This is the entire job of a mix engineer! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184822016-05-24T17:10:00-04:002021-10-01T13:36:24-04:00Power of the DAWside: Arranging<p>I know this may seem super obvious to some of you, but it wasn't always to me. Using your DAW--digital audio workstation--to arrange your music is one of the most, if not THE MOST important part of the production. Here's why: </p>
<p>Imagine you spent the big bucks, or even the small bucks, on recording a song that wasn't well arranged. And when something isn't well-arranged, it's pretty easy to tell. If when listening to music, you've caught yourself saying something along the lines of: </p>
<p>"Man, this song sounds great, but there's something missing." </p>
<p>In 9 out of 10 cases, that "something" that's missing is due to poor arrangement. What's the point of having world-class sonic quality, if the song itself just isn't that well arranged--or well-written, for that matter. Check out the video:<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="1A7KHj9yrT4" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/1A7KHj9yrT4/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1A7KHj9yrT4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><br> </p>
<p>Arranging is an integral part to the music production process. And being a good arranger is part of what being a good mixer is about. Even if you don't want to be a mix engineer, learning this skill is incredibly important because when your song is well-arranged it's a breeze to mix. </p>
<p>If you're song is well-written, well-recorded, and well-arranged, the engineer you send it to for mixing--and later, mastering--will have a lot less work to do. </p>
<p>Less work can equal less money for you to pay, as well as a smooth exchange of services that makes everyone want to do more business with each other in the future. By writing and arranging your songs as well as you can, you set up the people you want to hire to help you produce your tracks to do their best possible work. </p>
<p>This creates a positive feedback loop of respect, good feelings, and good times: The trifecta of awesome. </p>
<p>What do you think about arranging? Do you think it's important? Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi<br><br><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43225062016-05-24T17:10:00-04:002021-10-01T13:36:12-04:00Power of the DAWside: Arranging<p>I know this may seem super obvious to some of you, but it wasn't always to me. Using your DAW--digital audio workstation--to arrange your music is one of the most, if not THE MOST important part of the production. Here's why: </p>
<p>Imagine you spent the big bucks, or even the small bucks, on recording a song that wasn't well arranged. And when something isn't well-arranged, it's pretty easy to tell. If when listening to music, you've caught yourself saying something along the lines of: </p>
<p>"Man, this song sounds great, but there's something missing." </p>
<p>In 9 out of 10 cases, that "something" that's missing is due to poor arrangement. What's the point of having world-class sonic quality, if the song itself just isn't that well arranged--or well-written, for that matter. Check out the video:<br><br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="1A7KHj9yrT4" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/1A7KHj9yrT4/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1A7KHj9yrT4?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br><br> </p>
<p>Arranging is an integral part to the music production process. And being a good arranger is part of what being a good mixer is about. Even if you don't want to be a mix engineer, learning this skill is incredibly important because when your song is well-arranged it's a breeze to mix. </p>
<p>If you're song is well-written, well-recorded, and well-arranged, the engineer you send it to for mixing--and later, mastering--will have a lot less work to do. </p>
<p>Less work can equal less money for you to pay, as well as a smooth exchange of services that makes everyone want to do more business with each other in the future. By writing and arranging your songs as well as you can, you set up the people you want to hire to help you produce your tracks to do their best possible work. </p>
<p>This creates a positive feedback loop of respect, good feelings, and good times: The trifecta of awesome. </p>
<p>What do you think about arranging? Do you think it's important? Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi<br><br><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X" target="_blank">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184832016-05-23T16:55:00-04:002021-10-01T13:35:34-04:00 Power of the DAWside: Writing Directly Into Your DAW<p>The last couple of decades have seen the rise of mixing In-The-Box, or, using a digital audio workstation to do all the audio processing for a project. Why is this so important? </p>
<p>When we think about writing or producing music, we tend to think about the traditional methods: notating our music, booking studio time, etc. </p>
<p>But instead of using these time-tested traditional method, I want to make the case to you of composing directly into your DAW. The reason? </p>
<p>Say you're writing a song, one you want to release at some point. What better way to get started than writing your song DIRECTLY into your DAW. By doing this, you actually save A TON of time, because you are starting the recording process as soon as you start writing. </p>
<p>Check out the video:<br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="3JFzKugBUFA" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/3JFzKugBUFA/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JFzKugBUFA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>There are so many reasons why this is a great idea, but my favorite is this: </p>
<p>When you write or compose directly into your DAW you have the opportunity to start arranging your song and can very quickly determine what you want the song to sound like--or not sound like! </p>
<p>Maybe that lead part you wrote over the chorus sounds great in your head, but doesn't pan out in the recording. Imagine writing an entire song like this and then going into the studio and realizing that it doesn't work? </p>
<p>BRUTAL. </p>
<p>Will you take the step to start composing directly into your DAW? Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi<br><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43224822016-05-23T16:55:00-04:002021-10-01T13:36:02-04:00 Power of the DAWside: Writing Directly Into Your DAW<p>The last couple of decades have seen the rise of mixing In-The-Box, or, using a digital audio workstation to do all the audio processing for a project. Why is this so important? </p>
<p>When we think about writing or producing music, we tend to think about the traditional methods: notating our music, booking studio time, etc. </p>
<p>But instead of using these time-tested traditional method, I want to make the case to you of composing directly into your DAW. The reason? </p>
<p>Say you're writing a song, one you want to release at some point. What better way to get started than writing your song DIRECTLY into your DAW. By doing this, you actually save A TON of time, because you are starting the recording process as soon as you start writing. </p>
<p>Check out the video:<br><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="3JFzKugBUFA" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/3JFzKugBUFA/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3JFzKugBUFA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> </p>
<p>There are so many reasons why this is a great idea, but my favorite is this: </p>
<p>When you write or compose directly into your DAW you have the opportunity to start arranging your song and can very quickly determine what you want the song to sound like--or not sound like! </p>
<p>Maybe that lead part you wrote over the chorus sounds great in your head, but doesn't pan out in the recording. Imagine writing an entire song like this and then going into the studio and realizing that it doesn't work? </p>
<p>BRUTAL. </p>
<p>Will you take the step to start composing directly into your DAW? Let me know in the comments! </p>
<p>Thanks for reading! </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi<br><a contents="Subscribe" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://eepurl.com/b06q0X">Subscribe</a> to the mailing list and to <a contents="YOUTUBE" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCORRrcYth0Wfr0V0tc2vm4w" target="_blank">YOUTUBE</a> for exclusive access to more tips, tricks, and links to other resources!</p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/59184842016-05-20T16:55:00-04:002019-10-07T16:06:35-04:00The Power of the DAW-side<iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="zfJpDcECKqA" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/zfJpDcECKqA/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zfJpDcECKqA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> <p>Ever wanted to learn how to use a digital audio workstation (DAW)? Have you ever seen videos about guys sitting behind giant consoles, or pull up an awesome looking program and then just go to town on some tunes? Some thoughts you might have include: </p>
<p>-What does all that stuff do? It doesn't seem that hard, right? </p>
<p>-I write music. Can I learn how to use a DAW and produce my own music? </p>
<p>-It could save some serious cash, especially in the long-run. </p>
<p>These thoughts are what I found myself thinking over and over again throughout my career. But I had always thought that it was some mysterious art that took decades of study and experience to gain any kind of expertise. But after lots of research, I found answers: </p>
<p>-No, it's not that hard. </p>
<p>-Yes, you can easily produce your own music, </p>
<p>-Yes, it can be a life-changing skill. </p>
<p>Nowadays, technology has given us the ability to make comparably tiny investments and turn those into long-term profits. You don't need a giant mixing console anymore, because your laptop actually has more processing power than one! That's why people mix in-the-box (ITB) these days! </p>
<p>So what now? You're in and you want to get started. </p>
<p>First thing you need to decide is which DAW you want to try. There are some free options, my favorite being Audacity and Garageband. But if you're serious about learning, both Logic Pro and Pro Tools are well worth the investment. Pro Tools even offers a low-cost monthly plan for those who can't afford the retail price point. No matter what you choose, all of the concepts you learn can be applied ANYWHERE in ANY DAW. </p>
<p>In the video, I go through some of the basics of Logic Pro X. In the future, there will also be DAW tutorials, but I wanted to start with my personal preference, as well as the one I know best. </p>
<p>Are you ready to take the next step? </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p> </p>Avi Blum Musictag:aviblummusic.com,2005:Post/43224812016-05-20T16:55:00-04:002016-08-12T16:53:12-04:00The Power of the DAW-side<iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="zfJpDcECKqA" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/zfJpDcECKqA/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zfJpDcECKqA?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="200" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe><br> <p>Ever wanted to learn how to use a digital audio workstation (DAW)? Have you ever seen videos about guys sitting behind giant consoles, or pull up an awesome looking program and then just go to town on some tunes? Some thoughts you might have include: </p>
<p>-What does all that stuff do? It doesn't seem that hard, right? </p>
<p>-I write music. Can I learn how to use a DAW and produce my own music? </p>
<p>-It could save some serious cash, especially in the long-run. </p>
<p>These thoughts are what I found myself thinking over and over again throughout my career. But I had always thought that it was some mysterious art that took decades of study and experience to gain any kind of expertise. But after lots of research, I found answers: </p>
<p>-No, it's not that hard. </p>
<p>-Yes, you can easily produce your own music, </p>
<p>-Yes, it can be a life-changing skill. </p>
<p>Nowadays, technology has given us the ability to make comparably tiny investments and turn those into long-term profits. You don't need a giant mixing console anymore, because your laptop actually has more processing power than one! That's why people mix in-the-box (ITB) these days! </p>
<p>So what now? You're in and you want to get started. </p>
<p>First thing you need to decide is which DAW you want to try. There are some free options, my favorite being Audacity and Garageband. But if you're serious about learning, both Logic Pro and Pro Tools are well worth the investment. Pro Tools even offers a low-cost monthly plan for those who can't afford the retail price point. No matter what you choose, all of the concepts you learn can be applied ANYWHERE in ANY DAW. </p>
<p>In the video, I go through some of the basics of Logic Pro X. In the future, there will also be DAW tutorials, but I wanted to start with my personal preference, as well as the one I know best. </p>
<p>Are you ready to take the next step? </p>
<p>Cheers, </p>
<p>Avi </p>
<p> </p>Avi Blum Music