Part 4 - Learning basic mixing and mastering techniquesProducing a professional-sounding song on a tight budget is a challenge, but it is not impossible. One of the key factors that can make a significant difference is learning basic mixing and mastering techniques. By learning these skills, you can transform a simple recording into a polished and professional-sounding track. In this article, we will discuss some tips on how to learn basic mixing and mastering techniques, without spending a fortune on expensive equipment. Firstly, you can start by watching free tutorials available online. There are many online resources available that offer free tutorials on mixing and mastering. YouTube is a great place to start, with thousands of free tutorials on music production. You can also find useful resources on websites like Sound On Sound and MusicRadar. Secondly, learn the basics of EQ, compression, and reverb.These are the three essential tools in the mixing process, and by learning how to use them effectively, you can create a professional-sounding mix. EQ is used to adjust the frequency balance of a track, compression helps to control the dynamics of a track, and reverb adds depth and dimension to a mix. Thirdly, practice, practice, practice. The more you mix and master, the better you will become. Try to mix different genres of music to challenge yourself and experiment with different techniques. You can also collaborate with other musicians and producers to gain new insights and ideas. Finally, use free or inexpensive plugins to improve your mix. There are many free and inexpensive plugins available that can help you enhance your mix, such as the TDR Nova EQ or the MeldaProduction MEqualizer. These plugins are often as good as or better than their expensive counterparts, so don't be afraid to use them. In conclusion,learning basic mixing and mastering techniques is an essential step to producing a professional-sounding song on no budget. By watching tutorials online, learning the basics of EQ, compression, and reverb, practicing, and using free or inexpensive plugins, you can achieve a high-quality final product without breaking the bank. So, start learning and experimenting with mixing and mastering techniques today, and take your music production skills to the next level!
By Vladimir Gilis
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Part 1 - DAWWelcome to this 10-part blog series where we help you make professional sounding recordings on a small budget! Ideal for budding beginner producers and songwriters. Recording music on a budget is a common challenge for many aspiring musicians and producers. While having access to professional equipment can certainly improve the quality of your recordings, it's not always necessary to produce a professional-sounding song. In a series of articles over the next few weeks, we'll provide some tips on how to produce high-quality recordings on small budget. By following these tips and leveraging free tools and resources, you can create a great-sounding song without breaking the bank.  What is a DAW?Producing a professional-sounding song doesn't necessarily require expensive equipment. In fact, with the right tools and techniques, you can create a high-quality recording on no budget. One of the best ways to achieve this is by using a free digital audio workstation (DAW). A DAW, or digital audio workstation, is a software program used for recording, editing, and mixing audio. It's like a digital version of a traditional recording studio, where you can record, edit, and mix multiple audio tracks to create a complete song. A DAW typically includes a range of features, such as the ability to record multiple tracks simultaneously, apply effects and plugins to individual tracks, adjust the volume and panning of each track, and arrange the tracks into a final mix. Many DAWs also include virtual instruments and MIDI sequencing capabilities, allowing you to create music using digital sounds and samples. Using a DAW can be a great way to produce high-quality recordings on no budget. Many DAWs are available for free, and even the paid options are often much more affordable than traditional recording equipment. With a little practice and experimentation, you can achieve professional-sounding results using just a DAW and your computer.  Where can I get a DAW?There are a number of free DAWs available that offer a wide range of features for recording and editing audio. Here are a few examples:
How do I use one?Using a free DAW is a great way to get started with recording on no budget. However, it's important to keep in mind that learning how to use a DAW can take some time and practice. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
By Vladimir Gilis Planet drum startedas a small, private drum school in London Bridge in the 90’s. Fast forward to 2022 and we are a creative hub of musicians providing a whole range of instrumental lessons - including music production! Our dedicated teachers all use music production in some form, so we were excited to hear that Rockschool had actually introduced a music production graded syllabus. This sounded ideal for students who wanted to get stuck in with hands-on experience, without the commitment or fees of going to university to study it. After speaking with Rockschool, we decided to create an online course to guide students step by step through Grade 1 of the music production course, where they could take their exam at the end. We broke the course down into 10 easy to follow videos, with the addition of using ‘BandLab for Education’ so the students could send us their coursework for checking before they submit for their exam. To help even more, all students receive access to a FREE BandLab course we made to help them with their coursework. Course breakdown:1. Course introduction 2. Music production theory - Instruments, microphones, DAWs and BandLab for education 3. Music production theory - Cables, mixing desks and file formats 4. Music production theory - sound and acoustics 5. Listening skills - Identifying instruments, note pitch, and note lengths 6. Listening skills - Rock and Pop music 7. Coursework - BandLab, adding tracks, rearranging tracks 8. Coursework - BandLab, adding a bassline and melody line 9. Coursework - How to export your project 10. How to apply for your RSL exam ReviewsGreat course. I am completing the Rock School Music Production Grade 1 and 2 curriculum with my 10 year old son and the course was a great way to get up to speed with how to use Bandlab as a DAW. We have learnt lots of new skills and both feel a lot more confident after completing the course and I am definitely going to enrol on their second course for music production grade 1. Keep up the good work and I hope you also provide grade 2 course soon. Excellent course for beginners. It's an awesome experience when you feel like you are clearly learning something new Step by step intro in the wonderful world of making music. Thanx!  “Improvisation is too good to leave to chance” - Paul SimonTo say “I’m practicing improvisation” sounds like an oxymoron, but in fact a lot of preparation is required in order to improvise well. And by preparation, I don’t mean memorising a bank of perfectly formed riffs and fills that can be retrieved at random whenever someone points and shouts “drum solo!” - I mean getting comprehensively familiar with patterns, variations on those patterns and variations on ways in which those patterns and their variations can be applied to the kit and to the music. When I started playing the drums, almost two years ago, I thought that I always needed a kit to be able to do meaningful practice, but recently - and following the wisdom of my tutors - I’ve realised that a lot of what I’m doing is actually just learning how to count, but using my whole body. I’ve realised that it’s entirely possible to develop independence, coordination and the ability to count with each of my limbs (and my voice), using nothing but my body. And, I’m not for one moment discounting the importance of practicing stick and leg technique, for which you obviously DO need some sort of physical resistance from a practice pad, or pedals. I’m just talking about the daily brain workout that (will hopefully) lead to becoming a thoughtful and creative improviser. I’m not there yet and I’m sure I’m not the only drummer who can say that I know how I want to sound, but the reality of what comes out of my sticks doesn’t quite live up to the dream…. Yet.  My current practice regimeinvolves sitting with a metronome, Ted Reed’s syncopation book and a whole load of patience, to go through each of the patterns, page by page, playing each pattern on different limbs, with the metronome on different beats, using different ostinato patterns, playing it straight, playing it swung etc…
Essentially playing the same thing in as many different ways as possible, until my brain becomes comfortable enough to enable each of my limbs to count their own way through the piece, with my voice keeping track of the base pulse and time signature. Though, this alone isn’t going to make me a great improviser. I’m not practicing this stuff absent mindedly - I’m also trying to use these exercises to develop ideas, which I can only try out on a kit and with a band, in the moment. The development of ideas and the application of these ideas to create something musical and interesting, is the real goal here - not the mental endurance test that I set myself (most days) with Ted Reed and the metronome. I’ve not been playing for long enough to know whether this is all going to pay off, but my tutors reassure me that it will and I trust them... So to reiterate; the future is uncertain and no one is totally in control of the type of drummer that they will become, but it seems that it is possible to increase the chances of becoming an inventive improviser through… PRACTICE. Emma-Kate Matthews Planet drum student Where do I find ads for musicians wanted?There are so many places to look: Social media, local music shops, ads in the back of music magazines and online, notices in music venues and rehearsal studios, word of mouth, the possibilities are endless – and it’s easy to get lost. The key is: to know what YOU want. Knowing what you want to achieve will make you better to work with, more positive and focused and undoubtedly help you reach your goals faster. What do I want to gain out of the experience?Some people think of it as a hobby and others as a career choice, either way, it’s about enjoying yourself. Work out how and where you see yourself playing and what kind of commitment you are prepared to make. If you’re not sure, talk to your tutor, other musicians and friends, get involved with workshops, join a drumming group or musical collective. Sometimes you need to find ways to bounce ideas around before making an initial commitment to a band.  What type of music do I want to play?This is not about playing one style but it’s helpful to give yourself a starting point so that finding people becomes easier. You’re likely to discover all sorts of sounds that inspire you and, ultimately, it’s about finding like minded people to play with. Most bands looking for members state music their musical preferences in their ads. Match your taste against theirs. If it fits, get an audition. How long before I find something?Some of you may feel ready to go out there and find your band, others might want to join workshops, collectives and jam with other musicians to get a better idea of which direction they want to go in, musically.
The advice is always the same - If you practice hard, give it your all and keep an open mind, you're likely to do just fine. Putting the work in will open doors to all sorts of opportunities and the more you put yourself out there, the more chance you have. Get involved, stay focused and things will fall into place. Don’t forget if you're a drummer, that compared to the other members of a band, drummers are in high demand, so use this to your advantage. And above all – ENJOY THE RIDE! I played drums for over 10 years before I decided to actually do my grades.I always loved music and messing about on instruments when I was a kid, but never found that one thing that I just became obsessed with until I sat down at a drum kit during a lunch break at school. A bunch of my friends played guitar and bass and while I was hanging out with them, the only seat free was the drum stool.They were messing about with some Chilli Peppers tunes and I picked up some sticks and decided to join in. Straight away I knew there was something special about this drumming malarkey. After swiftly being told off by the music teacher for using what turned out to be expensive beaters instead of cheap drum sticks, I started work on convincing my parents to get me a drum kit for Christmas. I taught myself. I convinced friends of learn instruments so I would have someone to play with. I ended up forming a band and playing gigs for years around London. We all got a bit older and I became a little lazy. I was so far into my comfort zone that I didn’t even consider pushing myself any further. This was it. This is how I drum and this is the limit of my abilities. Then I went to a theatre showfor the first time since I was a kid. I saw The Book Of Mormon and it was amazing. The music and the musicians were just incredible. After the show I couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment with myself. I’m not saying I now want to work in theatre, but I realised there was still so much to learn. Why had I just stopped? My partner convinced me to get in touch with Planet drum and think about doing my grades. A year and bit later and I am studying for grade 7 and learning so much. Music grades are great because they force you to learn different styles and techniques.Once you’ve discovered genres you’ve never even heard of before, you’ll find ways of being so much more creative when it comes to making your own music.
Not only this, but it gives you a goal to work towards and you get a big sense of achievement when you get your grade certificate. I whole-heartedly recommend it to any musician, regardless of how long they’ve been playing. Planet drum student Laura Barnes We often don’t realise that our voice is an instrument we all possess.The ability to sing is embedded in all of us, waiting for the right opportunity and occasion to manifest itself. Thus, singing isn’t just for the exceptional few who are clearly gifted and can turn their gift into a profession but rather it’s for everyone. We all sing in our daily lives, either privately or publicly. So many social occasions give us the opportunity to sing: birthdays, parties, concerts, sports events. Singing is a human activity; the voice was the first instrument humans used to communicate and to express their inner self and emotions. It really goes without saying that the human voice is the oldest and most precious instrument in the world.  Although singing comes natural to most people it’s not an easy thing to do.Like all instruments, the voice needs practice and proper training to shine through. If we want to push our singing ability to its maximum potential, and beyond, probably discovering sides of it that weren’t obvious initially, we must work on it, and work hard. I believe all musicians agree that, although musicality is to a certain extent inherent in people, it takes a lot of work and practice to master all instruments and to achieve good musicianship. And singing is no exception to that. This how singing lessons with an expert singing teacher can really help unlock our singing talents. So, you love to sing and wished you could do so with more confidence.Like all instruments, the voice needs practice and proper training to shine through. If we want to push our singing ability to its maximum potential, and beyond, probably discovering sides of it that weren’t obvious initially, we must work on it, and work hard.
I believe all musicians agree that, although musicality is to a certain extent inherent in people, it takes a lot of work and practice to master all instruments and to achieve good musicianship. And singing is no exception to that. This how singing lessons with an expert singing teacher can really help unlock our singing talents. So, if you love to sing and wished you could do so with more confidence, or if you wondered how to stay on pitch and carry a tune with more ease, a trained singing teacher can show you the ways to develop your voice. Through proper exercises and techniques, the voice range can be expanded, and the sound of the voice can be altered and improved. Most importantly once you realise the gradual progress in your abilities you will have a new-found confidence in your singing, and that really makes the difference when it comes to artful singing with an Impact. Maria Christodoulou Ever wondered what the role of the bass guitar is in a musical groupThe bass guitar, with its lower tuning and supporting rhythmic role, stands in the background and rarely takes center stage, like for example the lead guitar or the vocals. The bass allows little space for showing off or improvised soloing. It's an easily observable fact that the bass players usually don’t upstage anyone; they’re all about making the whole tune better, blending in so that the music itself stands out. You could possibly say that playing the bass is an exercise in self control and in understatement, during which the ego subsides to give more space to the collective mission of making good music. Music always comes first with the bass so, perhaps, it's valuable for every musician to learn the basics of bass guitar.  The bass performs two basic and important functions:it provides the rhythmic and the harmonic foundations of the music, in this way really underlying and enriching the groove and the feel of a song. With our bass lessons you will learn how to master this fundamental instrument and grasp its potential in music making. Bass is an inspiring instrument that provides the steady pulse and feeling of the music making it the backbone of every group or composition. The often discreet presence of bassists at the back of the stage shouldn't really put you off, as without them the music we are listening to would just be unbelievably poor.  The bassist contributes greatly to the rhythm and harmony of the music, having a fundamental impact on how songs not only sound, but most importantly, feel.You can notice this yourselves when listening to music. If you individuate and pay attention on how the bass sounds, you will realize that it has a direct impact on how we receive the music; on how our body accepts and responds to the lower frequencies, the delay or speed in the movement of chords. How expressive or restrained a bassist is, has a direct influence on the emotion of the music.
Even if your focus is on a different instrument, you can only benefit from learning to play the bass. Start taking bass lessons and practicing today, and begin this personal journey of discovering the inner workings of music and live playing. Everything changed on my birthday a few years agoAs a surprise for my birthday, my other half (a tall handsome Irish bloke) led me on a mystery tour ending at the Scar Studios in Camden, the one time home of Planet drum. He had arranged for a few drumming lessons for my birthday. There to greet us was Alain. Becoming a drummer, has been an enjoyable journey but not an easy one. I am not being humble when I say that I am not a ‘natural’… far from it … but I stuck with it and, as they say, persistence is stronger that failure.  The love for drumming has never faded, in fact it continues to grow stronger.It took me a while to pluck up the courage to throw myself under the bus in search of a band. I was fearful of replying to adverts looking for a drummer. I had that constant terror that I wouldn’t be good enough, that I was somehow a fake and would be found out… “Call yourself a Drummer!” Having a demanding full time job, a family and that Irish guy I mentioned! didn’t make it easy to fit drumming into my life but I guess when you love something you magically just make time. I am currently a happy member of the noise pop outfit called Bedlam Motel.We are constantly busy with emails, rehearsal times, gigs, carrying stuff, uploading recordings, reschedules, bookings, updating Facebook pages and endless debate about the name of our band. To some this may be a chore but to me it's all worth it. After a long hard day of work, the tiredness of dragging yourself, and in some cases your kit, to rehearsals or a gig may seem a chore but any misgivings soon disappear within minutes of immersing ourselves into the glorious racket we create.  Rehearsals nowadays usually consists of a good old crazy jam"About 15 minutes before the end we will do a rendition of one of our “old classics”. Songs are created out of these jams which we record and pour over and dissect over the following few days until next rehearsal when we might be ready to stitch it into something… or not!
I look forward to my commute the morning after a rehearsal, where I can re-live the evening (including chats and comments but also all the mistakes and "bad beats"). Sometimes, it all comes together when I am about to reach the office entrance and then I have to walk once around the block to get a couple more minutes of joy before grown up life begins. We'd like to record and album but this takes time. There should be a couple of songs printed on tape this year.It still brings a smile to my face when I arrive at a rehearsal studio or a gig, or by simply walking in the street with the guys carrying guitars, and I think, I am not with the Band, I am IN the Band. Aurea Garrido Planet drum student Hi my name is Henry LawryI’m excited to be starting a new chapter of my life, teaching trumpet at the fantastic Planet Drum school. From walking through the doors of Planet Drum for the first time I could sense it was a place full of creativity and hard work. Everyone I’ve met so far has been enthusiastic and passionate about their work so I’m looking forward to joining the team soon!  A bit about my backgroundI’ve been playing in bands in London since I was 16 years old. This summer has been a busy time playing festivals across the UK with Afrobeat guru Dele Sosimi and the Ghanaian percussionist extraordinaire Afla Sackey to whom our very own Louis Pocock is the drummer for. Most recently we’ve been touring the Chai Wallahs stages at Kendal Calling, Greenman and Shambala Festival. Its truly been a wonderful experience meeting so many amazing people who make it all possible. Anyway, enough about me!  What can you expect from learning the trumpet?First of all, I always try to make music fun! Learning an instrument doesn’t have to be boring, we can tailor fit your lessons to what YOU want to do. Of course, the first few months of learning anything new can be tricky but with perseverance and dedication you’ll get there! We can cover a wide range of styles from Classical to Jazz, Rock to Pop whichever path you want to take we can work together to achieve it. The trumpet is one of the most physical instruments there is out there, but don’t let that put you off! It’s also the most rewarding too! If you’re a complete beginner we will work firstly on strengthening your embouchure to meet the physical demands required for playing the trumpet, once you’ve achieved that you will find playing a lot easier.  So if you're reading thisand you’re thinking, ‘I’ve always fancied playing a brass instrument’ why not give it a go. Maybe you’re a drummer learning at the school but want to try out a melodic instrument as well or you’ve been inspired recently from listening to someone play the trumpet.
Get in touch with us and try out a taster lesson, you won’t regret it! |
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