Fresh Tracks of the Month – May 2020
Fresh Tracks of the Month – May 2020 May has come and the sun is out, welcome back to another spectacular edition of Fresh Tracks of the Month! This week we have incredible talent to showcase, as per usual, and are excited to share. Many of us are still experiencing lockdowns in our cities so as long as we’re inside we may as well enjoy some tune. Listen below! su_divider top=”no” jackLNDN – Deeper EP jackLNDN’s new Deeper EP features his signature style through a delightfully packaged series of songs. His take on ambient house music works so damn well in this climate that it’s almost too good. The opening title track, Deeper, perfectly introduces the EP with his smooth vocals and addictive synth stabs. The rhythm is gentle enough to not overwhelm the beautiful instrumentation but strong enough to keep you moving along to the beat. The rest of …
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Performing with Limitations: How to Perform Using Live and a Computer Keyboard
Performing with Limitations: How to Perform Using Live and a Computer Keyboard During these wild times, it’s been a delight to see musicians worldwide adapt and overcome. We’ve been ushered in a new era of live streaming with artists’ courses, live performances, and even music festivals. This being the new state of things, not all of us have elaborate performance rigs to showcase our music. This article will show you how to set up your Live session to perform music using only your laptop keyboard. This article is borrowed from a class developed by Yeuda Ben-Atar for Moorpark College and Calarts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Special thanks goes to Nathan Bowen(Moorpark College), Jordan Hochenbaum(Calarts) and Javad Butha(Ableton) for making this happen. divider style=”clear” Ableton Keyboard Layout Your computer Keyboard can be used as a MIDI controller in Ableton. First, turn on the Computer MIDI Keyboard. Up to Live …
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We’ve Got Your Back! Creating a More Ergonomic Studio
We’ve Got Your Back! – Creating an Ergonomic Studio Since the invention of the office, all desk jobs have involved sitting, lots and lots of sitting. However, plenty of research studies have demonstrated that sitting for long periods of time is linked to deadly health conditions (if you are looking for a shock, go look up “sitting health risks”). Sitting takes a toll on the body, as well as your workflow. On the other hand, studies have shown that standing while working has been found to increase productivity. As a producer, it can be easy to sit for hours during your sessions. If you work in the box, that further increases the likelihood of sitting, since everything you need is in one spot! In this article, we’ll give you the how and what. We’ll show you some tools you can utilize to make your perfectly ergonomic studio (as an Amazon …
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Beat Lab Health Series: How to Create a Solid (and Healthy!) Workflow
Beat Lab Health Series: How to Create a Solid (and Healthy!) Workflow With the morphing of the music industry, the position of the music producer has become multi-faceted and ever-growing in responsibilities. Today’s music producer needs to understand music production, business, and marketing in order to survive in the scene. Many producers on a tight budget have to do the work of a manager, promoter, label, and PR agent; some tasks include creating album artwork, designing merch, distributing music to streaming services, and getting in touch with playlist curators and venues. These are all tasks that can take up a lot of time and energy. Until you have the money and circle to delegate these tasks, it is up to you to handle them. To keep up with all this work, it is imperative that you utilize your time as efficiently as possible. Doing it all yourself can become overwhelming …
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Fresh Tracks of the Month – Alumni Spotlight April 2020
Fresh Tracks of the Month – Alumni Spotlight April 2020 This month we’re focusing back in on our Alumni and their recent releases. We’ve got an incredible lineup here and their range showcases just how versatile our students’ backgrounds can be. A lot of us are stuck inside so bundle up, and enjoy the following releases. Listen below! su_divider AHZ – Creep AHZ is the live electronic-music band that features one of Beat Lab’s Alumni Loren Moore. Loren even teaches at Beat Lab when he’s not busy mixing records or producing his own music. AHZ is one of Loren’s many projects, the band performs all their music live and is turning the industry on its head. They were set to play Ultra before it was canceled due to Covid-19. Their most recent release is a cover of Creep by Radiohead. The song’s pristine production and banging rhythms are a large …
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Get Hands On! – 5 Tips for Ableton Push
Get Hands On! – 5 Tips for Ableton Push Push has been out for several years now, but it remains a powerhouse for many producers and performers of all backgrounds. The main reason Push has become such a crowd favorite is its versatility. At Beat Lab, we have grown extremely fond of Push ourselves! So much so that we created our own Push course. In this article, we’ll share several of our favorite tips to help ramp up your Push use and increase your production potential! su_divider top=”no” Easily Assign Choke Groups for Drums Push makes creating drum racks a breeze. One instrumental aspect of creating a drum rack with hits that work together and don’t clash is assigning choke groups to drum hits. For those unfamiliar with choke groups, they are used to keep two drum hits from playing at the same time, to keep a groove …
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