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

[QUOTE=Hoyticus;49601784]this is really good, dude. You definitely have to expand upon this, because the whole time i was just imagining a nice beat behind it and some supporting chords and it sounded awesome. Love how rythmic it sounds even without any percussion. fantastic m8 getting a good grip on using sytrus, decided to have a whack at old school dubstep [media]https://soundcloud.com/thehoyticus/blunderbuss[/media][/QUOTE] I wouldn't call this old school dubstep, too much wobble bass/no two step/not rub a dub enough, but it is alright for Americanized dubstep, never been a fan of the genre but your song is good. Just fill out the top end, even with just some atmosphere, because it just sounds like you ran everything through a low pass filter, and I desperately want to open it up a bit more! [editline]25th January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=RelaxedCreepr;49604018]Ooo, even it has feels of old school, it kind of has some parts of modern dubstep in it. It's pretty good, but I would recommend exporting the mp3 with 320kps so all of the high frequencies can be more present. Unless you removed the high frequencies on purpose to give that old school vibe, in which case good job. But whatever you want to do, It's just a small nitpick. Pretty good overall. --- [media]https://soundcloud.com/relaxedcreeper/if-only[/media] Fun fact, I frantically, in the middle of the night, tried to upload this song and think of a name before I have to sleep to go to school tomorrow. Turns out that I slept in today. Whoops. It's like house? I'm not sure with genres anymore.[/QUOTE] I know you tried to fill out your kick in the high registers, but some of those partials are not jiving with me if you get what I'm saying. Especially in the middle-ish part, the main part of your song where all the instruments are playing, the mid-high partials are too in your face, and sound a little too atonal for the rest of the scope of your song. Its not really house, but I don't know the genre either. Like it is just standard EDM, using the term in a non offensive way of course!

[QUOTE=RelaxedCreepr;49604018] [media]https://soundcloud.com/relaxedcreeper/if-only[/media] [/QUOTE] Dude this is totally fucking awesome. Composition wise it's pretty solid. The overal master of the song needs alot of work, but I can't say I am any better. I'm really vibin' off this one. I'm into this high energy positive melody kind of shit. Here's a little progressive 2 step melody trap future bass thingy? [media]https://soundcloud.com/adius89/jungle[/media] [editline]25th January 2016[/editline] probably going to take this down soon, something just doesn't feel right about it.

I'm gonna make an EP for the hell of it. Wish me luck

[media]http://soundcloud.com/petebound/untitled-trance[/media] new track i'm working on, trancy sorta thing, programmed all the synths from scratch, made my own riser for the first time, drums are a bit mediocre pattern wise, got some things I still wanna change up before 'finalizing it' especially certain transitions/layering, bit more work on melody/variation, not sure on the filler vocal sample for now, it seems a bit hard to understand, but this is a bit like a condensed base preview prior to an extended/full version where all that's sorted out, wanna know if you guys have any standout criticisms about it before I go ahead and jump back into it and get it finished [editline]26th January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Adius Shadow;49608604]Dude this is totally fucking awesome. Composition wise it's pretty solid. The overal master of the song needs alot of work, but I can't say I am any better. I'm really vibin' off this one. I'm into this high energy positive melody kind of shit. Here's a little progressive 2 step melody trap future bass thingy? [media]https://soundcloud.com/adius89/jungle[/media] [editline]25th January 2016[/editline] probably going to take this down soon, something just doesn't feel right about it.[/QUOTE] I really like this, it's pretty chill and upbeat, good positive vibe music, bit different to what i'm used to hearing, few minor crits/things that stood out for me personally, could be a matter of taste; the intro carries on a bit/feels a little emptyish, but it's a nice vibe in the atmosphere that creates, imo it sounds like it needs some vocals in the mix but it didn't seem /necessary/, maybe make the pitch shifting a bit more subtle, but I like the effect it gives, love the drop/chorus whatever at 1:20, comes in bold and euphorically I feel like the that chimey synth carries on a bit, which is fine, but then suddenly all the energy/momentum dropped out towards the end a bit /unexpectedly/ as that synth and the drums and all the other stuff going on kinda just /stops/ but you've got the underlying progression carrying on, which left me feeling it was a bit of an odd/sudden shift in pace after being this nice carrying experience, I reckon it's sweet, could use a bit of work but I think it's a really solid track, no /major/ criticisms, I dig it over all, and those minor things didn't really detract from it more so just things where I felt it had the potential to be that tiny little bit more with a bit of extra work, but of course, those could also just be a matter of taste

Would anyone know about what Deadmau5 used in "Phantoms Can't Hang" for the errie vocal thing around 5:20?

About a week left for the [B]Facepunch Collab album![/B] Send in your tracks to me as a .wav Mix it down as -0.1dB (I talked to a friend of mine who works as a profesional mastering engineer, she says it's OK to master it to that volume)

I sometimes make mixes in Ableton, but I want to find a way to make sure that each track has approximately the same average volume, is there a tool to monitor it? Or should I look at peak levels?

I really want ableton but it's so much $$; ableton live standard edition $450 I mean

[QUOTE=Number-41;49618285]I sometimes make mixes in Ableton, but I want to find a way to make sure that each track has approximately the same average volume, is there a to monitor it? Or should I look at peak levels?[/QUOTE] Monitor it with your ears :P Meters are very bad at showing perceived loudness because frequency content plays a big part in that.

[QUOTE=KmartSqrl;49619759]Monitor it with your ears :P Meters are very bad at showing perceived loudness because frequency content plays a big part in that.[/QUOTE] One of the hardest hurdles to get past when mixing ITB is using your ears instead of your eyes. Seriously one of the best things I ever did was make a few songs using 4/8/16 track recorders (also the time I spent interning at a studio I guess.) It really forces you to not care about whether your bass drum is hitting 0.0 db or whatever, but rather if your mix sounds good, because in the end that is all that matters. [editline]27th January 2016[/editline] That is not to say that meters are not useful though, but your main meter should be your own ears, and hopefully someone else's ears as well, but I guess that is what this thread is for!

I drop my meters when things clip and generally use the meters to adjust until the master isn't against 0dbfs so I have headroom for adjustments and dynamics professing later. Otherwise, it's all about just listening. If it sounds good, it sounds good.

what if you system is bottlenecked by some shit like a shitty soundcard or bad headphones

[QUOTE=splenda;49620184]One of the hardest hurdles to get past when mixing ITB is using your ears instead of your eyes. Seriously one of the best things I ever did was make a few songs using 4/8/16 track recorders (also the time I spent interning at a studio I guess.) It really forces you to not care about whether your bass drum is hitting 0.0 db or whatever, but rather if your mix sounds good, because in the end that is all that matters. [editline]27th January 2016[/editline] That is not to say that meters are not useful though, but your main meter should be your own ears, and hopefully someone else's ears as well, but I guess that is what this thread is for![/QUOTE] Totally! Use your meters to make sure things are not technically fucked (clipping or levels WAY too low, really). Beyond that, you should train and trust your ears. Make a point of A/Bing your tunes with songs that you really like and use those as a meter. One thing that helps me a lot when I'm finishing up a track is listening with my eyes closed and then as soon as I hear something that needs to be adjusted, I open my eyes, fix it, close my eyes, and start from the beginning again. Forcing yourself to not look at the screen when you're trying to listen critically is hugely helpful.

As weird as it sounds, my favorite technique from the Ableton 74 tips book was to practice listening in terrible environments- like go to a room away from your song and see how the drums sound. Does it seem to groove? Does it feel right for where you are? That, proper end-of-mastering loudness stuff, and less abuse of reverb has helped my mixdown clarity immensely

[QUOTE=KmartSqrl;49622413]Totally! Use your meters to make sure things are not technically fucked (clipping or levels WAY too low, really). Beyond that, you should train and trust your ears. Make a point of A/Bing your tunes with songs that you really like and use those as a meter. One thing that helps me a lot when I'm finishing up a track is listening with my eyes closed and then as soon as I hear something that needs to be adjusted, I open my eyes, fix it, close my eyes, and start from the beginning again. Forcing yourself to not look at the screen when you're trying to listen critically is hugely helpful.[/QUOTE] My favorite technique is to first listen to an album of a totally different genre than the song I'm making, and then go for a walk around while listening to my song, and making a note in a notebook of things that should be changed. [editline]27th January 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=paindoc;49623374]As weird as it sounds, my favorite technique from the Ableton 74 tips book was to practice listening in terrible environments- like go to a room away from your song and see how the drums sound. Does it seem to groove? Does it feel right for where you are? That, proper end-of-mastering loudness stuff, and less abuse of reverb has helped my mixdown clarity immensely[/QUOTE] Yea listen to your in progress stuff in other rooms, with really shitty speakers, through your phone, just change up your typical sound space, because you never know what new creative sparks you will get!

[QUOTE=paindoc;49623374]As weird as it sounds, my favorite technique from the Ableton 74 tips book was to practice listening in terrible environments- like go to a room away from your song and see how the drums sound. Does it seem to groove? Does it feel right for where you are? That, proper end-of-mastering loudness stuff, and less abuse of reverb has helped my mixdown clarity immensely[/QUOTE] Listening in weird environments is great. One of my favorite tricks is lowpassing the master at 200Hz(ish ) before listening. You'll pick out issues with the low end way quicker if the highs aren't distracting you at all. You also get to hear what your tune sounds like from outside the club, and if it's already a banger at that point, that's a good sign haha

I'm considering getting way more into creating music on my computer, and I'm looking into what program would be best to invest into. I currently use MAGIX Music Maker 2014, and it seems to work decently, however this is all I know, and can't compare to much else. Is there a program specifically, that you guys would strongly recommend?

[QUOTE=4yourmalice;49625924]I'm considering getting way more into creating music on my computer, and I'm looking into what program would be best to invest into. I currently use MAGIX Music Maker 2014, and it seems to work decently, however this is all I know, and can't compare to much else. Is there a program specifically, that you guys would strongly recommend?[/QUOTE] Most people here use either fl studio or reaper

[QUOTE=killerteacup;49626400]Most people here use either fl studio or reaper[/QUOTE] How much do you need to buy to make FL Studio work really well? Just curious because the "starter" pack is $99.

Bro we cover this all the time. Use the DAW that works for you or appeals to you. The majority of this thread uses Reaper, FL, or Ableton. This does not mean one is better than the other, but rather indicates what DAWs we know about in this thread. If that starter pack includes the features you need (I think the one higher does), then use it. Or, pirate a DAW to try them out and then buy when you can.

[QUOTE=paindoc;49626573]Bro we cover this all the time. Use the DAW that works for you or appeals to you. The majority of this thread uses Reaper, FL, or Ableton. This does not mean one is better than the other, but rather indicates what DAWs we know about in this thread. If that starter pack includes the features you need (I think the one higher does), then use it. Or, pirate a DAW to try them out and then buy when you can.[/QUOTE] My apologies for asking a question that gets brought up all the time, I rarely visit this thread. I'm gonna give Ableton a try, seeing as you can try it for a month for free. EDIT : I've got Ableton now and am getting a feel for it. I'm trying to play the instruments with my keyboard, but every Synth type instrument comes out sounding extremely high pitched, and not how it should. Is this a common thing, and I have a wrong setting on?

Is it a good idea to first get a pleasant sounding beat for a song and THEN consider melody making?

[QUOTE=Nitro836;49628149]Is it a good idea to first get a pleasant sounding beat for a song and THEN consider melody making?[/QUOTE] Whatever works. You got a beat that you can build a song on? Do it. Got a chord progression that really speaks to you? Go ahead and use that as your base. Catchy melody? Start with it bro. There are different strategies for building too, based on what you start with I guess but these are more for workflow. Like, if I were to start with drums, I would have the melody work with the rhythm and groove of the drums and then the chords would follow the contour of the melody and still stick with the groove (just on a lesser scale).

[QUOTE=4yourmalice;49626626]My apologies for asking a question that gets brought up all the time, I rarely visit this thread. I'm gonna give Ableton a try, seeing as you can try it for a month for free. EDIT : I've got Ableton now and am getting a feel for it. I'm trying to play the instruments with my keyboard, but every Synth type instrument comes out sounding extremely high pitched, and not how it should. Is this a common thing, and I have a wrong setting on?[/QUOTE] If you are playing with your computer keyboard try hitting the Z key to shift down octaves and see if that does it for you (the X key shifts up octaves.)

[QUOTE=paindoc;49626573]Bro we cover this all the time. Use the DAW that works for you or appeals to you. The majority of this thread uses Reaper, FL, or Ableton. This does not mean one is better than the other, but rather indicates what DAWs we know about in this thread. If that starter pack includes the features you need (I think the one higher does), then use it. Or, pirate a DAW to try them out and then buy when you can.[/QUOTE] Reaper needs no piracy for it is cheap with one, full, smooth package you'll forever feel across your undeserving ears. You'll feel like a cheater. And that feels awesome.

[QUOTE=wauterboi;49629408]Reaper needs no piracy for it is cheap with one, full, smooth package you'll forever feel across your undeserving ears. You'll feel like a cheater. And that feels awesome.[/QUOTE] [sp] I still need to pay for Ableton but jesus fuck is it expensive, I fell for the ol Adobe trap[/sp]

[QUOTE=paindoc;49629578][sp] I still need to pay for Ableton but jesus fuck is it expensive, I fell for the ol Adobe trap[/sp][/QUOTE] I got ableton intro (pretty sure) with the push, got another code for it with a set of keys I bought... the upgrades to standard/suite are expensive as hell

[QUOTE=splenda;49629390]If you are playing with your computer keyboard try hitting the Z key to shift down octaves and see if that does it for you (the X key shifts up octaves.)[/QUOTE] That was it, thank you for the help!

[QUOTE=paindoc;49629578][sp] I still need to pay for Ableton but jesus fuck is it expensive, I fell for the ol Adobe trap[/sp][/QUOTE] Wow I'm telling the head of Ableton's LA office! (I kind of know him somehow.) But seriously try to save up to buy ableton at some point. Like idk how extent your pirated version is, I never pirated ableton because I bought it very early on so I just pay the $250 or whatever it is to upgrade to the new version every so often, so you probably won't get to keep all your premium packs or whatever, but you will get the sense of satisfaction that you own the stuff you use. If you are a student, you can get ableton for cheaper too. You just need to send them a picture of your student ID/other proof.

[QUOTE=splenda;49631974]Wow I'm telling the head of Ableton's LA office! (I kind of know him somehow.) But seriously try to save up to buy ableton at some point. Like idk how extent your pirated version is, I never pirated ableton because I bought it very early on so I just pay the $250 or whatever it is to upgrade to the new version every so often, so you probably won't get to keep all your premium packs or whatever, but you will get the sense of satisfaction that you own the stuff you use. If you are a student, you can get ableton for cheaper too. You just need to send them a picture of your student ID/other proof.[/QUOTE] I know, I know. I do want to buy it but I have so many other costs and the money standard would cost me is money I need for rent this summer and my budget is going to be tight as fuck unless i get a second job (on top of research, on top of ballpark work, and on top of writing articles). fuck cost of living in seattle [editline]29th January 2016[/editline] I keep listening to this, [video=youtube;42FRPHw3X6Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42FRPHw3X6Q[/video] thinking of doing my own arrangement of Adagio in D Minor (from Sunshine) with synths and in a similar style, this weekend. Classical pieces redone with synths is neat. Would be a fun exercise too. I might have an entry for the FP album, but whats the thought on me adding my arrangement of Adagio in D Minor as my entry for the fp album? [editline]29th January 2016[/editline] initial experiments have changed my mind and hopefully over this weekend the depression will finally go away and stay away so i can enjoy making music again and not hate every sound that comes out of my daw