PBS’ “The Music Instinct:  Science & Song”
Our friends at the Public Broadcasting Service have produced an incredible program called “The Music Instinct: Science & Song“, an in-depth look at the relationship between music and our minds and bodies.

“The Music Instinct: Science & Song” doesn’t hit the airwaves until the summer, but PBS is giving Indaba members an early taste of this groundbreaking program by releasing over 200 sounds from its library. With everything from wolf howls and parrot squawks to thunderstorms, chain saws, and dentist drills to work with, PBS is challenging you to create original music using at least 4 sounds from the program.

http://www.indabamusic.com/contests/show/pbs_musicinstinct

As i have been extremely busy lately, this post is not only a little later then i would like it to be, but it also has less words, more pictures! Below is a little audio connector cheat sheet, this should help you identify some cables that are common and not so common in the studio. This should also help you learn some other uses for them that you might have not already known.

Enjoy!

Male Connector	Female Connector	Name(s)	Typical Uses	Wikipedia Link
		TRS connector (tip, ring, sleeve) A.K.A. audio jack, phone plug, jack plug, stereo plug, mini-jack, or mini-stereo	Audio, Video, low-voltage circuits	TRS connector
		XLR	Analog and Digital Audio, AES/EBU, Microphones, high voltage signals (for speakers and PA systems), 2x XLR for AES/EBU	XLR connectorAES/EBU
		RCA, Compenent, phono connector, cinch connector, S/P DIF	Analog Audio and Video, Digital Audio, S/PDif, phono, tape, speakers, antenna connector, and mroe	RCA connectorS/P DIF
		BNC or Bayonet Neill Concelman connector	Radio /Antennas, midi word clock and other audio time control, computer networking, audio, video, MADI and more	BNC connectorMADI
		binding post	eletrical test equipment, speakers, audio	Binding post
		d-sub, DB-(pin number) some examples are DB-25 (parallel port and ADAT), DB-15 (game port), HD-DB-15 (computer VGA video, also pictured left), DB-9 (computer serial) 2x DB-25 for AES/EBU and TASCAM DI	computers, multiple pinout connectors, audio, data cable, video, joysticks, midi, and tons more	D-subminiatureAES/EBU ADAT TASCAM Digital Interface Gameport Serial port Parallel port VGA port DVI port
		banana connector (banana plug for the male, banana jack for the female)	Electronic test equipment and Hi-Fi audio	Banana connector
		Speakon	Amplifiers and Speaker systems	Speakon connector
		Ipod Dock connector	connecting the apple ipod to computers or digital audio devices	Dock connector
		Din Connector / Mini-Din Connector	video from consoles and computers, digital audio, midi, and low voltage electronics, computer keyboard and mouse before usb	DIN connectorMini-DIN connector PS/2_port
		RJ-45 (registered jack type 45), Ethernet, Cobranet, Ethersound, 8 Position 8 Contact (8P8C)	Computer and Audio Networking, phone systems	8P8CRegistered jack Cobranet EtherSound
		toslink, Fiber, Optics,RC-5720, EIAJ optical, “TOShiba-LINK”, TOSlink, TosLink, and Tos-link are all acceptable, Lightpipe, ADAT-Lightpipe	S/P DIF, Digital Audio and Data, ADAT	TOSLINKS/P DIF ADAT_Lightpipe
		IEEE-1394, 1394, firewire, mLan, Audiowire,	Computers and Data transfer, Digital Audio, Computer Networking	IEEE1394MLAN Mark of the Unicorn (used firewire, but swapped some pins on the jack, and then renamed it audio wire)
		HDMI , High-Definition Multimedia Interface	Analog and Digital / Audio and Video	HDMI
male micro USB / male mini USB B-type / male B-type / female A-type / male A-type		USB, Universal Serial Bus,	Computer Interface for audio, data, networking, and more. it is also an interface on many electronics these days to access computer file systems/storage	USB
		IEC- c13 and IEC -c14, power connectors,( c13 female & c14 male)	Power Supply	IEC connector

Now that the fun is over, I gotta get back to my job search…

I hope everyone had a good holiday season and great new years!

-Proper

laproper@gmail.com

P.S.: SEND ME TOPICS TO WRITE ABOUT!

This week on Tracks 101 we’ll be covering some basic recording tips for recording vocals. Now you would be surprised how many people think they know what they are doing and have actually no clue at all. A lot of people have heard me complain about clipping, well today will be no different as i will cover that topic as well. Anyways lets get started with the basic setup for recording.

Some things to keep in mind when choosing a place to record a.k.a. your live room

- Can your artist be comfortable here? is it private enough? is there enough room to swing your arms and jump around if needed?

- Will your cables reach for monitor headphones and mic cables

- are the room acoustics good? is there too much reverb/reflection of sound?

- is the rooms ambient noise too loud?

- what is the polar pattern of your microphone, the shape of the range of your microphone.

In the old days, a lot of people would use a bathroom or a closet. out of the two the closet is the better place to record because the clothing in the closet will act like a sound baffle. However, the bathroom is more private and will let a singer be able to hear their own voice with the room reverb. you can record in the same room as monitor speakers and the recording equipment, this room is usually called the control room.

the trick to recording in rooms with noise or live monitor speakers, is to make sure your microphones directionality or polar pattern doesn’t cross into the output of your speakers, this causes feed back and other issues, such as picking up the monitor signal.

i have made this diagram to explain what i mean.

so now that we have an idea of where to place the microphone we will want to put a pop screen /filter in front of the microphone. a Pop screen is usually put 4-7 inches in front of the front of the microphone. Not only do they protect your mic from picking up the pops and breathes, but it also makes your artist use the microphone properly. It forces them to have the microphone away from their face instead of in their mouth, like a lot of inexperienced musicians tend to do.

Alright so now you have your microphone placed, your pop screen in front of the mic, and your headphones or monitor speakers leveled for comfort. you must now test your headroom and setup your mixer input levels. which involves my favorite subject, clipping.

Your audio recording software should be open, and you should have some sort of VU level monitor or Peak Meter. This should show you the input level of your recording. speak, yell, sing or do anything that you plan on recording at the volume you plan on recording it, and watch the VU/Peak meter. At your loudest, your VU/Peak meter should not exceed 75% and if you see any red you have hit - 0 dB and the damage is done, you have clipped. i generally like to keep the levels between 25-75% because that leaves enough headroom to put effects and layering and any thing below 25% will have a lot of ambient noise recorded in the mix.

below is a visual representation of good audio vs clipping audio.

So now that you know where to place your mic, you know how to avoid feedback, and you know how to setup your basic levels for recording, we will move on to practice tracks and then recording and mixing.

Some people like to do punch-ins, Lil’ Wayne is a great example of a punch-in artist. I personally do not like these artists, but when it comes down to it, the final product is what sells. The thing is most people are not punch-in artists and even if they can record with punch-ins, it will still sound like a punch-in recording even if you can mix well. So the trick to not recording with punch-ins and getting a couple of good clean takes is to record a practice track.

A Practice track is a rough draft take of the track where the timing of your vocals is correct and the expression of the vocals is close to what is wanted on the final product. this track doesn’t have to be perfect, but you will use this track as a training guide for your vocals. You will naturally mimic the track as you practice with it, so the better quality it is the better you will perform at the time of recording. Once you have a practice track recorded, i would take about week with the practice track and practice your vocals with it anywhere you can. Once you are confident you know your vocal piece, then you are ready for the final recording.

Final recording isn’t easy, your artist has to be ready to go and comfortable, and they usually aren’t. If you are the producer, it is your job to keep the artist comfortable and ready to perform. Smoking and Drinking before hand is a big no-no. if you are a singer and not a rapper (or rappist) then you will want to protect your voice for a couple days before recording, i would recommend no smoking or drinking, and no un-necessary yelling or screaming, really anything that would strain you vocal chords.

The trick to recording vocals is getting as many good clean takes as possible, and then mixing them together in a blended fashion rather then a chopped fashion (i am referring to the punch-in style).

When i record, i record a main take, then an overdub or accompaniment take (harmonizing with the original take), then another overdub /accompaniment take (usually with different vocal expression and either higher or lower pitch on the voice) and then lastly an ad-lib or Hype man take. Also, your vocals in general should be 4-6 dB louder then the instrumental tracks (mixed), unless you are specifically trying for a quiet vocal effect.

After i have my 3-4 different takes, i layer them together and using panning, effects sends and EQs to separate the sounds, widen the sound and warm up the vocals. I will leave the main take with some slight reverb on an effects send, use a 2:1 ratio compressor (light compression, the kind you would use on a complete mix), and lastly for the EQ settings i would bring up the mid range/ bandpass on this take to warm up the vocals. I would then layer the harmonizing take over the top of the main take, but i would use some effects to widen the mix. if you don’t have a chorus effect or widening effect a cheap trick is to use two effects sends.

First route your channel to two effects sends and discount the route to the main out. then turn the pan of one of the effects sends to 60% left pan, and the other to 60% right pan. Now what you have just done is a basic widening trick, you have created stereo voices of the same signal. At this point i would change the EQ on the main channel for this take, and i would bring the high end end up a tiny bit, around 1 dB gain.

At this point your vocals should sound rather full. if you have another overdub take to mix in, try the same panning trick as above only keep the panning a little closer to the center. so instead of 60% left or right pan, try something like 30-45% left or right, this will give you more of a choir like effect.

lastly, we will want to mix in the Adlib/ Hypeman track. I usually have fun with this track, I will put a vocal effect or distortion on this track to give it some flavor and make it stand out from the rest of the vocals. I really like stereo delays on hypeman tracks, but they are a double-edged sword if overused. The other thing about this track is, it should almost never be dead center, please put a little pan on this or have it pan from left to right, but just leaving this flat in the center is boring and it will be stale to your listener rather quick.

At this point, you will want to go through the takes, and if you are a perfectionist like myself, you will nitpick the pops and the breathes and chop them out. The best way to remove these pops and imperfections is not actually a straight chop, but a fade out and fade in. even if its rather quick, it will be a smoother less noticable transition then a straight chop, unless you have no sound surrounding the bit that you are removing.

So with the above tips and tricks you should be able to record some decent, warm and basic vocals. Feel free to experiment (because its fun), but remember to make backup copies of your work before you do! I hope that you learned something from the above, and if you didn’t please send me an email with a topic you think i should cover! Thanks For Reading,

-Proper

Laproper@gmail.com

Round 2: Fight! Sound cards, the ins and outs of your digital studio. a Sound card is the main way of getting audio into an computer in a digital medium. your basic sound card can handle mono to 7.1 sound and usually has a joystick port which will take in midi, with the right adapter cable.

Your basic sound card also is not capable of recording and playing back at the same time, at least without special software, such as ASIO, GSIF or JACK.

Some sound cards have DSPs (small processors dedicated for audio conversion) which work in conjunction with their software drivers to provide digital conversion on both the in and out signals of the sound card. Some DSPs also have software VSTs and effects to work in conjunction with them, and are usually pretty good.

When looking for a sound card features you want to investigate are:

• Audio Interfaces- XLR, TRS, S/PDIF, TOSLINK, AES/EBU, ADAT, BNC, ETC…
• Channels / polyphony - Mono/Stereo , 16 channel digital, 5.1 & 7.1?
• Microphone Pre-Amp(s) and other in line effects
• Computer Interfaces - PCI/PCI-E, Firewire, USB 2.0, Cardbus, USB 1.1
• Supported Audio Routing/Drivers Technology: WDM, ASIO, GSIF, Core Audio, ALSA, JACK
• Breakout Boxes, Audio Control Surfaces and other tactile controllers - if you like the hands on approach
• Latency - Most people can deal with up to 10 ms of latency before it becomes an issue, then its just awkward.
• Fidelity - Frequency Response and Bandwidth - usually sound cards are limited at 24bit with 96khz of bandwidth, and this is more then enough for the average user. i would recommend recording at 24bit/44.1Khz at the bear minimum, but with all of that being said, cd quality is 16bit/44.1Khz. a good article is located on tweakheadz.com about 16 vs 24 bit recording.

Thats a lot of stuff to investigate, so lets first figure out what type of sound card you need to get started.

Here are some questions im going to ask a lot in the Tracks 101 series; What do you want to accomplish/what are your goals? Do you want to be a Producer or MC? What is your Budget?

if you are just an MC, you might not even need a good sound card, this is because you more then likely will be buying a USB microphone, which will take care of almost everything you need in the recording department, however it will not let you monitor in Real-time. Plus you wont be able to use many effects plugins.

If you are a beat maker, and do not plan on making anything more then just a few beats here and there, then you can go with a basic ASIO based soundcard. (most high end consumer sound cards will have what you need)

if you are planning on Recording live bands with multiple audio inputs and/ or becoming a hardware based beat maker, then you will want to go with a high end pro-grade sound card. this sounds expensive but this sometimes is the most cost effective route to go.

Now the other major factor to consider, is your budget. if you do not have much money, you will want to go with a cheap sound card and software ASIO/JACK drivers, or a used pro-grade sound card. however if you have the money, dont cheap yourself. get something that you will be happy with and will work out of the box.

if you want a protools rig, you can get an mbox series interface, however did you know you can also run protools LE /M-powered on other m-audio soundcards?

the M-audio Delta 66 and Delta 1010 are available for about $100-200, they are PCI based cards and have great digital audio converters, they however do not have XLR connectors or for that matter mic-pres. So while this would be great for a hardware based beat maker, a recording engineer or producer wouldn’t do so well with this as a out-of-the-box solution.

So that being said, what type of instruments/devices are you planning to connect to your sound card?

if you want to use instruments, samples, keyboards, amps or some microphones; then include a TRS jack for each channel/instrument you want to record.

if you want to record from a microphone, or mixer, or want a balance output for monitor speakers, then you will want to see if your sound card has XLR inputs and/or outputs.

Now these days, you can get a mixer with a mic-preamp, a usb audio connector and 12-16 channels of input for around $150. The reason why most of the time this will not work, is because these setups take those 12-16 channels of audio and mix them down to stereo out, or 2 channels out. There are some mixers out there that do not do this stereo downmix but they are more expensive. This setup will work for MCs who just want to record a mic and do not have a usb microphone. you can get a simple TRS to 2x TS cable for the main out of your mixer to the line in port of your regular sound card. that hardware setup plus ASIO4all or some other open source ASIO driver is a great startup setup for an MC.

Ok, so you dont want a basic system, you want a system that provides you with all the basics for producing that next hot track. you will be looking for these features:

powered XLR input, TRS input and output, an onboard DSP, ASIO drivers, USB 2.0, Firewire or PCI computer interface, and at least 24bit DACs.

you will be looking to spend at least $100 for used pro-grade equipment and $100-200 for new prosumer grade equipment. you can find a decent used prosumer grade sound card for under $100 on ebay, but i wouldnt recommend that route unless you have no money to spend, and can not deal with software ASIO drivers.

here are a few cards i would recommend for MCs and small setups:

Emu 0404 - used these cards are as low as $20 on ebay

M-Audio Fast Track - compatible with protools m-powered. and i have seen deals with this device and two MXL mics for $99 at guitar center.

MBox 2 based packages - by themselves they usually are overpriced, but through in the rest of the studio for only about $150 and then its worth it.

-Musicians friend has one going for $400

Other good sound cards include:

Emu 1212m

M-Audio Audiophile 192

M-Audio Delta 1010LT

And lastly, i would look for these sound cards used:

RME HDSP 9652

MOTU 2408 Mk3 (although mk2 is also a great product) - was able to get two 2408 mkIIs for $150

Digidesign 003 LE (or 002)

RME Fireface 800

Digidesign Digi 003

Echo Layla 3G

Now with most of these cards i would get a small mixer with a microphone preamp and phantom power.

the reason why, is because you more then likely will get a better preamp in the mixer, you get phantom power, you will have a balanced signal and because you have the most control over your sound this way.

So, now that you have an idea of what to look for when selecting a sound card, here are a few sound card lists from Tweakheadz.

PCI Based Sound Card Comparison

Firewire Based Sound Card Comparison

USB 2.0 Based Sound Card Comparison

and lastly, a FAQ about sound cards from Tweakheadz.com

i included the last link, because they go into more detail about specs and because they have a lot of great information.

I hope my sound card rambling has helped point you in the right direction, and as always remember Protools isn’t always the answer, but it isn’t a bad alternative.

-Proper

This being my first entry I thought I should not only introduce myself and the blog, but I should also introduce you to types of budget home studios. I’m L.A. Proper; you might have seen me around Dopetracks.com (or other less cool places). Not only am I a producer, I compose/I am a song writer, MC, DJ, engineer, do some promotion and own my own record label and publishing company. In this blog i plan to post tips, tricks, tutorials and real life experiences so that you may learn a few things, or for some just refine the talent you already have. So now that we are introduced, let’s get to the nitty-gritty.

First, you have to decide what type of artist you are (MC or Producer/Composer). Secondly, what your goals as an artist are (Do you want a Hit single, or do you just want to make music for fun?) and lastly your budget (for most this is around $0). Most people do not have a big budget when it comes to making tracks, so this article is to help those with a small budget have an amazing sound come out of there studio.

Figuring out what type of artist you are is easy, in fact you probably already know if you want to be an MC or a Producer.

• If you are an MC (emcee), you will be looking to buy a good mic, headphones and maybe something to clean up or warm up your vocals.
• If you are a Producer, you will be looking to buy a studio setup, including but not limited to; mics headphones, a recording software or hardware unit, instruments or music from a composer.

Second, what are your goals? If you are just trying to have fun, then I wouldn’t suggest buying a $60,000 protools HD system, but I would suggest something similar to a pod casting system. The podcasting system may not be as fancy or fully featured as the protools rig, but it’s about $59,800 cheaper.

• Fun: Are you doing this for fun and not expecting anything in return?
• Work: Do you want to turn this into a career?
• Release: Do you just want a hobby that might earn some cash on the side?
• Fame: or lastly do you just want to rock a stadium and get the girl (or guys, depending on your case)?

Lastly is the budget, this isn’t a cheap hobby/art form but it’s getting less expensive as technology improves.

• $100 : you will be looking for a mic and/or a sound card that supports ASIO, and free software
• $500 : Mic, Sound card, midi controller, software synths, and free/cheap recording software
• $1000 : at this level, you have to decide if you want a entry level studio package or if you want to piece together your equipment from used parts and new parts.
• $2500 : at this level, you have many choices but a protools based package deal will most likely be the best.
• $5000 and up : There are many routes you can go, I would suggest at least: mbox 2, mpc 1000, a high end sound module or composer workstation keyboard, such as a fantom, triton, motif, or many many others out there.

• Time: Time is money, and if you are trying to make a career out of this, be prepared to spend 60 hours a week working. If you aren’t serious about this as a job, the other people will not take you seriously.

Next we will get into selecting your equipment; this guide is based on b

Things to look for when buying Basic / Inexpensive Microphones:

What type of interface/ connector does the mic have: is it USB, TRS or XLR?

USB will typically be the best for MCs or recording only vocals. You will only have to buy the microphone but not too much else. USB microphones usually include their own sound card or A/D converter.

If you buy, XLR or TRS, odds are you will need a mic pre-amp or phantom power injector. (if you don’t know what either of those are, that’s okay.) Most mixers have a microphone preamp and a phantom powered bus. However you will still need a sound card in your computer to record the sound signal.

What is the Frequency Response Range of the Microphone?

The Frequency Response of a microphone is the range of sound the microphone can hear. The human hearing range on average is only 20Hz to 20,000Hz. So I generally use the human range as a guide for the response range of the microphone. Now, this is a little bit overkill because the human vocal range is limited to roughly the range of 80 Hz to 1100 Hz, but I wouldn’t recommend buying a microphone that is limited to that range.

What is the Sound Pressure Level of the Microphone?

The maximum input sound level or SPL (Sound Pressure Level) of a microphone determines how loud of a sound can your microphone can record before distortion of the sound occurs.

How much Distortion can you expect from the Microphone?

THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) is measurement of the distortion created by the use of your audio device and its ability to truly recreate the noise it has recorded/ is playing back. Any audio device that uses your signal will have THD to the final product. The lower the THD rating the better on average a THD rating of 1% or lower is good; anything around 0.01% is great!

Some good USB microphones:

$80 on average - Samson C01U - USB Studio Condenser Microphone

$120 on average- Audio Technica - AT2020 USB USB Cardioid Condenser Microphone

Some Good XLR Microphones:

$99 on average -AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Microphone

$99 on average - MXL 992 Cardioid Condenser Microphone

Things to look for when buying Basic / Inexpensive Headphones:

Just as with selecting a microphone, you will want to know the Frequency Response range and try for at least a 20 Hz - 20 kHz range. Mega boost/Bass Boost will flood the low end of your sound and make your mix sound bass heavy or muddled. Inner Ear headphones or Ear buds are damaging to your ears, I don’t recommend buying them. Also, Wireless is not recommended as the wireless signal will create a hum, and the audio will be delayed from the output to the headphones. Speaking of wireless, cable length is very important, most headphones come with 6-10 feet of cable, the few pairs that I have at home all have 20-25ft cables. Some other things to look out for are power-handling (can it handle 150mW or 1000mW? the average is 100mW), Distortion or as we have previously referred to it as THD (again 1% or lower is better here), and lastly long-term wear comfort. So really a lot of things are to be considered when buying headphones, you don’t have to buy the $300 pair, because there are a few $20 pairs out there that are amazing. Hell I have a 10 year old pair of Aiwa Headphones that only cost me $11 from best buy.

So again here are some quick tips for buying a pair of headphones:

• 20hz-20Khz or better
• 100mW or greater power-handling
• 1% or lower THD
• No Bass boost or Mega boost type of options, or turn them off.
• no ear buds
• no wireless headphones
• Is the cable long enough?
• Are you comfortable, will you be comfortable after 8 hours of use?
• remember don’t spend $100s because you can, there are decent pairs of headphones for $20

Things to look for when buying basic and Inexpensive Keyboards / Keyboard Midi Controllers:

When buying a keyboard, make sure that it supports at least midi in/out or midi via USB. If you only have midi in/out, you will need a device to convert the midi signal to your computer. You can find an USB to midi converter for around $40, although a lot of high end sound cards have a midi in/out interface.

Generally, a 25 key controller is too small for any decent playing; however it works well for a laptop/mobile setup. If you are more stationary, aka not moving your studio around, then I would aim for a 49, 61 or 88 keyed controller. This is so that you have enough room to play with two hands, and so that you constantly don’t have to change the octave you are playing in.

Another thing to look out for is the type of keys the controller has. Generally there are three types of action to a keyboard, these types are: weighted keys, semi-weighted keys, and touch-sensitive keys.

Touch sensitive keys are those you find on basic midi controllers and cheaper keyboards mostly. They are light weight and tend to be sensitive.

Semi-weighted keys are those that you find on synths and sampling keyboards. They are still plastic, but they do not feel light weight, or for that matter like they will break. I personally like the semi-weighted feel; it’s a strong sturdy feel that also gives your good response to your playing.

Lastly weighted keys, weighted keys are the kind you find on a traditional piano. They are solid keys with a hammer action feel to them. Usually they are wood and lacquer but in more modern equipment you will find some plastic. Pianists prefer this feel, because it feels like a real piano.

Now that you know what type of playing action you are looking for, let’s discuss the different routes you can go for a basic keyboard controller.

• a cheap keyboard with midi in/out and a USB to midi interface

Pros: you get the low latency sound bank of the keyboard, and a good price for a midi controller, and a midi time clock.

Cons: you have to buy a keyboard and a midi interface, and if you want to record the output of the keyboard, you need audio cables, keyboards in this range usually only support one sound at a time, and stereo output jacks.

• a Keyboard Midi Controller

Pros: a controller will have semi-weighted keys and usually a built in midi to USB interface. Sometimes you will get programmable faders and control knobs, and it’s cheaper than a keyboard workstation.

Cons: usually there are no sound banks included with a midi controller, and the price is a little more than a basic keyboard.

• Old/Used Synth or Keyboard based workstation

Pros: most of these machines provide multiple outs, so you can have multiple instruments triggered by midi and then routed separately to effects or a mixer or even a sound card. older equipment is cheaper to upgrade, depending on the rarity of the machine. you usually get semi-weighted keys, which are better than any cheap keyboard.

Cons: the sounds tend to be older, and 80-90s sounding. you are limited in sampling space, how many instruments you can have playing at the same time (polyphony), the bit rate of the samples taken (quality), and usually older equipment is not easy to use. Also you need a multiple input sound card or mixer in order to use one of these machines in all its glory. oh and unless the device has a USB interface, odds are you will need to buy a USB to midi interface to use one of these.

My personal favorite so far has been using an old synth with an USB to midi interface, but I also don’t mind tweaking around on my instruments.

Software Instruments / VSTs, DXIs, Sound fonts and more

So now you have a mic, a midi controller or keyboard and a decent pair of headphones, this is a good start but you still need instruments to play. A lot of beginners use loops; I personally feel that you are not learning anything as a musician when you use loops and that you should stick to creating your own music. Other people feel differently. What it comes down to is the final product, that’s really all the consumer (listener) cares about anyways. Does it sound good?

So that being said here are some free software based instruments to get you going, I have handpicked most of them because I liked the way they sounded, however there are hundreds if not thousands of software instruments out there so just go Google for some more if you want them.

• Pianos, E-Pianos, Harpsichords and other keyed instruments

DSK RhodeZ

AkoustiK KeyZ

Elektrik Keys

bX3 Organ

mDa piano

EVM grand piano

GTG MicroOrgan MK III

• Basses, synth and analog

Tal - Bassline

Bassline v1.3

MainLiner

BassZ

• Strings, Brass and Orch

SaxophoneZ

DSK Strings

DSK Brass

DSK Virtuoso

dmiFlute

• Synths

NovaFlash Synths

Bluez

SuperWave p8

Analog Matrix

Zith

Freehand

Syncoder 32-2

• Ethnic and Other

Accordion

Indian DreamZ

Asian DreamZ

Syntar

Zourna

• Non-Free, But I love them

Hypersonic 2 XXL VST - I love this as a general purpose sound module. Awesome sounds all the way around.

Trilogy Bass Module VST - The Best Bass Module hands down, synths, acoustic and electric.

Albino - Awesome Additive Synth, Like a Nord or TI Virus

Blue - Awesome synth, love the pads and efx

Software Based Recording Packages and ASIO

Now there are tons of free software recording packages out on the internet. However most are either hard to use, buggy or require some hacking ability.

Here is a list of free and relatively stable/easy to use software.

Audacity - This is a well known audio editor that is freeware, it is limited but powerful and is usually a great place to start. MCS this is going to be the best software for you to record vocals over a track.

Wavosaur - This is a new audio editor on the block, and it boasts a lot of great features. This program is buggy still but it looks promising.

Ardour - Protools Alternative/clone, kind of buggy, but a great tool. Linux and Macs (also on live boot cds)

Ubuntu Studio - A Full Linux Distribution with everything you need to record. This is not for beginners, but more for hobbyists that like to tinker.

• DAWs I haven’t tried but are free

Traverso DAW - to be honest I haven’t tried this DAW, but I have many good things about this piece of software.

Kristal DAW - I personally do not like the 16 track limitation, but it’s a good start.

Sony Acid XPress - This is a Free Version of Sony Acid, it is limited but more powerful than most of the open source software above, I strongly recommend this for anyone who wants a free /easy/ and well documented basic system.

Also Good List of software DAWs is located on the Wikipedia.

• Non-Free DAWs and Similar tools

Nuendo - This is the pro version of Cubase. While Cubase is powerful it is only meant for audio, Nuendo lets you also sync audio to video. Another neat difference between Nuendo and Cubase is the ability to cluster computers in a local network AKA uses the entire computer group together as one big processing machine.

Cubase - Cubase is most likely second place in the professional world, after protools. This is one of the most fully featured DAW software packages out there. There is steep learning curve, but it’s well worth it. This is a very powerful tool.

FL Studio - I love FL STUDIO, it is my favorite DAW, and other then its limitations with midi input, its cheesy default sounds, and its semi-non-intuitive user interface, this is hands down the best bang for your buck. Plus I made two FREE expansion packs for it. So that that default sounds issue is not really an issue.

Reason - Reason is not a DAW, you cannot record audio in this program. However it is the best sounding (out of the box) synthesis / music creation tool on a computer to date. Most people cannot tell the difference between reason and a real piece of music hardware. With Rewire, you can use this program as a VST, which is my personal choice.

Protools - The Industry Standard in Audio Editing. If you haven’t heard of it, you must be new here. This very expensive system is the most complete system you will find. You now can get a protools m-powered rig for around $300. While this software is some of the best, it doesn’t support features like VSTs without third party software (add-on software).

There are tons of other software DAWs out there, don’t be afraid to Google, the above are just some really popular ones, that are well documented.

Anyways, I think 2700 words are more than enough for now. If you are still awake and reading, I want to say thank you for visiting DopeTracks and the new Tracks 101 Blog. I will be trying to update weekly with new tips and tricks. I doubt all of my future posts will be this beefy, however they will have some good content, so stay tuned!

-L.A. Proper

If you have any questions or comments, please post them below or contact me via dopetracks.com
my profile is located @ http://www.dopetracks.com/laproper

171 Mbs…

the Blue Camo Skin with LA PROPER background.
DSK-Brass
DSK-Strings
3dmm Fx Sample Pack
2pac Sample Pack
Cash Money Sample Pack
Scott Storch Sample Pack (cough CRACKA cough)
and More Samples!
Also there is the new LA PROPER FLP TEMPLATE! look for it in the fl studio new beat menu!
DONT MISS IT!

Any one who has ever complained about the way FLstudio sounds needs this expansion pack. this will make FLstudio sound more like an akai mpc, no to mention Only DT users will have this special edition of FLstudio.

Version 1.0 features include:

Red DT Camo Theme for FLStudio including a new FL Studio background

11 Soundfonts – inlcuding remakes of the popular EMU rack mount sampler/romplers

DrumKits made from some of the top producers samples (Including, Dr. Dre,Alchemist, D-Block, Neptunes, Timbaland and more) *

MPC60 Quantization Pack – this is used to make FLStudio swing like a real AKAI MPC

a Copy of the beat ‘Go Hyphy’ by Me, L.A. Proper (this beat was made using default FLStudio sounds and efx and uses some great techniques to get the sound as full as possible)*

DOWNLOAD IT HERE!

From the world’s leading authority on music comes this year’s biggest search for the best and brightest new songwriting talent. The 16th Annual Billboard Song Contest is your chance to be heard by some of the biggest names in the music business. There are over $30,000 in prizes that could help skyrocket your career, including musical equipment, song placement on the 16th Billboard Song Contest Winners CD, a subscription to Billboard Magazine and much, much more. Plus, all entries will receive a personal song evaluation – and the top 1500 songwriters will receive an honorable mention certificate.

Contest categories include: Rock/Alternative, Pop, Country, Americana/Folk, Jazz, Latin, World, Contemporary Christian/Gospel, R&B/Blues, Dance, Rap/Hip Hop, Video and now Electronica.

Enter now for an opportunity that could offer you unparalleled professional exposure.

Please note: You will be receiving an automatic confirmation email from billboard@jimhalsey.com. Please add this to your address book so your spam filters do not send us an auto-reply.

Session I - OPEN
Open - January 15, 2009
Deadline - June 15, 2009
Winner Announcement -
September 1, 2009
12 Grand Prize Winners (one in each category) and 36 Finalists (three in each category)

The John Lennon Songwriting Contestis an international songwriting contest that began in 1997. The Contest is open to amateur and professional songwriters who submit entries in any one of 12 categories. The JLSC is open year-round and features two Sessions — with 72 Finalists, 24 Grand Prize Winners, 12 Lennon Award Winners and 1 Maxell Song of the Year. You don’t need a professional recording. Entries will be judged on originality, melody, composition, and lyrics (when applicable). Your songs may be entered in any of the following categories: Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, World, Rhythm & Blues, Hip Hop, Gospel/Inspirational, Latin, Electronic, Folk, and Children’s. Instrumental compositions are encouraged. Al Jarreau, Bob Weir, Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, Jesse Harris, Teairra Mari, The Black Eyed Peas, The Bacon Brothers, Ken Komisar and The Veronicas are some of the members on our Executive Committee of Judges. MEET THE JUDGES This is the biggest JLSC prize package to date, totaling over $275,000 in cash and prizes!! There are a total of 72 Finalists, 24 Grand Prize Winners, 12 Lennon Award Winners and the “Maxell Song of the Year.” Winners, based on their level of achievement, will receive Studio Equipment from Godin Guitars, Roland/Edirol and Audio-Technica, 1,000 CDs in full color with premium 4-panel Digipaks courtesy of Disc Makers, and gift certificates from MusiciansFriend.com. The writer(s) of the “Maxell Song of the Year,” the highest honor bestowed in the contest, will receive a $20,000 check courtesy of the Maxell Corporation, as well as an Apple Mac Pro, Cinema Display, a Mackie Mixer, a Pair of Mackie Studio Monitors, and Logic Pro Software and a $250 Gift certificate, for each band member, to Digital Media Academy. In addition to the songwriting prizes, one band is selected annually to perform on the Warped Tour for one week and will receive a Crate Half Stack and Ampeg Head and Cabinet Set and a Homepage Feature on Purevolume.com! Click here for a complete list of PRIZES.

Each entry requires the following elements: One song five (5) minutes or less (mp3, CD or cassette) A lyric sheet — no lyrics necessary for instrumental compositions A payment — $30.00 per song A completed application

Read the Rules & Regulations carefully before entering.

The BOSAs Songwriting Awards is a twice yearly global competition where the best songs and artists are showcased to Music Publishers and other Industry Professionals for review in addition to category prizes.

Site URL: http://www.thebosas.com/
Current Deadline to Enter: October and April of each year
Contact: info@thebosas.com