How to Record a Music Demo at Home Inexpensively

How to Record a Music Demo at Home InexpensivelyHow to Record a Music Demo at Home InexpensivelyAs a musician, your demo is your calling card. It can help you expand your audience, and its your ticket to getting bedrngnisiced by record labels, so its important to get it right. Contrary to popular belief, demo recording doesnt have to be elaborate or expensive. If your songs are great, listeners will hear it, no matter how much cash you spent on the recording. Here are some helpful tips. Pick Your Recording Venue Are you going to book a studio? Are you going to record at home using your computer or even go totally old school with a 4-track recorder? Make aya whichever venue you choose is equipped with everything you need, and if youre recording at home, make sure you understand the acoustical quirks of the room. Choose Your Recording Method There are two basic choices available to you The right one for you depends on the music you are making. Hardcore punk? Go live. Radio frie ndly pop? Go multi-track. Recording live - that is, all instruments and vocals being recorded in one take - produces a raw, rough sound. Multi-Track Recording Each instrument is recorded independently on its own track- gives cleaner and more polished sound. Set up For the drums, each individual drum should be miked, and the cymbals should each have two mics. The bass and guitar should each go through a DI. If you have a double guitar part, or to get a really clean sound, the guitarist can have a mic plus be hooked up to an amp in aseparate room, to prevent bleed off the amp sound into the mic. Record Time to do the actual recording. Dont get caught up in the details and dont record for hours on end. A demo should be short, sweet, and to the point. Mix Your Recording Remember that labels dont expect a demo to be perfect. If youre recording at home on a computer, and mischunging is easy enough, dont feel pressured to execute a perfect mix. A rough mix is fine. If youre recording in a studio, the engineer or producer can mix your recording for you. One more time a demo is not intended to be a release ready recording. Mixing is one of the most important parts of a professional recording, but not of demo making. Dont get caught up in spending too much time and money on this step. Master your recording. (This step is completely optional) Mastering involves a final EQ process and also adds a bit of compression. Keep in mind that people who master recordings have styles all their own no two people will master the same recording in the same way. If you decide to get your recording mastered, make sure you get an unmastered copy as well, in case you dont like the finished product. More Helpful Tips Never, ever, ever spend tons of money recording a demo. Record labels understand recording and the difference between studio and home recording, and no great artist has ever gone unsigned because their demo just didnt sound professional enough. Worry about writing top notch songs, and then let the labels shell out the dough for the professional recordings after they sign youKeep it brief. Record labels are not going to sit and listen to your 20 track epic demo album. Put two or three songs on your demo, at the most. If they want to hear more, believe me, theyll let you know. Put your best song first. Ideally, it should be something catchy and fast-paced rather than a slower track. Demos usually get about 30 seconds to make an impression before the AR guys hit next, so put your best foot forward. What You Need 4 Track or 8 Track, or access to a recording studioRecording softwareMics

A Resume Guide for Senior-Level Professionals

A Resume Guide for Senior-Level ProfessionalsA Resume Guide for Senior-Level ProfessionalsBoard Room Leaders Need Resumes TooYouve risen through the ranks. You started with internships and entry-level scutwork, made your mark as an individual contributor, and now youre finding yourself in the midst of leadership as a senior manager, director, or a member of the executive team. But when it comes time to update your resume, do the rules change for someone with top-level experience? Weve written over 1000 resumes each year, many at the director level and above, and were happy to share some key differences top-level performers need to keep in mind.Show Progression and TrajectoryWhile it might be common for mid-career professionals to make lateral moves and small career changes, a senior-level professionals resume needs to show a clear trajectory. Recruiters should quickly see your rise in the ranks, clearly outlining your move from individual contributor to manager, and underscoring the key achievements in each role that propelled you to the next. Each new job should carry mora gravitas, impact, and scope of influence. The earlier jobs can focus on tactical and skill-driven achievements, but the more recent positions should accent the strategic and creative elements of the role.Shed Your Individual Contributor SkinWell pick on IT directors in this example. One of the toughest decisions an IT manager must make as he transitions into leadership is when to leave his technical skills and ground-level abilities in his wake. You may have an impressive list of IT skills, programming languages, or marketing campaign management chops. But once you move into senior leadership territory, your merits lie in your ability to drive a team towards performance, set strategic initiatives, and outline vision for your department. Mark Zuckerberg doesnt have to write another line of code for the rest of his life, and nobodys going to hire him because of his skills with Python or Java.O utline Your Influence, Scope, and Depth of RoleResume piles across the country are filled with mid-level individual contributors posing as leads and managers. We see titles like Director of Account Management, but no mention of any team or direct reports to speak of (because there arent any). In a day where many people embrace the fogginess of jargon ambiguity on their resumes, a leader clearly outlines the parameters of his role. The first bullet for each of your positions should state which departments you direct, what budget or PL you manage, how many direct reports you oversee, and what influence you have over the business. When everyone else tosses around vague superlatives, you can rise above them with numbers, figures, and concrete facts.Show Restraint and BrevityThis might be the toughest part. An entry-level graduate typically writes a 1-page resume stuffed to the brim with skills, jargon, hobbies, and broad, sweeping statements about his expertise in a wide range of fields . You, with 12+ years of experience driving companies to new heights and excelling in your field, need to show you can condense your talking points into roughly the same space (1 to 1.5 pages). A concise, one-page resume is a truly wonderful thing when written from the perspective of a senior professional. It shows an understanding of what information is truly relevant. It displays top-level leadership and achievements, and hints of Theres more where that came from. Our favorite clients are those with 15 years of experience who happily truncate their entire professional career into sound bytes and bullet-friendly concepts. At this point in your career, the resume is simply a teaser. A quick list of high-level experience points that tells the recruiter We need to bring this person in ASAP and learn more.Resume writing is equal parts science and art. While every writer on our staff has served as a recruiter or hiring manager at some point, we still conduct regular interviews with recr uiters and job-fillers, using hard data to inform our choices on everything from resume length and section titles to fonts and margins. But truly great resumes also have a narrative flow, and lend a voice to the candidate. Our entry level resumes have a different tone and style than our senior-level counterparts, and your resume should show strength of voice, leadership, and poise. If this isnt something you can do on your own, or if you find yourself having trouble following all the rules, you can always hire ateam of prosto give you a helping hand.

Too Many Resume Rules to Remember Relax.

Too Many Resume Rules to Remember Relax.Too Many Resume RulesToo Many Resume Rules to Remember Relax.If youre a job seeker, youve probably read eleventy-billion pieces of advice about what you MUST and MUST NOT do in your resumes, cover letters, and interviews.How can you possibly remember all the rules? You know what? Relax. No one can remember ALL the rules, and not every rule applies in every situation, anyway. So take in all the advice you can stand, use what works for you, and ignore the rest.And if youre still nervous, ponder these truths, which I have learned along my own checkered career path. In no particular orderThe majority of people have lousy resumes, so even a not-quite-perfect one can stand out.A well-written cover letter can get you a job despite a weak resume, and a strong resume can get you a job despite a wimpy cover letter.Life happens to hiring managers, too. Theyre human. They understand things like gaps in a resume or time off for family responsibilities.The m ost likable candidate will get the job, all things being reasonably equal. So be nice.Its nerve wracking being the interviewer, not just the interviewee. If you come prepared and make it easy for your interviewers, theyll like you. (See 4)Almost everyone has been fired or laid offat least once. Youre not the only one.Most people dont send thank-you notes after an interview, so you should. Itsan easy way to differentiate yourself.One companys rejected candidate (i.e., you) is another companys dream come true. Keep going.Hardly anybody stays unemployed forever.

7 golden rules to get the most out of your meetings

7 golden rules to get the most out of your meetings7 golden rules to get the most out of your meetingsTheyre an essential part of business life, but if youre not careful, your meetings might simply be good for only one thing zapping precious time. Unfortunately, its been estimated that UK workers will waste up to a year of their lives in useless meetings, which costs the UK economy around 26 billion pounds ($35 billion). elend only does the average office worker feel like they have to attend too many, more often than not these meetings go on for too long, often with no clear purpose or goals.Every single day, businesses across the UK are suffering hours of wasted time at the hands of long, arduous meetings when a simple email or phone call would have sufficed. Therefore, employees are being warned to keep participants to a minimum and relay a strict no-electronics policy if they really want to get the most out of their business meetings.By following these seven Golden Rules brought to us by LondonOffices.com, offices across the country should be enjoying short, snappy and productive meetings in no time.1. Be preparedYouve been invited to the meeting for a reason, so make sure youve prepared at least one thing to contribute. You might consider asking yourself these three questions before agreeing to attendIs this meeting necessary?What is the purpose of the meeting?Who absolutely needs to attend?Its also a good idea to jot down a few questions youd like to ask during the meeting in the heat of the moment these ideas can easily be abandoned.2. Be exclusive with your invitationsWhen you receive a meeting invite, ask (politely) if you absolutely need to be there. Some of the biggest and most productive companies like Google and Amazon have rules in place to keep attendees to a minimum. For example, Amazon has a two pizza rule, which means theyd never hold a meeting in which they couldnt feed the whole group with two pizzas.Often, office politics get in the way of who really needs to attend, but if you want a productive meeting, youre going to have to be exclusive with your invites.3. Be savvy with your timeYour time and everyone elses is valuable, so make sure you use it wisely. If no-one else does, create an agenda which outlines the purpose of the meeting, topics of discussion and the time allotted for each, any decisions that need to be made, who is attending and where it will be held. This will help the meeting flow and ensure you cover everything you need to in the time given. You could even consider using a timer to alert you when the meeting should be wrapped up.This also brings into question deadlines make sure you have specific but realistic deadlines of when you would like your objectives completed so that everyone is on the same page.4. Keep distractions to a minimumMeetings are held for a specific purpose and to achieve specific goals, so if attendees are checking emails or phones throughout, this is only going to kill prod uctivity and make it more difficult to accomplish what you set out to do.So, at the start of the meeting, you might want to suggest that mobile phones be put on silent and placed face down on the table for the duration, and you can provide participants with a printed agenda and copies of any presentations that include space to take notes the old-fashioned way its less distracting than typing and removes the visual obstacle that a laptop creates.5. Encourage participationTry not to let a small number of people control or dominate the meetings. Instead, create a friendly atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable expressing their own opinions.Terms like ice-breaker make a lot of people cringe, but a round-table question gets the conversation going, or take it one step further and incorporate a team-building activity to break up a dull topic.6. Change things upTry not to follow the same fassonat or schedule at every meeting your employees or fellow colleagues will just get bored. In stead, take the most productive elements out of the past few meetings youve been in and band them together to form a new approach. This might mean ditching the PowerPoint Presentation or even getting rid of the boardroom setting.Another option is to meet standing up the idea if that people will become uncomfortable standing up and therefore wont want to ramble on and elongate the meeting unnecessarily.7. ListenTheres nothing worse than leading a presentation and knowing that your audience is clearly not engaged, so try and impress with your own listening skills. By making eye contact and nodding and smiling throughout, youll be practicing some key active listening skills which doesnt just mean that youll benefit from whats being said youll also build a relationship with the presenter.Your article first appeared on Yourcoffeebreak.co.uk.

The Secret to Free Resume Templates Google Docs

The Secret to Free Resume Templates Google Docs When you have prepared and submitted your resume to an employer the hope is you will be requested to attend work interview to go over further whether youll be suitable. You also receive a feeling of what information you dont need to include. Once youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to learn how to vary using action verbs and receive a feel for what makes an effective accomplishment ansicht. The Ultimate Free Resume Templates Google Docs Trick In addition, some employers might request a cover letter to accompany your resume. You may want to think about a qualifications summary which we outlined in last weeks postbut if only you need to have a summaryhere are a couple of examples to help you begin. Your resume, after all, isnt an autobiography, but instead a summary of your previous experience and qualifications. Now imagine if this SAME resume had had a summary statement on top clearly outlining why youre the ideal candidate. Free Resume Templates Google Docs Features When there are a large selection of free resume templates readily available online, and you can produce a portfolio employing a LinkedIn resume or the Google resume builder, making your professional profile appear attractive enough to be noticed is very important. Fortunately, there are various publishers around whove created incredible resume templates for fast editing and formatting in Word. Likewise there are numerous sites which allow posting an expert portfolio online. There are lots of free resume templates readily available on the web but sometimes it can be quite challenging to decide on the best one that is most suited to you. What Is So Fascinating About Free Resume Templates Google Docs? You are able to use any template you download as-is, or youre able to customize it to fulfill your requirements. Read More, here are several resume templates that it is easy to adjust to satisfy your requirement s. The template consists of editable slides that have been designed in a manner that you could find a resume builder that may help you present your necessary information in a systematic way. Along with its basic appearance, it gives you the sections you should include with subtle prompts to help. As with several other templates, you can incorporate an objective or remove that section if you want. You may also alter the font if you wish (and the exact same goes for each template in our list). As an example, utilize an icon that will help you section headers stick out. When you choose a template youll be shown a untersuchung box that shows you a bigger view of the template. The option is right your decision Simply because youve got zero experience or its your very first job. You will notice places for your education and experience at the very top. A perfect pick for candidates with plenty of experience who desire to have a really good one-page resume template. If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Free Resume Templates Google Docs Zetys resume templates are made with the assistance of recruiters and adhere to the best practices in HR. Or you might be unexpectedly laid off, and must begin work search. Submit the same resume for every single job. Then again, lets say exactly the same job requires you to be creative and bold. Top Free Resume Templates Google Docs Choices There are many free creative resume templates youll be able to use, enabling you to focus your energy on everything else you should do. The important moment of making a wonderful first impression has passed. The initial two examples are created with creativity in mind. Once you have decided on your perfect resume template from our selection, follow our totally free expert guidance about ways to craft the ideal modern resume. Each template gives structure, examples and tips so you dont need to departure from scratch when creating your resume. In case the precedin g templates do not satisfy your requirements then complexity is most likely the ideal alternative. Utilizing a resume template has turned into an acceptable and smart practice for quite a few reasons. Each one of our creative style templates offer you a perfectly balanced mixture of personality, professionalism and a little style. Since you may see, theres a vast range of freebies to select from. Resume templates exist to create your life simpler. Following that, you may add your experience, education, and abilities. Our creative templates enable you to stick out from the crowd. You may also read more on the ideal approach to use our resume samples here. Simply speaking, you should have a photo if you want to host your CV online, are working to construct your individual brand and boost your on-line visibility, or in case youre in an industry that accepts photos. Make sure you make the info youre looking for. Double check to ensure that everything on the last version of the resume is about you.

The Downside Risk of Resume Editing Writing Services That No One Is Talking About

The Downside Risk of Resume Editing Writing Services That No One Is Talking About The Fundamentals of Resume Editing Writing Services Revealed Most professionals will supply a totally free consultation and are delighted to respond to your questions over the telephone. Furthermore, the organization gives career planning assistance and interview advice. An individual should also be sure regarding the details that are provided should be indeed correct so the hire authority of the business can easily arrive in touch with the candidate easily whenever required. In addition, there are tafelgeschirrs which perform the undertaking of writing resumes but it is impossible for them to write as great as an individual can himself. Writing a prosperous paper consists of many essential factors no matter which type of academic work you want to finish. Resume is the very first impression which every candidate want to present their prospective employer. CV editing gets inevitable every time an individual decides to earn a career shift or observe that his document isnt bringing positive outcomes. You should be aware that a resume template isnt destined to remain a template. If for some reason youre unhappy with your new documents, well work with you to rewrite them until youre Resume editing is the fundamental factor of succeeding. The purchase procedure is very simple and straightforward. Its best not to just use the very first template you find online. The Benefits of Resume Editing Writing Services How to discover the ideal executive resume writing service can be as simple as picking up the telephone. Your own personal writer will allow you to create a modern resume, dependent on your career story and meeting all of the high standards of your industry. You may also have a look at the score of the resume writing company. If youre searching for he best resumes writing service, you have arrived at the perfect place. If you see a service we havent evaluated, d ont hesitate to drop us a message and were going to take a look once possible. Paying for the service which you select. The service utilizes an individual approach for writing all kinds of personalized documents, including cover letters and other sorts of employment-related correspondence. With years of expertise and a professional group of certified writers, our service will supply you with all the work search documents you have to help you acquire the job of your dreams.