Tips for Preparing a Mix for Mastering

You've done it! You successfully recorded and mixed a track.

Take the time to appreciate this as a success, because it is, but you haven't reached the finish line yet. Now is the time to master your track.

Mastering is such an important part of music production as a whole, yet it can be very misunderstood. Mastering will bring all of the little ear candy pieces and nuances you placed in your track to life.

This being said, there are a few things you need to make sure are taken care of to prepare your song for mastering.

How to Choose the Correct Studio Headphones

Picking the right headphones to use in your studio can be a daunting task. Do you start off buying the cheap, affordable headphones or do you buy the better quality, yet more expensive ones?

There are so many brands, styles, and options that choosing the best studio headphones for your music production project can be exhausting. Thankfully, we are here to help!

Let's discuss what you should be looking at.

Table of Contents:

• Styles
• Qualities to Consider
• Price Ranges
• What's the Point of Headphones?

Five of the Most Common Themes in Music

Every song has a story to tell. Well, every good song, at least. Even a song without lyrics can take us on a journey using instruments, tone, rhythm, and dynamics.

The way each note is played can convey emotion and give us insight into what the musician is feeling.

Music can make us feel happy, upset, angry, sad, or an array of other emotions. There is always a song for us to dive into, no matter what mood we're in or how we want to feel.

Whether you spend your time listening to Mozart or Motley Crue, the one thing that connects every song is that they all have a theme. Themes are the main subject and pervasive idea that drive a song's narrative, style, and voice.

While there are certainly aspects that make songs different and unique, if you look closely among many song's subjects, you will notice a common list of themes. We will be breaking down 5 of the most common themes in songs.

6 Proven Tips to Balance Music and Life

Imagine all of the music you could create and produce if you had no other care in the world. It would be pretty amazing, right?

Unfortunately, for better or worse, that isn't quite how life operates. Balancing life and music isn't as easy as it may seem.

Finding time to make music when you are either working a full-time job, in school full-time, a parent, or just simply attempting to balance all of life’s demands can be challenging.

Okay, "challenging" may be a major understatement, but you get the idea.

“What should I be focusing on?” can be one of the most difficult questions rolling through your mind.

Do you focus on the music production, the performances or your day job, studying for those late-night classes, or making sure you're not late for your daughter's recital? These are all questions you may be asking yourself and it can be understandably overwhelming.

Thankfully, we have a few tips and suggestions that will help you stay focused to work on music while in the studio.

How Can You Stay Focused on Music with a Busy Schedule?