Choose a room in your home to set up as the studio. Determine how much space you will need by deciding if you want an engineering booth, a singing booth or just a one room computer-based recording studio. Steer clear of rooms that are noisy, such as one that is by a loud air conditioning unit. Install some studio acoustics on the walls and ceiling to control reverb and the sound in the room. This type of stuff can be purchased at music stores or soundproofing stores such as SoundproofFoam.com.

Acquire equipment for your home studio. You may already have a computer for the studio, but you will likely need microphones, amplifiers, a mixing board, a desk and chair, a computer program that helps you mix and record tracks such as Cakewalk or Pro Tools, cables for connecting things together, instruments, headphones and speakers. Don’t forget the turntables, which are used in a lot of hip hop music. The most important components are a high quality microphone, a computer with a lot of RAM and a high-end sound card and a good mixing program. All of this equipment can be purchase from a music store such as Guitar Center or Sam Ash. You may also want to get a backup external hard drive to store your music files.

Hook your equipment up in the room that you have set up to be your home recording studio. Be sure to hook up the speakers to your computer even if you have headphones as hip hop music typically has a lot of bass and treble, which is hard to mix using just headphones. Run your microphones and instruments through your mixing board to the sound card for recording. For playback, run your sound card through your mixing board to your speakers.

How to Start Up a Home Studio to Record Your Own Hip-Hop Music is a post from: CC: Music

You can Save Up to 88% off during the Musicians Friend Anniversary Sale! Exp. 8/31

The sale is good on almost everything that they carry. So check it out and see if you can find a great deal on a new guitar or other instrument that you might need.

Save 88% At The Musicians Friend Anniversary Sale is a post from: CC: Music

This means that someone cannot use the recorded music without being granted usage rights.

Even though this is the law, there are sometimes instances of recorded music being used without the copyright holder granting permission.

If you know of such a copyright violation for recorded music you can report it anonymously through the Music Publishers’ Association.

The Music Publishers’ Association is a non profit music trade association that is active in copyright compliance issues.

This is how you deal with copyright infringement of your recorded music or someone else’s that you want to report to the proper place.

Use your web browser to go to the Music Publishers’ Association website at mpa.org.

Click on “Copyright Resource Center” from the main page.

Select “Forms” from the list of links on the Copyright Resource Center page.

Open the link for “Form for Reporting Copyright Violations.” The form is a PDF file that you need to print out.

Fill out the form with the details of the copyright violation. Mail the completed form to the the address listed at the top of the first page of the form.

How to Report Copyright Violations of Recorded Music is a post from: CC: Music

Or maybe have you heard a song recently that sounds like a direct ripoff of another song?

There is only one way to know for sure.

You need to check out what year the song was written.

Finding out the year a song was written is actually pretty easy.

If you have the CD, just looking in the liner notes on the CD booklet. If there are lyrics, it will have a copyright date listed.

The copyright date is the year that the song was written. The liner notes also list the songwriters.

But not all CD booklets have the lyrics with a copyright date. So, what do you do then?

Easy. You go right to the source.

There are three companies that pay songwriters royalties. As a result, all songwriters are affiliated with at least one of the three. And every song they write is listed with said company.

The companies are BMI, ASCAP and SESAC. And all of them have websites where you can look up song details.

• BMI Repertoire Search
• ASCAP ACE Title Search
• SESAC Repertory Search

You can search by song title, songwriter or performing artist. The results you get will not give the year written though. You must click on the name of the publishing company. When you do, you get contact details. Just contact the publishing company to get the year.

How To Find Out The Year Your Favorite Song Was Written is a post from: CC: Music

You can use the Windows-based Anvil Studio MIDI software to create a multi-track MIDI ringtone for your cellphone.

Anvil Studio is free to use and allows to you quickly and easily create a MIDI ringtone from an audio file you already have or completely from scratch.

Use your Internet browser to visit the website for Anvil Studio. Download and install Anvil Studio to your computer. It is free to use.

Launch Anvil Studio.

Click “File” and “Open” to open up an audio file that you want to create into a MIDI ringtone. You can also create one from scratch if you have any MIDI instruments that you can connect to your computer. Just press the “Record” button to record your instrument.

Use the “Track Name” area to select your instrument. You will need to double-click on “Instrument” to get all of the instrument options. Select your preferred instrument, such as trumpet or flute. Acoustic grand piano is the default MIDI instrument if you make no other selections. Make as many instruments as you want up to a total of eight.

Click on “Compose” from the bottom corner of your screen to get to the Composer screen. Add or change notes on the staff. You can just drag and drop the notes. If you want to select from a range of notes just click on the “Add Sounds” button. You can even set the number of beats played for each note by using the drop-down menu by “Note.”

Test your MIDI ringtone by pressing “Play.” The length of the ringtone will be displayed under “Duration” on the screen. When you like what you have you can click “File” and then “ Export MIDI Format.” For your ringtone to work on your phone select “Type 0 MIDI” as the type and click on “Export.” You will get a pop-up when it is done.

Notes – If you have a Mac, Garage Band can be used to create a MIDI ringtone.

How to Make MIDI Ringtones is a post from: CC: Music

Traktor Pro is a well know DJ software program that can be used to create your own DJ mix songs. With Traktor Pro you can pull in some songs and add a number of different effects to them.

Once you are done tweaking and adding effects in Traktor Pro you just save the mix song you have created and you can use it later.

Go to the Native Instruments website. Go to “Products” and look for Traktor Pro.

There is a demo version that you can download and install. It does not have full functionality though, so you have to purchase a full version to get all of the available functions.

Start Traktor Pro on your computer.

Use some tracks on your computer to create your own DJ mix songs by clicking on the pull down menu at the top of the screen to change your view to Browser. You will be able to select the file you want to open from the bottom part of the screen.

Locate the effects section of the screen. It is in the middle and features several knobs for the effects. You will find that you are able to do over 20 effects.

Look for the area with the three knobs labeled “GATE,” “ROT” and “LEN.” There is a drop down menu in this area where you can add in special performance effects to your DJ mix songs. This section is also where you will find your reverb and warp settings.

Look for the “Native Mix Recorder” area of your screen. Click on the “Write” button to save your new DJ mix song that you have created. You get different options for your ouput file type such as WAV and NMX. Pick your format and click on “Write” again to save the file.

Once the file is saved you will have created your very own DJ song.

How to Make Your Own DJ Songs is a post from: CC: Music

You just might be surprised.

Do you think that Jordin Sparks has sold more albums than Daughtry?

Would you place your bets on Carrie Underwood out-selling Kelly Clarkson?

What about worst album sales for an American Idol alum?

Do you think that Ruben Studdard has had the worst sales?

Or would you place your bets on Josh Gracin?

Well, here are the album sales of the American Idol alumni as of March 2009.

Best sales:

1. Kelly Clarkson – 9,836,000 albums.
2. Carrie Underwood – 9,408,000 albums.
3. Clay Aiken – 4,896,000 albums.
4. Daughtry – 4,413,000 albums.
5. Ruben Studdard – 2,487,000 albums.
6. Fantasia – 2,309,000 albums.
7. Jordin Sparks – 1,053,000 albums.
8. David Cook – 1,029,000 albums.
9. Kellie Pickler – 990,000 albums.
10. Josh Gracin – 780,000 albums.
11. Bo Bice – 735,000 albums.
12. Taylor Hicks – 719,000 albums.
13. Jennifer Hudson – 669,000 albums.
14. David Archuleta – 665,000 albums.
15. Elliott Yamin – 630,000 albums.

Worst sales:

1. Justin Guarini – 146,000 albums.
2. Diana DeGarmo – 168,000 albums.
3. Katharine McPhee – 376,000 albums.
4. Blake Lewis – 353,000 albums.

American Idol Alumni Album Sales is a post from: CC: Music

Specifically designed with smaller hands and bodies in mind, Daisy Rock guitars are crafted with a smaller build and slimmer neck that makes it easier for women and girls to finger the frets and handle the body of the guitar while playing. If you have ever picked up a Daisy Rock in the guitar store, you can feel the difference.

Getting started with your Daisy Rock guitar is a cinch, even if you’ve never held a guitar before in your life.

You can play standing, of course, but you’ll find it is easier to manage the guitar when you first start to play if you are sitting down. So, have a seat on a stool or a sofa that allows your thigh to rest parallel to the floor. Stay away from the arm of the couch and avoid chairs with arms. They’ll just get in the way.

Hold the guitar close to, or even touching, the front of your body. Pretend that you are hugging it. It should be close enough to you that it isn’t a reach to rest your elbow against the front. Hold the neck, or the long skinny part, of your Daisy Rock in your left hand and rest the body of the guitar on your right thigh. There is a curved part in the body of the guitar perfect for this. In your right hand, hold the pick firmly between your fingers. They like to go flying when you first start learning to strum a guitar.

Consider tuning your guitar before you start to play. Anything can alter a guitar’s tuning, even humidity. You may have gotten a guitar tuner with your guitar. If not, go pick one up at the music store. If the tuning is off, the chords will sound off, which makes it more difficult to learn. The tuner will show you what note you are playing and you will turn the key for the string to adjust the note until it is correct. Standard tuning should be, from the top string down, EADGBE.

Once you are all tuned up, the easiest way to begin playing guitar is to learn a few basic chords. The chords C, A, G, D and E are the major chords used in western music, and they are each fairly easy to play. You are not going to be able to start playing the most intricate parts of your favorite songs right away, but you can play along to simple songs by knowing just three or four of the major chords.

If you practice the guitar every day, you will get better, even if your first time out it seems like a hopeless venture. The more you play, the more your hands will stretch out, giving you a longer reach when you play, plus your fingertips will get conditioned to handling the guitar. Believe it or not, it will stop hurting.

Good luck!

Getting Started With Your Daisy Rock Guitar is a post from: CC: Music

Orchestras, according to the experts, have become rather similar in their sound. It’s difficult to tell one from the other. They are all full of wonderful musicians and sound very much alike.

The orchestras that made the list of Top 20 Orchestras in the World did so because there is something unique about them. Whether it is the strength of their brass section or unusual percussion arrangements, there is something that sets them apart and is instantly identifiable.

The survey says, these are the world’s top, most distinctive orchestras.

Counting down -

20. Czech Philharmonic

19. Saito Kinen Symphony Orchestra

18. Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

17. Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra

16. Leningrad Philharmonic

15. Russian National Orchestra

14. Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra

13. San Francisco Symphony

12. New York Philharmonic

11. Boston Symphony Orchestra

10. Dresden Staatskapelle

9. Budapest Festival Orchestra

8. Los Angeles Philharmonic

7. Cleveland Orchestra

6. Bavarian Radio Symphony

5. Chicago Symphony Orchestra

4. London Symphony Orchestra

3. Vienna Philharmonic

2. Berlin Philharmonic

1. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam

Top 20 Orchestras in the World is a post from: CC: Music

Record Of The Year

• Vive Ya! (Vivere)
  Andrea Bocelli dueto con Laura Pausini
  Track from: Vivere
• Bonita
  Cabas
  Track from: Amores Difíciles
• Volver A Comenzar
  Café Tacuba
  Track from: Sino
• Me Enamora
  Juanes
  Track from: La Vida… Es Un Ratico
• El Presente
  Julieta Venegas
  Track from: MTV Unplugged

Album Of The Year

• Niña De Fuego
  Buika
• Sino
  Café Tacuba
• Para Siempre
  Vicente Fernández
• Cualquier Día
  Kany García
• La Vida… Es Un Ratico
  Juanes

Song Of The Year

• El Presente
  Julieta Venegas, songwriter (Julieta Venegas)
  Track from: MTV Unplugged
• Esta Vez
  Café Tacuba, songwriters (Café Tacuba)
  Track from: Sino
• Hoy Ya Me Voy
  Kany García, songwriter (Kany García)
  Track from: Cualquier Día
• Me Enamora
  Juanes, songwriter (Juanes)
  Track from: La Vida… Es Un Ratico
• Todavía
  Aureo Baqueiro & Gian Marco, songwriters (Gian Marco)
  Track from: Desde Adentro

Nominees for the 2008 Latin Grammy Awards is a post from: CC: Music