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52 Reason / Record Tips – Week 44: Synth School with the Subtractor

September 8, 2011 in Local Music by


As electronic music producers, we rely on synths as our bread and butter sounds for leads, bass lines, effects, textures, and so on. Knowing that, how crazy is it that so many of us don’t REALLY know how to use them?! I mean, it’s not our fault in some ways. The presets we get from the factory soundbank and ReFills are very good. Usually one of those with a couple random knob adjustments get us off and going just fine. But imagine the power you’d have if you could sculpt a sound and control a sound with precise knowledge of what you’re doing and the effect it will have. Imagine if you had your own folder of custom patches that you created; your own stash of secret sauce that nobody else has. Imagine if you could think of a sound you’d like to create and to know instantly how to do it. I’m going to embark on a multi-week exploration of synthesis theory to do just that for you. This week we’re starting with the most basic synth there is – the Subtractor. But don’t let its simplicity fool you. It’s capable of some amazing sounds.

100 Tips For Blues Guitar You Should Have Been Told

July 15, 2011 in Local Music by stagemaster

Product Description
In 100 Tips For Blues Guitar You Should Have Been Told, David Mead focuses on the styles and techniques associated with one of the guitar’s longest-surviving and most-played genres. In a series of illustrated exercises that work in combination with an accompanying CD, he tackles the problems associated with playing a form of music that stretches the harmonic boundaries of Western music tradition, covering subjects from choosing the right plectrum to executing the mo… More >>

100 Tips For Blues Guitar You Should Have Been Told

52 Reason / Record Tips – Week 49: Thor Oscillator Types

March 30, 2011 in Local Music by stagemaster


Synth School enters its final and most advanced device starting this week. Strap in and get ready because we’re about to tackle the Thor Polysonic Synthesizer. Thor is called “polysonic” because it offers a smorgasbord of various oscillator types, filter types, and signal routing options. This week we’ll be focusing on the first major oscillator types in Thor. Each oscillator has a specific synth technology behind it and each one has a particular sound that will be suitable for different uses. If you’ve found yourself relying on presets for Thor or if you tend to go straight to the analog oscillator because it’s familiar to you, you’ll definitely want to get to know these other oscillators. They’ll expand your sonic palette and ramp up your sound design chops.

52 Reason / Record Tips – Week 47: Malström Graintable Synthesis

February 18, 2011 in Local Music by stagemaster


If you think of last three weeks of Synth School as primary school, then this week we’re graduating up to Middle School. Don’t worry, though… there’s no detention or pop quizes. This week we’ll move onto the Malström Graintable Synthesizer which was introduced in Reason version 2.0. I think you’ll be surprised with how comfortable you are switching to a new synth. You’ll be applying a lot of what you’ve learned already, like ADSR envelopes, oscillator pitch controls, etc. You’ll also be seeing new controls and knobs that come with the graintable synthesis territory, like Shift and Motion.

Home Recording Studio – Free Tips and Essential Resources

September 18, 2010 in Gear by stagemaster

Building a home recording studio has never been more popular with the advance in recording studio equipment. Home Music Recording has found a solid blend of digital recording products and music recording knowledge to help you start your own home recording studio.


Easy Steps to Making Music On Your Home Computer


Any computer purchased in the last couple of years has the basic hardware for recording music. Computers with a hard drive smaller than 2Gb and a CPU slower then 100mhz is going to limit you to a few tracks at best. The faster and bigger your home computer, the more powerful your digital recording capabilities can be. Besides your computer, all you need is a microphone and some software, and you’re ready to create.


Multi-track recording software is fairly easy to use. You do not need a math degree to figure them out. Many programs are geared specifically for regular musicians, and most offer a minimum of 8-track digital home recording. Some programs come equipped with virtual drum features, full MIDI capabilities, and multi-effects.


Actually, home recording is as easy as loading your software into your computer, jacking your mic into the sound card, and playing. Soloists can record one rhythm track, then create another lead track while your previous track plays back into your professional headphones, then add vocals on a third track.You can continue adding as many tracks as your computer and software can handle.


Most software lets you add effects on all tracks. A word to the wise: even the fastest computers start slowing down with too many simultaneous effects in real time. Usually these ‘bogs’ will sound fine when you mix down, when the processor can handle more effects because it isn’t fixed to real time.


Computer noise can be a pain when recording. The best thing to do is to put your computer under your desk. Even better, buy extra long cables for all you peripherals and put your computer in the next room.


Of course you’ll want to pick up a few other cool things. Perhaps a better sound card, maybe a sound mixer desk, certainly a superior mic and preamp, and probably a MIDI keyboard. And then you’ll need to burn your own CDs.


Keeping Your Gear Current


Most people know that good home recording studio maintenance means cleaning and dusting rack modules, de-fragmenting hard drives, calibrating recorders and effects, and other details that help keep your gear in top operating condition.


When you’re performing your regular maintenance, don’t forget the software part of your setup. Thanks to the Internet, updates, drivers for A/D converters, plugins and upgrades for DAWs and soft synths, and the latest operating systems for computers and keyboards are just a click away. These updates generally offer feature enhancements, bug fixes, and/or expanded support for additional gear, plus they are tend to be free!


Whatever you do, have great fun building and operating your home recording studio!

Planning Your Own Home Recording Studio? Look no further. See Ken’s popular series Home Recording – The Essentials and get your free Resources Guide to Choosing Great Gear while you’re there.

Tips On How To Choose A Digital Camcorder

September 6, 2010 in Gear by stagemaster

Not too long ago digital camcorders were very pricey, and so most bought an analog camcorder instead, but as always technology marches on and what was expensive yesterday can be very affordable today. So it is with digital camcorders. They have a lot of advantages that make them the clear choice if you can afford it, and here are some tips on how to choose a digital camcorder:

* It’s a good idea not to buy any camcorder until you have had a chance to actually hold and use it yourself. This is true because miniDV camcorders are the most popular camcorders out there, and they are so small that they may actually be too tiny for some folks with large hands to even use. They typically only weigh about a pound, and they can fit easily into the palm of your hand. So just imagine how difficult it can be for some to fiddle with the tiny controls and dials on these petite camcorders.

* Be sure that you understand the zoom feature and how it works so you get what you need when you buy. There two kinds of zooms used on digital camcorders, the optical zoom and the digital zoom. An optical zoom refers to the lens capability itself and zooms in on a subject before it is digitally recorded. The digital zoom is done by taking the digital image that has been recorded and magnifying it. What you need to know about this is that the optical zoom does not result in any video degradation, but because the digital zoom is just magnifying the image that is already recorded, you can easily begin to see graininess in the video image. So try to rely on the optical zoom as much as possible for most shots, and choosing a camera that has at least a 10z optical zoom should work fine.

* It good to try to get a digital camcorder that can also take still shots too as this makes it so much more convenient to take both video and stills at the same event. Otherwise, you would have to carry along both a digital camera and a digital camcorder at the same time and switch back and forth. But getting a camcorder that allows you to take still digital shots eliminates this hassle. Often the camcorder will even have a built-in flash for low light camera situations too. Most often the digital pictures are saved onto a removable media card that you can use to upload them to your computer and print them out later on.

A digital camcorder opens up lots of possibilities as it allows you to even transfer the video to your computer and add text or music if you like. In essence, you can become your own little movie director with the high quality miniDV camcorders that are available today.

Find out more about digital camcorders review and cannon camcorders by visiting our Home Theater website.

Hip Hop Music Production Tips

August 27, 2010 in Local Music by stagemaster

If you are hunting for options, you may appreciate hip hop music production. Live vocals, turn tables, samplers, live instrumentals, online beat makers, synthesizers and more can all be used.
New Hip Hop Songs

Hiphop production alludes to all areas of the creation and production of hip-hop music. Making instrumentals is the main activity of a the producer. This is generally called a beat, and the producer is often labeled the beat maker. The fascinating thing which has happened more recently are advances in technology. This is getting shot of the job of the producer in hiphop music production. Working in the job of producer, musicians are now recording their own beats.

And at a small fraction of the cost!

for a little less than 30 greenbacks, you should buy your own hiphop music production application right off the web. For this low price even the best tricks and functions are there for the beginning producer.In addition, having access to great support networks and web training implies that even someone that has no understanding of generating beats can straight away start manufacturing their own music today.

The drums create the basic support of any hip-hop beat. The rate and difficulty of the drum beat will dictate the pace and impact of the production itself. Everything is built on the drums. So try and keep them straightforward when you begin or you might encounter issues!
Of course this is based on your capability to make a great beat. Many musicians create their own beats after first working with a download. the easiest way to get going with hip hop music is to start with the basics and slowly improve. After you have a drum beat you are happy with, you need to enhance the percussion and the sampling components of your track. These are both mandatory components of a great original beat.

Whether your hip-hop music production is for manufacturing your own tracks, or you’re a producer trying to find an alternative way into the industry, there are great options out there for everyone. But to start, you want to get a good beat maker software.

The Sonic Producer is surely one software you want to consider.
This application provides affordable and efficient features that will help anyone from a unqualified beginner to the seasoned expert.

‘As a young N.G.O. ‘Did I ever use Yele cash for private benefits? Absolutely not.’
He didn’t complicated on what mistakes he believed the organization had made.
The Smoking Gun on Thursday posted the 2005, 2006 and 2007 tax returns for the Wyclef Jean Foundation, which it revealed operates as Yele Haiti and showed the charity paid Jean and his colleague at least $410,000 to rent, production services and Jean’s appearance at an advantage concert. Jean, who also posted a video on YouTube rejecting the accusations, asserted Yele Haiti’s finances had annually been given’a clean health check by an external auditor.’

A texting campaign launched by Jean after the Jan. Twelve earthquake snuffed out as many as two hundred thousand folks and left its capital, Port-au-Prince, in ruins has raised more than $2 million for the Yele Haiti quake Fund.

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Check Out His phat Hip Hop Site At : New Hip Hop Songs

Tips for Buying a Good Synthesizer

July 29, 2010 in Local Music by stagemaster

Doesn’t it feel great thinking about composing and playing your own music? And especially when you are looking for a career in music. Whichever instrument it may be, drum, guitar, or synthesizer. There are lots of things to be taken into account before jumping to action. Just learning the instrument won’t make you a good musician; you need to have clear knowledge about the instrument you are using. Before you set your mind to buy a synthesizer, you need to get clear about its features, parts, price, brands etc. However, here are some synthesizer buying tips that will definitely help in your decision to buy one.


First of all it should be noted that synthesizers are one of the costliest musical instruments. Therefore, as a buyer you will have to be very cautious in every step and will have to think over the factors relating to the buying, again and again. Some very important synthesizer buying tips are as follows:


Synthesizer buying tips – I


Know your needs: Defining your needs is your first task. Decide, what kind of synthesizer you want to buy, is it analog synthesizer or digital synthesizer. You may opt for simple classical synthesizer or even go for software synthesizer with high profile sound and other qualities. Whatever it is but your budget should match your need, which is very important. One thing should be pointed out here that the choice basically depends on the use of the instrument, like whether you are going to use it for the studio or for your personal use.


Synthesizer buying tips – II


Have sizeable budgets: As it is mentioned earlier that synthesizers are very costly items, therefore going for too much low price may not serve the purpose. As you may not get a good one and the longevity of which is not guaranteed. Sometimes, the cheap synthesizers have awful keyboard, or it may lack vital functions. And so it is better to opt for something within average price but not too low.


Synthesizer buying tips – III


Check it: Before settling down to buy your instrument, check it out properly. Listen to the sound first and see whether it is the kind of music you prefer. Then examine the functioning, including each unit, specially the sound processor unit. If necessary, try to consult an expert. Try some other synthesizers and compare the sound and the systems.


Synthesizer buying tips – IV


New or old: Next thing to decide over is that either you want to go for the new one or the old one. In case you want to buy an old synth, check it out carefully. Make sure all the keys work properly, see that all the notes sound same and none of them sounds louder or softer than the rest. You should always remember that unlike guitars and violins, synthesizers do not get better with age. Sometimes problems like damaged internal batteries, flickering displays may occur. Therefore, it is better to examine each nooks and corners of it.


Synthesizer buying tips – V


Workstation: In case of experienced musician and composer, workstations are the best option. It is basically a synthesizer with many polyphonic voices, includes a built in sequencer, with effects unit and drum kits. For the studio system particularly, the workstation is quite economic. It is like getting a whole studio system in one box.


Coming to sound system, if you want to get both realistic sound and high tech sound synth, its better to buy different synths rather than opting for a single one having both the sounds. Because each one posses different features and qualities.

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, electric guitars, drums, drum sets, and synthesizers, analog synthesizers, digital synthesizer.

Summer concert season is here: tips to keep you rocking out

July 19, 2010 in Local Music by stagemaster

Summer concert season is here: tips to keep you rocking out
(ARA) – From local concerts in the park to multi-city touring music festivals like Lilith, the summer is full of outdoor, day-long concerts and events. But before you head out the door to begin your fun in the sun, there are a few things to consider to make sure you’re prepared for a good time.

Read more on Lexington Clipper-Herald

Tips for Recording Musicians

July 16, 2010 in Local Music by stagemaster

Product Description
* New bigger size with more illustrations
* New chapter on recording synths
* Easy to read format
* How to use MIDI in recording
* Improve your recordings at a stroke
* Hands-on projects Written by Sound on Sound Demo Doctor John Harris, Tips for Recording Musicians is packed with invaluable hints and tips to help musicians and recording engineers get more professional results. Today’s studio equipment is affordable but sophisticated, … More >>

Tips for Recording Musicians