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.
18 guides
- Mixing · 7 minBass that sits in the mix: ChannelStrip and DynamicEQEven out a bass DI with ChannelStrip’s Bass DI Warm preset, tame the one boomy note with DynamicEQ, and duck the bass under the kick. Real 1.4.0 settings.Channel StripDynamic EQ
- Mixing · 6 minParallel drum compression with Crimson NY ParallelMake a drum kit denser without losing the hits: Crimson’s NY Parallel preset, how to set the Mix blend, and what to do when the kick pumps or the cymbals hiss.Crimson
- Mixing · 7 minLevel a vocal with Lume-2A, then catch peaks with Strike-76Two compressors in series: Lume-2A’s Optical Vocal evens out the performance, then Strike-76’s Vocal Tighten catches the peaks. Real 1.4.0 settings.Lume 2AStrike 76
- Mixing · 7 minMix-bus glue with SUS4 Bond-609Set Bond-609’s Mix Bus Glue preset on a stereo bus: 2:1, 22 ms attack, Auto release, 1 to 3 dB on the needle, plus when to use the limiter and M/S modes.Bond 609
Practice · 6 minA 10-minute daily ear-training routine with Ear DailyA short daily routine for SUS4 Ear Daily: one Train drill, one lesson, a Review pass and a weekly look at Progress, planned around the free daily allowance.Ear Daily- Practice · 6 minPractise with a tempo ramp and silent bars in MetronomeUse SUS4 Metronome’s Practice trainer to climb from a slow tempo to your target in small steps, and Mute every to drop bars of click and test your own timing.Metronome
- Practice · 6 minTake a piece from 60% to full tempo with Practice JournalUse SUS4 Practice’s Journal and its tempo ladder: start at 60% of your target, advance after three clean runs, drop back after two slips, and log each session.Practice
- Songwriting · 7 minScan sheet music, fix it and export MusicXML with ScoreScan a printed page with SUS4 Score, check the flagged notes, fix pitch and length by ear, then export MusicXML for Sibelius, Dorico, MuseScore or Finale.Score
- From the studio · 5 minHow to prepare a song for a Dolby Atmos releaseWhat an independent artist can do before the mix to keep a song Atmos-ready: record every part as its own track, keep the stereo and Atmos versions in step.
- From the studio · 5 minWhat happens on a songwriting day at 4ChordsStudiosHow a songwriting and pre-production day usually runs at 4ChordsStudios: the songs first, then trying parts, listening back, and leaving with a plan.
- From the studio · 5 minRecording in the live room: how to prepareHow to get ready to record in the 4ChordsStudios live room: what is there to play, tracking together, being filmed, and what to bring so the time goes on music.
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.