Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Audiotuts+ Updates - Open Mic: Where Can I Find “Redistributable” Music

Audiotuts+

Audiotuts+ Updates - Open Mic: Where Can I Find “Redistributable” Music

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Open Mic: Where Can I Find “Redistributable” Music

Posted: 07 Dec 2010 04:00 PM PST

Lots of music come with “all rights reserved”. But often people need music they can freely redistribute as part of a project. Where can they find it?

Each week we open our mic to readers and lurkers alike to come out of the woodwork and tell us your thoughts and opinion, your experiences and mistakes, what you love and what you hate. We want to hear from you, and here’s your chance.


Games developers, Flash developers, Powerpoint slideshow developers, tutorial writers and even musicians sometimes need to distribute the source files of their project. But if the music they use is “all rights reserved”, that becomes a problem.

For example, I recently received an email asking for help for someone working on a tutorial about creating a Flash audio mixer. The source files of the project is going to be distributed as part of the tutorial – preferably with the example music included. Distributing copyrighted music would land this author in hot water.

So, where can people download music with an appropriate license in situations like these – whether it is public domain, creative commons, “free music”, or some other compatible license? Are you part of a project that makes music like this available? Or do you use “redistributable” music in your own projects? Let us know in the comments.


Choose Your Apps

Posted: 07 Dec 2010 02:46 PM PST

Two years ago we started a little side project to review and roundup apps. Being bloggers, a kick-ass WordPress setup was the natural way to go. My little brother threw in a great idea for a name, and we lucked out when a super talented blogger named David Appleyard showed up offering to run the project. Two years on and AppStorm has become a little powerhouse here at Envato, for Mac apps, Web apps, iPhone and iPad apps, and starting today, Windows and Android apps.

As an entrepreneur it’s really rewarding to watch our sites grow, and while I still get excited watching Tuts unfold or the marketplaces bloom, it’s the little sites that are the coolest for me. I think it’s because with the little sites it’s often not certain whether they will make it or not. That makes it all the more rewarding when they kick butt and take names.

So it’s with no small excitement that I get to announce that we’re adding two more AppStorm’s to the network in the new year for Android and Windows. And to whet your appetite David and his team have put together a great roundup of awesome apps for both.


Windows.AppStorm

With version 7 restoring some lost Windows pride, it’s time PC users had a place to find awesome apps from both small indie developers and the big powerhouses. Plus I’ve been hearing really good things about the new Windows Mobile, so you can expect to get a dose of non-desktop apps too! To kick things off we have:

90+ Incredibly Useful Windows 7 Apps & Tips

Be sure to stop in and subscribe to our RSS feed, follow the site on Twitter or fan it on Facebook for updates and the official launch next year! Visit Site


Android.AppStorm

Lately Android has been appearing on all sorts of devices and with a few different app stores and lots of killer devs making apps for Google’s open source platform, you need a trusted place to get the low down on Android Apps. So head over and check out:

100+ Absolutely Essential Android Apps & Tips

Be sure to stop in and subscribe to our RSS feed, follow the site on Twitter or fan it on Facebook for updates and the official launch next year! Visit Site


iPhone.AppStorm

If you’re more of an iOS person then you’ll find a *ton* of fantastic roundups and reviews as well as news and opinion on your favourite platform at iPhone.AppStorm. Editor Joshua Johnson leads a crack squad of bloggers who’ve published some real crowd favourites like:

30+ Super Secret iPhone Features and Shorcuts

100 Incredibly Useful Free iPhone Apps

The Complete iPhone Development Toolbox

and 50 Really Beautiful iPad Wallpapers

Stop in, hit subscribe, follow us on Twitter or on Facebook! Visit Site


Web.AppStorm

Even if the Chrome Web Store wasn’t about to launch, and even if HTML5 wasn’t the buzzword of the hour, you know web apps would still be hot. Whether it’s Basecamp or Grooveshark, Quake Online or Tumblr, if it’s web, it’s going to be on Web.AppStorm. Join Jarel and his crew as they pump out great posts like:

50 Great Web Alternatives to Desktop Software

30 Best Free Online Games

Ultimate Dropbox Toolkit & Guide

and 22 Brilliant Tumblr Themes

Stop in, hit subscribe, follow us on Twitter or on Facebook! Visit Site


Mac.AppStorm

The blog that started it all is now the leading Mac apps blog and has reviewed hundreds of amazing apps from ones you know to ones you wish you’d always known. David’s still kickin’ it here with his team of faithful Macolytes and you’ll find everything you could ever want for your Mac written up, including:

The Ultimate List of 50 Free Mac Games

100 Incredibly Useful Free Mac Apps

Mac Software for Advanced OS X Users: 70 Apps

and 80 of the Most Useful Mac Tools and Utilities

Stop in, hit subscribe, follow us on Twitter or on Facebook! Visit Site


I can’t wait for the new year when we’ll get to really kick off the two new blogs in full swing. Until then, enjoy the teaser posts, and thanks for putting up with me interrupting your normal schedule to pimp our awesome app blogs!!


The Business Side of Building a Home Studio – Audio Premium

Posted: 07 Dec 2010 12:00 AM PST

Thinking about expanding your home studio over the holiday season? In this week’s Audio Premium content, Björgvin Benediktsson takes us carefully through the business side of building a home studio – how to save money, and how to create a marketing and business plan. If you’re serious on following through on this, Björgvin gives an action exercise on each step.

To learn more about what you get as part of Audio Premium, read this. To take a peek inside this tutorial, hit the jump!

It’s all well and good to set up a home studio in your spare bedroom just for fun. But if you are thinking about doing it for profit, you are essentially opening up a business, which requires a whole new way of thinking. You might be fine with your girlfriend’s stuff scattered around the room from time to time, her shoes getting in the way of your microphone stands but your clients might not be so receptive. A home recording studio, like any small business, needs a plan to succeed. If you don’t put at least something down resembling a game plan for your "for-profit" home studio, you plan to fail. And we don’t want that.

You need a marketing/business plan of sorts. And before you think, "Oh, I’m not going to be using any advertising, this is just a studio," let me just tell you that marketing is a much broader industry than just super-bowl commercial and Google ads. Marketing revolves around you and the service or product you offer and enables you to see the ways that you can sell yourself to others for the mutual benefit of both parties. In this case it would be a recording studio, where you sell the benefit of an awesome recording for the artist at a profit for yourself.

So, in the spirit of marketing there are a few things to think about when constructing a home studio that you are ultimately going to use as your main income generator. And as a main income generator, it needs to generate a substantial amount of income in order to sustain you, your significant other and/or your six kids.

Table of Contents

  • Executive Analysis
  • The Four P’s of Studio Production
  • Conduct a SWOT Analysis of Your Home Studio
  • Money Saving Tips for the Home Recording Studio
  • Conclusion

Existing Premium members can log-in and download. Not a Plus member? Join now.


How to Master a Track in 15 Minutes or Less

Posted: 06 Dec 2010 04:30 PM PST

Twice a month we revisit some of our reader favorite posts from throughout the history of Audiotuts+. This tutorial was first published in July 2008.

Mastering your tracks can be a bit of a minefield and is often seen as the domain of the professional. However, if your tracks are just for demo purposes, a DJ set or even use on the net, you may want to tackle the job yourself. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to master a track quickly and easily. Mo Volans shows you how…


Software and equipment used

This tutorial was completed in Logic Pro 8 using a mixture of Logic's native plug-ins and third party processors from Universal audio. Although this specific mix of products is used in the workshop, all techniques are generic and can be translated to any genre of music using similar plug-ins and any digital audio workstation software.


Step 1

Start by adding a stereo track to accommodate your un-mastered track. This should be an exported or recorded version of your entire mix-down. For best results this should be in the highest bit rate possible. For example, if you original project was recorded at 24 bit then this should also be at 24 bit.



To allow maximum flexibility at the mastering stage there should be as little processing as possible taking place on your exported pre-master. This means no compressors, limiters or EQs on the master output when you commit your final mix to disk. Remember, you can add processing but not take it away.


Step 2


Check you have enough headroom for your mastering processors to work in. Do this by playing back the track at its loudest point and check the maximum level on your master output. Of course, clipping isn't as critical as it used to be in analogue systems, but it remains good working practice to avoid huge overloads if at all possible.


Step 3


There are obviously a few different ways to construct a mastering chain but the following collection of processors will get the job done with minimum fuss.



The first plug-in in our chain is a compressor. Strapping a compressor across the entire mix buss in this fashion is known as buss compression and its main purpose is to ensure the dynamics across the entire project are as uniform as possible. This compression will also act as a 'glue' for your mix, marrying different elements together.

Long attack and release times and low ratios are the name of the game here, for as much transparency as possible. As far as the type of compressor you use, any compressor of a good quality will do the job, but it might be worth thinking about investing in a dedicated mastering buss compressor plug-in if you strive for absolute quality. With the right compressor you can get away with quite large amounts of gain reduction, whilst still retaining the original feel of your track.




Step 4



The next stage is to think about whether or not the track needs equalisation. In this case not a huge amount was needed, I just added a very small amount of low end shelving EQ to enhance the bass and so on. Some slight dips in the lower and upper mid frequencies and a gentle boost to the highs finish the process.

Whatever you feel you need to do here keep the Q points low and the amounts you add or reduce to a minimum. This way you won’t colour any particular group of instruments too much. If you find yourself adding a lot of EQ in one area it might be time to go back to your mix.


If you have access to one, try to use a linear phase EQ or a dedicated mastering plug-in, as these processors impart less 'character' to the final mix. If you don't have any of these, reach for the best you have.



Step 5



To allow the rest of the processors in the chain to work correctly–and not be overloaded by sub-sonic frequencies–it’s a good idea to remove everything under 30Hz at this point. This will allow everything to breathe and remove any unwanted rumble.

Of course, you can do this at the EQ stage but it keeps things clear if a separate plug-in is designated for the task.




Step 6



If you feel there are still areas in your mix that are too loud or quiet, even if it’s just in a small section of your mix, an excellent tool to use here is a multi-band compressor. Most DAWs come with a multi-band compressor bundled and there are plenty of third party plug-ins around as well.

Basically, using this sort of processor you can clamp down on a certain frequency and boost or cut it dynamically. This is much more transparent and organic than heavy use of EQ and it's well worth looking into.




Step 7

Sometimes some light stereo enhancement can go a long way in the mastering process. Of course, don't apply this as a rule of thumb as every track’s requirements are different.

There are a many different available processors for this purpose, so choose a plug-in that suits your needs.

Here you can see Logic Pro 8's 'Stereo Spread'. Whatever you choose to use, remember to only spread the upper frequencies of your mix, leaving the lower end of the spectrum intact. Otherwise, you will end up with a confused low-end mix and the master will not translate well to other systems.


Step 8



The final dynamics process in our chain is brick-wall limiting. This is purely here to increase the perceived volume of the final mix. A mastering limiter works in much the same way as any other, the only difference being is that it has a 'brick-wall' type setting so that the audio can only reach a certain point set by the user. Add a gain on the input and the result is a dense and maximised sound, making your master sound louder.

A dedicated mastering limiter is a must here. Other hard and fast rules include not dialling in too much gain and preserving some of your original dynamic signature!



Step 9

The very last step before trimming and delivering our master is exporting and dithering of the mix. If your mix was recorded and exported at 16 bit then no further work needs doing here (apart from trimming the start and ends of the file). If your mix was mastered as a 24 bit file, however, dithering has to take place at this point.


Dithering is a number crunching process that allows a 24 bit file to be reduced to 16 bits without too much loss of quality. This should only be done once during the mixing and mastering stage and it’s always a good idea to try and use the best algorithm available. Look for 'POW-r' and 'Apogee' and you can’t go wrong. These are included with most modern DAWs.



Listen to Mo’s unmastered track:

Listen to Mo’s mastered track, after this process:

Download the Play Pack for this tutorial (4.3MB)

Contents:

  • Audio files
  • Printable .PDF tutorial


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