Mixtape Fridays

I started not to listen to this one.  But I was curious to see how Mr. Bentley was spending the "Diddy" money he earned; furthermore, this was his original album that was supposed to drop in 2008.  You can argue about his level of rhyme skills (he's better than I thought) but the beats on this one are banging, many sounding as if they were produced by Organized Noize (they're all in ATL- possible). With features from Cool Breeze,Slim Cutta Calhoun, Andre 3000, and Kanye West and the title track featuring UGK and Lil Wayne- this turned out to be a solid project. In the words of Mr. West:

"When everyone's rapping one way, he comes with an original style all the way from his patterns-on-beats to his fashion sensibility. What's known need not be said, but Bentley is a motherf**** star!" 

                                                        ABL Picks: 4 ,6, 8, 9,12, 16

                                                               Click Here to Listen

What to do When Someone has Poached Your Music on the Web

 So, you're surfing on the internet, run across a hip-hop site, and guess whose song they're playing: yours.  The problem is that you have rights but you haven't researched what they are. Here are some clear and concise methods to resolve the problem.

1. Contact the Poacher- let them know that it is your music.

2.Give them options: remove music, purchase music or get credit for music.

3. Try to cut a deal. You might be able to make a new fan if they are really digging your music. This can be beneficial if your music is being distributed on the net and the poacher lives in a different demographic. You could possibly have a new promoter who can assist you in upcoming gigs or selling your project.

4. If you can't get in contact with them, research the terms of service of the host site. They will have a clause on the illegal use of copyrighted material. Follow the instructions and keep pressing through your career. If you making enough noise this is bound to happen!

This information was interpreted from Vanessa Kaster, Esq. If you are serious about your music, click here to check out her blog.

The Wonderful World of DAWs (Part 1- The Basics)

As Hip-Hop production and recordings becomes more and more competitive each day, it places more emphasis on producer's and engineer's choice of equipment. As you know, every DAW manufacturer will assert that they have the best product- welcome to the free market.

However, the trick is to simply observe what niche each DAW has. I do this in various ways, but I mainly take the knowledge straight from the manufacturer, the user(s), and the vendors (Musicians Friend, Guitar Center, etc). Vendors often give invaluable information. For instance, you might hear: "Lots of people have been buying it but not a lot of rants and raves about it." These are warning signs that the program may simply be subpar. Moreover, sales representatives are trained on what the program actually does, and how it can work for you- they can assess what you need and what program will probably work the best for you.

The choices are robust and since my company specializes in assisting aspiring indie artists, we must explore the wonderful world of DAWs.  As you know, Pro-Tools is the industry standard, but let's face it: not everybody uses Pro-Tools. Some people don't like to be bound by proprietor hardware (ie M-Audio, Digidesign). Moreover, Pro-Tools real time bounce can make burning a project to disc a very lengthy process.

PropellorHead  recently unveiled Record.  This is a relatively new DAW and purports to be an all in one package (it does not take outside plug-ins just as Reason doesn't). Of course there is Cubase, Sonar, Logic, Ableton, Audition...the list goes on and on.

In part 2 we will dive deeper into the wonderful world of DAWs. Indeed, this will be a recurring theme. Finally, I advise young engineers to find the program that works the best for them- do not compromise. You want a program that allows you to record swiftly without stifling ideas that are often popping out the woodworks during a session. In post-production, common tools such as eq's, effects, creating busses and panning should be very simple, as this is the "bread and butter" of mixing. Before you purchase your next DAW, ask yourself what will enable me to become a better engineer? What features allows me to expand my creativity? Write these factors down, and go shopping looking for those traits. And by gosh, don't be afraid to ask for a demonstration! At the end of the night, switching to a new DAW after years in is like teaching a baby how to walk again! Make the initial choice be your best one!