TAXI Review: does it work? Is it worth the money?

TAXI is an independent A&R company based in US, quite popular among unsigned artists and producers.

Hype Machine and Music Blogs: how to get attention and reviews

Internet blogs can give you a good and valuable media exposure, which is almost impossible to get from established mainstream magazines and websites, if you/your band are completely unknown and without a record contract.   

Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue Review: suitable amp for home use?

After recording several tracks plugging my Strat directly into my Apogee converter, I was 99% convinced that I didn't need anymore a bulky amplifier in my apartment to get the perfect sound out of my guitar.

SoundCloud tips: how to make the most of it and get many followers and listeners

SoundCloud is really a great platform to connect with other musicians, discover new tracks, but more than anything else to increase the visibility of your profile or the band you are playing with. 

DistroKid vs CD Baby, which one is better?

In this post I will review the main services for distributing digitally your music, and getting your songs on popular services like Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes. Stores and streaming services like iTunes and Spotify don't accept your music directly, so you have to go through some third party companies. I have tried both CD Baby and DistroKid, so I will give you a good overview of the pros and cons of each one of them.

Recording: BPM, Levels

Your main goal while recording is to maintain focus and eyes on the final outcome. Believe me, it’s really easy to spend hours and hours in tweaking knobs an playing around with amp simulators and different plug-ins.

My minimalist gear set-up

I opted a while ago for a light, portable and minimalistic set-up, which frees up space without compromising on quality of recording. In this way my mind stay focused on the song, and I can translate quickly and effectively my ideas into a final piece. 

Midi Keyboard, Speakers

I bought a midi-controller to trigger the audio samples included in the libraries of Logic Pro. Basically in this way I recorded all the bass, drums, horns, strings, piano parts of my compositions. 

Mic & Audio Interface

You surely need a mic if you are planning to record vocals and acoustic instruments. If you are purely an electronic composer, relying just on synthesizers, you won’t probably need it. I suggest to buy a condenser microphone, it’s a great choice for recording acoustic guitars and vocals. I am very pleased by the MXL990 Mic.

GEAR: Basic intro

I am very conscious of budget constraints, so my list of advice is made with the goal of getting the best result with the lowest budget, without compromising on quality.

You could probably spend 10 times more to get better “gear”, just to end up with a 5% better sound. Is it really worth? I don’t think so. You can certainly bridge that 5% gap just by improving your technique and following some tips.