4chordsStudios · Guides
Guides from the studio.
How we get results with the plugins and apps we make: real settings, real screens, and what to listen for. Pick a topic or a product.
7 guides
Mixing · 6 minA vocal chain in one plugin with SUS4 ChannelStripClean, level and brighten a lead vocal with one ChannelStrip: high-pass, EQ, 3.6:1 compression and de-essing, with the exact settings to start from.Channel Strip
Mixing · 7 minGated snare and a driven drum bus with SUS4 pluginsBig-but-tight snare reverb with SUS4 Gated Reverb, then glue and colour on the drum bus with Crimson. Real preset values and what each control does.Gated ReverbCrimson
Mastering · 6 minMaster for streaming with SUS4 LimiterHit −14 or −16 LUFS with a −1 dBTP ceiling using SUS4 Limiter: which preset to start from, how to read the loudness meter and when to change algorithm.Limiter
Practice · 4 minTune properly with SUS4 TunerGet in tune and stay there with SUS4 Tuner: pick the right preset and reference pitch, read the cents, and tune a band to one A.Tuner
Practice · 6 minBuild your internal clock with SUS4 Time TrainerStop leaning on the click: a 15-minute timing routine with SUS4 Time Trainer, using hit windows, mean and RMS error and mute practice.Time TrainerMetronome
Songwriting · 5 minCatch a song idea before it goes, with SUS4 SketchpadGet a song idea down in two minutes with SUS4 Sketchpad: key, tempo and time, the lyric, the chords and a voice note, all in one sketch.Sketchpad
Songwriting · 5 minTurn a riff into tab with SUS4 TranscribeTranscribe a riff, solo or bassline to tab and notation with SUS4 Transcribe, then check it by ear and fix the notes it got wrong before you export.TranscribeEar Daily
For independent artists
Releasing your music
- Dolby Atmos · Spatial AudioWhy release in Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio?What Dolby Atmos and Apple Music Spatial Audio are, where people hear them, why they matter for an independent artist (royalty weighting, dedicated playlists, fewer competing tracks), and how we record, mix and deliver them.
- Vinyl · CD · Your storeWhy release on vinyl and CD?Why vinyl keeps growing and who buys it, how mastering for vinyl differs from a streaming master, editions and bundles for your own store, where CD still earns its place, and how we make and sell them.
- Merch · Your own storeWhy merch, and why your own web store?Why merch matters for an independent artist (direct income from your biggest fans, walking promotion, something to buy at gigs and online), why your own store beats a marketplace, and how we tie merch into the release.
- True fans · Owning the relationshipWhy 1,000 true fans beat a million passive streamsKevin Kelly’s “1,000 True Fans” idea for independent musicians: why fans who buy the vinyl, the merch and the ticket matter more than passive streams, owning the relationship, and how we help build it.
- Sync · Film, TV, ads, gamesSync licensing for independent artistsWhat sync licensing is in plain words, the lingo explained, why a placement matters for an independent artist, and how we prepare and pitch your music, only ever with your written say-so.
- Royalties · Everything your music earnsThe royalty maze: everything your music can earnEvery income a song can earn, in plain words: streams, sales, performance, mechanicals, neighbouring rights, sync, YouTube and overseas. What each one is, who usually misses it, and how we find and collect all of it for you.