The 10 most-read stories of 2024 on DIY Music Guide

Another year in the bag! Thanks for making DIY Music Guide your weekly read this year (get it straight to your inbox). Your clicks power this recap, so read on to learn which stories our readers found most compelling.

10. “What to Listen for in Music” by Aaron Copland

In this entry to the book list, I review American composer Aaron Copland’s classic book on how music and creativity works. It’s a fascinating look into the musical mind of one of the most enduring American musical voices of the 20th century.

9. Easy, practical music theory resources

This article links out to the excellent website musictheory.net, a great resource providing the basics of music theory in an approachable format. This site contains the first year or two of a formal music degree’s music theory and ear training curriculum, presented as a series of free self-paced guides. It’s a great place to get started with music theory.

8. Volume and Loudness Across the Different Stages of Music Production

When producing music, loudness is a perennial concern: we don’t want our recordings to sound too soft, but we don’t want to blast a listener out of their seat either. Understanding exactly where and how to effectively add loudness during music production so we end up with pleasing end product is a critical concept to understand, and I go over all of the basics inside of this article.

7. Clipping in the Analog vs. Digital Domain

If you’ve ever recorded music on a computer, you might have been frustrated by experiencing unflattering and gross-sounding digital clipping in your recordings. In this article, I explain the differences between analog distortion (good!) and digital clipping (bad!), as well as how to avoid this mistake while recording music at home.

6. The Music Production Workflow

Music production can get complicated, because there’s so many different items to consider, from writing and rehearsals to mixing, mastering, and release. In this article, I simplify the music production workflow by going over each stage of the process, taking a bird’s-eye view with some tips to think about as you move through each stage.

5. Do Bass Traps Need to Be Floor to Ceiling

Acoustics are an important part of achieving a high-quality end result when it comes to music production, and properly designed and installed bass traps are an important component of a proper acoustics design for your music room. In this article, I answer the title question, and explain where some of the confusion on this topic comes from.

4. Quirks and Considerations in Ableton

Ableton Live is a very popular software program for making music at home, in part because it takes care of a lot of the most annoying technical elements of recording for you automatically. But, there were some interesting choices made by its developers when it comes to mono vs. stereo recordings that you’ll want to be aware of if you’re a user of this program. In this article, I go over these quirks and their solutions.

3. Quality Budget Gear Ep. 06: Analog Outboard

Analog recording gear is certainly a sexy purchase, but many studios fail because of over-investment in this area made too early. In this article, I go over the pros and cons of an analog-style music recording workflow, and exactly when it might make sense to make analog gear purchases versus using digital tools.

2. Bass Traps and Air Gaps

Acoustics is a complicated and nuanced field, and that’s led to a lot of bad information all over the Internet surrounding acoustics science. One common mistake is attempting to place a thinner acoustic panel across a room corner, and thinking that will work as a bass trap. In this article, I talk about why that won’t work, and provide some alternative budget-friendly solutions.

1. Use your vocal mic with your guitar effects pedals

One of the most-asked questions when it comes to home recording is “can I use my guitar effects pedals with my vocals?”. The answer is yes! In this article, I go over how to get great sound on any microphone being put through your guitar pedals, using just one simple and affordable piece of gear.

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