Welcome to the first edition of the Verbird Newsletter! Our goal is to provide you with the info you need to progress on your journey as a music creator.

This week we cover basics to get started making music, an iconic ambient electronic album, and a Chinese instrumentation plugin.

Blog Post of the Week

_{So you want to make music?}

Well you’ve come to the right place. This post will walk you through the basic concepts and software you need to make music. And we’ll make a quick track together. You know what they say - the best way to learn is to do.

Read the full post online.

Expand Your Ears

"Expand Your Ears" is a curated section in our newsletter designed to broaden your musical horizons. Discover new sounds and genres outside your comfort zone, igniting fresh inspiration for your creative journey.

Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92

Genre: Electronica, Ambient Techno

Richard D. James ,the mastermind behind Aphex Twin, released his first full length album back in 1992. And it was an instant classic. Pioneering the electronic ambient sound, this album will showcase a wide variety of rhythmic elements but with unique melodic lines layered on top.

Quick aside - I think Aphex Twin takes the top spot on disturbing Spotify branding. Check it out at your own risk.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

glass beach - plastic death

Genre: Progressive Rock

Grab a drink and buckle in. This album will keep you engaged for its hour+ runtime as it explores multiple facets of prog rock. It’s full of catchy hooks and technical instrumentation - making it one of the mostinteresting releases of 2024 so far.

Listen: Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube Music

Product Spotlight: Fresh Releases

Arturia - Augmented YANGTZE

Ever wanted to use traditional Chinese instruments right from your DAW? No? Well check this out, you may want to afterwards.

Fender - Limited Edition American Professional II Telecaster Thinline

Well that’s quite the product name. Seriously though, I’ve always been a huge fan of the thinline series despite not owning one. While it can be admittedly difficult to differentiate all these variations of Teles, the thinline series always stands out, so I’ll be investigating this one a bit more. Details here.

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