The 100 Best Free and Paid Kontakt Libraries in 2023 “The true beauty of music is that it connects people. It carries a message, and we, the musicians, are the messengers.” — Roy Ayers Kontakt by Native Instruments is one of the pinnacle tools in music production. It allows you to have realistic instrument and sound recordings without hiring a full orchestra, musicians, and/or bands. The critical feature of Kontakt is the ability to host custom libraries of sounds and instruments.  Anyone can craft their own Kontakt library by sampling their favorite instruments, recording unique sou ..read more

Report: How Did John Summit Become So Popular, So Quickly? “Always remember that a bender is a marathon not a sprint, but real ones sprint marathons.” — John Summit Every now and then, an artist seems to emerge from obscurity, skyrocketing to superstardom seemingly overnight. In 2011, Skrillex appeared out of nowhere, and in 2015, a new mysterious producer named Marshmello dominated the scene. Who is the most recent artist to seemingly come out of nowhere? An artist that all of a sudden, they are everywhere. In 2023, that artist is John Summit. Within just four years, John Summit has tran ..read more

The Top 14 AI Music Creation and Production Tools “The machine does not control us. We control the machine. And it is our duty to use it wisely." - Max Tegmark With the rise of AI music generator tools, the music production landscape has been revolutionized forever. While controversial, artificial intelligence in music can turbocharge everything from song composition to mixing and mastering. This, in turn, allows us to be more creative, push boundaries and be better at our craft. Think AI's just a fad? Think again. Love it or hate, AI is part of the future of music creation. And AI music ..read more

What is Music Publishing? Defining Licensing, Placements & Syncs “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” — Pablo Picasso What is music publishing, and why is it important? The music industry can feel like a complex web that spins your head. Although it seems daunting, it’s important to understand how you can make an income from your music. Music publishing is just one crucial one. Here, you’ll learn the intricacies of music publishing, why you should care about it with your music and concepts like sync placements and licensing music. You’ll have a complete guide to ..read more

Everything You Need to Know to Sidechain in Ableton “The more you create, the more powerful you become. The more you consume, the more powerful others become.” — James Clear Want to learn how to sidechain in Ableton? This is your one-stop shop for learning everything you need to know about sidechain compression in Ableton Live. You’re about to learn what sidechain compression is, why it’s important, who sidechaining is for, and (of course) how to set up sidechain in Ableton. 50 TECHNICAL MIXING AND MASTERING TIPS "I'd buy a book full of tips like these." — some dude on Reddit Down ..read more

Hyperbits Masterclass Student Spotlight: Sam Welch “Everyone from Bricklayers to Doctors has had to learn their trade. Making music is no different. Knowledge is power.” — Sam Welch Last year, I got a message out of the blue on a random Monday from an alumni of the Hyperbits Masterclass. Not only had Sam Welch just hit one million monthly listeners on Spotify, but he had recently quit his day job and was able to do music full time as an artist, topliner, producer and engineer. He even signed with an incredible manager to help grow his career and brand. He mentioned how much the Hyperbits ..read more

Digital vs Analog Sound: Can You Tell The Difference? “We are analog beings living in a digital world.” — Neil Turok There are endless tools to help you make electronic music in 2023. Hundreds of companies make high quality plugins tailored towards any type of sound. You would think that as the technology behind VSTs continues to develop, analog gear would simply fall by the wayside. But, this just hasn’t happened. Look at the studios of today’s top-level producers: in many (or even most) cases, you’ll find some kind of analog gear. Maybe it’s a classic synth, hardware compressors and EQs ..read more

How to Create a Perfect 808 Bass: A Complete Guide “The bass is the link between harmony and rhythm. It is the foundation of a song. It is what all the other instruments stand upon, but it is rarely recognized as that.” — Victor Wooten If you’re into hip-hop and pop music, you’ve probably heard of the “808 bass” at some point. It’s generally characterized by a kick sound with a “THUMP” followed by a long sub-tail. Most people tend to sample this kick, but we’ll elevate you to another level. In this article, you’ll learn how to make an awesome-sounding 808 bass. In addition, we’ll also cov ..read more

EQ Cheat Sheets: The End All Be All Collection “Happiness is not a matter of intensity, but of balance, order, rhythm, and harmony.” — Thomas Merton Getting the balance right in your mix is hard and I bet you wish an EQ Cheat Sheet existed, right? You’re in luck! Today, we’re going to make making decisions on what to adjust on your EQ easy. There will be no more guesswork and you’ll have a nifty resource to look back on in case you hit a roadblock. In this article, you’ll learn about the frequency spectrum, when to cut/boost certain frequencies, and when you know you’ve hit that “sweet sp ..read more

The Best Chord Progression Charts to Help You Compose Better Music “There, in the chords and melodies, is everything I want to say.” — David Bowie Chord progressions are the foundation of emotion and feeling in music. These patterns of note combinations produce a plethora of emotions, ranging from happiness and hope to melancholy and sadness. Chord progressions are the backbone of the message within every song. But, it is challenging to write chord progressions. How do you narrow down which chord to start with? How do you know which one to put next? Should you make a three-chord progressi ..read more