How Much Does a Song Cost to Make?

Contrary to what some might say, it no longer costs $10,000+ to produce a professional song. Affordable gear, powerful software, and the internet have all combined to create a true “revolution” in professional affordability and access for the home studio musician. Today I want to break down 3 specific scenarios of song creation (from complete DIY...

1d

MIX BREAKDOWN: “Came To Win” by Graham Cochrane & ill Factor

​Today I’m pulling back the curtain on how I mixed one of the tracks from my latest EP: The Good Life. In this full mix breakdown I show you: How to get more smack on your drum loops The vocal air mix trick How to get width on guitars using EQ Transient designer tricks on the mix buss And a lot more… If you’ve ever wanted to see under the...

2w

My Top 3 Bass Plugins

Bass guitar when mixed well should be both punchy and fat – present and full. It needs to be the foundation to your music but also cut through on small crappy speakers that can’t produce bass to save their life. So what do I reach for when it comes to breathing life into a good or just OK bass sound? Today I’m sharing with you my top 3 bass guitar...

3w

I am so proud of you

Several months after we opened up the EP Blueprint for the first time ever in January… We started seeing students release music as independent artists. From complete EPs to singles, it was so heartwarming to see the impact of the course that Grammy-nominated producer ill Factor and I had created. I want to talk about three lessons I’m reminded of...

4w

My Top 3 Drum Plugins

Drums are arguably the most important instrument in a mix. Without a killer beat or the kick and snare hitting hard enough, fat enough, or punchy enough a song will just fall apart and sound weak. So when it comes to mixing drums there are a lot of plugins and techniques that I employ. Specifically, on the plugin front, there are 3 that I’ve been...

5w

3 Things To Do When Recording Vocals

When it comes to recording vocals, it’s ultimately all about the performance. No great microphone, preamp or compressor will save a vocal recording that doesn’t have emotion and intent behind it. But how do you make sure your voice is in proper shape to deliver the best vocal performances possible? Well, I’ve brought in friend and vocalist Chris...

Jun 2020

My Top 3 Guitar Plugins

I’m a guitar player and I’ve mixed my share of guitars over the past 20+ years. What I’ve learned is that to make the guitar sit just right in the mix requires giving guitar tracks their own sonic space in the mid-range. To do this I use 3 specific plugins almost every time. And one of them (my favorite) is an underrated, never talked about plugin...

May 2020

My Top 3 Mix Buss Plugins

I’m a huge fan of top down mixing – where you put plugins on your mix buss (master fader) and mix through them. And over the years I’ve used a bunch of different plugins to help sculpt my mix in that way, but over the past year or so I’ve found myself consistently reaching for 3 plugins. One is new, one is old, and one is somewhere in between. Today...

May 2020

How To Mix Your Podcast In Garageband (and make it sound better)

Did you know I record a weekly podcast on online business and life over at GrahamCochrane.com? Well, I do – and I recently posted a video showing my super simple podcast setup and revealed I use nothing but a USB microphone and the free Garageband software. This led to a few people asking what am I doing in Garageband to make my podcast sound more...

May 2020

My Top 3 Plugins For Lead Vocals

Wanna know what I’m using on my lead vocals when I mix? While I actually have used quite a few different plugins over the years, there are 3 that have become go-to plugins for 90% of my vocal mixes. In today’s video, I show you exactly what I’m using on my lead vocals, what settings I tend to go with, and more importantly – why I’m using them. Don’t...

May 2020