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Setting up an inepensive home studio with refurbished hardware

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Getting into the music industry requires one to fulfil certain obligations, some of which can keep a talented hand out forever simply due to cost. Whether you are an artist, producer, sound engineer or a player in any other role, there are attached costs that can prove quite curtailing.

Necessity being the mother of invention, you have no reason to stay locked out just because you cannot afford the necessary equipment. In the spirit of starting small and dreaming big, you could always start with lower pedigree equipment and use it as a springboard to propel you to where the big fish swim.

Setting up a Simple Home Studio

Whatever part you intend to play in the music industry, production is one area you will need to get familiar with. If you are an up-and-coming musician, you might have to record numerous times before you actually come up with something good enough to earn you the big break.

Having a producer who will be patient enough to let you keep recording average stuff is borderline impossible or inexplicably expensive. The same goes if you want to be a producer or even a sound engineer. The answer to this is setting up a small home studio to set you on your way.

The computer is the most complex piece of equipment you will need in your studio. The cost of a good Mac may be more than that of soundproofing a room, buying microphones, speakers and mixers combined though. Whenever possible, thus, this is the area where you should look to cut your costs.

The best way to go around this is by starting with a refurbished iMac from the UK. While such a computer may not offer you the same output as you will get from the big machines in Dr Dre’s studios, they are definitely going to set you on the path to success. They help you learn and sharpen the basic of productions at acceptable levels. And, after all, it is not like you are producing for Drake- yet!

You may also need to look for places where you can get the best deals for refurbished Macs. On mResell, you get some of the best machines on the market at the best prices available. The deals you find on the site beat any others that you may see on either physical or online shops.

Cost is not, in this day, a good enough excuse to let your music talent fade away without being put to use. You shouldn’t have to wait until you have stacked a million dollars before you start out. Now is the perfect time to start out!

Finding Your First Music Production Job

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Setting your sights on a job in the music industry is the first step to success in a field that inspires creativity and passion. If your heart is set on being part of the industry you may have to start at the bottom and work your way up.

How Do You Get That Elusive First Job?

While the music industry may be viewed as a career choice that is filled with glamour, don’t be mistaken. It requires hard work, dedication, and sheer guts to survive. It is not an easy task to get noticed in the industry and to make a memorable impression. Decide what position you are after and go after it with gusto and enthusiasm.

Be prepared to take up the offer of an internship even if it is not a paid opportunity. The experience is payment enough. Join a recruitment agency, follow social media pages in search of opportunities and remember to create a network.

Smaller Steps Win The Race

It is always easier to achieve dreams when they are broken down into small, realistic steps. Be patient in your pursuit and relish every moment. Never become complacent and never stop improving your skills. The music industry isn’t the place to rest on your laurels.

Highest Paying Music Jobs

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The music industry is filled with different job opportunities, many of which are high-paying and very satisfying. There is a lot of money to be made in the music industry. However, you have to be at the top of your game to get a significant piece of the cake. The industry is flooded with people who aspire to be something great in the music industry but for many, it remains a pipe dream that will never be realized.

Reaching For The Stars and Reaping The Rewards

If you happen to have a burning passion for music and the drive and perseverance to take the knocks along the way, chances are you will make it in the industry. Aspire for greatness, believe in your abilities, and work smarter than everyone around you and you will achieve.

If you are in the wrong field within the music industry, you may struggle to make a living. Take into consideration every area, research it thoroughly, and then make your decision based on that. At present, the highest-paying jobs include producers, sound engineers, music therapists, road managers, and booking agents. If you want to be in the pound seats, direct your energies into one of these fields and reap the rewards.

Sound Engineering In Music Production

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Sound engineering is an excellent choice of career path if you intend to go into television or focus on producing live music. Should you be more geared towards the direction of electronic dance music, sound engineering will not be of any use.

Live Music Requires Engineering

Live music is the one area of music production that still requires sound engineering. The use of electronic and synthesized instruments is not frequent in live entertainment and the sounds require human editing and engineering. This differs from EDM in that synth sounds are always used where electronic music is concerned. These are easily edited using music production software.

The Differences Between A Music Producer and a Sound Engineer

It is important to understand the distinction between the two if you are to pursue a career in the industry. While they may have certain functions that overlap, they are different faculties of the music industry. A producer is usually put in charge of helping the artist to realize the dream that they have created in the minds.

The producer will make the decision on the best direction to go with any given track and the sound that would be best suited. A sound engineer uses his technical abilities to make what the producer and artist want become a reality. The sound engineer will ensure that the equipment used is correct for the work at hand and that it is correctly setup to maximize the sound quality.

Different Strokes

It takes different personalities to fulfill different positions and these two are no different. While a music producer is really the person managing the project, he/she needs to have the ability to take control of any given situation. A producer needs to have artistic and creative flair in order to bring artists’ dreams to reality. They need to adapt easily to people and situations. Due to the nature of the industry, they may be tasked with working with a variety of artists at any given time.

A sound engineer is a more practical and technical position. It is the job of the sound engineer to handle the technical and mechanical side of the project. In this day and age, most sound engineers are also expected to understand how to function DAW’s.

The sound engineer will often be part of the final mixing and editing of the final version of any track. Engineers are characteristically meticulous and their attention to detail is what makes them stand out in their field. It must be realized that the music producer is unable to complete a successful project without the assistance of a sound engineer, and a sound engineer is unable to operate without the direction of a music producer.

Low Cost, High Quality: Record Music in Your Home

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In recent years, recording music at home has become an accessible option for more musical artists. Equipment and hardware are becoming more affordable, and there are free digital recording applications available to get you started. If you want to record high-quality music, there are a few staples that you’ll need.

Hardware and Software

Putting a recording studio in your home can be a lot of work. Recording high-quality audio requires an additional audio interface, even if you have a port in your computer. You’ll need a microphone that takes a clear and high-quality recording of vocals and live instruments; one that works with what you are looking to record.

Studio monitors display a visual representation of recorded sound, and they are one of the most important things for putting down quality tracks. A lot of musicians and artists will use a MIDI keyboard to play virtual instruments through their computer or device. Virtual instruments can be complicated, and are valuable to learn for any recording artist. Many effects can be applied, with access to instruments that you may not have in your collection.

As any musician knows, cables are essential for playing live music and especially crucial for recording music. USB cables that are compatible with your hardware should be kept on hand in any recording space. In recent years, digital audio workstation software has become much more affordable and accessible. These software products have many tutorials, teaching you how to use the music recording interface. Each digital audio workstation will have different platforms, but most include highly detailed instructions and tutorials.

Virtual instruments, such as an electronic drum set, are highly effective in a recording studio space. These translate one of the crisp sounds while maintaining the live effect. Great virtual instruments blend in with live instruments easily.

Home Studio

Pick and set up a space to record. Setting up should be as simple as plugging everything into their proper spots, and turning it all on, but the room you choose is significant to the clarity of your recorded sound. A quiet place is essential, to decrease the amount of white noise picked up in the background. You won’t want to hear noises from a shoe in the background. Some applications will help you reduce the white noise, but you need to put up barriers, blankets and sound protectors to get the highest quality sound.

After you have set up and plugged in, all of your hardware and instruments, you’ll want to use your software to check for feedback or any background noise that can be fixed before recording. Get the details about your devices, and the software that you’re using.

Translating live music to a digital interface is complicated, and learning the devices will help you become a master of recording. Great music producers know their digital instruments and can work in the digital audio interface with their eyes closed.

Music Production Courses Online

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Online education is extremely popular in this day and age. This does not refer to self-taught tutorials and YouTube videos, but rather legitimate schools which provide a learning schedule, lessons, assignments, and examinations. These courses are offered by reputable production schools and the certification achieved is worth its weight in music gold.

What Are The Cost Implications?

Online studies in music production are often the lower-priced option when compared to physical, class-attending courses. While the information and lessons learned are the same, there are a number of factors that aid in reducing the fee. There is no overhead to be paid in order to maintain the building in which normal classes take place, there are no lecturers to pay salaries to, and as most of the information is provided in soft copy, there are no charges associated to printing hard copies.

The Social Experience

Whereas physical course attendance provides a social experience, online study does not. Social experience refers to actual, physical contact with other like-minded individuals. Open discussions, debates, and information sharing are other very important avenues for learning. With an online experience you miss out on the physical contact Yes, you can create virtual friendships, but the effects are far from the same.

Who Would Benefit From Online Courses?

There are many people who would love an opportunity to follow their dreams in music production but their lot in life has not allowed it. For instance, someone may have foregone the chance to study full time because they have to work, earn money, and support a family. Should these people lose out on their dreams? Certainly not!

Online courses provide people in such situations the opportunity to study in their own time outside working hours. They can still pursue their lifelong goals without neglecting their personal responsibilities.

The Downside To Studying Online

While the format for an online study is not that much different to a physical class course, they may have slight differences in duration allowed for completion of the course. Online courses often simply provide a date by which each module and assignment must be completed. If you are someone who is unable to manage your time or becomes complacent when left to your own devices, you may end up dropping out, not because you lack the skill, but rather because you lack the drive and discipline to get it done.

The Music Industry in a Nutshell

Online music production courses take a huge amount of self-exploration and research. You really have to want to pursue this career and have the passion it requires to make it in the business if you hope to have any chance of successful completion. The music industry is not an easy nut to crack. If you don’t have self-belief in your abilities and perseverance as your finest qualities then you are sure to be eaten up by a world that has the ability to drain the life force from you, leaving nothing but an empty shell.

The Art of Music Production

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Long gone are the days when music was restricted to live venues, old-fashioned records, and classical musical instruments. The majority of music these days is recorded in a studio, or in the case of electronic music, entirely composed within the confines of a music studio. With the invention of music studios, came the new profession, or even art form, of producing music, and this has become even more pertinent over the recent decades, as electronic music, particularly in the dance genre, has really taken off, and proven itself a huge success in the market.

Producing music is, as it sounds, the art of making music. Instead of taking up and learning a traditional music instrument, such as the piano or violin, music producers can now create music, using nothing but a laptop; many albums that have achieved either gold or even platinum, discs have been produced on just a laptop. Although, most studios are far more sophisticated than that, and use a range of tools to create the desired sounds. Traditional instruments are very often used in the production of electronic music as well, which are then played and ‘sampled’, meaning that they are recorded in their raw form, and then electronically manipulated, or played on a loop, and added to an electronic music track. While many musical traditionalists are against this type of music creation, the music market has certainly allowed the proliferation of electronic music, and there’s no end in sight for it.

Creating music can be a tiring process, and many artists can suffer something known as ‘burn out’, where too many long hours in a studio, and not enough sleep, take their toll. If you were to combine this with a bad diet, then you have a recipe for a health disaster. If you find that you are perhaps struggling with your health, then you can head over to livi, to speak to a doctor, and get yourself some medical advice.

Creating electronic music from the comfort of your own home has also never been easier. The advances in music production software have made barriers to entry, regarding skill, even lower. The cost of equipment has also dropped drastically, so there’s never been a better time to dive into music production, even if you’re a complete beginner. There’s a lot of equipment available on the market, so it’s, of course, essential to do your research, so you don’t have to spend any more than you need to. But with some great beginner bundles available, to buy for quite a low cost, you can also find that it’s a great, relaxing hobby, even if you don’t intend to create anything for commercial consumption.

Free Software – Music Production Software

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When it comes to producing music, you want all the best tools available to you in order to achieve the results you seek.

When Is Free The Way To Go?

If you are dabbling in creating the perfect tunes in your free time or considering starting a career in the field, free music production software is probably the logical way to go at the very start. Spending money on something that may not hold your interest for longer than a few months is really not worth it.

If you are intent on taking your

Posted in:Music Production Software

The Best of Music Production Software

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Music in the modern day is very different from what it was in years gone by. Everything today relies on computers and software in order to reach the desired sound effect and produce crystal clear quality tunes.

Where To Begin The Journey To Music Mastery

For the beginner, the number of varying software packages on the market can be extremely daunting. While variety and choices are always a good thing, too many can leave a beginner more tangled in confusion than when they started out. You may have all the equipment and melodies tightly locked up in your mind, but without adequate music production software, you will never achieve the results that you so desire.

Music Production Software That Gives Results

While it is true to say that the outcome is majorly reliant on the musicians themselves, production software is the cherry on the cake. When a musician has worked extremely hard on a track in their minds, the right production software will simply allow them to translate that into a reality. Digital Audio Workstations (DAW’s) and software are the backbones of any music production.

Ableton Live is a software that is growing in popularity. It is one of the best for those just starting out because it basically allows you to make music right out of the box. The features incorporated into the software are phenomenal. There are provisions made for the recording of an unlimited number of audio and MIDI tracks for songs with the addition of features that allow you to cut, paste, or splice. Seamless MIDI sequencing is easily achieved.

FL Studio is probably one of the best music production software solutions designed and well-suited for beginners in the industry. The user interface is especially easy to navigate once you get started. The software is packed with features which include the standard functions of pitch shifting, correction, time-stretch, cut, and paste. Pre-installed synth sounds make this software easy to plug in and use from day one without much additional cost implication. The software is compatible with both PC and Mac.

Avid Pro Tools is the software to purchase and use if you are aiming to achieve mixing and mastering quality that is industry standard. While the software offers all the standard functions, the addition of the lightning-fast processor and a huge memory capacity make this a top of the range software on the market.

Choosing The Right Software For You

Setting a budget is paramount as there is no use looking at software and DAW’s that are out of the range of what you can afford. Where you are on the proverbial food chain will also influence what you buy. If you are a beginner, you need to find something that is easy to use while still achieving results. Consider where you would like to go with your music in the future.

The digital age is upon us. Grab the chance to let the software do the production bit, freeing up your time to simply create.

Easiest Software To Make Music

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Breaking into the music industry is not easy, there are so many prospective artists trying to get their foot in the door. In order to make an impact worth remembering, you really have to create something extraordinary.

Making The Break

In a day and age where digital operations have taken over the world, it is time to grasp the concept and run with it. It is difficult enough to have to try to be creative while also worrying about how you are going to bring to reality your dream.

It is great to have the tunes and melodies already carefully formed in your head and also have the necessary equipment. However, without the right production, the track will never meet your expectations and possibly never result in successful presence within the industry.

The Perfect Solution For Beginners

While there is a huge variety of production software and Digital Audio Workstations on the market today, not all are suitable options for those at beginner level. As a beginner, you need something that is easy to navigate with a user-friendly interface but with all the standard tools available.

If you are in the market for music production software that is going to allow you as a beginner to free up your time to be creative, while still allowing you to produce, mix, and master a professional track, FL Studio is the software you have been dreaming about.

FL Studio is best suited for beginners who are trying to make their mark in an industry that is extremely hard to crack. The software incorporates all the basic features required to digitally master your tracks. Pitch shifting, correction, time-stretch, cut, and paste are all part of the standard package. The newest updated versions include 30 synth sound effects that allow you to get started straight out the box at no additional cost.

The ability to use MIDI keyboards and other virtual instruments, mix and edit and record into a microphone make this an all-round software solution. Compatibility with both PC and Mac ensures that there are no limitations for users.

Is It For You?

Budget-friendly, easy to use, and includes all the standard tools plus some bonuses. For the beginner, this is a setup made in dreams. Free your time and your mind and concentrate on creativity. Let the software worry about the rest.

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