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Tutorials
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Jul 14, 2010,
By Vincent di Pasquale
A remix is so much more than what its name implies. It incorporates virtually every aspect of music production—from pre-production to the final mixdown, and even mastering. Many remixers, myself included, do every single step themselves. ...
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Jul 14, 2010,
By Ming (aka Aaron Albano)
During the past 10 years, improvements in gear have made the art of vocal production much easier. Even so, vocal tracking and production can still be the most demanding aspect of producing a song. Getting that perfect vocal often requires a lot more than just a good mic processed through a quality chain of outboard gear.
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Jun 25, 2010,
By Len Sasso
Spectrasonics’ Trilian bass module and Omnipshere synth module are outstanding instruments in their own right, but owning the pair significantly expands your sound-design options. ...
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Jun 25, 2010,
By David Battino
For my 30th “Option-Click” column, I thought I’d share one of my favorite MIDI hacks: the one-bulb data detector. Simply plug an LED into the second and fourth holes in a MIDI out jack, and it will light up when the instrument transmits MIDI data. ...
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Jun 25, 2010,
By Geary Yelton
The all-digital New England Digital (NED) Synclavier II first appeared in 1979 and encompassed many of the technologies synthesists would come to rely on a decade later....
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Jun 25, 2010,
By Jason Feehan and Randy Chertkow
It’s easier than ever to release your music to the world. And there is now a wealth of online services that will help you promote, distribute, and share your music. But even though musicians can release material whenever they want...
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Jun 16, 2010,
By Vincent di Pasquale
How do you achieve the “it” factor when creating a remix? Asking that of a music producer ranks right up there with posing the question, “What is the meaning of life?” With that in mind, this month’s discussion will focus on a technique that will help to develop, or improve upon, a signature sound. The technique I am referring to is layering.
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Jun 16, 2010,
By Ming (aka Aaron Albano)
The unsung hero of most modern productions is the bass part. But without understanding its multiple roles and functions, it can muddy and choke your mix, create compression and volume issues, and take the life out of what could be a stellar production.
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May 12, 2010,
By Len Sasso
Spoken and sung words make excellent fodder for layering with or replacing drum sounds. You can use them unaltered, but even with heavy processing, speech retains an organic essence that nicely complements percussion...
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May 11, 2010,
By David Battino
Once at the Project Bar-B-Q computer-music conference, I wondered why so many music programs look like spreadsheets. That prompted Ron Kuper, then CTO of Cakewalk, to simulate a DAW in Microsoft Excel as a joke. He even wrote a macro to trigger WAV files from selected cells.
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May 11, 2010,
By Eli Krantzberg
Apple Logic Pro 9’s nondestructive time-stretching engine, Flex Time, combines elements of beat and transient detection with time-compression and -expansion
algorithms. It is a simple, elegant time-manipulation method that you can apply as easily to a single note ...
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Apr 9, 2010,
By Scott Wilkinson
Music and dance have been inextricably intertwined since the dawn of human history, but these activities have traditionally been performed by different individuals skilled in one or the other art form. In my career as a musician, I’ve provided soundtracks for dancers on numerous occasions...
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Apr 9, 2010,
By Len Sasso
One of the best-kept secrets in computer-based sound design is Csound. A powerful tool for synthesis and experimental composing, Csound (Mac/Win/Linux) is a free download...
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Apr 9, 2010,
By David Battino
MIDI controller not working the way you want? You don’t have to go all Moldover on it. (Though that’s not a bad idea; see Fig. 1.)...
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Apr 9, 2010,
By David Battino
Like many musicians, you probably have dozens of half-finished songs gathering dust on your hard drive. But dig deeper, and those abandoned riffs, grooves, and chord progressions can be a gold mine of inspiration. After all, something in the original recording caught your ear enough to make you save it.
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Mar 19, 2010,
By Len Sasso
The rear panels of most Propellerhead Reason and Record devices offer an enticing array of control voltage (CV) and gate inputs and outputs. Taking advantage of those is an excellent way to add motion and interest to your patches.
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Mar 19, 2010,
By Jim Aikin
I’m not a good keyboard player. When I try to record anything complicated, my MIDI sequence tracks are full of little problems. Fortunately, my sequencer’s piano-roll editor has some slick tools for making performances presentable....
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Mar 19, 2010,
By Brian Heller
The concept of phase comes into play again and again in audio technology, from stereo mixing to microphone placement to digital sync to everyday troubleshooting and more. ...
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Mar 19, 2010,
By Len Sasso
Native Instruments Kontakt 4 presents a powerful array of effects processors, along with a flexible signal path in which to employ them. Whether you primarily use the factory and third-party content or fashion sampler instruments from the ground up, the addition of a few well-placed effects can give old sounds new legs.
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Mar 19, 2010,
By David Battino
YouTube is today’s music showcase, but what if you don’t have video skills—or even a camcorder? Here’s a cheap and easy way to make striking videos from your music. Just load your song into your favorite media player ...
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Remix Clinic: What Is a Remix?
Production Central: The Other Side of the Glass 
Sound Design Workshop: Tril-o-Sphere 
Option-Click: Bright Lights, Big MIDI
Gear Geek: NED Synclavier II
Countdown to Your Album
Remix Clinic: Layer It Up 
Production Central: The Basics of Bass
Sound Design Workshop: Syllabic Percussion
Option-Click: Ableton...Office?
Apple Logic Pro 9 Master Class
Tech Page: Movin' and Groovin'
Sound Design Workshop: Anything Goes
Option-Click: Take Control of Your Controller
Making Tracks: Why Not Remix Yourself?
Sound Design Workshop: Back of the Rack
Making Tracks: Tighten It Up
It's Only a Phase
Kontakt Effects Processing Master Class
Option-Click: Visualize Your Music