Tracking a great piano recording is only half the battle. Once you get to the mixing process, working with piano in the context of your other instruments requires some special attention–thanks to the piano's expansive range of tone and color. In our previous post we discussed some tips for adding EQ and compression to the acoustic piano recording in your mix. Here, we'll talk about using reverb and panning.
The piano is one of the most versatile and expansive instruments to record and mix. It offers a massive amount of possible tones and timbres to work with. Because of this, mixing for piano can be a challenge of its own–especially when there are multiple instruments in your mix. To help you produce the best possible mix, here are some tips for adding equalization and compression to the piano in your mix.
In a recent Wall Street Journal OP-ED, Taylor Swift shared an overall optimistic view of the future of the music industry. While new challenges certainly do exist for artists, the world's top-selling musician believes that the key to success in the future is doing a better job of engaging fans and creating memorable experiences for them.
Pandora has pioneered an agreement with indie rights coalition, Merlin, to skirt the standard rates set by the Copyright Royalty Board. This will offer independent artists better pay per stream and better exposure on the streaming service. The deal is the first of its kind, enabling independent labels and distributors to negotiate with a major streaming service directly.
Radio is still the dominant medium for people to listen to and discover music. Ironically, it's also one of the worst in terms of quality. Nearly all radio stations add a significant amount of multiband compression to their playback that kills the dynamic range. To counteract this, you can make an alternative radio mix for your music. Here are three tips on how to do it.
Nielsen, one of the top music industry reporting agencies, has released its middle of the year report. Overall albums sales have dropped due to the increasing popularity of streaming, while vinyl record sales have jumped a remarkable 40%. Here's why one of recorded music's oldest formats may be the key to producing a profitable album.
The best mixes and masters tend to sound good on a broad spectrum of listening settings. One of the best tips for creating such a mix is to mix your music in mono. If you can get your mix to sound well-balanced and musical in mono, then it will likely only sound even better in stereo...
Over 700 independent record labels have signed a declaration to compensate artists fairly. The "Fair Digital Deals Declaration" will commit labels and companies to pay artists without hidden fees and confusion. The declaration couldn't be more timely, as some major streaming services have come under recent fire for their minuscule royalty rates.
Last month Google bought Songza, the playlist curation and music streaming service. While they haven't said how Songza's technology and playlists will be incorporated into Google's products, such as Play or the new Youtube streaming service. It's certainly a notable acquisition as streaming services are continuing to proliferate.
Contrary to popular belief, the best creative ideas don't come from an individual genius, but from a successful partnership. An article in the New York Times this week highlights some of the greatest creative geniuses of the past century and how they found their spark in having the right partner. If you're not collaborating with someone else on your music right now, this might convince you to change that.
Producing an EP can be one of the most challenging and rewarding projects for an independent artist. It can also be the stepping stone into professional music. Here are three tips that will help you achieve the sound and quality you desire, regardless of your budget.
You can add the mobile app to your list of possible album formats. Norwegian artist Jarie Bernhoft released an app for his newest album that allows fans to listen to it in HD, make their own remixes, watch 3D video and view exclusive material and photos. So far, the fan response has been good and some music industry watchers are saying it could pave the way for the future of iOS music.
Another commercially-focused HD audio player is coming to the music world. The Geek Wave, a mobile audiophile-grade DAC by Light Harmonics, raised over 3,000 per cent of its IndieGoGo campaign goal. It features the ability to playback virtually any digital audio format available, from MP3 to DSD128–all for less than $500.
You can create some killer sounding drum tracks these days using just MIDI and a decent drum sample library. It's also a great way to save money from the cost live tracking a drum set. Here are three drum libraries that sound excellent and will bring a professional sound to your mix and master.
Panning isn't the only–and possibly not even the best–way to shape the stereo image of your mix. Many producers prefer to use a technique that takes advantage of the Haas Effect, a psychoacoustic phenomenon that creates a strong sense of space and direction on a track. Here's how the Haas Effect works and how you might use it in place of panning.
