Paper Planes - Learn Mix, Bass, Beat

MIA’s genre-smashing music production and song writing style has finally elevated her to mainstream stardom. Like J Dilla, MIA has been a favorite of seasoned producers ever since the release of her first CD, Arular. Her newest hit song, Paper Planes Read more

Hook Composition 02

How much difference does one 8th note make? How much difference does one instrument make? In fact, they can make a huge difference! A big part of becoming a songwriter or becoming a music producer is learning how very small changes to an original idea can transform it dramatically. In our previous hook composition tip, we showed Read more

Make Your Mixes Wider than Ever

Ever come across instruments that sound narrow, bland, or just plain uninspiring? If you’ve determined that timbre, rhythm or performance isn’t the problem, then what’s left? Why does it still sound flat? If the recording is in mono, that could be your problem, and how many times have you recorded a guitar or voice through a single mic input? There’s no Read more

Billboard’s Hidden Treasures

Everyone listens to what’s hittin’ the top of Billboard. Hundreds of those songs get copied, remixed, re-invented, and imitated by hundreds of artists. How many times have you heard a novice producer’s beat and thought “hey, I recognize that”? Really, there’s nothing wrong with learning or sampling from melodies that are already popular, but what if - instead Read more