Crazy Daisy Productions

08/05/2023

Your room and how you set it up are critically important parts of creating an optimal music mixing space. This post on Soundfly by Crazy Daisy Productions lead engineer Erik Veach explains some of the reasons why you should be just as concerned about how you design and arrange your room as you are about the speakers you place inside it.

When setting up a mixing space, how can you get optimal acoustic results with speaker positioning and room design? Here's how.

03/03/2023

Ever wondered what a filter sweep is and how you might utilize it in your own mixing work. Check out this recent posting on Soundfly by Crazy Daisy Productions lead engineer Erik Veach - https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/what-is-a-filter-sweep-and-how-can-i-use-it?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Learn to make use of one of the most widely used and fun to employ sound design tricks in audio production, the filter sweep!

05/12/2022

Wishing you could increase the bass in your mix, but afraid of ending up with a muddy or boomy sound? Crazy Daisy Productions lead engineer Erik Veach provides some tips in this Soundfly post - https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/how-to-get-louder-bass-and-avoid-over-compressed-muddiness?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Loud, audible, and tonally clear bass is something that always eludes modern producers. With some nifty tuning, it is possible to achieve!

17/06/2022

New Soundfly post by Crazy Daisy Productions lead engineer Erik Veach - What is a Parametric EQ? https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/what-is-a-parametric-eq?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

06/05/2022

Songwriters looking for information and inspiration will find some great resources in this post on Digital Music News - 7 of the Best Books for Musicians to Read - https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2022/02/03/best-books-for-musicians-to-read/?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Want to find direction as a musician? Books are a fantastic resource, and these are the best books for musicians to read.

29/04/2022

Helpful reminders from Soundfly in this post sharing recommendations regarding What Not To Do When Mixing Your Own Music - https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/what-not-to-do-when-mixing-your-own-music?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Engineers and producers: do you make any of these thirteen common mistakes when mixing your own music? We bet you do.

11/04/2022

Do you use Logic Pro for mixing? Learning to use keyboard shortcuts as part of your work flow can help you be more efficient and effective. New post on Soundfly by Crazy Daisy Productions lead engineer Erik Veach provides 12 Crucial Keyboard Shortcuts for Logic Pro that can save you valuable time in your mixing work - https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/12-crucial-keyboard-shortcuts-for-logic-pro-x?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Looking to improve your speed and efficiency at the mixing desk? Here are 12 keyboard shortcuts for Logic Pro to help you edit audio quicker.

08/03/2022

The 2022 NAMM Show is calling musical acts of all genres to showcase their talents during the annual trade show, held June 3-5 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Application details at - https://www.namm.org/news/press-releases/submissions-bandsnamm-now-open?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

The 2022 NAMM Show is calling musical acts of all genres to showcase their talents during the annual trade show, held June 3-5 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Called the Bands

23/02/2022

Mixing sound requires attention to detail, but it's easy to get caught up in those details and lose sight of the overall feeling of the song as a whole. Crazy Daisy Productions lead engineer Erik Veach walks us through some helpful tips on how to avoid this pitfall in this Soundfly post: Mixing For the Forest (Not the Trees) - https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/mixing-for-the-forest-not-the-trees?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

The ancient conundrum that has plagued mixing engineers since the dawn of time: focus on the details or a bird's eye view? Let's find out.

16/02/2022

NPR is now accepting entries for the 2022 Tiny Desk Contest. Simply upload a video to YouTube of yourself playing one of your songs at a desk and submit it for consideration. The winner will perform for the Tiny Desk concert in Washington, DC and headline NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest On The Road tour. Entry details at - https://tinydeskcontest.npr.org/2022/open?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Unsigned artists: Send us a video of you playing an original song (behind a desk!) and you could play your very own Tiny Desk concert.

08/02/2022

Do you ever find yourself stuck in a rut and struggling to produce new and innovative sounding tracks? Check out this Soundfly post by Crazy Daisy Productions lead engineer Erik Veach with tips on how to capture creativity in your song crafting process - https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/learning-to-inject-creativity-into-your-beat-making-like-jlin?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

An active learning experiment on taking inspiration and advice from an artist based on listening to their work. In this case, producer, Jlin.

01/02/2022

Jason Blume asks us to consider How Hard Would You Work for a Hit in this Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) Weekly article - https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/how-hard-would-you-work-for-a-hit?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

A few weeks ago, a talented writer/artist asked me to write a song with her to fill a specific niche missing from her repertoire. She wanted a lyric that would convey strength and resolve; words that would empower listeners. She hoped we would write a melody that would showcase the power…

26/01/2022

The John Lennon Songwriting Contest is is running a Love Song Contest each week until Valentine’s Day. Enter for a chance to win instruments and studio gear. Details at - https://www.jlsc.com/?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

21/01/2022

Submit your inspiring song, music video or lyric about women to the fourth annual Womens Freedom Song Contest. For submission details, plus contest and prize information visit - https://filmfreeway.com/WomensFreedomSongContest?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Welcome to the fourth year of the Womens Freedom Song Contest! We are looking for the next “Female Anthem.” Do you have an inspiring song, music video or lyr...

12/01/2022

Songwriting icon Jason Blume provides with The 3 P's of Songwriting Success in this article on The Weekly at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) - https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/the-3-ps-of-songwriting-success?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

I often tell my songwriting students that I teach tools—not rules. There are no rules in songwriting. Similarly, there is no road map that points the way to guaranteed success. But there are three things I consistently see in those who achieve their songwriting goals. Let’s look at the “3 P’...

05/01/2022

The 2022 Grammy Awards show has been postponed due to the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant of Covid-19. More details at - https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/announcement-2022-grammys-postponed?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show.

02/01/2022

Happy 2022 to everyone!

18/12/2021

Submit your holiday-themed song to the 6TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS SONGWRITING COMPETITION for a chance to win $1,000 in prizes. https://www.songwriting.net/xmas?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Have you written any Christmas or Holiday songs? You should enter the Christmas Songwriting Competition now!

14/12/2021

Creating a music video can be a critical component in your marketing plan. Learn how you can improve the visibility of your music video with this Symphonic Distribution blog post: How To Promote Your Music Video in 7 Easy Steps - https://blog.symphonicdistribution.com/2021/07/promote-music-video-7-easy-steps?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

We've put together some tips to help you promote your next music video and give it maximum exposure. Here's how to promote your music video in 7 steps...

07/12/2021

Hit songwriter Jason Blume offers more tips in this BMI post: 5 Song Rhyming Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them - https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/5-song-rhyming-pitfalls-and-how-to-avoid-them?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Few listeners would be able tell you where rhymes most often occur in songs. But after a lifetime of listening, they can sense something is wrong when the rhymes are not in the expected places. While there are no rules in songwriting, most popular songs incorporate rhymes in specific places. Let’s...

01/12/2021

Every skill takes practice to learn, perfect, and maintain. This is just as true for songwriting as with any other talent that we develop over time, as Patrick McGuire reminds us in this ReverbNation post - https://blog.reverbnation.com/2021/11/11/practice-to-become-a-better-songwriter?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

We all know that learning an instrument can take months, if not years, to do. Unfortunately, some musicians don’t see songwriting the same way.

22/11/2021

Watch the 64th GRAMMY Awards Nominations Announcement LIVE STREAMING Tuesday, November 23, 2021 at 12 PM ET / 9 AM PT. https://live.grammy.com/?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Watch the 64th Annual GRAMMY Nominations 2021 live stream on live.grammy.com from the GRAMMY Museum located in LA Live, Los Angeles, California, on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 12 PM ET/9 AM PT.

19/11/2021

Want to step up your music production game? Check out these 12 challenges to help improve your skills and take your production abilities to the next level - https://splice.com/blog/challenges-level-up-music-production-skills?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Discover 12 music production challenges that can help you learn a new skill, try something different, and push yourself in ways you haven’t before.

16/11/2021

Bobby Owsinski provides us with 6 Rules for Adding Effects to Your Mix in this ProSoundWeb post - https://www.prosoundweb.com/in-the-studio-six-rules-for-adding-effects-to-a-mix/?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

The biggest aspect of adding effects (or not) to a mix is experience, but following these guidelines can be a great place to start...

10/11/2021

Silence can be golden. This ProSoundWeb post by Chris Huff helps explain how selective muting while mixing can help you dial in your sound by removing unnecessary distractions - https://www.prosoundweb.com/silence-can-be-golden-the-many-upsides-of-selective-muting?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Mute mixing, for lack of a better phrase, enables volume problems to be fixed, EQ oddities to be corrected, and the overall mix to be improved.

03/11/2021

Award winning songwriter Jason Blume takes us through the 5 Steps to Getting a "Yes" from Music Publishers in this Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) MusicWorld post - https://www.bmi.com/news/entry/5-steps-to-getting-a-yes-from-music-publishers?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

When I find an exceptional song at one of the workshops that I teach online, I forward it to up to ten publishers, depending on the song’s genre. I emphasize to prospective students that to maintain my credibility, I must be extremely selective about the songs that I forward. Perfectly crafted,…

27/10/2021

The Singer Songwriter Summit is happening live via Zoom this Thursday, October 28th, 2021. Learn more ways to make money from your music and follow your dreams of being a self-sufficient artist. https://www.brieleemusic.com/singer-songwriter-summit?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.crazymastering.com

Make money with music by firing your boss and following your dreams! Learn from 10 music industry experts how to get more listeners, build a fan base, and streams of income for singer-songwriters!

19/10/2021

Ever wonder why you might need to create a radio edit version of your song and how to do it? Crazy Daisy Productions lead engineer Erik Veach gives us the details in this Soundfly post - https://flypaper.soundfly.com/produce/how-and-why-to-create-a-radio-edit-version-of-your-single?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Shortening, cleaning up, trimming off the intro and outro of your song; your new single might need some adjusting for top radio play.

08/10/2021

This article by Sarah Beth Perry on Soundfly can help you learn to improve your online marketing results by better defining the demographics of your fanbase - https://flypaper.soundfly.com/hustle/how-to-define-your-audience-demographics-to-better-market-to-your-fans?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

Using data and analytics, and some keen observations, can help you identify and define your audience demographics and grow your fanbase.

05/10/2021

A short primer on basic approaches and techniques for mic'ing and recording different aspects of drum kits, in this ProSoundWeb article by Daniel Keller - https://www.prosoundweb.com/in-the-studio-beats-working/?utm_source=www.crazymastering.com

A short primer on basic approaches and techniques for miking and recording several aspects of drums.