Last week’s discussions in our music community centered around career opportunities and creative processes. Members shared insights into dynamic music instructor roles and explored the growing landscape of remote positions in the music industry. There was also a vibrant exchange on practical ways to support artists on tight budgets, and some fascinating stories about placeholder lyrics that unexpectedly became hits.
This Week’s Hot Topics
Weekly Music Jobs: Explore dynamic music instructor roles
A lively discussion on the evolving roles of music instructors and what skills are in demand. Ideal for those considering teaching as a career path. Read more here
Free plugin chain for quick demos
Discover how to streamline your demo production with a free plugin chain that many members are finding indispensable. Read more here
Placeholder lyrics that became hits
An intriguing look at how some of the most iconic songs started with placeholder lyrics that struck gold. Read more here
Keeping artists supported on a tight budget
Practical advice and shared experiences on how to maintain artist support without breaking the bank. Read more here
Keeping feel when jumping genres
Tips and stories from musicians who have successfully transitioned between genres without losing their unique sound. Read more here
Looking forward to another week of engaging conversations. Feel free to jump in and share your thoughts or start a new thread on topics that interest you.
For the “free plugin chain for demos” angle, I keep a default master bus in my demo template — TDR Nova into LoudMax with a touch of Ozone Imager — so I can bounce quick, consistent mixes for remote clients without spending a cent (Nova: TDR Nova | Tokyo Dawn Records). Just keep it gentle and leave about -1 dBTP headroom, or the limiter will smear transients and your “tight budget” demo will sound worse than a rough mix.
But kept running into harsh peaks on quick bounces, so my demo template now adds a gentle clipper before the limiter: Airwindows OneCornerClip → Kilohearts Limiter, with Youlean Loudness Meter (free) to hover around -13 LUFS and -1 dBTP… Keeps “artists on tight budgets” sounding finished without chasing tweaks; swap OneCornerClip for FreeClip if you need oversampling. Appreciate the consistency angle, @mmartinez.
I’ve been getting clean, loud refs by nudging TBProAudio GSatPlus before TDR Kotelnikov and a quick M/S check with Voxengo MSED; keeps transients in check without that brittle crunch that drives me nuts on rushed renders. If the mix’s already dense, I skip the saturator and just let Kotelnikov do 1–2 dB — fits the “support artists” angle — and it’s free: TDR Kotelnikov | Tokyo Dawn Records. Anyone else finding this enough for weekly refs?