Hey guys!

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! 

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…Read more

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: 

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. 

But what about the "9"? What does that mean? To make…

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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. 

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. 

All of a sudden, I had all the tools necessary to start composing…

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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. 

 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…

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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? 

I really like Graham Cochrane of The Recording Revolution'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. 

Today's video takes a look at the stock Logic Pro X compressor and how to get…

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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. 

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. 

Check out the video:


 

A well equalized mix can literally make or break it. We use these tools to shape the sound so that we…

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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: 

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: 

"Man, this song sounds…

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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? 

When we think about writing or producing music, we tend to think about the traditional methods: notating our music, booking studio time, etc. 

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? 

Say you're writing a song, one you want to…

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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: 

-What does all that stuff do? It doesn't seem that hard, right? 

-I write music. Can I learn how to use a DAW and produce my own music? 

-It could save some serious cash, especially in the long-run. 

These thoughts are what I found myself thinking over…

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