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Dance Music Sensation Mannik Dara Demonstrates the Art of a Great Mix

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Dance Music Sensation Mannik Dara Demonstrates the Art of a Great Mix

Written by Da duchess
Saturday, 03 May 2008
With so much of today’s music lacking quality (not just in content but in technical aspects), it’s certainly a welcomed change to hear music from someone that actually “gets it.” In a world oversaturated with loud, bass-heavy rhetoric that often sounds like it was mixed in a toilet, Mannik Dara shows the inexperienced how a master does it. I don't know about you but I'm about tired of some of the music that dominates the airwaves these days. Not only does a lot of it purely stink in content, it seriously lacks sound quality, often sounding as if it was mixed in a toilet. In a haste to save bottomlines, companies are scrambling for quick bucks yet sacrifice sound quality in the process, leaving music lovers to suffer. In my haste to find a breath of fresh air, I was very excited to find out about Mannik Dara. He is the mastermind behind some of the most fantastic music I’ve heard in a long time. A multi-instrumentalist, DJ and live PA, he definitely has spent a bulk of his career mastering his craft and it shows. Listening to his music in headphones hits you to the point where you feel like you are sitting in the middle of an orchestra... can you imagine listening to it in a room with surround sound? He wouldn’t necessarily call himself a mixing engineer per se, but after being endorsed by one of the most well respected mastering engineers in the industry, then you’d think Mannik is probably just being modest. Earle Holder, co-creator of the critically acclaimed Har-bal visual mastering software (www.har-bal.com), enthusiastically attests to Mannik’s skills. "…It's amazing how the instruments literally communicate with each other. How did he do that? Not only is his ability to create commercial tracks untouchable, but his technical production skills are above reproach. Here is a man that truly loves sound and has fun with it. He has surely raised the bar...” Most people are surprised to hear what Mannik uses to create such a monolithic sound. You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you, but here goes: a modest laptop (no fancy bells and whistles, just a standard, 3-year old $300 laptop); a demo copy of a popular music production software program; Wave Pad as a Wav editor; and what he affectionately refers to as “outdoor ambience.” Ninety percent of the kicks, snares and high hats were performed live and miked by him. Can’t forget to point out that many of his sound sources were miked using only a couple of cheap mics from a department store. Combine that with his kick-ass sequencing skills and it makes for some awesome sounding music. I’m sure you can agree that most people that use some of these recording software programs don’t even come close to achieving the kind of sound Mannik has managed to produce with just a demo copy. That’s another reason why it’s important to point out that these programs are not the sole reason why things sound the way they sound, contrary to popular belief. Success comes with knowledge of the technical aspects of making music. (I’m sure the software program makers and microphone manufacturers would love to know what he’s using; could be a HUGE endorsement on the horizon!) When given accolades about his skills, Mannik replied “It’s important for me to make music that makes people feel good and that means it has to sound good as well. Whether it’s being played in the car, in headphones, in monitors, in mono, in stereo, in the studio with large speakers or in a clock radio with small ones, it all matters to me. That’s why I named my latest release, ‘Headphone Nectar,’ because I’ve been told that it’s ‘sweet to the ears.’” If you are looking to get your project mixed well, you can learn a few lessons from listening to his music. This is how music should sound. In closing, I can’t stress the importance of getting the mix right before getting the project mastered, because in the immortal words of Earle Holder, “you can’t shine s**t my friend, no matter how much you polish it.” Mannik Dara certainly doesn’t have to worry about that. Get an EXCLUSIVE preview of 3 tracks from "Headphone Nectar: Volume 1" at: www.airplaydirect.com/mannikdara Don't forget to check out Mannik’s website - www.mannikdara.com www.mannikdara.info – (myspace) Written by Da Duchess Co-Author of the "Beat-o-nomics" Marketing Guide for Music Producers & Studio Owners www.beat-o-nomics.com Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these?

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