Well as you have read in some of my previous posts, I am a Digital Performer fan. I have been using the software every since I came into the DAW age from using Digital Tape Machines such as Tascam- DA 88's or Alesis ADat's. Some of you may be wondering, what are DA-88's or ADat's? Lol.... To those of us who have been in the game since the 90's, that was the rage then. The Digital Recording Age was introduced in the 90's to the masses via those two machines; they were inexpensive and sounded great. Then came the 2000's and the DAW was born, even though it technically was born in the 90's along with digital tape but computer power wasn't strong enough then for it to really take off. Since then, every year , DAW's have grown more powerful as the computers have grown more powerful, to that end, this year MOTU will release Digital Performer version 8. This DAW used to be MAC exclusive, but now Windows users will get a chance to know what us Mac users have known for years, that Digital Performer is the hidden gem of the DAW world.
Digital Performer is already the standard in Hollywood for movie scoring but what many do not know in the pro audio world is that it is great for recording and making beats as well. It uses the Audio Units format for plug in's so that any plug in you use in Logic, you can also use in DP. It's sequencer is matched by no other DAW, including Protools, for ease of use and the software sounds great.
When it is released, I will post a link to where you can buy the software. I invite you as a long time DP user to at least check it out. You will not be disappointed.
Keep checking the site because I will be adding a page soon that contains some of the software the pros use, including myself, which, with a little practice and time will get you the professional sound you seek. Until then.....
Keep the music Bangin'
Cee
Today I just felt like giving you a word of encouragement. No matter what you are facing be it having a successful career in music, relationship issues, money issues, family issues, whatever it is, pray and trust God. He will always come through for you as long as you trust and believe as well as get in line with his word. Just my word of encouragement for someone, now let's get back to making great music!
I sometimes I get asked this question in many forms and they always make me laugh. The other day I was talking to someone and they were dissing a studio because they used Cubase instead of Protools. I told that person that it really doesn't matter what software you use, it is the person behind the software that is going to make the difference. Personally, I use Digital Performer eventhough I have Protools and Logic as well, DP just works better for me. The sound quality is just the same with most high end software.
So to that end, I would say that you don't HAVE to use Protools to make a great song. Use Protools if you like it but don't make a choice based upon reasoning that says you HAVE to use it.
Do not go by the follow the bandwagon method because "everyone is using it" because in actually they are not. More and more people are using Logic and Digital Performer instead.
Just something to think about!
I am just sitting here thinking and I felt inspired to blog. Is it me or does sound quality really matter anymore? The reason that I ask is because, a lot of artists now days record their own music and even attempt to mix & master it by using presets or just random settings. Sometimes it results in a radio hit but it sounds like trash sonically compared to the clean, hot and banging tracks of the 90's and early 2000's before the digital revolution. Now I don't want to sound like the guy who is holding on to the past because I am not, I embrace the now as well as the future. But, somewhere between the now and the past, quality seems to have been replaced by the radio hit and the radio hit has given a lot of artists the belief that a radio hit equates to quality. Well it doesn't.... That is why you have artists that are one hit wonders more than ever..Where are The Shop Boyz, DFL of Laffy Taffy fame, even Souljah boy has seemed to have fallen off the cliff. This goes doubly for Christian rappers because you represent God and you are mandated to put out your best but often the music is distorted, thin and just plain bad. Don't use free 99 as an excuse (because you do everything yourself), you can have the best song in the world and with a bad mix & master, you deprive the song of it's potential.
Quality makes you stand out from the crowd and gives you a better chance of sustaining a career for years not just months. Look at Jay-Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Jeezy, T.I., Bun-B and Christian rappers like Lecrae, Da Truth and the like. They produce quality from the lyrics, to the beat, to the recording, down to the mixing and mastering.
Let's get back to quality this year and put out good music that will stand the test of time. That is where you will reach your audience and realize your goals!
In the year 2012 expect us here at mypromix.com and hiphopmastering.com to continue to be on the cutting edge of online mixing & mastering. With over 20 years of experience, we can offer you the best quality at the best prices with an engineer who knows all types of music with a specific emphasis on HipHop.
There are many who think that mixing and mastering is just calling up a couple of presets and that is it! Well I say there is a difference when you get someone who has the experience to go along with it. There is a Big difference!
We say thank you to all of our clients past, present and future; as we look forward to an even more successful year in 2012, we encourage you to keep God first in all that you do and you will never go wrong!
Be Blessed,
Cee
Mypromix.com / HipHop Mastering.com
What up! I know I haven't posted in awhile but I have been crazy busy mixing and mastering some of the best music around. I send thanks to all of you who have trusted me with your most prized possessions over the last couple of months, keep em' coming, the pleasure is indeed mine. I just wanted to give you a heads up on what I am planning in the months ahead. I know you have been seeing the tab above that states "beats" and when you click on it, it says coming soon, well I have also been in the lab cooking up some next 2012 and beyond type of shiznit and I will be posting some for lease and for exclusive sale at an affordable price for independents.
I realize that we are in the time where it is relatively easy to make a track with today's software and I applaud the young producers for taking advantage of it. With that being said, there is some really great music being put out and some really horrible music being put out because a lot of new producers haven't taken the time to learn the art of producing, mixing and mastering.
There is a lot more to it than just making a beat, and I will attempt to explain what I mean in upcoming blogs. I am from the time where those of us who have been there give back to those who are trying to get there. Some people helped me to get to where I am , Shout out to "Big Rich" of Visions in Mind Productions and David Donaldson of 24/7 music, so I will attempt in my own little way to give back via these blogs.
Also in the near future I will be producing some How to Videos to show you how to get that perfect bangin' mix.
Just stay tuned, The best is yet to come!
Keep God first in all that you do and He will never let you down!
In the beginning of the DAW (digital audio workstation) revolution Pro-tools was considered the gold standard in studio recording by both small and big studios alike. Most people just went with it because of it's popularity but the truth is, there are options and there has always been options.
There are many great sounding DAW's that are equal if not better than Pro-tools. There is Logic, Digital Performer (DP), Cubase, Nuendo and others which do the same thing as Protools for a lot less. My Personal preference is DP, it's ease of use, great sound quality, unlimited tracks (as much as your computer can handle) and access to lots and lots of Audio Unit plugins make it a no brainer because you get so much for a lot less money.
So when building your studio, don't just go with Pro-tools because "everybody uses it" or because someone said that your favorite record was recorded on it, think about your options and go with works for YOU best. I learned years ago when I first started producing music that the equipment you use is only as good as its operator. Many people swore by the MPC and still do but I know quite a few wanna be producers who bought one and their beats were still wack. I, by the way, used an Ensoniq EPS 16+ for all of my hits in the 90's and early 2000's. I just wanted to be different and stand out. If you are ever to become a successful producer or engineer, follow your heart and dare to be different. Innovators lead the pack and do not follow!
Until next month,
Keep Bangin the hits
Crazy C!
Hey, I got this banging song and radio will not play it, is a question that a lot of new artists have? The answer to the question is both simple and complex at the same time. It is simple in the fact that you need a hit, it is complex in the fact that you believe you have a hit, who is right?
The public is right! Every new artist must work their record and gain a buzz either online or on the street. No radio station will play your records without a buzz. What I mean by buzz is, you must have the general public talking about you. People must be talking about you everywhere, (i.e. have you heard the new song from "?"). Your name must become the next hot topic at school, at the club, at church (if you are a gospel artist) or online. Once you have an established buzz, radio will take a chance on your record, not before. Having friends and family call radio stations to request your song DOES NOT WORK! That is a myth. Think about it, you work at a station and you know all of the artists that have hits, then all of a sudden out of the blue you get 50 requests for MC Ray Ray's song "hot mess". You as a DJ, have never heard of this artist but they are getting a lot of requests out of the blue! You know those calls are not real and they will be discarded. Legitimate requests are for artists that people know or who have started to create a buzz.
So to that end, nothing happens overnight, you must grind and put in work. Then and only then, will your record get played.
P.S. Also QUALITY DOES MATTER! Have your song Professionally mixed and mastered because even the most banging song will get overlooked at a radio station if it sounds bad. Also do not send in CD'R copies with the title written with a sharpie that is just plain ole' unprofessional and will immediately get thrown away.
Stay tuned for next month's blog...
Keep Bangin'
Crazy C.
Last month we talked about the 2track instrumental and the mixing of that instrumental. Now we will talk about proper mix levels for the best possible master. I know that most everybody nowadays wants their song to be loud and proud! I feel that but, there is a proper way to achieve that as well as a wrong way to achieve that. Let me explain.
Do not normalize or place a limiter on your mixes in an attempt to make your song loud before mastering. This severely derails the mastering engineer's ability to give you a quality sound. You should leave your mixes in their raw form, ideally -1db to -2db below zero; this gives the mastering engineer "room" to increase the overall volume before distortion is introduced to the signal.
The goal here is to have the loudest possible volume without distortion. If you hear distortion, you have gone to far. In my personal opinion I believe quality should win out over top volume any-day. A lot of today's songs are loud but they lack the clarity, quality and warmth of the recordings of yesterday. Take Ice Cube's "amerikkka's most wanted" CD or Blackstreet's self titled debut CD, both of these Cd's may not have been very loud, compared to today's standards but they sounded great! I would gladly turn up the volume myself on the CD player any day to get a better sounding product! But that is just me. Lol
There is a trend going on in this age of the DAW that is very misleading to many. It is the 2track instrumental mix that many producers are sending artists instead of the full tracked files of the beat. Now before you producers go off into a hissy, here me out. I am a producer so I understand that you want your beat to sound a certain way, i have no problem with that. The issue is this, when the artist sends the song off to get mixed, you handy cap the mixer. In other words, you take half of the control of the mix away from the professional.
When a song is mixed, the best and most quality way, is to have all tracks separate including the individual instruments used to produce the beat. Having this option, gives the mixer control over the entire mix instead of having to work around issues that may be apparent in the 2track instrumental mix. Just because you can produce a hot beat, doesn't mean that you can correctly mix it. A lot of 2track instrumentals i get are distorted, muddy and down right bad; and there is nothing I can do to fix it, so I have to camouflage it the best i can so that whole of the song sounds good but not great! There is a difference.
The correct way to keep your sound intact while giving the mixer the individual files separate and tracked out, is for you to be in the session when the mixing is going on. If you can't physically be there because you may be in another city, you can always send a reference file for the mixer to follow as well as communicate via phone, text or email. There are many ways to make sure your beat sounds the way you want it, while giving the mixer all of the tools he or she needs to give you a quality mix on the entire song.
Keep in mind, most anyone nowadays can record but not everyone can mix! Mastering is a whole separate issue that we will tackle next month!
Til then, Keep the music Bangin'!
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