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March 7, 2012Posted by Phoenix Recording in Articles

What Is A Music Producer and Do I Need One?

With CPU power growing and silicon prices dropping, more and more American musicians are turning their bedrooms and garages into "semi"- pro recording studios. With a few grand or a nice credit line at the local Guitar Center, a band or Hip-Hop group has a shot at making it big with their new gear. Read more
August 7, 2012Posted by Phoenix Recording in Articles

How To Make Dubstep

Dubstep is a genre of music that has been around since the late nineties. Many new electronic artists have embraced this style of music lately and it has become much more mainstream. There are many arguments about what artists are true Dubstep artists or just Dance artists or Hip Hop beat makers. This article is not about the genre or how it must fit a particular category. I would rather go over some basic technical points on how to build the modern sound we now call Dubstep. I have gathered some helpful video tutorials and will break down the basic tools and techniques I use to get my sound. Read more
May 22, 2012Posted by Phoenix Recording in Articles

How To Buy Instrumentals Online

When you set out to buy beats online there are many things to consider. Sound quality is one of the most important aspects of any song and if the website you are downloading beats from does not offer .wav versions of your files, then you should consider finding a website that offers the "tracked out" version of the beat in at least 16 bit format or better. This will cost you anywhere from 100 dollars a song on up to 500 for an exclusive beat. Some sites only offer mp3 versions of the instrumental. This will significantly degrade the quality of the overall production of the song. Read more
May 22, 2012Posted by Phoenix Recording in Articles

Why Buy Beats When I Can Get Free Beats?

Hip Hop instrumentals can be found all over the Internet for low prices and sometimes free. Most sites allow the download of an mp3 file of the stereo instrumental. 320 Kbps is the best file format for mp3 because it is near cd quality. Websites who offer Hip Hop instrumentals do this to save room on the server. Be careful, many sites only offer their mp3 instrumentals at 128 Kbps. This low quality mp3 can hurt the sound of your overall mix since you will be recording vocals at 24 bit when you take your track to the studio. Read more
May 6, 2012Posted by Phoenix Recording in Articles

How to Mix Music

After the song has been recorded and all the performances have been captured properly, the next step in the music production process is the mix. When tracking modern music, multiple layers are required to get that professional, "radio ready" sound. This multi tracking technique requires many tracks of the same instrument to be recorded and stacked on top of one another. When tracking multiple layers of a vocal, producers must apply different layers of compression and eq to make the layers melt together to make the illusion of one large vocal cutting through the mix. This is not a new technique but it is largely unknown to novice engineers and producers. When applied correctly, this music production technique can give you a very large and loud sounding mix that is comparable with mixes you hear from your favorite artists. Read more
May 6, 2012Posted by Phoenix Recording in Articles

Music Equipment - The Metronome

When a band makes up it's collective mind to book studio time and record a "few songs", what is the most crucial decision you must make? Where to fit all the groupies in the stretch limo? Should I be seen with Lindsay Lohan at the cd-release party? Don't get too ahead of yourself. The question is - Should I convince my band to play to a metronome (click track)? Read more
May 6, 2012Posted by Phoenix Recording in Articles

How to Copyright Music

This video shows you how to copyright your music and explains the basics of exclusive rights. All artists who are serious about furthering their career in the music business should know about their rights and limitations as songwriters and performers. The video below outlines a few basic principles that are important to understand when protecting your intellectual property in the music industry Read more
March 20, 2012Posted by Phoenix Recording in Articles

Autotune and Gangsta Tactics

Singers who can't sing are a dime a dozen. If you use Autotune to keep from cringing instead of as an effect, you probably need to practice with a vocal coach. Going into a recording studio without being prepared is like going to the prom wearing nothing but Chuck Taylors and a g-string. You'll stand out, but for all the wrong reasons. No matter how long you have been in the music business, a good musician should always practice his/her basics and be able to take direction from others. Read more