Captain Plugins Wiki

Satellite Plugins 2.0

Last year when the Corona-19 virus struck the world and plunged us into a new reality, many artists wondered how they were going to survive this unthinkable disaster. The ability to join forces with other musicians physically had suddenly been taken from us. It was a year of struggling to keep the creative juices flowing when we felt that we’d been cut off from the rest of the music world.

5 benefits of online collaboration you may not have considered

There are endless reasons to seek online collaboration with other artists and musicians. While many electronic music producers are accustomed to flying solo, many soon realise that collaboration can lead to fresher ideas. We no longer tread the same, familiar path. By opening up to new ideas, talents and input, we can often end up with something far beyond what we might have, had we stayed solo.

Best Remote Music Collaboration Tools

With much of the world forced to cease socialising as normal, many musicians have been desperately searching for ways to keep the music going from home. Indeed, with so many people feeling isolated, it’s never been more important to connect with each other. Yet, the technology hasn’t always allowed for satisfying remote music collaboration. Let’s take a look at some exceptional options for remote music collaboration.

Collaboration and Covid: How musicians have adapted to isolation

Few industries have suffered in the pandemic as much as music. Live performances are all but entirely cancelled. Studios, rehearsal rooms and venues are eerily quiet. Many a musician’s income sources have been obliterated. It’s a startling thought, and undoubtedly a signifier of an industry on its knees. Could collaboration be the key to the industry’s recovery?

10 Amazing Remote Collaborations in Lockdown

Music is often salvation in hard times. We need to resonate with great music to keep us going, and time have rarely been harder than in recent times. However, social distancing has created huge problems for musicians. We’re social creatures, and even solo producers need to collaborate to make the most of their ideas. Let’s take a look at 10 exceptional remote collaborations.

How to Find Inspiration for Songwriting

One question that seems to emerge again and again is “how do I find inspiration for songwriting”? When you’ve been stuck in the stay-at-home mode for months on end this is certainly a valid question. Fortunately there are ways to circumvent this problem, and with a few tips you may find yourself producing your best songs ever!

The Best Effects Plugins 2021

Increasing demand and technological advances make great bedfellows… and for musicians and producers it’s truly thrilling to behold. The market is now flooded with the kinds of plugin instruments, FX units and time-saving software that would have been seen as impossibly advanced just a few years ago. We dig deep to find the best effects plugins for 2021.

The Best DAWs 2021

The Best VST Instruments 2021

Thanks to increasing demand and technological advances, today’s market is flooded with the kinds of plugin instruments, FX units and time-saving software that would have been seen as impossibly advanced just a few years ago. While totally awesome, it can make it hard to choose the right ones. We dig deep to find the best VST instruments for 2021.

The 10 biggest chord progressions of 2020

When analysing the 10 biggest chord progressions of 2020, there are some distinct patterns that emerge. So read on to learn a little more about the tunes we couldn’t stop listening to last year. And who knows, maybe you’ll have the tools to compose your own smash hit.

10 tips for music collaboration

Collabing with other artists? Here are 10 tips on how to make the most out of this music collaboration.

How to collaborate with other producers

One of the best ways to improve your own skill-set is to collaborate. Here we look at some methods to successfully collaborate with other music makers; what to avoid and how to ensure you find the perfect studio partner.

How to make RnB/Hip Hop with Captain Plugins

I can almost hear what you’re thinking – RnB and Hip Hop are two completely different genres. That’s true, but many popular songs have pulled influences from both genres with lots of success. I thought it would be cool to create a tutorial about making this hybrid genre; Captain Plugins is the perfect tool to allow me to create the various parts required.

Vocals 101: How to produce vocals like a pro.

Vocals make good songs unforgettable. A great vocal will be stuck in your head for days, and, for songwriters, can be the difference between success and failure. While writing a good vocal is hard enough, as producers, we need supreme methods for recording and mixing them. Any mistakes are impossible to ignore, since the vocal is such a dominant feature of the song. Adam Hignell spoke to Paul Reeve, producer for artists like Muse, Razorlight, Steve Harley and many more, to get the scoop on best practices for any producer.

Multiband Compression (and how to use it)

Multiband compression can be a pretty daunting proposition, and there are a lot of myths about it. When used smartly, it is extremely powerful and can enable more precise control over your sounds. It’s important to learn when it’s an appropriate tool, when it’s overkill, and if you do use it, how to use it properly.

5 (More) Killer Sound Design Tips and Tricks to use in your tracks.

Following up on our popular article and podcast ‘Killer Sound Design Tips and Tricks’, we bring you 5 (More) Killer Sound Design Tips and Tricks to use in your tracks!

How to make Driving/Peak Time Techno with Captain Plugins

In this tutorial, I won’t be tackling the original Techno sound. Instead, I’m looking at a more contemporary style. It can be identified as Driving, or Peak Time and has been made popular by record labels such as Drumcode and Tronic and artists/DJs such as Adam Beyer, Nicole Moudaber and Christian Smith, to name but a few.

Breaking the rules: how to write unusual melodies with mass appeal

Whilst certain song structures and chord progressions have become fairly standard in pop music, many of the biggest hits nonetheless throw all convention out the window. A good songwriter will often turn the pop form on its head, reframing and juxtaposing existing genre tropes to create unusual yet unforgettable songs.

Daniel Hignell-Tully explores how, and when, to productively mess with listeners’ expectations.

How to use Arps in your music

Arpeggios, or arps for short, are powerful and exciting ways of playing chords. With the potential for investing rhythm and style into otherwise dreary chord progressions, it’s no wonder we all love them. Find out how to use arps in your tracks, with our simple guide!

Best Chord Progressions for Hip Hop

Today hip hop is one of the world’s most popular music genres. Emerging in the 1970’s as a style of music associated with rapping, scratching, breakdancing and graffiti writing, it’s now an exciting genre of music with a multitude of superstars. Hip hop has gained immense popularity since its early years as an underground art form. Today you can find the influence of hip hop music reaching into pop, rock, and even country music. If writing some hip hop beats appeals to you, we’ve got some easy chord progressions coming up to get you started in the right direction.

10 steps for a better mixdown

Mixing audio tracks until it sounds like music has been a staple ingredient of music production since the advent of recorded music. The technology has changed dramatically over the years, and nowadays you can achieve professional-grade mixdowns entirely ‘in the box’. Whether recording acoustic instruments or hardware synths, samplers or simply mixing tracks entirely created inside your DAW, quality mixing is crucial. These 10 steps for a better mixdown will help you level up your mixing down!

5 Killer Sound Design Tricks to use in your DAW

Sound Design is no longer the sole preserve of experimental ‘mad scientist’ types. From its early days involving sliced up tape loops and gigantic modular systems to today’s biggest pop hits, sound design has fully integrated into mainstream culture. Entire genres of music like EDM, Dubstep and Future Pop rely as much on beautifully crafted sounds as they do the actual music.

Sound Design is here to stay, and any electronic music producer would benefit from embracing it. These 5 Killer Sound Design Tricks to use in your DAW will help your music level up!

How to program great drums.

Programming drums is fun, and it’s fairly easy to create perfectly adequate drums. But let’s aim higher and turn good drums into great ones.

8 Common Reverb Mistakes (and how to avoid them).

Reverb is not just a plugin effect. It’s the acommpaniment to almost every sound we hear in our lives. It’s the naturally occurring phenomenon that colors every moment and every sound. Literally, every sound we hear is reflected off its surroundings, creating reverb. As such a fundamental part of our understanding of the world, it’s logical that reverb has an important part to play in our music, too. Yet, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. Hopefully this article will help you identify some common reverb mistakes, and how to avoid them.

7 creative reverb techniques to enhance your tracks.

Reverb can be used to create some devastating effects that go far beyond emulating room behaviors. Here are 6 creative reverb techniques to enhance your tracks.

The Ultimate Guide: How and when to use reverb.

Reverb can make or break any track. And yet, many producers guess their way through using it. It’s understandable; there are endless variations and types of reverb, all kinds of applications for them, and precious little guidance available.

With our easy to understand, simply explained guide, you’ll know exactly how and when to use reverb in your music.

How to innovate in music production

Inspiration. If we knew where it came from , and how to produce it, we’d be millionaires. In reality, finding good ideas is an imprecise science, to say the least. But, if we want to innovate, and create something that genuinely sounds fresh, where should we start? Are there any shortcuts to inspiration?

Killer Tips for Writing Better Chords.

Throw any three notes together and you’ve got yourself a chord – simple, right? In truth, writing better chords is a tricky business. It takes some understanding of not only which notes might complement one another, but how different combinations of chords can alter the perceived mood of your track. Throwing in a couple of clever suspended chords might spice up your riff, but might also conflict with vocal melody. Play it safe with a repeated I-iv-v progression, and you’ll struggle to make your music stand out.

In this article, we will be exploring some of the best ways to improve your chords.

Embracing repetition in melody – how it can enhance your music

We’ve all heard it said: less is more. And with music, it’s surprising how often that’s true. Great songs generally rely on the perfect arrangement of limited materials. Here are some fantastic ways Captain Plugins can help you embrace repetition in melody to improve your songwriting.

Daniel Hignell-Tully explores the world of repetition in popular music.

What makes a good song… And how can you write one?

Perhaps a good song is a song that serves a purpose for lots of people, simultaneously. Maybe there is no Great Arbiter of Taste, proclaiming quality and denouncing musical junk. Is it possible that the secret to what makes a good song… and how to write one, is less about the song, and more about the moment it’s written in?

3 Killer uses for Multiband Compression in music production.

>One compressor is hard enough to get your head around. Strapping a stack of them together is almost cruel on us poor producers. How are you really supposed to use multiband compression, and what can it really do for your tracks?

Find out with our 3 killer tips for multiband compression.

Writing Better Drums: 14 Killer Tips.

The beat. It’s the essence, lifeblood and rhythm in a track. Changing the drums can radically transform songs, underlining how integral the beat is to music’s DNA. Beat-making combines sound design with syncopation, sets the pace and intensity of the song and often determines genre. They can be simple, yet writing good drums is far from it. We need some killer tips for writing better drums! In this article, we will look at a couple of audio examples showing the construction of a drum beat in various stages.

Sidechain Compression – 7 Tips for Better Mixes

Sidechain compression is a powerful tool for developing clarity in mixes. It can be a subtle space-creator, or it can be a dramatic effect more akin to a modulation plugin. These 7 sidechan compression tips will help you get the most out of sidechain compression!

How to start making electronic music

Making music is one of the most rewarding pastimes you can have. For many, what begins as a hobby becomes a lifelong passion. But if you’re only at the start of your journey, what do you actually need to start making music?

Mixing Low End Like a Pro: How to mix Kick Drums and Bass

The most volatile part of any mixdown is usually the low end. Big-hitting instruments fighting for clarity at extremely low frequencies is a battleground. Adam Hignell has some killer tips for low end mixing to help you win the war.

How to write a catchy hook

The hook. It’s the magic ingredient in all successful songs. Everyone sings along, you find yourself humming it in the shower. But how do you write a catchy hook?

How to write chord progressions that rule

Behind every great song is a great chord progression. But how do you write good ones? What tools do you need, and how do you employ them? Is there a secret to writing chord progressions that rule, or is it pot luck?

How chord progressions work

Chords are the building blocks of almost all music. They dictate the emotional and dramatic quality of a song, and act as a framework for the rest of the melody. But how do chord progressions work?

Learn the fundamentals of what chord progressions do, and how they work with our simple guide:

How to arrange a track in any genre.

Arrangement is a commonly overlooked and vitally important aspect of any track. If the arrangement isn’t fit for purpose, energy drains from the song, the pace of progression doesn’t match the music, or it simply doesn’t sound right. The arrangement is the framework by which your audience understands the intention and purpose of the track. Fail to arrange your track appropriately, and it won’t matter how good the music is.

Ultimate Tips for Writing Killer Melodies.

There are few things more essential to your track than a strong melody – a feature that not only defines how memorable your track is going to be, but often acts as a calling card for your composition as a whole. But how do you write a strong melody? How do you tell when a melody is killer, or filler?

Daniel Hignell-Tully provides some welcome navigation through the waters of melody composition:

Beat-making Equipment.

With a huge and diverse array of hardware and software methods for beat-making, how do you choose?

If you’re looking to get started, or considering your options for new beat-making equipment, this guide is for you.

Top Sources for Learning Electronic Music Production.

With 286 million monthly users on Spotify alone, streaming is overwhelmingly the most popular method people consume music in 2020. Any artist serius about building their career needs their music available on as many streaming platforms as possible.

Adam Hignell investigates how to get your own music streaming:

How to Become a Better Music Producer

Music production, like chess, or cave-diving, is one of those maddening skills that seems like it should be fairly straightforward, but takes a lifetime to master. And, like any hard-to-master skill, it’s addictive and endlessly rewarding,

Once you’ve started down the music production rabbit-hole, there are many pitfalls, distractions and misdirections that can hold developing producers back. How can we avoid them and find the true path to music production nirvana? What does it really take to become a better producer?

How to Promote Your Music

Getting your music heard by the right people is a perennial challenge for independent artists. However, in many ways it’s never been easier to break through without the assistance of major labels. One thing is without doubt – successful artists all have a well considered and effective promotional strategy.

Adam Hignell runs the gamut on some high-return promotion methods:

How to get your music on streaming Services in 3 steps

Adam Hignell investigates how to get your own music streaming:

Best VST Instruments 2020

There have never been so many incredible VST Instruments on the market. It’s almost obscene how many high-quality soft-synths are out there, which is fantastic news for producers everywhere.

But, it isn’t always easy to make the right choice. Adam Hignell runs through a few outstanding options for 2020.

Best free VST Effects 2020

Free is the magic number… particularly when starting your music production journey, or operating on a tight budget.

Adam Hignell takes a look at some incredible VST Plugin effects you can get for exactly zero dollars.

Best free VST Instruments 2020

Free is the magic number… particularly when starting your music production journey, or operating on a tight budget.

Adam Hignell takes a look at some incredible VST Plugins you can get for exactly zero dollars.

Must-Have Plugins for FL Studio

FL Studio is a serious player in the DAW scene, evidenced by MusicRadar crowning it the number 1 DAW in the world for 2020. As the music created in FL Studio developed, so did the software itself, and it now boasts an impressive array of in-built VST plugins, excellent MIDI compatibility and enough power to host some serious 3rd-party plugins.

Adam Hignell takes a look at some VST Plugins every FL Studio Producer should lust after.

Must-Have Plugins for Ableton Live

Ableton Live is one of the most powerful DAW softwares in the world. Since launching in 2001, it has become a cornerstone of many modern music producers, and is also embraced by live performers and DJs thanks to its powerful and innovative performance-friendly workflow. Let’s take a look at some amazing third-party plugins which will enhance your sound, turbo-charge your workflow and elevate your music.

Mixing Vs Mastering: What’s the difference?

While most musician are aware that mixing and mastering are different disciplines, it’s not always so common to understand which jobs are done by whom, and what each pursuit entails.

Adam Hignell takes a look at the fundamental differences:

5 Tips for Mastering Your Own Tracks

Depending on your skill-level at the mixing stage, it can be useful to learn how to master your tracks as well. Professional mastering can take a lifetime to, well, to master, but if you have a good ear and plenty of patience, it’s more than possible to teach yourself the basics and build from there.

Adam Hignell runs through a few fundamental principles of the art of mastering:

10 Ultimate EQ Tips.

EQing is somewhere between an art and a science; it’s effect on sound is so dramatic that using it well can be the difference between a good and a bad mix.

While no single peice of advice should ever be taken at face-value, Adam Hignell provides 10 tips to help your mixes sound clearer and cleaner:

Killer Tips for Writing Better Bass Lines

Because the bass line is the key to the chords that we are using in our song, the song writer must be very aware of how the bass is treated. If this part of song writing has you perplexed, read on! Here are some killer tips to writing a better bass line.

How to Make Drum and Bass: The Complete Guide

Drum and Bass, DnB, Drum’n Bass, Jungle, that really fast music in racing video games is a sample based music primarily focusing on the drums and the bass. Other elements like melody, chords and atmosphere tie the main body of a track together into one cohesive piece.

5 Common EQ Mistakes

EQ is one of the fundamental components of mixing and music production. Without a solid grasp of EQ, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to pull of professional mixes or create winning tracks. Adam Hignell sorts the wheat from the chaff with 5 common EQ mistakes to avoid.

EQ: The Ultimate ‘How-to Guide’.

EQ stands for Equalization. It’s the process of cutting or boosting frequencies in a mix, in order to improve the way it sounds. In many ways, EQ is a simple balancing act, but beware; mastering the use of EQ is deceptively difficult. There are dozens of misunderstandings that circulate among rookie producers that can lead to all kinds of mistakes.Adam Hignelldelves deep into the world of EQ, to help you avoid these mistakes and learn to use EQ plugins to build professional mixes.

How to Overcome Creative Block?

Now and then every songwriter is going to find himself in a situation where the creative juices have just dried up. Perhaps you have just written a really fabulous lick and you can’t wait to write the rest of the song. But you just can’t get past that lick and finish the piece. This can be quite discouraging, especially if one has just been on a writing roll. Take heart, this is not a unique problem. Writers and producers run into this problem all the time; you aren’t alone here. Before you give up completely, there are some tips to help overcome that creative block and get back into the writing groove.

Song Writing 101

Because this article is called “Song Writing 101” you will find the basic elements of song writing right here. When you are getting into song writing the place to start is to spend time listening to alot of good songs, not only songs that are currently popular, but songs from past eras as well. Try to figure out what kind of songs you really like…

How can musicians navigate through Covid-19?

2020 has taken a sharp turn into uncharted territory, and everyone is affected. Musicians and those in the music industry face specific challenges, and may be feeling anxious for the future. Adam Hignell takes a look at the new normal for musicians, and tries to find reasons to be optimistic.

How to make LoFi Hip Hop

There are several approaches to creating a LoFi Hip Hop Beat. Sampling old vinyl records, which will naturally contain flaws such as crackling, hums or pops, is a quick way to set the tone. However, for this tutorial we won’t sample any existing records. Instead, we’ll create our own music and apply effects to give the LoFi sound.

Melody Writing

Melody is usually the most memorable part of a song, so you want to make sure yours are bossing it. Learn how to write better melodies with Captain Plugins & Odesi.

How to write a melody

Melody is usually the most memorable part of a song, so you want to make sure yours are bossing it. Learn how to write better melodies with Captain Plugins.

808 Drums

The legendary drum machine that changed the face of music.

How to make a Trap Beat

Let’s look at how to create a Trap Beat in four simple steps using Captain Beat, Chords, Melody and Deep.

How to make money selling beats

How exactly does a producer turn dope beats into cold, hard, cash? We caught up with producer to the stars Jair The Shadow and picked his brains…

How to sell beats online

Selling beats to hungry rappers is a lucrative income stream for thousands of music producers. But how do you actually turn your music into cash?

Best VST Plugins

A common question amongst music producers is: Which VST plugins are the best? The answer to that is subjective, what one producer needs to create their music, will usually vary from another producer. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of what we feel are the best VST plugins on the market, with something for every music producer!

Power Chords

If you grew up in the 90’s you were fed a diet of metal and rock tunes that used power chords without even probably being aware of it. The term ‘power chords’ instantly brings to mind rock guitar. Heavy Metal! Metallica! Distortion! That is perhaps because power chords are very commonly used in this genre of music to sound big, loud and heavy. But they can also be used on a keyboard and used as a handy compositional tool. Let’s look at these interesting chords in a little more detail.

Chord Charts

A chord chart is basically a chart or diagram that can help you to find chords to use on a musical instrument. It will give you the exact notes that are in each chord so you can easily use that chord however you need to. In this article you’ll find a keyboard chord chart that gives you all the notes that are used to make up each of the named chords. You may want to print out a chord chart and keep it handy.

Beat Making Tools

Aspiring music producers can find making beats rather intimidating at first. Every popular producer starts somewhere and in this article we’ll explore the equipment and software you’ll need to begin producing.

10 ways to make money as a music producer

In today’s world, music producers need to think laterally about how to earn money in an ultra-competitive industry. So many producers now have access to relatively affordable, high-quality studio gear, not to mention vastly more powerful laptops. That means more people with not only the skills but the gear to produce high-quality music or provide professional production services.

Music Composition Techniques

There’s more than one way to skin a cat. It’s the same with writing great songs. Here are some amazingly effective methods to employ (in your song-writing, leave the poor cat alone).

Best chord progressions

Time and again, throughout music history, the same few chord progressions crop up. Hit song after hit song, these progressions just sound ‘right’, and even though you’ve heard them before, they sound fresh in each song.

Composition tools

Whether composing film scores, soundtracks, podcasts, adverts or anything else, there are tools out there that can speed up your workflow.

MIDI Chords

MIDI stands for Musical Instrument Digital Interface. It’s a method by which complex information can be transmitted digitally between musical instruments. In today’s world of VST plugins, synthesizers and all kinds of electronic musical devices, MIDI is extremely important. Maybe even more so than writing traditional sheet music!

How to tell stories with your melodies

Melodies are the story-tellers in your tracks. Here’s how to make sure your melodies deliver the right message.

An Introduction to Modes – Part Two

The modes in music are an interesting concept for musicians. They have so much potential to enrich your musical creations. Below you will find where each mode is most commonly used. This is only a rough guide; you may choose to use them in new and exciting ways.

An Introduction to Modes

This is Part One of a two-part article. In these articles we’ll take a look at each of the modes and see how they can be used to your best song writing advantage. Today you will be introduced to the seven modes. In Part Two we will examine how a musician uses the modes and listen to examples of what the modes sound like.

How to arrange a Dance Music track

If you’re writing music for nightclub DJs, there is a formula you need to employ if you want them to play your tracks to a dance-floor. Here’s how to set up your tracks for success.

Common Chord Progressions – Pop Music

Pop music, or popular music, is a term we as music consumers have been familiar with since the 1950s. Although it can be considered a music genre, Pop music is actually concocted from various genres, comprising of songs which have been commercially successful.

How to use timbres to enhance your melodies

Timbres are the sonic qualities of a sound. Don’t underestimate how important they are to the overall character of your melodies. The exact same sequence of notes can sound wildly different, purely down to the sound design choices you make. Learn how to make the right decisions for the right moments with our handy guide.

How To Write A Vocal Melody

Writing a catchy vocal melody doesn’t have to be a frustrating or painstaking task. By following a few simple rules you can quickly get down an idea, and with some additional tweaking it could be the next big hit!

Best Chords For EDM

When producing Electronic Dance Music (EDM), it would be fair to say that there are no ‘best chords’. However, if you look at the various sub-genres which fall under the EDM umbrella, you’ll find that the majority – but not all – EDM songs are written in a minor scale.

Minor Chords

Minor chords are perceived as having a sad or melancholy sound, which makes them perfect for modern popular music, which generally deals with topics such as love, heartbreak, coming of age, feminism, disillusionment, friendship and death itself.

Chord Generator Logic Pro X

You’ve just recorded some killer vocals but you’re not a keyboard player and you don’t have a deep understanding of music theory. How can you write a chord progression to match your vocals?

Best Chords for a Love Song

If you’re feeling loved up and want to pen a masterpiece to woo someone special, you’re going to need to write something that properly captures the very essence of love. One of the most popular subjects for songs, but one of the hardest to pull off convincingly.

Best Chords for Trap

We analyzed a bunch of Trap tracks in Mixed in Key and came up with some super interesting results…

Minor Chord Progressions

Using only Minor Chords usually sounds sombre, sad and melancholic, but that doesn’t mean they can’t also be great for dancing. Check out the songs below for some brilliant examples of minor chord progressions killing it.

How To Write a Bassline

For most genres of music, the bass-line forms the foundation of the recording. It creates a sense of weight and can be used to add groove through simple repetitive riffs or motifs. Basslines tend not to be as complex as melodies. However, they still play an important part in making music memorable

Types Of Chords – The Basics

Chords are imperative to creating engaging music that has a sense of emotion. They range from simple three note triads, to more complex variations such as suspended chords.

How To Write A Melody

Above all, the most important element in making music memorable and catchy is the melody. As such, this sequence of notes, created from pitch and rhythm, is the tune we as listeners tend to remember. Learn how to write memorable melodies for your compositions.

How To Create A Mashup

Besides being fun, creating personalized mashups can be the secret weapon that takes your DJ performance from generic to unforgettable. We look at some techniques to get you making amazing sounding mashups in minutes.

Creating a DJ Mix

The goal of a DJ should be to tell a story through your mix, to create new and fresh sounds and experiences by blending music tastefully, and carefully. Using a simple step-by-step technique, we show how to create the perfect digital DJ mix.

How to make an Indie Dance track

Let’s take a look at how you can create an Indie Dance track starting with nothing other than a vocal sample.

Logic Pro X Plugins

Logic Pro X comes with a potentially bewildering array of on-board plugins, instruments and fx units. There’s enough power inside the DAW to create professional music in any genre without spending an extra penny. Let’s take a look at the plugins and what makes them so well regarded among producers.

10 Top Tips for New Producers

Music production is one of the most rewarding, creatively fulfilling and constantly evolving pastimes. Whether you intend to be a pro, or just want a fun hobby, music production will give you so much back, you’ll wonder what you did before you were a producer! So here are our Top Ten Tips for becoming a music producer…

Track Remake: Stranger Things Theme

Stranger Things is one of the most successful TV shows of the last decade. Its ultra-80s aesthetic was underpinned by a breathtaking score from composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, who eschewed more modern tools for classic analog synthesizers. Check out the article to hear how our friend Don Dayglow created the theme using Captain Plugins.

Chord Progressions

Almost any discussion about great songwriting will contain references to chord progressions. Let’s take a look what chord progressions consist of, how they differ from melodies and how to use them in your music.

How to make a Hip Hop Beat

Generally speaking, Hip hop is made-up of two elements. The instrumental track, referred to as the “beat” and a vocal track which could be either rapped, sung, beatboxed, performed in the style of an MC or a combination of these disciplines. Learn how to make amazing hip-hop beats in the article above.

5 reasons DJs should produce their own music

It’s never been a better time for an electronic music producer to stand out in the music industry. We list 5 reasons you should consider entering the world of music production if you want to make it big in 2019.

6 questions to help you choose the right DAW

As an electronic music producer, your DAW – or Digital Audio Workstation – is your ultimate tool. It’s your aesel, canvas, paintbrushes and paint-pallette all rolled into one. It is the kitchen in which you hope to cook your best meals. Choosing the right one – or deciding to switch – is a momentous step for any producer.

How To Remix

Remixes vary from faithful reproductions of the original, with subtle tweaks, structure changes or volume alterations to enhance certain aspects, to totally deconstructed affairs, almost unrecognizable from the original. They are an excellent opportunity to try out new techniques and new plugins, and a great way to learn from professionals. Simply being able to see how an artist has arranged their track can be a real eye-opener.

How To Prepare a Pre-Master

Any artist releasing music on a record label will need to provide the label with high quality unmastered versions of their music, also known as ‘premasters’. Equally, any artist choosing to self-release will need to create a good quality premaster for each track. The mastering process is a highly technical, almost mystical, art. The results are hard to quantify sometimes, as on casual listening it may be hard to tell exactly what has changed. But, when done properly, mastering makes a vital difference.

How to Transpose Music

Transposing sounds like it might involve rearranging your limbs or beaming you through the space time continuum. While it may not actually offer a route to impromptu time travel, it’s an extremely useful tool that musicians of all types use.

How to compose with 7th Chords

In this article we’ll be talking all that jazz as we investigate how to use 7th chords in composition. Perfect for writing Deep House, Neo-Soul, Hip-Hop, and anything with a jazzy or bluesy feel.

Melody vs. Harmony

Melody and harmony are arguably the two most important elements in any music composition. This makes it imperative to fully understand each, how they interact with each other and as musicians, how we can create our own.

How to compose with Diminished Chords

There’s nothing feeble about diminished chords. Find out how to harness these powerful, characterful chords.

How to compose with Augmented Chords

No need for arguments about augments, we explain what’s meant by augmented and how you can use these chords to add spice to your progressions.

How to Compose with Suspended chords

Don’t let the suspense kill you… find out what Suspended Chords are and how to use them.

5 ways to add live performance to your DJ set

Building on DJ history, and incorporating new technology into your DJ sets can be exhilarating. Here are a few ways you can do this.

Five Ways to Spice up Your Chord Progressions

Guest post by Will Darling – Today we are going to look at five techniques you can use to spice up any chord progression. I’m going to give video examples of each technique using Captain Plugins, and then put them all together in a spicy chord bonanza. Yes, I did say “spicy chord bonanza”.

How to write a Melody over Chords

Quite simply, melodies are the memorable part of most songs. If you’re humming along in the shower, chances are you’re singing the melody, not the bassline or chord progression. Let’s take a look at some super useful ideas to help write unforgettable melodies over your chords. Try following these ideas, and see if they help you come up with even better melodies for your songs.

Sample sourcing 101: 10 Top Tips for better digging

Sampling is one of the most potent weapons in many producers’ arsenal. But finding the right sounds – and knowing what to do with them – can be easier said than done. Here are 10 (actually, 11) top tips to help you dig for victory.

The Nuts and Bolts of Counterpoint By M. L. Wolf

Chances are that you have encountered this type of composition, perhaps without realizing exactly what it was! Music nerds love to talk about the contrapuntal style of a composition, leaving some of us wondering what we are missing out on.

10 music production hacks that will double your workflow speed

Workflow is critical for producers. We’re always trying out new ways of speeding up and sharpening our flow.Here are 10 ideas that might help you get producing faster.

How to use MIDI FX with Ableton

Maximize your MIDI with our handy guide. We’ll take a look at Ableton’s MIDI FX units and how to use them.

How to use MIDI FX with Logic Pro X

Maximize your MIDI with our handy guide. We’ll take a look at Logic’s MIDI FX units and how to use them.

Key Detection VST software

Have you ever dropped a vocal, drum loop or even a one-shot sample into your music; and even though the sample is the correct BPM, it just doesn’t sound right? I’m guessing your answer is a resounding, yes. Let’s take a look as to why this happens.

All About Cadences

The term cadence comes from the Latin word cadentia which means “a fall”. Cadences are an easy way for songwriters to finish their musical sentences and thus complete their lyrical thoughts.

Key Detection in Logic

Learn how to how to integrate Mixed In Key Studio Edition with Logic Pro X to analyze your sample collection and enable you to match the perfect one-shot, loop, vocal or any other sample to your music production, remix or mashup.

Key Detection Ableton

Learn how to how to integrate Mixed In Key Studio Edition with Ableton Live to analyze your sample collection and enable you to match the perfect one-shot, loop, vocal or any other sample to your music production, remix or mashup.

Easy Chord Substitutions

One technique used by songwriters to liven up chord progressions in a song is to use straight forward chord substitutions. This simply involves replacing one chord with another. By using chord substitutions a songwriter or producer can reharmonize a whole song!

House Music Chords

Understanding which chords will work in House music generally comes down to the style of House music being composed. This article will help you identify which types of chords are commonly used and any patterns. Understanding which chords work well will help us to write our own House music chords.

Why Melody is the Boss

A good songwriter will take into account three of the elements of music; melody, harmony and rhythm. Which of these is more important: melody, harmony or rhythm? There are arguably good cases for any of the three. They are all important, and should be considered when you are writing a song. My inclination is that melody dictates what your harmony and rhythm are going to be doing. I like to say that melody is the boss…

Must-Have Plugins For Logic

Logic Pro X is undoubtedly a very powerful tool for music composition. As a market leader in the world of computer based music production, Let’s take a look at some amazing third-party plugins which will enhance your sound, turbo-charge your workflow and elevate your music inside Logic Pro X.

5 steps to craft the perfect bass drum

The kick drum is the glue that holds a track together, and the low, thudding rhythmic quality is what we instinctively dance to in the club. Needless to say, making sure your kicks sound great in your tracks is vital.

How to Write a Killer Melody

Some song writers seem to be able to just crank out the next big hit effortlessly, or so it would seem. They are capable of writing that catchy tune people identify with and want to listen to on repeat. Yes, it is a gift to have the musical skill which enables musicians to accomplish just that. But there are also “formulas” that the rest of us can follow to help us become competent song writers with minimal blood, sweat and tears!

Captain Plugins 5.0

Available on Mac and Windows. Use Captain Plugins to write your own Chord Progressions, Hooks, Melodies and Basslines and export to your DAW.

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