7 Ridiculously Upbeat Songs About Death
in Web Roundups by Adam BrownWith the possible exceptions of love, sex, and slaying mythical beasts, no topic has commanded the attention of song-writers throughout history more than death. From Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to The Shangri-La’s “Leader of the Pack” and even as far back as Beethoven’s “Deathstomp 9 in D minor”, the great beyond has been the inspiration for some of the most compelling songs ever written.
If you think I’m making up the title of that Beethoven number, by all means, go ahead and Google it, I’ll wait. Did you do it? Wow, you are a gullible one, aren’t you?
6 Stereo Miking Techniques You Can Use Today
in Recording by Mark GarrisonStereo miking is a great way to increase the sense of depth in your recording of an instrument. Here are six stereo miking techniques you can try out today. We’ll start with the basics and then move to some more exciting options.
Create a Mysterious ‘The Matrix’ Style Scene-transition FX
in Sound Design by W. Brent LattaIn the world of sound design and music for media, there are two basic classifications of sound: diegetic and non-diegetic. Diegitic sound or music occurs within the story, i.e. a piano being played on screen, a boom-box playing a hip-hop beat. Non-diegetic sound occurs outside of the world of the story, and is perceived only by the audience, rather than the story’s characters.
With this in mind, this tutorial will look at creating a transition sound-effect in Logic Audio. These sounds can assist in helping the audience change focus from one scene to another, from one virtual space to another, etc. These techniques can also be used in music, where one might want interesting transition between musical sections.
How to Sample Your Favorite Songs Using Reason and ReCycle
in Production by Eric ShaferHave you ever been listening to a song and realized “Hey, I’ve heard part of this before!”. What you discovered is called “sampling”, a process by which part of a song, or a sound, is captured and played back to create a new song.
In this tutorial I will show you what you need in order to begin sampling, and some of the techniques the professionals use. Lastly, I will walk you through the creation of a famous Billboard Hot 100 song. We’ll be using Reason and ReCycle for this one, but the principles could be adapted to any DAW.
The Ultimate Guide to Hardware and Software Reverb
in Production by Mo VolansAlthough most people have a pretty good idea what reverb is, some of you may still stick to pre-sets and shy away from programming your own virtual spaces. Only a small amount of work is needed to learn the basics and achieve a truly bespoke sound through controlling and tweaking your reverb.
11 of the Best Studio Microphones Ever + How and When to Use Them
in Recording by Stephen SchapplerFinally, your project has the budget for a nice studio with a good microphone closet. When you get there, you want to make sure you are acquainted with common studio microphones so you make wise and informed miking decisions when it’s time to record.
Here is a casual rather than technical walkthrough of some microphones you are likely to encounter in any professional recording studio, and how to get the most out of them when the time comes. Plus: prepare for some eye-candy!
Blog Action Day 2008 - Poverty - Launches
in General by Collis Ta'eedToday is a special day on our calendars here at Envato because on August 15th we launch the annual Blog Action Day campaign! As you may recall from 2007’s super successful campaign, the premise behind Blog Action Day is to get the world’s bloggers to unite to post on one important issue on the same day.
Make a Crazy Drum and Bass Breakbeat by Slicing and Dicing in FL Studio
in Production by DeanYou may have witnessed Drum & Bass’s dramatic evolution over the past decade. From it’s Jungle origins Drum & Bass has now matured into a genre that overflows with adrenaline, excitement, strong production values and an intensity rarely found in music today. To think all of this began with the a spark of inspiration and some drum-solos (breakbeats) sampled from black soul and funk recordings of the early 1960’s.
In this tutorial you will learn the time honored techniques of manipulating one of these famous breaks and fashioning it into Drum & Bass sensibilities.
How to Program a House Beat Using Only Audio
in Production by Mo VolansThere are loads of ways to program beats—from using an Akai MPC to recording your own drums—but often some of the best techniques are the most direct. In this tutorial we’ll learn how to create a house beat using just raw audio and a handful of plug-ins, with not a virtual drum-machine or sampler in sight…
50+ Great Lyric Writing Resources
in Web Roundups by Joel FalconerWant to get started writing your own lyrics? There’s a long way between the beginner’s “violets are red” debut and award-winning wordsmithing, so here’s a bunch of great resources to help get you on your way. Includes tools, how to guides, communities, recommended books and sources of inspiration.
