Recording Entrepreneurs

Is Audio Engineering a Bad Career to Pursue?
Posted: 02/25/2012

If you’re contemplating a career choice the music business, perhaps you’ve asked the question: is audio engineering a bad career to pursue? After all, audio engineers frequently work for long hours, often for low pay (at least at first)—and with the rise of digital technology and illegal downloads, there might be some concern whether audio engineering is going to remain relevant. Is it worth it to pursue a career in this field? Read More

Is Audio Engineering Hard?
Posted: 02/20/2012

The fact is, nothing that’s worth anything comes without some sort of hardship—and this is as true in the music business as it is anywhere else. The creative/artistic process is loaded with struggle, and audio engineers are right in the thick of it. On the other hand, when a project has been worked through to completion, for the dedicated engineer, it produces a sense of satisfaction unlike any other. That satisfaction over a job well done makes it worth all the long hours, all the frustration when things went wrong, and so on. It’s what makes the audio engineer go home at the end of a session, catch a few hours of sleep, and wake up ready to tackle the next project. Read More

Is Audio Engineering In Demand As a Career?
Posted: 02/10/2012

Perhaps you’re considering a music industry career, and asking yourself the question: is audio engineering in demand as a career choice? With all the upheaval that has taken place in the music industry in the past few years, between illegal downloading and the increase of home recording, is audio engineering a career worth pursuing right now? Read More

Overview of Audio Engineering in California
Posted: 02/05/2012

If you’re thinking about launching a career in audio engineering in California, you’ve chosen an excellent place to start. California in general (and L.A. in particular) is widely known as a hub for the music industry, with dozens of world-class recording studios, lots of major record labels, and an extremely active and diverse music scene. There are very few (if any) major recording artists who have not recorded in California recording studios at one time or another—people like Katy Perry, Lady GaGa, The Rolling Stones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Snoop Dogg and many others. Read More

What is Logic, and Should I Learn It?
Posted: 01/05/2012

Many have compared Logic to the more widely used Pro Tools, and there has been some debate about which DAW is the best. In most cases, it is a matter of need and personal preference. The great advantage to Pro Tools is that because it is so widely used, it is an industry standard, and projects created in Pro Tools can be easily transferred from user to user, or between recording studios. On the other hand, if your emphasis is more on electronic music or virtual (MIDI) instruments, Logic seems to offer more control in this area. Read More

Why Pro Tools Is Currently the Industry Standard
Posted: 01/04/2012

Simply put, it’s a combination of versatility, flexibility and the ability to work across multiple platforms. Pro Tools was one of the first DAWs to hit the market, and as more and more studios have caught on over the years, it has become a universal language of sorts. Here are some specifics as to why Pro Tools is so popular in the recording industry. Read More

What is Reason Software?
Posted: 01/03/2012

What makes Reason different from other DAWs like Pro Tools? While Pro Tools effectively operates as a multi-track recorder and mixer, controlling both audio and software-based signals, Reason has historically been all software-based, with the primary function of sequencing and mixing only electronic and virtual instruments. However, newer versions of Reason now... Read More

Do You Need to Learn Logic to Work In Audio?
Posted: 01/02/2012

The answer is based really on your needs and preferences. Pro Tools is currently in wide use in most professional recording studios, having become somewhat of an industry standard, but some studios prefer Logic to Pro Tools—and some use both in different settings. The main difference between the two DAWs is that while Logic is strictly for Mac use, Pro Tools can operate on both Mac and PC, making it slightly more versatile across platforms. Read More

Best Ways to Record Music
Posted: 11/18/2011

There are professionals who are able to run the soundboard, and mix the various vocal tracks, instruments, and other sounds that you may want to include in your recording. Some recording studios may record the instruments and vocals separately and then mix them later. Others might record everything together, and perform audio enhancements to make the sound better. Read More

Music Production as a Career
Posted: 11/09/2011

Network, network, network. Get to know as many people in the business as you can. The entertainment business is a very people oriented industry. The more people you know, the better. This is the key to being a success. Be the person that people can go to and be counted on to get the job done. If you are asked to take on a task that is less that pleasant and perhaps time consuming, agree to do it with a smile. You will find that you will earn respect, and a reputation for doing what is needed. Read More

What a Music Producer Does
Posted: 11/09/2011

On a practical level, a music producer also works on the creation of an album with the musicians and the music engineer in the studio. The artists will often have a vision for how a song or album should sound and come together, the engineer knows the reality of how it can all work, and the producer is the one who makes sure that the final product is a single cohesive product. What a music producer does is ensure that an album will be a marketable product that will sell to as wide an audience as possible. Read More

New Avenues for Recording and Distribution in the Digital Age
Posted: 11/09/2011

Because computer technology has allowed for the creation of professional quality home recording studios, a person can form a band and start recording music without the help of a major label within the record industry. With the possibilities opened up through webhosting of sites, streaming audio, and group information, a performer can now distribute his or her music to the masses as well. While someone can easily burn a CD to distribute, the physical process can be skipped completely and music can be recorded digitally... Read More

Recording Studios
Posted: 11/09/2011

There are all kinds of recording studios out there, and if you are looking to find a career in the music business, you would do well to research which kind of studio would be the best fit for you. For one thing, many studios cater to particular genre of recording artist, be it country, pop, rock, rap, or what have you. If there is a particular genre that interests you, make sure that it is one that the studio at which you want to work tends to record.Read More

Understanding How the Internet has Changed Music
When Napster exploded into the media spotlight in 2000 with lawsuits from musicians such as Metallica, people began to realize how the internet has changed music forever. Suddenly, with the advent of Napster and other programs like it, music could be shared and swapped between fans like never before. Though the inevitable issues with copyright infringement and unlicensed piracy became the forefront of the conversation, the greater issue was that the listeners and consumers had taken control of their musical tastes and were stealing the business away from the corporations who had controlled the music industry for decades. Read More

My Band Wants to Record
If your band wants to record there are several options available. One can book time in a professional studio and work with a by-the-hour engineer. Professional studios vary greatly in price and in quality. However if you’ve got the money to pay for a few days in a good studio with a professional engineer you may be able to get the sound you are looking for. Read More

Why are Music Producers Needed?
An experienced producer may even help you with contacts to help promote your music and advice on publishing, royalties and other aspects of the music industry. Producers work in different ways. Some like to take total control of the project, others prefer to collaborate with the artist, musicians and technicians as a creative partner to produce the best track possible and the invisible or documentary style producer records what has happened during a performance with as little influence as possible. Read More

Careers in Music Teaching
If a student is interested in teaching music, the sooner they start participating in music activities and programs the better. Ideally, a student would begin participation in music programs at the elementary level, high school at the latest. The student who may be considering a career teaching music should be as active in school music programs as possible. Exposure to school music programs at various stages in one's development will provide a great foundation for any student preparing to continue his or her music training in college. Read More

How do you record original music with your computer?
Years ago, home recording on your computer was unheard of. People would have to spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars to get their songs recorded. Today, with the inexpensive technology available, just about everyone can take their original songs and produce and record them in their own bedrooms. Unfortunately, there are many different software products on the market. Read More

How the Internet Has Changed Music
Big multi-national music/entertainment conglomerates will tell you the web is a dirty thief that steals the livelihood of wealthy pop stars and record executives. However for struggling independent artists, the Internet is their greatest ally in the struggle against their most terrible enemy: anonymity. The Internet allows anyone who has recorded anything to upload it, broadcast it, and make it available for downloading. Conceivably then this means anyone can become a breakout Internet sensation.Read More

Life as a Music Producer
Music producers spend many long hours in the studio. Supervising the actual recording of the music is only one part. Producers work with engineers beforehand to plan recording sessions and organize them to run as smoothly as possible. In the studio, time literally is money.Read More

Producing a Recording Project
You’ve learned your way around the music industry a little bit, you’ve decided to try your hand at producing, and you’ve found a band or artist you think is worth recording. What now? What actually goes into producing a recording project? Obviously, the answer to that question can’t be found in one short article. However, a producer wears several hats in the recording process, and by understanding the various roles, you will be at least heading in the right direction. Here are some of the basic elements involved in producing an artist.Read More

Making Music for Film and Television
Creating music for film and television is a fairly specialized field of musical creation; however it can offer an alternative avenue for you to create music commercially and professionally. There are certain things you should know about the film and television industries, and how stories are told visually and aurally in such mediums, to give yourself a better opportunity to succeed in such industries. You may even consider receiving some education or working with an established professional to better understand the work involved in such musical creations, and to help give you an entrance into those industries.Read More

How to Start Up Your Own Business in Music
When people think of the music industry, they typically think of hit bands cranking out catchy songs. While that's certainly a big part of it, the opportunities for musicians, composers, and music producers is much more extensive. Music is used in nearly every entertainment medium out there. Think of musical scores for movies and television shows, television commercials, radio jingles, musical theater, incidental theater music, and even video games.Read More

Music Worth Recording
There are a lot of talented musicians nowadays trying to make a living with music, and there are also a lot of recording engineers and producers trying to get the music “out there.” Even as the larger music industry struggles to adapt to a changing musical landscape, the independent music scene is exploding. Even so, much of the music being put out there is mediocre at best, and won’t sell many records no matter how good the production value is.Read More

How Much Does a Music Studio Cost?
The first step towards building your own music studio is examining the room and deciding what can be done with this. If you are setting up the recording studio in your room or in your basement, it is important to remember this room must be acoustically sound. Some rooms are not set up to bring out people’s vocals. This all makes a huge difference on the record. It is suggested that everyone go out and get acoustic foam and stick it on the walls itself. Read More

Life as a Concert Audio Technician
Concert audio techs are the people responsible for the quality of sound an audience hears during a live music performance. This means that life as a concert audio tech means working primarily in a live music venue of one sort or another. Many concert venues employ in-house audio techs. This is a good position as it means steady employment and gives one the opportunity to thoroughly learn the ins and outs of one particular venue and it’s sound system Read More

How Much Does a Music Studio Cost?
The setup cost will depend on what kind of a studio you are going to build. Are you planning to set up a serious business, which can render services to varieties of customers and charge a high fee? Or is it just a simple a home-based studio to cater to the local bands for a minimum charge? Small studios, like those having only a soundcard in their computer, cost less. Recording of a symphony orchestra or an opera is very expensive. Read More

Sound Effects For Film
Audio for film can also be referred to as sound effects. In the context of motion pictures and television, sound effects refers to an entire hierarchy of sound elements, whose production encompass many different disciplines, including: Hard sound effects are common sounds that appear on screen, such as door slams, weapons firing, and cars driving by. Background (or BG) sound effects are sounds that do not explicitly synchronize with the picture, but indicate setting to the audience, such as forest sounds, the buzzing of fluorescent...Read More

What is Audio For Film?
One of the key components in any production is the audio for film, and yet so few people even realize what all is involved in creating it. There is a whole team of people that dedicate their lives to making sound for movies, and it is this team that is often taken for granted. Let’s give them a bit of credit now, shall we?...Read More

Tips for Becoming a Music Producer
Music producers are really the heart and soul of any recording. They're the great unsung artists working behind the scenes. Bad production can make a great song sound terrible. Great production can elevate songwriting. Think of George Martin working with the Beatles, or Brian Eno working with The Talking Heads, David Bowie, and U2. To a lot of people, being a music producer is a life-long dream where they spend all day working on music in the studio...Read More

Comparing Digital and Analog Recording
Analog recording versus digital recording compares the two ways in which sound is recorded and stored. Actual sound waves consist of continuous variations in air pressure. Representations of these signals can be recorded using either digital or analog techniques. An analog recording is one where a property or characteristic of a physical recording medium is made to vary in a manner analogous to the variations in air pressure of the original sound...Read More

How do I Get my Music Recorded?
So you have formed a band, practiced together and worked on material you all agree is good enough for radio play, or you have solo work you want to get out there for people to hear; the question is now, how do I get my music recorded? Well, luckily for you there are several different paths you could take to get your music recorded, each with its own benefits and complications. The traditional route is to record your music in a professional studio. This is the easiest method in terms of time and quality assurance since you will work with other professionals to ensure the final result is of high quality. Read More

How To Find New Music
I want new music. Sure, I like to go back and listen to old faves, but not that often. I used to have a couple of radio stations that played only new music. Nothing beats that moment when you suddenly discover a new artist and their music speaks directly to your soul. So where do you find that music now? Well lots of internet sites claim to have the answer. Pandora will find new music based on your tastes. Other Internet Jukeboxes like... Read More

How do I Record my Music?
You’ve been singing and performing in indie clubs for years, your myspace page has hundreds of fans, and you’ve already been mentioned in some music articles. The next step you might be thinking of taking is “how do I get my music recorded?” This may not be as difficult as you think. Getting a record deal can be difficult, but recording your music is not. The first thing to do is...Read More

I want to be a Hip Hop Producer
Since bursting onto the scene in the early-80s, hip-hop has arguably become the most popular style of music of the last quarter century. Hip-hop is as lucrative, glamorous and exciting as any area of the music business today. While once solely the domain of rappers and DJs hip-hop has increasingly become dominated by the producer. Producers discover talent, create beats, make backing tracks and ultimately are the ones who create the hit songs. Read More

Life as a Concert Audio Technician
Life as a concert audio tech involves mixing the sound from the audience position, from a specialized control room, from the stage, or a remote truck, depending on the performance requirements. A trend in large scale theatrical productions is to minimize or eliminate the amount of sound equipment in the audience area so as to retain more seats for the audience. Elaborate digital control systems can be utilized for this purpose. Read More

Life as a Recording Engineer
Life as a recording engineer is a fascinating adventure...It is one of the most common positions in the business. A recording engineer's primary goal is to capture the artists' performance as accurately as possible. They do this using Digital Audio Workstations (DAW's), Analog Tape Machines, audio mixing boards, outboard effects processors, musical instruments, and microphones. As a recording audio engineer you will use machinery and equipment to...Read More

Life as a Studio Musician
Life as a studio musician is a long term commitment to a wonderful life... While the fame and fortune of pop stars is frequently short-lived, studio musician or session musicians can carve out a career lasting many years, making a living through sheer ability and professionalism. During the 1920s and 1930s most record companies had their own prolific "studio bands" turning out records of the latest pop hits. These were often made up by jazz and dance band...Read More

Does it matter where you live if you want a music career?
You know you want a job in the music industry, but where exactly do you need to live? Some cities live and breathe music industry, and some cities, well, not so much. So if you want to make it in music - either on the business or creative side - do you need to pack your bags and head for some music city center? Read More

Audio Production Theory Vs. Practice
If you are considering a career in audio production, you are probably aware of the many different kinds of positions available in the recording industry. You could be a recording engineer and specialize in tweaking sound effects for film projects or improving sound quality for radio stations. You could work as a live sound mixer and stay on the road with concert tours, where the hours are crazy but the job is fun. You could be a record producer and stay involved in the more general aspects of album production for musical artists.

Where to Spend Your Money on Recording
Hiring time in a recording studio is not cheap. Studio time on average, costs $100 an hour and can go up from there. Even the cheaper studios cost around $50 an hour. That doesn’t sound like much but consider that working three eight-hour days in a studio at that rate would cost $1200. Of course recording studios offer many benefits. Most are well outfitted with recording equipment and provide a good environment to work in. They will also often have instruments available to use.

Preparing for a Job in Recording
Finding the right job in recording can be challenging, but once you do, it's an exciting and rewarding career to have. Those who work in the recording industry are often on the cutting edge of the music scene, working with singers, musicians, music label presidents, and a host of other creative people. If you are considering entering the recording industry, particularly if you have little experience in the field, there are certain steps you can take to prepare. To make yourself an attractive job candidate for a potential employer, consider the following.

Places to Look for a Job in Audio Production
If you are a college student in audio production, you are probably busy learning a variety of different skills to put to use in your career. Editing programs are balanced with application and real-world sound equipment with all its quirks. Some of your classes probably deal with the science of sound, the history of audio communication, and other types sound engineering or production knowledge. Your professors may also have told you how difficult it can be to find a high-paying audio production career. The market is a competitive one, and most sound studios and large production companies have their pick of applicants.

Careers in Live Music
The music industry is booming, particular when it comes to live concert events. The highest-grossing tours rake in hundreds of millions of dollars every year, making it a particularly lucrative field. Although the bands may get all the glory, the certainly don't do it alone. It takes a bevy of hard-working professionals to make a concert go off smoothly--everything from the carpenters who build the stage to the roadies who lug around the equipment. If you love concerts and have the talent and the drive, you could spend your days (or nights) in the heart of the action, creating the concert experience and getting paid to do it.

Ways to Get Your Recording Heard
It used to be that the best way to get into the music business was to be “discovered” by record company executives, either through playing live or getting a demo recording heard. Today it isn’t that simple; many of the labels are so bombarded with new talent that they don’t even take uninvited submissions, and some won’t even consider new talent unless they have a proven they can sell lots of records on their own. Thankfully, the news isn’t all bad; while some doors have closed, others have opened. Today, it’s much easier to make a recording on your own and find an audience for it without the help of a label.

A Successful Career in the Music Industry
If you want to have a successful career in the music industry, you have to go through a certain process. So many people assume that they’ll post a video online, wait for the right deal to come along, and then they’ll suddenly be millionaires. Things normally don’t work like that. Rather than setting yourself up to potentially fall hard, you should just take the steps that you need to make it big the right way. Below are a few options to consider. One of the first things you need to do is get an education in music.

New Avenues for Recording and Distribution in the Digital Age
Recording and distribution in the digital age requires a greater understanding of how markets, consumers, and fans can be reached and appealed to through the Internet and the various forms of communication the Internet has created. The Internet has allowed for unimaginable access to not only information, but to other people as well. Someone sitting in their home can use computer equipment to record, edit, and distribute a piece of original music and can even make money doing so. While the mainstream recording industry may not always make it easy for smaller groups to break into the business, technology has made up for such failings.

What's the Best Way to Make a Demo Record?
As a musician, your demo is your calling card. It can help you expand your audience, and it's your ticket to getting noticed by record labels, so it's important to get it right. Contrary to popular belief, demo recording doesn't have to be elaborate or expensive. If your songs are great, listeners will hear it, no matter how much cash you spent on the recording. Pick your recording venue. Are you going to book a studio? Are you going to record at home using your computer or 4 track recorder?

Copyrighting Music
Copyrighting music is no longer an option; it’s a necessity. If you wish to prevent anyone from plagiarizing your songs, then copyrighting is the first action that should be taken before even allowing anyone to listen to your newest creation. After this simple process, the song is legally yours. More than likely you’ve spent time and money creating this piece of music, so take the time to protect it.

Diversification and Marketing in the Recording Industry
The life of a recording engineer or marketer can sometimes be a difficult one in these days. The technology that is currently creating such shifts in the television industry hit the recording industry years ago, and in many ways companies are still reeling. The creation of digital marketplace has helped to solve some of the problems caused by free exchange of information and the pirating of recorded music, but the problems are affecting how recording companies create music in the first place, and how they advertise new talent to a world that now expects or even counts on free digital distribution.

Careers in Recording
Do you love music? Do you dream of working in a recording studio, helping to create an album? The recording industry is always in need of talented professionals who can help bring music from notes on a page to a thrilling recording that listeners all over the world can enjoy. Although it’s the musicians who make the music, it's everyone working behind the scenes that make any song sound its best. Depending on your talents and interests, there are a whole host of careers in the recording industry that may be right for you.

How to Get Your Music Recorded
So you have formed a band, practiced together and worked on material you all agree is good enough for radio play, or you have solo work you want to get out there for people to hear; the question is now, how do I get my music recorded? Well, luckily for you there are several different paths you could take to get your music recorded, each with its own benefits and complications. The traditional route is to record your music in a professional studio.

How Do Record Labels Turn a Profit?
Simply stated, record labels make their money by selling records. Of course, what was easy in years past, has become more difficult today. With the advent of downloading music online, watching music videos and social networks like Myspace, the music industry has been turned upside down and record labels had to get creative in how to become a part of this ever-evolving industry. With over 90% of released recordings failing to make a profit, this is a high-risk business.

How Much Do Music Studios Cost to Use?

If you are in a band or looking to put together then next big hit as a solo artist, you might have found yourself wondering how much music studios cost for you to use them. The entire process breaks down into how much time you need to record your music and how that time will cost you in terms of monetary distribution. After all, you cannot just stand in a sound room and record an album from start to finish in the hour or so that the album will last when it is played.

How to Get Starting in the Music Business
Many, many people talk about how to get starting in the music business. Being the music business is a dream for many people who love music. In order to truly be successful in this industry, you must have a passion for music and all things music, because otherwise, this job has little reward. The music industry is notoriously difficult to get into, and those who aren’t famous, are underpaid. There are long hours and difficult days, but for those who think that it is all worth it, the music business is the best.

How to Make Money as a Music Artist
The music industry is an interesting place: digital downloads and the whole of internet technology has already made the world of music performance and audio production a different place, at least for the recording and distribution companies. The music artists themselves are still unsure: does the ubiquity of online music make things better or worse for them? Even before the internet came along, many music artists were used to getting the short end of the stick.

Music Production – Where do I begin?
Normally, people do not suddenly decide they want to spend their lives producing music. Most times this is an outgrowth of being a musician or singer/songwriter who loves music so much that they decide to expand their understanding and knowledge and venture into music production. This profession is not only rewarding but if you’re excellent at what you do, it can be very lucrative as well.

How to Make Money with a Home Recording Studio
Home studios, today, are becoming so popular that nearly every serious musician has at least some type of recording equipment within their home. For the amateur music producer or artist, these “studios” have saved them a great deal of money. The problem is that it’s not been the best thing for the larger, professional music studios. Several have even closed their doors because musicians are not only choosing to do their music themselves, but produce other people’s music as well at a fraction of the cost that they charge.

How to Write a Hit Song
Throughout the history of popular music people have sought to quantify just what exactly it is that makes a hit song. Many have tried few have succeeded. Yet people do manage to write them. And why not? The rewards are potentially great. Even in today’s topsy-turvy music business a hit song can mean big money. A big enough hit can pay a lifetime of dividends. So just how do you write one? To be honest there’s no real surefire secret.

How Can I Get a Record Deal?
Let's talk about how to get a record deal. After all this is what you want. Right? You'd probably do anything just to get one. One of the most important things that you should focus on is making your music unique. There are 1000's of artists out there trying to get a deal and too many of them artists try to record a song that is almost identical to a particular song they've heard on the radio. When it comes to record deals, it just doesn't work.

Intro to Recording Your Music
You’ve been singing and performing in indie clubs for years, your myspace page has hundreds of fans, and you’ve already been mentioned in some music articles. The next step you might be thinking of taking is “how do I get my music recorded?” This may not be as difficult as you think. Getting a record deal can be difficult, but recording your music is not. The first thing to do is to look up studios, or ask friends or other bands where they recorded their music.

Job of a Recording Engineer
The job of a recording engineer is more than just running gadgetry in a studio (although many engineers really love the gadgets!). The recording engineer is an advanced problem solver and logistical person. Every time a new band or artist comes into the studio to record, a new set of acoustic and electric challenges can arise. Microphones, audio levels and the EQ balance shift and change with each project, even in a recording studio where many of the dynamics are controlled.

Making a Living in the Music Business
The proliferation of the Internet in the late 1990s has had a dramatic effect on practically every other existing area of the media. The music business in particular has changed drastically over the last decade. Most of that change can be directly attributed to the Internet. In the late ‘90s the appearance of free downloading music services like Napster caused a tremendous uproar in the music business.

Music as a Business
To make something clear from the start—music is not a business. Music is an art form. A business has formed around music, but music can (and does) happen whether or not anyone ever makes money at it. However, if you are a musician in our culture, and you desire to do music as a full-time career, you need to learn to approach music as a business—to see yourself and your music through a particular lens so that you can succeed in the business community that surrounds music.

How to Record Your Band

If you’ve got a group of guys (or girls) that you like jamming out with in your garage, you may one day think “My band wants to record an album.” Well, if that is the case, you should be happy to know that you can do that all on your own. Sure, having a professional studio to back you up would be great, but when money is tight and all you need is a demo, making your own CD doesn’t seem like a bad option at all. Here are some simple tips to get you started.

Recording Your First Album
Using your backing tracks, you can make an album at home at a fraction of the cost that a recording studio will charge you. Recording studios are pricey. You can bet that a three song demo will usually end up costing you in the region of $100 to $200, and a full album can cost anything from $500 to well over $1,000 and upwards depending on the length of time you take to make the recording.

Songwriting Tips
You know you want to be the next big songwriter, but you don’t know where to start. Here are a few tips to help you out. First and foremost, the inspiration from the song can start as anything: a title, a lyric, a chord progression, a melody – anything. But the hard part is expanding that and making into a full-fledged song. One of the most famous examples is one of the most famous songs of all time: “Yesterday”.

What Should I Put in My Voice-over Reel?
How long do you have to get a casting agent or producer’s attention that is casting a voiceover? Approximately ten seconds if they are having a good day. With that in mind, I’m sure you realize how your voiceover demo reel should immediately grab the attention of the person who is listening. After they’ve listened to hundreds in probably less than a few hours, it’s vitally important that your best work is in the first few seconds of the reel. Before putting together an award winning voiceover reel, go online and listen to others.

Where to Spend Your Money on Recording
Hiring time in a recording studio is not cheap. Studio time on average, costs $100 an hour and can go up from there. Even the cheaper studios cost around $50 an hour. That doesn’t sound like much but consider that working three eight-hour days in a studio at that rate would cost $1200. Of course recording studios offer many benefits. Most are well outfitted with recording equipment and provide a good environment to work in. They will also often have instruments available to use.

How Can I Get a Record Deal?
If there was a simple answer to this, everyone who ever had the dream of making it in the music industry would have their dreams come true. There is, of course, no easy answer to this question, but there are some steps you can take to help you make it a reality. The first step should obviously be to form a band or find your identity as a solo artist. Know what kind of music you want to make. While you may change directions during your career or explore new musical venues, at the beginning you should have a clear vision of what your music will be.

My Band Wants to Record, Now What?
You have several options for how to proceed with getting your music recorded, and all of them require time and money or a great deal of luck. If you have managed to get yourselves noticed doing live performances and have an offer to be represented by an agent or to sign a record deal this will greatly alleviate some of the financial stresses that recording an album entails. What it comes down to is...

How Do I Get My Music Recorded?
The digital age has brought on a new era in recording. Thanks to software programs that emulate studio hardware and processes it is now literally possible to record an entire album on one's laptop with a couple microphones and some cable. The two thousand or more dollars one could easily spend on studio time could just as easily be invested into the hardware and software one would need to be able to record oneself.

How Much Do Music Studios Cost?
Music studios vary greatly in quality and affordability. Booking time in a good professional studio can cost anywhere from $50 to $500 dollars an hour. Keep in mind you usually get what you pay for when it comes to recording studios. Most studios however will include an engineer as part of their hourly rate.

How to Become a Hip Hop Star
Is music your life? Do you live for your next gig? Playing live is the ultimate experience for most musicians. Some practically live for it. However if you're serious about your music and want to make a career of it, you will need to be recorded.

What is the Best Way to Make a Demo Record?
If you are interested in the best way to make a demo record, you obviously are a musician, singer, songwriter or all three. Being in music industry, it's obvious that your demo is your calling card and how you advance yourself and get in front of the right music producers and record labels. Therefore, getting your demo to be the best it can be is imperative.

How Can I Become a Music Producer?
If you want to become a music producer, you should start by considering what the job fully entails. You will have to work with artists who can range from elitist prima donnas who refuse to compromise their "vision" to musicians who do not know the first thing about how to work in a studio. You will have to balance the madness of musicians against the concrete realities of what studio engineers are looking to create.

How Record Deals are Made
You’ve seen Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Toni Braxton on television as a child and decided that you want to be just like them when you can grow up. While that is a difficult goal, it is not that impossible as you may think. By this point, you will have also gained some experience. You’ve trained your voice by singing at home in the shower for years, you’ve been participating in youth groups and concerts… now, you’re asking yourself, “How can I get a record deal?”

How the Internet has Changed Music
There are many different theories on how the internet has changed music. We cannot deny that it hasn't. Ever since programs like Napster, Bear Share, Kazaa, and Bit torrent have been invented, people have been downloading music for free. Though the music industry and the government claim that downloading music and listening to it for free on the internet has a negative impact on the entire industry, consumers disagree.

Life As a Concert Audio Technician
Life as a concert audio tech requires a bit of know-how when it comes to musical technology. Audio techs are responsible for the function of the sound equipment for a show, such as the microphones, speakers and amplifiers. They use a mix board to control the settings of all these different components to ensure that what is coming out for the audience is nothing shy of perfection.

A Rewarding Life As a Music Producer
While life as a music producer may not be what music videos and popular television make it out to be, it is a rewarding career that brings a worthwhile number of perks and bonuses along with it. Know this; however, being a music producer is not all champagne and half-naked girls. There is real work and long hours working with artists to forge raw notes of music into the hard steel of a successful album.

Life As a Recording Engineer
Life as a recording engineer can truly be a lot of fun. You get to mess with a ton of different musical equipment on a regular basis and essentially show your creative side in everything you do. If music is your passion and you feel like delving further into that world, this may very well be the career for you. One of the first aspects of a recording engineer's job is understanding the music and the equipment.

Life As a Soundman Sounds Good
Life as a soundman means your job is to make other people sound good. Whether you are called a soundman, an audio tech, or a roadie, it is up to you to make the artists on the stage sound like artists and not just a bunch of kids with beaten up instruments. It is, more or less, a selfless job in which you won't work for the thanks, but for the knowledge that you have made a concert better by doing your job.

Mixing the Life of an Audio Engineer
If you love sound, from music to the crunch of two cars colliding, and want to find a career for yourself where you weave sound into a tapestry of notes and effects then life as an audio engineer may be for you. As an audio engineer you can work in the record industry working with musicians and music producers to create fully realized albums of substance and passion.

Life as a Studio Musician
Life as a studio musician means being paid to do what you truly love. While that may seem too good to be true, consider just what a studio musician does - you will play music. If you love music and you are passionate about playing music than being a studio musician truly does mean you will be paid for doing what you love. However, as a studio musician you will not be the one who creates a great deal of the music you play.

What Does a Music Producer Do?
Have you ever wondered what does a music producer does? Music producer are often the unsung heroes behind the scenes in popular music. In recording a song, or making a record, a music producer serves much the same role as a director in a film. It is the music producers job to make sure that in the end the finished product is as good as it can be. In some cases this may merely involve making it listenable, however in other cases this means making sure the song is a hit, or at least has the potential to be a hit.

Audio for Film
One of the key components in any production is the audio for film, and yet so few people even realize what all is involved in creating it. There is a whole team of people that dedicate their lives to making sound for movies, and it is this team that is often taken for granted. Let's give them a bit of credit now, shall we?

Choosing the Right Microphone
When it comes to choosing the right microphone, it's all a matter of figuring out your own needs. Television, film and radio all require different effects with their microphones, and you have to consider that when making your selection. Here we will take a look at some factors you should look at so that you can in fact pick the best microphone for your needs. One of the first things you have to consider is how the microphone will need to function.

Digital vs. Analog Audio
In the battle of digital vs analog audio, the most obvious winner is digital. Why? Most people would say because it’s newer, but there are really a number of things that make digital audio quality far better than its predecessor. And even still, there are some people out there who argue that analog is in fact the best, even if it is older. What’s the verdict then? Let’s find out…