We occasionally get this question or comment: “I created an Audio-CD from the downloaded WAV or MP3 files, and the CD doesn’t have a high enough sound quality.” Here at Shockwave-Sound.Com, we deliver music files either in 44.1 khz uncompressed WAV files, or in 192-kbps mp3 files. The WAV files represent the original CD […]

Royalties and performance rights – a “must read” if you use music on hold
Before you use music in public, there are some things about music copyright and performance rights that you need to understand. This article is meant to give a simple, clear overview of the issues involved in this process. Royalty free music for telephone on-hold… What you need to know. Performance rights: When music is […]

Independent review of the Sennheiser 450 Noise Canceling Headphones
As a music composer, producer and sound engineer, I need a good pair of headphones. I’ve been using a pair of Sennheiser headphones for years that I was always quite pleased with, but with the number of computers, fans, servers, external hard disks and even hard disks in hardware outboard samplers around me, frankly, the […]

Quick explanation of terms relating to music copyrights, music licensing and royalty-free music
In the world of music rights and commercial or in-public music use, there are a lot of terms and expressions that may be confusing to non-musicians. In fact, some of these are confusing even to musicians. In this article I will try to explain some of these terms and what they mean. 1. Copyright Free […]

How to build a longer music track from the “Set of music loops”
How do I use a “set of music loops” as building blocks to build my own “remix” of the track? This question sometimes come to us as: “Why is the music split up into 6 short pieces, rather than one whole song?” The reason we deliver our “set of music loops” as a bunch of […]

Music copyright myths – disspelled
In this article we try to dispel some common myths and misunderstandings about music copyrights, music usage rights and music licensing. “I can use this music for free because I found it on the internet.” No. All music found on the internet is under copyright, unless it specifically states otherwise. In fact, even if […]
Cue-Sheets, TV broadcast and public performance
If you are not already familiar with cue-sheets and public performance rules, we recommend you take few minutes to read this page, because it’s an issue that’s worth understanding for anybody involved in media production. What is a cue-sheet? A cue-sheet is basically a single-page document with information about music tracks used in a […]

Track tagging: Create a lightbox for music tracks or sound effects
Create your own custom ‘Favorite tracks’ page We are pleased to announce a new feature on Shockwave-Sound.com as of September 2008. You can now “tag” or “bookmark” your favorite stock music tracks or sound-effect collections for later reference. A great feature if you come across a royalty-free music track that you really like, but you’re […]

What is Royalty Free Music?
Royalty-Free Production Music – what does it really mean? Put in the simplest possible way, Royalty-Free Music describes a piece of music that you can use as much as you want after paying a one-time license fee. That’s the most important thing to know about royalty free music, and you could walk away from this […]

PRO-registered vs Non-PRO registered music
PRO Tracks means that the music composer and/or publisher is a member of a Performance Rights Organization (PRO). These tracks are royalty-free for nearly all types of use without the need for any further licensing but, in some circumstances, these tracks may require additional licensing from the PRO in your country. Examples of this would […]