Post-COVID I’ve decided to release more of my music library online and that includes over 260 rap beats and instrumentals that I produced for Rap Track back in 1999-2004. The new YouTube channel for some of these rap instrumentals is currently called Rap Dogs Rap Beats.
Continue reading “Rap Beats and Hip Hop Instrumentals released on YouTube”
“Search For Me” – Words and Music by Gailyn Addis and Conrad Askland.
“Search For Me” was a song collaboration with Gailyn Addis. We wrote the words and music together, recorded the song and it was released through Orchard Music on the 1999 Gailyn Addis self-titled debut album. Gailyn was one of my all-time favorite vocal artists to record with and this is one of my favorite songs that we wrote together in preparation for her 1999 album release.
Continue reading “Search For Me – Electronica Hip Hop song ballad”
I’ve been going crazy trying to remember where the battery compartment is for my Shure VP88 microphone. I could not find any info online to open up the battery and put in a new battery for the VP88.
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2012/8210.html
Excerpt:
The love song of an extinct cricket that lived 165 million years ago has been brought back to life by scientists at the University of Bristol. The song – possibly the most ancient known musical song documented to date – was reconstructed from microscopic wing features on a fossil discovered in North East China. It allows us to listen to one of the sounds that would have been heard by dinosaurs and other creatures roaming Jurassic forests at night.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT9PlgoXXhk
Email question received:
no problem getting my site to play mp3 files, but what do you do if you’ve got an AAC file that you want people to hear.
************************
Response:
Hey there, great question! What I found is that Adobe Flash supports AAC, so you could use a flashplayer to stream your AAC music files. From what I read it appears there are some other players also but they only support internet explorer. I’m assuming that you want your solution to be cross platform. It also looks like Orbis may have some players but you have to purchase them.
Continue reading “Q&A: How to play AAC audio files on website?”
As part of my Critical Listening class with Berklee Music Online I’ve been spending a lot of time tweaking my audio mixing room. The point is to level out the environment at the listening position for an audio response that minimizes comb filtering and nodes that cancel out frequencies. If the problem is not minimized, at least knowing the frequency problem areas can give you crucial information so you don’t over adjust in the final mixes.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo52yszIfPw
Audio engineer Bruce Swedien talks about keeping the mix primitive. Years ago I had his video series on microphone usage. The big tip I picked up from that was to use microphones to capture part of the room. Using microphone pairs to combine the source and ambient reflections. Also started to record keyboard parts going through amps rather than direct to the console.
I think it’s a wonderful approach to sound design and engineering. I’ve also always enjoyed Bruce Swedien’s low profile presentation. Most of us producing music these days are guilty at one point or another of getting too involved in the gear. I guess like with most studies the key is to study the details and geeky procedures as much as you can – but then forget all that and do your thing when it comes to your productions. Swedien really emphasizes the important of not losing the root passion of the music.
Continue reading “Bruce Swedien – Keeping the Mix Primitive”
Pan Law, in practical application, states that an audio source, of equal amplitude and phase, that is played in both channels of a stereo system and panned from center to left or right will sound natural to increase 3db.
Read the Wikipedia link below for more details. (Actual change is 6.02db for perfect response and perfect acoustics, but practical application for most speaker setups is to think 3db).
Read more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_law
I’m really amazed at the changes in music production software and gear over the past 20 years, especially the ten years from 2001 to 2011. Long story short: I can do almost as much with about $8,000 of gear in 2011 that it took me $50,000 of gear in 2001.
Let’s go back to 1988 when I started with a four track recorder and a single Yamaha keyboard (DX10?). My first jobs were people wanting piano backup tracks which was fine. But very quickly clients would want a little more like strings or a drum beat. So then you purchased a drum machine. Then you need better strings (back then Kurzweil was king of strings) so you bought a string tone module ($1,000 at the time on special – a great deal).
Continue reading “Changes in Music Production from 2001 to 2011”
Email question received:
Hey Bro, great web page.
I came across your stie looking for sound effects to the musical “Annie”.
Do you know where I could find some?
Thanks!
Continue reading “Where to get sound effects for live theater”