Silence Can Be Creative
I’ve done my fair share of mixes – both for myself and for others. When I mix my own tracks, I tend to mix while I work. “Mixing” as a stand-alone activity tends to be a relatively short process as I’ve already made a lot of choices in terms of instrumentation, panning, features, etc. Mixing becomes an activity of rising up out of the details and trying to listen to the song as a first-time listener: making sure that the balance, flow and overall sound gel. Mixing as Art When I mix other’s tracks, I take a few steps back to listen to what’s going on...
read more2011 Discoveries
I’ve mentioned this a few times before: I’ve all but abandoned listening to traditional radio stations and, up until a few years ago, discovering new music was difficult. No… wait… let me rephrase that: Finding GOOD new music was difficult. These days, I’m finding it easier and easier to find, acquire and share my thoughts on new good (a personal measure of course) music. I started a similar list last year and thought I’d do it again – share some of my “hidden gem” discoveries. These albums aren’t...
read moreStop Hiding Under Covers!
Alright, what is going on? I’ve been noticing an annoying “trend” happening the past few months. Artists and labels are starting to re-hash old material and releasing albums of cover songs more and more frequently. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind a great cover song at all. An artist who records a cover of a well known song has skipped over the majority of the work – they’ve got a tune that’s already proven to be popular. It’s probably one of the oldest ways an artist or band can get listened to. I don’t know whether it’s all...
read moreWhere’d the Morning Go???!!!
Note to self: Designing new studio is way too much freakin’ fun! Ensure to remember design euphoria when building and finishing in physical space. A few posts back, I wrote about some awesome-sauce news I got from my wife – taking over the “shed” for a studio. Well, that’s still on, and we’re in the beginning stages of logistics of shuffling items around. I tried to describe the “shed” in the post, but I’m sure it wasn’t enough to get a mental picture out there. Actually, I think I might as well...
read moreGet Rid of Pesky Static Cling
I’ll freely admit that I’m the type of person who can NOT live without variety when it comes to music. If you know me, you’d definitely put me in the “Type B” slot. It’s not that I’m restless, impatient or anything like that. There are some things that I don’t mind being routine but there are others that, in my mind, must keep my interest with changes. Music is one of those things – I absolutely LOVE ear candy. You might say that I’ve got a “sweet tooth” for stuff that keeps my ears perked up. I like to create music that...
read moreThe Black Sheep of the Orchestra?
My son came home with a question the other day: Into which orchestral instrument family does the piano fit? Traditionally, we’re taught that there are four instrument families in the orchestra: Strings Woodwinds Brass and Percussion Of the four, where does the piano fit? (What about the Harp, Celeste, Harpsichord and Pipe Organ for that matter?) We had our own little debate (I was playing devils’ advocate) about it and there was definite see-sawing between it belonging in the Strings and Percussion sections. Traditionally, it’s placed in the...
read moreConnect Up
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