The Musician's Gig Room Chat V1 - Songwriting and Sound Design for all!

[FFStudios]

Just got a 95 on my final project in audio engineering class, losing only 5 points on the snare mixing (wasn't crisp enough, got lost in the mix during complex segments). I also got a 97 on the final exam, after a 30pt essay question in which I had to quite literally detail how I would spend $300,000 in the recording studio from start to finish.

Anyone else taking audio related classes? Looking forward to starting Recording Production I and II next year, that's when I start getting into the real nitty gritty.

[editline]15th May 2017[/editline]

[QUOTE=Ol' Pie;52223981]Damn, sorry. Wasnt aware of this[/QUOTE]

FP pro-tip: read the fucking OP of any megathread before you post in it.

[Hoyticus]

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52219608]Blues just doesn't translate well into electronic music.[/QUOTE]

not with that attitude!

[MrJazzy]

Alright, so been trying to incorporate some funky influences atleast into a song. I know I'm not giving any criticism to anyone else, but there hasn't been much to give feedback on since my last big post so I hope you'll forgive me this once for posting something without giving feedback.

[url]https://soundcloud.com/messier-51/what-if/s-fpcfO[/url]

[Bynine]

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52258492]Alright, so been trying to incorporate some funky influences atleast into a song. I know I'm not giving any criticism to anyone else, but there hasn't been much to give feedback on since my last big post so I hope you'll forgive me this once for posting something without giving feedback.

[url]https://soundcloud.com/messier-51/what-if/s-fpcfO[/url][/QUOTE]

aw this is cool! like the funk influence (the instrumentals are cool), like the lyrics. not sure what advice i could give besides throwing in a sick keyboard solo

[Takkenrakker]

[QUOTE=Ol' Pie;52223876]Hello guys, this is my first time doing something related to songwriting, which I always wanted to give a shot, and I came up with this small track on my bass, using a drum track. What do you think about it?

[video]https://soundcloud.com/pablo-ruiz-159137920/track-1[/video][/QUOTE]

I like this chill ass track. Did you do the drums yourself?

I made a beat with castlevania and future
[video]https://soundcloud.com/the_borrie/castle-shit[/video]
Inspired by suicideboys

[bok306]

[QUOTE=Ol' Pie;52223876]Hello guys, this is my first time doing something related to songwriting, which I always wanted to give a shot, and I came up with this small track on my bass, using a drum track. What do you think about it?

[video]https://soundcloud.com/pablo-ruiz-159137920/track-1[/video][/QUOTE]

Ohh, that is really chill! I imagine myself just walking down the street listening to this!

Made something a bit less chill, but hope you like it!

[video=youtube;r_M13PN0sL8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_M13PN0sL8[/video]

[Ol' Pie]

[QUOTE=uitham;52260010]I like this chill ass track. Did you do the drums yourself?

I made a beat with castlevania and future
[video]https://soundcloud.com/the_borrie/castle-shit[/video]
Inspired by suicideboys[/QUOTE]

Nah, I had to pick a free drumtrack off the webs. I can't play drums (i'd like to try), and my drummer friends aren't up for recording rn. I am really glad though that you enjoyed it!

[poopdeloop]

[media]https://soundcloud.com/expensive-socks/my-song-8[/media]
Ok guys how do i make my vocals sound clearer and overall just better in garage band?

[Ott]

[img]http://i.imgur.com/PkIcdAf.png[/img]

[editline]23rd May 2017[/editline]

To answer your question, boost a little around the 1khz range and use a compressor.

[poopdeloop]

[QUOTE=Ol' Pie;52223876]Hello guys, this is my first time doing something related to songwriting, which I always wanted to give a shot, and I came up with this small track on my bass, using a drum track. What do you think about it?

[video]https://soundcloud.com/pablo-ruiz-159137920/track-1[/video][/QUOTE]

sounds like some sublime

[editline]23rd May 2017[/editline]

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52258492]Alright, so been trying to incorporate some funky influences atleast into a song. I know I'm not giving any criticism to anyone else, but there hasn't been much to give feedback on since my last big post so I hope you'll forgive me this once for posting something without giving feedback.

[url]https://soundcloud.com/messier-51/what-if/s-fpcfO[/url][/QUOTE]

this is sick. are you singing? there needs to be a fat funky bass line at the chorus.

[Hoyticus]

[QUOTE=bok306;52260179]
Made something a bit less chill, but hope you like it!

[video=youtube;r_M13PN0sL8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_M13PN0sL8[/video][/QUOTE]

intro sounds pretty cool, I like the buildup, and the gradual automation applied to that arpeggiated synth, as well as the building sounds around it.

The chorus (or drop or whatever anybody wants to call it) is actually pretty awesome.

it's always interesting to hear the different ways people EQ their kicks/basses when it comes to this kind of music. your has such a cool grit/noise filter(s) to it, fits the track very well.

could be longer than 2 minutes, though! maybe go into a slower paced bridge for a short time, then build back up to a 2nd drop, that sounds even more complex than the first. y'know, classic EDM song structure.

at any rate, i managed to do a music somehow

[media]https://soundcloud.com/thehoyticus/affa/[/media]

[poopdeloop]

[QUOTE=Hoyticus;52270707]intro sounds pretty cool, I like the buildup, and the gradual automation applied to that arpeggiated synth, as well as the building sounds around it.

The chorus (or drop or whatever anybody wants to call it) is actually pretty awesome.

it's always interesting to hear the different ways people EQ their kicks/basses when it comes to this kind of music. your has such a cool grit/noise filter(s) to it, fits the track very well.

could be longer than 2 minutes, though! maybe go into a slower paced bridge for a short time, then build back up to a 2nd drop, that sounds even more complex than the first. y'know, classic EDM song structure.

at any rate, i managed to do a music somehow

[media]https://soundcloud.com/thehoyticus/affa/[/media][/QUOTE]

center the snare and clean it up.
the lead is nice. how did you do that bending thing you did. like how the pitch slid around and such?

[MrJazzy]

[QUOTE=Bynine;52259005]aw this is cool! like the funk influence (the instrumentals are cool), like the lyrics. not sure what advice i could give besides throwing in a sick keyboard solo[/QUOTE]

Thank you! There is definitely going to be a sick keyboard solo in the song!

[QUOTE=poopdeloop;52265464]this is sick. are you singing? there needs to be a fat funky bass line at the chorus.[/QUOTE]

Yeah I'm singing, and I'm not used to doing it so any advice or criticism is more than appreciated. Don't worry about making me feel insecure about my voice, just say what you think, because I plan on re-recording it aswell as for some other songs once I've got a few "finished".

[QUOTE=poopdeloop;52265348][media]https://soundcloud.com/sean-charlton-1/my-song-8[/media]
Ok guys how do i make my vocals sound clearer and overall just better in garage band?[/QUOTE]

Put a compressor on the vocals, do a bit of EQing, experiment to find the right frequencies to boost in order to bring out the "heart" of the voice, and add reverb - not too much, just a slight touch of it. Apart from that I like the song a lot, you've got a good thing going there! Everything is just a little too quiet, not necessarily volume wise but it all sounds a little too... Insecure?

[QUOTE=Hoyticus;52270707][media]https://soundcloud.com/thehoyticus/affa/[/media][/QUOTE]

First of all that kick is godly sounding and the side-chain compressing is perfect. Just wanted to point that out. I absolutely love how you add and remove stuff and vary stuff, the track never gets boring. Did you configure all those synthesizers yourself or are you using presets? They're really neat.

[editline]25th May 2017[/editline]

Been playing around with electronic blues stuff. Big thanks to Unkown Dude, you got me in the right direction. So it's far from anything completed which is why I just put it on vocaroo cause I just wanted to share the idea.
[url]http://vocaroo.com/i/s00bXZFXP0z7[/url]

[Hoyticus]

[QUOTE=poopdeloop;52271819]center the snare and clean it up.
the lead is nice. how did you do that bending thing you did. like how the pitch slid around and such?[/QUOTE]

Do you have any suggestions on actions I should take to "center the snare" and "clean it up"?

Also, it's a pitch envelope within Harmor (a synth that comes with FL Studio), along with slider notes in the piano roll.
Basically if the note is held longer than 1/2 beat, it plays the pitch envelope I graphed within the synth, which rhythmically slides the pitch up and down an octave.

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52273664]

Been playing around with electronic blues stuff. Big thanks to Unkown Dude, you got me in the right direction. So it's far from anything completed which is why I just put it on vocaroo cause I just wanted to share the idea.
[url]http://vocaroo.com/i/s00bXZFXP0z7[/url][/QUOTE]

Thanks much for your feedback! I use a mix of my own synth patches, and presets that I've messed around with to fit the track. I NEVER use presets without touching them, mostly cuz they all sound either terrible or just aren't fitting to the track well. They can be really good to give you general ideas of what types of patches to use, though.

Your track has a crazy good amount of potential, such a chill groove. go crazy with that jazz/blues vibe! more improvisation, maybe some sound fonts of recorded jazz instruments, maybe some background SFX to maintain that electronic feel.

The amount of subjectivity here is pretty high, so as per jazz fashion, do what feels right man.

[Garry #2]

So I have enough material to put out a little album, but I'm not sure whether to put it out under my name, or name it under like a band sort of like animals as leaders first album. All of the music I made myself so I'm leaning towards just my name.

Thoughts?

[Egon Spengler]

oh sweet a musician thread

when you wanna start producing hardstyle but ur pc is in storage on the other side of the country :suicide:

unless any of you know of any free lightweight vsts that are good at nice sounding detuned/distorted pads/saws/supersaws that won't kill my 10yr old laptop cpu (looking at you reFX nexus)

[Ott]

I both ironically and unironically want to make a hardstyle song, but I can't make a good kick.

[poopdeloop]

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52273664]

Yeah I'm singing, and I'm not used to doing it so any advice or criticism is more than appreciated. Don't worry about making me feel insecure about my voice, just say what you think, because I plan on re-recording it aswell as for some other songs once I've got a few "finished".

Put a compressor on the vocals, do a bit of EQing, experiment to find the right frequencies to boost in order to bring out the "heart" of the voice, and add reverb - not too much, just a slight touch of it. Apart from that I like the song a lot, you've got a good thing going there! Everything is just a little too quiet, not necessarily volume wise but it all sounds a little too... Insecure?
][/QUOTE]

Your singing is sick man keep it up.

Im really insecure about my voice. I just gotta get through this awkward stage and level up.
I literally never sang in my life and I was hoping the lyrics and music would detract from that.
A little cringey backstory: I met this chick at a one night stand and caught feelings for her that kind of turned into a bunch of songs I recorded and sent to her like some sort of positive troll.

She's into memes and internet culture so its not as awkward as it sounds but that's also kind of why I like her so much. It's whatever.

[editline]27th May 2017[/editline]

[QUOTE=Hoyticus;52273677]Do you have any suggestions on actions I should take to "center the snare" and "clean it up"?

Also, it's a pitch envelope within Harmor (a synth that comes with FL Studio), along with slider notes in the piano roll.
Basically if the note is held longer than 1/2 beat, it plays the pitch envelope I graphed within the synth, which rhythmically slides the pitch up and down an octave.
.[/QUOTE]

Oh nice. Ill have to play around with envelopes.

To clean it up cut some of the delay/ reverb and make it more staccato. It sounds a little too big in my opinion. There is a snare that only plays on my left speaker when I listen to your song and I'd like it to be in the center of the pan so it plays from both speakers.

[Ott]

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52273664]Been playing around with electronic blues stuff. Big thanks to Unkown Dude, you got me in the right direction. So it's far from anything completed which is why I just put it on vocaroo cause I just wanted to share the idea.
[url]http://vocaroo.com/i/s00bXZFXP0z7[/url][/QUOTE]

I love that lead in the beginning. The keys might be a little too loud though. Cool rhythms when the bass comes in. Holy shit that's awesome when the drums kick in. The second lead could use some more modulation though, make the timbre more interesting. Can you upload it to soundcloud or clyp.it so I can listen in higher quality?

Here's something I ran out of inspiration for:

[video]https://soundcloud.com/ottworks/adrift[/video]

[KD007]

Hey all, trying to make a modern-ist Dubstep rmx. Not gonna open a thread for this, since it's just a preview. Need pointers/suggestions/encouragement, etc. Even with pre-sampled Xilent and Skrillex stuff, making a single bar of the dub part is incredibly intricate and time-consuming. Maybe I just need to get into the flow of things :P

[media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yED_DJ-YbpA[/media]

Sorry about the camera screen recording of FL with re-sync audio. FL11 is not hardware accelerated graphically, therefore my only screen cap software (Fraps) doesn't pick it up. DWM monitoring is broken for Windows 8.

[editline]28th May 2017[/editline]

[QUOTE=Ott;52282388]I love that lead in the beginning. The keys might be a little too loud though. Cool rhythms when the bass comes in. Holy shit that's awesome when the drums kick in. The second lead could use some more modulation though, make the timbre more interesting. Can you upload it to soundcloud or clyp.it so I can listen in higher quality?

Here's something I ran out of inspiration for:

[video]https://soundcloud.com/ottworks/adrift[/video][/QUOTE]

I like it. Very chills. Was just sitting back, listening to it while watching your avatar dance. It works really well :V

About the timbre, I actually might know: you can really high bells. The piano has two phrases: first grace notes, goes down, then a brief pause, then the second phraselet goes down again with the grace notes being second. In between those two piano phraselets, you could try adding bells that talk back to the piano. The first phraselet could be contradicted, and you can have the bells go up?

So you get:
Piano: Na-no
Bells: No-na
Piano: Na-no
Bells: Na-no

[XUZUL]

-well snip you fixed it-

[Chonks]

[QUOTE=Ott;52282388]I love that lead in the beginning. The keys might be a little too loud though. Cool rhythms when the bass comes in. Holy shit that's awesome when the drums kick in. The second lead could use some more modulation though, make the timbre more interesting. Can you upload it to soundcloud or clyp.it so I can listen in higher quality?

Here's something I ran out of inspiration for:

[video]https://soundcloud.com/ottworks/adrift[/video][/QUOTE]

I really love it when the whistling comes in. The micropauses are a little jarring though, might want to make them a little more organic sounding imo.

[djzwicblaze]

[QUOTE=KD007;52284986]Hey all, trying to make a modern-ist Dubstep rmx. Not gonna open a thread for this, since it's just a preview. Need pointers/suggestions/encouragement, etc. Even with pre-sampled Xilent and Skrillex stuff, making a single bar of the dub part is incredibly intricate and time-consuming. Maybe I just need to get into the flow of things :P

Sorry about the camera screen recording of FL with re-sync audio. FL11 is not hardware accelerated graphically, therefore my only screen cap software (Fraps) doesn't pick it up. DWM monitoring is broken for Windows 8.

[/QUOTE]
I like the way its coming along.

[QUOTE=poopdeloop;52265348] [URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL]

[URL]https://soundcloud.com/sean-charlton-1/my-song-8[/URL]

Ok guys how do i make my vocals sound clearer and overall just better in garage band?[/QUOTE]

I don't have constructive criticism to give but I really dig the vibe of this.

I have a $5 condenser microphone and recorded this in Audacity the other day (lol). I've been writing for a few years now but never had the balls to record anything. Finally I said fuck it. This isn't finished but w/e

The instrumental is Rain by Mac Miller. My coworker has a studio with proper mixing/recording/producing software and decent microphones that I'm going to try and get into soon. He also wants to work on producing for me and I'm pretty stoked.

[video][URL]https://soundcloud.com/intension/subaru-chapter[/URL][/video]

edit:
thanks for the dumb rating :)

[poopdeloop]

[QUOTE=djzwicblaze;52288894]I like the way its coming along.

I don't have constructive criticism to give but I really dig the vibe of this.

I have a $5 condenser microphone and recorded this in Audacity the other day (lol). I've been writing for a few years now but never had the balls to record anything. Finally I said fuck it. This isn't finished but w/e

The instrumental is Rain by Mac Miller. My coworker has a studio with proper mixing/recording/producing software and decent microphones that I'm going to try and get into soon. He also wants to work on producing for me and I'm pretty stoked.

[video][URL]https://soundcloud.com/intension/subaru-chapter[/URL][/video]

edit:
thanks for the dumb rating :)[/QUOTE]

its fun stuff. you can spit so just grab your balls and go hard. what do you have to lose.
talking to myself tho also you know
[media]https://soundcloud.com/expensive-socks/booty-boutique[/media]

[MrJazzy]

How do you guys feel about getting your music out there, like for the first time? Album? Single? Something inbetween like an EP? Find a label or self-publish? If the latter than where and how do you market it?

[Ott]

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52291780]How do you guys feel about getting your music out there, like for the first time? Album? Single? Something inbetween like an EP? Find a label or self-publish? If the latter than where and how do you market it?[/QUOTE]

I feel like remix competitions would be a good way to get on the radar.

[XUZUL]

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52291780]How do you guys feel about getting your music out there, like for the first time? Album? Single? Something inbetween like an EP? Find a label or self-publish? If the latter than where and how do you market it?[/QUOTE]

No matter how, it essentially boils down to: get noticed by someone who's already in the game

Try and meet local DJs, see if you can get them to pay attention to you. I believe being able to be there and establish a real connection matters

or like Ott says, find a way that, if successful, will be shared publicly. The bigger, the better: and you have to beat the competition

[Deals]

[QUOTE=SebiWarrior;52292669]No matter how, it essentially boils down to: get noticed by someone who's already in the game

Try and meet local DJs, see if you can get them to pay attention to you. I believe being able to be there and establish a real connection matters

or like Ott says, find a way that, if successful, will be shared publicly. The bigger, the better: and you have to beat the competition[/QUOTE]

This absolutely. As a friend of mine once said, you could be the most talented musician in the word but if you don't know anyone then you won't get any looks.

We live in the information age. Send emails, talk to agents, investigate small-time labels, just try to build connections. The main thing is having something you can market because a lot of your turnover will come down to business. Business isn't compromise, you don't have to sacrifice anything, you just need to make sure that you keep your creative integrity and ensure that you always, for lack of a better word, have your shit together. Too many artists out there release projects that are debatably unfinished. Make yourself proud. Don't sell yourself short.

[sp]Also, always read and keep track of your contracts because I've known too many people to be fucked over regardless of their trade[/sp]

[Ghille]

[QUOTE=bok306;52260179]
[video=youtube;r_M13PN0sL8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_M13PN0sL8[/video][/QUOTE]
The sound design an melodies are really good in this, but your mixing needs a little more oomf in my opinion. Everything seems a little too squashed down, give the track a little more room to breath. I would also do a little more EQing, but other than that, it's pretty solid.
[QUOTE=MrJazzy;52273664]
Been playing around with electronic blues stuff. Big thanks to Unkown Dude, you got me in the right direction. So it's far from anything completed which is why I just put it on vocaroo cause I just wanted to share the idea.
[url]http://vocaroo.com/i/s00bXZFXP0z7[/url][/QUOTE]
Please do more things like this, it sounds really different and interesting. The beginning gives me Pink Floyd vibes but has a unique spin.

I have a sound design related question. I've been listening to Squarepusher's Feed Me Weird Things and I'm just baffled on how he went about making some of the pad sounds in this track.
[video=youtube;_3Acrvf2AVY]https://youtu.be/_3Acrvf2AVY[/video]
Not only am I curious on what gear he could have possibly used to create the pads, but also how he got them to sound so buttery smooth (am I describing that right?). My only guess on the smooth part would simply be the fact he records on a tape deck.

I also made some ambient tracks while I was bored.
[media]https://soundcloud.com/ghille556/morning-cd[/media]
[media]https://soundcloud.com/ghille556/the-broken-face[/media]

[hobo4president]

[QUOTE=KD007;52284986]Hey all, trying to make a modern-ist Dubstep rmx. Not gonna open a thread for this, since it's just a preview. Need pointers/suggestions/encouragement, etc. Even with pre-sampled Xilent and Skrillex stuff, making a single bar of the dub part is incredibly intricate and time-consuming. Maybe I just need to get into the flow of things :P

Sorry about the camera screen recording of FL with re-sync audio. FL11 is not hardware accelerated graphically, therefore my only screen cap software (Fraps) doesn't pick it up. DWM monitoring is broken for Windows 8.
[/QUOTE]

The intro sounds great, the lush saw chords and arp really help keep it driving. That said after the drop I'm not a fan of some of the growls you've used, the chords are definitely my favourite part. I gotta say I prefer dubstep at this BPM than at 140.

[QUOTE=djzwicblaze;52288894]
The instrumental is Rain by Mac Miller. My coworker has a studio with proper mixing/recording/producing software and decent microphones that I'm going to try and get into soon. He also wants to work on producing for me and I'm pretty stoked.

[video][URL]https://soundcloud.com/intension/subaru-chapter[/URL][/video]
[/QUOTE]

I'm not going to speak about the lyrics but your flow sounds pretty good. It's probably because of the microphone but the vocals sit really weird in the mix.

[QUOTE=Ott;52282388]

[video]https://soundcloud.com/ottworks/adrift[/video][/QUOTE]

Love the atmosphere in this. The recorder crackle makes it sound super organic. The sample use is really nice as well, huge fan of the guitar slide (?) that comes in during the second half. It sounds a bit like boom bap but with a soft shaker instead of hard hats.

[QUOTE=Ghille;52296651]
I have a sound design related question. I've been listening to Squarepusher's Feed Me Weird Things and I'm just baffled on how he went about making some of the pad sounds in this track.

Not only am I curious on what gear he could have possibly used to create the pads, but also how he got them to sound so buttery smooth (am I describing that right?). My only guess on the smooth part would simply be the fact he records on a tape deck.

I also made some ambient tracks while I was bored.
[media]https://soundcloud.com/ghille556/morning-cd[/media]
[media]https://soundcloud.com/ghille556/the-broken-face[/media][/QUOTE]

Your pads sound pretty good man. Making lush and atmospheric ambient pads is something I've been trying to do for ages, but yours sound good. In the first track though I think you should EQ and cut out some of the harsh frequencies, with headphones on certain frequencies are hurting my ears as the filter opens.