Music

Selecting an acoustic guitar for you child or yourself to begin guitar lessons can be a daunting task after seeing all of those guitars hanging on the walls of a music store! Where do you begin? ...

If you want to build a home studio or convert an existing room into one, carefully evaluate its acoustics, how vulnerable it will be to sources of noise, and how likely to disturb neighbors. Once...

Your bedroom is a perfect place to set up a home recording studio. Quality recording software includes the ability to sample and eliminate unwanted ambient sound, but it's best to start off with...

Death growls are commonly used in black metal. Many people complain that growled lyrics are incomprehensible and sound all the same. Usually you can equate death growls with instruments rather...

Vacuum tubes are used in some guitar amplifiers, and these are preferred over transistor based amps by many musicians because of their "warm" sound. This sound is produced by the distortion...

In my opinion the most important of all your playing objectives should be to be able to play with a quality sound. You can play as fast as you like and be technically brilliant, but if you don't...

Distortion is an important part of the rock guitar sound. It is used in every rock genre from classic rock to heavy metal. The type and amount of distortion you want depends on the type of music...

Sound engineering refers to the practice of recording, editing and manipulating sound by means of digital or electronic equipment. This multidisciplinary field is utilized in numerous industries,...

Have you ever heard a song on the radio and wished you could save it for later? With streaming audio recorders, you can. Streaming audio recorders allow you to record music straight from your...

A revolution occurred in music that took the instruments out of the studio and placed them on people's computer hard drives. A multitude of programs allows people to create beats on their...

The wah wah is a foot operated pedal, and it has been around since the 1960s. Musicians use wah pedal to mimic human voice. To some, the wah pedal in use sound like a crying baby; hence, some call...

Tone is that ever so elusive sound of an instrument that many bass players longingly search for or build their entire career around. Different elements combine to create tone, such as the bass'...

Sound systems come in all shapes and sizes, as do churches. There are general rules for configuring a sound system to include amplifying speakers, singers, instruments and other media, but some...

Music theory is something that trained musicians as well as beginners constantly develop on whether they realize it or not. All artists aim to refine their craft, which means that each piece of...

Whether you are a professional producer or a budding home recording enthusiast, you can build your own basement studio that rivals the professional studios we see in major metropolitan areas. With...

If there is a sound clip or a rare, obscure song that is not available anywhere (such as a major retailer or any legal download service), this may be the tool for you.

Technology is changing the way the music industry works. Once recording companies controlled who produced music and who could sell their music. Now, with relatively inexpensive equipment, talented...

The best way to soundproof a rehearsal space is choosing the proper building materials before construction. Installing soundproof drywall and adding layers of insulation to your walls can decrease...

Practicing music (or performing other noisy activities) without bothering others is a common problem for anyone living in small office or apartment spaces with nearby neighbors. A process of DIY...

Vocal booths are small areas where a vocalist can perform and the environment can be controlled sonically. Whether you have a home studio or a professional audio recording suite, you can make your...

Technological advancements in the 1980s helped set into motion the futuristic sound of digital drums, which made its mark on pop culture (most notably on the New Wave scene). But where can you get...

There's something seemingly magical about the electric guitar. It's tones have mesmerized us for decades. However, with the advent of digital amp and cabinet modeling, recording a real guitar...

The word "embouchure" refers to the way the mouth is used to produce a sound on a musical instrument. Embouchure itself actually should be considered an instrument because without it the musical...

The first thing that must be developed when learning to play an instrument is a pleasing sound. It doesn’t matter how good the technique is or anything else: If one plays with a bad sound, no one...

A guitar pickup is a device that converts the vibration of a guitar string into electrical signals. These signals are then either transmitted to an amplifier, which interprets these signals and...

A sound engineer is responsible for the quality of the sound in a recorded audio project, such as a music album. A sound engineer has many duties and responsibilities that require an appreciation...

Standard drum sets include a snare drum, bass drum, cymbals and toms. A drum set's sound depends on the materials used.

Sound is one of the most pervasive phenomena in our physical plane of existence, second only to light. Art and science are used to shape, model, mold and direct sound in various ways to achieve...

Creating a beat lays a foundation for songs to have recorded vocals, instruments or other sounds placed on top of the beat. A basic part of song composition in pop music, beat-making is fun and...

Resonator guitars are unique-sounding instruments that use an aluminum, bowl-shaped cone under the bridge to increase the sounds of an acoustic guitar. First built in the 1920s, the resonator...

Proper placement of the lips is crucial to a good sound while singing. The proper lip placement helps you to produce pure tones and also helps expand the resonating chambers in your mouth. Learn...

The phonograph was the first and, for nearly 100 years, the most popular device for recording and playing music before the 1980s. This important device has since been outdated by cassettes, CDs...

Hip hop has grown from being street party music in the Bronx played through boomboxes and jury-rigged stereo systems to a multi-million dollar giant of the music industry, dominating the pop...

Car sound systems are never cheap. It is extremely important to evaluate your needs when purchasing a sound system. Audio manufacturers attempt to sell merchandise that is unnecessary to the...

If you have always wanted to make beats but didn't think you could afford the recording equipment, you may be surprised to learn that getting started making your own music is cheaper and easier...

Sound is caused by vibrations. Just as organs within the mouth and throat vibrate to produce speech, or speakers vibrate as directed by electronic impulses to reproduce the sounds of recorded...

The sound you get from your saxophone is created by a combination of factors that all work together to produce widely varying tones. The style of music and sound you wish to achieve will determine...

Once relegated to expensive music studios and wealthy hobbyists, beat making technology has made great leaps in its ease of use and availability to the average consumer. Simple programs that can...

MIDI files are a type of music file based on programmed sequencing instructions rather than recorded sound. This means that the best way to save this type of file as an MP3 without special...

The record industry's stranglehold on making music has come to an end. The resources to record music are no longer unattainable and costly for the average home composer. Free, open-source software...

Walk into a professional recording studio and you are likely to find multiple isolation booths. Isolation booths allow you to separate different sound sources while you record. This results in...

You are an unsigned artist who just created a great original song that the whole world needs to hear! How do you protect and share your treasure with the entire world when you do not have record...

Mastering is a post-production process in which the producer edits and tweaks the technical aspects of recorded music in order emphasize certain qualities or to achieve a desired "sound."...

The ribbon microphone is an iconic symbol of popular culture. Many images with Elvis or Johnny Carson include a ribbon mic such as the RCA 44 or Shure SM33 in the shot. The ribbon microphone's...

Reason 4.0 has achieved worldwide popularity, especially among producers of electronic and hip-hop music, thanks to the software's stable architecture, wealth of virtual sound modules and effects,...

Some rock guitarists, looking to add an acoustic guitar sound to their live repertoire, try plugging their acoustic into their electric amp, only to find that the sound is wrong. An electric...

Soundproofing is used professionally in theaters and studios to reduce unwanted noise and improve the clarity of the sound inside the soundproofed room. Homeowners often use soundproofing to...

The Alvarez 600T Mk II is an active guitar pickup and preamp system, available on select Alvarez acoustic-electric guitar models. A 9-volt battery powers the under-saddle piezo pickup and on-board...

Building a Celtic (wire strings) or folk (nylon strings) harp from scratch, using purchased blueprints, is a challenging but rewarding project for the advanced to experienced woodworker. ...

Guitarists looking to break out of a playing rut or find a new sound can do so by changing tuning. One of the most common alternate guitar tunings is Drop-D, where the low-E string is lowered one...