Success

So I have been watching Rhythm and Flow featuring Chance the Rapper, Cardi B and T.I. on Netflix lately and while I watched it, I heard T.I. state the quote above.

SUCCESS IS WHERE OPPORTUNITY MEETS PREPARATION.

I heard him say it and it sparked a memory for me. I once had a mentor tell me that time prepared is not time wasted. Both of these sayings work with one another. People feel unprepared during a time of opportunity because they haven't been preparing. The opportunity flops because we don't take the time to prepare ourselves. 

Now I am not talking about remembering a few lines and what not. I am speaking of honing your craft and enjoying the journey. Artist, creatives, creators, or inventors get caught up in the results that we forget that we enjoy our craft. Only God knows when opportunity comes, but if you give up on it or forget why you do it, you may miss opportunity.

You have probably heard this a million times but people tend to quit right before their time comes. Usually due to the low moments life throws at them. We fall so low that we feel or think we know that everything was a pipe dream. Yet, it's always at that moment when you need to push forward. Much like the folks in Rhythm and Flow, you could have T.I. or Cardi or Chance to pop up in your city and give you a chance. Or the most likely of situations, you connect enough with others and after a couple of mistakes and some possible right moves, your time may come. You just can't let life discourage you. There are always lessons to be learned, especially from your own downfalls that you could teach someone else. 

Anyways, I know I ranted and it may not have made the most of sense, and its different then normal, but hope this inspires you.

As Always,

Stay Blessed,

Mic-Key

Facts of Eq #1

So as most of you know, you can’t mix a track without Equlaizing (more commonly known as EQing or EQ). Well here is a basic tip you need to keep in mind. EQ works best when removing parts of the frequency than adding to it. Now there is always a use for boosting frequencies, but there are generally only two (2) major uses.

The first being Sound Design, the second and most common one is for creating clarity.

If I will be honest, I don't really use EQ for Sound Design (called SD from this point on, toooooo many letters to type lol.); but I know how to do it. EQ for SD is exaggerative. You take a clip or sample and Create drastic fluctuations in the sample's frequencies to create a sound you desire. For instance, you take a simple thing as a Toilet Flushing, idea courtesy of Curtiss King (click on his name to see the video he did on this.) You remove and boost until all that is left is what you want to be heard.

The most common of uses is to bring clarity or blending sounds into the track. For instance, you have a snare drum and a bass playing at the same time. The bass is hitting so hard that is over taking the snare. The simplest thing is to make a high pass filter and cut the higher frequencies where the Snare may sit and cut them. Likewise, on the flip side, you can create a low pass filter and cut the low end out of the snare's sample. This way none of the frequencies overlap by much and the snare can cut through the mix. A prime example of this is from the man Lifestyledidit who can go further into depth.

Thanks for your time,

Stay Blessed,
Mic-Key

Recording Vocals #1 - Where to stand

Have you ever seen someone basically making out with the mic? It’s rather disturbing and has the opposite effect of what you need. To exaggerate I once saw a guy look like he was making out with the mic. I felt I needed to leave the room to give them some time alone.

That being said, you need to have some space between you and the Mic. I know I have the picture up top that gave a description. But here’s what it is supposed to look like.

When you have enough distance, you are able to project a bit more (without it distorting as much), allow room for clarity, remove some of the breathing sounds while still sounding natural. You also make it easier on your engineer. That LOW end then creeps up in vocals isn’t as annoying as it would be with you kissing the mic. 

Let me know if you try this out and how it works for you.

Stay blessed,

Mic-Key

Start from the bottom

So I posted this a while ago and I want to further break it down.

Over the years I have always found that after hearing a song, beat, mix or whatever so many times you begin to become used to it and miss certain things in a Mix. I learned this the hard way hen I used to do the sound engineering at a church I worked for. Every Sunday was a concert basically. During practices, after they learned the songs they would do a full run through.

THIS is where I learned that it was best to start the mix from scratch. Now if you have everything bussed this will be easier, but if you don't, it’s possible either way. 

First things first, drop all the faders to the bottom. Then pick what you want to build around. For the sake of the genre I usually work with, I’m a say the kick. You start by bringing the kick to where it ends up peaking at -12db. This will become a frame of reference, YOU DO NOT want anything to go above it. 

From here I like to build the rest of the drums around it. Mostly because it helps me get into the swing of things, but also because I am most comfortable with drum (I can play them). The snare will be just underneath or matching the kick. Hi hats a couple of decibels under.

I then introduce the melodies. I start of with the main instrument I want to stand out and then add the others until the are distinct but not over powering the rest. Basically repeating what I just did with the drums.

After I have gotten everything blended to how I want it, I start planning and widening tracks and making everything fall into place. 

I have added a link to hear the final product of one of my mixes...

Eyes Toward Heaven - Apple Music

Eyes Toward Heaven - Spotify

Eyes Toward Heaven - Youtube

I plan on possibly making video. Have to work my way up to that though. 

Stay blessed! 

Mic-Key

Everything takes patience...

Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting. - Joyce Meyer via brainyquote.com

Sometimes in life I have found myself being very impatient with how things are going. I say this knowing that I am definitely not the only one going through this. Most of the impatience usually comes from the lack of money. I always feel like I'm not doing the most to provide for my family (which given whom you may, ask I may not be). Regardless, I do my best with what I can. I have an awkward job that allows me to be home often but I'm not making enough to support my family without help. I have dreams I want to accomplish, I have wants and financial desires. But before that, I want to be of use to people. So I’m a start posting a more descriptive version of my “tips 4 a better mix” posts that are on IG and Twitter. Hope these are of help and I hope this becomes of mutual benefit.

Somethings are meant to change...

Hello everyone,

I've been doing a bit of thinking recently as a couple of things have passed. (nothing big just regular life) Anyways, so my younger son has been crawling to his heart's content and trying to walk. He can do it by himself but only when he is holding someone's hand, I'm sure it's because he just feels reassured. Regardless of the fact, it is very interesting to see how your children grow daily. in fact I can take an example from both of my sons with countless stories.

For example, my six (6) year old boy; he's been learning to be a little more independent. We no longer have to constantly be on him and he is starting to get the hang of doing certain things before we have to remind him. Just watching him makes life interesting as he venture off into his own little adventures. I see his imagination run wild and it reminds me of myself as a child. People always thought I was awkward and annoying but all I ever did was want to have a little fun.

The most interesting thing though is his attitude towards things. When he was smaller, he always got upset when he learned he wasn't allowed to do something. ( he sometimes still does it) As he has gotten older, he has gotten a bit better at understanding why certain things can't be done now, or why he shouldn't touch the iron when it is turned on and most of that is cause of small things we learn along the way.

Keri Russel once said, "Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." For instance... If you have ever seen the show, "How I Met Your Mother" you are well aware of when Barney met Nora and began having feelings for her. In the clip below, we see how easily Barney changes his mind on things, mostly due to the fact that he is perverted and well "loves" women (it's in quotations because I am using "love" very, very, very loosely.) but it is a simple example on a small change that ended up having a great impact.

Now that you have seen the clip, I'm going to explain what happens in the rest that is not shown in the clip. (*Note* Spoiler alert!!!!!) So as we saw Barney chose to break his rule of going on a second date with Nora because she is hot. Now mind you Barney ends up falling head over heels for Nora and even goes as far as staying n a diner waiting for her so that they can deepen their relationship. He made a conscious decision that began on the basis of STUPID and simpleminded reasoning, and yet that small change or "exception" lead to him being in a relationship that he never expected which then opened him up to being able to truly fall in love with someone else, *coughs*Robin*coughs* lol.

The small change opened up doors for something Barney had always said he would never do, like getting married, which he ended up marrying Robin leading to Ted finding his wife and tying the whole show together. (Like I said........ spoilers... ;) )

The same can be applied to our life (bare with me as I tie it in). Change doesn't have to be complicated, it doesn't even have to be extravagant. Its about setting possible mental goals. As people, we tend to set impossible goals that end up overwhelming us. We make "New Years" resolutions like losing weight, going to the Gym, and my favorite...... BEING A BETTER PERSON.

Mind you these goals are always to broad and seem impossible. I'll Break it down (all just examples).

1. Losing weight - Instead of saying I'm gonna lose weight and get back to my size 32 when you're a 40 seems a bit over drastic as opposed to saying I want to Lose 7 pounds every 2 months. Which if you look at it  over the course of one (1) year it is a total of 42 pounds... which is a lot. Imagine being 42 pounds lighter in a year. Its a small goal that seems possible and can achieve the highest satisfaction
2. Being a better person - WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN???????? People put to much emphasis on making sure they go to more church functions, helping the homeless, and yada yada yada. Just because you feed the homeless and help the needy doesn't really make you a better person. I say this because you can do all those things and look good in the public eye but still have a rotten soul. "To be a better person" (if we take it literally) means to work on oneself, and actually work through the crap that is you and changing you. The constant need to undermine people, or lack restraint or lash out. Changing those things makes you a better person, NOT JUST DOING THINGS IN THE OPEN.

I'm gonna skip the Gym time cause losing weight and that go kind of hand in hand....

Back to change, it isn't complicated, it just needs to be done. You are meant to change, life is meant to change, and even though we can't always control it we can help veer change so that it doesn't bite us in the butt and blindside us. Just like with our kids (if you have any) they will learn, they will change, but you can't over complicate it. they are learning just like you are. For those who are married, You are gonna need to change to fit your wife's needs as you both grow together, likewise so will she to fit yours. Yet, as I mentioned before, its the small decisions that will end up creating the most impact. If you change the little things to a big problem, you end up crumbling the big issues as you have taken it apart bit by bit until it is no longer there.

I leave you with this:

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. - Maya Angelou

Be blessed.

While everyone is asleep....

So I'm sitting here in bed while my wife and kids are in bed snoozing the night away, and it dawns on me... I can't go to sleep until I feel everyone including my dog is safe. My wife toss and turns, the dog is snoring and I feel at peace. The fact that I know they are safe is calming to me. So, I begin thinking about why that is and I come to this conclusion.

The fact that I feel so safe is because I didn't feel safe as a kid and want my family to be safe. It's when you as a parent say that you don't want your kids to go through the same thing you did. If there was ever a fact in life that was absolutely true other than the word of God it is this... We don't want our kids to go through anything that could cause them any harm. So I bring in this into question, when does protecting them go too far into overly sheltering them. If our kids don't experience some sort of "pain" (for lack of a better word) how will they learn to overcome. It's like it says in Isaiah 48:10 Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. (Isaiah 48:10 NKJV) 

Now, affliction is nor doesn't have to be as extreme as the word itself sounds. Affliction (as defined by dictionary.com) is a state of pain, distress, or grief;misery. (Again not as horrible as you read it) pain can be as small as a tiny scratch on your finger to (well the extreme case of) falling from a ten foot story building and breaking every bone in your body and living. (Wow just thinking of it hurts) So affliction to a kid can be just being frustrated in not being able to remember something they wanted to tell you, or even you changing the dinner menu on them from Mac and cheese to spaghetti and meatballs.

Affliction, an amazing thing that breaks down the barriers of ignorance and foolishness. It polishes our very being, forms our persona, trains our thoughts, and lastly establishes who we are to become. To take the pains of failure and use that pain to form a better YOU or YOUR KID. For instance, many of you have your kids in some form of sports, and we can all say that as dads or as parents it's cool to watch your kid win. (Not to poke fun at those who play sports and don't keep score. Nothing wrong with "thanks for participating" lol) Yet on the flip side watching them lose is tough on you just as it is on them.

There's a bright side to it though. Losing makes you do better. You try harder to make sure you win next time. You stir up your resolve, and gather your wits about you and push yourself beyond your mental limitations to become better. So let it be known... There is nothing wrong with a little pain, a little suffering and a little hardship. We can't always protect those we love from danger, what we can do is to be prepared to get back up and keep going.

This up and coming generation is becoming desensitized to the reality of hardship. Having to be politically correct or tolerant or sensitive to that which society has deemed untouchable has created a huge margin for people having to sacrifice what's right and be under-developed in the reality that not everyone is going to cater to you whether you lose or whether treating you different because you feel different. (Run on sentence lol) in a team, everyone has to train, everyone has to do their best, NO ONE is excluded. In life, it's exactly the same way. Everyone has to do their best and get up and do what is necessary to triumph over their adversity. 

I end with this, everyone is special but no one is unique anymore. To be unique is to go against the grain, now a days everyone is trying to be unique that they ended up being like everyone else. Do what's right, not what's hip or in fashion etc. teach your kids the truth and stop trying to shelter them. 

I may not be the best but I try and this is just my belief. Have a blessed day