the YellYo.com Blog: Archives

I recently saw a musician play at a local venue and I was very impressed.  To help keep the performer anonymous in this article, let’s call him “Jim.”  Jim’s solo acoustic performance was captivating and carried an energy that could be felt by all in the venue.  The songs all sounded like they belonged in movie soundtracks or at the end of an episode of Scrubs or Gray’s Anatomy.  I talked with Jim after his performance and found out that he is planning on signing with an indie label here in town.  Unaware that there was any notable indie label in our area, I inquired more and was informed that it is actually a local recording studio that is partnered with a local indie label. (more…)

I don’t know about all you, but I cringe to think back to some of the band shots I’ve been a part of.  Cheesy?  Yes.  Lame?  Also yes.  Over-dramatic?  Yes again.  Been there, done that.  But as we get older, we (hopefully) learn from our earlier naiveté and (hopefully) try more effective approaches.  (more…)

Every band knows (or should know) that a press kit is necessary for booking quality shows, approaching radio stations for airplay, contacting record labels, attempting to get an endorsement or sponsorship - pretty much any business aspect your band will tackle.  However, having an effective and properly implemented press kit is critical to getting noticed.  Otherwise, your press kit may land in the trash can before being seriously considered. (more…)

Too many bands out there like to brag that their sound is completely unique and that they don’t sound like any other band out there.  WARNING: BUBBLE BURSTING ALERT.  The chances are very unlikely that this is true with most bands.  We are all a product of our influences.  True, there are exceptions to the rule and there are bands out there that are very hard to classify or categorize.  But they are also products of their influences and chances are that they were influenced by musicians who were similarly difficult to file under one specific genre or sound.  Thus, they are still an evolution and probably have many elements of their sound that reflect those influences. (more…)

Start Out Small
Don’t reach too far when beginning to book regional gigs.  The overhead (gas, lodging, food, etc.) for long-distance shows and the time spent on the road with your bandmates could prove to be a fatal blow to the happiness and motivation of the group as a whole.  Try to target areas that are within a 100-mile radius of your hometown when starting out.  This allows you the option to return home the same night of the show, even if it means getting home at four in the morning, thus eliminating the need for a hotel room and keeping more of the money from the gig in the band’s pocket.  Another benefit of targeting areas closer to you is the bleed-over of the fan base.  (more…)

From the title, you may think that I am referring sarcastically to the ever-growing population of those on MySpace or Facebook who are sending bands messages guaranteeing exposure, radio play, etc. for a “small fee”.  Not true.  We’ll save that for another article titled, “Everyone is NOT a Promoter.” What I am discussing is the ease of promoting your band through means of your current fans, friends and family.  After all, they’re the ones who probably believe in what you’re doing the most.  So why not utilize them?  (more…)

With RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) making headlines lately, suing single mothers, college students, and even dead people for file sharing and illegal music downloads, we need to start asking the question: Who are they really protecting?  Not the artist, that’s for sure.  In fact, many major label artists are speaking out against RIAA, arguing that these lawsuits are no more than a means to help keep dying labels afloat in an ever-changing industry.  Wouldn’t their time be better spent working on a more up-to-date business model that embraces file downloads (i.e., iTunes)?  Of course, we’re talking common sense.  And being a lobbyist organization, they aren’t allowed to use any. (more…)

There’s a reason for the old saying about mixing business with pleasure. We all want to trust our friends and family, but one afternoon of watching court shows on TV will prove that mothers sue sons, friends sue friends, brothers sue sisters, etc…all indicative that trust in those close to us should not be assumed. As with a common stranger off the street, trust should always be earned.  Bands are no different. (more…)

With advances in technology and the subsequent lower prices associated with recording equipment/software, many of us have moved into the realm of home recording. However, owning the latest and greatest software and equipment does not qualify us as professional engineers by any stretch of the imagination. When I first started doing home recording, I could get great sounds coming in using only a mediocre setup. But when attempting to engineer and produce the songs, I had a hard time getting the instruments to properly separate in the mix, sometimes resulting in one or more tracks becoming virtually inaudible. My first inclination when this happened would be to increase the volume on those inaudible tracks. However, this resulted in tracks that were previously fine now getting buried in the mix. Eventually, everything was inched up more and more until the final result sounded like muddy noise. This is the Clash of the Frequencies. (more…)

When recording vocals in a home studio, it’s often frustrating when attempting to eliminate excessive room ambience or the noise of electronics used for processing the sound into your computer or multi-track recorder. This tends to be more problematic when recording vocals since the general volume of the voice isn’t loud enough to cancel out bad room sounds or equipment noise. At least with a guitar amp, you can crank it up and drown out most of the problems.

Vocal booths or professional studio rooms are the ideal solution. But the bulkiness and high price of adding a standalone vocal booth to your home studio make it less appealing as an option. However, there is a way to recreate the feeling of a vocal booth or studio room with minimal cost and effort. I call it the Magic Box, since the difference it can make feels like just that: magic.

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