Archive for July, 2009
My Music Sounds Fine, Why Do I Need to Learn Music Theory?
by claybutlermusic on Jul.29, 2009, under Music Theory, Recording, Uncategorized
Right now, I’m headlong into teaching a Music Theory for Producers class. My students are struggling with the reasons behind having to learn music theory and read music. They question, for example, why they have to know the difference between a simple triple meter and a compound duple meter. What relevance does this knowledge serve? Does knowing make my music better?
If you get right down to it, the answer is no. Many musicians strictly play by ear, and a large portion of musicians in general don’t know the mechanics and theory behind what they’re playing. So, understanding music theory or being able to read music is not an absolute necessity when producing or being a musician. But what it does do is help you communicate with your musicians and session players. Oftentimes, we’ll get an idea in our heads, but we won’t quite be able to convey that idea in a way that others can understand. Learning at least basic music theory will give you a knowledge base that will help you be able to formulate your ideas so you can articulate them. When you’re able to speak to musicians on their level, you are more likely to get exactly what you want out of them. Also, if you’re asked a question, you’ll likely have a better answer. However, if you don’t understand the theory behind the question, you may not have an answer at all!
A second consideration is sequencing. My students are pretty much split equally among three categories: rockers, rappers, and non-musicians (audio engineers or producers only). Understanding music theory, particularly when it deals with rhythm, is of particular importance to those who want to produce hip-hop beats. Not that you can’t “feel” the beat and go by instinct, but understanding rhythm and meter do help a great deal with setting up your tracks and sequencer. For example, if you’re setting up your metronome on your sequencer to record a track, you might question whether to the meter of your song to 3/4 or 6/8 (which is, by the way, an example of a simple triple meter and a compound duple meter). They both contain the same number of eighth notes, but they group the notes differently. Understanding the difference between the two, and being able to hear them both in your head, will lead you to the right solution for your track.
You don’t have to be a master of music theory to make great music. However, understanding how music works can help ease the process, save time, and alleviate frustration.
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Wider is Better: Extreme Panning for a Better Mix
by claybutlermusic on Jul.24, 2009, under Recording, Uncategorized
Perhaps nothing makes a mix more interesting than a wide stereo field. However, having instruments panned to the left or right not only makes a mix more aesthetically appealing, but it also helps to create a more stable, balanced mix.
Before I start preaching the benefits of extreme panning, let me first provide a disclaimer. Mono does have its place, particularly when mixing for telephone (such as on hold messaging and music), checking mixes intended for television (many older sets are mono), and checking for phase problems. Therefore, never discount checking your mixes in mono before you print a final mix.
Separation
In a previous post, I discussed eliminating competition between instruments in a live mix by using EQ. Since many live mixes are mono, I didn’t mention panning. If your mix is stereo, though, the first step to creating separation and eliminating competition between instruments is to reach for the pan knob. When two instruments are similar in range or timbre, it’s usually a good idea to pan them opposite from one other. This technique works particularly well if you’re having difficulty distinguishing between two instruments or between what each instrument is playing. The results are instantly noticeable.
Width
Many engineers neglect extreme panning, opting for a more narrow sounding mix. However, panning some instruments “hard left” and others “hard right” and others in between can really open up a mix, creating a fuller sound. While it creates a greater sense of balance within a mix, it also creates a greater sense of width. Extreme panning can also create a “larger-than-life” type of sound.
Aesthetics
To take the concept one step further, if you have an instrument or part that is doubled, try panning one hard left and the other hard right. This technique is often used with doubled rock guitars to create a massively wide guitar sound.
Example
Here’s an example of a typical rock band: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboard, bass, and drums. Try a wide mix with these. Typically, we would keep the bass in the center. Our drums would be panned to either audience perspective or drummer perspective. With a typical right-handed drummer in drummer perspective would be Kick in center, Snare in center (or slightly to the left), Rack Tom at 9 o’clock, Mid Tom at center, Floor tom at 3 o’clock, and stereo overheads. To create even wider drums, pan the toms even wider than 3 o’clock an 9 o’clock, bordering on hard left and right. Now place the electric guitar and keyboard opposite from each other at hard left and right. This leaves room for the acoustic in the center. Another trick is to pan the reverb of a panned instrument to the opposite side of the stereo field. For instance, if you pan the guitar to the left, pan its reverb to the right.
These are just a few examples of the benefits and uses of extreme panning. Try it out on your mixes and see how it expands your mixing horizons. Next time we’ll talk about treating the studio mix as a live stage.
Audio and Your Business: Using Audio to Bolster Sales and Awareness
by claybutlermusic on Jul.17, 2009, under For Businesses, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized
Since audio is an often overlooked business tool, Butler Productions’ Audio Marketing Solutions department exists to help small businesses implement audio in ways that can benefit both sales and awareness. There are a number of ways that audio can be used to the benefit of your business. Here are the three most common:
Jingles
When creating a marketing campaign, awareness is the first hurdle to overcome. Obviously, potential customers must know about you before they come to you. Using a jingle is an excellent way to help achieve awareness. A jingle is simply a short, catchy song which provides information about your business or product. However, it doesn’t stop there. A jingle, in whole or in part, can be included into radio, television, and internet advertising (YouTube videos, your company website, etc.), so it’s a very versatile tool. Some jingles can stand alone as a commercial, while others are great openers or closers. Jingles are relatively inexpensive to create and can serve your company for years to come. Learn more about getting started with jingles here.
On-Hold Messages
Converting potential customers into paying customers is the next hurdle. You’ve created a jingle that creates awareness for your company, and now phone calls are pouring in. On-Hold Messaging is the next tool, which helps keep customers on the telephone line and provide valuable information while they wait for to speak to someone. The music and messages that callers hear helps to reduce caller anxiety, reduce the number of hang-ups, and create further awareness of your products and services. All of these results help to foster more sales for your business. These can be coupled with your jingle to help reinforce your brand and image in the mind of your callers. These are also easy and inexpensive to start and maintain, and most telecom services have the ability to incorporate music/messages on hold. Learn more about getting started with on-hold messages here.
Point-of-Purchase Audio Advertising
Ok, now you’ve caught a potential customer’s attention with your jingle, and you’ve kept them interested in your business when they called with your on-hold message. Now they’ve come to your business or store location. The next hurdle is to convert browsers to buyers. Point-of-Purchase Audio Advertising is a great tool for this task. These brief messages, often interspersed within background music, can inform shoppers of new products or services, sales and specials, or any other useful information. While some contain background music, many consist of just a voiceover or announcer, so they’re quick, easy, and inexpensive to produce. Again, you can use your jingles here as well, adding even more value to your initial investment.
These are just three examples. Feel free to drop us a comment of your ideas or useful ways you’ve used audio for your business. If you’re interested in implementing audio for your business, contact Butler Productions, and we’ll be glad to help!
Audio in the Classroom: Meeting Read Aloud Accommodations
by christinabutler on Jul.15, 2009, under For Educators, Recording, Uncategorized
Many students with reading disabilities benefit from written material being read aloud. I have already talked about the advantages of short stories and novels being listened to individually or as a class on CD or tape. Now we move on to a much easier task of having shorter tests and quizzes recorded on CD.
To review, when a students has a reading disability, the student should not suffer academically due to this disability. Having a test played from a CD increases test validity and decreases stress on everyone’s part. The CD can be easily paused when someone asks for more time on answering a question.
This CD can be used in many instances. The first is the Exceptional Education teacher that must meet accommodations for students with disabilities. The teacher prepares the CD ahead of time and then simply presses “play” while the students follow along with the paper copy on their desks. This allows teachers to have a “clean read,” instead of worrying about their inflection during the reading of certain answers. If you are using a CD, there is no way that a cough can turn into a “cue” for a correct answer!
Another way to use these CDs is in a Regular Education classroom. Many times, the teacher does not have the staff available to take a student out of the classroom to read the test. A student can use a CD player and headphones to complete the test, while the teacher meets this legal accommodation. Even better would be to play the CD for the whole class. Every classroom contains students that may struggle with reading. Think of students with test anxiety. Having the test read aloud may help a student choose answers more carefully and accurately.
The last way to use a CD like this is in the case of an absence. Teachers hate to be absent and worry if their substitute is carrying out classroom duties appropriately. If the sub is able to walk in, press “play,” and monitor student behavior, the test will have a better chance of being fair and accurate. Also, in the case of a student absence, the student can use the CD player and headphones to complete the test, without having to pull more staff members to read the test individually.
As you can see, read aloud test and quizzes are much easier when recorded to CD. Use software to record these at home or find a local recording studio that can complete a set of CDs for you for the school semester or year.
Mixing Live Audio: Eliminating Competition with EQ
by claybutlermusic on Jul.10, 2009, under Recording
Today, I’m going to enter into more technical territory and discuss mixing. As the title says, the key to obtaining a better mix is by eliminating competition. Too often, engineers who are just starting out focus only on volume for mixing. While volume is a huge component of mixing, it’s not the end-all-be-all. Unfortunately, many newer engineers don’t fully embrace the practical use of equalization and use it only for aesthetic purposes. However, EQ is a crucial tool for eliminating competition between instruments, which is the start of building a good mix.
So, how does EQ eliminate competition? Sometimes when mixing, you get into a sort of “volume battle” between instruments. You turn up Instrument A because you can’t hear it over Instrument B, only to turn up B because you just masked it by turning up A. Rinse and repeat until your eardrums cringe and you’re so frustrated that you want to pull your hair out. EQ is the answer. Instead of EQ-ing instruments to sound good by themselves, try EQ-ing them to work with each other. If two instruments are playing in the exact same note/frequency range they will be difficult to distinguish from one another in the mix, no matter how hard you try with volume. If you have boosted 400Hz and 1.5KHz in one instrument, try cutting those frequencies in the offending instrument. The “mirror image mixing” approach goes a long way in clearing up a mix. While the instruments may not sound great on their own, in combination they have a better chance of being distinguishable.
Use EQ to eliminate “unneeded” frequencies from instruments. Doing so will reduce excess acoustical energy, in turn providing more clarity at lower volumes. If a lead vocal is not clear enough in your mix, increasing the volume may not always help without some EQ help. However, boosting frequencies with EQ may not be the answer either. First, try the “subtractive” EQ approach. Cut unnecessary bass frequencies from the vocal to reduce “muddiness” before increasing the volume. If that’s still not enough, find the frequency range you need to hear more of in the vocal and CUT it from other instruments. That often solves the problem without increasing any overall volume.
We’ve all heard the saying “a place for everything and everything in its place”. The same principle applies with EQ. We touched on this a little when we talked about “mirror image mixing”, but let’s take it one step further. Each instrument should reside in its own frequency range. Ideally, the players themselves should take the first step by playing in different registers from other members. If they don’t, it’s left up to us as the engineer to compensate. Try carving out niches for instruments to sit in. Pull some low mids out of the keys to make room for the guitar. Pull mids out of the guitar to make room for the keys. Let the acoustic just handle the high “chingy” stuff. Pull the lows out of everything else to make room for the bass. Granted this is a very simplistic, oversimplified example, but the principle works very much this way.
So, if you’re having trouble with getting a solid mix without the volume battle, give these techniques a shot. Be mindful of excess acoustic energy, put everything in its place, and eliminate the competition!
Until next time, here are two great books on mixing that I refer to often.
Preparing for a Recording Session
by claybutlermusic on Jul.09, 2009, under Recording, Uncategorized
I’ve been slammed this week with recording sessions, production deadlines, and church music obligations, so I’ve been quiet for a couple of days. It’s funny how you get antsy to blog when you’ve been away for a little while! We’re gearing up for an album recording session here at Butler Productions, so I thought I’d share some tips for getting the best out of your demo or indie album recording.
First of all, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Nothing is more frustrating than when you’re renting studio time and watching the clock (and dollars) tick away while you practice parts that should have been worked on during your own (free) time. Spend the extra time in pre-production rehearsals to make sure the band is as tight as possible before you go into the studio. Understandably, problems arise and mistakes happen, but your time will be spent much more productively if you’re ready when you hit record. Because the band I’m working with is new to recording as a full band, they have been in pre-production rehearsal mode for about a month. They’ve been tightening up the more difficult spots in the songs and working with playing to a metronome (more on that shortly). Hopefully, I’ve instilled in them this mantra: “Don’t practice until you get it right. Practice until you can’t get it wrong.”
Second, make sure all your equipment is in good order before you enter the studio. This sounds a bit childish on the surface, but your demo is only as good as your instrument maintenance. You’d be surprised how many demos I’ve produced where the jacks in guitars were shot, strings were dead, or the intonation was out. Similarly, make sure that your drums have new heads and are in tune. Aside from eliminating noise by making sure everything is in working order, new heads and strings have a presence of transient frequencies that get lost over time. No amount of EQ can recreate these frequencies or fully compensate for dead strings or heads–you can’t boost frequencies that were never recorded. Furthermore, even though you may be able to “autotune” vocals, you can’t fix an out-of-tune guitar in the mix. Spend the worthy time and expense to make sure everything is in tip-top shape.
Finally, practice and record to a metronome or click track. There are practical aspects of recording to a click, the most important of which is that it makes for easier editing of audio. Moreover, it improves musicianship. Many bands and musicians have an aversion to metronomes. They say it removes all the life from the music. While this is a valid point, to some degree, I submit that being able to maintain a steady tempo makes one a better musician. In my opinion, I think it’s the mostly inexperienced musicians that complain or make excuses to keep from playing with a click. I’ll be the first to admit that it’s not easy when you start out. That’s why getting so comfortable playing with a metronome that it becomes second nature is crucial for recording musicians. That’s when the real fun in recording begins–when you stop focusing on the mechanical restriction of the click and really start playing.
Hope this is valuable to those of you new to recording. But now, I’ve got a session to conduct!
Audio in the Classroom: Making Transitions Easier with Music Cues
by christinabutler on Jul.07, 2009, under For Educators, Uncategorized
In a previous post, I discussed using recorded “read alouds” in the classroom to improve students’ reading comprehension. In today’s post, I’d like to share another use for audio in the classroom. This method will make your life MUCH easier and save your energy also! Think of all of the transitions that you use in your classroom on a daily basis. Your students come in the room and start working on seat work quietly. You then give instructions and they move to a different activity, maybe centers or group work. Then you need to get their attention to come back to their seats. This sounds good on paper, but it requires a lot of attention-getting by way of the teacher talking, clapping, hollerin’, etc. Imagine having students work through transitions with only the push of a button.
Musical cues are truly the way to go in a classroom. Students enter the room to a song that promotes working and calmness. As you introduce the lesson and give instructions, students hear upbeat music as they travel to their destination. As students hear another cue, upbeat but different than the first, they know to travel to the next center. Anytime they hear this cue, they travel to the next center. When students hear the next cue of a quieter song, they return to their seats. Each cue can be a different track on a CD. Most CD players now come with remote controls, so you can change to another song from anywhere in your classroom
Other than saving your voice and energy, the best part about musical cues is that you can be creative with your music choices. One of your cues could have tribal drum beats to get students eager for the upcoming unit on Africa. Your cues can sound like popular music that they are listening to currently. It only takes a few minutes to explain the cues to students and they will work for the whole year!
How do you go about making a cue CD? GarageBand is a popular music production software that comes pre-loaded on Apple computers. It is very easy to use and comes with lots of instrument loops and beats. For Windows users, Sony’s Acid Music Studio is a comparable program. Since there are legal issues with using commercial music, you can also contact local studios and have a custom CD made using royalty-free samplers. There are royalty-free music sites on the internet which offer free downloads that you can also try, but be careful as you want to be sure they are legit. Butler Productions offers a selection of royalty free music available for purchase and instant download. They also have produced a CD of transition music for the classroom.
I hope that you will try a musical cue CD in your classroom. After all, if it doesn’t work, you can go back to hollerin’!
Audio for Business: 10 Tips to Creating a Winning On-Hold Message Campaign
by claybutlermusic on Jul.06, 2009, under For Businesses, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized
Start your On Hold Message Campaign
Audio is an often overlooked tool for business, but it is also one of the most valuable. One of the easiest ways to put audio to work for your business is with an On-Hold Message Campaign. On-Hold Messaging is a way to keep customers on the telephone line while simultaneously sharing important information with them. While it’s both easy and inexpensive to set up and maintain, many businesses often don’t know where to begin. Being a producer of on-hold message programs, Butler Productions has created a podcast entitled 10 Tips to Creating a Winning On-Hold Message Campaign as a sort of beginner’s guide. You can also download the transcript to the podcast. As a teaser, here are the 10 Tips:
- Know your target audience
- Find the right voice
- Reassure waiting callers
- Avoid the “hard sell”
- Provide useful information
- Answer common questions
- Generate interest in new or unadvertised products or services
- Get creative
- Vary your message
- Update often
Download the podcast or transcript for the full explanation and details on each tip.
Great, Inexpensive Starters for Computer Recording
by claybutlermusic on Jul.05, 2009, under Recording, Uncategorized
I keep getting a lot of questions about inexpensive starter options for computer recording, from students and emailers alike. I wanted to share two really cool pieces that should be in your toolbox.
I ran across this baby, and fell in love with it! It’s an XLR to USB cable made by SoundTech for less than $40. Essentially, it’s a sound card in a cable! I highly recommend this one for mobile recording or as a quick and easy way to get started in computer recording. Click the pic for more info.
I also recommend the Samson G Track USB studio microphone. I’ve recommended this one before, but this is an all-in-one USB studio microphone with a built-in audio interface and headphone jack. You can also plug a line instrument, such as a guitar, into this puppy. Click the pic for more info
These items are really great in combination with the free recording software that I talked about in my post “Creative Ways to Make a Living with Music (Part 1)”.
Until next time…
Happy 4th of July, and Some Recommended Reading
by claybutlermusic on Jul.04, 2009, under Career Building, Music Theory, Recording, Uncategorized
I’m taking a bit of a break from the norm this weekend to be with family and friends, so I’m not going to post anything lengthy. However, as I reflect on the freedoms that I enjoy as a U.S. citizen, primarily the right to education and the freedom to be able to pursue my goals and dreams, I’m reminded that I return to my role as college professor this coming week. I’m teaching another quarter on Music Production and Introductory Music Theory–basically a class on how to be a producer.
The class has some required reading, and I wanted to share that book with all of you. The Art of Producing is one of the definitive books on how to become a music producer. It’s incredibly thorough, yet easy to understand. It covers everything from basic music theory, planning and organization, budgeting, musical composition and arranging techniques, and mixing. I refer to the book time and again as a refresher, and I recommend it to all my students who want to produce music as a career (their own or for others). Now I recommend it to you to!
Enjoy your holiday!
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