Outside Scoop: Increase Your Music Royalties, Optimize Windows 10 for Production, and More

Staying up to date on all of the most trending music production and audio engineering content can be tough throughout the week. Family, friends, and work tend to occupy a lot of time, but I’ve managed to round up some of the past week’s best articles and videos so that you don’t have to. This week’s Outside Scoop focuses on drastically increasing your music royalties, optimizing Windows 10 for production, choosing an audio interface for your home studio, integrating external hardware with your DAW, and more.

How to Increase your Music Royalties

Music Millionaires explains how to rake in money from companies advertising their products on YouTube. Advertisers bid on keywords, and they’re willing to pay some serious money if you offer high-value content. By taking steps to maximize the CPM (cost per thousand impressions) of your videos, you won’t have to rely solely on the minuscule payout rates of streaming services like Spotify. Watch the full video for more information on setting up this interesting revenue stream.

Optimization & Setup Of Windows 10 For Audio & Music Production

Sadowick demonstrates how to optimize your PC for music production when running Windows 10. Starting with a fresh Installation of Windows, he covers installing drivers, mitigating sample rate issues, modifying power settings, and more. Whether you’re new to music production or have just made the jump from a Mac to a PC, this video will act as an excellent quick start guide.

How to Remove Unwanted Sounds in a Loop

Multiplier discusses how you can remove unwanted sounds from a loop using Regroover by Accusonus. To use the software, all you have to do it drag and drop a loop into it. Regroover automatically splits the loop into layers which can then be soloed, muted, etc. In Multiplier’s video, Regroover appears to work astonishingly well across a wide variety of loops.

An Explanation of Audiophile Terms

Paul from PS Audio reviews some popular audiophile terms and breaks down what they mean. He covers diction like “transparent,” “opaque,” “bright,” “warm,” “detailed,” “dynamic,” and “analytic.” Adding these words to your vocabulary will allow you to more accurately describe the timbre, or quality of a sound, making it easier to communicate with other musicians and engineers.

How to Choose an Audio Interface for Your Home Studio

If you’re in the market for a new audio interface, Michael Hahn of LANDR has you covered. When purchasing a new audio interface, you first have to think about your needs, and then find an audio interface to accommodate them. Hahn states that “When you choose an interface you’ll have to think about which features are most relevant to your workflow.” He gets into connection types, audio ins and outs, additional connectivity, and software/DSP.

6 Common Questions About Mixing with Reverb

For SonicScoop’s more technically savvy readers, Matthew Weiss of the Pro Audio Files sheds light on some different questions regarding reverb. Global vs. track specific reverbs, pre-delay, types of reverbs, and serial reverb processing are just some of the topics that Weiss dives into. This article is quite practical in the sense that you can take what you learn and immediately apply it to your next production.

How to use External Hardware with Your DAW

If you’re looking into purchasing your first piece of outboard gear, or you’re looking to expand your selection of outboard gear, Black Ghost Audio has compiled a guide showing you how to do this most effectively. Types of signal levels, audio interfaces, patch bays, and audio routings in and out of your DAW are all explained. Take a look at what goes into connecting all the impressive analog hardware you see in professional studios.

Is Going To Audio School Worth It?

In this video, Graham Cochrane of The Recording Revolution offers his take on audio schools. He believes that the music industry is focused on results more so than where, or if, you went to school. While making it blatantly evident that you don’t need to go to school, Cochrane does elaborate on the fact that you need to educate yourself somehow; an apprenticeship is an example of this. His main point is that “If you can afford school somehow, then there is value in getting a degree.”

How the Terminator 2 Music Was Made

I grew up on the Terminator series, so this breakdown of how the Terminator 2 soundtrack came together was very nostalgic for me. Alex Ball explores the synths and sound design process that went into creating the iconic futuristic soundscape of this 1991 film. If for no other reason, Ball’s video is worth watching because of the top-notch Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonations talking about synthesizers.

Charles Hoffman is a Mixing and Mastering Engineer at Black Ghost Audio. After graduating from the University of Manitoba with an English degree, Charles completed his education at Icon Collective in Los Angeles, CA.

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