Tech Knowledge

Digital technology has evolved to the point that musicians can easily produce and mix their own music at home. There are plenty of computer programs that supply you with more than enough tools to crank out your own mixes right from your computer desk. The problem is that even with this technology right at our fingertips, many producers lack a few simple nuggets of knowledge that could help them produce a high quality mix.
I have stepped into some studios that were so loaded with studio equipment that you could literally hear the electrical humming when you entered the room, but once they played me the latest track of a composition or vocal session they recorded, it was very clear that a room full of technology will get you nowhere without the proper knowledge and skill set.
First of all, if you want to produce high-quality music, you're going to need a computer that can keep up. Older machines are fine for Internet use or word processing, but when it comes to mixing, adding effects, and multitrack recording, the old Packard Bell desktop running Windows 95 is not going to get it. You need lots of memory and hard drive space. Music files get extremely huge, so you don't want to crash or run out of hard drive space during a session or mixdown. Believe it or not, some laptops are advanced enough to handle these tasks, they may just cost you a pretty penny.
Once you get past your hardware dilemma, the right software is essential. Depending on what you really plan on doing with your setup, different softwares provide different functions, so it's really up to you to choose the best software package available for your endeavor. If you don't have a lot of hardware like compressors, a mixing board, etc. then you should look for software that does most of what you need behind the screen. Find software that has mixers included and the ability to import plug-ins. For many people, plug-in chaining is the answer to a quick high-quality recording. Experiment with various programs and see what works best for you.
Once you start cranking out some pretty good mixes, you should really consider investing in some suitable studio monitors. A lot of speaker setups are quick to lie to you about what the music really sounds like. You can get away from this problem by investing in a good set of studio monitors. Powered monitors are a little more expensive but in my opinion, they are really worth it.
Invest in programs that you have read positive reviews about. The cheapest program is going to perform like the cheapest program. If it is free, it probably won't produce a mix that is radio ready. You must be willing to spend something to achieve a decent sound. If you really love music, then you can't be afraid to invest in it.
When you start working with equalizers, please be careful that you don't use it too excessively. When done correctly it can really spice up your mix and enhance the parts you really need to hear. Just remember that when you start using this feature, it is better to take away than to add. You would be surprised how much damage you can do to a mix trying to boost the highs to give it a more crisp sound. You may end up with a crunchy sound instead of a crisp one.
Boosting increases the amount of noise. It is easy to end up with a distorted mix this way. Any time I mix and use the EQ feature I always have my decibel meter in view to make sure that I never exceed my desired level. Knowing how to EQ properly helps you produce a mix that doesn't clip. Clipping is one of the most irritating things that can happen to any song or track. If you can get a handle on equalization and avoid the pitfalls that result in distorted audio and clipping, then you're well on your way to producing great mixes in your own home using your computer.
The last thing I want you to remember is that you should always keep your audio sessions in the session form. Back them up on a CD/DVD or something. There is nothing more frustrating than having a great song that is a bad mix and can't be edited. Invest in a pack of blank DVDs and back up every session you record or compose. I sometimes pull up sessions from 2001 and can drop vocals on a beat that was made yesterday. It is fun seeing things like that come together.
I will touch on compressors and the de esser in a later article. Just know that with the right knowledge and skill set, it is not hard to have a home studio up and running in a short period of time. Have fun.

All Sliced Up

I can remember fast forwarding through my favorite hip-hop songs to that small portion of instrumental at the end with little or no vocals recorded against it. I would use this little portion of beat to my advantage. This is when I started splicing beats.
Before I had a computer, before I had a beat machine, before I had a set of drums, I had double cassette boombox with an auxiliary in jack. One of the first beats I ever spliced was Black Moon's "Buck'em Down" joint.
There was a portion at the beginning where all of the midrange and highs were filtered out. I would have my recording cassette deck loaded with the pause button engaged. When this be started to play I would hit the pause button to punch in. After a couple of bars I would hit the pause button again to punch out.
After I got good at this. I started to accumulate tapes full of me rapping over these spliced beats. Around the time when I was doing this, you could buy a hit single on a cassette tape with the instrumental on the other side. This was convenient when the beat was one I wanted to rap over, but a lot of times the beats I really wanted weren't available and that form.
If you tried this with the wrong boombox, then your beats probably contained a lot of clicks and pops. Some pause buttons weren't reliable enough to guarantee that you stop in the right spot. When we were doing this, there was no going back and correcting a beat in a spot where you punched out too early or in to late. Every single splice was serious business. Every once in a while you come across the perfect boombox for splicing. Before the real stuff came along, these trusty little music jewels were a joy to find laying around waiting for your talent.
Of course there is software that does all of this for you now. A couple of clicks of a button can do what took me 15 minutes to do then, but if you never got to experience this method of artistry in its old-school form, I must say you really missed out on something you would have considered phenomenal.