Three minute reads for audio engineers and music makers

By Thomas Dulin

Hey Reader, here's this week's Take Three email.

A hearty welcome to all the new folks!

If you are on the PhaseLock beta list and you do not want to receive these weekly emails, click here. Do NOT click unsubscribe unless you never want to receive any email from me again (including PhaseLock beta stuff!)

TAKE ONE: QUICK LINKS

• ​D'Addario admits Suno was used in string demo video. They must have read last week's email. Respect. via musicradar.
• 5 potential "gotcha's" when using Apple Silicon Macs for audio, via Production Expert​
• Spotify enabled their new "AI persona" badges yesterday. Profiles who upload AI generated music will be excluded from recommendations and more. Full story on techcrunch.com​

TAKE TWO: GEAR I'M LOVING

​How cool are these 1/4" keychains?​

I'm not a huge Megadeth guy but I'd definitely use the oasis ones.

TAKE THREE: 3 Things I Learned From Accidentally Launching a Plugin

I've been working on PhaseLock for almost a year now and have recently been able to use it in my own mixes, even if it's a bit rough around the edges.

When I saw J.J. Blair, who I deeply admire, post a video about the exact problem PhaseLock solves, I decided to post a "remix" video with a sneak peek.

Honest to God, I thought maybe two or three people would reach out and request the beta. But the waitlist is over 300 currently.

I've now been forced to turn my attention fully into releasing it, and I'm so glad I showed people what I'm working on before it was done.

Here's 3 things I learned around sharing stuff you're making.

1. Don't be too precious about the work

There were really "clever" features that honestly no one really wanted. So I deleted them to keep the plugin more focused.

Another great example of this: sometimes that third verse just needs to be cut.

2. Be ready to jump, even if it's not "ready"

J.J.'s video sparked a conversation about the problem of phase alignment, and I benefited from posting a remix video that same day.

What if I had chickened because the plugin UI was ugly (it was!)?

3. Involve other people as soon as possible

This is really the heart of what I wanted to share today. Involving other people in what you're working on reveals weaknesses that need to be addressed.

And often the act of sharing it reveals the weaknesses before you even receive feedback from the person you're sharing it with.

A challenge

What's something you're making right now? A song? A mix? A plugin? I challenge you to share it with someone before it's "ready." If you don't have someone, hit reply and share it with me!

I promise to read every response and reply to as many as possible!

Until next week, happy music making, Reader.

Thomas Dulin Producer / Engineer / Mixer