Cornerstone in Bushnell Ill. Afterhours. Tastyfresh.com Generator Statge. It is almost that time again boys and girls. Cornerstone is getting closer and closer and I am getting more and more excited. I was unable to attend last year since I had just returned from the UK, but I heard so many good stories I resolved to go in the next few years. Hopefully I will be able to sort things out and make it out there. I am so excited. This month we have an update on Afterhours, both good and bad. You will have to read to find out…

It’s May. In less than two months, we’ll be in Bushnell, Il again throwing down at the Cornerstone Music Festival. A lot has happened since last year and a lot has remained the same. Over all we’re in both a stronger and weaker position this year over last. Last year was our first year running the EDM stage at the festival. We’ve been planning the event since several days before we wrapped up the last one. We should have it all together, but figuratively speaking, fate has dealt us another hand and we have had to make some changes to our plans.

Long, long ago I started a series of articles for TastyFresh on sampling.  I promised a piece on one-shots, a piece on loops and a final installment on multisampling.  I'm here to finally make good on part III.

Multisampling is when more than one digital recording (AKA "sample") is used to create a virtual instrument.  Typically, these samples are assigned to different MIDI notes and or note velocities (how loud or soft the note is).  If it is that simple, why did I call multisampling the Blernsball of electronic production when I mentioned it in part 1 of this series?  After all, Blernsball (the fictional game in Futurama) is deliberately incomprehensible.  While everything involved in creating a multisampled instrument does, in fact, make sense the process and software involved can appear impenetrably complex.

Starting this month, we will be working through several articles on Traktor. We will be going through some advanced techniques, but we wanted to set down some groundwork first. This month I will be doing a walkthrough on creating and saving Beatgrids, Cue Points, and Loop Markers in Traktor. For more information on these topics, purchase the Traktor Tutorial DVD from Native Instruments.

You may be a beginning producer or a seasoned veteran, but there are days when mixing a project can be a challenge.  Overtime you have probably learned why some engineers are getting paid thousands of dollars to mix records and various program materials.  There is a lot of talk of ITB (In the box) or OTB (Out of the box) mixing these days.  OTB is using a console or possibly a summing mixer, while ITB is using a computer and your favorite software package.  You can achieve good results with either approach, but most studios still choose consoles, because of the character and depth you can achieve.  Creating the right environment and being aware of your room’s character will help you increase the quality of your mixes.

Dance music and Christianity are sometimes looked at as a strange combination and not seen as something that goes hand in hand due to the negative reputation that the clubbing scene sometimes has.  My aim has been to maintain and champion the positives within this industry and scene.