One simple trick I like to use to give mono tracks a little stereo life is to create a duplicate track, pan them opposite each other, and delay one of the tracks slightly (anywhere from 1-40 ms).  I often use this on claps and snares to widen them, and on background vocals and doubles to give a fuller sound.  I've definitely used it on 303 lines and other synths too.  (See 1:45 on the video of Innovation .)  If you are using Pro Tools, you can easily pull this off by insterting a mono/stereo delay and turning one side's mix to 0% (basically turnng the effect off on that sid...

I needed to make some dub FX for a rehearsal tonight with Uzimon so I finally put into use the software editor for the Dave Smith MoPho .  I've had this lil' one voice jammer in my setup for a few years but I never took the time (all 10 minutes) to try out using a computer to program it.  Man, I've been missing out on a lot.  Programming this thing with its 4 Assignable Parameters knobs is so limited when compared to seeing it all laid out on the screen.  I also use an old program called MPC Program Maker to ship samples to the MPC1000 and I know there is a new one called M...

What we sometimes take for granted are the depths attainable by utilizing the stereo field in a mix.  I remember in one of my first studio classes as an undergrad when someone (my man Richie Castellano of Blue Oyster Cult) commented about a sound he heard panned to the left of the mix.  No kidding, when I first got into production, I didn't even realize that there was a difference between what was coming out of two speakers!  Stereo has been in practice for decades and at that time it was a revelation for me.  In order to give space to certain elements of a mix that are in ...

It's one of the reasons Indaba is here in the first place, so this one is a no-brainer.  Collaboration pushes our limits, expands our resources, and yields amazing results.  Challenging and rewarding, I find working with other musicians to be the source of my best work.  Whether in your city, or thru the internet via Indaba, reach out and collab with someone for some very different production/performance experiences.  Below is a clip from a show I did with composer Du Yun.  Putting this show together was definitely a welcome challenge and I'm so glad I took the time to...

We had a blast in Brooklyn on Sunday making our own cables and contact mics.  I think that soldering is a most useful skill for electronic music people.  You can use it to make cables and save money.  Using the best cable (like Mogami) and connectors, you can make something for $4 that costs $25 at your local retailer.  Soldering is also useful for circuit bending and repairing equipment (another way to save cash).  Check out them goggles. Ridiculous! Next week, we're gonna work on synthesis, and in the following weeks, we're making theremins and circuit bending toys.&...

Loops are easy.  Loops are good.  However,  the one thing about loops that always bothers me is that everyone already has access to them too.  Yes, you can process them to make them your own, but I suggest you bust out the mics and record some original material. (Sorry if you've read me say this b4.  I have to stress it because it is so great.)  If you have lousy rhythm, or no percussion(ist), use the deep resources here at Indaba!  I'm working on some new house tracks with the incredibly talented Adrienne Mack-Davis and I was lucky to have my piano teacher a...

If you live in the NYC area, check out this series of workshops I'm doing this summer on DIY electronics.  The location is the artist space Vaudville Park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  We meet on Sunday afternoons to make our own cables, contact mics, theremins, and circuit bent toys that you get to take home and keep!  We'll also have a session on synthesis and sound design.  Fun!  Contact: ianm.coletti@gmail.com for more info or to register. Week 1: build your own contact mic and instrument cable ($12 parts expense) Week 2: synthesis workshop (history, types of synthes...

Hey kids.  Pardon my absence while I finished my Master's Degree (thunderous applause).  I'll be posting on a more frequent basis with tutorials and we'll be taking a trip together to the studios where I'm producing several exciting new projects. (((AIRHORN)))  It's great to be back and big props to Indaba and the new Mantis console.  Is this the future?   It's important to remember that our electronic tools are in fact instruments, and we should play them.  Whether twisting an analog knob, or automating a plug-in parameter in a DAW, record your performances and i...

Here's a quick and easy way to clean up any mix: put a Hi-Pass filter EQ on every track except the kick, bass, or any instrument that has no business having low end in them.  Starting from the bottom up, roll off any frequencies not needed.  For example, some hi hat samples have some lows and low mids that should be wiped out.  Cable noise and proximity to a microphone are two ways that many sounds can aquire some unnessacery bottom end.  Get rid of it.  Even if you can barely hear it.  I'd say as a general rule, that every track, except the real low stuff, should...

When building your beats, try working with a wide palette of source material.  A production constructed from vinyl samples, multiple synths, and things recorded with a microphone is probably going to interest the human ear more than something made with multiple instances of the same soft synth.  Samplers can record anything so test your limits by grabbing snippits from AM radio, found objects around the house, field recordings, old cassettes, etc.  When recording with a microphone, not only are you introducing acoustic elements, but you also have live playing on the track. ...