This is an interesting interview with Moby. He addresses the current state and direction of major labels, and brings up a few interesting ideas that the independent artist can benefit from exploring, like the fact that a single hit song can make up for the rest of an album being mediocre, as well as his program of giving music for free to independent filmmakers for their projects.
Video by wnycradio (http://www.youtube.com/user/wnycradio)
Hello all!
Freelance Lyrics is still seeking submissions for the Indie Artist review, as well as anyone who would like to have their music related content (tutorials, videos, articles) featured on the blog! If you’d like to have your music reviewed or have your music related content featured on the site, hit up ET@FreelanceLyrics.com !
And be sure to click Rap Coach at the top of the page to check out our new consultation service for hip hop artists.
-E.
Hello there,
Rap Coach is a new consultation service from Freelance Lyrics. Primarily, we have focused on offering affordable ghostwriting services for independent artists. Now, we will also teach up and coming hip hop artists how to hone their craft.
We know it can be difficult to sift through the wide array of available information on the web in order to glean valuable tips. That’s why Rap Coach is delivered one on one via internet messenger. It is a 30 minute or hour long session of direct critique, tips, and evaluation from one of our Rap Coach consultants. This, as many of you already know, can be a very valuable learning tool, as it is sometimes hard to receive helpful critiques via message boards and the like.
If you’re interested in getting started in the hip hop genre, or have already gotten started and need tips on recording or even just an in depth critique, our new Rap Coach consultation service is perfect for you.
Click the Rap Coach tab at the top of the page to learn more.
-E.
Here is the first Indie Artist Review. Freelance Lyrics will be accepting submissions at all times for the next Indie Artist Review. If you’ve got music you’d like reviewed and critiqued on our blog, e-mail ET@FreelanceLyrics.com .
DH – More Than Music (Download: More than Music )
Title Track – More Than Music
The Good:
The first track on the mixtape comes in with a bang. The beat is great, a nice modern pop/dance vibe with the synths and energetic drum pattern. The chorus comes in with great energy. The vocalist has a good vibe and the way the vocals are layered gives it a good amount of depth. The verses are fast, packed with a conscious vibe and a solid flow. Overall, this song has a great vibe.
The Bad:
The mixing on this is a bit off. Most likely this is simply the result of not having access to state of the art equipment and high end mixing engineers. One thing I will say, though, is that the verse vocals need turned up! It’s a bit hard to understand with as fast as it is, and with such an apparently conscious message, it would benefit from being easier to hear. The chorus sounds much better with the two vocals layered as opposed to the singer alone. One of the best pieces of advice I can give as far as polishing up a sung chorus is to LAYER! Layering will help smooth it out (if mixed properly) and hide vocal flaws. Make sure not to go overboard with effects or layering, though, because then your final product may sound a bit busy. I almost always record a sung vocal 2+ times, usually in different styles or octaves, and then layer them over each other. This will help you achieve a fuller sound with a less confident vocalist.
Overall:
This track has a GREAT energy. I definitely am digging the vibe on this, and with a bit of polishing it could be a fantastic track.
Track 5 – On and On
The Good:
This one starts out nicely. The melody of the piano is fantastic, the beat is great, and the vocals are fairly on point. This really feels more of a dance track, with the 4 on the floor bass pattern and the slightly electronic vocals. I think that this track captures a nice, positive vibe well. This time, when the rap verse comes in, it’s nicely mixed, sitting comfortably with the beat and not being over shadowed. This is another conscious type of song, with a positive message and a feel good vibe.
The Bad:
One thing I would pick out of this one is certain spots where the vocals become a bit jumbled, perhaps due to excessive reverb or delay or both. Sometimes, especially with the sung vocals, they get a bit overpowering and begin to overlap too much. This is another one that could benefit from more layering on the sung vocals to disguise the few weak spots in the recording. Another note: Don’t be afraid to PAN your background/delayed vocals! This will help spread things out a bit more and keep them from becoming too jumbled.
Overall:
Great intro, great beat, and again this song captures a really emotional, uplifting feeling. I think that this track does its job well, but still has a few flaws that can be fixed eventually with a bit more tweaking on the mixing/recording end.
Track 15 – Never Forget
The Good:
Again on his conscious vibe, DH delivers a good track here. Kind of a “here I come” track, this one moves along nicely with a good synth and piano presence complimenting the vocals. The delivery on the verses works well, moving quickly and presenting a strong feeling in its message. You can tell that this track comes from the heart.
The Bad:
Again just mixing issues, which will be present in almost any independent project. I think that the sung vocals on the hook need a bit more presence, but it does sound like they’ve been layered lightly so the hook is a bit smoother. The flow of the verses struggles a bit, mostly toward the end of the song.
Overall:
A good inspirational track with lots of emotion.
Summary:
Among its independent peers, this project shines. It has decent and consistent production, but a few mixing flaws. If you’re in to real music with a real message, DH delivers. He has something to say and does it in a way that is easy to listen to. There are a few tracks that really struggle, but mostly the flaws are things that could have easily been fixed with another recording session. Sometimes, independent projects suffer from such flaws either due to lack of funds or lack of effort. This project has a few great tracks that are almost perfect as is, and they just need a few mixing or vocal tweaks to really shine and reach their full potential. Overall, this project is good, but could be great with a few adjustments (such as making the main vocals louder, as the verses were fast and hard to understand on some tracks due to the levels.) I definitely suggest checking this project out.
This video is short and to the point, but contains a few helpful pointers for mic positioning and mic distance when recording a vocal. This information is especially helpful if you’re just starting out and have little to no experience recording a vocalist.
Video by eHow ( )
-E.
Hello all,
A while back I posted about our Indie Artist review. Basically, if you are an artist, band, or anything else that makes music, you can e-mail a link to your work to ET@FreelanceLyrics.com and we will possibly review and feature you on the blog! It’s a great opportunity for some free exposure and even valuable critique.
Also, FreelanceLyrics is always looking for more clients for our affordable Ghostwriting Services. If you’re in need of lyrics, want utmost discretion and high quality material, click on our Ghostwriting Services tab and read a little bit about what we do. Feel free to contact us for a FREE sample and quote. We’re willing to work with you based on your budget.
Keep checking back every week for helpful videos, articles, and other music news/reviews!
Thanks,
-E.
When writing a song, rhyme can be one of the most important yet difficult things to execute properly. Luckily, rhyming has been around for a very, very long time and there is somewhat of a science to rhyming.
Most people are the master of the end rhyme. Having a creative vocabulary and applying it to this device, however, is another article. In this article, I want to address poetic devices besides the typical end rhyme.
There are three main poetic devices that I want to cover in this article. The first is called Alliteration. Alliteration is the repetition of the same consonant sound at the beginning of a word. This device can be used to make a line more cohesive and make it flow better when recorded. Often, it’s easier to record faster lines when they contain alliteration.
Example: “Taking a tonic and talking till it gets toxic.”
This line reads and sounds a bit better than something similar that does not contain alliteration.
Example: “Taking a drink and speaking till it gets sickly.”
By reading these lines, you can instantly see how alliteration can add to the vibe of a line and help it stand out from other lines. As a side note, these two examples also exhibit how word choice can affect how easily a line rolls off of the tongue.
Alliteration is a simple enough concept. Many of us have already used it, read it, and know it well. Often it can arise without even trying. But when combined with the next poetic device, alliteration can begin to evolve beyond a simple device.
Consonance is the repetition of a consonant sound within a word. When combined with alliteration, it can begin to make a line even smoother.
Example: “Ramping a ramble of random sand dwelling mammals.”
Here, we begin to get a little more abstract with the application of these devices. This line contains a few different examples of consonance and alliteration both, as well as the next poetic device that we will discuss. “Ramping a ramble” employs both alliteration, in the repetition of the “r” sound. It also contains consonance, in the repetition of the “m” in the middle of each word. Going further, “random” is also tied in to “ramble” and “ramping” via alliteration. “Mammals” is tied in to “ramping” and “ramble” in the repetition of the “m” sound.
One thing I want to note is how important the “filler” words are. In this line, the filler words are “a” and “of”. These words help the line flow and do not intrude on the imagery or message of the line. These words are also often the cause of having too many syllables in a line. They can be used either to shorten the syllabic count of a line by removing them or lengthen it by adding them, since they are non intrusive and rarely interrupt the feel of a line.
Next, we move on to assonance. Assonance is the repetition of a vowel sound within words. The previous example line will suffice for this device as well.
Example: “Ramping a ramble of random sand dwelling mammals.”
Here, in addition to consonance and alliteration, assonance plays a large part in making the line smooth. “Ramping”, “ramble”, “random”, “sand”, and “mammals” are all tied together via assonance from the “a” sound.
These devices are important in song writing. As I have illustrated, when used together, they can make a line more cohesive and smoother to read and record, as well as help them sound a bit more complex.
I encourage you to go beyond this simple introductory explanation of these devices and learn more about them and how to use them.
-E.
This is a great series of videos I found on Youtube. They address the home studio, and so are very educational for those of us recording in an untreated room or a low budget set up.
Anyone recording from home should definitely check these out. Very valuable information.
This is a helpful one for those of us recording vocals, either as references or finished tracks. Compression, when used properly, can help your mixes sound much more professional.
Video by Dr77Music ( http://www.youtube.com/user/Dr77Music )
