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 Sun, 25 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/granular-synthesis-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/granular-synthesis-explained A granular synth chops a sound into tiny overlapping fragments called grains and rebuilds it, so you can stretch, freeze and smear audio without changing its pitch. This guide explains the handful of controls every granular instrument shares, then walks through turning one of your own recordings into a playable pad. Manuals and primary sources checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers sound-designsynthesisproductionworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/eurorack-starter-guide https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/eurorack-starter-guide Eurorack is a format, not a product, and that is why it is so easy to overspend on. This guide walks through the standard itself (size, power, control voltage), how to test-drive modular for free in software, how to plan a first small case, and the power-budget mistake that damages modules. Manuals and specs checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers synthesissound-designhardwareworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/field-recording-basics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/field-recording-basics A practical guide to recording the world outside your room and turning it into music: choosing a recorder, picking and placing mics, settings that save you in the edit, file habits that keep metadata intact, and the rights questions that matter before you release a track built on someone else's sound. Manuals, standards and laws checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers recordingsound-designworkflowsrights https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/fm-synthesis-explained https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/fm-synthesis-explained FM synthesis builds bright, complex tones by letting one oscillator wobble the pitch of another at audio rate. This guide explains the three controls that matter (ratio, index and algorithm), walks through building an electric piano, a bell and a bass step by step, and says where FM earns its place in a modern set-up. Primary sources checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers sound-designsynthesisworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/music-for-games-basics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/music-for-games-basics Game music is not a track that plays once; it is a set of parts that the game reassembles while someone plays. This guide walks through seamless loops, stem layering, horizontal and vertical adaptive techniques, and what middleware such as FMOD and Wwise (or a built-in engine system) actually does for a composer. Official docs checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers workflowscompositionsound-designcareers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/time-stretching-and-pitch-shifting https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/time-stretching-and-pitch-shifting Changing a recording's tempo without changing its pitch (or the reverse) is something every DAW does, but not in the same way. This guide explains the three families of algorithm behind warp and flex modes, what each one breaks, and a step-by-step way to choose the right mode for drums, vocals, full mixes and sound design. Manuals and papers checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 05:30:00 GMT We are the music makers samplingdawworkflowssound-design https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/808-and-sub-bass-sound-design https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/808-and-sub-bass-sound-design Most phone speakers cannot reproduce the fundamental of a deep 808, so the bass you hear on a phone is mostly its harmonics. This guide is about designing the sound itself, before mixing: picking the note, shaping the pitch drop and decay, adding harmonics on purpose, and testing on the speakers your listeners actually use. Standards and manuals checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers sound-designsynthesismixingworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/arpeggiators-and-step-sequencers https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/arpeggiators-and-step-sequencers An arpeggiator plays the notes you hold one at a time in a pattern; a step sequencer plays a fixed grid of steps you program in advance. This guide explains what each control actually does, how to build a usable part with each in any DAW, and how to keep them from sounding like a preset demo. Manuals and specifications checked on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:30:00 GMT We are the music makers sound-designsynthesismidiworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/synth-sound-design-basics https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/synth-sound-design-basics A practical route into subtractive synthesis for beginners and intermediate producers: start from an init patch, then learn oscillators, filters, envelopes and LFOs by building a bass, a pad and a pluck yourself. Uses free synths (Surge XT and Vital) so anyone can follow along, with sources read on 25 Oct 2026. Sun, 25 Oct 2026 03:30:00 GMT We are the music makers sound-designsynthesisproductionworkflows https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sidechain-compression https://wearethemusicmakers.co/learn/sidechain-compression A sidechain lets one sound control how a processor treats another. Pumping kick-and-bass is the famous use, but the same routing quietly ducks guitars under a vocal, keys a gate from a drum, and, with a multiband compressor, turns down only the frequencies that clash. Here is how each version works, using the Ableton Live manual and FabFilter Pro-MB help as references. Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:30:00 GMT We are the music makers mixingcompressionworkflowssound-design https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/professional-sound-alliance-sound-designers-ai-scraping https://wearethemusicmakers.co/news/2026/09/professional-sound-alliance-sound-designers-ai-scraping The Professional Sound Alliance launched on 24 Sep 2026 to fight "Data Piracy" and "Sync Piracy" of sound effects. Two of its founding libraries already sell AI training data, so this is a campaign for licensed AI on their terms. The open question is whether the recordists behind those libraries share in it. Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:30:00 GMT We are the music makers artist-rightsai-trainingsound-designlicensing