Everything you need to know about mixing music, the mixing process, mixing techniques and mixing engineers in one place.
Go to Mixing Blog —Everything you need to know about the saxophone — saxophone step-by-step guides, fingerings, scales, how-to articles and common FAQs — in one place
Go to Saxophone Blog —Everything you need to know about the trumpet — trumpet step-by-step guides, fingerings, scales, how-to articles and common FAQs — in one place
Go to Trumpet Blog —No marketing spiel. No fluff. Only the actionable music production stuff we share with our subscribers. Hit the button to join our mailing list.
Everything you need to know about mixing music, the mixing process, mixing techniques and mixing engineers in one place.
Go to Mixing Blog —Do hardware synths sound better than soft synths/VSTs? This article highlights the differences between hardware and soft synths so you can make up your mind depending on what is most important to you.
Read full article —How do you design a synth sound? How do you use a synthesizer? This article introduces synth programming fundamentals and how to design with a synthesizer
Read full article —What does a music producer do, actually? In the last few decades a lot has changed in the studio, this article looks at the role of a music/record producer in music today
Read full article —If you're just getting started in music production, you're probably wondering what a DAW is, this guide is what you need.
Read full article —What is a Mix Bus? What do you put in it? What is Bus Routing and what is the Master Bus? This is an easy topic, let's answer these question w/out needlessly complicating things.
Read full article —You'll have a pretty good idea of what a sequencer is, and how it works after this article, and you'll be able to use any sequencer, pretty much.
Read full article —If you're just getting started in music production, you're probably wondering what a VST plugin is and how you use it, this guide is what you need.
Read full article —What is an arpeggiator in music? How do arpeggiators work? Here's the answer to those questions a brief look of how the arpeggiator in the Ableton Live works.
Read full article —This article introduces and explains the concept of audio compression in music production--what audio compressors are and how they work.
Read full article —This article introduces the concept of equalization in music production, and explains what EQs are, how they work and why we use them in audio processing
Read full article —What is Lo-Fi hip hop? Why is Lo-Fi so popular? Is it just chill hip hop with depressing looping anime gifs and VHS overlay?
Read full article —This article introduces the art and science of mastering in music production with a little history for context
Read full article —This article introduces the concepts of mixing, frequency and balance as used in music production
Read full article —What is music production? This step-by-step guide shows you the entire process of making music, whether you're working from a home studio or you've booked some time at a professional mixing and mastering studio
Read full article —What is reverb in music? What is delay? This article looks at the two most common echo effects in music production— reverb vs delay
Read full article —This article looks at when and how pros use use audio compression on individual instruments and the mix bus.
Read full article —Everything you need to know about the saxophone — saxophone step-by-step guides, fingerings, scales, how-to articles and common FAQs — in one place
Go to Saxophone Blog —The problem with multiphonics for saxophone is that there are way too many fingerings. Here's a list of 5 easy-to-remember fingerings.
Read full article —Here's how much a tenor, alto, baritone, soprano, contrabass and subcontrabass weigh?
Read full article —How much is a saxophone? How much does a good beginner saxophone cost? Here's everything you need to know.
Read full article —Here's the 4-step process to smearing, sliding or bending notes on the saxophone. Rather than tell you how to place your tongue, jaw, etc. this guide uses a simple saxophone voicing to show you how to bend notes. The results are amazing!
Read full article —How to Choose Saxophone Reed Strength: The Definitive Guide
Read full article —Here's how to clean an old, tarnished or new saxophone step-by-step, so that you can care for and maintain your saxophone properly. Beginners and music teachers who teach beginners will find this very useful.
Read full article —Here's how to properly clean a saxophone or clarinet mouthpiece step-by-step, how often you should clean your mouthpieces, how to remove stubborn calcium carbonate deposits on your mouthpiece, and how to disinfect your mouthpieces.
Read full article —Here's how to fix a broken cork on your saxophone by step-by-step by yourself with just a few cheap supplies. You'll end up with a freshly recorked saxophone that'll perform reliably for years, and look elegant in the case, after only takes a few minutes and some practice.
Read full article —This guide shows you how to fix sticky saxophone pads and keys. The G-sharp key tends to be the key that gets sticky the most. Here are three best methods to unstick it (or two, really, because the first one builds up significant residue).
Read full article —Here's the 4-step formula to getting a dirty, vicious growl on saxophone. Growling is one of those techniques that adds a fair bit of color to your playing, and it pretty easy to do once you get the hang of it.
Read full article —Here's how to make natural shellac sticks for saxophone repair, on your own using dewaxed shellac flakes you can get at your local supplies store. This is a really simple step-by-step DIY guide that will save you at least a few bucks on your next instrument repair.
Read full article —Here's how to play and improvise blues saxophone, the 12 bar blues saxophone format, the note-by-note blues scale guide for the saxophone, and a blues saxophone improvisation exercise.
Read full article —Everyone's always asking for altissimo fingerings. But the truth is, it's not the fingerings that you need, it's the altissimo exercises and a good mastery of the basics that you need. Here's how to play altissimo on tenor and alto saxophone.
Read full article —Just about every great saxophone player, down through the history of time, incorporates fall offs as a natural part of their musical vocabulary. Here's the proper technique you need to play a fantastic sounding fall on the saxophone.
Read full article —The high g is probably one of the most difficult notes to play on the altissimo range of the saxophone. Here's how to play high G on alto, tenor saxophone.
Read full article —Who says you need to read music to play the saxophone? Here's the complete A-Z guide to saxophone fingering charts with everything you'll ever need to read and play saxophone notes without knowing music theory first.
Read full article —Imagine you could play anything you hear on your saxophone. Anything at all, from memory. Wouldn't that be amazing? Well, that's why you need ear training. This is one of the most important skills you can develop as a saxophone player.
Read full article —Who says you need to read music to play the saxophone? Here's the complete A-Z guide to saxophone fingering charts with everything you'll ever need to read and play saxophone notes without knowing music theory first.
Read full article —How to Play the Saxophone Notes (Part 1): How to Play the Saxophone Chromatic Scale
Read full article —Here's how to practice your saxophone quietly in your apartment, in hotels or at home, so you can get the most out of your practice sessions without driving your neighbors insane.
Read full article —Pad work is not easy to do well. If you are wondering 'What's the recipe for long-lasting pad work?', here's how to replace saxophone pads the right way, step-by-step, completely by yourself.
Read full article —How to Slap Tongue Saxophone Without Breaking Your Reed (or Hurting Yourself)
Read full article —This saxophone reed storage guide shows you how to store your cane reeds to prevent reed warping, the insane squeaking that comes with a warped reed, and mold and mildew that comes from storing reeds in very high humidity.
Read full article —Here's how to tune a saxophone to Concert A using either a chromatic tuner, or a piano, a brief explanation of how embouchure and temperature (yes, temperature) affects pitch, and subsequently, your saxophone tuning.
Read full article —How to use saxophone leak test light for sax repair, what a saxophone leak light is and how to do a saxophone leak light test
Read full article —Is the saxophone a woodwind or a brass instrument?
Read full article —Is it hard to learn to play the saxophone? Is it harder than, say guitar or piano? Can you self learn the saxophone completely on your own without a tutor? This article answers those three saxophone learning questions.
Read full article —Here's what every jazz chord symbol means and a complete jazz chord symbol chart. This guide is from the perspective of a saxophone, trumpet , or any single note player, as opposed to something like a guitar or piano which can play multiple notes at a time.
Read full article —This guide gives you the exact how-to blueprint for improvisation on the saxophone that accomplished improvising musicians use all the time. Anyone can use no matter what their level on the saxophone is. There is simply no reason that anybody shouldn't improvise right from day one.
Read full article —Here's the ultimate guide with everything you need to know about saxophone ligatures — the real reason you need a good ligature, 7 things you must look for in a ligature, 2 annoying defects with saxophone ligatures, how much saxophone ligature costs, and 3 tips for good ligature placement for saxophone and clarinet.
Read full article —Saxophone Major Scales: Full Range Note-by-note Fingering Charts
Read full article —Saxophone Minor Scales: Full Range Note-by-note Fingering Charts
Read full article —Here's the safest, inexpensive, most reliable method of properly cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting your constantly wet saxophone reeds to keep away mold, mildew, bacteria and other gunky stuff that commonly plague saxophonists causing diseases and infections.
Read full article —If your reeds are squeaking, sound muffled or are breathy airy or spitty, your problem will almost certainly be bad saxophone reed placement. Here's how to put a reed on a saxophone mouthpiece the right way to solve each of these problems.
Read full article —Every saxophone player knows the feeling of opening a new box of reeds only to find that just a few of them play well. Here's how to break in new saxophone reeds, stop your reeds from sucking and save a few bad reeds in the process.
Read full article —There's a lot of moving parts and terrible information out there about saxophone tonguing from both professional saxophone players and professional teachers. Here's how to tongue faster on saxophone the right way.
Read full article —Here's why notes played on the saxophone will sound different from notes of the same name played on a piano, guitar, flute, and sometimes even clarinet and trumpet. There's everything from a transposition explanation guide and a transposition chart.
Read full article —Saxophone vibrato is a simple technique that takes a lot of practice. It provides a very rich and pleasant listening experience, especially on long notes. Here are the techniques how to vibrato on any saxophone.
Read full article —Wondering why your tenor or alto sax won't play low notes—why everything below C doesn't work? Here's are how to check what the problem is and how to fix it.
Read full article —If you are wondering 'What are some common mistakes beginner saxophone players make?', here they are. Are you making these mistakes? Here's how to identify and stop or avoid making them entirely to fast-track your learning.
Read full article —The 10 Greatest Baritone Saxophonists of All Time
Read full article —Here's how to improve your saxophone tone, sound, or resonance in just 20 minutes. The exercises in these 10+ hacks will make your sound to go through the roof, dramatically.
Read full article —To understand why there are no saxophones in the orchestra, here's a brief history of Adolphe Sax's invention — the saxophone — complete with its protagonist and antagonists.
Read full article —Here's everything you need to know about the C Melody saxophone.
Read full article —The saxophone family is huge with many woodwind instruments. Here are the five most common instruments in the saxophone family, and a few rare and unheard saxophones.
Read full article —You probably already know that practice is the key to getting better at playing the saxophone. But, how exactly do you do it? How do you formulate a reliable daily saxophone practice routine that brings results? You need to read this.
Read full article —This guide shows you how to circular breath on saxophone with an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide, shows you the tried-and-tested saxophone circular breathing exercise, and gives you a few tips to help you figure out how to give the impression of playing notes that last forever.
Read full article —Wondering how to blow into a saxophone mouthpiece? Here's everything you need to know about proper saxophone embouchure placement technique in one comprehensive A-Z guide.
Read full article —Which saxophone is best for a beginner? Which is easiest to learn—alto or tenor sax? Why is the alto saxophone considered a beginner saxophone?
Read full article —Cheap Saxophone vs Expensive: What is the Difference Between a Cheap and Expensive Saxophone?
Read full article —Everything you need to know about the trumpet — trumpet step-by-step guides, fingerings, scales, how-to articles and common FAQs — in one place
Go to Trumpet Blog —Cornet vs. Trumpet: The detailed comparison
Read full article —Here's the definitive guide to double tonguing on the trumpet, trombone and other brasswinds. If you already know to single tongue on the trumpet, double tonguing is the quickest way to double your tempo with half the effort.
Read full article —Here's how to assemble your trumpet straight out of the case step-by-step. There is a labeled trumpet diagram, and there's also a little information about how your trumpet works.
Read full article —Brass tarnished easily. Here's a simple 10-step DIY guide to deep clean your tarnished trumpet on a very fixed budget. So you no longer need to take it to the music store for a chemical flush or ultranosic clean.
Read full article —Here's how to do lip trills and shakes on the trumpet. You need to be comfortabele with lip slurs and have a good ability to play high notes on the trumpet to play lip trills and shakes.
Read full article —Flutter tounging is one of the best techniques you can use to get better control of your airflow, especially for beginners, and improve efficiency on the horn. Here's the ultimate how to flutter tongue on the trumpet guide.
Read full article —How to get a clear sound on trumpet (5 actionable tips). Adding these actionable tips to your daily practice will set you on the right path if you're struggling to improve your tone on the trumpet, fast.
Read full article —Here are the two step-by-step methods you need to get your trumpet's main tuning slide or valve slides unstuck, all by yourself without damaging your trumpet — there are a few precautions you need to observe.
Read full article —Here's how to hold the trumpet with the correct left and position, right hand position, and posture, and without uneccesary tension.
Read full article —How to oil the rotary valves on any rotary valve instrument.
Read full article —Here's how to oil trumpet valves in 7 easy-to-follow steps. Too much oil and your valves will be sluggish, too little oil and your valves will stick. Here's all you need to make sure your valves move quickly and smoothly up and down.
Read full article —Here are my 5 best tips for fingering the trumpet faster. These are the same tips I use in my playing to quickly build up tempo and play new pieces faster — and they work. Try them!
Read full article —Here are the three tips you need to play high notes on the trumpet, and a simple exercise to test how much the tips are coming together to make the higher register more accessible for you.
Read full article —Here how classical articulation differs from jazz articulation, and how to play jazz trumpet, whether you're coming from a classical music background, or whether jazz is the first thing you've touched.
Read full article —Here's everything you need to know about mouthpiece buzzing for trumpet. Learn why you should mouthpiece buzz as a trumpeter, how to mouthpiece buzz (with 2 exercises) and the 5 awesome protips of mouthpiece buzzing.
Read full article —Here's how to play pedal tones on the trumpet the right way, without the ridiculous buzzing, a few benefits of playing pedal tones on the trumpet.
Read full article —Playing high notes on the saxophone should be easy, if done right. Here's the technique you need to play high notes on trumpet. If you follow through and use this technique, playing high notes on your trumpet will be as easy as playing the middle and lower registers.
Read full article —How to relieve neck, throat tension when playing the trumpet
Read full article —Here's how to remove a stuck trumpet mouthpiece (or any brass mouthpiece). There's two methods, one without a mouthpiece puller and with one of two types of mouthpiece pullers.
Read full article —How to trumpet vibrato (technique guide), the types of vibrato and a few vibrato exercises to get you going on the trumpet.
Read full article —To tune a trumpet, you either use the tuning slides, alternate fingerings or you adjust your trumpet embouchure. This guide shows you how and when to use each of these trumpet tuning methods.
Read full article —Here's the definitive everything-you-need-to-know guide to lip buzzing for trumpet. Learn what is lip buzzing, why you should lip buzz as a trumpeter, how to lip buzz (step-by-step exercise) and the benefits of lip buzzing.
Read full article —Here's everything you need to know about mouthpiece buzzing for trumpet. Learn why you should mouthpiece buzz as a trumpeter, how to mouthpiece buzz (with 2 exercises) and the 5 awesome protips of mouthpiece buzzing.
Read full article —This guide compares rotary valve trumpets and piston valve trumpets highlighting the difference between them. Most common instruments, such as trumpets, french horns, even tubas have both rotary valve and piston valve variations. Here's everything you need to know about both.
Read full article —Here's everything you need to know about single tonguing on the trumpet, trombone and other brasswinds.
Read full article —In this guide, we look at both the pros and cons of renting a trumpet and instrument ownership.
Read full article —Top 5 trumpet embouchure problems (and how to fix bad trumpet embouchure)
Read full article —Here's how to oil trumpet valves in 7 easy-to-follow. Too much oil and your valves will be sluggish, too little oil and your valves will stick. Here's how to do it properly.
Read full article —Trumpet fingering chart arranged note-by-note and valve-by-valve. A complete guide with a completely FREE downloadable PDF chart and PNG chart.
Read full article —If you are wondering which is harder to learn, trumpet or saxophone, read this. If you are a complete beginner to both saxophone and trumpet, here are a few differences you might want to keep in mind while deciding which to start with.
Read full article —Here's the complete list of trumpet sound effects. You'll find these effects written in big band charts, but they can also be used in improvised solos.
Read full article —Here are the two step-by-step methods you need to get your trumpet's main tuning slide or valve slides unstuck, all by yourself without damaging your trumpet — there are a few precautions you need to observe.
Read full article —Here's how each of the three trumpet valves work, the various combinations of the trumpet chromatic scale, and transposed chart of trumpet fingerings.
Read full article —
