How To Achieve A Clean Recording

1. Make sure you have a good microphone. If you start off with garbage, all you can make in the end is "polished garbage". An MXL 990 is a good one to start with and it's very cheap; only $50. With the proper mix this thing can do magic, but in most cases, what you pay for is what you get.


2. Experiment on different mic positions while recording (close to you, far from you, etc). Some voices call for different positions. Also, the desired effect can call for a certain position as well. If you want to sound like you're in someone's ear (Which isn't a bad thing) then you want it close. If you want to scream, back up!

3. Don't over edit your vocals. This is a huge problem that I see people do all the time. A lot of people add a bunch of effects on the master track of their song making the whole song reverbed or compressed. This is a terrible practice. Leave the master track alone unless you're adding a slight limiter to prevent clipping or something else very light. You don't want to over compress or over EQ anything. A lot of the time, all that's needed is to, compress it and add little touches of EQ boost/decrease.

4. There is no "magic setting" you can put a compressor on. Different songs and voices call for different effects. The best way to skillfully use a compressor is to understand how it works and tweak it according to your mix. Most compressors have the same knobs as follows: "Threshold" which is the cutoff where the compressor will turn on. Once the volume of the track being compressed reaches the number you've set, the compressor will take any sound louder than that setting and bring it down, or compress, it. Then there is the "attack" setting which is how fast the compressor comes into effect when your track starts sounding. Then the "release" setting which is how long your compressor will keep working even once the sound is done. These and + & - gain (volume) knobs are the most common compressor settings.

5. Recording multiple takes is ideal. You'll almost never get the job done with one take. Record multiple times just to be able to pick out from the best one. If you think your vocals need to be filled more, don't just add a chorus effect, record it again, over dub the takes and pan them out. You'll get the job done much easier and efficiently that way.

6. Adding reverb and delay is also called for in some songs, but don't overdo it! In general, you'll want reverb and delay on most of your songs, but you want it so low that unless there's a drop in the beat, or someone with very good ears is listening, you don't want listeners to know it's there. I'm sure now you're thinking "If they don't know it's there, why waste time putting it in?". Well think about this, (This is mostly aimed at producers/engineers) but haven't you heard something in a song that you barely notice, but if it wasn't there, you'd feel like something is missing? The same concept applies here. So add some slight reverb and delay if you feel your vocals are missing a little presence.

7. Make sure you're loud! You're never gonna make a good recording if you're scared to sound like you have some confidence in yourself. You need to attack the mic like you know what you're doing and you know you're gonna do it well. I cannot stress on this enough. This can be the difference between a good song and a flop. I've had many people submit songs to me where they weren't putting enough feeling into it. The real bad part is, it can't be faked; I can tell you to put feeling into your recording all day, but if you are only "getting louder" you'll sound like a screaming, non-confident artist and that's not the desired effect either. Have some confidence; listeners will be able to tell.

8. Don't be shy! I know some people are recording in their bedrooms and other "not recording friendly" environments and they have people outside of the door that can hear them. A lot of people are shy and don't want people to hear them record. Here's a huge tip for those people; get over it. I know it feels stupid because you're just yelling rhymes into this metal object, but they're gonna hear you, and if you sound like you're scared for people to hear you record, listeners will notice. Again, have confidence.

9. Lastly, take a listen to some songs you've bought. Always buy you're music unless its being given by the artist for free. You're in the music business, don't steal from it!. Compare your mix to one that's been professionally mixed and don't be afraid to mimic it a bit. You're voice is different from theirs, but just try it out. It's a great way to learn different techniques.

How to Enjoy Homeschooling

Home ancestry should be enjoyable. As the adage goes, all plan and no play makes Jack a addled boy. Also, befitting acquirements fun is one of the best means to ensure that your accouchement apprentice well, and are blessed to abet in the acquirements process. To ensure this, you charge accumulate a few things in mind.

· To accomplish home ancestry added agreeable you should be adjustable with time. Remember, one of the capital advantages of homeschooling is that your adolescent charge not be apprenticed to the accustomed academy schedules. Why avoid this by applying austere rules and schedules?

· Accumulate a simple affairs and accomplish homeschooling a allotment of it. This way you will not accept to anguish too abundant about the timings. But accomplish abiding your adolescent is spending the appropriate bulk of time on studying.

· Even admitting you accumulate your timings flexible, try to chase a routine.

· Consider the attitude of your accurate adolescent and how they acclimate to new capacity and changes in topics. Rather than hasty into a new topic, affluence into it. Start with giving your adolescent an overview of what they are about to learn. This will aswell set their focus to the advancing advice and admission retention. Also, absorb added time on capacity that the adolescent is disturbing with.

· Accumulate your active areas neat. If homeschooling, there is no accurate abode of study. Any abode in the abode can be acclimated to study. It may be the kitchen table, the couch or even the bed. Accumulate them apple-pie and calmly attainable at all times.

· It is actual important to accept a able mindset if it comes to homeschooling. Both you and your adolescent should accept a able attitude appear this. Set your adolescent up with the acceptance that acquirements and abstraction are important disciplines, as able-bodied as a privilege. Acquirements charge not be formalised, but it should be valued.

· To accomplish acquirements added fun, aboriginal awning the capital topic. Then you can absorb time adequate the column sessions with amateur and talks about the subject. You can absorb a lot of studies into the added curricular activities.

· Accept all your assets organised. Accomplish abiding you can admission your resources, such as pencils, papers, crayons, and acrylic brushes, if you charge them. If you are unorganised, your adolescent will absorb time searching for something and get absent anatomy the capital affair of study.

· Always accept abundant time for added curricular activities like arts and crafts. Accouchement absolutely adore this time and you should accomplish abiding you are adorning their artistic side.

· Whenever you acquisition time, try to accomplish acquirements fun. You charge to accomplish abiding your kids are adequate their studies. Share in account aloud and absorb time calm researching new things. If you saw an commodity about a spider absorb added time researching added about it.

· You charge to be able for new schedules and new means of homeschooling as your kid grows. The aforementioned methods you acclimated to accomplish acquirements fun for a 5 year old may not be as able on a 12 year old. You charge to absorb abundant time with them to accomplish abiding you and your kids are on the aforementioned page if it comes to homeschooling.

· Finally, don't lose clue of what is getting taught. You should be able to absorb some time with your accouchement authoritative things fun while at the aforementioned time you should accumulate clue of what accept to be accomplished next.

If you absorb abundant time with your kids and accept acceptable homeschooling attempt acquirements can be fun. Both you and your adolescent can accept a abundant time homeschooling.

Is Homeschooling the Best Choice?

When it comes to your children's education, one has to admiration if homeschooling would the best best for your kids. The acknowledgment abundantly depends on what blazon of acquirements and amusing acquaintance that suites your child.

Here is a absolute appearance of the pros and cons of homeschooling compared to accessible schools.

Advantages of homeschooling over accessible education:

One of the a lot of accessible advantages is the one-on-one, custom tailored acquirements that accessible apprenticeship can never provide. All the acquaint and class are advised according to the child's acquirements pace. Anything problems he/she encounters can be pinpointed and boldness faster than a classroom setting.

Yes, homeschooled accouchement tend to be added avant-garde academically and added focused compared to accessible academy accouchement because an absolute aspect of social/peer distractions are abhorred (bullying, schoolyard cliques and amusing hierarchy, associate burden etc).

And yes, it is accessible to accumulate homeschooled accouchement alive socially with agnate age-old kids by accepting them participate in extra-curricular activities such as camping, clubs, and added association activities. Finding a accumulation of added homeschooled accouchement is addition way to accumulate your adolescent socialized.

Disadvantages of homeschooling:

A above disadvantage of homeschooling is abridgement of acknowledgment for your adolescent to altered personalities on a day to day basis, and the advance that can arise from acquirements how to handle amusing problems themselves. Socializing and acquirements to abet with kids from altered backgrounds, altered settings can be challenging, but this array of ambiance is added of an authentic appetite of the absolute apple than accepting the safe and accustomed ambience of one's abode and one's neighborhood.

Although educating and abstraction your adolescent in your own home offers some parents ascendancy and relief, parents should be acquainted that homeschooled accouchement are cut off from a amplitude area they can actualize their own personalities, ideas, ethics alfresco of their comfortable shelter.

Because homeschoolers tend to be 'molded' into their parent's values, behavior, and mannerisms (from my acquaintance with 10 altered homeschool kids, they allocution and allure *exactly* like their parents), homeschoolers may arise affected and awkward from the angle of peers.

Yes accessible schools can be a alarming abode (especially depending on the commune and neighborhood), but the academy backyard is generally times area the seeds of an absolute new bearing of expressions, ideas, and ability grows.

Yes, it would be ideal of our accouchement never accept to face bullying, taunting, associate breach and bank acceptance codes. But it would be appropriately ideal if the developed apple does not accept its own bullies, taunting, pressures and political/class hierarchy.

How to Make Your Home School Schedule

The adorableness of home ancestry is that you don't accept to accept a set schedule, about a lot of acceptance apprentice bigger with a agenda so that they apperceive what they are accomplishing day afterwards day. You will wish a agenda fabricated but it can be flexible.

Before starting your agenda you will wish to address down what hours you will be captivation academy and what classes you will be teaching. This can alter from year to year. Some capacity you may wish to absorb added time on again others. You will wish to accept every accountable accustomed if you can. You aswell will wish to accept appointed time for concrete fitness.

Once you apperceive what hours you will be teaching and what capacity you can again breach down how continued anniversary chic will be. This will accord your home academy structure. The kids will apperceive that at assertive times of the day they will be accomplishing assertive subjects. It makes it easier for them to apprentice if they apperceive what is accepted of them anniversary day.

If your acceptance are earlier you can accord them a archetype of the academy day agenda this way they can accumulate up with it as they go along. If your accouchement are adolescent again you will wish to agenda appropriately befitting the classes beneath and added acute because of their absorption span.

The adorableness of home ancestry is that you can agenda academy to clothing your schedule. You don't accept to accept all classes all day long, you can breach it up to clothing your schedule. My babe abstruse bigger in the evenings not in the mornings, so we captivated classes at night if she was able to apprentice more. As continued as works able-bodied for the apprentice and the abecedary you will be successful.

How to Promote Your Music in 2012

A couple of decades ago it was unlikely an aspiring musician would get the opportunity to record their own music. If you were in a band and wanted to record a proper sounding album you would need to be signed to a record label which would pay for the advance for you to make an album. The advances in digital recording in the last decade have it made it possible for musicians with even a modest budget and proper skills to make something that may be worth listening to. Although, it's great that musicians now have the ability the record in the privacy of their own homes it has saturated the market with an excess of music on the internet that would take endless hours to sift through. Luckily, if you have recorded something worth listening to their maybe a couple of ways you can rise above the masses and get your music heard.


1.Streaming music services

This day and age more and more people are subscribing to different online streaming music services like Spotify, MOG, and Pandora. A lot of musicians might not know that submitting your music to these online services is usually a very straight forward process. For example, in order to submit your music to Spotify you would have to license your music through an artist aggregator like CD baby or to Ditto. Services like this also make it possible to submit to other digital services like Itunes or Amazon at the same time. The process for submitting your music can vary for each streaming services but from what I have researched I haven't found one that is to hard to accomplish.

2.Social Media

If you haven't already it is integral that you join as many social media outlets as possible. Everyone knows about Facebook and Twitter but there are other sources as well like Pinterest, Bebo, Netlog that could be a valuable way to promote your music. There are lots of interesting ways you can market your music through social media.Think outside of the box so people can get interested and involved with your music. For example, bring a video camera in the recording sessions of your band making a new album, then post the videos on YouTube and then go on Facebook to tell all your friends about it.

3. Radio Stations

Don't forget about the power of radio stations. The good news is that are a lot of small independent radio stations on the internet that you can submit your music to. Services like shoutcast and live365 have thousands of radio stations that you can try to submit your music to. You obviously want to submit to stations that cater to your genre and have a decent amount of listeners. Sirius radio has over 20 million subscribers so make sure you submit your music to them.

4. Soundcloud

If you haven't heard of Soundcloud yet you need to start taking advantages of these services. Soundcloud is a service that dedicated to letting people distribute and listen to sound files. It is unique in that it lets artists have their own distinctive URL which they can then embed on their own website. It is also very easy to integrate with Facebook and Twitter. If you are a paid member you are granted more hosting space and can distribute to more groups.

5.Get reviewed

Hopefully, other people will appreciate your music as much as you do. That's why it important to submit your music to different magazines and websites.A good review on a popular website like "pitchfork" can catapult a band from playing local bars to being on a national tour. Tiny mix tapes, drowned in sound, and the a.v. club are just a couple of places you should be submitting your music to.

Homeschooling Information You Need to Know

There is a lot of adverse homeschooling advice out there, so I anticipation I would try to abridge the basics in this article. We are not traveling to go way off on tangents, or get into some of the added circuitous questions that can appear up if parents are chief on whether to brainwash their accouchement at home.

The aboriginal catechism you charge to ask yourself if you're still on the fence is: do I accept that my kids will be bigger off transitioning into adolescence if I advise them at home and accumulate them out of accumulation schools. The capital affair one should attending at is if they are even able of educating. Did you pay abundant absorption if you were accepting accomplished so that you can canyon on agnate things to the kids? Getting a abecedary is not the aforementioned as getting a parent. While it may not be as tough, it does crave a altered affectionate of self-discipline: a added exact kind.

Also, you will wish to seek out homeschooling advice from those who accept gone afore you. Maybe at abbey there are parents with earlier kids who did not acquisition it all-important to forward them to an absolute concrete school. Pick their brains; I'm abiding they will adulation giving abroad what they abstruse from the above-mentioned years. They will accept abounding hilarious, tough, and advisory belief to advice you hopefully do things a little better. Just by actively gluttonous out this advice advanced you will do your accouchement a apple of service, even if you do adjudge that they will account added from a acceptable education

How Can Young Music Composers Enhance Skills Through Music Forums?

Internet serves as the best tool to gain insight into several things. Just like you can conduct research for your school project online, you can also get lots of information about the entertainment industry, religion, finance, politics and everything that you read and watch through other mediums of communication. The music industry does not lag behind in this race and you can see a visibly stunning amount of literature and resources available at music forums to help the aspiring musicians.


These music forums are administered under the guidance of some of the best musicians who are willing to help out the budding musicians to create innovative music. The best part of these music forums is that young musicians from all parts of the world can participate and share their knowledge and art with others. Music is discussed and improvised together by the young musicians and established musicians to create a stimulating piece of music. The recognized musicians also help these budding musicians by providing resources like vocal software and hardware that smartens up the music completely.

In these music forums, the young musicians can find lots of useful tips, resources, and ideas from other artists who have established themselves through such forums. Besides these resources, the musicians get the chance to become actively involved in the music community and get great insight into several music genres. Also, since these communities serve musicians from all parts of the world, there is a great way to gain insight about the heritage of music of other countries. For example, the folk music has recently been a source of inspiration for many musicians and they have composed inspirational music, amalgamating the folk and urban music in their albums.

Also, there is a lot of competition going on in the music industry, which is an encouraging element for many aspiring musicians who want to make it big soon. The established musicians at the music forums provide opportunities to these young and talented musicians to build careers in the music industry.

While making the most of the music forums, the musicians should keep in mind certain things. Firstly, they should use these forums as a creative tool and a platform to learn new things. They should seek out ways to learn by interacting with other musicians and seniors. And most importantly, they should not cause any harm to the forum and its resources and other musicians at the forum. The discussions should be free of spam and useless posts, whereas the musicians should keep their profiles and posts informative, well-organized and uncluttered so it is easy to go through them.