Remember how blown away the industry was by the success of Lorde’s “Royals”? Back in 2012, no one thought such a modestly produced record...

Music is a language, especially if you work with others to create it. The notes, dynamics, chords and rhythmic choices you make in your...

Who doesn’t love a little piano sample? It’s such a great instrument to sample because you can do so much with it. Whether it’s chord...

Until the inception of the DAW, music-making was always a very hands-on experience. As Francesca Lombardo recounts, even the early days...

Parallel compression is a powerful tool for shaping your dynamics. Aggressive compression can give your sounds a sense of weight and...

It’s easy to wonder why tape machines are still popular with some producers in 2020. In a recording era with better than ever access to...

Sampling revolutionized music production. It’s a powerful technique that helped create modern music’s most vital genres. But today,...

Vocals are the focal point of a song. They’re the human element that gives a song its emotional weight. Lead singers get plenty of...

Writing a good melody is really hard, even for the best of the best songwriters. It’s not cheating to get inspired with a royalty-free...

The modern DAW is one of the most powerful tools artists and producers have to create music. But with all this power comes some pretty...

Everyone knows good EQ is important for mixing music. Along with compression, EQ is the main tool for blending the tracks in your mix...

Jazz chord progressions may seem complex. Seventh chords, extended harmony, and voicings can be difficult to grasp. But once you’re...

Think of your favorite song. What’s the most memorable part? The section you’re thinking of probably has a catchy hook, a powerful chord...

It’s easy to think of mixing as a magic process that turns raw tracks into slick productions. Complicated tutorials and racks of rare...

Every musical project is the result of a group of collaborators working together. Even when the artist is the star of the show, there’s...

Even if you wanted to, there’s no way to keep your influences out of the music you create. The music you love ends up shaping what you...

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when you’re creating new music. Distractions come easily when we have so many software instruments, sample...

Everyone knows mastering is an essential phase in the life cycle of a song. When the mix is finally complete, mastering is the step that...

Hardware synths produce an incredibly powerful sound that’s hard to ignore. Who doesn’t love twisting a knob and hearing it change the...

The road to success as professional musician can take some unexpected turns. Finding your way into the right gigs and developing the...