Captain Lean Automatic returns from vacationing amidst a hurricane on a boat. Professor SentZ becomes a student, and drops some gems learned from industry scientists Brian Hood and El-P. We discuss dealing with nerves and take a deep dive into mastering  two vital tools for your growth, that website and calendar.

Grab a notepad, this one’s a learning sesh. Welcome to the lab!

Lab Science Podcast

Fixing Your Website & Schedule - Episode 33

This week is all about finding your sound as a producer, artist, DJ,  and engineer. The benefits go well beyond the art you create. If you’re struggling with getting your sound in order, stick around until the end for 9 tips that’ll help immediately.

Lab Report

-(2:40) CBC News Investigates Ticketmaster - https://bit.ly/2PMR3bD

-11:03 Spotify To Allow Direct Uploads from Indie Artists - https://bit.ly/2OR2IWW
 - Spotify Will Launch Middle East/North Africa - https://bit.ly/2N3Mms3

-14:55 Music Modernization Act Passes - https://bit.ly/2Q9q0Yd

Lab Technique of the Week: Birthday Crate (20:33)

Crate preparation is a big part of DJing. Make a crate or playlist full of songs you’d want spun on your birthday. When done, select three random friends on Facebook or in your phone an make them crates based on what you’d play for their birthday. Use a streaming service or write the playlist down and send it to them as a random hello. This exercise serves 2 purposes. It’ll get you thinking critically about song selection and will get you more practice with maintaining relationships.

Main Topic: Finding Your Sound 

What does it mean?: (23:45)

Having a distinct and recognizable sound in your art that serves as a calling card. When you find your sound, people know you made something before they’re told. They hear your traits on the audio itself.

Why is it important?: (25:27)

Your sound is directly tied into your brand. As such, it dictates things like your website, target audience, and overall strategy in how you present yourself publicly. For example, f you have a gritty underground sound, your site and social media should reflect that. The more you have a sound, the better you can present that package.

How to tell if you have a sound?: 26:34

Perform “The Bar Exercise”. Can you seal the deal before my Guinness arrives?

9 Tips to find sound: (30:38)

1. Revisit your catalog and identify your best traits
2. Focus your education on your best traits
3. Design Your own Sounds.
4. Use Templates and Kits to start sessions
5. Create more consistently. Use a schedule if needed
6. Trim unnecessary gear
7. Read your bio regularly
8. Get criticism from others
9. Work on developing an artist

Finding Your Sound - Episode 34

**For full show notes and links visit http://bit.ly/LabSci35**

The 80/20 rule states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. 80 % of your success stems from 20% of your actions. Conversely, 80 percent of the drama you deal with stems from 20% of your efforts. By reducing tasks, you give yourself the chance to shave away at the 20% of things that cause you problems. That's what today's episode is all about. Professor SentZ and Captain Lean Automatic sit down and discuss ways that producers, djs, engineers, and songwriters can all make gains by taking things away.

Episode Contents

- Sirius buys Pandora, is Live Nation Next?:
- Akai Releases the FIRE controller for FL Studio:
- China’s Hip-Hop "Ban"
- Sampling Yourself 
- Minimize to Maximize

**For full show notes and links visit http://bit.ly/LabSci35**

Show Notes

Minimize to Maximize - Episode 35

Are you a beatmaker? Are you a producer? Are you both? This week Professor SentZ discusses the the terms and their hidden connotations while giving tips for both paths.

Episode Contents

LAB REPORT

- Facebook announces "Premiers"
- The Moog One Hits Shelves
- HD Vinyl Pushes Forward

CASE STUDY

- Questlove's "On the Hour" DJ Tchnique

LAB TECHNIQUE

- The "K.I.S.S. on the Bus" Mix Technique

- K.I.S.S. = “Keep it simple stupid”. Keep your mixes simple.

- Mixing “on the bus” = Putting the focus on grouping  similar elements into  busses and getting a bulk of mix work done there, not on individual tracks

- Mixes tend to benefit from doing less, despite us having so many tools

- Today’s sounds and kits are processed and high quality. You don’t need as much individual track processing

- Beats you plan on selling tend to get mixed and mastered again after vocals are added. Get a good sound but be time efficient. Don't spend a week mixing a beat.

- Gain staging, EQ and Compression are 3 techniques and get you 80% there

- Old computers benefit from the decrease in plugin use

- The more you do on the bus, the more individual tracks gel together. Buses put instruments in the same room.

Beatmaking vs Producing - Episode 36

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