Create Better Music, One Plugin at a Time
Your mix has a solid drum groove, a good melody, and sounds you like. But everything seems crowded together. Before adding another EQ or stereo widening plugin, listen to where your instruments sit between the speakers. If nearly every sound occupies the center, your mix may feel narrow and congested. Thoughtful panning can help separate … Read more
How to Make Your Mix Sound Wider Without Ruining Mono Compatibility Have you ever listened to a professionally mixed song and wondered how the producer managed to make everything sound so wide, spacious, and immersive? The vocals sit perfectly in the center, the drums sound powerful, and the instruments seem to extend beyond the speakers. … Read more
How to Sidechain in Reason (Step-by-Step) If you’ve ever struggled to get your kick drum and bass to sit together in a mix, sidechain compression might be exactly what you need. One of the biggest challenges in music production is getting low-frequency instruments to work together without fighting for space. Your kick might sound powerful … Read more
How to Compress Vocals in Reason (Step-by-Step) Vocal compression is one of the most important techniques to learn when mixing music. Whether you’re producing Hip-Hop, R&B, Trap Soul, or Pop, knowing how to compress vocals in Reason can help your recordings sound more consistent, controlled, and professional. One of the biggest challenges when mixing vocals … Read more
How to Mix Vocals in Reason: A Beginner’s Guide Learning how to mix vocals in Reason is an important skill for producers who want to create professional-sounding music without relying on expensive third-party plugins. Whether you’re producing Hip-Hop, R&B, Trap Soul, or Pop, vocals are often the centerpiece of a song. Even a great vocal … Read more
Do You Really Need Expensive Plugins to Get a Professional Mix? If you’ve spent any amount of time watching music production videos, browsing plugin stores, or scrolling through producer content online, it can start to feel like getting a professional mix requires an endless collection of expensive plugins. You need this compressor. That EQ. This … Read more
Do You Really Need Expensive Gear To Make Music? No. You don’t need a $3,000 keyboard. You don’t need a wall covered in synthesizers. You don’t need a $5,000 microphone, an enormous mixing console, or a studio that looks impressive on Instagram. And I say that as someone who loves music gear. There is nothing … Read more
Getting the low end of a mix right can be one of the hardest parts of music production. You want the kick to hit hard. You want the 808 to feel huge. You want the bass to have weight. But the moment you start boosting low frequencies, your mix can quickly become muddy, boomy, or … Read more
Remember When Producers Used to Laugh at Fruity Loops? There was a time when telling another producer you made beats in FruityLoops could get you laughed out of the conversation. I’m serious. Today, FL Studio is one of the most recognizable DAWs in Hip Hop and beatmaking. Open YouTube, watch producer streams, browse tutorials, or … Read more