This is where I collect links to articles, interviews, books, tutorials, and videos about composing, orchestration, mixing/mastering, production music, etc. that I find interesting, informative, entertaining, etc.
It's searchable, so hopefully, you can find something useful here.
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Articles
Bulletproof Soul: Ali Shaheed Muhammad & Adrian Younge On Scoring Luke Cage
An interview with Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Adrian Younge, the composers of Netflix and Marvel's Luke Cage series.
"They let us run wild on this thing, and let us act as if we were artists and not hired employees. This is something that’s 13 episodes and we just went in and tried to make 13 albums really quickly. So the music is something that serves as the nucleus of hip-hop culture. Hip-hop came from the sampling of breaks and all that stuff, and we created the score from the perspective of vinyl culture which is the source material for hip-hop. So, all the kind of music that hip-hop was sampling was the kind of music we created, in addition to creating hip-hop stuff for the series. It’s one of the best experiences I’ve ever had composing."
The 4 Phases Of Developing Your Creative Voice
"We all have heroes of our chosen craft. These are people we deeply admire, because their work moves us, and challenges us to be better at our own. They are unmistakable because their voice comes through loud and clear in their work. However, it's tempting to fall prey to the notion that these remarkable few people emerged from the womb ready and able to produce brilliance."
BBC Radio 4 - Into the Music Library
"It's the music which has surrounded us our whole lives, but which most of us have never quite heard let alone listened to... and nearly all of it made in the UK.
Sometimes called 'Source music', 'Mood Music' or as it's best known, 'Library music': a hugely important part of British sonic history. Its use and purpose is simple: it's well produced, economic music for film, TV, advertising and radio. Never commercially available to the general public, this music was pressed onto vinyl from the 1950s onwards in short, limited quantities and then sent directly to TV production houses and radio stations for use when necessary."
Sonic Architecture | Designing Sound
"Over the years, the relationship and analogy between music/sound art/sound design and architecture has been explored in several aspects. In the same way architecture works over the solid materials, visual spaces, geometry, abstract realities or social contexts, it does over the aural realities, the sonic dimension. When it comes to space, sound can be valued in an architectural process, just as architecture is also sonic."
10 Tips for Better Low End
"Bass frequencies present unique challenges, and it often takes experimentation, skill, and compromise to deliver a tight and deep mix. This said, when Recording received an email from a reader wondering how to get that 'big bass sound heard on today’s recordings', I set out to compile some of the tips I've picked up while trying to make professional mixes."
Mastering keyboard shortcuts makes Cubase easier to use and is good for your health!
I've finally committed to learning the Cubase keyboard shortcuts that can make music production life so much easier. I'm thinking about picking up a dedicated keyboard, but in the meantime, here's a Sound On Sound article that covers the basics.
Production Music in the Multi-Screen Universe
"When perusing the offerings of production music companies, large and small, it’s easy to find those that are adding a new library or two, striking up a partnership, enhancing search technology, etc. But what has changed so much in recent years is the availability of platforms where the music might be used."
Banishing Your Inner Critic
"Everybody has one: the inner critic that tells you you’re just faking it, that others have more talent, that you’ll never achieve the success you seek. The inner critic is an unconscious deterrent that stands between the seeds of great ideas and the fruits of achievement..."
Via: 99u.com
Via: 99u.com
Better Bass: The Complete Guide To Recording, Mixing & Monitoring The Low End
"Bass instruments — whether acoustic, electric or electronic — are crucial to the majority of modern music. We all know we need to make the bass end work and, for most contemporary styles at least, that we need to make the bass part 'pump' and work with the drums to establish a compelling groove...This article explores the theory behind some common problems, and suggests tips and techniques to overcome them."
4 Ways To Hear More In Music
"You love the music you love, but you'll love it even more if you listen closely.
Analysis will never trump feeling: The way a piece or a song moves us is ultimately what makes music lovers (addicts, really) come back for more. But the more you understand how composers and musicians manipulate the fundamental four elements of music — rhythm, melody, harmony and color — is a peek behind the curtain."
Q&A With Steve Porcaro
Musinq is a new site for interacting with musicians and composers. This is a link to their Q&A page for 'Justified' composer Steve Porcaro.
How to Create Width, Height and Depth in a Mix
"The hallmark of a great recording/mix for me is one where the music all lives within a tangible, dimensional world. The exception being songs that call for a two-dimensional or more lo-fi approach.
In general, a recording that has width, height, and depth creates for a compelling sound.
And truthfully I think part of the magic of a song is pulling the listener into a different world — creating the illusion of that space only adds to that effect."
Composer shares how to work our (Getty Images Music) system
Composer Kerry Muzzey shares some tips on how to maximize placements for your production music.
Writing for Music Libraries – Part I
"Russell Bell takes you through the nitty-gritty of writing for stock music libraries. In this first part he talks about how to break into the industry, what to expect and how to hone your skills for this kind of work."
iTunes for Composers
"iTunes is a straightforward and simple application for organizing and listening to music. You probably don’t need someone to explain to you how it works. But there are a few unique features of iTunes that a lot people don’t take advantage of. If you’re a composer/producer/songwriter with a lot of music to keep track of, getting the most out of iTunes can vastly improve your workflow."
Interview with Prometheus composer Marc Streitenfeld
Excerpt:
"We recorded for… a little over a week. I split up some of the sessions because I wanted to do an initial session to try out some different sounds and techniques. I tried to do a few unusual approaches with this. I recorded some of the score backwards – but not in the sense that I just reversed the recording. I actually wrote out the sheet music backwards so the orchestra played it backwards and then I digitally flipped it. So you’re hearing the score as it’s written, the same melody, but with a backwards sounding orchestra which gives it a kind of unusual, unsettling sound."
Interview with Alan Silvestri
An interview with The Avengers composer Alan Silvestri
How Do You Want That, Baked, Half-Baked Or Ready To Be Baked?
Composer and author Jay Asher overviews the many sample library companies in the context of how much, or how little, room sound comes built in.
Phase: Timing Difference or Polarity?
Randy Coppinger has written a detailed article covering the different problems associated with "phase issues" and potential solutions.
What Music Supervisors Wish You Knew
"In addition to jockeying for position with every singer,group,DJ,beats-maker and song plugger,the line-up of hopefuls extends in yet another direction. That’s right,the cadre of competitors for the licensing of music and songs includes one more group of powerful individuals at increasingly powerful companies. And who might that be? Production music libraries."