Sonicbids members Selkow had the great idea to build a pamphlet with info about their band to pass out at shows.  Check the video below for a look at what they did:

So how do you do it, with your band, with your strengths? Well there is no single answer, every artist is going to need their own unique approach and it’s up to them to find what that is. Obviously having great music is first and foremost, but you also need to get people to listen. One trick is using the skills you develop in your day to day jobs to your advantage, and design your marketing campaign around those strengths.  Things like getting the grammar nut in the band working on copy and the really friendly one working the email list after the show is obvious. However thinking outside the box is the best way to survive in a music business whose box is constantly changing.  One thing to think about is combining skills sets of the different members of your musical team to create something greater than the separate items. For example if you’re a web designer and your guitar player works in sales. You can design a functional and effective way of selling music online more so then most. If you have a carpenter, an electrician, and an artist, you can design your own lighting system, and a killer, totally unique light show.

Last example I’ll throw out; if you have a auto mechanic, welder, and someone with a love of spray paint, build your own trailer and save yourself a few grand, and have it be custom designed to the band when you drive around, we call that a functional moving billboard.

Take a look at the members of your team who work with your music business, and figure out what skills these people have, besides being a killer bass player, and try to see if you can combine those skills into something you can use in conjunction with the music. A unique merch display, creative cd packaging with an interesting email campaign, fundraising events for recording an album, a treasure hunt for the new album, any number of ideas that you can combine using your skill set will not only be as unique as the people in your band, but will also be of quality much closer to quality of your music.

If anyone has any creative combos, post em.

This article continues Line 6’s home recording series with a step-by-step exploration into recording software and interfaces. When you’re up and running, head over to the Line 6 Community to download free Reason ReFills, free drum loops and free backing tracks! More great articles to come! Bookmark the Line 6 Lounge and don’t miss a thing!

In the opening article of this series we looked at computers for home recording. This time we’ll look at a couple other essential ingredients of a home recording setup, touching briefly on the audio interface and then focusing on the software that turns a computer into a DAW (digital audio workstation).

Today’s DAW is a computer-hosted hardware/software combination that handles several related tasks:

Conversion – the changing of audio signals from external instruments and microphones into digital data on the way to the computer and back to analog signals on the way out.

Recording and Playback – the storing and playing back of audio data to/from the computer hard drive.

Synthesis and Sampling – the generation of “software instrument” sounds by the computer, either sampled (based on actual recordings) or synthetic (built by modifying and combining waveforms).

Sequencing – the storing and playing back of MIDI data that is used to play software instruments from the computer and also to control playback of external devices (e.g. a MIDI keyboard or sound module).

Editing – copying, cutting, pasting and otherwise modifying and reordering recorded sounds.

Effects – modifying recorded sounds or software instruments by applying reverb, chorus, distortion, etc. to make them sound more pleasing or to create a desired mood.

Mixing – combining and balancing all the recorded and software-generated sounds into a final mix, typically two channels (stereo) but possibly surround sound (e.g. 5.1), often using automation.

The first of these seven tasks is handled by audio interface hardware. Plug in a guitar or mic, and the interface handles the conversion so you can get the sound onto your computer. The details of interfaces are a subject for another day, but bear in mind the old adage “garbage in/garbage out.” In other words, to get a clean, accurate recording of the signal you are sending into the computer, you must use an interface with high-quality converters and microphone preamps. You’ll also want to be aware of how different interfaces deal with latency (delay between when you strike a note and when you hear it; see Sound on Sound article). POD Studio^TM and TonePort® interfaces from Line 6 use an exclusive ToneDirect® monitoring design to make latency a non-issue.

Audio interfaces come as either a card that goes into a slot (e.g. PCI) in the computer or a standalone box that connects via USB or FireWire. The most common and flexible setup is a USB 2.0 box like Line 6’s POD Studio and TonePort interfaces. Depending on what you plan to record (guitar and bass only? vocal microphone? MIDI data?) the POD Studio line likely provides an interface tailored to your specific needs. And because POD Studios are directly integrated with POD Farm^TM software, there is no more convenient or better-sounding way to add high-quality effects during either recording or mixing (more on this in a later article).

Software Needs

Interface hardware lets you get sound into and out of your computer, but everything else you do with that sound is controlled by software. Early on, MIDI sequencers such as Performer were distinct from audio editors such as Sound Designer, which in turn were distinct from DAWs like Pro Tools. But these days most DAWs handle to some degree all the remaining six tasks in our list above. That’s not to say however, that all DAWs are alike. Top-end DAWs like Pro Tools|HD and Nuendo offer lots of features in areas such as sound-for-picture that may not be of great value to the typical singer-songwriter, while consumer-level programs such as GarageBand can lock you out of features that you may later wish you had (e.g. in-song changes to meter or tempo).

For musicians who are just getting started with home recording, perhaps the best compromise is a bundle that gives you what you need to get started (sufficient audio and MIDI tracks, access to high-quality sounds and plug-in effects, etc.) while also providing a path to move up. This approach usually combines an interface with a “lite” version of DAW software. In the case of Line 6’s POD Studios, the interface actually comes with three different software packages, each with its own specific emphasis, as well as modeling software (POD Farm) that can apply a huge variety of effects to guitars, bass, vocals, keyboards, and other instruments as they are being recorded (standalone mode) or during mixdown (plug-in mode).

Sequencing with Live

Of the bundled POD Studio applications, Ableton Live Lite 7 for Line 6 is the most representative of a typical DAW, so we’ll use it to take a closer look at what DAW software does. If you’re already somewhat familiar with DAWs, Live will seem at once familiar and different. While other companies try to make their programs look “realistic,” Ableton takes a decidedly 2D approach to Live’s on-screen interface. But despite its flat appearance, Live lets you go deep, particularly if you’re inclined toward loops and ambience.

One of Live’s two main windows, the Session view, is uniquely suited for live performance (not a typical DAW capability) in that it lets you stack sets of sound “clips” (building blocks of recorded or synthesized sound) into tracks and then switch manually between them, with the transitions always taking effect on the beat. You can use this view offstage as well to quickly experiment with different musical parts to see what goes best with what.

Live’s Arrangement view, on the other hand, is set up as a typical DAW, with a timeline against which tracks run from left to right. Three types of tracks may be displayed: audio, MIDI, and returns (from effects sends). MIDI tracks are for MIDI clips created in Live. You can record MIDI clips either from an external MIDI controller like Line 6’s POD Studio KB37 or from the computer keyboard itself. Or you can compose MIDI by using the pencil tool to draw notes in the Clip view.

MIDI clips are given voice by instruments from the Instruments folder in Live’s Devices “browser.” An Instrument Rack subfolder is full of software sounds in families such as brass, keys, strings, etc., while drum instruments are accessed via the Drum Rack and Impulse devices, which each give precise control over the sampled or synthetic sounds in a kit. Live also includes a built-in sampler application (Simpler), so if you are into tweaking sounds, Live gives you plenty to work with. You can also buy collections of additional software instruments (Live Packs) from Ableton.

Most home recordists aren’t set up to record live drums, so one crucial DAW capability is sequencing a MIDI drum track. Here’s how to do it in Live:
» Free some processing cycles and RAM on your computer by quitting any unnecessary programs (learn more about computer optimization).
» Use the controls at the upper left of the Live window to set the tempo and turn on the metronome (if you want a count-in, set it in Live’s preferences).
» Right-click in the arrangement view to insert a MIDI track.
» Use the Device browser to find a drum instrument (e.g. “Studio Windsor”) from the sub-folders in the Impulse folder, and drag it onto the track.
» Set the monitoring button at the right of the track display to Auto, and click the track’s record enable switch (circle within rectangle) to arm the track. When you play the keyboard you should now be able to hear drum sounds and see them in the meters at the far right of the track display.
» Enable recording by clicking the Global Record button (circle in square) in the control bar at the top center of the Live window.
» Begin recording by clicking play (triangle) or pressing the computer space bar.

As you record, note blocks will appear in the track. When you’re done, click on the new clip to select it, then press Shift+Tab to display the recorded MIDI pitches in the Clip View at the bottom of the Live window. Now you can edit the clip, including cutting and pasting notes, quantizing (Edit menu), altering the groove (e.g. triplet feel), drawing notes with the pencil tool, and creating loops.

Overdubbing Audio

Once you’ve built a MIDI drum clip to play against, you’re ready to overdub audio from an instrument (e.g. bass, guitar, keyboard) or mic to create an audio clip:
» If you’re using a Line 6 audio interface, route signals for recording by launching POD Farm and setting the Input drop-down (about halfway down the left side of the window) to match the input (e.g. instrument in, mic in, etc.) that you’re using on the interface.
» In Live, be sure that the Input Type drop-down at the right of the audio track is set to External In (default), and that you’ve configured Live (in Preferences) to use your interface as its audio input device.
» Insert an audio track, confirm that its monitoring is set to Auto, and record-enable the track. You should now be able to hear your instrument and see it in the meters at the far right of the track display.
» Start recording by clicking the Global Record and Play buttons.

As with most DAWs, when you stop you’ll see the waveform of the recorded audio appear in the track display. You can continue the overdubbing process with a new audio track to add more layers of recorded instruments to your song.

Once you’ve recorded audio clips, you can perform another key DAW function, which is editing your clips:
» Zoom into an edit point by clicking in the Beat Time Ruler (above the track displays) and dragging down. (You can also click and drag the divider between tracks to increase the vertical size of the waveform.)
» Select part of the clip by click-dragging in the waveform. The default snap-to-grid option means that the selection will be in increments that correspond to the beat.
» Use the standard Cut, Copy, and Paste options from the edit menu to modify the clip or paste it into other places in the track.

Live Lite is a very complex program, and the quick rundown above barely scratches the surface of its recording, sequencing, synthesis, and editing capabilities. For example, Live lets you use Propellerhead ReWire to mix in audio from another currently-running audio application, such as Reason Adapted. Both ReWire and Reason Adapted are included in some POD Studio bundles; a Propellerhead tutorial shows you how to set them up to work with Live. Line 6 even offers registered users free online drum loops in REX files that can be used in Reason Adapted, and also sometimes features free Reason ReFills (software sounds) on its Community page.

Live itself also includes a series of built in “lessons,” that walk you through many aspects of the program’s operation, which are definitely recommended. In our next article we’ll use Live again to look at two additional aspects of DAW software: applying effects and using automation in mixing.

I decided to look into Last.fm and how they pick “similar artists.”  If you can get your band to show up as a “similar artist” for a more popular band, the recommendation engine should push their listeners over to you.  To test this theory I took a look at Last.fm’s artist charts.  The number #1 band at the time was Coldplay.  If I’m correct, the bands that are similar to Coldplay should end up with more listeners than the similar artists for a lower ranked band.

I entered the number of listeners for each of the 8 bands listed as being similar to Coldplay into a spreadsheet and calculated the average number of listeners which ended up being 879,307.  I then went to the #20 ranked band, Nine Inch Nails, did the same and came out with 262,462.

It looks like there’s a clear advantage to having your band associated with more popular bands on Last.fm.  According to their FAQ similar artists on Last.fm are calculated based on who else that band’s listeners are listening to.  I guess if you wanted to try and game the system, you could give away a copy of Coldplay’s CD along with your own so Last.fm starts to see your band being played by the same people that listen to Coldplay.

Vocals to drums, the right microphones ensure the best recordings. This article continues Line 6’s home recording series with an exploration into the most common microphone types, specs and applications. Big recording budgets, giant studios and seasoned engineers are becoming increasingly infrequent so be sure you’re making the right microphone choices. More great articles to come! Bookmark the Line 6 Lounge and don’t miss a thing!

Microphones are like people: each has its own distinct personality. So choosing one isn’t a matter of which is “best” but rather which gives the desired result for a given purpose. In fact, unlike other gear, where frequency response should always be as flat technically possible (what goes in is what comes out), mics are often chosen because of the way they color the sound of what’s being miced.

Studio engineers develop their mic-choosing skills by listening to a lot of different mics on a lot of different instruments. Home recordists don’t have that luxury. What we can do is look at the mic choices typically made by professional engineers for various instruments, try to understand why those choices seem to work well most of the time, and apply what we’ve learned to mics that are within our budget. To do that, it helps to start by understanding a bit about some basic technical concepts.

Types and Specs

The vast majority of mics that are relevant to home recording fall into one of two types:

Dynamic mics use a thin membrane (diaphragm) attached to a metal coil in an electromagnetic field. When the diaphragm vibrates in response to sound waves, the movement of the coil converts the waves to electrical energy. A variation on this concept is the ribbon mic, in which the membrane and coil are replaced with a thin metal ribbon.

Condenser mics use a diaphragm as well, but in this case the diaphragm acts as one of two plates in a capacitor. The mic is powered (batteries or 48-volt “phantom power”), and when sound waves cause variations in the distance between plates, the electrical energy output from the mic varies as well. While condensers require a power source, a high-quality audio interface such as Line 6’s POD Studio^TM UX2, POD Studio^TM KB37, or TonePort® UX8 will include switchable phantom power on its mic ins.

Dynamic mics are known for their durability (except for ribbon mics), which makes them great for stage and road use. But they are also used in even the highest-end studios when the character of an individual model is a good match for the instrument being recorded. Condenser mics are generally flatter across a broader range of the audible spectrum and more sensitive to minute detail, especially the highs that give a sound “air.” The result is typically described as more “transparent,” meaning it sounds more like you are listening to the original sound of the instrument itself.

Underlying subjective terms such as “air” and “transparent” are the objective measurements that make up a mic’s specifications. Specs should be taken with a grain of salt, because manufacturers don’t all take their measurements the same way. But if you take a little time to understand them, you’re repaid with some insight into why different mics sound the way they do. A great place to start is the Microphone Data site sponsored by Rycote, which includes an advanced search feature to find specs on mics meeting specified criteria (e.g. “condensers under $500″).

Some specs take only common sense to understand. Max SPL, for example, is the loudest sound handled without distortion; higher is better. And self noise is the inherent background noise from the mic; lower is better.

For other specs, what’s best depends on what you’re doing with the mic. One key spec like this is a mic’s directionality (”polar pattern”), which describes the directions from which a mic accepts and rejects sound:

- omnidirectional mics pick up sound equally from all around;

- bidirectional mics accept from front and back but reject from the sides;
- cardioid mics accept sound from the front and reject it from behind;
- supercardioid and similar variants sacrifice some back rejection to increase rejection from the side.

Even if you’re just recording one instrument, rejection is key because it keeps sound you don’t want (which usually includes reflections from the room) from interfering with the sound you do want (whatever you’re pointing the mic at). So in most home recording situations, you’ll want mics with cardioid or similar patterns.

The other key spec is frequency response, which tells you how well the mic picks up the various parts of the audible spectrum, ranging from the lowest bass rumble to the highest cymbal overtone (and beyond). On Microphone Data this is given as a number and also as a graphed curve for each polar pattern, which is far more informative. When you look at these curves, you’ll quickly realize that few mics are actually flat by the standards we would apply to other types of gear like consoles or recorders. Once again, unlike other recording gear, mics are generally chosen for the way they color the sound rather than for how little they do so.

Mic Like the Pros

So how does all this background info actually relate to choosing mics? Let’s start by assuming that professional engineers have a pretty good idea of what they’re doing, and see what we can learn from what they typically do. Drum kits make a useful example because they encompass a wide range of different types of sounds.

In a classic studio setup, the drums themselves are typically miced with cardioid dynamics. Shure® SM57s, which have a notable “presence” peak in the upper midrange and roll-off in the lows, are often used to give snap to the snare. Sennheiser® MD421s, which also boost high-mids but combine that with a fuller bass response, are a standard choice for toms. And the Electro-Voice® RE20, which is flatter overall (less presence boost and more low end), is a top choice for kick. In each case, the strengths of the mic complement the character of the instrument being miced.

For cymbals, cardioid condensers rule. Small-capsule condesers like AKG® 451s are often used for hi-hats. They are also among the common choices for overheads, as are large-capsule AKG 414s and Neumann® U87s. What these and similar condenser mics have in common is their flat response in the lows and mids, combined with mild to moderate boosts in the upper mids and highs where cymbals have a lot of complex overtones. These objective characteristics translate into the subjective descriptions such as “openness” or “air” that one generally hears about classic condensers.

Of course, it’s not practical or possible for many musicians to setup drum kits to play or record. Libraries of high-quality drum loops can be used to add natural-sounding drum tracks to songs. In addition to the commercial libraries that exist, a library of 100 drum loops can be downloaded for free at the Club at Line6.com.

The same presence that makes snares snappy also makes SM57s a top choice for micing guitar amps, because it helps rock guitar cut through the mix. Of course, a quicker route to great-sounding electic guitars is to plug directly into your Line 6 POD Studio^TM or TonePort® recording interface and choose from the huge variety of tones available in POD Farm^TM – but that’s a different article.

Acoustic guitars, meanwhile, are more like cymbals in that it’s crucial to capture the details of high fequency overtones, so condenser mics are favored. In fact, in studios condensers are typically used to record all stringed instruments (banjo, mandolin, violin, cello, etc.), and most other instruments too (reeds, brass, etc.).

In most musical styles condensers are also used for vocals, because even though voice has less prominent high-frequency overtones than acoustic guitar, the detail and transparency of a condenser helps keep the singer’s connection to the listener intimate and direct. Ribbon mics are also a popular alternative for vocals, particularly when the overall character is intended to be smooth and rich.

Checking One, Two, Three

In track-by-track home recording, drums and keyboards are often MIDI-driven (sampled or synthetic), and electric guitars often go straight into the audio interface. So for most people, vocals are the most important instrument to consider in buying a mic, followed (depending on your musical style) by acoustic guitar. The good news is that the large-capsule condensers generally used for vocals also sound good for acoustic guitar, so if you sing and play in separate passes, a single good condenser mic may be all you need.

The bad news is that the best-known professional-standard condensers sell for over $1000 each. However, there are literally hundreds of more affordable condensers out there. So even if you can only spend a bit more than $100, if you’re willing to put in a little work you’ll find one that meets your needs.

The first step is to narrow the possibilities down to a list of a few affordable mics that have a reputation not only for good sound but also for reliability. Ideally you know someone who works in a studio or pro audio store, who has had direct experience with affordable condensers, and whose judgement you trust. If not, there are lots of sites and forums on the Web offering opinions about which of these mics are great and which to avoid. Of course, these opinions are often contradictory, so take the time to find the mics that are praised most consistently by people who seem to know what they are talking about.

Once you’ve got a list of a half-dozen or so right-priced options, the second step is to try to validate subjective opinions with objective data. Start by going to Microphone Data and do an “advanced search” to get a list of condenser mics suitable for vocal use (over 1000). Checkboxes on the right allow you to compare any two mics side by side. As a reference, check the box for a classic large-diaphragm condenser that most everyone agrees is great for voice and instruments, such as a Neumann U87. Then, check the box for the first mic on your own list of mics and click Compare. On the resulting page, check how closely the cardioid freqency curve for your inexpensive mic matches that of your reference mic. Make a note, and repeat for each mic on your list.

The mic whose curve most closely matches the reference mic will be the one most likely to be similar in tonal character as well. If the specs for noise and max SPL are also comparable, you’ve got a mic that should work work well in the same situations as the reference mic. To minimize noise, check that the mic has an included or available shock mount, and, for vocals, pop filter. The mic should also have a switchable pad (10dB or more) to avoid overload distortion when recording loud sources.

The last step is to try out the mic before you buy. If that’s not possible, at least be sure you can take it back if you don’t like it, and carefully save all packaging when you open it up. Hopefully, that won’t be necessary. Having done your best to make an informed decision, you’ll likely find that your new mic is just what you need to bring the quality of your home recordings up to the next level.

This article was written by Chris McCown at Sweetwater. We’ve publishing an entire series of articles in the Lounge from Sweetwater. Keep your eyes peeled and check back often! And now for some motivation.

If you’re like me, then your studio consists of a DAW (digital audio workstation software), a computer, an audio interface, a decent set of monitors, a nice selection of plug-ins, possibly an outboard mic preamp or two, and a couple of good mics. Maybe you have an outboard EQ or compressor, and you may even be using a nice master clock with high-end AD/DA converters. Hopefully some acoustic treatment is present on the walls and in the corners.

If this is you, you will definitely benefit from what I’m about to tell you, although I believe a summing mixer – which is the key term of this article – will be beneficial to anyone who records audio whether it’s in a small basement studio or a full-blown commercial production facility.

What is a “summing mixer”? A summing mixer is an analog device that takes multiple audio outputs from your digital-to-analog converter or audio interface, and mixes them in the analog domain. Essentially you’re taking your mix out of the computer/DAW digital domain, and stepping into the analog realm to create a mixed stereo track filled with high-headroom, spatially present glory. A summing mixer can be either a dedicated box, such as those from Dangerous Music, TL Audio, Audient, and other manufacturers, or it can be a compact or console-style analog mixer.

But wait, your DAW has a mixer screen; why would you want to go outside to an analog summing box or mixer? Good question, but I assure you, if you’ve ever had the opportunity to listen to a mix that’s been passed through a summing mixer versus the same project with an “in-the-box” mix, that question would answer itself. You’ll have more headroom, which will give each track more room to fit into its own place in the mix. The stereo image will spread significantly, and the depth of the mix will increase. To be completely clear, you probably won’t just take your in-the-box mix, reassign the outputs to your brand-new summing mixer, and print the mix. Some remixing will likely be involved, partially because you’ll find things that weren’t optimal about your in-the-box mix, and in part because the perceived levels will be different.

Have you ever worked on a project where you knew you had spent the appropriate amount of time getting everything just right, before tracking? You experimented with different mic positions, you made sure levels were right with no digital clipping, and worked until the material was well rehearsed and polished. Yet, after tracking, although you did your best in mixdown, the mix just sounded dull and flat? Perhaps some of the nuances got lost in the mix, or there was no depth to the recording; there was left-to-right spread but there was no front-to-back depth – you didn’t feel like you could step into the mix while you were listening, because it was so one dimensional?

Perhaps it wasn’t your ability or the material. For example, I was working on a 6-song album in my DAW early last year, and I was pulling my hair out trying to get something I could live with, because I knew the band was going to release it into distribution. That’s when I first tried a Dangerous Music D-Box – which is a combination of a summing mixer and a killer monitor control box – and it saved my mixes! Just as I had described, my mixes were flat, dull, and uninspiring. I tried everything I knew to try – and I mean everything! Nothing was working. I could get the mix to sound different, but not necessarily better. Tracks were getting buried, there didn’t seem to be enough room for each track to breathe. The D-Box summing mixer was the answer.

Here’s how I did it: from the DAW, all the drum tracks were sent in stereo to two outputs on my interface, all guitars in stereo to another pair of outputs, vocals (including back-up vox) in stereo to another output pair, and the bass guitar all by its lonesome on another output. The D box has eight analog inputs, which are all combined to a single stereo output. As soon as I remixed my material and sent the tracks out to the D-Box as separate stereo pairs or “stems,” I could finally call it “done.” The stereo image spread wide open, as if someone had opened up another room. All of the sudden there was depth – that front-to-back thing that can be so elusive, and each track (even the quiet tracks and passages), had its own space and popped out of the mix.

The next time you find yourself pulling your hair out after realizing your mix just doesn’t sound as good as a commercially produced track, you might be ready to take your mix out of the box. If you’re looking to buy one piece of gear to step up your mixing game, a summing box is hands down the best suggestion I could give you. Happy mixing!

Chris McCown has over 23 years experience as a musician and over 15 years experience as an engineer. He’s currently studying music theory, playing lead guitar at his church, and is a Sales Engineer at Sweetwater, in addition to writing and producing his own material. He can be reached at 1-800-222-4700 ext. 1328 or chris_mccown@sweetwater.com.