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Record labels get hundreds of demo CDs a day. Many are thrown straight into the trash. And the ones listened to usually don’t last for more than 10 seconds before being ejected and then thrown into the trash.

Many A&Rs won’t even listen to demo CDs unless they are given to them from someone already in the music business. And it is very rare that an artist goes from nothing to a big record deal. Artists that get signed to big record labels almost always already have some sort of fan base and a buzz about them. A&Rs are looking for artists that are the easiest road to success. And if you’ve already made it half way their on your own, and shown that you have the stamina, drive, and focus to continue all the way to the top, then the A&Rs will be dying to pick you up and step on the gas.

So if you are not signed to a big record label, and this is one of your goals, then it is time to start getting halfway there on your own. To do this Continue reading »

Some of you may be thinking, “so you can change the pitch, if your voice sucks, but I don’ need that.” But that is not true. Even the best singers in the industry use Auto-Tune to give their voice that edge. Although most use it lightly, you can also max out the knobs to get that T Pain I’m In Love With A Stripper sound. And this is not just for singers. More and more rappers are adding that melody to their choruses, and yes, they are using Auto-Tune. Continue reading »

In iPod fashion, Digidesign announces yet another Mbox 2, the Mini. And with a list price of only $329, making it the cheapest Pro Tools LE compatible interface, it’s the bicky bomb. It’s features… Continue reading »

MBox 2 Pro	vs.	Mbox 2

Digidesign has recently released the MBox 2 Pro ($799), an upgraded version of the MBox 2 ($495). Here’s what an extra $304 can get you: Continue reading »

Interview, May, 2001 by Jonathan Moskowitz

TWO OF MUSIC’S FAVORITE PRODUCERS SLIP INTO THE SPOTLIGHT

“I grew up around all types of music,” says Chad Hugo, who along with his partner, Pharrell Williams, comprises the red-hot hip-hop production team the Neptunes. “I used to listen to Rush, the Who, classic rock. But also hip-hop when it hit the scene. So everything that we do now is influenced by all that music.”

Having produced Mystikal’s “Shake Ya Ass,” and Jay-Z’s “I Just Wanna Love U [Give it 2 Me],” the Neptunes have unassailable hip-hop credibility, and with so much buzz around them as producers, it was a natural progression for them to make the jump from behind the mixing board and into the spotlight. The two recently recorded In Search of … (Virgin) their debut as artists, which they released under the acronym N.E.R.D. (No one Ever Really Dies). “Dying is a doorway,” explains Williams. “And you don’t die in a doorway. You go somewhere else.” Continue reading »