Hey all!
I'm so excited to be continuing on this blog. This is my first time blogging, I've learned so much and the feedback has been moving and heartfelt. Don't worry, I won't be going away anytime soon! I've got LOTS more ideas for music related posts. The post today has to do with working out. Yea I know, you're busy, there just isn't any time for working out. Well...the president does it! Even a brisk walk is something. If any effort is made I commend you for it! I hate running and I dread the thought of leaving my couch, but I feel so great after a workout.
We can all agree that it's tough to get up and go outside or to the gym, so sometimes we employ a little help: MUSIC!
In the podcast at the bottom of this post, I discuss what tunes I crank through my ear buds at the gym. You might be surprised what I have to say! Do you have a playlist made for the gym, or do you just shuffle your tracks? Do you prefer a certain genre? In this podcast I give my two cents about what works best for me when struggling through a workout. I call the Topeka Southwest YMCA my workout home, I've been going there for years and it's run by a bunch of great folks. (See Google Maps picture below for YMCA directions).
Stay tuned for more posts, and don't forget to check out my fun podcast below.
Cheers!
Saturday, April 25, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
The Loudness War
So I've discussed a broad spectrum of music related things so far, and it's been quite a journey. What stood out to you most? You may recall my post about my band Monk's Wine (click here to revisit this post). Maybe it was the post about finding my old iPhone and listening to tunes that brought back touching memories (click here to revisit this post). It's been quite a blogging journey indeed, and it's been a fun experience to say the least. So, you're probably wondering what in the heck my title is talking about.
What is the loudness war you might ask?
Well, the loudness war is one that is affecting everyone all over the world. Musicians, music lovers, you, your relatives...everyone who listens to music! The loudness war refers to audio engineers boosting the volume of their tracks to insane levels over the years. Producers today feel that to be competitive they need their tracks to be released as big and as loud as possible, with no regards to musicality or dynamics. How does this affect you? You only have one set of ears! Your favorite tunes on the radio have been cranked to levels that are more excruciating to your ears.
A very bad offender and casualty to the loudness war is U2's song 'Vertigo'. Listen to the track via the YouTube link below. It sounds like one big jumbled mess! Everything is offensively loud.
What is the loudness war you might ask?
Well, the loudness war is one that is affecting everyone all over the world. Musicians, music lovers, you, your relatives...everyone who listens to music! The loudness war refers to audio engineers boosting the volume of their tracks to insane levels over the years. Producers today feel that to be competitive they need their tracks to be released as big and as loud as possible, with no regards to musicality or dynamics. How does this affect you? You only have one set of ears! Your favorite tunes on the radio have been cranked to levels that are more excruciating to your ears.
A very bad offender and casualty to the loudness war is U2's song 'Vertigo'. Listen to the track via the YouTube link below. It sounds like one big jumbled mess! Everything is offensively loud.
While this song is loud and obnoxious, U2's newest album that was controversially released freely to iTunes users is far more tame and dynamic, making it much smoother and less fatiguing to the ear. While new functions like iTunes 'sound check' help to even out the loudness of songs, producers are still cranking their tunes to very high levels.
So in closing, you only have one set of ears. Use your volume knob with caution!
Friday, April 10, 2015
Soundtracks That Dig Deep
It's fun and healthy to completely shift gears sometimes! In the music world, I believe that keeps things fresh. We've covered band biographies, finding old iPhones, how to start a band, and a beginners guide to mixing a vocal track. Sometimes it's fun to just relax and share what music really warms your heart and makes you feel things outside the norm.
While 'soundtrack to my heart' may sound like a cheesy catch phrase or song title, there are several soundtracks that evoke incredible emotion for me:
Halo
If you're familiar with Xbox's successful first person shooter game series 'Halo', you probably remember how it was so big that it consumed every teenagers life throughout the early 2000's...yes, I was one of those teenagers. However, Halo has one of the most remarkable soundtracks I've ever heard. Charged with quickly releasing a soundtrack demo at a game convention, composer Martin O'Donnell was asked to produce something Ancient, Epic, and mysterious. Well, he did just that. The link below is a preview of the Halo soundtrack, and its truly magical.
While 'soundtrack to my heart' may sound like a cheesy catch phrase or song title, there are several soundtracks that evoke incredible emotion for me:
Halo
If you're familiar with Xbox's successful first person shooter game series 'Halo', you probably remember how it was so big that it consumed every teenagers life throughout the early 2000's...yes, I was one of those teenagers. However, Halo has one of the most remarkable soundtracks I've ever heard. Charged with quickly releasing a soundtrack demo at a game convention, composer Martin O'Donnell was asked to produce something Ancient, Epic, and mysterious. Well, he did just that. The link below is a preview of the Halo soundtrack, and its truly magical.
So enough about video games. The movie industry invests a lot of time and money in good soundtracks, and Howard Shore's soundtrack for Lord of the Rings helps drive the three films with vigor, passion and emotion. I remember some of the songs nearly bringing me to tears they were so well done. The link below is a preview of the Lord of the Rings soundtrack.
Imagine Halo or Lord of the Rings with no music at all? Imagine the impact on their audience if entirely different composers were used? The power of music can be profound, and It's certainly something we can all relate to.
Otherworldly
Okay, no more boring you with dense audio engineering jargon!
I'm very pleased to officially announce the name of the music project I've been so heavily involved with lately: Otherworldly. We are a unique fusion of electronic music, with each tune sure to be different from the next. Featuring psychedelic vocals from Mark (and occasionally from myself), we are Topeka's fresh new fix for electronic dance music.
I'm very pleased to officially announce the name of the music project I've been so heavily involved with lately: Otherworldly. We are a unique fusion of electronic music, with each tune sure to be different from the next. Featuring psychedelic vocals from Mark (and occasionally from myself), we are Topeka's fresh new fix for electronic dance music.
(image credit @Otherworldly Facebook)
Members
(left) - Mark Feuerborn, vocals/producing/mixing
(right) - Sam Zlotky, vocals/producing/mixing
Genre
As mentioned above, no song sounds the same! I can't stand genres, but for context I'll say we are an electronica/experimental group. Our tunes range from crushing dubstep riffs to tribal, atmospheric trance.
We can't wait to release a full ep!
For upcoming shows, tunes, and much more, see the links below!
Mixing Vocals: The Basics
I will preface this post by saying there is a lot of audio engineering jargon below that, while myself or other audio engineers may understand well, others may struggle to wrap their heads around. This is okay...audio engineering is like another language!
None the less, I figured this is a good time to share some of my producing knowledge, seeing as I've been buried in my computer lately mixing tracks and correcting/manipulating vocal tracks from various singers...including myself!
In the photography world, even the video world, there is only so much one can do in the editing process if a photo or video had bad lighting to begin with. The same logic applies to mixing a good, full professional vocal track. If the audio of the voice you're trying to record has harsh sibilance (annoying frequencies), a lot of pitch errors, and a lot of outside interference like ambulance sirens or something, there is only so much you can do!
Ideally, there shouldn't be much work required if you get a good recording from your vocalist. However, there are some general mixing concepts that every producer all over the world utilizes when cleaning up vocals:
EQ - Properly eq'ing frequencies in/out of your singers voice is crucial. Less is more here!
Gating - Gating can be done with software or can be done manually, and just involves cutting out any dead areas or unwanted sounds or disturbances that aren't your singers actual voice.
Pitch Correction - Yes....we all do it! Pitch correction is self explanatory, and even your favorite singers are subject to this process. There is some mind blowing software out there that makes it an easy process that preserves the quality of the vocal even after much correction has been applied.
Compression - Compression is complicated, but in short it's a work flow utilizing 3 main parameters: threshold, envelope (attack/release), and ratio. Compression is a work flow that can help reduce the higher more abrasive areas of your vocal, while preserving the rest of the vocal. Compression involves a lot of finesse, and I'm learning more everyday.
Limiting - Limiting, when used lightly, can add some color and size to your vocal, though it's a quick way to ruin a good vocal if abused.
Those are all concepts utilized globally by producers in huge studios, or by guys like me on a laptop. There is so much to learn in the audio engineering world, and I like to think I'm improving everyday. Fortunately, there is a wealth of information on the internet for those (like me) with constant questions about mixing, software, etc.
Happy mixing!
None the less, I figured this is a good time to share some of my producing knowledge, seeing as I've been buried in my computer lately mixing tracks and correcting/manipulating vocal tracks from various singers...including myself!
In the photography world, even the video world, there is only so much one can do in the editing process if a photo or video had bad lighting to begin with. The same logic applies to mixing a good, full professional vocal track. If the audio of the voice you're trying to record has harsh sibilance (annoying frequencies), a lot of pitch errors, and a lot of outside interference like ambulance sirens or something, there is only so much you can do!
Ideally, there shouldn't be much work required if you get a good recording from your vocalist. However, there are some general mixing concepts that every producer all over the world utilizes when cleaning up vocals:
EQ - Properly eq'ing frequencies in/out of your singers voice is crucial. Less is more here!
(image credit @www.flsresource.com)
Gating - Gating can be done with software or can be done manually, and just involves cutting out any dead areas or unwanted sounds or disturbances that aren't your singers actual voice.
Pitch Correction - Yes....we all do it! Pitch correction is self explanatory, and even your favorite singers are subject to this process. There is some mind blowing software out there that makes it an easy process that preserves the quality of the vocal even after much correction has been applied.
(image credit @www.musicradar.com)
Compression - Compression is complicated, but in short it's a work flow utilizing 3 main parameters: threshold, envelope (attack/release), and ratio. Compression is a work flow that can help reduce the higher more abrasive areas of your vocal, while preserving the rest of the vocal. Compression involves a lot of finesse, and I'm learning more everyday.
Limiting - Limiting, when used lightly, can add some color and size to your vocal, though it's a quick way to ruin a good vocal if abused.
Those are all concepts utilized globally by producers in huge studios, or by guys like me on a laptop. There is so much to learn in the audio engineering world, and I like to think I'm improving everyday. Fortunately, there is a wealth of information on the internet for those (like me) with constant questions about mixing, software, etc.
Happy mixing!
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Pierce
Okay guys! If you checked out my post last week A Team Effort, I teased that good buddy Mark Feuerborn and myself are working on some musical projects together. Mark is one talented dude! Audio engineer, guitar player, singer, and all around nice guy. Mark is involved in student media here at Washburn University, and his talents extend from music into other branches of the media world.
As promised, here is a teaser (see bottom link) of one of our new collaborations. Entitled 'Pierce', it's a dynamic tune with tribal and atmospheric vocals from Mark, and combines intimate moments with pounding electronic moments.
As promised, here is a teaser (see bottom link) of one of our new collaborations. Entitled 'Pierce', it's a dynamic tune with tribal and atmospheric vocals from Mark, and combines intimate moments with pounding electronic moments.
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