Category Archives: musics

Equalization Tips for Electronic Music Production

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EQ (or Equalization) is a fundamental part of dance music production. This tutorial will analyse the use of EQ to solve some common production problems.

If you solo the individual parts in a dance music piece, it becomes very obvious to the human ear where the particular fundamental frequencies lie on the sonic spectrum. Basslines may have a large concentration of low end frequencies at 60 Hz, whereas other percussive elements commonly have a presence at 1-6 kHz. Percussive sparkle is found in the 8-12 kHz area, which is a range not typically occupied by bass. Making sure that instruments do not overlap their frequencies is key to producing a balanced sonic landscape.

Unmasking the Frequencies

Parts that share certain frequencies can cause serious problems when mixed together. Commonly called ‘frequency masking’, this can result in sounds losing their structure and an introduction of unwanted gain.

In order to effectively counter the unwanted side-effects of frequency masking is to apply EQ to strip away the problem frequencies from one or more of the instruments. This will help to carve a space in the sound spectrum frequencies that may then be occupied by other parts.

A common example of frequency masking is when a bass instrument and kick drum overlap on a beat. It is not uncommon for two parts such as these to share bass frequencies which can cause problems when they are played simultaneously. If this issue cannot be resolved by changing the programming of the notes, a degree of Equalization can be applied. Reducing the volume of the bassline at approximately 60 Hz by using an Equalization cut could prevent the frequencies of the kick drum from being masked by the bass at around 60 Hz in the mix.

Using EQ in this manner can help to achieve greater sonic balance in music productions, as every instrument is given its own space to exist within the frequency spectrum.

Issues in Music Business

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Creativity has never been everybodys cup of tea and so has been establishing in the art industry. It always required a thick mantle to survive and the music industry is no exception. The best survival trick is to be able to deal properly with the disappointments, take lessons and keep moving in order to achieve your goal, without getting swayed away.

Few of the issues and concerns in the music industry are as follows:

Demo disappointment Its, indeed, one of the most common problem with every second struggler in the music industry. So what do you do when you just dont get any response on your demo? You might choose to get frustrated on realizing that there is no one interested in your stuff or your demo is not at all worthy enough. Or you might decide to take a positive approach and believe that it takes time to get the right sample to the right person for independent artist. A more pragmatic approach would be to figure out petty tribulations that might be there in your demo and make conscious efforts to put them right. There is a lot of information and guideline available on the net on how to improve you demo. The other activities advised to handle such a situation are:

Continue playing shows so that your profile keeps building up continuously.
Aggressively pursue the press coverage of your shows.
Stay updated on your internet marketing tools like your blog, MySpace etc.
Maintain upgraded information in your promotion package about your latest activities.

Non-availability of Distribution after reaching the stage when you decide to release your own record, getting distributors for your first release becomes the biggest problem, given, the fact that every distributor eyes on established brands and labels which can pull huge loads of advertisement money at their offices. The solution is simply to take care of a few things in your record which can help make the distributor(s) believe that the stuff is going to work in the market:

You should show up a decent list of releases of different independent artist so that the risk gets shared evenly.

A proposal having a schedule of your future releases to assure the distributors that you plan to stay, at least, for a while.

Catch hold of a distributor who keeps, in general, all labels so that the supply (when your music is in demand) is easily met with.

Do efforts by promoting your music not only through the press but also by visiting music stores etc.

These steps can, in principle, improve the market status of your music and provide you the leverage that you have been striving for quiet long.

From Musicians To Music Festival Organizers

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In todays musical economy, youre lucky to be a band thats invited to join a music festival lineup. Festivals are blowing up in terms of popularity, so much so that nearly every major music festival in 2011 saw record attendance. To be on one of those bills could do a lot for your career, but to create an entire festival? Thats just crazy talk. Or is it? One band has been doing just that for 12 years.

Horror Rap duo Insane Clown Posse has unarguably the largest cult following of any similar sounding act in the entire country. The reasons for that are many, but its safe to say the fact that they have their own annual festival where fans (Juggalos) can meet up every year goes a long way in solidifying those fans loyalty. Of course, Im talking about the Gathering of the Juggalos!

Producing a Music Festival

Theres nothing easy about producing a music festival, especially one as involved as Gathering of the Juggalos. Location, artists, security, vendors, permits, scheduling, promotion, insurance, and stage setup are just some things that have to be taken into consideration by curators like Insane Clown Posse in planning. And if you dont sell as many tickets as you need to in order to make a profit, it can be a very expensive loss.

Insane Clown Posse hosted their first Gathering of the Juggalos music festival in 2000 after several years of talk and planning surrounding the event. Its hugely successful today, but even a band as large as Insane Clown Posse had to fight and endure trial and error over the years to bring Gathering of the Juggalos to its current level of success.

Music vs. Events

Of course, the artists playing the festival will be the most important selling point to potential festival-goers. This years Gathering of the Juggalos festival was loaded with talented horror rap acts, and enough Juggalos to satisfy your social desires until Insane Clown Posses next Gathering of the Juggalos festival rolls around. But what makes the Gathering more original than any other music festival around the country isnt the music; its the on-site activities.

Its essential that there are more activities on hand than those related to music. Insane Clown Posse knows their fans might get tired of non-stop music for four straight days, so they came up with the idea to provide them with fresh activities seen at no other music festival. While these events may only be attractive to the Insane Clown Posse fan demographic, they provide some great insight on the ingenuity needed to make fans happy at music festivals.

Helicopter Rides at Gathering of the Juggalos

To start, there are helicopter rides at the Gathering of the Juggalos. Why? Why not is a better question. For a little bit of money, customers already at Insane Clown Posses festival can take a ride in the helicopter and tour the festival grounds from birds eye view.

Artist Seminars

There are meet and greets or autograph signings at a lot of major music festivals, but very few offer attendees the opportunity to sit in on a seminar conducted by your favorite artists. The guys in Insane Clown Posse always make sure they release as much news about their careers as possible at their artist seminars.

Juggalo Championship Wrestling

Insane Clown Posse, their Juggalo followers, and everyone else somehow connected to the Psychopathic Records family have been immersed in the wrestling scene since it all began. Gathering of the Juggalos just wouldnt be Gathering of the Juggalos without Juggalo Championship Wrestling on hand!

Those events are all given, but some others that take place at the yearly festival are mud / oil wrestling and the Ms. Juggalette contest! It might not be your typical beauty pageant, but some lucky lady will still be headed home with the title of Ms. Juggalette at the end of the weekend!

Over the years, Insane Clown Posse has mastered the art of creating a festival thats pleasing to die hard music fans and the more casual customers who also enjoy alternate activities not related to music at all. This balance must be achieved if you ever wish to host your own music festival some day!

The Extra Terrestrials Show At Chennai Music Academy

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The Premiere of the show Extra Terrestrials was held today at the Music Academy.

The show began with a performance by the Golden Power- the two men Sandor Vlah and Gyula Takacs who were painted in gold displayed an amazing combination of strength, skill and art by effortlessly performing hand balancing acts and taking on each other’s weight.

The audience was still recovering from the wonderful feats performed by them, when Wolfgang Bientzle the German Wheel Acrobat, came up with an awesome performance on the wheel to exclamations of ‘wow’ in the audience.

Erik Ivarsson’s antics on the unicycle left the audience speechless with amazement, while Jerome Murat a mime, illusionist and ventriloquist captivated the audience with his act. Watching him was like watching a magic performance- should be watched to be believed.

The audience was enthralled by Anton Monastyrsky as they watched him get in an out of the hula hoop and spin circles around it until the hoops almost became a blur. No wonder he is also called The Lord of the Rings.

Not only was Roma Hervida’s performance spell binding but her very presence was magnetic. Her dazzling performance had most of us in the audience at the edge of our seats!

The final performance by Laser man, Theo Dari who was bending, cutting and restoring laser points to create a visual display that was truly enchanting. You can take it from us-we did not want the performance to end!

What else can we say about the performances other than ‘Wow’?
You have to watch the show to believe how good it is.

The shows are taking place on February 3,4,5,6 and 7, 2010 thrice a day, at Music Academy.

Music Licensing Is A Great Way To Promote Brands

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Can you think of every way individuals use music in the course of a day. The most common are MP3s, CDs, radio. But we also hear a steady stream of music in different commercials, in the background of radio commercials, when we are on hold during a call to bank, from music while relaxing in any restaurant or when the local band plays songs on Friday night at our favorite club. In every case, the lyrics writer is earning a music licensing fees. In addition to the income which these deals bring in, they extend and strengthen the musical brand with the cool music for brands and expose it to more number of individuals. The cool music for brands create a connection between the music and the service or product being promoted.

It is always advisable to hire a well known music licensing company, efficient in this job of promoting cool music for brands rather than promoting you. But for an unknown lyricist or one just starting to enjoy their success, a smaller music licensing company can offer better service regarding licensing their music.

Individuals must bear in mind that there is a difference between a music library and a licensing company. A music library merely adds-up the music of any artist to a large catalog database for potential users to peruse. A music licensing firm pro actively goes out and pitches their music specifically. This music licensing company charges a larger fee but it is worth paying.

Apart from use in TV commercials, TV episodes, movie trailers, and on films, music are also used greatly in video games also. Video games provide a great opportunity for placement of music. But it is essential to match the music with the commodity. For instance, a fusion jazz may work perfectly for any dinner club radio advertisement. While choosing any music licensing company do a good homework. Check to make sure whether they have any pending lawsuits or not for non-payment. Try to talk to other artists who have worked with this company involved in promoting cool music for brands. The artists must ensure they know exactly what they are signing while entering into the contract. Another essential thing to bear in mind is that individuals must never pay any kind of upfront fees. Reputable companies that provide assistance in licensing music never charge any upfront fees. These licensing music firms work on commission. These firms do not make profit until the artists do. Therefore if any licensing music firm asks money from any individual, it will be better not to go in any kind of deal with such company.

Web is the best place to find out several reputable music licensing companies. Selecting any company carefully will help you to avoid any future trouble. The utmost benefit of music licensing is that individuals can control use of their music. Once individuals opt for licensing music, they can have a legal right on their compositions. Anyone interested in using their symphony need to take their permission to use it. Artists can get a good amount of money by providing others the right to use it.