Magic Room Music is proud to release new music from Jeremy Hoekstra! 2 new songs were released on Friday, August 4, 2023. Burning My Ships and Reckoning are the first original songs from the singer-songwriter and producer in over 2 years. These two song exemplify Hoekstra's depth in songwriting and his knack for creating emotional soundscapes.
Burning My Ships and Reckoning are streaming on all platforms and are available for download on iTunes, Bandcamp, and jeremyhoekstra.com.
Getting a professional sound means paying attention to the small details. Another way you can get your audio mixes sounding professional is by cleaning up your vocal tracks. Vocal tracks can use even more attention than instrument tracks. They are typically front and center in your mixes and carry a lot of the emotion in the song so we want to pay special attention to these tracks.
The first place to start with vocal tracks are the entrances and exits from verses, choruses, bridges, and then more specifically, phrases. In the same way we cut out dead space in other tracks, do the same with vocal tracks. Pay special attention to the entrances and exits from phrases. Don't cut off too much on either end. Make sure you get the beginning of a phrase and maybe even include the breath if it helps give some energy heading into the phrase.
Speaking of breaths, as you add compression and EQ you might notice that the vocalists' breaths become more accentuated. These breaths can be distracting if they are too loud, but, we don't always want to cut them completely out. I find that breaths add some movement and intimacy to the vocal track. There are certain times when cutting out breaths is completely fine. In genres like pop music, breaths are often cut out to create more space for effects and other sounds.
To clean up breaths, here are a couple of tricks I use. I will listen through the vocal track and identify any breaths that I think are too loud. I will use my razor tool and isolate those breaths and then lower the volume of that isolated breath clip. I'll bring it down so I can still hear the breath but it sounds more natural and not as loud. It's still there, it still give movement to the vocal phrase, and it still feels intimate and authentic, but it's softer and isn't distracting anymore.
To finish out this process, make sure to add a small fade in and fade out to each section to avoid any popping. Fades add just a touch of softness and will make it sound more professional as opposed to a hard entrance. It's subtle, but it will make a big difference.
This process can be tedious and can take some trial and error as your find the right spots to cut the vocal tracks, but it will make a significant difference making your mix more professional sounding.
If you would like help mixing your songs, Magic Room Music is here to help! Contact us today to talk about your next recording project!
There is more to getting a professional sound on your audio mixes than just listening to reference tracks and not giving up on trying to get your songs to sound like those reference tracks. What are some things that you can do as your working on your mix to keep moving it in the right direction?
One thing you can do is to clean up your audio tracks. A lot of tracks have dead space in them between sections. Maybe an instrument only comes in on the bridge or there is an instrumental turn around where there are no vocals. The first thing to do is to cut out those dead spaces on those tracks where nothing is being played or sung. Simply use your razor or snippet tool and cut them out. Dead space is simply going to add extra noise to your song that you don't need and can become distracting. Plus, your plugins will process all that dead space and will alter it typically creating even more noise.
Usually a good thing to do is to add a small fade in and fade out to the remaining sections to get rid of any pops. This can be a tedious task, but it will make a big difference in how clean your mix sounds. Another way to achieve this is to use a gate on your track. You can adjust it so it essentially automatically turns off the track until the volume threshold is reached and it turns on. This can be a quick and simple fix, however, I prefer to manually splice up the tracks so I have absolute control.
Once your tracks are cleaned up you will have a much easier time mixing your song and using your plugins because there will not be as much noise to muddy up your mix.
At Magic Room Music, we always go the extra mile in cleaning up tracks and getting them to sound amazing. Contact us today about how we can help you with your next recording project!
I have heard from a lot of recording and mixing engineers about the difficulty of getting their projects to sound “professional.” Many wonder if they need more audio plugins or switch up their effects chain or maybe selecting the correct microphone. All of those things can certainly make a difference. Certain plugins do certain things and each “color” the sound in different ways. How you chain together your effects can change the sound as well, and there certainly is a difference in how different microphones sound. With that said, here are a few tips to get your songs sounding closer to that professional sound.
First, listen to music. In order to get your songs sounding better you have to actually listen to what “better” is. Listen to how songs are mixed. How are the instruments panned? How are they EQ'd? How much compression can you hear? How and when is reverb and delay used? How loud is the song? Make notes of all of these things and also listen to songs from different genres!
Second, after listening to all this music pick a song or two as a reference for the song you are working on. Make sure it is in the same genre as the song you're working on too. Use that as a baseline for your song and reference that song as you go through your mixing process to see if you can get it sounding similar.
Third, know how your plugins work. In order to get your song sounding like your reference, you have to know how to use your tools. Know what a compressor does and how to use it so you can dial it in without over or under doing it. Know how to EQ correctly to create space for each instrument. Know how to use your reverbs and delays so you don't muddy up your song. When you know how to use your tools you will be able to fine tune it even more to get the sounds you want. There are plenty of online resources for this. A simple Google or YouTube search will bring up all kinds of tutorials.
Finally, KEEP WORKING IT! It takes time to learn how to get that “professional” sound. Don't give up! Keep working and massaging your song until you get it sounding the way you want it to sound. I have even had times where I went back and started over from scratch mixing because I wasn't getting what I wanted. Yes, it took longer. Yes, it was annoying, but the end result was worth it. It will get easier and quicker the more you do it. Just don't give up!
You can get “professional” sounds with one mic, stock plugins, and a good understanding of what you're doing. Simply keep practicing and don't give up. If you do that, your songs will start sounding better than most and you will feel more comfortable and confident with your skills and final product.
We feel comfortable and confident with the songs we mix at MAGIC ROOM MUSIC. If you would like that “professional” sound for your next project, CONTACT US TODAY!
One of the things I love most about working with musical artists is the honor of being invited into their worlds and helping them bring their their hopes, fears, joys, observations, and personalities into the world in a vulnerable way through their songs. Being invited into that space is such an honor because it is typically a space that is reserved for very few people until the song is released into the world.
I had the opportunity recently to record a vocalist singing a song that is going to be played at their wedding reception. This particular vocalist was new to the recording process so they came in with at lot of nervousness and anxiety. The fact that this performance was going to be used for a once in a lifetime event also increased the pressure. At the same time, this was a such a special and beautiful moment. Their heart was being opened up to share a feeling and experience that was so meaningful to them, and they were taking a risk to put it out there in the most public and vulnerable way.
I knew all of this going into the recording session and my first response was gratitude. I was thankful for being invited into the space with them. Because of that, I went above and beyond to make the experience as comfortable and chill as possible. First, I wanted them to be at ease to technically sing well. Second, I wanted them to be able to think about what they were singing and what it was for so we could capture a heartfelt, authentic performance. In order to do that, I tried to communicate in kind, fun ways. I explained the process that we would go through to capture the performance, and I reminded them that it's ok to make a mistake and that we were going to need at least a few takes. Event the most experienced recording artist needs multiple takes so they were in good company!
We began recording and with each take they became more and more comfortable and each take was better and better. After each take I would take a moment and check in with them to see how they were feeling and offer some support. I even got a laugh out of them at one point, which was a win for me because I like to crack jokes, but also it meant that they were settling into the space! Once we had a couple of solid takes, we said, lets get one more take just for good measure (pun intended). And invited the vocalist to not worry about technique but to think about the words and be in the moment. That inevitably was the best take because the pressure was off and they could rest in the moment.
After the session was over, the vocalist was so thankful for the help in bringing their moment to life. The gratitude was beautiful. Again, I was so thankful to be a part of it.
And that's what it's really all about. Yes, I want to make great records and songs. Yes, I am going to use all my skills to mix it and bring it all to life and make the song the best song it can be. However, the most important thing is walking with someone through the process of expressing themselves in ways that are helpful to them, but then are inevitably helpful to the rest of us as we get to know them and see the world through their eyes. I am so honored to be in that space with people.
If you would like to bring your songs to life, I would be honored to walk with you through the process of recording and mixing your songs. Contact MAGIC ROOM MUSIC today to talk about your next project!
If you are a recording engineer, producer, or recording studio owner you probably were paying attention to the announcement that WAVES plugins made last week. Waves is been established as one of the largest producer of plugins for audio recordings. Most studios, whether they are professional or home studios, have Waves plugins as part of their collection.
Waves would often run sales where their plugins would cost between $29 and $59 each, which is a very good deal for the quality of these plugins. However, they would get you with their update plans. In order to get the updated version of the plugin, after a year or so you have to pony up a lot more money to purchase the update plan. One could always choose to keep the old version, but at some point it may not be supported anymore as operating systems are updated. It was annoying, but most people could live with it and once you bought the plugin it was yours with what is called a “perpetual license.”
WHAT HAPPENED?
Out of the blue last week, Waves made a huge, sweeping change to their business model. Instead of purchasing perpetual licenses and then paying for the updates at a later time, they moved to a subscription only model where you pay a monthly fee for the use of their audio plugins. There were a couple of pricing tiers in this model where if you paid more per month you received access to more plugins. Perpetual licenses were no longer being provided and the only way to get Waves plugins was to purchase a monthly subscription.
This caused an uproar among recording engineers and producers, particularly among smaller studios and home studios who are on limited budgets. Reddit and Twitter were blowing up with negative responses to this change. While people were not happy about the subscription based model, most were unhappy about how the change came out of the blue with no build up and no warning. People were already a little frustrated with the way Waves charges for update plans. Most people feel updates should be included when an audio plugin is purchased.
Instantly message boards filled up with alternatives to Waves plugins. Spreadsheets were created and posted showing alternate plugins for Waves and where to purchase them. Competing plugins companies quickly jumped on this too and even changed marketing that day to promote the fact that they had perpetual licenses. It was a great day for those companies!
BACKTRACK
After a couple of days of continual negative publicity and comments about the change at Waves, the company released a statement saying they were going back to offering perpetual licenses along with their offering their new subscription based service. Just as quickly as they were gone, the perpetual licenses were back!
Here is a portion of the statement released by Meir Shashoua, CTO and co-founder of Waves,
Dear Waves community,
Over the past few days, many of you have expressed concerns about our decision to discontinue perpetual plugin licenses and our move to an exclusive plugin subscription model. I would like to start by apologizing for the frustration we have caused many of you, our loyal customers. We understand that our move was sudden and disruptive, and did not sufficiently take into consideration your needs, wishes, and preferences. We are genuinely sorry for the distress it has caused.
After respectfully listening to your concerns, I want to share with you that we are bringing back the perpetual plugin license model, side-by-side with the new subscriptions. You will again be able to get plugins as perpetual licenses, just as before.
FALLOUT
It's hard to say if there will be any lasting consequences for Waves after this. Waves has been seen as both an industry standard but also a nuisance in the way they do business. This certainly will not help. Message boards are still filled with negativity and asking for and posting alternatives to Waves plugins. In the short term, most current Waves users will continue using their plugins as usual. However, perhaps the next time they need to update, they go somewhere else to get their plugins.
If you want help recording your project, check out MAGIC ROOM MUSIC. We have a bunch of great plugins that we use to bring your project to life (yes, some of those are Waves plugins!). Contact us today about your next project.
Do you want some cool new swag for the Spring? Check out the Magic Room Merch page to order some new clothing for your Spring wardrobe! At the same time, you'll be supporting the Magic Room Music studio. Plus, you'll just be the coolest kid on the block with your new hoodie, hat, or tee!
As songwriters we're always keeping an eye on the world looking for inspiration for our next song. We're paying attention in conversations listening for an interesting line that could be the hook for our next song. Or we're paying attention to the news looking for ways to reflect what we're hearing and seeing. Those are great ways to start a song, but often the most powerful and moving songs come from the reflections on our lives.
How can we use songwriting to help us process and reflect on our own lives?
Here are some steps to use songwriting as a way of processing through our own lives:
When you are finished you will have accomplished two things: 1) You will have written a song that is meaningful to you, and it will most likely be meaningful to other people because of the authenticity of it. 2) You will have given yourself space and time to process an event or moment in your life, and this will help you become a healthier human being.
If you would like help bringing your songs to life and recording them, please contact at us MAGIC ROOM MUSIC to talk through your project.
