6. “Why are my mixes thin and not as loud as commercial CDs?”

by admin on January 4, 2011 at 3:50 pm
Posted In: Questions

Mastering room

Your computer recording will be noticeably lower in level than any commercially-released CDs, even if you have raised the recording right up to its peak level.

Your “final mix” isn’t really final! There is one more all-important stage your tracks must go through.

Commercial recordings are almost always “mastered” after the final mixes shave been done. One of the functions of this mastering stage is to increase the loudness of the recordings.

This is done using a combination of very high-quality compressors, limiters and equalizers.

The mastering stage is where experience really matters. All of these processors can easily mess up the mix. That’s why it’s important to use a great mastering engineer who has had lots of experience with good track record. Age really matters here.

This is a stage which can cost a few hundred dollars but everyone who has had it done all agree that it’s money well spent.

Mastering compressor

If you can’t afford to go this extra step, home-studio mastering plug-ins are available but you really have to do your homework to make them work really successfully. Lots of trial-and-error.

The mysterious mastering stage is completely explained in great detail in our course because some of our graduates go on to a career in professional mastering. (20 more pages on this in your course)

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7. “I’m a beginner. Do I need any knowledge of electronics?”

by admin on January 4, 2011 at 3:49 pm
Posted In: Questions

No you do not. We do our best to keep any physics and maths to the bare minimum in our program. What little there is, is simple to understand and can be learned quite easily.

Most recording engineers have only a slight knowledge of electronics. There are always skilled technicians just a phone-call away in the event an equipment failure occurs. In fact, being a recording studio maintenance engineer is quite a lucrative and interesting occupation. Most of them start life as sound engineers.

In the not-too-distant past, the sound engineer really did need to understand his equipment because he alone was responsible for its maintenance and functionality. In this new throwaway world, replacement is often easier and quicker than repair.

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8. “I have had some experience. Can AIA still help me?”

by admin on January 4, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Posted In: Questions

You’ve been in and out of studios for many years. You have been writing and producing some really great recordings but you don’t seem to be finding any real success.

Now you realize that you may need some help to succeed. That’s a start. We can help.

You will learn from successful producers how and where to submit your recorded work for consideration by the people that really count. This is not just another out-of-date internet or phonebook listing.

If you try to do this alone – beware. There are hungry sharks out there. So-called song-agents who charge exorbitant fees for pitching your work to major labels. We know that major labels do not sign acts this way. Anyway, the days of the majors are long gone.

Just ask these charlatans to prove their claims. Neither they nor the labels will be able provide you with a list of their top-ten successes or successful signings. It’s all hype. Totally unfounded hogwash.

These back-alley hustlers will bleed you month-by-month by telling you how close you are to getting your songs accepted when in truth they’re sitting on a Malibu beach, roasting their fat bums and doing nothing.

And steer clear of those songwriter competitions and workshops. Most of the other “songwriters” are only there to steal your best lines.

Pete Miller at the Audio Institute of America will show you exactly where you may be going wrong when trying to pitch or promote your music. He will point out new directions and advise you how to avoid the pitfalls.

The entertainment business is a strange beast indeed. It is highly competitive and back-stabbingly cruel.

And unfortunately it’s no longer about talent.

In fact talent can actually be your downfall! If you don’t use it correctly.

You can’t get there on your own. I’ll say it again – – you won’t make it alone.

Not even the Beatles or Bob Dylan or Elvis could make it on their own. They needed help, and even if they hadn’t, they’d have found only limited success a lot later than if they had accepted help in the beginning from the right persons.

AIA will get you there faster than if you try to do it on your own.

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9. “How do I form my own record label?”

by admin on January 4, 2011 at 3:48 pm
Posted In: Questions

The actual setting up of your business is fairly straightforward.

Business License

First, you have to come up with a good name for your record company and do some research to see if this name is available and has not been trademarked or copyrighted by another company. You can usually do this with a quick google internet search.

You should also check to see if this name is available as an internet web address for the website that you will eventually put up (www.myrecordlabel.com). If it is – buy it right away while it’s still available.

Then you register this name with your local authority. There is usually a small filing fee to do this. Go down to your local city hall and tell them that you are starting a business. They will direct you where to go.

Different states require slightly different filing procedures. You may have to file a “Fictitious Business Name Statement” in one of your local newspapers.

Ficticious Business Name Licence

Then you should design your logo, record label, business cards and letterhead etc. Maybe open a Post Office Box if you don’t want to use your home address. Get an e-mail address and maybe a business telephone/fax number.

If you’re just going to be releasing your own material then you’ll need to find avenues for distribution, either over the internet and/or through wholesalers who will place your records in retail outlets.

If you’re going to be releasing music by other bands and artists, then you’re going to have to get contracts made up. This may entail utilizing the services of a lawyer – and they don’t come cheap. And make sure he or she is experienced in entertainment law.

You have to become a bit of a business person because you’ll be dealing with a variety of companies. For example, CD duplication plants*, printers, graphic artists and designers, photography studios, artists’ managers, booking agents, P.R. people, reporters and journalists, radio stations and many more.

Song Copyright Form

When it comes time to offer your product to the public, your internet website should be up and running. Try to make it as attractive and professional looking as possible because your credibility and reputation are on the line here.

If you have a web-savvy friend, use them. Otherwise use a pro.

And don’t forget to copyright your songs before you release them to the public. Then get a seller’s permit from City Hall.

*Footnote: The actual CD or record manufacturing process is a hard subject to address in the short form. There are many frustrations and pitfalls that can easily be avoided once you have digested this all-important lesson in our training course.

Promotion and distribution is discussed in the course along with the inner structure of the music industry. Getting your music safely onto the internet is also covered.

Peter Miller has had his own independent label since 1974 so he knows what he’s talking about.

Now go out and find the next superstar and sign them to your label. Produce their first million dollar hit and Pete will vote for you at the Grammy Awards next year! Good luck! (35 more pages in the course).

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10. “Which software and which DAW is best?”

by admin on January 4, 2011 at 3:47 pm
Posted In: Questions

Presonus software

Music software programs let you record, edit, arrange, mix and master audio tracks for songwriting, studio production, live performance, film and television sound tracks and other professional audio production tasks.

Most of them do the exact same thing but in slightly different ways. Some use different terminology for identical operations but once you get over this boundary, they’re fairly easy to navigate.

Some have more bells and whistles than others in what they can and cannot do, and some come along with bigger bundles of plug-ins. (Plug-ins are smaller programs that lie within the main program and give you more sonic options – for example, a reverberation plug-in.)

Different programs tend to work better with certain styles of music. For example, guitar players like Logic and Adobe Audition whereas keyboard players tend to prefer Digital Performer.

Protools software

A lot of rap and hip-hop programs are junk but these producers lean towards Sony Acid Pro because it is more tuned towards making beats and samples. It’s quite easy to use and you can learn it in a couple of hours.

To make more complex beats with more options, Fruity Loops may be your best bet. It’s great for making drum loops.

Yamaha Digital Audio Workstation

Now, if you are going to use your program inside the computer and link it up to a Digital Audio Workstation, it is important to double-check that the DAW you choose is compatible with the music software that you use.

And also make sure that the versions of each are also compatible – an olderversion of one DAW may not work with a newer updated version of a particular program.

At this time, Digidesign’s Pro Tools is a dominant force in audio production. If you intend to look for a job as an engineer in established studios, then you should definitely learn how to use Pro Tools. It has become the industry standard almost everywhere around the world.

Ableton software

Cubase has become a very popular starter-application because of its simplicity and also the fact that it is relatively inexpensive.

Don’t think that just because some of these programs are free that they aren’t any good. Even most of the free apps (for example Garage Band) allow you to do many things that their more expensive counterparts can do.

Cakewalk Workstation

Whether you use Pro Tools, Performer Nuendo, Cubase, Logic, Sonar or any other program, you will make the same decisions as your music progresses.

They’re just different roads to the same end. Some routes are a little harder to navigate that’s all. What matters most is that your choices should become comfortable to use.

You shouldn’t have to fight the program while you’re working. You must be able to focus on the music. (Much more in the course).

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