12 Motivational Audiobooks to Inspire You Towards Success

Many successful people have one thing in common. They read. Not just any book that may interest them but books that inspire them to change for the better. 

Reading isn’t for everyone. If you are a busy person with barely enough time to make dinner, you definitely won’t have time to read a book. This is why audiobooks are a good choice for successful people, because you can listen to them while completing other task

If you don’t know what audiobook to start with, here’s a list with some good ones.

1 -  How to Win Friends & Influence People - Dale Carnegie

How to Win Friends and Influence People contains universal principles of interacting with other people. It explains ways to get others to like you and see your way of thinking. 

You can read a full summary here.

2 - Fanatical Prospecting - Jeb Blunt

Jeb Blunt is an international consultant and speaker, and comes from an extensive sales background. His book focuses on ways to take your prospecting the next level and tips to succeeding in sales.

You can learn more about it here.

3 -  Think and grow rich - Napoleon Hill

Hill did research on 40 millionaires on what made them successful and compiled it into a book. The main idea of Think and Grow is “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.”

If you want to read an in-depth summary, click here.

4 -  Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business - Barbara Corcoran

Shark Tank star Barbara Corcoran recounts the story of how she took $1000.00 and turned it into a billion dollar real estate business. 

You can learn more about her book here.

5 - Zero to One - Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel is a successful venture capitalist. His book gives innovative advice to tech start-ups.

You can read a full summary here.

6 - Ego is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday’s book discusses the idea that our belief that the world revolves around us, is really holding us back from living our lives. He gives tips on how to overcome this and achieve greatness.

You can read more here.

7 - Before Happiness - Shawn Anchor

Before Happiness takes the reader through a 5 step process to change the way you think to be more successful and happy.

You can read a full summary here.

8 - Extreme Ownership - Jocko Willink

Extreme ownership walks the reader through leadership advice from to Navy SEALs. 

You can learn more about Extreme Ownership here.

9 - The One Thing - Gary Keller

The One Thing offers tips on productiving, decluttering, and having more focus, succes and energy.

You can read more about it here.

10 - Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand

Unbroken follows the story of Louie Zamperini as an Olympic hopeful turned WWII bombardier. This story highlights the idea that a man is not defined by his past.

You can read a full summary here

11 - #GIRLBOSS - Sophia Amoruso 

#GIRLBOSS highlights the unconventional methods that can be used to achieve success. Written by Sophia Amoruso, founder of Nasty Gal vintage, one of the fastest growing retailers in the world. 

You can read a more in depth summary here.

12 -  Tribes - Seth Godin

Tribes helps you awaken your inner leader and build a supportive tribe.

You can read more about Tribes here.

Written By: Leah Gerber

Conclusion

If you want to be successful, try listening to one of these audiobooks. They might inspire you to invest, start a business, or think positively, all which will lead to a happy and successful life. 

If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Listen to some of our audiobook samples here to get started.

Have you read one of these books before? What was something that has stuck with you from it? Let us know in the comments below.

7 Tips for Setting Up Your Studio Monitors

You just purchased some high-quality, expensive studio monitors and placed them in your studio, but your sound hasn’t improved. Don't worry, you can fix this!

The most important part of adding studio monitors to your recording setup is knowing where and how to set them up. 

For your studio monitors to produce the quality of sound you are looking for, you need to adjust a couple of things:

• Placement of monitors

• Where you sit

• Placement of Subwoofers

I’ll be breaking down 7 tips on studio monitor placement below, so keep reading!

Tip 1 - Desk Placement

Your entire setup should be placed away from any walls and avoid corners. When studio monitors are placed close to walls, the sound hits the wall and reflects back to the listener. This causes phase cancellation.

Ideally, your monitors should be at least 8-12 inches away from your back wall. If you’re working in a small room this can be inconvenient, but this layout will offer you easy access to the back of your setup.

Tip 2 -Studio Monitor Orientation

Feel free to experiment with the orientation of your monitors. It's all about finding the right sound that fits the room you're in.

Most manufacturers don’t recommend that you place your monitors horizontally, but some do. If you do prefer to have your monitors horizontal, make sure they mirror each other with the tweeters facing out.

Note: Tweeters are responsible for producing high-frequency sounds and are the smaller driver/speaker in a monitor cabinet. 

Tip 3 - Finding the sweet spot

When you listen to a mix through your monitors, you’ll want to hear it at its best sound. The place that offers you the best listening experience is called the sweet spot. 

The sweet spot is directly in the middle of two studio monitors, where the sound from each speaker overlaps. 

To find the sweet spot, angle your monitors so the tweeters’ position forms an equilateral triangle with your head as the point.

Here is a diagram to show this:

Tip 4 - high frequency driver height

High-frequency sounds are more directional than low-frequency sounds. This means that you can better hear high frequencies if they are pointed directly at your ear. 

Once you have created an equilateral triangle with your head and monitors, make sure your ears are at the same height as the tweeters. 

If you find the tweeters are too high, try inverting your speakers so the tweeter is on the bottom.

Tip 5 - Overall Setup

With your setup, you want to create a balanced listening position. You can do this by placing speakers at the same distance from each side of the room. If the left speaker is two feet from the back wall and 5 feet from the side wall, the right one should be the same. This provides low-frequency accuracy and minimizes side wall reflections. 

It's also important to remember that the speaker's distance from the back wall should be different than the distance from the side walls.

Tip 6 - Monitor Stands

Monitors placed directly on a desk cause the sound coming out of them to bounce off the hard reflective surface. This can lead to loose screws and noises that could subtly mess up your mix.

Monitor stands can help place speakers at ear level and prevent reflections that may ruin the listening experience. 

Isolation pads are foam or rubber pads that help absorb vibrations or resonance that may occur if your speaker is directly sitting on a hard surface. They are ideal if you are on a budget.

Tip 7 - subwoofers

Once you have found the ideal placement for your full-range monitors and your room is acoustically treated, it's time to add subwoofers. 

Your subwoofers should act as an extension of your full-range monitors and be on the same plane as your monitors. 

Because low frequencies are not directional, you have more freedom in choosing where to put your subwoofers. However, it’s important to avoid reflective surfaces like walls or corners. 

You can find a good place for your subwoofer by playing a song with lots of bass in it, then moving your subwoofer until you find a place where the sound is good and it works with your set-up.

Tip - 8 Calibration

When your set-up is complete, it’s time to calibrate. You can learn more about calibration here.

Written By: Leah Gerber

Conclusion

It may take time to get your studio monitors and subwoofers placed in exactly the right spot, so don’t be afraid to adjust it until you find that sweet spot.

If you need further help creating your own music, we offer audio production services that will help you elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

Do you have any tips for studio monitor placement? Let us know in the comments below!

6 Best Acoustic Foam Panels for Your Home Studio

If you’re looking for a cheap and effective way to acoustically treat your home studio, foam acoustic panels might be for you. 

Foam acoustic panels are simply pieces of foam that you hang on a wall to reduce unwanted sound and echoes from your room. They come in different shapes, sizes, and colours, so you’ll be sure to find one that works well and looks awesome in your studio

NRC

Before we get started, it’s important to understand what NRC is. NRC stands for noise reduction coefficients. It is measured on a scale from 0 - 1. 0 NRC absorbs no sound and 1 NRC absorbs all sound. 

You won’t have to worry about NRC too much, but it is an important thing to keep in mind while looking for acoustic panels.

1 - Auralex Acoustics Studiofoam

These panels are good for a lot of things. They are small and fit into any room and they allow you to spot treat your home studio. 

Features

• 2” Thickness

• .80 NRC

• Works well with spot treatment

2 -  Auralex Acoustics SonoFlat Acoustic Absorption Foam

These foam panels come in multiple different colours and range in 1” thickness - ¾” thickness.

The panels are meant to dampen sound, and not soundproof an entire room, so keep that in mind. These panels are great for making some extra noise without disturbing people, as well as listening to your music without extra reverb

Features

• Available in different colours

• 0.95 NRC

• Dampens sound

3 - Foamily Ice Blue Acoustic Foam Egg Crate Panel Studio

Foamily panels are great for treating walls in a home studio, office, or even an entertainment theatre. 

The tiles are 1 square foot and 1 inch thick. They do a great job of getting rid of reverb and flutter echoes. 

Features

• Reduces echo

• 1” thick

• Affordable

4 - ATS Wedge Foam Acoustic Panels

These panels are larger and great for covering a whole room.

Features

• 2 square feet

• Effective

• Easy to install

5 - Siless Acoustic Foam Panels

Siless Acoustic foam panels are inexpensive and studio-grade. They come in packs of 12 with 12” x 12” dimensions. 

Features

• 1” thickness

• Visually pleasing

• Lightweight

• Inexpensive

6 - Auralex Acoustic Roominator Acoustic Absorption Kit

If you have a home studio but don’t want the hassle of having to do all the extra work to install studio panels, this kit will be great for you. It’s great if you are setting up a studio for the first time and you don’t have a lot of experience.

Features

• Great for beginners

• 36 square feet in total

• Includes everything you need

Some things to remember

• Acoustic panels do not block low frequencies (look into purchasing a bass trap instead)

• Bass traps are placed in corners, acoustic panels are placed in corners

• Acoustic panels are not meant to soundproof rooms

• The most important part of the room that should have panels is behind your studio monitors

• Don’t put panels opposite each other

Written By: Leah Gerber

If you need help taking your music to the next level, we offer online mixing & mastering services that will elevate your sound and bring your song to life!

We look forward to being a part of your success.

Conclusion

Foam acoustic panels can be very effective when working in a home studio. Well most of them do the same thing, it’s important to consider if you want to treat a whole room or just parts of it, if you still want a room to be decorated nicely after hanging them, and if you are still a beginner with music.

Already own foam acoustic panels? Let us know which ones you have and what you like about them.