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How To Finish More Music Faster

How To Finish More Music

Today we discuss how to finish more music! This is often a problem for artists that get stuck in the motion of making loops and general ideas but never actually finish complete songs or have a hard time getting there.  Some of these tips will help speed up your workflow, make things efficient and get you to the finish line faster so you do not have to waste time trying to do repetitive tasks and it will hopefully speed up your production process.

If you’re a new producer or an experienced producer looking for more workflow tips then be sure to check this video out!

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Is Mastering Necessary?

Is Mastering Necessary?

Ever ask yourself is mastering necessary? Are you releasing tracks without professional mastering? Likely you won’t be getting the best results.  For example, your tracks are likely not competing with other professional tracks on the market. Another example, your tracks might not be getting the polish and sheen they need to sound like a quality production. Check this video out for a quick look at what mastering can do for you!

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My Favorite Filter Plugin – Fabfilter Simplon

My Favorite Filter Plugin - Fabfilter Simplon

In this video, I share a plug-in I use in every single one of my productions, the Fabfilter Simplon. It’s an easy intuitive filter plug-in that just gets the job done! I share the features of the plugin and a cool trick where I use dual filtering at the same time.  If you need an easy plugin for filtering you need to check this plug-in out.

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UAD LA-2A Compressor Plug In Collection Explained

UAD LA-2A Compressor Plug In Collection Explained

In this video, we discuss the Universal Audio LA-2A compressor plug in collection. I go over all of the various units UA has to offer in the bundle and give some examples of what they sound like and their differences.

The LA-2A is on of my favorite compressors and I use it in almost every music production. They are fast, easy to use and intuitive. Although you don’t get much control like a normal compressor they have a distinct color and character t0 them that cannot be replaced.

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Do Not Send Me MP3s – MP3 Explanation

Do Not Send Me MP3s - MP3 Explanation

Please do not send me MP3’s and learn why they are not good for mastering. I often get MP3s sent by clients for free samples and I decided to create this video to share why I will not master MP3s.

MP3s are heavily degraded in quality. First I quickly explain what an MP3 is with a Wikipedia definition. Then I go into what files are acceptable to send to me as an MP3. Lastly, I share how what happens when you convert to an MP3 with phase cancellation.

This is a perfect example of what happens every time you convert to an MP3 so imagine converting multiple times. You only want to convert to an MP3 once after the mastering stage. Check out the video to learn more.

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An Ableton Live DJ Mix Tutorial

Ableton Live DJ Mix Tutorial

In this video, I’m going to show you how I recently did a radio show for Pitch the Tempo using Ableton Live. The mix was planned out and completely mixed in Ableton Live mimicking elements of how I would DJ the music. By doing the show this way I was able to save a ton of time and make the project efficient, while still giving me a high-quality result.

Some might knock this stating it’s not live or its cheating. I’ve done all of it, multi-tracked mixtapes, live mixtapes and this just makes it easier. If you can’t do the mix live then it could be considered cheating. But these days with my busy schedule deadlines need to be met when projects are due. Anything that can help me speed up and make things more efficient is a handy time-saver, so if you’re curious, check out how I used Ableton Live to create this radio show and mimic my DJ playing.

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How to Make Your Own DJ Edits

How To Make DJ Edits

I used to make a ton of DJ edits for club play. I would shorten songs up, re-arrange them and make them better suited for DJs to play and get in and out of songs quickly once the digital DJ era became a big thing. I was already a Pro Tools wizard so it was easy for me to use.

Today I share how you can use some of the amazing editing tools inside Pro Tools to create your own edits. I use a trick that I came up with for this edit as well that I have never done before so check out this video! Learning how to make your own DJ edits has never been so easy.

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Backups and Why They Are Important

Backups and Why They Are Important

In this video, I discuss what backups are and why they are important. If you’re not backing up your data then you could be setting yourself up for a massive data loss.

Losing your music is the worst feeling ever, so if you need an explanation on what backups are and why they are important then make sure to watch this video. I go over different storage mediums you can use to backup your data as well as a program that I use religiously. I explain my process to backing up daily and I can safely say I have never lost my music data (although I have lost some pictures before and I learned NEVER to let that happen again!). Don’t let that be you with your music or your clients music!

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Ableton Live Utility – Ableton Live 11 Tutorial

Ableton Live Utility - Ableton Live 11 Tutorial

In this video I discuss the Ableton Live Utility plug in. This plug in is a very handy tool if you get to know how to use it. I go over some my my advanced tips while using this plug in so if you’re an Ableton user this is not one you want to miss!

Ableton’s Utility does exactly what the name implies. The amount of applications and usability are tremendous, especially if you get creative. You can use it to simply mono your sounds, mono your low end, control width, eliminate a side, flip audio phase, and even automate volume, pan or mutes. Not sure how all this works, then check the video out to learn more!

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Using Little Alter Boy – Little Alter Boy Soundtoys

Using Little Alter Boy - Little Alter Boy Soundtoys

Want some unique tips to using Little Alter Boy? This plug-in is a great plug-in for pitch shifting and audio manipulation. I use this tool for a variety of features. It’s simple, easy to use, relatively inexpensive, and a great tool for vocals and instruments.

It can help get things pitched properly to your production. Or help things sit in the mix. Want to alter a voice to change the tone, how about alter pitch and add drive and character to an instrument or synth? The possibilities are endless. In this video I go over the basics of the alter boy plug-in and some unique tips and tricks I use weekly in my music productions.

I share three tips of mine that I use all the time on vocals with this unique plug in. Using formats or pitch adjustments can alter the sonic characteristics of a sound. Another tactic is to layer the alter boy, and the link button makes the pitch shifting and formant knob do some wacky stuff. It’s pretty nifty what this thing can do!

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