https://wearethemusicmakers.co/latest Music tech and AI in music: the news that matters, what we think about it, and a directory of the tools. en-us Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-are-stems https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-are-stems A stem is a group of audio sources mixed down together and then handled as one unit, such as all the drums or all the vocals. Multitracks are the individual tracks before that grouping. Here is the difference, and when to send which. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencestemsmixingmasteringremixing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-daw https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-daw A DAW, or digital audio workstation, is the device or software you record, edit and produce audio in. Most are programs on a computer; some now run in a web browser. What it is, what it does, and how to think about picking one. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencedawmusic-productionbrowser-daw https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-master-recording https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-master-recording A master recording is the finished recorded version of a track, and in US law the copyright in it is the copyright in a "sound recording": a separate work from the song it captures. Here is what the US Copyright Office says that copyright covers, who its author is, and what owning your masters actually means. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencecopyrightmasterssound-recording https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-mechanical-royalty https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-mechanical-royalty A mechanical royalty is the money owed to songwriters and publishers when their song, the composition rather than the recording, is copied and distributed, whether on CD, vinyl, download or stream. In the US, streaming mechanicals run through The MLC. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceroyaltiespublishingmlccopyright https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-pro-performing-rights-organisation https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-pro-performing-rights-organisation A PRO licenses the public performance of songs to radio, TV, venues and streaming services, collects the fees and pays them to songwriters and publishers. Here is what that means, with IPRS, ASCAP, BMI and CISAC as the reference points. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceroyaltiesproiprspublishing https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-split-sheet https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-split-sheet A split sheet is a short written agreement that records who wrote a song and what percentage of it each writer owns. Here is what goes on one, when to sign it, and why missing or conflicting splits hold up royalties. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencesongwritingpublishingroyaltiessplits https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-upc-barcode-for-music https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-a-upc-barcode-for-music A UPC is the barcode that identifies a whole release, such as a single, EP or album, as one product; the number it carries is a 12-digit GTIN, and an EAN is the 13-digit version. Here is how the number is built, what GS1 charges, and why most independent artists take the free one from their distributor. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceupcmetadatadistribution https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-an-isrc https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-an-isrc An ISRC (International Standard Recording Code) is a 12-character code that identifies one sound recording or music video, not the song behind it. Here is how the code is built, who issues it, where Indian labels get a prefix, and why it matters for getting paid. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceisrcmetadatadistribution https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-an-iswc https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-an-iswc An ISWC (International Standard Musical Work Code) is the permanent ID number for a song as a composition, not a recording. Here is what it looks like, who issues it and what it does not tell you. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencemetadatapublishingroyalties https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-dbfs https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-dbfs dBFS (decibels relative to full scale) measures level in a digital system against the highest level it can represent, which is 0 dBFS. Every other digital level is a negative number below it. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceaudio-basicsmixingmastering https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-headroom-in-audio https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-headroom-in-audio Headroom is the gap between the level a signal normally runs at and the loudest level the system can handle before it clips. Here is what it means in analogue gear, in a DAW and on Spotify. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceheadroomgain-stagingmixingmastering https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-lufs https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-lufs LUFS is the unit loudness meters use to say how loud a whole track or programme sounds, measured with the ITU-R BS.1770 algorithm. Broadcasters aim at -23 LUFS under EBU R128; Spotify turns playback to -14 dB LUFS. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencelufsloudnessmasteringstreaming https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-sample-rate https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-sample-rate Sample rate is how many times per second a digital system measures an audio signal, written in hertz or kilohertz. It sets the highest frequency a recording can hold: just under half the sample rate. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referenceaudio-basicsmixingmastering https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-sidechain https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-sidechain A sidechain is a second input that tells a processor when to act, without being heard itself. Pumping kick-and-bass is one use of it; the term means the input, not the effect. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencemixingcompressionglossary https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-true-peak https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/what-is-true-peak True peak is the highest level a digital audio waveform reaches once it is rebuilt as a continuous signal, including peaks that fall between samples. It is measured with the ITU-R BS.1770 method and shown in dBTP; Spotify asks for masters at or below -1 dBTP. Mon, 26 Oct 2026 12:30:00 GMT We are the music makers format-referencetrue-peakloudnessmasteringmetering