First, I would like to thank my colleague, Anton Berrios for his input on my blogs. He’s a real friend who knows the struggle of getting situated in this industry. Give him a look on his YouTube site: X-CESSIVE BEATS. I’m certain that he has something you like, and if not, leave him a message and he’ll get back to you. Understand that he lives in Puerto Rico, and the time is different from where you are.

Now, I would like to talk about work flow, and what I mean about work flow, I’m actually speaking about time management. It is very important to you and the artist to be able to get through a session, smoothly. That means, you as an engineer should have everything ready before the client gets there, because you are on their time, and time is money. Because it’s your studio, there shouldn’t be a problem with work flow, unless you are that person who waits til the last minute to prepare. And if you are, then no one wants to work with you. Always have a smooth routine for getting things accomplished before, during, and after a session. Once you’ve set the vibe in the session, keep it going, with periodic breaks (if that is what the artist wants). Unless the artist brings additional persons to the session, the fewer the distractions are, the better. Have everything set so that when the client gets there, you can get started right away. There should not be anyone in the studio making negative comments about whatever is going on in the studio. If they are not with the artist, they shouldn’t be there. Also, unless the artist asks for your input, there is nothing for you to say or do, but record. And I’m not saying that you shouldn’t assist, but if you are not the manager, allow them to flow in the manner that is comfortable to them. You are there to record the artist, and if asked, mix and master (which are two additional jobs and they need to be clarified before recording). Overall, make the session an enjoyable experience for the artist and you.

A demo is a song or group of songs recorded for limited circulation or reference use rather than for general public release. Why are you using a demo like it’s an EP ? You are suppose to use a demo when you want potential producers to hear the talent you possess, or you want interested consumers to know that you have a project coming out. A demo is short for demonstration. So, you show people what you can do, but you leave them wanting more. I’m sorry, but some of us have got this totally wrong. If you want to put out an EP, then put out an EP, but if it’s a demo, then that’s what it is, a demo. Take some notes from #X-CESSIVEBEATS Anton Berrios. He has some serious demos.

Relationships, solid relationships lead to a wide variety of valuable relationships and acquaintances to call upon when your project needs that special something that only they can deliver. There’s nothing wrong with collaborating with other talent. We all need assistance along the way up. And when you get there, remember who helped you and do someone else the same favor.  That’s how you grow a solid network. Also, on this Memorial Day, I want to thank all of the veterans and military men and women, for #collaborating together to keep us safe around the world. Now that’s a #solidrelationship.

Ok, I was just having a conversation with one of my engineer friends, and he asked me a great question. He said,”Look, beats I’m putting out are 2016 I have many, many more on the way. But I feel I shouldn’t just put them to waste. Now should I just put out the best or all and let people decide. Should I try to keep an image and just put out the ones I feel are bangers. Quality or quantity, but what’s quality, the sound, the arrangement or the vibe? Should I try to please these kids that want the same thing they’ve heard or switch it a little and put my touch. Seems as if it doesn’t sound like a song they’ve heard it’s wack”. (X-CESSIVE BEATS)

What I said to him was, “What I would do is put out some of everything. A little of what they hear most of the time, and some of the ones with your special touch. If they are paying attention, they will notice the other quality sounds”.

Look, I understand if you want to let people know that you have mad beats, but if they are trying to do something with their songs, they should not want to sound like someone else. Originality is keen, and if you sound like everyone else, you can’t define yourself as being unique.

Anton, what you are doing as an engineer is creating sounds that are unique and original. It’s not your fault that this generation is cookie cutter. Continue to create the way you feel the music is coming to you. Eventually, artists who are serious about their sound will come around. I already know what you can produce, it’s their loss if they can’t.

How important is it for you to warm-up your vocals before performing? Even if you have a voice like #Beyonce, vocal warm-ups are a necessity. Put it this way, your voice is your instrument, and if you don’t keep it in good condition, it can fail to perform for you in special moments. Take the time to prepare your instrument (voice) before you use it. Make it a routine everyday to exercise your vocal chords and you will be able to perform at optimal level. Warm-ups help to reduce vocal injury much like when an athlete warms up before a race. Also, after a performance, take a few moments to cool down your vocal chords. Remember, they are muscles that contract and release, too.

This is your bread and butter, and you’ve got to get it right or you don’t get paid. This is why artists trust you as and engineer. You’re prepared for your sessions and so is the talent. First takes are rare, but they are possible when you prepare. By the way, don’t expect them to happen all the time, but they are nice.

How important is mic positioning? Very. In order to get the best out of your recording or performance, where you position your mics is a very important practice for an engineer. Mic placement defines the type of sound you may want and what you want your audience to experience from a listening perspective. How you position your mics is not the same for every engineer or musician, but you should think first, what does the artist want and how will it sound when it is performed or recorded? Take the time to get it right, the results are intensely considerable.

It’s not because you dred this day. You just know that the work week has begun, and you’re still catching up with last week. This would be a good time to better manage your projects and chase away those Monday blues.

A low–pass filter (LPF) is a filter that passes signals with a frequency lower than a selected cutoff frequency and attenuates signals with frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency.

A high–pass filter’s task is just the opposite of a low–pass filter: to offer easy passage of a high-frequency signal and difficult passage to a low-frequency signal.

In a nutshell, these filters help you to clean up your mixes by removing frequencies that are not being used by instruments of high or low frequency signals.

Accidentals, not accidents, is what I’m talking about. Everybody has experienced accidents, but in music, an accidental is a note of a pitch (or pitch class) that is not a member of the scale or mode indicated by the most recently applied key signature. In musical notation, the sharp (♯), flat (♭), and natural (♮) symbols, among others, mark such notes—and those symbols are also called accidentals. So, accidentals are a purposeful use in creating music. Accidents occur when you don’t plan on something, whether good or bad.