ARTICLES WRITTEN BY SIRMA

“Sometimes, things don’t feel real… But then, I’m on a call with you right now, so it is.”

That’s one of the first sentences Karina Magallon says in our interview. She’s fully dressed up, prepared to take the stage when she shows up for our video call. Even her purple eyeshadow, signifying the colour palette of her upcoming album, Island Night pt.2, due late this summer, carries thought and intention. When she steps into her own universe, woven with Latin R&B songs sung in Spanish and English, she embraces her artist persona inside and out.

Choirs sound rich and dense because they contain many unique voices. Each voice brings subtle differences in timbre, timing, and pitch. That’s why layering take after take from a single vocalist always misses the realism of a true choir.

Some traditional software instruments offer choir presets that can fill out the background of a mix. But try inputting lyrics or shaping the style, and they quickly hit their limits.

Enter Dreamtonics’ new Choir Voice Collections for Synthesizer V, a pack of three ensembles supporting multiple languages and genres from classical to gospel.

Thanks to AI vocal transformers and synthesizers, you no longer have to limit yourself to a single voice. In fact, experimenting with different vocal characters can enrich your creative process.

With tools like Vocoflex and Synthesizer V Studio 2 Pro, you can change male vocals to female and push the sonic boundaries of gender. Here’s a guide to help you start reimagining lead vocals, build layered harmonies, and explore new timbres with AI.

Roland Cloud instruments are so popular and varied that the audio effects in the collection can be easily overlooked. Between the iconic RE-201 Space Echo, ZENOLOGY’s multi-FX, and BOSS Effects Pedals, you have all the tools you need to supercharge your vocal production. Here’s how you can shape the tone with EQ, control the dynamics with compression, and build the ambience with chorus, reverb, and delay using plugins you already have.  

Shopping for loved ones is rarely as straightforward as you hope. You’re busy wrapping up the year at work as the holidays rapidly approach. Suddenly, you’re days away from Christmas without a single gift idea for that one singer-songwriter in your life.

Luckily, you’ve found a sensible guide that narrows down your options. From music creation apps and tools to voice-friendly stocking stuffers, we’ve compiled the essentials that any singer-songwriter will be grateful for.

Who doesn’t love a free plugin on Black Friday? In addition to its Cyber Weekend sale, Waves releases a new, secret plugin each year. This year, it’s giving away an addition to its Magma series: StressBox.

Producers already familiar with Waves’ product range might liken Magma StressBox’s workflow to the OneKnob series. But unlike OneKnob Pressure or OneKnob Pumper, StressBox packs two functions into its one knob.

Recording rich vocal stacks often takes hours to get right. There’s a thin line between utter chaos and a majestic wall of sound. Multiple layers, perfectly aligned and tuned, must coexist harmoniously. It’s not an easy task to accomplish single-handedly.

Many vocal producers turn to traditional processors in times like these, such as vocoders, harmonizers, and formant shifters. But none capture the timbre and natural expression of a human voice quite like Dreamtonics’ Vocoflex. With it, you can transform your voice into a vast variety of virtual background singers. Here’s how.

Broadway is one of New York City’s most iconic attractions, powered by instrumentalists, singers, actors, and dancers. Cast members who take to one of its 41 stages endure a rigorous audition and training process. As for the instrumentalists, the journey to the orchestra pit can be unpredictable. Step behind the curtain as seven accomplished musicians share how they made it to Broadway. 

Whether you’re working on intimate folk vocals or creating ambient soundscapes out of your voice, you can’t season your mixes without it. You might have your go-to reverb plugins for synth pads and snare drums, but when it comes to vocals, one size doesn’t always fit all.

At rush hour on a Tuesday evening, I walked through the buzzing Manhattan streets to enter a quiet room at Sony’s Battery Studios for a private session. I sat in the chair in the middle of the room, surrounded by 14 Genelec loudspeakers and two subwoofers, as the audio engineers placed the tiniest microphones I’ve ever seen into my ears.

Have you been spending hours searching for samples and synth presets to inspire your next track? Getting creative with a single sound source can help you break the cycle.

You can grab a phone-recorded vocal today and produce a full track with it. Here’s how.

Getting into music production as a songwriter can be overwhelming. How can anyone avoid getting distracted with so many software instruments, audio FX, and samples to choose from? In times like these, it’s helpful to work with constraints. Let us guide you through making your first demo using only Roland Cloud and a DAW of your choosing.   

Not everyone has access to a piano or guitar when inspiration strikes. And, while singing or humming fleeting melodic ideas into your phone while walking down the street is helpful, it’ll only get you so far.

What if you could record your ideas into an instrumental-builder app instead? Using Splice Mic, you can capture and expand your musical sparks wherever you are.

For many musicians, the greatest challenge is being brave enough to venture out of their comfort zone. Most songwriters begin by forming melodic and lyrical ideas over simple chord progressions. As they develop and gain experience, their compositions may grow more complex, adding harmony and other elements. In addition, experimenting with various genres, tempos, and textures can push creative boundaries.  

Composing music for visual media can be daunting for those new to the format. After all, film scores are a complex realm where technology meets classical music. Some beginners may be formally trained but still new to working with software. Others might be proficient DAW users but lack the experience of a traditional orchestrator. To demystify the inner workings of scoring to picture, we spoke with eight experienced composers. Their unique paths to success offer valuable strategies for newcomers and veterans alike.  

TikTok is arguably the most influential music discovery tool today. Billboard even has a designated Top 50 chart tracking the platform’s most popular sounds. While many of its entries represent contemporary musical obsessions, there are the occasional outliers from decades past. Sometimes, an old record finds a new fandom thanks to a viral video. Alternatively, a TV show placement crosses over to social media and spreads like wildfire. Revived hits like Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” confirm that musical nostalgia is on the rise. 

Playing piano provides the backbone of a solid musical foundation. Some musicians fall in love with performing, while others utilize the piano as a compositional tool. Studying with a piano can accelerate your education in harmony, sight-reading, and ear training. But, with so many acoustic and digital options, how do you find the right match for your needs? We’re here to help you plan and jump-start your piano journey.

Our enjoyment of music creation and practice is inherently linked to our surroundings. This is especially the case with the piano, a beautiful instrument that can make us feel instantly comfortable in a space. When purchasing a piano, there are many choices to make in terms of sound and feel. However, it’s also important to consider how the instrument interacts with your environment. There’s a world of possibilities to make your home piano area a welcoming spot you look forward to visiting.  

Behind each Roland sample pack and factory preset, there’s a sound designer creating, curating, and polishing their work. These collections cover genres from across the world and the music producers who make them contribute their distinctive voices and styles. Artists Alin Dimitriu, Saint Ezekiel, Lightfoot, and Ski Beatz reveal the challenges and rewards of sample pack creation. Along the way, these four creators provide tips for aspiring producers who want to join the sample pack.

Rotterdam-based producer Moods aka Nick Lubbersen has pursued music for 18 passion-filled years. With 100 million streams and counting, he’s one of the most exciting electronica artists out there. While in the past Lubbersen tended to favor a stripped-down studio approach, on his latest release, Music Ruined My Life, he changed it up. This time, he fused his tasteful sound design with a full live band. Lubbersen breaks down the intricate layers from three of the album’s many gems: “Ecstasy,” “Push Pull,” and “Return to 4Ever.” 

Delay is one of the most common audio effects used by music producers, artists, and mixing engineers alike. Delay differs from reverb by the simple fact that it generates echoes as opposed to reverberations in a virtual space. This is why, in most cases, syncing delay effects to the tempo of the track is generally preferred. But delay can be used in a myriad of ways to fatten up your mix project, add dimension to your sounds, and even create unique, evolving soundscapes.

The New Zealand-born singer, songwriter, and producer, Kimbra, is an artist who achieved global recognition early on in the beginnings of her career. As the featured vocalist on Gotye’s instant classic, “Somebody That I Used to Know,” she won two Grammy awards in 2013. Since then, Kimbra has evolved and blossomed as an artist, pushing the boundaries of pop music with each project she embarked on.

Technology plays a big part in music education today and is more accessible than ever before. With so many music creation applications, parents can convince kids to make music from an early age. Let’s look at some of the app choices available and the reasons for introducing your child to this approach. But how do you strike the right balance between traditional music education and utilizing technology as a learning tool? 

In most modern pop productions, vocals are the centerpiece. For any vocal take, the goal is to not only make them sound polished, but also engaging all the way through. That’s why vocals always take a lot of work to get them to the finish line especially when it comes to songs with busy arrangements. To make your vocals stand out the creative use of vocal effects is crucial.

There are all kinds of royalty-free sample and loop packs these days. Anyone can use them in their records and make money off them without worrying about any legal complications. One can even buy a beat, top line and release it without owing the beat maker a penny more than what they’ve already paid. That's how Lil Nas X got his start, and now, buying and selling beats is becoming more commonly accepted in the industry.

So many artists that have found success with a signature style are content to stick with a formula. The enormous effort it takes to break into the industry leaves many at the top unwilling to take risks. But there are certain pop visionaries who can’t help but reinvent themselves—and their craft.

While there is much debate about the future of TikTok in the U.S., the app continues to attract pop stars and indie artists alike. As social media platforms are increasingly saturated, TikTok offers a wellspring of opportunity. For now, anyone has the chance to go viral on the app without spending a dime. All it takes is attention-grabbing content, strategic hashtags, and a little luck. 

We’ve gotten used to seeing viral videos pouring from TikTok these days. Even if you’re not on the app, you can’t escape them. 

With remote positions on the rise, so many people are considering working and living abroad these days.

Some people are in need for a change of pace and scenery, while others consider the financial and cultural advantages that might come with such an experience.

Since I’m an international artist working in the US with an artist visa, I got curious: how do other music centric countries handle cases like mine?

Several US work visas have been put on hold due to the pandemic. But O-1b, which is more commonly known as the "Artist Visa”, is not one of them. The immigration office classifies the O-1 visa beneficiaries as, "Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievement”. As such, this particular visa does not only apply to musicians, but also athletes, scientists, visual artists, directors and even educators. Especially the O-1b visa, which is the best suited option for international musicians, is quite competitive. 

With the swift advancement of technology, rise of digital platforms and music distribution services like TuneCore supporting independent artists around the world, it’s easier than it’s ever been to make your music accessible to the masses. Nowadays it’s becoming more and more common to come across artists who not only produce, but also mix and master their own material.

Toplining is a popular songwriting technique. It’s common practice especially in the world of pop, hip hop and electronic dance music. But a topliner is slightly different from a traditional songwriter. In topline songwriting, the creation of the melody and lyrics is based on beats. In fact, sometimes it’s based on fully fleshed out productions. In this article I’ll explain everything you need to know about toplining, how it works and why you should consider it as a songwriter.

There are tons of free plugins out there. In fact, there are so many that it can be downright overwhelming to find the true gems while looking through hundreds of options. That being said, some free audio effects are so invaluable that they’ll make great additions to any producer’s library. In this guide, I’ve listed some of my favorites that no paid software can replace for me. I use them all the time- and so should you!

When you hit a writers block, shifting your creative focus can be immensely helpful.

Can’t seem to find the words? Play around with some chord progressions.

Struggling to put your melodies in context? Perhaps some loops can help you get in the mood. Even if you’re a traditional songwriter who prefers composing with an acoustic instrument, you can benefit from learning basic arranging skills in a user friendly Digital Audio Workstation (DAW).

A vocal chain is essentially a chain of effects you process your vocals with. Some of these are inserted directly on the audio channel strip while others are placed on return channels which you send the vocals to.

Therefore, a vocal chain usually implies a combination of direct and parallel processing. While many DAWs come with templates and presets designed for vocals, finding the right combination of effects takes some trial and error.

Everyone is on Zoom nowadays. From webinars to happy hours, Zoom has become the hot spot for not just business meetings, but also collaborations and social calls.

But did you know that Zoom is one of the best options out there for music lessons, co-write sessions and live shows as well?

While the sound quality of a live stream will never be lossless in the foreseeable future, Zoom’s computer audio share feature stands out among its competitors. 

I had the opportunity to host a vocal production workshop at this year’s Sónar Istanbul festival. In the workshop, I was asked to discuss and demonstrate the strategies I’ve developed over the years to process my vocals. From recording to editing and mixing, I shared my step-by-step approach. I even gave a few examples from my Logic sessions. I also did five 15-minute-long, one-on-one mentorship sessions with the first five people who signed up. Something special caught my attention during the mentorship sessions.

Collaborations can be a lot of fun, but they can also be quite tricky. At the beginning of our careers, we may be willing to take any and every opportunity in order to grow, but as we move up, determining which projects are worth our time gets harder. If you’re not just a songwriter who prefers to stay out of the spotlight, making toplining a side hustle can be a bit of a balancing act. Do you collaborate with producers as a featured artist, or do you co-write and then hand the song over to another singer? 

If you’re a musical artist who runs their career without a team, you probably feel a little stressed every time a new release cycle comes around. With social media rapidly taking over our lives, the visual representation of our work as musicians has never been more important than it is today. From elaborate preview videos for each release to flyers for show announcements, we have to create consistently alluring content for our fans.

When you’ve been in the music industry long enough, you get used to hearing certain terms after a while. And I’m not talking about the kind of timeless terms that have been determined by musicologists, but the ones that have been coined only recently by musicians who felt the need to do so in order to communicate better with each other.

For example, the whole concept of “toplining” may still be foreign to most non-musicians, but if you’re a songwriter who frequents co-writing sessions, there’s no way you haven’t heard of it before. 

We all have different skill sets, and we all battle different obstacles. Some musicians find it difficult to deal with technology; it hinders their ability to be creative in the recording process. Others are capable of producing radio-ready instrumental tracks because working in a DAW, like Logic Pro, is a completely native experience to them, but struggle to fit vocals in.

As a singer who records and produces her own vocals, I’ve been through that lengthy process of “learning by doing.” After years of hitting record without a plan for my session, the mistakes I’ve made over time have led me to develop some systematic techniques that allow me to dive in more quickly and confidently every time. These solutions often save me time and headaches when I enter the mixing process, as well.