Recording

Dear Rich: I want to know if it is considered sampling when you record sound coming from a synthesizer that is playing electronic note data stored on a memory chip. Technically when you play an NES game (’80s video game system), the music that is playing is not pre-recorded. It is actually played “live” from musical note data on the game cartridge (gameplay triggers a MIDI pattern) in the console into the internal synthesizer.

Guest Blogger Maggie Vail: “Musicians are leaders. Music has been at the forefront of every massive cultural movement from civil rights to feminism to anti war movements.”

Our advice for aspiring musicians and artists: 1) Trust your instincts and find a project where you can put some of that trust in the people you play with. It’s like magic. 2) Hold yourself and your collaborators to the “Don’t be a Dick” Golden Rule. 3) Surround yourself with kind people who inspire you.

Guest Blogger Meredith Graves shares: “I swim, because I would rather persist than drown, and because I know that since I am my own life raft, once in awhile, when the rapids abate, I can kick up my heels and float.”

Having a song roughly the same volume or intensity is a formula for disaster. You’re thinking, “Oh no, not me. I always make songs with interesting progressions, builds and changes in volume. I ain’t no noob.”

When my band would get together for practice and our guitar player would use more than one pedal we would point and laugh and say things like, “Get a load of him! He thinks he’s in Oktober People!”

The song’s lyrics follow the long tradition of smack talkers and lyrical braggarts, touching on important issues like partying, hangovers, haters and stupid fans. Just some of the classics, really.

We’re not sure imitation is always flattery, but we are pretty sure it’s not infringement. Copyright doesn’t recognize style, vibe, feel, or genre, only original content (though that rule has been tested recently).

Guest Blogger Larry Crane, founder and editor of Tape Op Magazine: Don’t try to work longer hours than you can really be productive during. I work 10-hour days. I’ve worked 14-hour days. Guess how much work we really got done in 14 hours? 10 hours’ worth.

The music industry is not going to end, of course. In fact, I feel positive that it could become the biggest it’s ever been. The demand for music is high. So what needs to be done to get there and how can musicians like me survive in the changing times?

Not only did I think rock and roll foolish and immature, but I felt as if somehow I had let my son down by being a wastrel for all of my adult life instead of preparing for proper fatherhood.

We’ll see how far I make it into gearheadery, but this I can tell you: An important part of deciding to get more hands-on with media production is simply accepting the inescapable fact that there’s no quick-and-easy way to do this kind of creative work.

The info and agreement template in this Licensing Kit are aimed at helping filmmakers and musicians execute an agreement for a song to be included in a film or video.

Honestly, I’ve always felt like a bit of an outsider in most situations. Music has not been an exception. That territory comes with some shitty shows, one of which I’m happy to tell you about.

You’re transported to those days of recording: friends laughing over happy accidents that’ll make the cut, and most importantly the energy of people playing music together.

The good news is that this work is enjoyable. Figuring out how to make a career from music is challenging—which I happen to think is one of the best parts about it.