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Top 10 Mixing Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

October 18, 2024

Mixing is an art form that requires not only technical skill but also a keen ear and attention to detail. Many producers and engineers fall into common traps...

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Choosing the Best CPU for Music Production

October 18, 2024

When upgrading your CPU for music production, whether you're composing orchestral scores, producing electronic music, or working with intricate multi-track projects, selecting the right processor...

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How to Create Epic Risers and Transition Effects for Electronic Music

October 11, 2024

Creating epic risers and transition effects is essential for electronic music producers to build tension and anticipation before a drop or shift in their tracks. Here’s how you can do it...

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Automating a Drum Bus in Reaper to Create Dynamic Room Effects

October 6, 2024

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EQ in Practice: How to Use Subtractive EQ to Clean Up Muddy Mixes

October 6, 2024

ixing music is an art, and one of the most essential tools for achieving clarity in a mix is the equalizer (EQ). One technique, in particular, known as subtractive EQ, can work wonders for cleaning...

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How to Manage Static Noise in High Frequencies When Compressing Vocals

October 6, 2024

One common frustration in vocal production, especially for home studio and bedroom producers, is encountering static noise in the high frequencies after compressing and brightening vocals...

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Sampling Like a Pro: How to Flip Samples and Avoid Legal Issues

October 6, 2024

Sampling has been a cornerstone of modern music production, allowing producers to reimagine and breathe new life into old tracks. Whether you're producing hip-hop, EDM, or any genre, knowing how to...

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What Makes an EQ or Compressor VST High-Quality: Insights and Examples from Pros

October 6, 2024

When selecting EQ and compressor plugins, musicians and producers look for more than just a shiny interface or brand recognition. It's all about how these tools perform in real-world scenarios...

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Sound Design 101: Crafting Killer Drum Sounds Using Synthesizers

October 6, 2024

Drum sounds form the backbone of many music genres, and while sample packs are popular, designing your own drum sounds from scratch can elevate your production to a whole new level. Crafting custom...

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Mastering Multiband Compression Sidechaining: A Solution to Clashing Frequencies

October 6, 2024

In modern music production, one of the most common challenges is the clash of frequencies between instruments. For example, bass guitars and drum kits often compete for space in the lower end of...

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Studio One Workflow Tips for Faster Music Production

October 1, 2024

Studio One by PreSonus is an incredibly powerful DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that offers a variety of tools to streamline your music production workflow. However, like many DAWs, getting the...

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Solving the Issue of Buried Crash Cymbals in the Mix

October 1, 2024

Crash cymbals often get buried in the mix, especially when using complex miking techniques like Glyn Johns, which balances close mics with overheads. While re-recording with higher cymbals may be a...

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The Shadow of Sour Writing “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo

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The mastermind behind the overwhelmingly successful album, Sour, the 20-year-old Olivia Rodrigo comes back into the spotlight with a new heartwrenching single, ‘Vampire’ and the announcement of her upcoming album ‘Guts’. 

As the expected sophomore album Guts slowly approaches, many people have been taking note of the difficulty that Olivia will face to top her previous work on Sour. Sour debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, with the biggest opening in 2021 for an album at the time. In addition, it secured Olivia three Grammy wins in 2022.

Olivia discusses the pressure and anxiety that she faced with the success of Sour and the expectations that she had to live up to during the early stages of writing Guts. She mentions that it’s an unhealthy mindset to constantly think about outperforming ‘Drivers License’ or Sour. Instead, she focuses on writing music she herself would love to hear on the radio and chooses to accept everything else is out of her control, including the success of her work. 

With all that said, Vampire is currently occupying the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100, with over 100 million streams on Spotify, and continues Olivia’s streak as one of this generation's greatest songwriters. 

Writing Vampire really helped Olivia sort through a lot of “regret, anger and heartache”, things she was trying to express for a long time. Vampire isn’t just about something surface-level like someone hurting Olivia, but rather the regret she faced for going along while knowing that something wasn’t going to turn out great. 

Listen to Vampire on music streaming platforms, and check out the music video for Vampire on Youtube.