Here is a list of my top five sites for selling royalty free music and sound effects. This is just my personal opinion based on my own experience. However, there are many other great sites out there that I have not even used, so if there's one you really like, let us know in the comments!
1. AudioJungle
2. Pond5
3. Productiontrax
4. MotionElements Stock Footage
5. Music Revolution
Saturday, April 18, 2015
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Nektar Impact LX25 Review
The Impact LX25 is a compact MIDI keyboard controller made by Nektar. I bought it a while ago and have been using it a lot, so I wanted to write a quick review about it in case anyone is looking for a new MIDI keyboard.
First of all, the Impact LX25 is pretty easy to set up. The instructions in the manual are thorough and it’s not a super complicated device. The keyboard easily connects to your computer through a USB cord. It has a 25-note keyboard with velocity sensitive keys and 8 velocity sensitive pads for playing drums. The pads can also be programmed to different keys on the keyboard with just a few simple steps to be played as a MIDI note or to trigger loops. The keys aren't amazing but they're not terrible either. You could definitely find better, but considering the price of the Impact, I am fine with the keys. The Impact also has a pitch bend wheel and a modulation wheel for extra musical expression.
One of the most intriguing features of this keyboard is that it has pre-mapped integration with many of the most popular DAW's like Cubase, Studio One, Logic, Sonar, and others. This makes things very convenient when you are using the keyboard to make music! I use the Impact with Studio One and I like having so many controls on the keyboard so that I don’t always have to click controls on my computer. There are buttons on the Impact for play, record, stop, undo, and more. There are also knobs that allow you to control gain levels and edit instruments.
There are even more controls and features that I haven’t used yet or even discovered. My overall impression of the Impact LX25 so far is that it’s a great portable keyboard for an affordable price. While there are many more expensive MIDI keyboards out there that provide even more features and quality, I recommend this keyboard for musicians who don't have a huge budget or just want something affordable for their home studio. It's also ideal for musicians who travel a lot and want something that is easy to carry around. That is one of the main reasons I bought it, and I have already used it multiple times while travelling.
You can find the Impact on Amazon for $99.99. If you get this keyboard, I would also recommend getting the Nektar NP-2 Universal Sustain Pedal. It's an excellent pedal for only $19.99.
If you want a bigger keyboard, the Nektar Impact also comes in a few bigger sizes:
First of all, the Impact LX25 is pretty easy to set up. The instructions in the manual are thorough and it’s not a super complicated device. The keyboard easily connects to your computer through a USB cord. It has a 25-note keyboard with velocity sensitive keys and 8 velocity sensitive pads for playing drums. The pads can also be programmed to different keys on the keyboard with just a few simple steps to be played as a MIDI note or to trigger loops. The keys aren't amazing but they're not terrible either. You could definitely find better, but considering the price of the Impact, I am fine with the keys. The Impact also has a pitch bend wheel and a modulation wheel for extra musical expression.One of the most intriguing features of this keyboard is that it has pre-mapped integration with many of the most popular DAW's like Cubase, Studio One, Logic, Sonar, and others. This makes things very convenient when you are using the keyboard to make music! I use the Impact with Studio One and I like having so many controls on the keyboard so that I don’t always have to click controls on my computer. There are buttons on the Impact for play, record, stop, undo, and more. There are also knobs that allow you to control gain levels and edit instruments.
There are even more controls and features that I haven’t used yet or even discovered. My overall impression of the Impact LX25 so far is that it’s a great portable keyboard for an affordable price. While there are many more expensive MIDI keyboards out there that provide even more features and quality, I recommend this keyboard for musicians who don't have a huge budget or just want something affordable for their home studio. It's also ideal for musicians who travel a lot and want something that is easy to carry around. That is one of the main reasons I bought it, and I have already used it multiple times while travelling.
You can find the Impact on Amazon for $99.99. If you get this keyboard, I would also recommend getting the Nektar NP-2 Universal Sustain Pedal. It's an excellent pedal for only $19.99.
If you want a bigger keyboard, the Nektar Impact also comes in a few bigger sizes:
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Making the Tunes is on Facebook!
I created a Facebook page for my blog! Please check it out and "like" it if you want to get updates when I post on my blog- Making the Tunes Facebook
Friday, March 6, 2015
Beginner's Guide to Making Royalty Free Music
You may have heard the term "royalty free music" before, and maybe you're wondering what exactly it means. If you are a musician who's interested in learning about royalty free music, this post is for you.
When music is sold as royalty free music, it usually means that a person pays a one-time fee to download the track, and then they can use it in their projects, films, videos, commercials, etc., without paying royalties every time the song is used. Different websites have different licensing terms for what exactly the song can be used for, but that's the basic gist of it.
Royalty free music is a great way to make some money with your songs. There are many sites that you can upload your music to, and I've given an overview of those sites in another one of my blog posts. But for this article, I'd like to talk about making the music.
Depending on what kind of music you want to produce, there are different ways to go about it. Most of my music is made using just a MIDI keyboard and Digital Audio Workstation on my computer. For instruments, I use Garritan Instant Orchestra, which is a virtual orchestra that allows me to make realistic sounding recordings without using any real instruments. There are also many other virtual instruments you can find to make your songs.
You may choose to use real instruments if you have access to the proper instruments and recording equipment. However, if you want to make film music or any genre that requires extensive instrumentation, a virtual orchestra may be the best choice for you. It will allow you to make songs quickly and it won't cost you anything once you've purchased the software. You may not need to purchase any VST instruments if your production software comes with instruments, however, getting a high quality virtual orchestra really helps for making film music.
So you may be wondering what kind of music sells best on royalty free websites. Generally the corporate genre seems to be the most popular. Think of the music you would hear on a commercial. It's usually happy and upbeat, and that's what many people need for their projects. Motivational music is another great seller, as many people use it for videos. I think intense film music is another good genre for royalty free music. There's plenty of people looking for that kind of music for their films.
Even if those aren't your styles, you can still make money with other genres like rock, electronic, pop, etc. Buyers are looking for all sorts of music.
The most important thing is to create the music you enjoy. If you already compose piano music, start with some piano tracks! If you make electronic music, try selling that! The main goal is to make good music. All genres of music can sell, so don't worry about trying to switch genres simply because you think you will sell more with a different genre.
Keep your music simple. Most royalty free music is used as background music, so you want it to be appealing, but not so complex that it will take over the production.
When you've finished a song, the next step is uploading it to the websites! If you want to learn about where you can sell your music online, read this post- Make Money With Your Music- Royalty Free Music.
When music is sold as royalty free music, it usually means that a person pays a one-time fee to download the track, and then they can use it in their projects, films, videos, commercials, etc., without paying royalties every time the song is used. Different websites have different licensing terms for what exactly the song can be used for, but that's the basic gist of it.
Royalty free music is a great way to make some money with your songs. There are many sites that you can upload your music to, and I've given an overview of those sites in another one of my blog posts. But for this article, I'd like to talk about making the music.
Depending on what kind of music you want to produce, there are different ways to go about it. Most of my music is made using just a MIDI keyboard and Digital Audio Workstation on my computer. For instruments, I use Garritan Instant Orchestra, which is a virtual orchestra that allows me to make realistic sounding recordings without using any real instruments. There are also many other virtual instruments you can find to make your songs.
You may choose to use real instruments if you have access to the proper instruments and recording equipment. However, if you want to make film music or any genre that requires extensive instrumentation, a virtual orchestra may be the best choice for you. It will allow you to make songs quickly and it won't cost you anything once you've purchased the software. You may not need to purchase any VST instruments if your production software comes with instruments, however, getting a high quality virtual orchestra really helps for making film music.
So you may be wondering what kind of music sells best on royalty free websites. Generally the corporate genre seems to be the most popular. Think of the music you would hear on a commercial. It's usually happy and upbeat, and that's what many people need for their projects. Motivational music is another great seller, as many people use it for videos. I think intense film music is another good genre for royalty free music. There's plenty of people looking for that kind of music for their films.
Even if those aren't your styles, you can still make money with other genres like rock, electronic, pop, etc. Buyers are looking for all sorts of music.
The most important thing is to create the music you enjoy. If you already compose piano music, start with some piano tracks! If you make electronic music, try selling that! The main goal is to make good music. All genres of music can sell, so don't worry about trying to switch genres simply because you think you will sell more with a different genre.
Keep your music simple. Most royalty free music is used as background music, so you want it to be appealing, but not so complex that it will take over the production.
When you've finished a song, the next step is uploading it to the websites! If you want to learn about where you can sell your music online, read this post- Make Money With Your Music- Royalty Free Music.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015
Using Two Screens to Increase Productivity
Up until this point I have been using my laptop with Studio One to produce most of my music. It's worked for me but I wanted a setup that would help my production process move along more smoothly.So I went out and bought a cheap monitor to connect to my laptop so that I would have two screens to work with. Already I can tell this was a good choice. I have my main DAW screen on the monitor (because it's bigger than my laptop), and then on my laptop screen I have the mixer or track editor in full screen mode.
This setup accomplishes a couple of different things. It's nice to have the mixer on a second screen so that it doesn't get in the way of things on the main screen. Now I can just leave it up there the whole time and if I need to make a quick adjustment on one of the tracks I can do it immediately since I already have the mixer up.
Having the full screen mixer in Studio One allows me to see all of the effects that are assigned to each track. I no longer have to expand anything to see which effects are on each particular track.The two screen setup is great with Studio One. If you want to try it out, you can find plenty of affordable monitors on Amazon. It's really easy to set up and definitely worth a try.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Just Upgraded my PreSonus Studio One
For a while now I have been using Studio One Artist to make most of my music. PreSonus has four levels for the Studio One software- Free, Artist, Producer, and Professional. The Artist edition has worked well so far, but there are some awesome features that are only available in the Professional version.
Yesterday I took advantage of a sale at Sweetwater and upgraded my Studio One to the Professional edition. I was able to get it for $179.97, which is an amazing deal! (The upgrade would usually cost around $300). I've had just a little time to use it so far and I can already tell it was worth upgrading!
Here are a few features that I received by upgrading to Studio One Professional:
-VST plug-in support- I can now add other plug-ins and virtual instruments to use in Studio One.
-More Effect Plug-ins Included- Upgrading the software added some sweet new plug-ins for mastering.
-Mastering Suite- Automatic mix updating, CD burning, digital release, export to SoundCloud, and more.
-Integrated Melodyne Pitch Correction
-Export/Import MP3's
-QuickTime Video Player
Studio One Professional gives you everything you need to produce music. I recommend you take a look at this software if you're looking for a DAW that will allow you to do everything from recording to releasing the finished product!
Yesterday I took advantage of a sale at Sweetwater and upgraded my Studio One to the Professional edition. I was able to get it for $179.97, which is an amazing deal! (The upgrade would usually cost around $300). I've had just a little time to use it so far and I can already tell it was worth upgrading!
Here are a few features that I received by upgrading to Studio One Professional:
-VST plug-in support- I can now add other plug-ins and virtual instruments to use in Studio One.
-More Effect Plug-ins Included- Upgrading the software added some sweet new plug-ins for mastering.
-Mastering Suite- Automatic mix updating, CD burning, digital release, export to SoundCloud, and more.
-Integrated Melodyne Pitch Correction
-Export/Import MP3's
-QuickTime Video Player
Studio One Professional gives you everything you need to produce music. I recommend you take a look at this software if you're looking for a DAW that will allow you to do everything from recording to releasing the finished product!
Saturday, February 7, 2015
The Guitar Doorbell
For all you guitar players out there!
This guitar doorbell strums a chord every time the door is opened or closed. It's a fully playable guitar and it comes with the hardware to mount it above your door. Click here to learn more!
This guitar doorbell strums a chord every time the door is opened or closed. It's a fully playable guitar and it comes with the hardware to mount it above your door. Click here to learn more!
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