Learn Evolution of Hip Hop As we approach rap’s 50th anniversary, Evolution of Hip Hop chronicles the history of the genre’s early days in New York City to its present day domination of the pop charts. In 2018, hip hop replaced rock music as the best-selling genre of music in America, marking an incredible rise in popularity that all started […] Written by @recordingarts 13 March 202019 April 2021
Learn Polykrome’s Guide to Producing Compelling Electronic Music Today I’m going to break down “Braindeath”, a song I recently released on Dack Janiels and Wenzday’s label 40 Oz Cult. I’ll go over my approach to producing compelling music in the absence of vocals or other dominant melodic voices, from establishing my sound palette, to composing and arranging my song, to the final mix. […] Written by @recordingarts 9 March 202015 July 2022
Learn How Auto-Tune Changed Music It’s a technology of perfection that’s been called both the electric guitar of our age and one of history’s worst inventions. Auto-Tune, and its underlying pitch-correction technology, have forever changed the music industry. Initially meant to help recording engineers and artists reduce the time needed to get the perfect take, pitch correction software has become […] Written by @recordingarts 6 March 202021 September 2022
Learn How MIDI Changed Music The music creation process has changed a lot over the past 50-odd years as music technology shifted from an analog reality to a digital one. Whereas sheet music, guitar tabs or even simpler notation is what is most often used by performers playing acoustic or electric instruments, MIDI offers a similar language for digital devices to play […] Written by @recordingarts 28 February 202015 July 2022
Learn Evolution of House Music This series celebrates house music’s 40th anniversary by offering a glimpse into its early roots and chronicling its rapid growth; from the ashes of disco, to the dominant family of genres it has since become. The rise and fall of disco in popular music left clubs with a shrinking supply of new dance music at […] Written by @recordingarts 27 January 202025 July 2022
Work Building Your Network for Artistic Success Nowadays, talented artists are everywhere: online, at your local coffee shop, or busking in the street. Unfortunately, many don’t go much further than that for reasons that have very little to do with talent. Building Your Network for Artistic Success Building a strong network is absolutely essential in creating a name for yourself as an […] Written by @recordingarts 1 January 202030 May 2022
Learn Start Using Metaphors to Create Catchy Lyrical Hooks To improve your songwriting, start using metaphors that turn imagery and emotion into catchy lyrical hooks The goal of your music is always to get listeners coming back for more, and when it comes to catchy lyrical hooks, short and memorable is the name of the game. There’s no better way to masterfully create catchy […] Written by @recordingarts 26 December 201915 July 2022
Work Break Into the Video Game Industry as a Composer In the past two decades, video game composers and sound designers have become major players in the entertainment industry. Music has always been an integral part of the gaming experience, but it hasn’t always been a viable or common career path for music creators. These days, composers are creating sweeping scores for elaborate worlds and have become a […] Written by @recordingarts 19 December 201916 August 2022
Learn Start Using Sidechain Compression for More Oomph in Your Mix Do you ever feel like your kick drum and bass are behaving like two children fighting for the front seat of the car? Using effective sidechaining techniques, you can get them acting more like best friends. Sidechain compression is a technique as old as signal processing itself, yet its purpose and use remain a mystery to many emerging […] Written by @recordingarts 16 December 201915 July 2022
Learn Inside the World’s Most Popular Christmas Song With the holiday season upon us, let’s take a look at the best selling Christmas single in the 21st century, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You”. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” is still the #1 selling Christmas song of all time, but when it comes to the modern era, nothing comes close to […] Written by @recordingarts 13 December 201927 January 2023
