Production Tips - Crate Kings

Producing Club-Ready Tracks – Free Online Seminar

August 26, 2008

Remix and M-Audio have teamed up to offer an on-demand seminar entitled Producing Club-Ready Tracks. A quick registration is required, but still not a bad way to pick up some very useful tips that are sure to help distinguish your sound from the competition. Did I mention this was free?

"This presentation will examine the focus/energy of the mix (mixing around the kick), EQing, editing, sidechaning, panning, levels, etc. for all of the typical elements rhythm, instrument and vocal parts of club tracks."

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Maseo Talks Prince Paul Production Tricks + Early Equipment

August 17, 2008

De La Soul’s Maseo aka Plug 3 touches down in Milwaukee to drop info about various production styles, equipment used in De La Soul’s early days, production tricks learned from Prince Paul, and the moment he knew music was going to be a real career.

Brainwerks: Pro Tools Operator Tutorials Now Available

February 2, 2010August 8, 2008

Pro Tools super genius Stefan Hedengren presents this collection of video tutorials will show you how to tame the most commonly used functions of the beast that is known as Pro Tools.

Brainwerks Pro Tools Operator covers basics such as I/O setup and fast track creation, to more advanced topics such as stems, submixes, Elastic Time, daily clean up along with personal tricks to assist in recording.

Mike Gao’s Enhanced Beatbox To MIDI

August 7, 2008

I never get tired of Mike Gao and his unusual production techniques. This time he gives an enhanced demo of his beatbox to MIDI technique using headphones and Ableton Live 7. He’s now added the ability to change MIDI notes on the fly during a performance as he lays down drums, synths, and filter.

Just Blaze RockMeTV Roundtable Segment

August 1, 2008

RockMeTV, Lenny S, Maya The B, and Big Lite bring producer Just Blaze onto the show for an interview including topics such as his first track placement with Ma$e, shopping beats in the early days, and the importance of having relationships. There’s a lot covered in the three segments, so get comfortable before viewing. [via … Read more

Don Cannon, Danja, J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, DJ Toomp Production Roundtable

July 24, 2008

Talk about a meeting of minds… heavyweight producers Don Cannon, Nate "Danja" Hills, Tricky, J.R. Rotem, DJ Toomp, J.U.S.T.I.C.E League, and Grind Music come together to discuss topics including lackluster A&R’s, getting signed from MySpace, decreasing label budgets, fee collecting tactics, influence of technology, and long distance production. As you can imagine, some very interesting … Read more

Overdub Production Comic Books By M-Audio

July 23, 2008July 23, 2008

M-Audio has launched a series of comic books/pamphlets based on production and studio concepts. I’m not quite sure if there’s a hidden purpose behind presenting this as a comic, but you can pick up some valuable tips about monitors, room acoustics, and speaker placement in the premier issue. You should be alright as long as … Read more

Mike Gao BeatBox To MIDI Demo

July 17, 2008

Producer Mike Gao gives a demonstration of how to send MIDI signals triggered by an audio source. In this case, he’s beatboxing through a pair of headphones, but you can imagine some of the possible applications for live performances. Also, it might be worth mentioning that Gao’s instrumental work is pretty crazy. Be sure to … Read more

Riding The Fader & Recording w/ Automation

February 2, 2010July 11, 2008

Eric Hawkins gives quick advice about using control surface faders and automation to correct the levels of your mix. Great info for those looking to learn slightly advanced conceptes or frustrated with the time consuming programming that results from using a mouse. He even makes equipment recommendations for those with space and budget constraints. Read … Read more

50 Cent G-Unit – T.O.S. Production Insights

July 2, 2008

Complex sat down for an interview with 50 Cent to discuss the creative circumstances & philosophy behind G-Unit’s T.O.S. The conversation eventually led to 50’s recent leanings towards using more established producers, preferred methods of track submission, and its effect on final selection. Later, over at XXL, the topic is further examined from a producers … Read more