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Festival4Stars Heat 1 Closes Tomorrow

The Festival4Stars Songwriting Contest will close tomorrow, March 10th at Midnight CST. All entries receive written feedback, letting entrants know if they will advance to the next round for the Heat 1 entries. There will be a total of 3 heats, giving you plenty of chances to be heard, reviewed, and possibly move on to the later rounds.

Grand prize winners will receive an all expense paid invitation to attend the International Songwriting Camp in London in January, 2011. The camp will be headed by John McGloughlin and other top credited hit songwriters.

So what are you waiting for? Enter now!

Posted by Broadjam on Mar 9, 2010 in Broadjam Blog

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Most Download Sales = iPod Touch!

Aside from playing great music, every successful artist has one thing in common: promotion. Before anyone can listen to you, they need to know who you are. If there was ever an opportune time to promote your music on Broadjam, this is it!

For the month of March, Broadjam is offering an 8GB iPod Touch – at no cost – to the artist that sells the most downloads. What do you have to do? Just promote your download sales! All Broadjam artists are eligible and, as always, artists will keep 80 cents for every 99 cent download sold.

ipod_touch_late_2009

And remember, one of the best ways to build a fan base is word of mouth. So make sure your existing fans are telling everyone they know about you. Just make sure you provide them with the URL to your Broadjam page (or your hosting page) and then they’ll have direct access for their music downloads. And, fan memberships are always free.

Posted by Broadjam on Mar 8, 2010 in Broadjam Blog

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Broadjam Adds Universal Audio Giveaway!

Universal Audio is giving away a tube recording channel strip, worth $1,599. All you have to do is go to the blog, read the post, and write a response answering the questions at the bottom of the post. After one month, 5 posts will be chosen and you, the members, will vote on who should win the prize.

All you have to do is respond to the blog post found on the site here, answering these questions:

1) What features stand out to you
2) How would you use this product
3) Why you should win

Let your personality show, and tell us why you should win the LA-610 MkII tube recording channel strip. It’s free, so add your comment now.

Posted by Broadjam on Mar 3, 2010 in Broadjam Blog

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Do You Really Need Mastering?

One of the common questions I get is “If a mix is really good, then why would mastering be necessary?” And that’s a valid question, because if the mix sounds good, then that’s all you should need…right?

In theory, doing a great mix would eliminate the need for mastering. But this is rarely the case; the analogy I’d use is putting dressing on a salad. You could put a certain amount of dressing on each piece of lettuce, tomato, etc.; when combined, you should have the same results as putting dressing on the entire salad. This would be like optimizing every track, and assuming that when put together, something would sound “mastered.” But in my experience, salads are best when tossed, and I’ve never heard a mix—no matter how good—that couldn’t benefit in some way from quality mastering.

The main reason for this is that when you mix, you’re working on individual tracks to create the best possible blend of all the sounds. But when you master, you’re listening to that blend, and determining what needs to be done to make the composite sound better—not just the sounds of the individual tracks.

For example, suppose the overall sound is just a tiny bit dull. When mixing, you’d have to listen to each track and increase the brightness a little bit on each one to produce the desired result—and even then, you might make one track too bright or one not bright enough. When mastering, you can add a little brightness to the overall stereo (or surround) mix, thus influencing all instruments. If you add a slight high-frequency boost, you’re doing the equivalent of adding that boost to all tracks in the music.

Then again, it’s also true that the better the mix, the more likely it is that the mastering will turn out better as well. It won’t be necessary to add as much processing or do “salvage job” mastering, where the task of compensating for problems in the mix fall on the mastering engineer. In one tune I mastered, the guitar was slightly out of tune, and I was asked if that’s something I could fix in mastering. Sorry! I can’t just magically extract a single instrument from a stereo mix and then fix the tuning. Well, at least not with today’s technology.

No matter how good your mix is, there’s always room for improvement. Many years ago, before I started doing my own mastering, I had a CD mastered by ace Nashville mastering engineer Randy Kling. He said the CD hardly needed anything, but he was able to pull back the highs in a few places to reduce some hiss, and added a bit of limiting to make the tracks jump out a little bit more. Were the results radically different? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely—those subtle touches added just the right amount of “seasoning.””

However, do remember that mastering is not intended to salvage a recording, but enhance an already solid mix. If there’s a problem with the mix, remix the tune—don’t count on mastering to solve the problem (although I’ll certainly give it my best shot!).

Posted by Broadjam on Mar 3, 2010 in Craig Anderton Mastering Blog

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  • Craig,
    Do you have any track prep guidelines? I have some questions about how to prepare my track for mastering. My DAW is Apple Logic based.
    1. Should I use any processing on the output channels when I bounce my track for mastering? i.e. I use the Logic adaptive limiter and sometimes a linear phase eq to get my mix up to commercial levels on the output channels when bouncing my track to AIF files.
    2. What level do you prefer the tracks output to be near? -6db?
    3. What file rate should my uploaded broadjam audio file be 320bps?
    Basically, I’m wondering how I should output my mix for mastering to get the best results. My mixes sound good with the output channel processing but I think it’s a form of mastering (?) so I wanted to ask you about this. If you have some more info on this please let me know or direct me to a web page with some details. Thanks!
    Troy

    Mar 4, 2010/3:42 pm

Universal Audio Giveaway Blog

Oh yeah, it’s another opportunity to win free gear in a Giveaway Blog! This time, the fine people at Universal Audio have a stunning new tube recording channel strip valued at $1,599 that they are giving to a Broadjam member.

The LA-610 MkII combines our all-tube, vintage 610 mic preamp design with authentic Teletronix T4 opto-compression circuitry. This classic channel strip design, with its warm preamp tone and smooth, natural-sounding compression, is updated with modern, user-requested features like true compressor bypass, larger metering, increased output, and an auto-switching power supply. The LA-610 MkII also boasts much lower noise specs versus vintage models. Elegant “Black on Black” cosmetics complete the package. For the serious project studio looking to get the UA sonic experience, the LA-610 MkII offers tone, quality and character at an accessible price.

la-610mk2_front_hq-2

Features

  • All-tube mic preamp design derived from legendary Bill Putnam-designed 610 modular console
  • Authentic Teletronix LA-2A-style T4 opto-compressor section
  • MkII exclusive features include: true compressor bypass, larger metering, increased output, and auto-switching power supply
  • Mic pre with Gain and Level controls, variable impedance switching, and instrument DI for recording tone “color”
  • High and Low frequency shelving EQ
  • Complete vintage channel strip at groundbreaking price within project studio reach
  • UA build quality and heritage, audiophile components, hand-assembled in-house
  • Hand-built in USA; backed by 1-year limited warranty

    Quotes and Reviews

    “The LA-610 has a nice curve line, and an overall warm compression… it just has a nice, smooth sustain to it.” - Matt Still, Engineer (Elton John, B.B. King, Outkast)

    “The LA-610 has its own beautiful voice. Don’t let the low price fool you, [it] belongs in a rack with the priciest gear.” - Michael Cooper, Review (Mix Magazine)

    “No matter how you set it [LA-610] up, you’ll get low noise, great-sounding results.” - Mitch Gallagher, Review (EQ Magazine)

    How do you win the Universal Audio Channel Strip? Simple! Add a comment here telling us:
    1) What features stand out
    2) How you would use this product
    3) Why you should win

    We’ll take comments for three weeks, and then narrow down the comments and have you, our members, select a winner. You just need to be a registered Broadjam member to participate. If you don’t have an account sign up today!

    ua_logo_blue-1

  • Posted by Broadjam on Mar 1, 2010 in Universal Audio Giveaway

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    RECENT COMMENTS …
    • 1) I have more Uaudio plug in but I dream..the hardware version.

      2) I would use it my recording studio for my new productions.

      3) It will be my first Uaudio hardware !!

      Mar 11, 2010/2:07 pm
    • What stands out?

      Its hardware… not software.

      Its tube based tech… Which has always had a warm and plush sound in contrast to the slightly less appealing digital imitations.

      And its a beautiful piece of gear to boot.

      Having a bridge in between my vocalist and my interface that not only keeps my levels in check, but strengthens the sound in the overall dynamics and warmth, would be an invaluable tool to a producer such as myself.

      We yell and scream a lot in my studio… and having this piece of gear in the signal flow would surely solve some of the latency issues we run into when recording on an LE system while running too many plugins. And yes… we use a lot of plugins… Especially when it comes to our angry vocalist spitting into a microphone about evil x-girlfriends and how much we hate “the man.”

      ThIs gear needs to come home to ArchIve for one reason… We’ll use It every day… WIth everyone… and when we all become rockstars… the world wIll know we got that plush sound wIth a LA-610 MkII… Because i’ll be sure to tell them.

      Its that simple.

      N

      Mar 10, 2010/2:58 pm
    • I is good
      I am composer
      I lave music.it is my life.

      Mar 6, 2010/3:38 am

    Broadjam Contests Update

    Aside from this month’s monthly contest, The Studio Devil Song of the Month Contest, Broadjam is currently running three international contests! Take a look and submit your best songs now. Here is a brief overview of each contest:

    The 15th Annual USA Songwriting Competition

    The USA Songwriting Competition offers a shot at the big time for songwriters, original solo artists, and bands everywhere around the world. For you it is the contest that might just open the right doors, make the right connections and get your songs heard. Winning songs receive radio airplay! Enter now.

    Festival4Stars International Songwriting Competition

    By entering this contest, you are guaranteed a written feedback form with full appraisal. There are three Heats, the first is now open. The grand prize winner will receive an all expense paid trip to a songwriting camp in London in January of 2011! Enter now.

    The UK Songwriting Competition

    Showcase your songs in London and be mentored and recorded by world famous producers. PLUS: a $50 songwriting course package for EVERYONE - guaranteed. Enter now.

    Posted by Broadjam on Feb 26, 2010 in Broadjam Blog

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    Customize Your Broadjam URL

    Would you like to make it easier for your fans, friends and family to find your Broadjam profile? No problem! Just personalize your profile address.

    As a Broadjam member, you can customize the URL (web address) for your Artist Profile. Just go to your profile page and, under the short-description section, you can edit your Broadjam URL. Simply enter your desired text, click submit and you’re done.

    The default URL for your profile looks something like this:
    www.broadjam.com/artists/home.php?artistID=87654321

    But, why not simplify things and change it to this:
    www.broadjam.com/name

    Just make sure not to use any space! Dashes are fine, as in your-name-here, but spaces don’t work well.

    Personalizing your URL will provide a clearer path to your Broadjam profile. It’s easier to remember and communicate. It will make it much simpler for others to locate your page, purchase your music, read your latest news, follow your performance schedule and much more.

    Posted by Broadjam on Feb 23, 2010 in Broadjam Blog

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    Craig Anderton Mastering Blog: Welcome!

    craig_anderton_img

    The response to Broadjam offering mastering services has exceeded our expectations, to say the least. It’s incredibly gratifying to get comments from musicians who feel that mastering has truly taken their music to the next level (and sometimes beyond), but we’ve also found out that quite a few musicians don’t really understand what mastering is all about—to them, it’s just some magic process that, when done right, makes music sound better.

    So we’re starting this blog to help de-mystify the mastering process, describe some specific techniques, and give some real-world advice. The better a musician understands what mastering can and cannot do, the easier it is to create a mix that’s optimized to take full advantage of the mastering process.

    Mastering is all about taking a mix and enhancing it in every way possible, giving it more impact, definition, and polish. What makes mastering such a difficult process is that it’s all about using very subtle processing to make a huge overall difference. For example, if a song lacks presence, sometimes only 0.5dB of boost in the upper midrange will provide that presence—while 1.0dB of boost makes it sound shrill.

    I’ve been doing mastering for many years, both on music and narration. My specialty has been classical music, which is in some ways even more demanding than rock and pop music because any mastering has to be totally transparent. But I have to say that doing mastering for Broadjam’s members has been my most satisfying mastering experience yet.

    First of all, I realize that music is very personal and important to the artist. When someone hands over a track to me for mastering, it’s an honor. Of course, we do guarantee satisfaction, so there’s no real risk; but nonetheless, I appreciate that people trust me to do what I think is best for their music. It’s a compliment, a privilege, and an obligation that I take very seriously.

    But the rewards are considerable, too. When I download a file, it’s like getting a Christmas present and opening it up to find out what’s inside! I’ve gotten everything from Disney-girl-band power pop, to potential soundtrack material from England, to highly evocative music from Norway, and even one track I’m convinced could become a country-rock standard. Amazingly, among the huge variety of cuts I’ve mastered so far, there hasn’t been one dud. I enjoy listening to all types of music and hearing new talent, so as you can imagine, this is a pretty cool gig for someone like me.

    The best part of mastering, though, is the satisfaction of taking a “good” piece of music and making it “great.” This is a competitive world, and a musician needs every break possible. My goal is to present the artist’s music in the best possible way, and help improve the odds of success. There was one song I mastered where there were great guitar parts in the background, but they were buried in the mix. With a little effort (well actually a lot of effort, but that’s what mastering is all about) I was able to isolate and bring up those guitars so that they could really power the song. It made all the difference in the world, and the song came alive…when it comes to mastering, I live for those moments.

    Okay, that’s enough of an introduction. See you next post!

    Craig Anderton’s Mastering Blog: Do You Really Need Mastering?

    One of the common questions I get is “If a mix is really good, then why would mastering be necessary?” And that’s a valid question, because if the mix sounds good, then that’s all you should need…right?

    In theory, doing a great mix would eliminate the need for mastering. But this is rarely the case; the analogy I’d use is putting dressing on a salad. You could put a certain amount of dressing on each piece of lettuce, tomato, etc.; when combined, you should have the same results as putting dressing on the entire salad. This would be like optimizing every track, and assuming that when put together, something would sound “mastered.” But in my experience, salads are best when tossed, and I’ve never heard a mix—no matter how good—that couldn’t benefit in some way from quality mastering.

    The main reason for this is that when you mix, you’re working on individual tracks to create the best possible blend of all the sounds. But when you master, you’re listening to that blend, and determining what needs to be done to make the composite sound better—not just the sounds of the individual tracks.

    For example, suppose the overall sound is just a tiny bit dull. When mixing, you’d have to listen to each track and increase the brightness a little bit on each one to produce the desired result—and even then, you might make one track too bright or one not bright enough. When mastering, you can add a little brightness to the overall stereo (or surround) mix, thus influencing all instruments. If you add a slight high-frequency boost, you’re doing the equivalent of adding that boost to all tracks in the music.

    Then again, it’s also true that the better the mix, the more likely it is that the mastering will turn out better as well. It won’t be necessary to add as much processing or do “salvage job” mastering, where the task of compensating for problems in the mix fall on the mastering engineer. In one tune I mastered, the guitar was slightly out of tune, and I was asked if that’s something I could fix in mastering. Sorry! I can’t just magically extract a single instrument from a stereo mix and then fix the tuning. Well, at least not with today’s technology.

    No matter how good your mix is, there’s always room for improvement. Many years ago, before I started doing my own mastering, I had a CD mastered by ace Nashville mastering engineer Randy Kling. He said the CD hardly needed anything, but he was able to pull back the highs in a few places to reduce some hiss, and added a bit of limiting to make the tracks jump out a little bit more. Were the results radically different? No. Was it worth it? Absolutely—those subtle touches added just the right amount of “seasoning.”

    However, do remember that mastering is not intended to salvage a recording, but enhance an already solid mix. If there’s a problem with the mix, remix the tune—don’t count on mastering to solve the problem (although I’ll certainly give it my best shot!).

    Posted by Broadjam on Feb 17, 2010 in Craig Anderton Mastering Blog

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    RECENT COMMENTS …
    • Craig:

      Yes… and thank you.

      N

      Mar 10, 2010/2:33 pm
    • Thanks for the reply Craig! About the MP3 question, can I upload an AIF file? The instructions stated my song needs to be uploaded to my broadjam account before ordering the service and I think they only accept mp3 uploads? Or will I be uploading the AIF file when I submit through the mastering ordering process?

      Regarding the stereo bus, should I build my mix with the some of the processing I mentioned and then remove them before the bounce, like you described to Protilius?

      Thanks for your help. I’m going to be sending you a track soon to try out the service!

      Mar 4, 2010/6:00 pm
    • Protilius - Not sure I understand your question fully, but as a mastering engineer, I would have no problem with a mix whose peaks sit at -10dB peak (see comment to Troy about the -6dB peak). A little breathing room is good, and I can always make it as hot as the client wants it. (By the way, a side note: I’ve been pleasantly surprised that with most mastering jobs that have come in through Broadjam, the clients want the best possible sound rather than win the loudness wars. I make the music as hot as possible to be “competitive” with what’s out there, but have several techniques for preserving dynamics and people seem to appreciate that. Besides, it makes the music less fatiguing to listen to, so everyone wins.)

      Before 32-bit floating-point engines, you HAD to make sure individual channels never went over 0 in a mix, because the headroom wasn’t there with 16/24-bit engines. That is no longer the case, but I still think a little headroom doesn’t hurt. I keep the master at 0 and aim for a -6dB peak when mixing, with levels set by the channel faders. I compress individual instruments only if they need; I leave the overall compression or limiting that “glues” everything together until the mastering process.

      What I do suggest to people is that they mix with a quality limiter in the stereo bus so they get a feel for what the mastered version will do to the sound, as limiting is used for most pop releases. But, before bouncing, **take out the limiter.** Your mix may sound anemic, but this allows the mastering to really do its magic, and the final results will sound fabulous.

      I’ve received some cuts with “faux mastering” (compression/EQ in the bus). This really puts limits on what I can do - better EQ, maybe some imaging. So far all clients have been pleased with the improvement, but I’m always aware it could have sounded so much better after mastering had those processors not been included.

      Does this answer your question?

      Mar 4, 2010/4:21 pm

    Broadjam hosting Launchpad

    Broadjam is proudly hosting Launchpad, a contest for high school students in our home state of Wisconsin to show us what they’ve got. We would like to invite all of our Broadjam members to help review their songs. The top-ranked song, as reviewed by YOU ALL, will advance to the final round. Click here to start reviewing.

    Here’s a little bit about Launchpad: Now in its sixth year, it has become one of the fastest growing and exciting new WSMA (Wisconsin School Music Association) programs offered to high school students. Launchpad is a statewide, alternative music competition for Wisconsin high school students who are in bands formed outside of the traditional music classroom ensembles. Launchpad and other WSMA programs help young people can discover and expand their full music potential.

    Click here to review for the kids.

    Posted by Broadjam on Feb 17, 2010 in Broadjam Blog

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    Fast Track to Fame seeks musicians

    A new, high-energy, fast-paced talent competition show called Fast Track To Fame is seeking musicians (especially fiddle, banjo, dobro, slide guitar, guitar, harmonica, and stand-up bass) and vocalists. They are not auditioning full bands due to limited set-up time for equipment and audio, so come to audition with an acoustic or simple electric set up.

    Fast Track to Fame is looking for acts with a down-home attitude and heartland appeal. The show will air on the SPEED network and will be taped at racing events. They are seeking acts that would appeal to that demographic. There will be one winner per show, and each winner gets $5,000.

    Call toll free at (877) 909-3883 or visit www.FastTrackToFame.com for complete submission info. Email us at info@FastTrackToFame.com for an audition slot or if you have any questions.

    fasttrack

    Auditions will be held in the following cities:

    Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 16

    Atlanta: Saturday, February 20

    Nashville: Saturday, February 20

    Birmingham, AL: Saturday, March 6

    Richmond: Saturday, March 20

    Phoenix: Saturday, March 27

    Dallas: Saturday April 3

    The shows will shoot at races in the following cities:

    Las Vegas: February 26 and 27

    Atlanta: March 6

    Bristol, TN: March 20

    Martinsville, VA: March 27

    Phoenix: April 9

    Fort Worth, TX: April 17

    Talladega, AL: April 24

    Richmond, VA: April 30

    Posted by Broadjam on Feb 16, 2010 in Broadjam Blog

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    RECENT COMMENTS …
    • I am working on the show and just wanted to let everyone know that we will also be seeing people in Las Vegas on Saturday at Circus Circus in Room F (first floor skyrise tower). You can email us to get an audition time so you do not have to wait as long info@fasttracktofame.com. Everyone that is selected to appear on the show gets $100 stipend.

      The show is going to be a lot of fun!
      Best of luck!!

      Feb 17, 2010/6:08 pm

    Us