Author: David Owczarek
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9 Tips for Better Guitarscapes
I’ve spent a few weeks now writing guitar soundscapes, or guitarscapes. I hadn’t written for this genre before, but as a lifelong guitarist, I figured it would be a good assignment. And it was, but I was greatly humbled by the task. I learned a ton and I’d love to share it. Here are some… Read more
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Yamaha HS4 Studio Monitors: Great Sound, Meh Packaging
I am one of the many people that has a very small personal studio space. It’s 14 x 14 with a closet and two windows, but the view is gorgeous. I needed small studio monitors for this room, and I took advantage of a Christmas special to get a set of Yamaha HS4s. We run… Read more
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Please Give Me the Power
This is one of those crossover stories. It’s about audio engineering, but also about reliability engineering. As an IT professional, I have worked with all kinds of electronic equipment, usually stuff that is either in or destined for a data center. And those devices all had one thing in common. Something that can be hard… Read more
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Why You Need ID3 Metadata For Your Song Files
One of the things I learned at the 2024 Taxi Road Rally was just how important song metadata is. Scott Barker and Rabina Ritchie Barker, who own and operate TrackStage, ran a session on metadata that was a great primer. I went and did my own research after that. I also appreciate that it was… Read more
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Christmas come to stay: a holiday song
Enjoy this song from Catamount Music! This song was written, arranged, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Catamount Music in our beautiful studio in western Massachusetts. It’s fall right now, but the spirit of Christmas is right around the corner. This song has an interesting history. It was originally entitled “Christmas in California” and had some… Read more
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We love this beautiful glockenspiel!
If you had asked me a few years ago if I’d be excited about buying a glockenspiel, I don’t think I would have had any kind of strong opinion. But I’ve been on the lookout for instruments like this now for a few months. A number of recent songs we’ve pitched have included a glockenspiel… Read more
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Can’t thump without my p-bass
If you have to pull the pick guard from your instrument, you are likely facing some kind of malfunction, as I did recently. This is a standard, entry level Fender P-Bass. I’ve had it for at least five years, and it’s been a reliable instrument. So I was really surprised when I picked it up… Read more