Guest Blogs

Guest-blogger Niels is here to tell you why in-ear monitoring (IEM) isn’t only great for gigs, but rehearsals! Together with the other six members of his band, Niels decided to get in-ear monitors for live performances, but they soon found out that there are also various benefits to using the system in their rehearsal space: much less noise and the ability to actually hear what you’re working on.

If you’re completely new to FL, or Fruity Loops Studio, and you want to get to know the software, you’ve come to the right place. Before diving headfirst into the countless tutorials, guides and courses, it’s a great idea to get a better picture of what the general workflow of this DAW is like. Guest-blogger Tim Ease is here to tell you about the basics of FL Studio 20 (the successor to FL Studio 12), and guide you through creating your first track.

As a well seasoned online guitar teacher, Guest-blogger, Michel Penterman often gets asked the question: “Do I have to learn to read music to start playing the guitar, or can I use guitar tablature, or just learn all the chords?” In this blog, Michel sums up the pros and cons of each approach and offers a nice, simple conclusion!

As the foundation for any and all music, bass is the backbone of every song. But bass guitars are also one of the most exhilarating instruments to start off a song with. Guest-blogger Marlies is a bass aficionado and she’s kindly curated a top 10 of songs that have smashing bass intros.

Covering a song that has moved or touched you in some way can be a challenging endeavor. For starters, recording a cover or remake entails much more than just copying or repeating what you’ve heard. As with any musical performance, a song cover should be uniquely yours. Whether you want to cover a popular Beatles song or something that’s more obscure, doing your own version entails creativity, originality, and a certain level of boldness.

Finding the right tracks is one of the most fun challenges that come with being a DJ. But where do you even begin your search? As you know, buying a lot of singles or multiple versions of the same song will start to add up sooner or later. Today, guest blogger Amar Amlani (DiceDJ) is here to tell you all the tricks of the trade, so you can continue, or start, to astound your audience with fresh beats.

Taking a little time out from working his show, The Polarizer, globetrotter and experienced podcaster, Dick Hoebee shares some tips and recommends some gear to help you make what’s fast becoming the new radio-show format and prove that anyone can start podcasting, no matter the budget.

Guest-blogger and songwriter Jemy wrote his first song back in 2011 and is itching to pass on some tips to help anyone who wants to start writing while keeping things fun and worthwhile. Besides sharing some personal experiences, Jemy offers some nuggets of wisdom from renowned songwriters. Since every man and his dog seems to be writing, it’s not really worth chasing your dream on a horse-drawn chariot while everyone else is racing in a Tesla. In short: good prep is everything.

Guest blogger Teo Lazarov from Chordify looked at the most-played songs on their music education platform since 2013. Let the cherry picking from the all-time play-along favorites begin!

Whether you’re doing gigs with your band or you’re a DJ doing drive-in shows, lighting is an essential component for the right atmosphere. But what kind of stage lighting creates that right kind of vibe for your event? Pars, blinders, strobes, moonflowers, derby effects, moving heads, scanners, lasers, halogen lights, LED lighting…it’s intimidating how many options there are to choose from. Guest blogger Bo Janssens helps you figure out your ideal on-stage lighting set-up.

For some time now, DJ-ing has long been as much about the show as it is about what you play or what kind of effects you throw in. You’re never going to blow minds by just hitting play and sipping a cocktail. As such and especially for mobile Djs, the standard setup has expanded to include some pretty progressive lighting gear. Guestblogger and DJ, Brian (BRIVE) shares some of his experiences and tips to help guide you through what’s out there and to elevate your show and make sure your name, as well your tunes, stick in the heads of your crowd.

Without a doubt, Twitch is one of the biggest and hottest social media platforms in the world right now. In case you missed it, Twitch is a live streaming video platform which is used by over 140 million people every month. In comparison to other platforms that provide a streaming function, like YouTube, Twitch is far more popular due to the great working member-system, the advanced options they provide for streaming and their payout system.