Norwegian rapper Linda Vidala set fire to the Norwegian rap scene following the release of her multi-platinum single “Bængshot” in 2017, which secured her a Norwegian Grammy nomination and two P3 Gull nominations (Norwegian radio award show) for “Song of the Year” and “Live act of the Year”.
How do you use Masterchannel in your production process?
When I’ve finalized a track and received a mix I’m happy with, I upload it to Masterchannel for a final touch-up. Not only can I master my next release in a quick and easy way, but I can also master songs that I want to test with a live audience.
Do you have a production tip to share that can make your fellow creators’ lives easier?
Learn the short cuts in your preferred DAW. Create a good work flow by always naming your tracks during the production process and preferably also use colour coding. This will make your work more clear and efficient for not only yourself but also for others in the studio.
What should up and coming producers focus on to get more exposure?
Dare to be yourself and to stand out. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from your audience and to share your music with people within the industry, include them in your music journey from day one. Customize your channels based on the different listening groups you want to reach. Always make sure that your music holds the best possible quality. A good mix and master is key!
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to mastering your music?
Time. Sometimes my genre isn’t what the mastering engineer is most familiar with, which can lead to having to go several rounds back and forth. Our work hours can be very different so the mastering process can turn out to be a longer process than initially expected.
What drives you to use Masterchannel?
Time and control. With Masterchannel I can easily upload a mix and get a master back within a short time span. The revisions feature also gives me the opportunity to get different versions of a master if I’m not happy with the first version. I can skip the intermediary and get the final master ready to go within 10-15 minutes.
Masterchannel partners with Song:Expo, providing participants with premium studio-grade mastering.
This year’s version of Song:Expo will be held 17th-27th of October, with songwriters from all over the world gathering to collaborate with the goal of reaching international hitlists.
Song:Expo releases from previous years have accumulated billions of streams, multi-million physical sales, numerous top 5 hits and various chart No. 1’s, including Billboard No. 1 placements. More than 100 songs have been recorded and released with international artists such as SuperM, Red Velvet, TWICE, EXO, Super Junior, NCT, LOONA, Krishane – and the list goes on.
Masterchannel provides instant state of the art mastering for Song:Expo releases, as well as offering creators the opportunity to supply studio-level sound enhancement in earlier demo versions of their tracks.
Christian R. Schultz, CEO & Co-Founder at Masterchannel states: “Partnering up with Song:Expo allows us to support ambitious creators from the first demo to the final release, thus providing more security and less financial risk for artists working towards quality sound”
About Masterchannel
Music tech venture Masterchannel aims to democratize the music production process and help artists build sustainable careers in music, supporting them from initial idea to final release. Their first creator tool, a world-leading automated mastering service, offers premium AI mastering with studio-grade mastering results in less than ten minutes, at an affordable price and with zero-technical expertise required. Resolutions offered are Lossless, Hi-Res Lossless and Ultimate.
About Song:Expo
Song:Expo is a songwriting camp that unites creators from all over the world, with the goal to engage, inspire and educate songwriters, as well as helping songwriters, producers and artists to collaborate, expand their network and take their music to the next level, creating a sustainable business model and secure steady income streams for the future. Song:Expo consists of a Regional, National, Nordic and International Camp with a total of 100 people attending each year. In addition to songwriting, the camp also offers panel discussions, talks and Q&As with educational, current, and inspirational content. Song:Expo is organized and hosted by Tempo.
In June, Matoma & A R I Z O N A were happy to announce the winner and runner-up of the remix competition for “Heart So Big”, hosted by Masterchannel.
UK-based singer-songwriter and producer Jamie A secured the Grand Prize, winning an official remix release, a one-on-one feedback session with Matoma and 1-year Masterchannel Poweruser membership. Sweden-based electronic duo laikd were chosen as the runner-up, securing a one-on-one feedback session with Matoma and 1-year Masterchannel Poweruser membership. Big congratulations to both!
Matoma shares the rationale behind the selection of the winners: The unique sound and outstanding production was the reason the remixes were so intriguing. Jamie A’s remix showcased a unique sound that secured him a well-deserved win. laikd’s outstanding production skills didn’t go unnoticed, securing them the runner-up spot.
Jamie A is inspired by all music, past, present and future, from progressive rock to mainstream pop, Jamie’s sound is ever evolving. His distinctive vocals, creative lyrics and catchy melodies, span across every one of his productions and collaborative projects, securing him the winner spot in numerous remix competitions held by some of the biggest names in house music (Disclosure, MJ Cole), now also adding Matoma & A R I Z O N A to the list.
Using masterchannel was incredibly easy. After loading in my mix within a few clicks and a small waiting time, the track was fully mastered. It was a very efficient service I would recommend to anyone.
– Jamie A
Jamie A – Winner of the “Heart So Big” Remix competition
Jamie A shares his experience with Masterchannel:
I forced myself to learn how to master my own music. This meant I had to learn a multitude of plugins inside and out, and how a specific series of these plugins affect the sound of the mix. This was a lengthy process that, whilst of course was very valuable, was highly inefficient, taking lots of time away from the writing and production process. Masterchannel’s speed makes it perfect for anyone wanting to focus purely on production and ultimately making the best songs they can, knowing that the final mastered song will be always be a quality product. Masterchannel adds that last 10% to the song, if not more, in much the same way as traditional mastering.
Listen to the winner remix here:
After the better part of a decade of bedroom production, electronic music duo laikd started their mainstream musical journey as a way to share their love for music with people from all around the world. Blending a lot of guitars and other organic elements with groovy and powerful electronic sounds, the duo aims to make a fresh imprint on the music scene.
Our experience with Masterchannel has been really solid! We loved the fact that Masterchannel is made for “from ground-up” mastering, which means no more messing around with crazy master bus processing before sending the track to mastering. All in all, this makes Masterchannel a real time-saver that simultaneously delivers great results!
-laikd
laikd – Runner-up of the “Heart So Big” Remix competition
laikd share their experience with Masterchannel:
The biggest challenge for us producers when it comes to mastering is typically making sure the mix translates well on all playback systems. It’s really easy to get used to the studio envinronment your producing the track in and make flawed mix and mastering decisions as a result of working in a not so ideal room. Masterchannel lets us work around those physical limitations and delivers a neutral and great sounding master for all systems and places.
Masterchannel partners with London-based record label Lilly Era, providing its roster of artists with studio-grade mastering.
Masterchannel aims to democratise the music production process, offering a premium service at an affordable price. This flexibility is hugely attractive to smaller labels with limited recording budgets, and also opens up opportunities for artists to supply studio-level sound enhancement in earlier demo versions of their tracks.
Christian R. Schultz, CEO & Co-Founder at Masterchannel states:
We have previously worked with some of the artists at Lilly Era so to get the whole label with us going forward shows great signs of trust in what we deliver. This partnership is a clear example of how labels can up their game with the technology Masterchannel delivers.
About Masterchannel
Music tech venture Masterchannel aims to democratize the music production process and help artists build sustainable careers in music, supporting them from initial idea to final release. Their first creator tool, a world-leading automated mastering service, offers premium AI mastering with studio-grade mastering results in less than ten minutes, at an affordable price and with zero-technical expertise required. Resolutions offered are Lossless, Hi-Res Lossless and Ultimate.
About Lilly Era:
London-based record label Lilly Era delivers the best new music in a variety of genres. Focusing on chill house and developing the sound in the house scene, Lilly Era continues to set new standards. Within its first 2 years the independent label, distributed via The Orchard, was able to amass over 100 million streams.
This month we are rolling out the biggest update since the launch of Masterchannel: Version 2.0 of our highly praised mastering engine! Thanks to the feedback from our amazing user base and Poweruser community, we were able to implement massive improvements in all areas that make your music stand out:
Dynamics: The overall master dynamics are even more tailored to the flow of your tracks. Transients in your masters will also cut through better thanks to our new Dynamics intelligence engine.
EQing: Your masters will sound even clearer and impactful thanks to our new EQ intelligence engine.
Delivery time: We were able to cut down on the processing time of your masters for you to get your music back even quicker.
As always, we are looking forward to hearing your feedback on the latest changes and we cannot wait to hear your new music in pristine Masterchannel quality.
Norwegian duo Dag Holtan-Hartwig and Halvor Folstad have written and/or produced several hit songs for artists such as Jonas Blue, Alan Walker, Seeb, CLMD and Julie Bergan. While they mainly focus on songwriting and top lining, their combined talents enable them to both write and produce across various genres (pop, EDM & RnB). Their brand of flexible creativity resulted in the duo having five different songs in the Norwegian Top 50 chart at the same time in 2019.
Which of your tracks are you most happy with the production for and why?
Perhaps “Not Gonna Cry” by Emma Steinbakken. I mean half the reason why the production sounds great is because Emma is such an amazing singer, but it’s a record we’re super proud of nonetheless. We managed to reference a little bit of Coldplay, keep the drums dirty and the guitars gritty and at the same time make it sound like a huge pop tune. Also, Jamie Snell’s mix certainly pushed it to the next level.
Do you have a production tip to share that can make your fellow creators’ lives easier?
We should be better at this ourselves, but make sure you have all the good stuff – the sounds you love the most – handy at all times. Don’t spend your time looking for your most used sounds!
What should up and coming producers focus on to get more exposure?
This is the impossible question for all artists, musicians and producers. The one thing we can say is that you shouldn’t spend too much time on stuff. Pretend it’s finished, send it to someone and move on.
What is your biggest challenge when it comes to mastering your music?
Mastering is such a dark arts exercise. It’s so subtle and so existentially important to your music at the same time. The biggest challenge for us is to trust our own ears. I mean, your hearing differs all the time, depending on the hour of the day, how tired you are, how many beers you’ve had. But you just sort of have to believe that what you hear is real and go from there. Haha, we hope that made sense.
What drives you to use Masterchannel?
The fact that it’s super fast, super easy to use and that it produces really good results.
Masterchannel partners up with Los Angeles Academy for Artists and Music Production (LAAMP), Co-founded by production duo Mikkel Eriksen and Tor Hermansen of Stargate who holds accomplishments such as 4 Grammy awards, 10 x Billboard #1s and two-time “Songwriter of the Year” at ASCAP’s Pop Music Awards.
LAAMP offers a one-year high level Music Program with World Class mentors created for artists, songwriters and producers to refine their music production and songwriting skills.
“Each of our students create about 50 songs in our high-level one-year program. Many of these songs are released and promoted. Masterchannel is a great tool for them to get record quality mastering fast and cost effective.”
– LAAMP
By striking a partnership with a top-tier educational institution, Masterchannel aims to provide music students with the necessary tools to enhance their music production process.
Christian R. Schultz, CEO & Co-Founder at Masterchannel states: “We’re excited to be partnering up with LAAMP as they are nurturing the next generation of top talents. By enabling them with our state of the art technology, all LAAMP students can produce top quality music in a more efficient way.”
About Masterchannel:
Music tech venture Masterchannel aims to democratize the music production process and help artists build sustainable careers in music, supporting them from initial idea to final release. Their first product, a world-leading automated mastering service, offers premium AI mastering at an affordable price.
Music production is a field where you always have to adapt to a quickly changing environment. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced producer. These 10 tips will help you to improve your music production skills!
1. Don’t overcrowd your room
Be sure not to fill the space with unimportant elements that do not contribute to the context or character of the song. Be clear about which 3-4 tracks you really need for the song.
If you have vocals, they are usually the most important part of the song. Therefore, all elements should support the vocals. Remember though: these are rules and rules are there to be broken.
Do your songs sometimes feel empty? Try using vocal adlibs or chops to fill the space and put your vocals in a new light. Adlibs can really bring seasoning to a song. Remember: Too many ad libs can oversaturate the song!
Adlibs are an improvisatory vocal recording technique and refer to signature impulsive vocal effects. A good example is “Mood (feat. iann dior)” by 24kGoldn. Notice how subtle adlibs add to the overall energy towards the end of the track.
Adlibs should sound different from the main lead vocal. Make sure to process them differently and on a separate channel.
3. Repurpose elements
You can try to creatively repurpose elements that you already have. It may be a synth arp, a vocal melody phrase or a bass sound. Get creative with those elements to create sounds that are coherent with your already existing production.
Try resampling a certain part, reverse it, cut up the sample, pitch it, throw an effect on the channel and see what you get.
4. Layers and layers of the good stuff
Lacking depth and thickness in your tracks? Then try layering!
Pick one instrument (i.e. Juno synth)
Pick a complementing instrument or sound (i.e. Serum soft pad)
Send all instruments to one bus
Try applying slight compression to the bus. Notice how the compressor glues the different elements together.
Bus compression adds a sense of “glue and punch” to the mix and creates a cohesive feel between the different tracks.
5. Use references
Ever used reference tracks? If not, you should definitely give this a try. Listen to a specific element in a song you like. Compare that element to your own song and then try to improve your element.
Here is a list of examples you can reference when listening to a song:
The sound of the snare
Vocal production
Arrangement
Percussion fills
Mix
You should not reference more than two elements from the same song, otherwise you might end up copying the whole song.
6. Contrast and color your arrangements
Music lives on contrasts. Loud and soft, foreground and background, left and right, small space and big space. Create tension by changing the instrumentation in the different sections of your song. A good way to create contrast in your arrangements is to take away sounds.
Want to turn down the energy? Try removing drums and bass as a start!
Listen to “New Rules” by Dua Lipa and notice how the instrumentation changes in each section.
7. Automation as a creative tool
Automations are often what differentiate a beginner production from a professional music production. You can create a lot of interest with minimal sounds by using automations! Your songs will sound more dynamic and keep the listeners engaged.
Common elements to automate:
Gain/volume
High pass / low pass
Pan (left/right)
Dry/Wet of Delay or Reverb
Automation lines in Ableton Live 11. Utiliy Gain, Low pass filter and Dry/Wet signal of the Raum Reverb automated.
Automations can help to introduce new elements more softly or to move them into the background.
8. Collaboration
Are you collaborating frequently? If not, then this might help you a lot! When collaborating you can learn a lot about how other people work and learn their tips and tricks. Also you can expand your network within the music industry which may be beneficial for your career.
You can collaborate on various fields:
Co-producing a song together
Writing session with a topliner
Finish a song someone else started
Produce a topline from someone on TikTok
How to find collaborators you ask? You can reach out to artists or producers you like very easily these days. Here are a few platforms, you can check out to find like-minded people:
Facebook (music production groups for example)
Instagram (reels)
Discord (Producer discord servers: Kenny Beats, Ian Kirkpatrick, KREAM, …)
TikTok
Reddit
Remix Competitions
9. Check your mix in mono
As many people today listen on portable sound systems or even their phones it is important to check your mix in mono. While producing simply turn the signal into mono and route it to the left or right channel.
Also make sure to check your mix on different sound systems while producing so you understand how your music sounds outside of your known sound environment. Systems and places to check are:
Airpods / Airpods Pro
Over-ear headphones
Laptop speakers
Car
Portable speaker (JBL, Bose, Sonos, etc.)
Remember: Bass frequencies are not linear, when you turn the volume up and down. Make sure to listen to your track very quietly and see if it still has the energy you are looking for
10. Don’t overheat your bounce
Make sure to bounce your mix correctly before mastering it! Check out these 3 simple steps by Matoma to prepare your mix for mastering.
When you are happy with your mix you can upload it to Masterchannel for mastering. Get your first mastering session for free when you sign up for an account.
One (1) Entrant Grand Prize Winner will be selected by Team Matoma and Team Masterchannel. The Grand Prize Winner will receive the following.
Official remix release on Warner Music Norway / Downtown Records
Personal one-on-one digital feedback session with Matoma
1 year Masterchannel Poweruser membership*
In addition one (1) Runner Up will be selected by Team Matoma & Team Masterchannel. The Runner Up will receive the following:
Personal one-on-one digital feedback session with Matoma
1 year Masterchannel Poweruser membership*
* Poweruser membership includes free use of Mastering tool for 1 year, promotion through Masterchannels’ social media channels and early-access to new features and tools from Masterchannel.
Guidelines
The following guidelines apply:
The contest submission ends on the 27th of May, 2022 at 23:59 UTC.
Employees of Matoma, Warner Music Group, Downtown Records & Masterchannel are ineligible.
Odds of winning depend on the number of entries received, artistic and technical merit of entry judged by subjective criteria.
Purchases of Masterchannel services will not increase your chances of winning.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to support@masterchannel.ai and we will respond as soon as possible!
Terms & Conditions
The terms and conditions for this remix competition can be found here.
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