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

[Minelayer]

[QUOTE=mastermaul;49210697]Can't reopen saved projects? That's one hell of a demo limitation :v: I'll give it a shot.[/QUOTE]

I got into the habit of taking screenshots and rebuilding everything.

Horrifyingly inefficient, but it's free :vs:

[mastermaul]

This is quite possibly the most confusing thing I have ever done.

[wauterboi]

[QUOTE=mastermaul;49210552]So uh, passing curiosity here. How do people typically get started with making music? You usually need some familiarity with music theory right? Is that something typically self taught later in life, or learned in school, or? I never took band or choir or any of that. Just listening. Completely clueless there.

I was listening to some dark ambient type stuff and just wondered how approachable creating that sort of thing is.[/QUOTE]
By downloading a free, broken modular tracker for Windows 95 in 2005 and smashing random notes into it for 8 years. You figure it out as you go along. I didn't start reading proper tutorials for anything or even the basics of waveforms until 2010, I think, because it's really that simple to get into. I haven't bothered with music theory at all.

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=wauterboi;49200447]Could you point out specific portions of the song where this is prominent? I'm having a hard time understanding what you're trying to say or which instruments are doing this.[/QUOTE]

I feel it's mostly around 14-15s, up to around 44s.

Specifically right at around 19s: there's one note that really sticks out. It happens again around two seconds later. Both times the note is G. Both times what's happening is that the melody and the accompaniment are landing in octaves.
Around 27-28s, it happens again to a lesser extent. 39s I believe the two different parts are playing at a unison.

I'm talking about counterpoint just to explain where this basis comes from, and how they used to avoid it.

The thing about chiptune music is because of the genre (specifically, how the waveform is the same no matter what octave), whenever two parts play the same note, it's emphasized a lot more than it should be.

Anyway, I'm bringing this to your attention mostly because I'm not sure if this is something you intended or not.
My suggestion would just be to turn down the volume of melody just for those specific notes so they don't see as accented, or perhaps even switch to other notes.

[samh]

[QUOTE=geogzm;49202974]maybe a little reverb on your vocal would be good, you could try and get cheeky with send/return effects to blend yourself in to the beat a bit more

confident vocal though, nice to see some british rap in here

[editline]28th November 2015[/editline]

very professional sound, quite loud but honestly i can't think about gain staging any more today :v:

good levels, maybe a tad overcompressed? i'm nitpicking to help you out here really, otherwise it's just solid man

-

[media]http://soundcloud.com/geogzm/ragga-moontown[/media]

new electronic dub-reggae from moi

[sp]the mix is a bit rougher than i usually do, it got complicated as fuck and i ended up with more problems than i could solve without creating more and more. gotta practice more :([/sp][/QUOTE]

groove is kinda funny, not feeling it personally but that's up to you. sonic palette is very thin to me, very little substance to latch on to.

[media]https://soundcloud.com/samhaberman/zeldas-lullaby-samba-version[/media]

[notgeogzm]

[QUOTE=The Salmon;49214097]groove is kinda funny, not feeling it personally but that's up to you. sonic palette is very thin to me, very little substance to latch on to.

[media]https://soundcloud.com/samhaberman/zeldas-lullaby-samba-version[/media][/QUOTE]

sonic palette? can you elaborate? that's not a term that i've heard of before :v: what do you mean by substance?

[editline]30th November 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=MrJazzy;49210618]Fruity Loops, cause that's the only one I know and have used apart from cubase and logic but I'm not a big fan of those - and I imagine it's pretty easy to learn since I started using it when I was like 12 or so.[/QUOTE]

fruity loops, cubase and logic are great starting points, i'd go for logic out of the three personally because it's great for learning to compose MIDI and record any live stuff you may wanna do, but if you want to do electronic music, any of the three are good as a starting point

once you've gotten used to composing, playing with synths etc and you've familiarised yourself with things like FX, waveforms and frequency, it might be a good idea to either learn how to play with those things in the DAW you're using if you're comfortable with it, or it might be worth thinking about entering ableton

try not to be shaken by people's opinions of one DAW or another, ultimately, whatever you're using to create your music, is what you're good at using

[lawlavex]

[QUOTE=geogzm;49214610]sonic palette? can you elaborate? that's not a term that i've heard of before :v: what do you mean by substance?
[/QUOTE]

i think what you need to work on is making your synths sound "fuller" so that they fill in gaps in the mix a little better. right now most of the sounds you are using sound thin and the transitions are are really sudden with no real indication of what's coming next. just work on your sound design, keep messing around until you have something that really fills the mix and sounds great with all your other instruments. it's always hard to explain these things because they're based on using and training your ears, but you'll get the hang of it with practice! as for the other parts of your song, it sounds like you have some good musical ideas, so don't be discouraged by sound design.

[QUOTE=The Salmon;49214097]
[media]https://soundcloud.com/samhaberman/zeldas-lullaby-samba-version[/media][/QUOTE]

this is neat, i'm used to listening to a lot of electronic stuff and it's always nice to hear other things for a change. i like the mix as well, sounds really clear and all the instruments are easy to listen to. nice work!

i made a lofi EP and released it three days ago, so far it's been getting some great attention. very proud of it, although the lofi sound may get old after a while haha

[media]https://soundcloud.com/vscrl/learning-ep[/media]

[Knight Vista]

I know this is a bit off-genre for the thread, but I'd like to hear what you think of this. It's a minute long orchestra/concert band piece I've been working on for the past two days.

[url]http://www.mediafire.com/listen/2686u469lxm8e75/show2.wav[/url]

[paindoc]

[QUOTE=KnightVista;49218538]I know this is a bit off-genre for the thread, but I'd like to hear what you think of this. It's a minute long orchestra/concert band piece I've been working on for the past two days.

[url]http://www.mediafire.com/listen/2686u469lxm8e75/show2.wav[/url][/QUOTE]

Pls

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/qlFuRED.jpg[/IMG]

[brooklynlord]

[QUOTE=KnightVista;49218538]I know this is a bit off-genre for the thread, but I'd like to hear what you think of this. It's a minute long orchestra/concert band piece I've been working on for the past two days.

[url]http://www.mediafire.com/listen/2686u469lxm8e75/show2.wav[/url][/QUOTE]

Try to cut down on the harp glissandos. PLEASE.
They've been abused over and over and over and even though they're still effective, they kinda lose their charm if you're using them literally once every 10 seconds. (Literally in its dictionary definition.)

Personal opinion: don't start on a suspension ([URL="https://soundcloud.com/brookie2664/21-short"]though i've broken this suggestion before so....[/URL] make whatever you want with it). It's kinda of uneasy, but I suppose I can excuse it.

Right at 7s, the strings all cut out the moment the harp hits the low Eb. Well, it wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't an electronic recording.

I like the chords you use over the entire thing. It makes it sound quite dreamy.
Chimes were a nice addition, though I feel like they should be better used for more intense pieces but as something reminiscent of church bells, I can bear with it.

Something about the piece really messes around with phrasing.

I assume everything up to 10s is an introduction because that's what it sounds like. 8-9s sounds like pickups to the beginning of the phrase.
In that case, I feel like there's two 4-bar phrases assuming this is in common/ 4/4 time.
The problem is that you finish two 4-bar phrases and then the ending is at the beginning of a new phrase.
Well, there's no problem with ending at where the listener expects the beginning of a new phrase, but it's something about the combinations of harmonies and the placement that makes it feel off to me.

My suggestions: Strings is a good starting point, but I'd try to use some other instruments. Brass and woodwinds. Don't use them if they feel uncomfortable or if you feel like I'm forcing you to use them. I'm just suggesting you to keep them in your mind and try something new.

Another suggestion: [B]Get better samples.[/B] Seriously. Writing down music and having it played back to you actually sounding decent has a [I][B]huge[/B][/I] impact on creativity.

[Knight Vista]

Thank you for your response. Do you know where I can find some better samples? Because these are the best that I have found.

[editline]1st December 2015[/editline]

Also, the piece that you just shared was very, very nice.

[paindoc]

[QUOTE=KnightVista;49218959]Thank you for your response. Do you know where I can find some better samples? Because these are the best that I have found.

[editline]1st December 2015[/editline]

Also, the piece that you just shared was very, very nice.[/QUOTE]

Have you used Sonatina symphonic orchestra? Its a pretty decent free library. If you have any particular instruments you want and the midi for solely those instruments feel free to send them to me and I'll run them through my JV-1080 and record what you need. I've got the orchestral expansion card, so even obscure instruments are no issue. and while its a retro 90's rompler it was the standard of film scoring for a reason.

I seem to have a decent chance of becoming a writer for a music production website and getting paid $30 an article, at 4 articles a month, for it. So yay :D

[editline]1st December 2015[/editline]

[video]https://soundcloud.com/nofuchsgiven/jv1080-patch-12-pianostrings[/video]

quick example. The 2i2 really helps this thing out, so much better than what i used to be able to record

edit: [url]http://www.synthmania.com/sr-jv80-02.htm[/url] take a look, and these are just highlights

[Knight Vista]

This is using HQ Orchestra Soundfont Collection: [url]http://www.mediafire.com/listen/2686...8e75/show2.wav[/url]

This is using Sonatina Symphony Orchestra: [url]http://www.mediafire.com/listen/b8b5logqj46nlar/show3.wav[/url]

My thoughts after you check them both out.
[sp]I like Sonatina's strings better aside from the 'vacuum cleaner turning on' note starts the violins do, and the chimes sound too strident.[/sp]

[sp]HQ Orchestra's brass is much more balanced and dark. What do you think?[/sp]

[paindoc]

[QUOTE=KnightVista;49219127]This is using HQ Orchestra Soundfont Collection: [url]http://www.mediafire.com/listen/2686...8e75/show2.wav[/url]

This is using Sonatina Symphony Orchestra: [url]http://www.mediafire.com/listen/b8b5logqj46nlar/show3.wav[/url]

My thoughts after you check them both out.
[sp]I like Sonatina's strings better aside from the 'vacuum cleaner turning on' note starts the violins do, and the chimes sound too strident.[/sp]

[sp]HQ Orchestra's brass is much more balanced and dark. What do you think?[/sp][/QUOTE]

I like the latter, except now I've noticed the violin start. For real, give me some midi dude. I'll run this through, because now I'm curious about how it will sound when I have midi made for string instruments. The Warm Violins patch is famous for being lush and lovely. I'm a big fan of the harp too.

I can either run the whole song through or just get samples of the note ranges the instruments use. I still am going to make good on my promise of a mass synth sample dump here, I need to re-record a bunch of the old ones with this new thing.

[Knight Vista]

Here you are

[url]http://www.mediafire.com/download/jn5gw3x4ocjj9as/KVMidi.rar[/url]

[editline]1st December 2015[/editline]

Brass enters in measure 12, it's in a separate .midi

[paindoc]

[QUOTE=KnightVista;49219155]Here you are

[url]http://www.mediafire.com/download/jn5gw3x4ocjj9as/KVMidi.rar[/url]

[editline]1st December 2015[/editline]

Brass enters in measure 12, it's in a separate .midi[/QUOTE]

yeeeeeesss <3

thanks

[paindoc]

I hope this is more enjoyable. I had fun recording it and doing a tiny bit of fx/eq work to warm the violins up and keep them in their own space per track.

[video]https://soundcloud.com/nofuchsgiven/kvjv1080test[/video]

So yeah, I'm writing that article for a blog possibly and regardless of whether they pick it up or not I can attempt to share it here with you guys. So far, thinking either usage of Sidechain Compression in Ableton (I'll try to make it general and focus on some of the technical aspects of Compressors as well) along with compressor plugins, or going over how to create a number of FX racks and what they can be used for (dub delay, vocal sidechain delay, reverse reverb, etc). I have a week to write it and if all goes good I'll be writing articles weekly for as long as they'll have me.

Pretty hyped though, I'm not at the point yet where I can gig or promote music but teaching music production seems like the best way to cement my learning and I can make dosh doing it and its all so fun :D :D

srs being making that face most of the day.

[wauterboi]

I think we need some way to network all of our Soundclouds together so we can listen to everything from each other while on the go, which is where I do pretty much all of my listening.

[chaz13]

[QUOTE=lawlavex;49218461]i think what you need to work on is making your synths sound "fuller" so that they fill in gaps in the mix a little better. right now most of the sounds you are using sound thin and the transitions are are really sudden with no real indication of what's coming next. just work on your sound design, keep messing around until you have something that really fills the mix and sounds great with all your other instruments. it's always hard to explain these things because they're based on using and training your ears, but you'll get the hang of it with practice! as for the other parts of your song, it sounds like you have some good musical ideas, so don't be discouraged by sound design.

this is neat, i'm used to listening to a lot of electronic stuff and it's always nice to hear other things for a change. i like the mix as well, sounds really clear and all the instruments are easy to listen to. nice work!

i made a lofi EP and released it three days ago, so far it's been getting some great attention. very proud of it, although the lofi sound may get old after a while haha

[media]https://soundcloud.com/vscrl/learning-ep[/media][/QUOTE]

Oh man, I stopped by the thread just to see if you've posted anything new and this is 1000x cooler than anything I expected. Awesome! The sound design is crazy good, how did you go about getting the lofi feel? Is it sample choice, processing individual sounds or the master or something else?

[Wingz]

[QUOTE=lawlavex;49218461]i think what you need to work on is making your synths sound "fuller" so that they fill in gaps in the mix a little better. right now most of the sounds you are using sound thin and the transitions are are really sudden with no real indication of what's coming next. just work on your sound design, keep messing around until you have something that really fills the mix and sounds great with all your other instruments. it's always hard to explain these things because they're based on using and training your ears, but you'll get the hang of it with practice! as for the other parts of your song, it sounds like you have some good musical ideas, so don't be discouraged by sound design.

this is neat, i'm used to listening to a lot of electronic stuff and it's always nice to hear other things for a change. i like the mix as well, sounds really clear and all the instruments are easy to listen to. nice work!

i made a lofi EP and released it three days ago, so far it's been getting some great attention. very proud of it, although the lofi sound may get old after a while haha

[media]https://soundcloud.com/vscrl/learning-ep[/media][/QUOTE]

i for some reason skimmed over this one
but since it was quoted, i listened to it, and its fucking astounding
that sub is toxic
20/10 thanks for sharing

[Hoyticus]

[QUOTE=paindoc;49219720]I hope this is more enjoyable. I had fun recording it and doing a tiny bit of fx/eq work to warm the violins up and keep them in their own space per track.

[video]https://soundcloud.com/nofuchsgiven/kvjv1080test[/video]

So yeah, I'm writing that article for a blog possibly and regardless of whether they pick it up or not I can attempt to share it here with you guys. So far, thinking either usage of Sidechain Compression in Ableton (I'll try to make it general and focus on some of the technical aspects of Compressors as well) along with compressor plugins, or going over how to create a number of FX racks and what they can be used for (dub delay, vocal sidechain delay, reverse reverb, etc). I have a week to write it and if all goes good I'll be writing articles weekly for as long as they'll have me.

Pretty hyped though, I'm not at the point yet where I can gig or promote music but teaching music production seems like the best way to cement my learning and I can make dosh doing it and its all so fun :D :D

srs being making that face most of the day.[/QUOTE]

It sounds pretty good, could definitely be expound upon. The mix gets a bit too loud at the end, but maybe it's just my headphones. The little string pluck is pretty corny it kinda makes me laugh. I could definitely see someone sampling this and adding some reverb and sidechaining and using for a hip hip beat of some kind. Is this a sort of style you were thinking of diving into just trying out in this little track, or is it something you've been doing for a while? Cuz it's pretty good, and you can only get better at this point. The chimes around 0:20 could use maybe a bigger sound and a little more "punchiness" if you will. Not sure exactly how to achieve that sound, but the chimes were a good addition but were just a bit underwhelming.

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

Made this track a while ago, looking back at it it sounds a lot better than some of the other stuff I was making at the time. Wanted to know what you guys thought

[editline]1st December 2015[/editline]

[QUOTE=wauterboi;49219732]I think we need some way to network all of our Soundclouds together so we can listen to everything from each other while on the go, which is where I do pretty much all of my listening.[/QUOTE]

somebody should start a group on soundcloud

[chaz13]

[QUOTE=Hoyticus;49220974]It sounds pretty good, could definitely be expound upon. The mix gets a bit too loud at the end, but maybe it's just my headphones. The little string pluck is pretty corny it kinda makes me laugh. I could definitely see someone sampling this and adding some reverb and sidechaining and using for a hip hip beat of some kind. Is this a sort of style you were thinking of diving into just trying out in this little track, or is it something you've been doing for a while? Cuz it's pretty good, and you can only get better at this point. The chimes around 0:20 could use maybe a bigger sound and a little more "punchiness" if you will. Not sure exactly how to achieve that sound, but the chimes were a good addition but were just a bit underwhelming.

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

Made this track a while ago, looking back at it it sounds a lot better than some of the other stuff I was making at the time. Wanted to know what you guys thought

[editline]1st December 2015[/editline]

somebody should start a group on soundcloud[/QUOTE]

This is cool, I like the percussion in particular but it feels a little dry. Actually the track as a whole does, I think more reverb is needed to give the parts a cohesive sense of position in space and glue all the parts together. Synths are nice too.

I couldn't resist... you might even say Jihad to.

[media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/jihad-to[/media]

[Staneh]

[QUOTE=chaz13;49230325]This is cool, I like the percussion in particular but it feels a little dry. Actually the track as a whole does, I think more reverb is needed to give the parts a cohesive sense of position in space and glue all the parts together. Synths are nice too.

I couldn't resist... you might even say Jihad to.

[media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/jihad-to[/media][/QUOTE]

It sounds really good and funky and it even made me laugh. You should send it to ISIS.

Made a little track which still needs guitar and singing in, still gotta make it longer but I need some feedback on it to improve!

[media]https://soundcloud.com/mrstaneh/track-1-test[/media]

[GmanIsJoker]

I made a little simple, atmospheric track. I really like it and hope you will too.

[media]https://soundcloud.com/ohph33r/bleep[/media]

[Hakita]

[QUOTE=GmanIsJoker;49246836]I made a little simple, atmospheric track. I really like it and hope you will too.

[media]https://soundcloud.com/ohph33r/bleep[/media][/QUOTE]
[img]http://i.imgur.com/qlFuRED.jpg[/img]

[paindoc]

Well if you're looking for a do it all synth Reaktor has it. I'm shocked and a little heartbroken because I bought my JD Xi for that hardware sound yo.

Ad Reaktor is just as good at analog emulation and sounds as good as my actual analog, is even more customisable, was a 1/5 of the price and will serve as the platform upon which I test my dsp designs for my synth projects.

Shkuk have bought it sooner ;_;

Really though, blocks are fun and the synths included in factory collection are really good. Junatik is a completely insane alpha juno emulation with the best 303 imitation I've heard yet and can make monstrous bass sounds. The modules are lots of fun to play with and it's like having an analog modular with endless modules for $99. I highly recommend it, and the Dev platform means you can make your own modules or synths and even go really deep and make your own dsp algorithms. It's lovely, and despite being sad that I have no use for my JD Xi (1080 at least has acoustic samples and patches) I'm going to bury that in tea and weird modular soundscapes .

Admittedly buying this before finals and when I have an 8am Boeing workshop on project management was a terrible idea.

[KmartSqrl]

[QUOTE=paindoc;49249423]Well if you're looking for a do it all synth Reaktor has it. I'm shocked and a little heartbroken because I bought my JD Xi for that hardware sound yo.

Ad Reaktor is just as good at analog emulation and sounds as good as my actual analog, is even more customisable, was a 1/5 of the price and will serve as the platform upon which I test my dsp designs for my synth projects.

Shkuk have bought it sooner ;_;

Really though, blocks are fun and the synths included in factory collection are really good. Junatik is a completely insane alpha juno emulation with the best 303 imitation I've heard yet and can make monstrous bass sounds. The modules are lots of fun to play with and it's like having an analog modular with endless modules for $99. I highly recommend it, and the Dev platform means you can make your own modules or synths and even go really deep and make your own dsp algorithms. It's lovely, and despite being sad that I have no use for my JD Xi (1080 at least has acoustic samples and patches) I'm going to bury that in tea and weird modular soundscapes .

Admittedly buying this before finals and when I have an 8am Boeing workshop on project management was a terrible idea.[/QUOTE]

Do you still have to "save as" every ensemble to actually save your settings with your project?

IMO the reason to buy hardware is for the knobby immediacy not "analogue sound".

[Plaster]

[QUOTE=lawlavex;49218461]
i made a lofi EP and released it three days ago, so far it's been getting some great attention. very proud of it, although the lofi sound may get old after a while haha

[URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL]

[URL]https://soundcloud.com/vscrl/learning-ep[/URL]

[/QUOTE]

I may have gotten sick of all the lofi stuff over the last year, but damn that sounds really goood, I'll buy that now but will increase it after I've got my check. Have you made every sound yourself or have you relied on any sample packs?

[QUOTE=GmanIsJoker;49246836]I made a little simple, atmospheric track. I really like it and hope you will too.

[URL="https://facepunch.com/"]Listen to Soundcloud recording[/URL]

[URL]https://soundcloud.com/ohph33r/bleep[/URL]

[/QUOTE]

You haven't posted any feedback but all I've got so say is that the new sound after the 3min mark is a bit too loud for my ears, lower that a little and it could be used in something space themed, for sure.

I made this EP or whatever of stuff I've made in the last 3 years or so and actually finished them for a change, unlike most other songs that I work on for over 20 hours and then just kinda forget about. Just under 17 minutes of whatever was going through my head, and I'll bet that it's possible to hear what was made before and after 2014.
[URL="https://plastrrerr.bandcamp.com/releases"]https://plaster.bandcamp.com/releases[/URL]
Please tell me if the mix sounds alright, except for the violin song, there the snare is broken.

Now I can finally delete all these huge wave files.

[paindoc]

[QUOTE=KmartSqrl;49260125]Do you still have to "save as" every ensemble to actually save your settings with your project?

IMO the reason to buy hardware is for the knobby immediacy not "analogue sound".[/QUOTE]

I'm with you there in the immediacy of hardware. My next purchase is probably going to be a Push 2- my JD Xi doesn't really have that much immediacy for its knobs and I'd rather get a nicer synth when I can afford one that is more hands-on.

Yeah you still have to save as an ensemble, I think. I'm mostly playing around with the synth building side of things for now as I haven't had much time to make music lately.

Also finished my article. It went to 2000 words :v

[Zar]

Can someone identify this electric organ by Yamaha?

[img]https://i.imgur.com/FHbPnCn.jpg[/img]

some dude near me is selling it for 15 usd