"NOTES OF ENCOURAGEMENT" BLOG

Two Poems to Celebrate Music, by Anna Awe 

 

 

Keep Your Song 

  

You’ve got to keep your song. 

A star will shine on forever. 

You’ve got to keep moving on. 

I won’t let you go to waste. 

People, they come and go. 

People, they don’t know 

What they want or where to go, 

But once a star is born 

He is star for life. 

  

Phonies love you when you’re big, 

And ditch you when you’re small. 

Those cheeky grinning ponies will never see 

The point of it all. 

  

But a star is a star by the choice of his heart. 

A star is a star to commit to his art. 

His audience may be one, 

Or maybe one million. 

His audience may grow from 

One to one billion. 

Beneath time and polish, 

He was the same all along, 

Born with a tender soul 

And a gift for the song.  

  

So don’t listen to the people. 

Let your star shine. 

 

 

Nightclub 

 

Welcome to the night universe. 

Dark silhouettes of dancers 

Throb to techno. 

The disco ball and DJs 

Sparkle around the walls. 

Crowds in the balcony 

Hang and bob. 

A song blends with the next, 

Blends with the pulsing throng on the floor. 

Here, in 

The day’s photo negative, 

The day’s yang, 

The masks are stripped, and 

We’re all together. 

Your job, spouse, status and pockets don’t matter. 

All that ugly is beautiful, 

And all that is beautiful…well, also beautiful. 

Here, the edge is the middle, 

As the marginalized come together. 

All as good as the next, 

Because you smile, 

There’s passion in your heart, 

And you feel the music.

 

Regarding Live Performance 

What a wonderful show I played last Wednesday night at Urban Press Winery in Los Angeles!  It was awesome to get together with Coyote Jay and rock!  Edi Roque was a great act to share the stage with, and I was blown away by his blues singing and guitar playing.  I can feel clubs, bars and concert venues coming alive again, and this show's organizer FanFlex is helping to reinvigorate the live scene.  There’s an energy pulsing along these neon-lit desert streets where you can walk by and hear bands through the open doors and windows.  People frolic along the sidewalks with loved ones and friends new and old.  I see how they smile and their eyes light up at the sights and sounds that they were deprived of during quarantine.   

Wednesday reminded me of when I used to do the circuit in Los Angeles with my band and we played at venues like the Viper Room and Cat Club.  I was friends with a lot of other local rock musicians.  We would hang out together, do shows together, and catch other local bands. Los Angeles has a unique creative energy that lends itself to this lifestyle, and I am grateful to be living in this city again.  I am grateful that we can take back the night and our music scene now that the epidemic is coming under control.   

Every time I perform a song, it’s a little different; it’s a new moment of creativity.  I spend a lot of time sitting at home running through my songs and honing my talent as a singer.  But it’s always different when I’m out in real time at a show.  So many other factors come into play: the layout of the venue, the lighting, the sound setup and levels, my physical health, my emotional state, and the other musicians.  Then there’s the arrangement of the song.  Even though many of my songs are released as electronic pop, in an acoustic setting they break down to chords, guitar, piano, bass, and drums.  Yet there are still a million ways to play the song. There’s a lot of improvisation involved in every gig, and the song is always new.  That may not be true for every artist, but I thrive off this spontaneous element. 

There is nothing like sharing a moment of creation with an attentive music-loving audience.  The audience at Urban Press Winery was so kind and receptive. I am so grateful for this opportunity to share my talent and spirit with them.  I love it when my music brings a smile to someone else’s face, or reminds them of a band or musical style they love.  I love it when they are so moved that they tell me so after my performance. It was fun to do a mixture of originals and covers.  I am proud of the originals I write, but I am deeply influenced by music history, and love to pay homage to the great songwriters from the past century.  I am a playlist curator and DJ, and sometimes as a performer I feel I am doing the same thing.  I am curating and performing the best songs of the ages.     

I am so grateful for the internet and for the community I am building around my and others’ music. But there is still something to be said for being in a room with others sharing a live moment of creation.  There’s something about the type of creativity that emerges from a physical scene and community of artists.  I look forward to honing my live show experience, playing out with other musicians, and making friends with people active in the Los Angeles music scene.  I also look forward to hearing what the new live “rock band” is going to look and sound like now that we are so deeply into digital music and culture.  I am excited to explore that with my own live performances!

10 Mixing Tips for a Better Record 

 

Advances in digital technology have made it possible to produce records from your computer; gone are the days when you needed a huge analog studio and record label budget!  Now, it is possible for independent music artists around the world to produce major-label quality records without depending on a deal and connections.   With endless plug-ins available from software companies, you can even do more with your computer than in an analog studio.      

What is mixing? Music mixing is the process of combining and optimizing multitrack recordings into a final sound recording. 

Mixing can make or break your track.  Production quality is the first sign of a professional record, and often what determines whether a label, playlist curator, DJ, or even casual listener will listen to more than a few seconds of your song.  A great mix can allow people to melt into the feel and experience of your music; it can take listeners out of their heads and into their hearts. 

Every track is unique and has its own mixing needs.  However, here are some simple best practices to use for your record: 

  1. Use EQ to cut out extra frequencies in tracks.  It is unnecessary to capture the full frequency of every instrument.  In fact, low frequencies on guitars, pianos, synths or even vocals can drag down and muddy the entire track.  A reductive EQ on these instrumental tracks can make the low end of the bass and kick pop more. 
  2. Put bass and kick in mono.  The original recording of the bass and kick should be as close to mono as possible.  If they are not, there are software plugins that reduce the stereo spread of any frequency band.  A mono bass and kick will ground a record and make it danceable.  
  3. Apply stereo spread to higher frequencies.  By contrast, higher frequencies are great to use for ambiance and to create fullness in your tracks.  This can be achieved by panning individual tracks, or by using a plug-in to create stereo spread for the entire mix. 
  4. Avoid phasing.  Phasing is when audio sources of the same frequency cancel each other out and reduce the strength of the sound.  This can happen when similar instruments take up the same frequency or stereo space, or when you duplicate the same audio file.  Leave each instrument its own space in the frequency and stereo spectrum, and try not to layer too many tracks with the same frequencies.    
  5. Compress the bass by sidechaining the kick.  Sidechaining is when you use the volume of one track to trigger a reduction of volume in another.  Sidechaining works for many genres, not just EDM.  It can make a track pump and gel.  Many digital compressors offer a sidechain setting, where you can select a source (such as a kick drum) to alter the volume of your bass track.  
  6. Volume balance is half the battle.  Sometimes when a mix sounds off, all you have to do is change a few volume levels. For many pop, electronic and rock records, it is important that a listener can hear the vocal, bass and kick, because they carry the track.  Sometimes reducing the volume of a synth or guitar will actually improve the groove of the track. 
  7. Content below 60 Hz isn’t always necessary and can muddy the mix.  The human ear cannot even hear frequencies below 20 Hz. Experiment with cutting out the very low of your track with a high-pass filter at various frequency cutoffs. 
  8. Keep vocals, except for harmonies, in the center of the track.  In a pop or rock song, the vocal is what ties the song together, and what most listeners first latch onto.  Since it is such an important part of the song, it should be in the center of the stereo field.  As long as there is a central lead vocal, you can experiment with panning harmonies to make the vocal sound fuller and more interesting. 
  9. Make space for vocals and other instrumental sections to shine.  Each instrument should occupy its own space in terms of frequency and stereo spread.  This way, each can contribute to the song and serve a purpose.   
  10. Remember that each song is unique and calls for a different type of mix; there is no exact formula.  Mixing is more than a technical science; you need to use your imagination and intuition to make your mix fit the style and feel of the song.  

As a music producer, I have been using digital technology to create records since 2008.  My self-produced songs have been streamed on FM radio and released by record labels around the world.   

If you have more questions about mixing, or want me to mix your record, please email me at info@annaawe.com or contact me through this form.

Happy music making!

AA

MIDI 101 for Ice-Age Musicians, Songwriters and Music Fans 

 

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a language used to represent and communicate musical information. It is read, recorded and played by digital devices such as computers and electronic instruments. Since its invention in the 1980s, MIDI technology has introduced a whole new range of artistic options and musical styles. 

MIDI devices do not record sounds, but, rather, the following information about a musical event:

  • Pitch: What notes on the scale are being played? 
  • Timing: When are these notes being played?
  • Velocity: How forcefully is each note being played? 
  • Control signals: What panning, vibrato and volume settings are being used?  

After MIDI information is created, a sound generator such as a computer or synthesizer can read it and play listenable songs. 


MIDI information is recorded on and read by: 

MIDI instruments: These look like regular instruments, such as guitars and pianos, but have built-in electronic interfaces to record and play back MIDI information. 

Computers: A DAW (digital audio workstation) installed on a computer can record and play back MIDI information. 

 

How to Use MIDI: 

One of the easiest and most efficient ways to use MIDI is to purchase any classic DAW, such as ProTools, and a MIDI instrument, such as a keyboard. A user can attach the MIDI keyboard to the computer with a USB cord. Then, within the DAW, (s)he can create and record a MIDI sequence by playing the MIDI instrument or by drawing notes with a mouse. The DAW typically has built-in software synthesizers that can read and play this information. The user can also purchase third-party software synthesizers for the DAW, or the computer can play the MIDI information through hardware synthesizers. 

 

Benefits of MIDI: 

Errors can easily be corrected. In the old days of studio recording, a musician may have had to play the same part 100s of times to get it exactly right. Now, if (s)he plays the part once and makes an error, (s)he or the studio engineer can fix the error with one mouse click. 

Complex musical arrangements can be made rapidly and efficiently. The same MIDI sequence can be played by any instrument anywhere at any time, without additional recording. Repetitive parts of a song only have to be recorded once, even if the instrumentation is different. One part can be played through many instruments and layered in a DAW to form a complex arrangement. 

MIDI information can automatically be translated into sheet music by DAWs. This is especially useful for composers who can’t read music but write parts for classically trained musicians. 

Timing can be altered while maintaining other elements of the song, such as note length and instrument timbre. If a composer wants to listen to a song with different grooves (swing, reggae, etc.), these groove templates can be applied to an entire song in one click. 

Melodic themes and alterations can easily be created. To develop a song, a composer may want to create slight variations to a musical idea throughout the piece. To do this, (s)he can play just one line of melody on a MIDI instrument. Then, rather than playing all of the notes again with new variations, (s)he can simply duplicate the sequence, edit one or two notes, and play back the revised sequence to see if it suits the song. 

Transposition is not only easy, but addresses sound quality issues. With digital technology, it is possible to transpose (change the pitch of) audio files without using MIDI. However, at certain pitches, a transposed instrument sample might sound odd or unnatural. To address this issue, audio software manufacturers record samples of real instruments at all different pitches. If a composer wants to transpose a piece of music, then, (s)he can transpose the MIDI notes rather than the audio file. The computer can then play real instrument samples in the new key, rather than distorted versions of the original samples. 

 

Things to be aware of when using MIDI: 

Music often sounds best with an organic, natural feel. Fixing the timing using the quantize feature or drawing notes in a DAW may make the music sound too stilted and mechanical. 

Since MIDI information is not actual audio, it is important that an artist has access to a sound source, such as a virtual instrument, to hear the song. 

Programming MIDI is not a substitute for musicianship and practice!