News

This is Part 2 of an article series on Dynamics & Compression, so make sure you read the first part so you have all the necessary info. You'll need this in order to understand what we're talking about in this article!  In the first part we covered Compression and Dynamics; what a Compressor is, how it works, what the controls are, and some examples of the effects a Compressor can have when set differently each time. We also covered Multiband Compression and discussed a few examples of how that can work. In this second part, we will look at a...

There are many plug ins available to us as music producers, but none is so ubiquitous as the Compressor. It's used on pretty much everything (at least it can be!) and you'll find it across the entire genre spectrum of music production. A recording engineer in a huge elaborate hollywood studio will use a compressor, and so will a bedroom producer. It's an essential tool in the music producer's virtual (or hardware) toolbox, but it's also misunderstood and often misused. When used correctly, Compression can add depth and punch to your mix. It can drastically improve the clarity of both...

In the first part of this guide I took you through the first steps of creating a drum pattern using my advanced drum production techniques. These are tips and tricks I've learned through experimentation and trial and error, and I'm passing them on to you because they have helped me create better and stronger music with really good drums. If you followed the steps in part 1, you should have a drum pattern that looks a little something like this. Don't worry if you haven't followed mine exactly, as the concepts are applicable either way!   We've got a Kick,...

One of the marks of being a professional when it comes to music production is knowing your strengths. It’s equally important, however, to know your weaknesses, or if you’re not comfortable with that terminology, maybe you could think along the lines of ‘areas that need improvement’. Your journey as a producer should be one of constant learning and self improvement. Not only because this will -in the long run- lead to great improvements in your skills, but also because on a more real world applicable level, often, creating a project for the purposes of practicing a new technique can often...

There are many little hidden techniques within Ableton that you can take advantage of when making music. You’ll discover a lot of these yourself in time, but I wanted to help out today with a really useful little trick that can come in handy in a number of ways. Chances are, you have your own unique workflow that is specific to you. Most of us do, and this is absolutely essential if you want to make music like the pros. After all, if you develop your own style of producing, your own style of music follows on from that. Unique...