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The Professional Musician’s Code of Conduct

The Professional Musician’s Code of Conduct

Image is everything in the music business. And I'm not just talking about artists. It's important for everyone — artists, songwriters, musicians, composers, lyricists, producers, etc. Before a publisher, record label, music supervisor, blogger, playlist curator, or...

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Preparing Your Mixes For Mastering

Preparing Your Mixes For Mastering

Today, more and more self-recording musicians and studios are catching on to the value of using an independent mastering engineer to master their finished mixes.  At a minimum, an independent mastering engineer provides an additional, objective set of “ears” in a...

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45-degree Angle When Recording Acoustic Guitar

45-degree Angle When Recording Acoustic Guitar

I often recommend that people use a "45-degree angle" on the neck microphone as a starting point for recording acoustic guitar.  Just describing it in words can be a little confusing, so I put together this quick video to illustrate what I mean. I also explain...

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Re-learning The Art of Listening

Re-learning The Art of Listening

When I was a kid, listening to music was a ritual. Whenever I got the chance, I would take a vinyl record out of its sleeve (yeah, I know, I’m showing my age!), place it on the turntable, and listen to it from start to finish, usually with my eyes closed, and often...

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Slow Down To Speed Up

Slow Down To Speed Up

We live in a face-paced society where everyone seems to want everything RIGHT NOW, if not yesterday. "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days!" "Get 10,000 fans in 1 week!" "Make a Million dollars in 15 minutes!...while you sleep!...Guaranteed!" (OK, maybe that last one is a little...

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UPDATED: Cakewalk Lives!!!

UPDATED: Cakewalk Lives!!!

UPDATE, 2018-02-23: Cakewalk SONAR has been rescued from Gibson, and will continue to live on! See the article here. On November 17th, 2017, musical instrument conglomerate Gibson shocked the music-making community by announcing the total shutdown of one of their...

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Who’s On First?

Who’s On First?

Nancy and I have just returned from the annual TAXI Road Rally music convention in L.A. (our FOURTEENTH Road Rally in a row – can you tell we like them??? 🙂 ). At each year’s Rally, we do a ton of mentoring and teaching.  For example, at this year’s Rally, I did...

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Getting Out of a Double-Booking Gracefully

Getting Out of a Double-Booking Gracefully

One of the things that makes booking gigs overwhelming to some people is that there are a LOT of variables. That means there’s a lot to learn, a lot to “handle,” and a lot of points in the process where something can potentially go wrong. That’s why, for teaching...

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Time To Get Out Of Your Silo: We Need Human Contact!

Time To Get Out Of Your Silo: We Need Human Contact!

The Summer NAMM trade show and convention just ended here in Nashville this past weekend.  If you're not familiar with NAMM, on the whole, it's a big gathering of music gear manufacturers showing off their latest goodies to dealers and potential consumers.  But more...

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QUICK TIP: What to Write About in Your Newsletter

QUICK TIP: What to Write About in Your Newsletter

"Um...I'm not touring. So, I don't have anything to say." "You want me to send one HOW often?! What on earth would I write about?!" "I'm not an artist. So, I don't need a newsletter. Right?" Whenever I start talking to my clients or students about sending a...

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Goodbye, Glass Ceiling…?

Goodbye, Glass Ceiling…?

There has been a lot of talk in our society lately about gender equality and the roles of women and men. As a music producer and engineer, is has been a fascinating experience watching those roles evolve in my industry over the past 35 years. Way Back When When I...

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