Two Must Have Tools For The Home Studio

Today we are going to be looking at a couple FREE must have tools to help you create with limitless possibilities and finally help to slay that dragon known throughout the land as "Writer's Block".

Before we get into today's topic by way of announcement there is a new course available in the HSS Store! Our good friend MOB (aka the Minister of Badness) has put together a short, sweet, and to the point mini course on how he developed some great sounding vocals on his release Yeah, Yeah.

The course is called Modern Vocal Mixing Secrets and he will take you step by step through his process of taking a dull, boring vocal, and turning it into something memorable and full of vibe!

You'll also receive the multitracks of the song so that you can add it to your portfolio. What are you waiting for?! Head over to the course and mix along with him to better grasp the concepts of this amazing song that has already reached over 80,000 streams on Spotify!

Here's another cool part, it's FREE with a VIP Membership! In fact, if you use this link you'll get 50% off your first months membership just for being a reader!

Another big announcement is the recent collaboration between Native Instruments, iZotope, Plugin Alliance, Brainworx, and Sound Stacks! These companies have joined the new collaborative audio software supergroup known as Soundwide.

To celebrate, Plugin Alliance is giving away a Welcome Bundle valued at over $599 which includes six plugins that you can download for free. To get your free copy of the Plugin Alliance Welcome Bundle, use the coupon code JOINSOUNDWIDE at checkout. The offer ends on April 26th, 2022

Next up, in case you missed it, we've covered some amazing productions on the channel lately including the March Song Contest Winner, Herky Acuff's song 'Endless Sunshine'. This is a live mixing session just like we try and do every single month. Also, just released is another analysis video for Michael Jackson's "Beat It". Remember, if you're a VIP member you'll get access to a commercial free version of that song with an exclusive analysis portion reserved for VIP's only.

Lastly, I'd like to ask that you'd take just a brief amount of time and leave a review for the podcast or for the Facebook page if you haven't already. Be honest, what do you like, what do you dislike, I'll never know unless you tell me!

Alright, let's get into today's topic!

Question! What if there was a magic tool that would allow you to learn the various parts of a song without all the frustration of other elements getting in the way?
What if you're a teacher that would like to share with your students the specific elements of a song with clarity and unparalleled separation? Or maybe your a music producer that would love to sample certain aspects of a song?

Well all that, and a whole lot more can be accomplished with an awesome tool known as Moises!

Moises is a must have tool for those who want to practice by either playing along with the artists you love or even songs of your own. Likewise it is an awesome addition into the arsenal of a DJ, Music Producer, or anyone else that would like to separate specific tracks in a song with a high level of quality.

Aside from the obvious reasons why someone might be interested in this awesome little tool, there are also some other reasons that I've personally used it for with good results. Recently, I had a client that sent me a song that they had recorded years ago. They wanted to rerecord certain aspects of that song due to having better gear and a better understanding of how to use it which I'm happy to say they learned here.

Because the guitar and vocals were sung together, it seemed as if they would have to start from scratch, however, thanks to this handy little tool I was able to separate the guitar form the vocals and preserve the original vibe of that vocal track while allowing them to record a new acoustic guitar track seamlessly, and without any of the unwanted artifacts that I 've heard in other programs.

Moises already sounds absolutely incredible, but the y are committed to improving their algorithms as well as adding new features with a monthly update schedule. In fact, here are some of the cool features that I believe are worth mentioning.

• You can add click tracks to any song! Yes you heard me correctly, with the World's First Smart Metronome, you can generate a click that will follow any BPM variation.
• The ability to change the music playback speed without compromising the pitch. Allowing you to master every nuance of the song at your own pace.
• Although slowing things down won't change the pitch, you can still control the pitch if you'd like. No more struggling to reach higher notes during your practice or Karaoke party. Now you can quickly shift the original key to match your vocal range in any song.
• There's also an onscreen representation of the chords being played! Likewise, changing the pitch will automatically display the right chords. Making Moises a remarkable tool for anyone who sings, plays instruments, or doesn’t have a capo.
• Moises will even detect the song key, allowing you to share it with your band members and get everyone practicing in the same key before your big performance.

With all of these features at your fingertips, transposing songs, learning songs, or jamming along with songs has never been easier.

What are some ways that you'll be using it? Leave a comment on the video and share your thoughts on it. Now, if you'd like to get your hands on this there is a mobile version as well as a browser based version. Each one is great, with the desktop version having a few things that the mobile doesn't and vice versa. Here's the cool part, they both integrate seamlessly with one another! So what ever you might be doing on the road, you can pick right up where you left off in the studio!

Now, here's where it gets downright crazy, Moises is FREE!

Yes, you heard me correctly. It's FREE! Now, there is a Premium version that has a monthly payment option for some extra bells and whistles. That said, you can also opt in for a yearly payment that can save you some money by choosing that option. To put that in perspective the monthly fee is US$ 3.99, charged to your credit card monthly. The yearly fee is US$ 39.99, charged to your credit card only once a year.

I hear ya... "So, what does the premium offer give you that the FREE version doesn't?"

1. UNLIMITED uploads!
Upload more! Go unlimited!
2. FOREVER file storage!
Keep your files stored in the cloud!
3. EXCLUSIVE PIANO / KEYBOARD
Premium users can extract more instruments. Add piano/keyboard extraction!
4. EXTENDED files up to 20 minutes!
Process files up to 20 minutes duration (track separation).
5. FASTER processing
No more waiting to get your file processed. Premium users have priority.
6. EXPORT your mix
Premium unlocks the ability to mix your song in the cloud and export the file.
7. MASTERING with more quality!
Premium users can download WAV mastering.

If you're interested in investing in yourself by signing up for the premium plan, or you just want to try out the FREE version, click this link to check it out.

Now, for the next FREE tool that should be on your radar!

One of the seemingly reoccurring themes that crops up in the comment section is about people asking me how to deal with writers block.

This is where today's BandLab feature steps in to save the day! Now, your inspiration is just a click away with SongStarter!

SongStarter lets you access an entire universe of unique musical possibilities in just a few clicks, and in keeping with their business model, at no cost to you. Now, for the skeptics in the room, I've already made a video here that talks all about how they're able to keep all this amazing software FREE!

So, how will SongStarter help you crush that writer's block writers block? Simply input a lyric, emoji, or if you're feelin saucy you can even roll the dice for a nice little surprise. now, with a click of that button, SongStarter will generate a variety of musical compositions that are entirely yours to keep. You can even select one of three moods for each composition before choosing which one stokes the smoldering embers of inspiration.

Once you landed on a keeper, open it up in right in your browser by using the Mix Editor and begin creating. It's notable to mention this isn’t a one-time thing – try as many times as you want to generate more unique tracks, and go wherever your creativity leads you!

What are your thoughts on this kind of technology? Do you think its cheating or some kind of taboo shortcut? Let's hear what you have to say in the comments section on the video!

Hey, by the way... did you know that BandLab (the browser based DAW) has a big brother desktop version? That's right, it's called Cakewalk by BandLab! In fact, it's been around for over 30 years and has some of the most powerful features on the planet for a FREE full fledged DAW!

Having used it in a professional capacity for over 20 years myself, I can even show you how to use it! You can either checkout the playlist with over 55 tutorials for everything from installing it to creating your first song, or if you'd like a more in depth hands on version I even have a course called The Ultimate Cakewalk Course that comes with multitracks for you to mix along with! Featured on the Pro Mix Academy and backed by Multi Platinum Engineer Warren Huart, this course is bound to get you up and running in no time with one of the most powerful and FREE DAW's on the market!

So the next time you get into a creative jam, hop on over to the SongStarter and start getting inspired, or whip out Moises and create that banger remix you've been wanting to!

What's awesome is, whether you choose to use the convenient mobile and browser based versions of these apps, or the desktop versions, all of your projects will sync up flawlessly for instant recall of whatever creative state you were in previously.