The 20 Best Things You Learned About Music in 2019

Congratulations on all the ways you improved your music this year. From music theory to sampling, to home recording, and promoting your music there’s always something new to learn with the LANDR Blog.

There was so much new material that it’s time for a refresher on the best topics you learned about in 2019.

So in case you missed it here’s a few posts that were especially useful this year—chosen by you.

You dove into advanced music theory

Creating your best tracks isn’t possible without some theory knowledge.

But music theory gets a bad reputation for being dry and inaccessible.

To help you grow your knowledge here’s a few posts about music theory from 2019 that weren’t boring or overly complicated at all.

Music Theory: The Basics You Need to Make Better Music

This post is the perfect place to jump into the world of music theory.

By the end you’ll know where to get started with the fundamentals. It’s the perfect post to brush up on the basics and work on what you still need to learn when it comes to theory.

Extended Chords: How to Add Color to Your Songs With Extensions

If you’re stuck in a rut with your songwriting and you want to add life to your chords in 2020, this is a great place to start.

This post covered everything you need to know about adding interesting harmonic color to your chords.

What is Rhythm: How Time, Beat and Meter Work in Music

Rhythm is a deep musical concept.  It seems simple, but any artists might struggle to master the basics, especially at the beginning.

This article dove into the fundamentals of understanding and using rhythm, beats, and meter in music.

You got set up to record at home

It’s never been easier and more affordable to set up a home studio and record high-quality tracks.

This year you learned absolutely everything there is to know about designing and outfitting a home studio. 

Here’s what we covered:

Home Studio Guide: How to Build a Home Recording Studio Setup

If a home studio is something you like to create in your home this is the place to start.

Learn what computer, DAW, headphones, monitors, microphones, cables are most important to have when building your home studio.

How to Take of Your Gear

If you don’t treat your gear well it won’t last very long.

If keeping your gear working for the long-term is something you are concerned about, this article covers tips and tricks for ensuring your expensive recording lasts.

Microphone Types: 4 Different Mics and How to Use Them

Do you know the four major types of microphones?

In this article, you’ll learn how dynamic, large and small diaphragm condensers, and ribbon microphones work in the studio and what instruments they work best for.

Acoustic Treatment: How to Get a Better Sounding Room

One of the more misunderstood aspects of building a home studio is acoustic treatment.

This guide demystifies the acoustic treatment process and gives great tips for improving the sound of a home studio on a reasonable budget.

You took on tough topics

No one said creating music is easy.

Sometimes it takes a little wake-up call to accept that you need more knowledge or practice time.

Here’s some articles that asked you to dig deep, look within, and get better at creating meaningful art.

Can Music and AI Coexist? 8 Predictions from Mutek Artists

Music and emerging technology have always had an important relationship.

But with AI becoming more and more prevalent in society how will it affect music?

Here’s how eight Mutek festival artists see the future of Music with AI.

The Hard Truths Series

Hard Truths is where tough topics get tackled. 

This ongoing series takes an honest look at mistakes beginner music producers often make.

Get honest advice about mixing, arrangement, plugins, and getting better at music production.

Here’s all the posts from the Hard Truths series so far:

• Hard Truths: You Can’t Afford the Sound You Want—Yet
• Hard Truths: A Good Mix Takes Work
• Hard Truths: Your Arrangement is More Important Than Your Mix
• Hard Truths: The Only Way to Get Better At Mixing Is Practice
• Hard Truths: Free Plugins are Holding You Back

Studio Health: 5 Ways to Bring Wellness into Your Workflow

Long hours in the studio, high volume sound, stress and creative anxiety will take a toll on your physical and mental health.

Keeping your mind and body healthy is so important for putting your best work into the world.

This article looked at the best strategies artists can use to make their studio workflow healthier.

You learned how to sample

Sampling is an essential part of music production for so many genres. 

But knowing how to sample in your DAW while respecting copyright law can be pretty confusing.

This year you learned the ins and outs of using samples in your tracks, getting clearance, and finding royalty-free samples.

Sampling Music: The Complete Guide

If sampling is something want to use in your tracks but you aren’t sure where to get started, this is a great guide to look through.

Learn where to find samples legally, how to use them in your DAW, and get creative ideas for using samples in your track.

The Sample and Hold Series

Sampling opens many creative avenues but it can be intimidating when getting started. 

Even if you have access to a huge library of royalty-free samples, knowing how to sort through them and find something useful isn’t so simple.

This year’s Sample and Hold series explored samples generated by Selector,  LANDR’s AI sample recommendation tool.

It’s a sort of digital crate-digging session that dives into the inspiration behind selected samples, and how they could be used in a track.

• Sample and Hold: Library Music, Hang Drum and Reverse Audio
• Sample and Hold: Lo-fi Rhodes, FM Leads and Sidechain Pads
• Sample and Hold: Modular Synth, Field Recording and Gated Reverb

 Stay tuned for more Sample and Hold posts in 2020!

What is Looping and How to Use it in Your Production

Looping is one of the most powerful production tools in music for any genre.

This article looked at how to get started with looping and tips and tricks to to use it in your music.

How Sample Clearance Works: The Business of Borrowing Sound

Sampling has always been a controversial topic in the music world.

Copyright laws and streaming services make it dangerous to use uncleared samples.

Of course, you can always use a royalty-free sample library, but if you don’t you’ll have to get your samples cleared.

This article gave a clear explanation of modern copyright law and explained how artists can obtain clearance for their samples.

You got better at promoting your music

What’s the point of making a track if no one is going to hear it?

Once you finish your release you need to put together a plan to build an audience and deliver your music to them.

This year you learned how to promote your music both online and offline. Here’s a few posts about music promotion that stuck out this year.

How to Promote Your Music

If you’re building a promotion strategy to market an album or single, this is the place to start.

This year we put together the ultimate guide to music promotion.

You learned everything you needed to know about getting verified, generating press, growing a fanbase, and sharing on and offline.

How to Contact Blogs and Playlists in 6 Steps​

There’s a degree of etiquette that comes with contacting anyone from the media.

Yes, you want these gatekeepers to hear your tracks, but there’s a way to do approach these platforms respectfully.

Before you press send to a big email send out be sure to check out this great article.

6 Reasons Why Offline Music Promotion Will Always Win

There’s so much talk about promoting your music online, the value of offline promotion is getting overlooked.

There’s nothing more valuable than a two-minute conversation and a handshake after a good live set.

And who doesn’t pay attention to a personal recommendation from a friend?

This article unpacked the reasons why offline promotion might be more important than promotion in the digital realm.

2020 Visions

This new year let’s get into it! You’re going to make the best tracks you’ve ever made in 2020.

Don’t forget that you can always come back here for more inspiration, knowledge, or advice.

There will always be something new to learn here about theory, music production, promotion, sampling, or just about anything you can imagine.

We can’t wait to see where this new year takes you and your music.