Microphone Check! Simple Studio Techniques

When setting up your mic in your home studio I would suggest using a nice condenser mic, you can get one from 100 and up. You also want to get a pop filter, this will cut out the excessive p's and b's from getting to the mic. If you can, you should also invest in a mic pre-amp. This will give a good clean sound. If not you can just use the phantom power on your mix board.


The distance your artist should be from the mic is about a fist away. You should also set a ceiling on your mix board or software. This will prevent clipping from occurring during the recording.


I would advise you not to put any effects on the microphone during recording. You can always add those afterwords, if you put a bad effect on the artist during recording and don't like it, you can't remove it!

Now if you have the budget you should create an isolation booth. This will stop all outside noise from interfering with the recording. If you can't do this, most people use anything from a bathroom to a closet to create a good recording atmosphere. Use foam padding wherever possible to reduce and echoing effect.


So all in all its pretty easy to create a professional sounding microphone with a couple simple steps. Good luck and stay tuned for more posts!

How to Survive a Freestyle Rap Battle

This will help explain the basics of freestyle, flowing, and battling.

Steps


1. Listen to previous freestyle flows and battles by great artists (e.g., rappers like Jin, Jay-Z, Milly P.aka Teja B. kim, Troy Walsh, Big L, Eminem, and any other artists that spits hardcore rap).


2. Understand the techniques those artists use to flow and battle, which will help you enhance those techniques yourself.


3. Start writing rhymes. Write down anything that comes to mind and try to rhyme it. Using your emotions is a good way to describe what you're feeling when you spit or write lyrics. Make sure you eat a hearty meal before attempting a battle.


4. Practice free-styling -- anytime, anywhere, as much as you can. Even if you run out of things to freestyle about, just continue spitting, no matter how wack you think you sound. It helps you develop better rhymes and your mind becomes more focused on what sounds good when you spit. It's like a mental workout. So always practice spitting anywhere.


5. Once you've noticed you can spit on spot (when you want to), try to spit about more specific things. Direct your raps toward things that bother you or upset you. Anything you dislike or want to talk about, try to spit about it. Once again, practice this until you feel you've got it down.


6. Start freestyle battling. The first step to freestyle battling is to practice the first 5 techniques in a battle against a friend or someone who it wouldn't matter to if you messed up. Constantly battle like that with people, especially if you can find a friend who is actually good at battling so they can teach how to improve what you lack. Again, continue to practice this until other friends you know (especially those into hip-hop music) think you're pretty good.


7. Have your first real battle against someone you at least somewhat dislike. If you can find someone who just gets you emotional or who angers you, it makes it easier to flow about them. You want to make sure when you flow about them you include 3 major things.


* Metaphors - Making comparisons with your target (the person you're battling) to something that denigrates them.


* Disses - Saying things that either make fun of them in general (e.g., how they dress, speak, spit, look, walk, talk, act, or their personality) or about them personally (e.g., the way they live, their past, their lifestyle, weaknesses about them, anything that directly goes against them in a way that makes fun of them).


* Punch-Lines - a Punch-Line basically is a bar (2 lines you spit) that incorporates a Metaphor, Dis, and/or anything else to enhance the flow directed at your opponent.


8. Don't worry if you lose your first few real battles, the point is to constantly practice spitting. Continue practicing until you've got it down. And pay attention to how other people spit whom the crowd/judges enjoy. There are many techniques to battling, but these are just the basics. 


Tips


* If someone beats you in a battle and it gets to you, practice more until you think you're really ready. Then challenge them again: if you win, you will earn a lot of respect back. It's a great feeling, and chicks or dudes will dig your system and flair.


* When you think you lost it, don't worry - just relax. The worst thing to do is freak out. Just relax and keep going. You might still ace it.


* While your opponent is rapping, think how you can come back to what he says, so you get a better punchline.


* Use humor in your rhymes, especially if your opponent is dead serious, that will make them miss up and possibly crack up. 


Warnings


* "Spit" as used in the context of this article is a synonym for rapping, not the forcible expulsion of saliva from the mouth. Please do not practice the latter kind of spitting; it does not make you look nearly as cool.


* For your own safety's sake, what goes on the battle, stays there. It's very likely that things get really heated, so be careful.

AbandonLandon collabs with ThRob UGLY on "No Love"

This is the first time that both of us have separate vocal parts instead of me just doing back ups like we did in Love Rage Comedy. Since I had so much written already I dominated the track-  AbandonLandon recorded more but in the final cut I did the two verses since I was more focused on being the rapper. We made this beat together on the Beast (YAMAHA RS7000.) This is the 2nd public track I did vocals on. You'll probably NEVER hear the first one!
Follow them on twitter: @AbandonLandon & @ThRob_UGLY

No Love Ft. AbandonLandon by ThRob UGLY

MUSIC BUSINESS 101: What EVERY "Artist" Should Know

What is ASCAP, BMI, SEASAC and/or Other?
ASCAP stands for The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) which is a not-for-profit performance rights organization that protects its members' musical copyrights by monitoring public performances of their music, whether via a broadcast or live performance, and compensating them accordingly.

What is BDS?
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections. The service, which is a subsidiary of ACNielsen provides the basis for Nielsen Media publication Billboard in the United States, while in Canada, BDS helps determine the Canadian BDS Airplay Chart and the Canadian Hot 100 chart, which is published by Jam! and in the website for Canadian Music Network, in determining their radio airplay music charts and determines the chart movement in Billboard's Hot 100 chart when combined with single sales from Nielsen SoundScan. From August 2006 to its final June 2009 publication, BDS also provided chart data for R&R after Nielsen acquired the trade. On September 10, 2009, the website Radio-Info struck a partnership with Nielsen BDS to provide radio airplay charts and related data for over 20 formats.

What is Copyright?
Copyrights are huge in the music industry.  Everywhere you turn when dealing with music you will come across different copyright laws and requirements.  That said, it is extremely important for you to know and understand what is all involved in copyrights.  You will also need to know how to obtain one to protect the music that you and your band create.  This is relatively simply and most of the forms can be found at the US Copyright Office website, www.copyright.gov

What is an EPK?
An electronic press kit (or "EPK") is a press kit equivalent in electronic form. In business, electronic press kits are more commonly referred to as online or electronic media kits. They are used to promote artists and businesses via mass media. (Must be .DOC, .PDF or similar Format)

Buy Love Rage Comedy's "Destruction Of Scully" album!

 

Many of you online may not be familiar with Love Rage Comedy-- we were a band based out of Steubenville, OH and we had originally over a million listens on Mp3.com before they shut it down. Then as they reopened all the hard work of uploading our material on there (over 20 albums.) We are forced to start all over! We are currently debating playing out here in Los Angeles. We would like to try to build a fan base so we can prove to the clubs we will be trying to play we can draw a crowd! 

The tracklist remains the same although a few samples had to be excluded but it does not infringe upon the songs quality! Its just anyone who knows this album knows it opened up with "The Pumpkin King" from "A Nightmare Before Christmas."  But I'm sure we'd of been sued, so I had to cut it. So here's the tracklist: 

01. Kevin's Gate: Leo

02. Kevin's Gate: Pisces

03. The Sky Opened Up

04. Phantom Ears

05. Beloved II

06. Ringside

07. Techno Kitty

08. Life Fixed On A Thursday

09. Funkmassa

10. Baby's Ambition

11. Breech Of Contract

12. Twisted Demon Of The South

13. Never Ending Funeral

BUY IT HERE:

LISTEN TO US:

http://www.reverbnation.com/loveragecomedy

http://www.youtube.com/loveragecomedy

http://www.myspace.com/loveragecomedy

http://www.last.fm/music/Love+Rage+Comedy

Follow us @LoveRageComedy

Thanks goes out to everyone,

from Landon & Rob.

Buy Love Rage Comedy's "Downstairs" album!

BUY IT HERE: 

All songs written by Landon Reidy & Rob Clark Jr.

Artists: Tips on Networking

One of the best skills for an artist to posses is that of networking. Networking can lead to an array of good things to come your way. Here are a few pieces of advice to keep in mind while on your next networking adventure.

Tip 1) Go see live music events. This is a great way to interact with people involved in the music industry. Big concerts, small club nights, thousand-seat venues, and small coffee shops. Anywhere with live music shows is good. You'll meet the bands, the production crews, band management and marketing teams, etc. Trust me, go to the music.

Tip 2) Always remember to follow up. Within a week of receiving a business card or contact info for a new industry contact, send them an email just as a reminder of meeting you. Be sure to mention anything specific said in your debut conversation with them to refresh their memory a bit. Keep it short and simple, just a quick hello. Don't try to sell them on anything right away. Establish the relationship.

Tip 3) Identify what you want to accomplish and determine who you really need to network with to help you achieve the wanted success. If you are wanting to tour, then try to network with local booking agents and show promoters. If you are wanting to create a buzz around your upcoming album, then network with publicists and radio promoters.

Tip 4) Never turn down an opportunity. And by opportunity, I mean the chance to increase your clout, if even by a small amount. If possible try to attend all events you are asked to attend if only as a favor to a new industry contact. This means personal appearances, live performances, or maybe even guest judging a contest. Any chance you get to increase your clout in the music world, take it. Until you can afford not to...

Tip 5) Try not to piss anyone off, at least nothing too serious that could last a long time. You never know what opportunities you could miss just because you were a hard a** to people on nights that weren't going your way.

Love Rage Comedy Collabs with The Woody Wood Sound "Childrens Dub"

Hails from Youngstown, OH. This the second time we collabed (was while I was in Love Rage Comedy.) The first track was titled "Evil All Over" (vocals under Sirius Thots) then the second was "Children's Dub" (The song below) which was an instrumental he produced (under The Woody Wood Sound) with AbandonLandon on guitars and then with myself laying down a heavy bassline. As well as James Suggs on trumpet.

Children’s Dub