What is swing in music production?
Swing can help bring your beats to life. There’s not much to it on paper: sometimes just a few milliseconds of delay. But these small deviations from the rhythmic grid can inject your beats with...
View ArticleUnderstanding time signatures in music
When it comes to making music, ultimately, all that matters is what gets to our ears and not how it was created. There is a vast world of self-taught, non-traditionally trained artists who play and...
View ArticleHow to make future house music with cutting-edge production techniques
If you’re a fan of electronic music, you’ve likely heard of future house. So, what is future house? Future house is a subgenre of house music that rose to prominence in the early 2010s and continues...
View ArticleWhat is beatmatching? Understanding the science of syncing beats
Beatmatching is a necessary skill for the majority of DJ mixes. The goal of beat matching is to synchronize the bpm of two tracks so that they play simultaneously, and it requires the ability to...
View Article5 tips to get the most from your drum sequencer plugins
Drum sequencer plugins are indispensable tools for music producers who want to elevate the rhythmic components of their tracks. These plugins allow for intricate pattern generation, extensive...
View ArticleHow to compose music: a beginner’s guide
Music composition refers to arranging sounds in a way that creates a narrative over time. Music takes the listener on a journey from absolute silence to a first sound and through a whole trajectory...
View ArticleKick drum EQ essentials: how to create punch and presence
The kick drum is the foundation of much popular music. It’s the basis of a solid mix and the driving force behind many forms of club and electronic music. It’s also one of the hardest sounds to get...
View Article5 tips for working with hip hop vocal samples
Ever notice how just a few vocal samples can turn a good hip hop track into a great one? They’re more than just sound bites; they’re the secret sauce that spices up a beat and tells a story all at...
View ArticleTop five amp sim EQ tricks to sculpt your tone
Amp sims let you shape guitar tone in exciting new ways. Freed from the limitations of physical amps and effects, tools such as Guitar Rig 7 allow you to create bold new sounds and quickly solve...
View Article5 must-know bass riffs: how to recreate their sound
Bass riffs don’t get the credit they deserve. Bass parts often sit in the background while guitar licks and vocal hooks hog the limelight, meaning it’s easy to overlook their crucial role in the songs...
View ArticlePiano scales: essentials for producers and songwriters
Piano scales are essential in music production and songwriting because they help musicians understand key signatures, construct chords, and develop a sense of musical structure and tonality. In this...
View Article5 ways to breathe life into your music with realistic MIDI acoustic guitar
Eliciting an emotional response in a listener is one of the most important things one can do as a songwriter. But in digital music production, creating that lifelike resonance can be challenging,...
View ArticleTop 5 essential Massive tutorials to sculpt your perfect sound
Well known for the ability to create basslines and strings, Massive can also be used to make an entire track on its own. The following selected videos highlight some of the various features available,...
View ArticleWhat is bitcrushing? How to add grit and texture to your tracks
Bitcrusher effects are commonly used in many popular musical styles, and they have a wide variety of applications from giving sounds a vintage feel to changing their character dramatically. In this...
View ArticleHow to set cue points for better arrangements when DJing
DJ cue points are amazingly simple yet powerful tools for executing better mixes. Cue points are distinct markers placed on tracks in a digital music collection that make it easy to instantly navigate...
View Article5 ways to use iconic synth sounds in your music
Synthesizers are used to create all kinds of sounds in popular music, and some of the most recognisable tones come from electronic synths, be they hardware or software-based. In this guide on how to...
View Article5 rock chord progressions to add energy to your songwriting
It’s hard to think of a genre of music more full of raw energy than rock. The emotional edge that is found in this kind of music is unmistakable. At the core of rock’s powerful, anthemic sound lie...
View ArticleLearn how to DJ: Explore these 6 beginner tips to get started
Are you interested in learning to DJ, but don’t know how to get started? Maybe you’ve been inspired by a DJ in a club, or a DJ set you saw on YouTube and wondered if you could do the same thing. DJing...
View ArticleWhat is a glue compressor plugin? How to use it to create a cohesive mix
Glue compression could be the missing link between how your mixes currently sound and professional results. Applying glue compression to a song produces a tighter, thicker, richer mix – just what...
View ArticleHow to make a pro-sounding beat with Play Series instruments
Making a beat doesn’t need to be painful. With the right tools, you can glide from initial sketch to final result without getting lost in the weeds. In this article, we’ll show you how to make a beat...
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