Keyboards Studio Monitors Headphones Microphones Plugins Audio Interfaces Latest PostsBest Headphones for Music Production/Mixing(May 2022)May 25, 2022UncategorizedWorking on music from home has become the norm in todays day and age. This makes having a quality pair of headphones a must, especially for newer home musicians who may not have access to a professional acoustically treated recording environment. There are two main types of headphones that can be used for producing and mixing your music that we will disscuss in this article. The first type of headphones is closed back headphones. Closed back headphones are designed to isolate you from external noise while also minimizing the amount of audio being played from leaking out of the headphones. This is useful when you’re tracking live instruments/vocals and don’t want the sound from the headphones to bleed into the recording. In contrast to this, open back headphones allow audio to leak out of the headphones and do not isolate the listener from outside ambient noise. Open back headphones can be useful when you are working with an artist and you want to remain aware of your outside environment. Furthermore, open back headphones generally tend to have a bit more natural and accurate frequency response then closed back headphones. 1. AKG K702 Reference-Quality Open-Back Circumaural Headphones – $389 The AKG K702 features a real leather, adjustable headband with heavy duty replaceable earpads. Furthermore, these headphones have a frequency response of 10Hz – 39,800Hz. The K702 features an impedance of 62 Ohm. Lastly, the AKG K702 has a 3.5mm mini adapter with a 1/4″ adapter that allows for compatibility with a multitude of audio inputs. 2. Sennheiser HD 600 High-End Audiophile Stereo Headphones HD600 – $379.95 The Sennheiser HD600 is another open back pair that delivers an incredibly transparent sound making it an ideal headphone for mixing. Furthermore the HD600 features a frequency response of 12Hz – 40,500 Hz and an impedance of 300 ohm. 3. Beyerdynamic DT-770-PRO-250 Closed Back Reference Studio Tracking Headphones – $175 The Beyerdyamic DT 770 PRO is a closed back pair of headphones with an impedance of 250 ohms. The DT 770 PRO provides a very accurate listening experience with a frequency response of 5Hz – 35,000Hz. These headphones also feature velour earpads that provide a cushioning and comfort to listeners during long periods of wear. This pair of headphones is perfect for musicians new to home recording being the cheapest option on the list.... Best Analog Synthesizers Under $1000(May 2022)May 25, 2022UncategorizedSynthesizers are a frequently used tool in many home musicians aresenals. They offer a seemingly infinite array of sound design possibilities. The three main types of synthesizers covered in this list will be polyphonic and monophonic. Polyphonic synthesizers allow you to play multiple note at the same time. In contrast, monophonic synthesizers can only play one not at a given time. This makes them a bit less versatile then polyphonic synthesizers, however they tend to really shine when used to create synth basses and leads. Paraphonic synthesizers are similar to monophonic synthesizers but allow you to control two oscilators seperately. 1. Korg MS-20 Mini Monophonic Analogue Synthesizer – $629.99 The Korg MS-20 mini is a remake of the classic Korg MS-20 which was released in 1978. The circuitry inside the MS-20 mini has been reproduced exactly the same as the original. This monophonic synthesizer features two oscilators. Furthermore, the MS-20 has a semi modular design meaning that you can use patch cables to alter the signal path and modulate different parameters. 2. IK Multimedia UNO Synth Pro 37-Key Analog Synthesizer Keyboard – $699.99 The Uno Synth Pro features a 37 key semi-weighted keybed to enhance playability. Furthermore, the Uno Synth Pro comes with 3 continuously variable waveshape oscillators which can be hard synched to create more harmonically complex tones. The Uno synth also features 12 high quality onboard effects and 256 editable user presets. 3. Korg Minilogue XD Polyphonic Analogue Synthesizer – $729.99 The Korg Minilogue is a 37 key polyphonic analogue synthesizer. The minilogue features 4 voice polyphony and 4 different voice modes(POLY, UNISON, CHORD, ARP/LATCH). The Minilogue is a very beginner friendly yet powerful synth with onboard digital effects and the ability to load in user generated waveforms. 4. Moog Subsequent 25 25-Key 2-Note Paraphonic Analog Synthesizer – $999 Moog is probably the most iconic and well known brand within the synthesizer market. Known for the quality craftsmanship of their instruments and the rich sonically dense sound of those instruments. The Moog Sub 25 is no different from any other offering by moog in that regard. The Subsequent 25 is a two note paraphonic synthesizer with 3 oscillators and 5 LFO modes(triangle, square, sawtooth, sample & hold, and ramp). While the Subsequent 25 features an analog sound engine, it also integrates many digital features for interfacing with DAWs such as full MIDI implementation. The small size and weight (16lbs) of the Sub 25 makes it extremely portable. 5. Behringer DeepMind 12 True Analog 12-Voice Polyphonic Synthesizer – $879 The behringer deepmind is fully analog polyphonic that produces sound reminiscent to that of iconic synthesizers of the 70s and 80s. Furthermore, the deepmind 12 features a 49 note keyboard with 2 oscillators per voice, and offers a full suite of onboard effects that can be used to further shape your sound. The deepmind is potentially the most versatile synthesizer on this list with the ability to emulate anything from JUNO-06 like pads, strings, and keys to deep synth bass and lead patches.... Best Budget Nylon Acoustic Guitars Under $500(May 2022)May 21, 2022UncategorizedBuying a new guitar is always exciting whether you’re a beginner or experienced guitarist. Luckily there are many options within a reasonable price range that won’t break the bank. This article will go over our top picks for the best options currently on the market. 1. Cordoba C5 Nylon String Classical Guitar – $436.18 The cordoba C5 comes equipped with a solid cedar top and mahogany backing/sides which provide outstanding volume and tone at this price point. The mahogany neck is 25.6″ and features a rosewood fingerboard. The quality and craftsmanship of this guitar makes it a suitable option for guitarists of all skill levels. 2. Yamaha C40 Full Size Nylon-String Classical Guitar – $219.99 As with all Yamaha guitars, the C40 has amazing build quality. The guitar is durable and built to last. The C40 also comes with a tuning device which is great for beginner guitarists who do not own one. 3. Almansa A-400 Classical Guitar – $346.75 The Almansa a-400 features a solid cedar top with mahogany backing. Furthermore, the a-400 features a natural open pore finish that enhances the warm tone of the guitar. 4. Almansa 401 Cedar & Mahogany Classical Guitar –$292.64 Similarly to the cordoba, the almansa a-401 has a solid cedar top and mahogany backing that gives it a detailed tone with excellent clarity. 5. Yamaha CG102 Classical Guitar –$209.99 The CG102 features a solid Engelmann Spruce top with meranti back/sides and a gloss finish. The neck is nato with a rosewood fingerboard and rosewood bridge. Overall this is great guitar for beginners at a very affordable price being the cheapest on this list.... Best Unique Guitar Effects Pedals For BeatmakersMay 18, 2022UncategorizedCreative guitar effects pedals can be a great addition to any producers aresenal of sound design tools. There are some amazingly unique sounding and useful pedals out there on the market currently. Today we will cover some of the best guitar effects pedals currently on the market for producers looking to take their sound to the next level. 1. Handsome Audio Zulu Passive Analog Tape Simulator Authentic sounding analog tape saturation is a sound that is sought after by producers across the music industry in all genres. Furthmore, achieving this sound in the modern era has proved somewhat of a challenge. Previously, the only way to achieve this sound was to buy a tape machine second hand. This can be somewhat of a hassle as maintaining a tape machine and getting it serviced regularly can be difficult and expensive. Handsome Audio’s Zulu Tape pedal solves this problem, giving you an authentic analog saturation at the same price as most second hand tape machines without the hassle of maintainance. 2. Chase Bliss Audio Blooper This pedal is a cult classic and well kept secret within the online producer community. On the surface it may just seem like a regular looper pedal but once you dig into the extensive and unique options this pedal provides you’ll discover a whole new world of possibilities. With this pedal it is possible to create some incredibly unique and lucious soundscapes. 3. Chase Bliss Audio MOOD With this one we have another offering from chase bliss audio. Similarly to Blooper, MOOD will allow you to loop a specific idea and warp it into something completely unique. MOOD’s suite of spacial effects will allow you to create otherwordly textures from the most simple looped ideas. 4. Hologram Electronics Microcosm Microcosm is a granular effects pedal with a plethora of options from pitch shifting, delay, stereo reverb, various looping techniques and more. Furthermore, this pedal has 11 different modes and 4 external effects. Mixing and matching these options will open up infinitely possibilities for shaping your sound. The pedal also has 44 user presets to start from and customize to your liking. 5. Fairfield Circuitry Shallow Water With Shallow Water you can add a random pitch modulation to your signal. The sound resembles a mixture of vibrato, chorus, and flanger to create a unique pitch modulation to further colour your sound.... Music Theory: Tension and Release (Music Producer Tips)July 23, 2021UncategorizedWithin jazz music theory, creating and releasing tension is a concept that, when applied, will help you create interesting chord progressions. This is a useful concept to understand if you produce R&B or Hip Hop music. Creating tension can be done in a couple of ways that we will go over in this article. However, before we go over these techniques for creating tension, lets define tension. Tension Tension is the build up in anticipation that the listener feels when listening to a piece of music. This causes the listener to feel some kind of anticipation. Once the tension has been created, it must the be released. This resolution of tension causes the listener a feeling of satisfaction. Ways To Create Tension There are quite a few ways to create tension in your tracks. The two main techniques for creating tension that we will go over are key changes and creating dissonance. These two techniques are used frequently in Jazz composition and work well when applied to R&B and Hip Hop production. Let’s go further in depth on these techniques. Key Changes Often times when producers attempt to create a beat from scratch or compose a sample they tend to choose one key and build chord progressions using only chords/notes within that key. While this approach to creating beats can be both simple and effective, it can also be limiting. Instead, adding key changes can open up more interesting possible chord progressions. Changing key creates tension by causing the listener to anticipate a return to the original key or tonal center. To gracefully execute a key change it is useful to reference the circle of fifths. The circle of fifths is a useful music theory tool you can use to visualise keys. When choosing the next chord of your progression you should look at the neighbouring keys to your original key on the circle of fifths and choose a chord that is in one of those two neighbouring keys. source: Musicnotes.com Using a neighbouring key will make your key changes sound more natural and avoid sounding jarring to the listener. From there you may choose to add a few more chords from the new key before resolving the tension by returning to the original key. If your original key is a minor key you can get a similar effect without switching key through switching from the natural minor version of that key to the harmonic minor version by utilising the raised seventh in a chord. Dissonance Trying to avoid dissonance is a common habit of newer producers/musicians because it gives you an uneasy feeling. However this uneasy feeling is actually tension being created which causes the listener to anticipate a resolution. When used in passing it can make your chord progression more interesting and evoke more emotion from the listener as they feel more satisfaction from the resolution when you return to consonance. Within R&B, the diminished 7th chord is frequently used for this purpose. The diminished 7th chord creates a dissonant sound that creates tension. Using the diminished 7th chord as a passing chord is a great way to make the destination chord sound more impactful. This is because the previous diminished chord causes the listener to anticipate the final destination chord.... Best Free Effects Plugins: July 2021July 20, 2021Plugins/VSTs / UncategorizedIt’s often the case that paid premium plugins are sought after by producers as tools to help create. While there are many great paid plugins on the market, free plugins tend to be overlooked. However, in this list we’ll look at the best free effects plugins currently on the market that any producer should find useful. 1. Ribs Granular FX Plugin by Hvoya Audio source: pluginboutique.com Granular Synthesis is an often, underutilized tool that can allow you to create unique otherworldly sounds and atmospheres. Ribs is a versatile granular synth that can be used in a ton of different ways from playing your sound using single midi notes, to generating complex beat rhythms using different sized grains. 2. TAL-Filter 2 by TAL source: pluginboutique.com TAL-Filter 2 is a filter modulation plugin that will allow you to quickly automate the filter of any sound you would like. This effect is create to use on pads(and other similar sounds) to add movement. 3. Finisher MICRO by UJAM source: ujam.com Finisher MICRO is an incredibly simple and fun plugin to use. With Finisher your getting an effect rack with a ton of presets ranging from subtle effects to more obvious in your face effects. 4. PanCake 2 by Cableguys source: cableguys.com PanCake 2 is another very straight forward plugin that can add movement to your sounds. This plugin can allow you to quickly add complex panning automation to your sounds. 5. Vinyl by iZotope source: izotope.com Vinyl is a great plugin to use when you want to add some grit/vinyl effect to your sounds. It is especially useful if you produce a lot of Lo-Fi hip hop. 6. Wider by Polyverse source: polyversemusic.com Wider is a stereo widening plugin that will let you create a wider stereo field on any sound your apply it to. 7. Ozone Imager 2 by iZotope source: izotope.com Similar to the previous plugin Ozone Imager 2 is a stereo widening plugin. However, unlike Wider, Ozone Imager 2 has a Vectorscope that lets you clearly visualize your stereo image. 8. Ambience by Smartelectronix source: kvraudio.com If you’ve been wanting to move on from the stock reverb in your daw, ambience is a great place to start. With ambience you get a ton of realistic sounding reverb spaces that you can tweak to your liking. Hopefully this list has given you some new plugins to play with. This concludes our list for the best free effects plugins of July 2021.... 5 FL Studio Tips To Improve Your WorkflowJuly 12, 2021UncategorizedWorking efficiently in your DAW of choice is important yet often underrated aspect of music production. Learning your DAW and it’s shortcuts can be beneficial in allowing you to finish your projects faster and is especially helpful if you are working under tight deadlines. Whether your a new producer or just transitioning from another DAW to FL Studio, in this guide we give you a few tips to help speed up your workflow in FL Studio. 1. Important hotkeys (F6, F7, F9) Becoming comfortable with these three hotkeys will help you save time when you want to open the piano roll (F7), channel rack (F6), or mixer (F9). 2. Quickly route sounds to the mixer You can route sounds to the channel rack quickly by first selecting your sound in the channel rack and then pressing CTRL + L. After that, the sound routes to the next available mixer track. 3. Consolidate audio Sometimes you might want to convert your midi patterns to audio to help cut down on CPU usage that can slow your computer down. A quick way of doing this is to select the pattern in your playlist and press CTRL + Shift + Alt + C. Once the render menu appears you can click start and an audio clip of your midi will be created on your playlist. 4. Duplicate a selection Often times you may want to quickly duplicate an entire section of a project. You can do this by pressing CTRL + B. Doing this will copy your selection directly after the selected area. 5. Create a new pattern Rather than having to click the new pattern button in the playlist, this can be done a lot quicker using the CTRL + F4 keyboard shortcut. This shortcut will create a new pattern and allow you to name it on the spot.... Best Budget Midi Keyboards 2021May 30, 2021Keyboards$50 – $100 1. Alesis V Mini – Portable 25 Key (Image credit: Amazon) For a more portable 25 key option, the Alesis Mini V is a great choice in this price range. Along with the 25 keys you get 4 drum pads, and 4 knobs that can be used to control VSTs and other things within your DAW. The Mini V also comes packaged with Ableton Live Lite 9 and Xpand!2 as a software add-ons. view on amazon 2. Nektar, 49 Key Midi Controller (Image credit: Nektar Technology) This is probably the best 49 key option in this price range. Along with the 49 keys you’re getting a pitch wheel, and a modulation wheel. It also comes bundled with Bitwig Studio as a software add-on which is great for those who don’t have a DAW yet. view On Amazon $100-$200 1. Arturia Minilab MKII (Image credit: tomleemusic.ca) The minilab is a great 25 key option in this price range giving you 8 drum pads, a pitch slider, a modulation slider, and 16 knobs that can be mapped to VSTs. The real draw of the minilab however is the plethora software add-ons. With the minilab you’re getting access to Analog Lab Lite, Ableton Live Lite, and UVI’s Grand Piano Model D. view on amazon 2. Alesis V49 (Image credit: Alesis) The Alesis V49 is a great 49 key option in this price range, offering 8 drum pads, a modulation wheel, a pitch wheel, and mappable knobs. Like the V mini, the V49 comes bundled with Ableton Live Lite 9 and Xpand!2 view on amazon 3. Nektar Impact GX61 (Image credits: Amazon) In this price range we can start looking into 61 key options like the GX61. With the GX61 you’re getting both a pitch wheel and a mod wheel. Similar to the Nektar SE49, the GX61 comes with Bitwig Studio. view on amazon... Music Production Tips 1: Creating Your Own Samples from ScratchMay 29, 2021UncategorizedWhether you are creating your own beats from scratch or creating samples for collaborations with other producers, the way you arrange your samples will be important to keep the listener interested and give the producer enough material to work with. 1. Create In The Playlist/Arrangement View To elaborate on this point, using FL studio as an example, when creating ideas for your sample/loop it can be useful to record them onto the playlist directly rather than using the channel rack. While this tip may be intuitive for some, for many FL studio users especially, it may feel more natural to record patterns into the the channel rack rather than directly onto the playlist. This subtle change can help to change your paradigm from creating simple four bar loops to creating more complex and evolving melodies. Channel Rack: Playlist: 2. Starting With A Chord Progression Starting with a chord progression is probably the most simple way to start composing a sample. Doing so can set the foundation of the sample and help you to come up with unique melodies. When creating a chord progression it is also useful to create two or three variations of the same chord progression. These variations can help to keep the listener interested throughout. 3. Start With Very Subtle Percussion This is another great way of laying the foundation for samples since you’re able to get the rhythm down. Similar to the second tip, it is useful to create multiple variations of this percussion pattern that can be arranged to add rhythmic variation to your sample. An example of a very subtle percussion loop that can be used: The percussion helps inspire melody ideas and is subtle enough that a producer can still add their own drums on top when making a beat. 4. Effects and Sound Design Sound selection is an important aspect of producing that is often emphasized when creating beats or samples from scratch. Sound design, however, can be just as, if not more important since it can allow you to take relatively bland sounds and make them interesting and pleasant to the listener. There are a plethora of amazing effects plugins out there that can take ordinary sounds and completely transform them. A great example of this would be: Portal Check plugin boutique A granular effects plugin which can completely warp sounds and create interesting unique textures. 5. Add Subtle Textures Adding subtle textures such as vinyl crackle, room ambience, and rains sounds can add a lot of character to your samples....
