RECAP

OK, so the past few weeks have been wild! From talking about the buildings of LABJUNKENT to making beats, all I can say is some new things are coming SOON. Some good news? Well, the album

 Fresh Since '83 

has 

DROPPED! 

Finally all that work is set in a little 4x4" jewel case ready for the shelves....BARCODE included. 

So whats so good about that? Well for starters it's been a work-in-progress for a while now and it's finally done. That also means we get to start on something new. Like another album maybe? ;D

Also been working with a few artists online with shared promotion and ideas for future work and projects. Turns out, there are a lot of people online with good ideas! Who would've known right? Well those ideas are going to come together along with the building of LABJUNKENT so hopefully by some time next year I'll have this internet blog thing down.

Speaking of blog, here is some news for all artist looking for extra promotion. This blog will be used for such, along with other things like projects, events with us and our affiliates, and contact info for artists, promoters, and other official things/ppl. For questions about this just email me.

Ever heard of Reverbnation.com? If not go check it out. It's a cool website that can be used for a lot of things that have to do with your music. From promotion to sales, that site pretty much has it all. The reason for mentioning such a site is I now have my own Reverb up and will be posting beats and songs alike. You can find me there @ reverbnation.com/thamartian.

AnywayZ, that's just a recap for everyone! There is a few more updates I probably didn't mention so be sure to look the site and our pages on Reverb, Facebook, and Twitter over and let us know what you think!

An Audio Mixer

An audio mixer, also known as a soundboard, is a piece of production equipment used to mix incoming audio signals into one outgoing audio signal. Although an audio mixer may seem complicated, they are very simple pieces of sound equipment. In this article I am going to try and make audio mixers very easy to understand, and hopefully give you the knowledge you'll need to use them.

There are several basic parts to audio mixers. The main thing to remember with audio mixers is that one channel can do the same thing as most of the other channels. So if your working with an audio mixer that has only four channels, and you have one that has eight and you want to use it instead, all you have to remember is that one channel on either mixer can do the same thing as all other channels. There is also a pathway that sound travels through an audio mixer. It goes like this:

1. First sound enters the audio mixer through an input.

2. It then travels from the input into the channel assigned. In the channel the audio signal can be changed using several different types of devices, which I will explain in a moment.

3. From the channel, the signal travels to the master volume of the audio mixer, and then out of the audio mixer through an output.

This is the pathway that sound will travel through an audio mixer, but you have to remember that not all mixers are the same and sometimes the pathway may be a little different. Always read the manual for your equipment, and in doing so you shouldn't run into any trouble. 

Now like I said, there are several different parts to a mixer, but in this article I will try to make it as basic as possible so not all parts will be explained. Just the basic ones.


Input

Most audio mixers have several different types of inputs but for this basic example we are only going to explain two. The first will be an XRL input. This type of input is almost always used for microphones, but it can also be used for other external devices such as recorders or effect processors. The second would be a 1/4" input which is usualy used for guitars, but these too can also be used for dynamic microphones and other equipment. There is also a feature called gain. This device allows you to increase the volume of the incoming input. In addition to the different types of inputs, most audio mixers will have a small light next to the gain to let you know when the audio signal coming in exceeds the limits of the channel it is assigned to. It is usually called the 'cut' light, and it is used for getting the maximum amount of audio signal into the channel as possible.

Equalizer

An equalizer is a device that's on almost every type of audio mixer you can find. Equalizers are great tools for getting that 'just right' sound and if used properly they can become your greatest ally in creating great sounding music. Basically put, most audio mixers have three different types of EQ; a high, a mid, and a low frequency equalizer. Depending on the mixer, each has it's seperate range of frequency. Some digital mixers even have features where you can change the range of frequency you want to adjust, which makes it very useful in 'fine tuning' what your trying to do with your sound. There's a ton more I can explain on equalizers but this is just for a basic demonstration and understanding of how an audio mixer works so look for the article on audio equalizers later on.

Effects Level

This level is very simple to understand. It adjusts how much of an effect you want to put into a channel. The actual level of an effect is set in the effects pane of the mixer and then that level can be added as you choose through the level in the channel. So the diversity of how you decide to use your effects can be controlled to a very high degree. This is just a basic explanation of how to use effects in a mixer so later I will make an article about effects in greater detail, SO KEEP POSTED!

The Pan Knob

This is a very simple device in a mixer that has great potential. To put it bluntly, pan allows you to adjust which side of your speakers the sound from the channel goes into more. For example; say I had two high hats playing in a beat and I wanted them to jump back and forth between the left and right speakers. I would set one to the left, and the other to the right using the pan feature on the mixer. This can be a little more complicated than I have explained, but I'll get into that more on an article I plan to write about techniques I've used in the past so, once again, STAY POSTED!

The Mute and Solo Buttons

These buttons are pretty self explanitory. The mute button will mute the selected channel and allow the rest to play, while the solo button will only play the selected channel and none other.

The Volume Control Slider/Knob

Some mixers have knobs for this feature, and others will have a slider. This device basically controls the outgoing volume of the sound coming from the pre-fixed cahnnel, hence the name for the device, An Audio Mixer.

Below is a diagram for the things I have explained so hopefully it will add to your understanding of how things work. You may have to use crt+scroll up to magnify the picture, but i assure you the explanations are the same as above.

These are the basic controls an audio mixer will have in it's channels. Some mixers will have channels specifically for effects, or for running more than one audio signal together into one output, and these channels will lack in the different things you can do with the audio signal. Now there is more to an audio mixer than just what I've explained already. Actually there is a whole lot more but this article is for simple understanding only.

Now for the other parts of the mixer. The devices I'm about to explain pertain to the output of the audio mixer and also to it's devices in the channels that were not explained above.


Outputs

There are several different types of outputs that can be found on a mixer. The most common ones are a 1/4" jack, an RCA, a monitor, XRL, and headphone outputs. The amount and the different types of outputs on an audio mixer can vary, but the ones listed and explained here are the most basic and the most common. These are all very basic explanations so if your looking for more detailed information you can find them in later articles.

The 1/4" Jack Output

This type of output, as explained before, is basically a guitar jack. Although this type of input/output is usually associated with guitars and amps, these types of inputs/outputs can have a range of many other uses. For the example here, the 1/4" output on a mixer can be used to send audio from the mixer to other equipment such as recorders, speakers, and computers. They can also be used to send the audio ouput to another type of audio processor that will allow you to change the audio in another way before it reaches the desired destination.

The RCA Output

This type of output is usually used for sending the audio out to a stereo or other form of sound output, and it can also sometimes be used in the same way as a 1/4" jack. 

Monitors

A monitor output on a mixer is an output used to send the audio from the mixer into a monitor speaker system. These types of speakers are very different than the ones used for stereos and stages because they have a very wide frequency range and are used for mastering the audio production. Good monitors are an essential part of a studio since you have to have a way to determine if the sound your producing sounds good and doesn't have static in a frequency range that could hurt the over all quality of the music. On most audio mixers, the monitor ouput will have it's own level of output, but if not, it will be tied in with the master volume.

The XRL Output

This type of output is best for getting the highest quality possible from a mixer since these types of cords are usually shielded from outside static that could otherwise diminish the quality of your work. They do have their own limits though, since not all types of equipment involving production support this type of plug-in. For best quality though, I would advise going with this type of input and output.

Headphones

The headphone output is used for headphones, of course, but not just for listening to the sound going through the audio mixer. Using headphones on an audio mixer allows you to adjust the sound and fine tune things before it leaves the audio mixer, which in turn gives you better quality with your work. There is also a level for the headphones usually located near the master volume, or near the headphone input.

The Effects Pane

This feature on a mixer can have a few different things, but for this simple demonstration I am only going to use the effects and the peak meter. The effects pane on a mixer can vary from mixer to mixer, but for the most part here's how they work. You will have a digital display that gives you a number, and each number is assigned to an effect. The effect selection knob allows you to switch through effects, and the effects level knob allows you to control the amount of the effect you want to send. Each channel also has an effect level knob which allows you to fine tune the effect you want to use. For example, say we want to add a simple hall reverb to a guitar. We first run the guitar into the channel, then select the hall effect. Now say we don't want to use the full force of the ffect, only half. That is where the effect level knob in the effects pane comes into play. We would set that level at the halfway mark, and then adjust the level in the channel until we get the desired effect. For more on effects, look for my article on effects generators and processors.

The Peak Meter

This meter is a meter that will help you a lot if used properly. Most audio equipment in music production has these meters, and for good reason. When a sound travels through a channel, each channel has a certain amount of Db it can hold and then it will peak out, or "clip". When this happens, it means the sound has surpassed the limits of the channel and static will come out instead of sound. This meter here is for the overall output of the mixer, and if it hits the red at any time, it means that somehwere in your setup a channel or level has peaked over the mixer's limits and needs to be tuned down. 

The Master Volume Level/Slider

This is pretty self explanitory since it controls the master level of output from the mixer. The only volumes it won't control is the monitor volume and the headphone volume. Those two will have their own levels.



Like the above explanations, below is a diagram with the same explanations for better understand a mixer. It is very similar to the one above, but the explanations contained are the ones that I just explained. Again, if you want you can use crtl+scroll up to magnify the picture.

Audio mixers are very simple as I've already said, but sometimes people just don't get how to use them properly. Later I will add articles explaining different techniques that will help you get the most out of their use. For now, I hope that I've covered enough basics for you to be able to use an audio mixer, and later I will revise this article with a little more information. Maybe I'll even make it a little more organized, if possible, so you can understand things better. If you have any questions about audio mixers on how to use them or what a specific function does, just email me. You can find my email in the contact tab at the top of this webpage. Thanks for viewing and I hope you come back for more knowledge on music production.

- Tha_Martian

At It Again : Promotion: Tips of the Trade

Lab Junk ENT[Entertainment Inc.] 2012

Well, with the now finished album Fresh Since '83 we've officially started on a new album. I haven't been around my computer for a few days so I just wanted to make this quick post to let everyone know that the blog is still going forward and good things are coming soon. Lab Junk Ent is also piecing together the company, but it's coming at a turtle's pace. I wouldn't say that's a bad thing either since I'm a firm believer in the saying 'good things come in good time', but I do wish I had thought of the things I think of now about five years ago.

See, back then we had been a year into music production and things were coming together fast. So fast actually that I believe that we missed a lot we could have been doing, i.e. PROMOTION!!! Yes, you read that right. Just to make clear I'll say it again.

PROMOTION

Promotion is key when building in music and for a few years while our company was still in the idea stage we seemed to have missed that. Now with new things coming together it is more vital to what we do than anything else and I wanted to give out a few things I've learned over the years about it to aspiring artist' and starting out promoters. When promoting something, you have to know a few things. First and foremost is the question of what are you promoting? You could start a blog, your own hosted website, or even post flyers in your local city to promote anything you want, but there is a catch to the way you promote. You have to reach people. Making a blog doesn't bring in a whole lot of people without great content that people online are looking for. And nine times out of ten most people don't even look at flyers, so you have to look at how your promotion appearance reaches an audience. Sure, everyone wants a great looking flyer or a great sounding radio advertisement but is that really enough? No, I don't think it is.

Point in blank, you have to come up with a unique way to reach people that says, "Here I am and this is what I can do for you...at this price." Most people can't get past the price thing either because everybody in life wants everything they can get for free. I'm am sorry to say this but this is not the reality we all live in. We all have to pay or work for what we get, even in web posting, and work is an essential part of promotion and you either have it in you or you don't to do it right.

Another key to promotion is in social networking. Sure there is Facebook and Twitter and the like, but that just isn't enough. Having your own social website for the niche your into is essential in promotion. A good example IS music. Make a webpage, whether it be a blog or an actual self hosted website, it is something you must do in today's world. Without an online presence, you won't reach many people so that my friends is the first piece of advice I give to you if your interested in this field.

After you have established an online presence your next goal is to get returning users. Adding a forum for people to talk to one another or adding a help page can greatly increase these numbers. If you go to a blogging site like WorPress or Bogger, these options can be created a lot easier. Also adding a suggestion box for people to give you ideas about how to improve your site would be a great benefit production and site management. Also making a few good friends on these sites can help drive traffic to your own. I know this sounds like a lot of work for the beginner but over time you'll get use to it and most of it will become a natural experience.

Summery

Again this article was just a short post to give newcomer an insight into the workings of the music industry, and as I've said in earlier articles I am no genius when it comes to this kind of stuff so hopefully it helps you understand a little more of the world your about to enter. Pretty soon I will start going back and revising articles on things I may have missed that might help a little better. Some new articles about certain types of equipment will also be up so so if your a returning user look for them.

This site will be a work in progress over time and may even be moved to a different site like Wordpress, but I hope in the near future to have my very own website up and running so keep posted! Any comments are more than welcome and any questions regarding this site, it's content, or just general knowledge of music production are always welcome. Just email me at The_Martian_Productions@Gmail.com or contact me on my Facebook page HERE.

The Home Studio

With today's technological upheave, the home studio is becoming more and more present in the music world. People had home studios years back, but they were nothing compared to today's work, and there wasn't nearly as many. In this article I am going to address the topic of a home studio and try to help those who seek to have one attain that goal. 

The Home Studio

  To put it basically, the home studio refers to a set of equipment used by an artist or music producer/sound engineer to create, edit, and master music. Home studios can be used for other things but here I am only referring to music. If there are enough questions about how to create one for another topic such as painting then I will gladly add that article later, but for now just remember we're sticking with music.

The essentials you will need before you can say you have your very own home studio are as follows. 

The Microphone or Input

This is the instrument with which you will get your input from.

The Recorder

This can be digital or analog, and this will be the device with which you record your sound on.

A Computer

In my personal experience, this is the most essential part of the home studio since you need a work station for your music. A computer give you that, allowing you to have multiple programs and devices all in one shell. Of course, you can have a home studio without one, but this wouldn't be the advice I would give.

Now although I have only three parts listed to a home studio, there can be many more. Towards the end of this article I'll give you a small, basic build that should be all you will need just starting out. The benefits of the build I am going to give you are, it is a cheap way to start out, and you can do almost everything you need to to get a great sound.

In addition to the equipment list, you will need a quiet, well built room for you to work in. In the start of things, a bedroom with a decent sized closet will usually work but if you have a basement with concrete walls I would recommend that. I don't know what it is about concrete but it gives great reverb and sound quality to vocals.

So now that we have the basics of the workings of a home studio, let me go into depth of each and explain why you need them. First, let's start of with the input.

The Input

This is usually a microphone, but it can be a number of things. The input is important because this is where your sound comes from. It can be a guitar, a piano, drums, etc.. The input is hooked up into the recorder, directly or through another piece of equipment called a sound mixer. A sound mixer, or more commonly referred to as an audio mixer, is a unit that allows you to change, mix, or raise and lower the sound coming from the input. These are very useful pieces of equipment and I would advise getting one early if you can. I will go more into depth about these pieces of sound equipment later on, but for now just ask if you have questions about them.

The Recorder

From the mixer and in to the recorder. The recorder is also one of the most important parts because without you will have nothing to show for the work your doing. Recorders are also dynamic pieces of equipment that I will get into on later articles, but for now here is a basic description. A sound recorder is a piece of equipment that records sound into a form that is easily stored on the recorder, or on a device such as a computer. The most common form is wave. This is the most basic form of a sound that has been recorded nowadays. It is also the best quality you can get before mastering, editing, etc.. 

Speakers

This is kind of common knowledge since without speakers you won't be able to hear what your doing with the recorder. Speakers are not just speakers. There are many different types and each type has a separate function than the last. In a home studio, the type you will need will be monitor speakers. These are speakers that have a very wide frequency range and are used for mastering your work. Again, i will cover these more in depth later, but for now just know you need them.

That's the basic requirements of a home studio. The input, the recorder, and the speakers. With those two things you can record and save music or other forms of audio onto the recorder or a computer. Also, with these two things you have the basics of an audio studio. Without these thing you can still record and play the sound you want through a computer since a computer has these components already, but having real sound equipment will benefit your work greatly. 

The Basic Build

So as I promised, I will now give you a cheap, basic build for a home studio. This build was designed mainly for a vocalist, but it can be used for any number of recording styles such as recording tracks for a band. The microphones needed for a band will be different, but I'll add that in just in case your not into doing just vocals.

For the record, the products listed below are NOT through an affiliate of mine and I will make no money by you purchasing these products. I have my own store through Amazon's affiliate program and it will be up and running at a later date. I say this so that way you can see for yourself how helpful and customer friendly Musician's Friend can be.

The Speakers

M-Audio StudioPro 3 Desktop Audio Monitors 

M-Audio isn't top of the line but for a starting studio it is one of the most affordable when it comes to monitors. You can find them at this link here.

The Input

MXL 990/991 Recording Microphone Package

The MXL series of microphones has to be one of the best there is for they quality they bring. Since I started recording 6 years ago I've used a lot of mics but none that reach the quality MXL brings. The reason I suggest this package instead of a single microphone is this package is amazing for the price and it gives you the MXL 991 acoustic microphone. That microphone can be used for more than vocals and has a wide range for dynamic sound. You can find this package here.

The Recorder

TASCAM DP-02 Digital Portastudio

Tascam is one of the best when it comes to quality and usefulness. This one in particular I use myself and I honestly wouldn't recommend any other brand. The price is a little high for starting out, but it is well worth it. If you can, buy it new, but used products from this site are usually backed by a guarantee. You can buy this product by the link here.

Mixer

Behringer XENYX 1002FX Mixer

Behringer is by far the best in audio mixing equipment. I support them fully because they not only have equipment at great prices but their quality cannot be matched. This particular mixer I used for 3 years before upgrading to a 24 channel Behringer, and the reason behind suggesting this one is it not only has the features of a mixer you will need, but it comes with preset effects. You can find it here.

Accessories

Some accessories you will need will be cables and stands. The ones below are the cheapest (for the quality provided you will need) I could find and are required to hook up all of your equipment together. Each has it's own link to where you can buy them. Just click on the name.

LiveWire Advantage Series 1/4" Straight instrument Cable

I suggest getting about 4-6 of these 6 to 8 feet long. These cables are used for hooking up guitars and speakers. Also used for hooking up other equipment.

Musician's Gear Lo-Z Microphone Cable

These cables are used for microphones. Some microphones require Phantom Power, which I will explain later, but all microphones will require these type of cables. I suggest getting two to four of these since you can never be sure of what you want to record and having them on hand can be extremely useful.

Musician's Gear MS-220 Tripod Mic Stand with Fixed Boom
I would suggest getting four of these. Like with the microphones, you can never be sure of the setup you'll need so having the extra equipment will be helpful in the long run.

On a Leaving Note

I am not a genius when it comes to this kind of stuff, and the only expert status I claim is with my own work. I know my work, and you should too, so that when you are finished with a song or a project you can say it was done to the best of your ability. The build for a home studio above will require a few hundred dollars, but i guarantee that you will be completely satisfied with the quality and the work you get out of it. Just remember to read all manuals on everything and you shouldn't have any problems.

Later on, I will add more articles on how to use the equipment I list, what it can do for your work, and how it works...in depth. Or at least to the best of my ability. This isn't the first time I have posted on a blog, but it is the first time I am taking it seriously. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions as to how I can improve this site for your benefit, please feel free to leave them in the comments below. 

Thanks for viewing -_-
Tha_Martian

Quick Introduction

For those who have seen my pages before it should be no surprise to know what I'm about. A few things in my life have changed and I no longer look at blogging as a hobby but I look at it as a way to teach people about the things I know and to reach people in a new, innovative way to help give them my own understanding of things. I am no saint and I don't possess all the wisdom I wish I did but I do know a thing or two...especially about music and music production. 

This blog will be about that. Music and music production are a passion for me and I hope to give people my own insight into the subject because what I've seen over the years is a saturated music industry filled with fakes and con artists'. It sickens me to see an artist with an ego the size of Texas and believe it or not, some have ones bigger than that.

My main goal out of this is to bring people to a level of understanding I like to call the "Outside The Box" Theory. It basically goes like this; When you come to the conclusion that you understand the whole of a subject in every way, take yourself outside of that understanding to a third or even fourth outlook and try and find a new and maybe even better way to improve the situation. Or in the case of someone who might call them self a scientist, a new possible answer to a extremely hard problem to solve.

On a leaving note, I am the co-head of The Martian Productions and anything you might find on that would completely be original work. I am also and will always be a partner and co-founder of The Lab Junkies and Lab Junk ENT. My partner's name is Prospect a.k.a Slim. We both have been working very hard on our work as artists and try to make it as legit as possible so please give us the respect for at least trying to do something worth doing. You can find any information you want about the Lab Junkies and our music @ www.Reverb.com/labjunkent. Check it out and tell us what you really think. Criticism is key in creating the music we do because we take all of it, including the negative, as a way to improve our work.

This is only the beginning of what I hope to be a successful blog for people seeking help in music promotion, music production, general sound knowledge, and possible success in their endeavor to become a great artist. My blog may take some time to get content but I am looking to add a lot of information about music and even help artists like myself find things that are normally hard to find. Any questions or comments can be emailed to me @ my company email Tha_Martian_Productions@live.com. Please be internet friendly and don't send spam. Anything without the words "production", "music", or "about your blog" will be disregarded as spam and treated as such.

I apologize for this post to be so bland but I had to put an intro to give anyone finding this an idea of what to expect from this website.

With all that said, if you don't find what your looking for I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors and hope that you become the artist's you seek to be.

Much regards and thanks to all who support our cause------Tha_Martian