I've recently been wondering what will be the future for labels. Are streaming services replacing labels? Or are other communities? I've been running my label Archipel since 2004 and I've never really made money from it, if you discount using it as a business card for gigs and contacts. The...
In a sense, musical intuition is what defines someone who can bring a bit of creative magic into something, in comparison to someone who sticks to truly technical application of software. I've often had the chance to watch experienced producers make music, either while I was visiting one's studio or on...
The majority of artists I work with during mastering and finishing your tracks, talk about their desire to define their own sound. It's important to them because as a music lover many times you'll hear a just a few seconds of a song and think that's got to be _____...
During a conference I was recently invited to talk at, I was speaking with a group of people @ College Du Montreal and was asked a question I couldn’t answer quickly. The question that came up was what I’d consider “next level”, which I responded by saying “chances are, you're...
I want to talk about DIY - that is, the do-it-yourself approach to making music. Some people have the desire to begin massive projects where they create everything themselves, from scratch. They hunt for samples, they record bits of this and that, they spend days writing and re-writing melodies, they...
It was a great surprise to see the release of Izotope's new Ozone and Neutron update last week. Since I use both products, often I immediately got started looking for whats new. There will undoubtedly be a ton of new tutorial and youtube review videos posted of these tools, but I...
The modular synthesis game is a big one right now, and for good reason. Sound designers and synth heads that want to take their sound design to the next level will find no shortage of fantastic modules to collect, and nothing is stopping you from patching together the tweaked out...
I’m always looking for ways to improve upon what I do, and how I can better serve my clients. I’m not taking any breaks on becoming better and better every day. I read a lot and especially enjoy reading words from entrepreneurs to learn from, and help build upon the...
I’m hearing lot’s of friends and readers super excited to start using the new gear they’ve recently bought for their studios, I certainly know the feeling. The thing is, learning to be confident and comfortable with new gear takes time, and it can often be difficult to get everything in...
Does this happen to you? You start a project with an idea and a direction, “I’m going to make a techno track”, you fire up a drum machine, get a baseline going, start jamming, looking for sounds, creating a groove, and an hour later you listen back to an 8...
Since the very beginning, I can remember many times I’ve questioned my abilities as a music producer. Feeling stuck on a project or coping with negative feedback from a track I was proud of left me wondering if I was starring down the path of a musical dead end. Sometimes...
Nearly every week I have a similar conversation with my clients. In good faith, and to save both my clients and myself time I'm writing this post to help answer the questions many producers keep wondering. The question of background vs. forefront to create dimension. My clients often send me projects...
As a producer, you're likely trying to balance several tasks all at once while working on your music. If you're spending time to look through four or five reverbs in search of the perfect sound, setting up buses and groups to pre-mix your tracks while you arrange it, or just...
Recently I’ve been weighing the benefits of focusing on just one part of my production process exclusively, or, working on all the steps of a production simultaneously - arranging, mixing, pre-mastering, etc.. Very often producers ask me to explain a perfect workflow recipe and the truth is, there really isn’t...
Let's face it, self-promotion is certainly one of the most loved & hated topics musicians face on a daily basis. I mean, you make music, it's hard to repress that inner compulsion of wanting to share your work to the world right? Finishing music and releasing your hard work to...
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