Learn Unlock the Secret to Crystal-Clear Vocals in Your Mix Achieving pristine intelligibility in recording is a nuanced balancing act of audio engineering, which requires a comprehensive understanding of the diverse tools and techniques available to audio engineers.
Learn The Sound of 007 Lush orchestration, driving electric guitar, tense rhythms, and dramatic string arrangements have become synonymous with ‘spy music’ thanks to the decades-long work of the Bond film series. With 25 official films on its roster including the forthcoming No Time To Die, the James Bond franchise spans an ever-growing fictional universe. Building a strong brand identity […]
Learn Introduction to Deathstep feat TenGraphs Deathstep artist TenGraphs reflects that the genre “is very dark, aggressive, visceral. It comes from emotions of anger, fear, and hatred. It embodies those emotions with very harsh tonalities and brutal arrangements.” In other words, deathstep is the emotional exorcism you didn’t know you longed for, filled with precise and hard-hitting sound designs aimed at […]
Learn Sampled by Dr. Dre Dr. Dre, whose personal music collection included an alleged 80 000 records, has an almost encyclopaedic musical knowledge and fine-tuned ear for killer hooks. His ability to discover and revive older music helped him become the wildly successful producer that he is today. In this article, we’ll look at some of Dre’s most influential songs, and review how […]
Learn Polykrome’s Guide to Establishing a Unique Sound Palette Creating a unique visual brand for yourself in the music industry helps set you apart from the crowd. But, equally important is your sonic brand. The sounds you develop and use in your music will play a key role in shaping you as an artist. Let’s look at how I developed my sound palette for “Braindeath”. Step […]
Learn Evolution of Hip Hop As we approach rap’s 50th anniversary, Evolution of Hip Hop chronicles the history of the genre’s early days in New York City to its present day domination of the pop charts. In 2018, hip hop replaced rock music as the best-selling genre of music in America, marking an incredible rise in popularity that all started […]
Learn Polykrome’s Guide to Producing Compelling Electronic Music Today I’m going to break down “Braindeath”, a song I recently released on Dack Janiels and Wenzday’s label 40 Oz Cult. I’ll go over my approach to producing compelling music in the absence of vocals or other dominant melodic voices, from establishing my sound palette, to composing and arranging my song, to the final mix. […]
Learn How Auto-Tune Changed Music It’s a technology of perfection that’s been called both the electric guitar of our age and one of history’s worst inventions. Auto-Tune, and its underlying pitch-correction technology, have forever changed the music industry. Initially meant to help recording engineers and artists reduce the time needed to get the perfect take, pitch correction software has become […]
Learn How MIDI Changed Music The music creation process has changed a lot over the past 50-odd years as music technology shifted from an analog reality to a digital one. Whereas sheet music, guitar tabs or even simpler notation is what is most often used by performers playing acoustic or electric instruments, MIDI offers a similar language for digital devices to play […]
Learn Evolution of House Music This series celebrates house music’s 40th anniversary by offering a glimpse into its early roots and chronicling its rapid growth; from the ashes of disco, to the dominant family of genres it has since become. The rise and fall of disco in popular music left clubs with a shrinking supply of new dance music at […]
Learn Start Using Metaphors to Create Catchy Lyrical Hooks To improve your songwriting, start using metaphors that turn imagery and emotion into catchy lyrical hooks The goal of your music is always to get listeners coming back for more, and when it comes to catchy lyrical hooks, short and memorable is the name of the game. There’s no better way to masterfully create catchy […]
Learn Start Using Sidechain Compression for More Oomph in Your Mix Do you ever feel like your kick drum and bass are behaving like two children fighting for the front seat of the car? Using effective sidechaining techniques, you can get them acting more like best friends. Sidechain compression is a technique as old as signal processing itself, yet its purpose and use remain a mystery to many emerging […]
Learn Inside the World’s Most Popular Christmas Song With the holiday season upon us, let’s take a look at the best selling Christmas single in the 21st century, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is still the #1 selling Christmas song of all time, but when it comes to the modern era, nothing comes close to […]
