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

[QUOTE=CLungcancer;49857635]Whats a great midi keyboard? Price range 100-300 euros. I've been looking around a bit but I'd be interested to hear if u guys have suggestions [editline]3rd March 2016[/editline] I currently have an Akai LPK25, while the small size is fun it also feels limiting being only two octaves. Also its OLD and getting full of poop[/QUOTE] Alesis Q series are cheap and generally good if you just want the keys + pitch and mod wheels. If you want knobs and pads go for a Novation or one of the better M-Audio ones, such as an M-Audio Oxygen.

What are some other good "platforms" to promote your own music online? Other than social media, of course. You guys are great, and the feedback has been really helpful. This thread just seems to move way too slow, to get anything out there to a lot of people.

[QUOTE=4yourmalice;49860229]What are some other good "platforms" to promote your own music online? Other than social media, of course. You guys are great, and the feedback has been really helpful. This thread just seems to move way too slow, to get anything out there to a lot of people.[/QUOTE] If you can get people to buy your stuff from Bandcamp, you'll start getting recommended to "fans" with similar tastes. I don't know how well it works when you start from nothing though.

[QUOTE=4yourmalice;49833837]The atmosphere of that track is amazing man! The piano fits very nicely with your sorrow-filled( in a good way) violin arrangement. Anything with a darker tone, usually sits well in my books, and this is one of them. The last part though, was a nice little piece, but didn't feel at home with the rest of the song. Maybe try a different transition between the two sections. I wanted to take a break from all the dark/heavy synth work I've been doing lately, and make something a little more fun. The 80's have been on my mind a lot, and Hotline Miami's soundtrack is what got me into all of this, so I whipped this little piece up today. It's nothing special, and it's trying to be somewhat generic, but it's a fun listen. [media]https://soundcloud.com/scarletharvest/cocaine-beach-showdown[/media][/QUOTE] Thanks man, and I agree with you my transition isn't very good. I definitely feel the 80's vibe with your tune, I especially like the arp lead with it. Perhaps adding a reverb splash to a snare sometimes would be cool I think. [QUOTE=chaz13;49846128]Sounds fantastic! I love those toms. The synths themselves sound good but feel a little non-distinct from one another, I think decreasing the attack time on the higher pitched synths just a little would be nice. Working on a backing track for a cover of Here: [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/heree[/media] [/QUOTE] I'm a sucker for descending progressions so I like this, I like the little orchestral parts on the 3rd as well. Reminds me of radiohead. Good mix overall, not too bright which is good. Here's a little song which has two distinct parts in it and it's in 3/4 time. It's a sort of movie soundtrack kinda track. I recorded this a couple weeks back so hopefully my transition skills are better. [media]https://soundcloud.com/blazing234/that-bass-though[/media]

[QUOTE=Speedhax;49860709]Thanks man, and I agree with you my transition isn't very good. I definitely feel the 80's vibe with your tune, I especially like the arp lead with it. Perhaps adding a reverb splash to a snare sometimes would be cool I think. I'm a sucker for descending progressions so I like this, I like the little orchestral parts on the 3rd as well. Reminds me of radiohead. Good mix overall, not too bright which is good. Here's a little song which has two distinct parts in it and it's in 3/4 time. It's a sort of movie soundtrack kinda track. I recorded this a couple weeks back so hopefully my transition skills are better. [media]https://soundcloud.com/blazing234/that-bass-though[/media][/QUOTE] Not bad, though I feel like some bits should be a little more "humanized". Humans can't play at a perfect tempo, so each note needs to be offset a liiiiittle bit. It can be a painful process, but it pays off. In other news, I need feedback on [URL="https://www.dropbox.com/s/zk80fzqcb0gx2tu/ep_100_preview1.mp3?raw=1"]this super WIP track[/URL] that lacks all proper transitions and a lot of stuff. I'm basically still trying to pin down things and I have no idea what to add or how to continue cus I'm a huge noob with no skill. [editline]3rd March 2016[/editline] tbh not happy with anything after 1:50

[QUOTE=TheDrunkenOne;49861123]Not bad, though I feel like some bits should be a little more "humanized". Humans can't play at a perfect tempo, so each note needs to be offset a liiiiittle bit. It can be a painful process, but it pays off. [/QUOTE] I was kinda aiming for that robotic kinda sound for that tbh.

[QUOTE=4yourmalice;49860229]What are some other good "platforms" to promote your own music online? Other than social media, of course. You guys are great, and the feedback has been really helpful. This thread just seems to move way too slow, to get anything out there to a lot of people.[/QUOTE] I'm going to be completely honest with you: going the online route will get you nowhere. All those sites that claim that they get you 1000 beatport downloads or whatever are not making you long term fans, and neither does spamming your stuff on soundcloud/forums. The single best way to get yourself noticed is to play gigs around your area. If there are no gigs, make your own! Give your music to friends and stuff, and do your own promoting. So many new people seem to think that streams numbers/purchase numbers = fans, but that is very much not the case.

[QUOTE=splenda;49862511]I'm going to be completely honest with you: going the online route will get you nowhere. All those sites that claim that they get you 1000 beatport downloads or whatever are not making you long term fans, and neither does spamming your stuff on soundcloud/forums. The single best way to get yourself noticed is to play gigs around your area. If there are no gigs, make your own! Give your music to friends and stuff, and do your own promoting. So many new people seem to think that streams numbers/purchase numbers = fans, but that is very much not the case.[/QUOTE] Saying being online is not feasible is almost as naive as saying online shopping is not feasible. That's a mindset for the past. All music I know about - including local acts - I've found online. The first best thing is to not care about fans in the first place, but the second best thing is to focus on getting viral, meaning putting your work in as many places as possible. Think about it: your song can appear in music videos and other content you create, or other people's content. How about soundtracks? How about putting it in other people's YouTube videos or Twitch streams? How many songs have you found on the internet simply because it existed in another piece of content?

[QUOTE=PelPix123;49866753] Here's an Elder Scrolls: Arena song remake: [media]https://soundcloud.com/kaybeccab/tes-arena-tavern-music-1-remake[/media] I put way too much effort into my orchestral mockups. I fake it all! tiny variations in pitch and air pressure on woodwinds, little human mistakes, dead air, chairs creaking, players [I]breathing.[/I] Background electrical interference.[/QUOTE] That cover is pretty well bang on. Even, like you said, the dead air and everything is replicated nicely. I think the high notes are a bit too harsh, and should sound just a tad softer, like in the original. Should be an easy fix. Is this the whole song, or are you still finishing it up? I made this short little ambient piano track up today. It's a start for now, I might add to it later on, or leave it as more simple song. Haven't decided yet. [media]https://soundcloud.com/scarletharvest/haunted-cathedral[/media]

Anyone have any good resources for songwriting? I've spent a while learning the guitar and now I'm itching to write stuff. I've dabbled in music theory before but I have no idea how to actually conceive of a song structure. I'm mainly seeking to write simple, alt. rock stuff right now. [editline]5th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=ReapDaWrapper;49809700]Honestly this is one of the first times I've actually spent a decent amount of time to listen to this type of music, and I do not regret it. The crazy syncopation and "IN YOUR FACE" sounds kinda pull on my stomach at times, but I find the music very thrilling and it just adds to that feeling. Very well done on this track, I wish I could do this type of stuff. I feel like it takes a lot of time and practice, going more in-depth with music theory. Am I wrong? I'm taking some theory classes now, but I'm kind of a newbie. If anyone is into acoustic punk/rock, I just wrote a song a few days ago and had a surge of creativity to finish a decent demo. (I own a $100 condenser and an audiobox usb.) The guitar track is pretty wet, but it was kind of intended. I just put the emphasis on the vocals for now until I iron out some lead parts and percussion with my buddy. [URL]https://withcleareyes.bandcamp.com/releases[/URL][/QUOTE] WHAT THE FUCK this is AMAZING this is exactly what style i'm trying to write jesus [editline]5th March 2016[/editline] But I'm happy with myself because I figured out that chord progression by ear (even though it's pretty simple) so yay because a few months ago i would've had no idea whatsoever [editline]5th March 2016[/editline] I think my main question is, when writing a melody to go along with a chord progression, does it always have to be in the same notes as the chord it's playing over? Or just in the same key?

[QUOTE=NixNax123;49874722] I think my main question is, when writing a melody to go along with a chord progression, does it always have to be in the same notes as the chord it's playing over? Or just in the same key?[/QUOTE] The harmony (chords) establishes tone and creates structure in which the melody is able to play free and full of expression. As the melody your job is to string some notes together to make some satisfying ass lines to the ear while the harmony and rhythm sections back you up. Color the music with your tones! To improve melodic ability, I think it would be worthwhile to study chord inversions as it's a very basic yet very fundamental concept which greatly expands your range of sounds, enables for much freedom and fluidity of motion in general, and allows for easy smooth voice leading. You should also look into learning and applying the modes, as you will start to mentally visualize pattern and structure to the melodic lines you are playing and its relationship to the chords being played. Each scale degree in the key you are in has its own mode, which are like the major and minor scales but with some slight variations. They allow you to establish a new tonal center on a scale degree of a key you are playing in and easily lead into the next chord. Each mode has a certain feel to it, which you could read about/hear yourself. Also if you hit a wrong note, don't stop just quickly bend it to the right one and act like you meant to do that, cause you did right? Lol but yeah tackle study that theory and apply it well, always teach yourself new concepts and apply them to expand your sound.

definitely doesn't have to be in the same scale as the chords you're playing over, more so in harmony, like get a load of jazz chord progressions and melodies the biggest thing imo when learning modes, melodies and chords is to pay close attention to the harmony between the elements both in the immediate sense, as well as the progression i'm not sure if it's at all a common concept or whatever, but this something my guitar teacher told me a long time a go, and it's something I try to keep in mind: the beauty/magic of music lies in what's not being played you can agree or disagree, being literal it's still dependent on what you actually play, it's a bit of an esoteric concept that, if you keep in mind, forces you to focus less on technical aspects of precision (unless it's necessary), and more on feeling and connection, it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to be 100% theoretically correct, trying to create very mathematically composed music, or trying to play with extreme technical precision but not really putting any genuine feeling into it, it's also easy to think adding more will make things sound better, but sometimes taking away can have a more powerful impact, sometimes less going on is the only way to create 'more magic' with the sound,

Thanks a ton, both of you. That really helped me realize I still have a lot to learn about theory in general, and that makes me excited to know how much further I can expand my knowledge now. Hopefully next time I come here I'll have my first original song! (:

Any thoughts on how to make this common neuro bass synth. Starts around .30 I'm not talking about the "lead" synth, but the one you can hear under it. Very percussive, kind of sounds like "knocking". It's in a lot of newish neuro stuff, I'm pretty sure it's FM which I don't know a huge amount about. [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JnzGTdyt9A[/media] [editline]6th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=4yourmalice;49868240]That cover is pretty well bang on. Even, like you said, the dead air and everything is replicated nicely. I think the high notes are a bit too harsh, and should sound just a tad softer, like in the original. Should be an easy fix. Is this the whole song, or are you still finishing it up? I made this short little ambient piano track up today. It's a start for now, I might add to it later on, or leave it as more simple song. Haven't decided yet. [media]https://soundcloud.com/scarletharvest/haunted-cathedral[/media][/QUOTE] Creepy! Title certainly does it justice. I think the piano could use a teeny bit of humanizing when the melody comes in to give it a little more feel. Some more instruments/sounds coming in later on might be nice too. Writing some EDM for shits and giggles. Going to have vocals at some point: [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/braa[/media]

[QUOTE=chaz13;49878836] Writing some EDM for shits and giggles. Going to have vocals at some point: [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/braa[/media][/QUOTE] I really like the sound of the pluck and pad in the beginning, but the brass hit that comes in at the drop sounds a little too loud compared to the rest of the song. About a year ago I start compiling ambient tracks I made throughout high school into an audio journal of experiments that represented a significant thought or emotion I felt during that time. Like believe it or not, but that random noise has some actual symbolic significance behind it. Since then a lot of tracks were cut and eventually I decided I wanted to move on from the project as I'm graduating soon and want to put my focus on more refined projects. As result of this decision, I decided to release the compilation unfinished and cut very short. It's far from polished and perfect, but it holds a special place in my heart and that whole "made by some high school kid in his bedroom" feel gives it a soul to me. [url]https://soundcloud.com/ghille556/sets/a-blank-slate[/url]

[QUOTE=NixNax123;49878630]Thanks a ton, both of you. That really helped me realize I still have a lot to learn about theory in general, and that makes me excited to know how much further I can expand my knowledge now. Hopefully next time I come here I'll have my first original song! (:[/QUOTE] Theory shmeory... Just be like me and call all your music experimental and play in the chromatic scale. :v: [editline]6th March 2016[/editline] Seriously my new album has a song where the lead synth is out of tune, and then after the breakdown I add a eurorack oscillator with purposeful microtuning inconsistencies to make the sound even more disorienting.

[QUOTE=4yourmalice;49860229]What are some other good "platforms" to promote your own music online? Other than social media, of course. You guys are great, and the feedback has been really helpful. This thread just seems to move way too slow, to get anything out there to a lot of people.[/QUOTE] If you work within a certain genre, there is usually a lot of easy ways to network with sellers/label owners in your scene, and it ends up being a free way to promote yourself without even putting in much effort. [URL="http://www.discogs.com"]www.discogs.com[/URL] is a great place to find sellers who can promote your work. A very common arrangement in the music scene I am involved with includes sending your PHYSICAL releases (cd's, tapes, etc) to one of these individuals who already established a sales rep, and in return you receive a tradeoff (tapes from other people in your scene) or less often, cash payment. Nobody ever gets rich with this stuff, though. Its just promotion. Getting your name out..

[QUOTE=chaz13;49878836] Writing some EDM for shits and giggles. Going to have vocals at some point: [media]https://soundcloud.com/prizymmusic/braa[/media][/QUOTE] I'd lower the overall volume of the trumpet synth, as well as killing a bit of the reverb and portamento; It's by far the loudest thing in the "drop" part, so much so that it's drowning everything else out. I'd lower some of the <40hz stuff, almost kill it entirely. I'd raise the volume of the bass just a tad. Feels like the snare should come in a bit later as the snare / bassdrum / click all sort of mush into one sound and you can't really differentiate it to get a nice buildup - potentially increase the volume of the click? The knocking sounds like it's not FM - some sort of synth with a really sharp, fast filter envelope. Going from letting all the highs in to only a sort of low pass filter. You hear the highs quickly and then the mids - that's why it sounds like knocking working on a prodigy-esque song, not really properly mastered but have the whole "no idea how to structure the song" issue [media]https://soundcloud.com/instantmix/greenes-theorem-wip[/media]

[QUOTE=Instant Mix;49885557] working on a prodigy-esque song, not really properly mastered but have the whole "no idea how to structure the song" issue [media]https://soundcloud.com/instantmix/greenes-theorem-wip[/media][/QUOTE] I'll say you absolutely nailed the Prodigy feel. It really sounds like it could be a track from one of their 90's albums, chord stabs and everything. Mixing/mastering on the drums is outstandingly good, it's got a good thump to it with crispy snares as well, and just the right amount. It sounds like the synths are clipping slightly before the drums come in, but I don't think you really need to fix that if that's the case, it adds to the abrasive character which can be a good thing for this kind of music. I don't know how much longer you're planning to make this. Prodigy songs tend to hover at around 4-6 minutes and occasionally dipping into 7 or 8. You can keep the chord progression you already had going in the end, but with those extra drums, and even that could work for a climax. Or you could completely break it down into a new part and bring the theme back later if you want to extend it. Either way, the structure you have so far definitely works. I wanted to make some techno again, so I sampled and remixed some obscure experimental electronic library music from the 70's. [media]https://soundcloud.com/brotherworks/macchina-di-jarrell[/media] This is my first time using sidechaining. In this case the kick is chained with one of hi-hat channels and the main sample.

[QUOTE=Instant Mix;49885557] working on a prodigy-esque song, not really properly mastered but have the whole "no idea how to structure the song" issue [media]https://soundcloud.com/instantmix/greenes-theorem-wip[/media][/QUOTE] Yeah it sounds a lot like the prodigy. Such an awesome 90s vibe at the drop. [QUOTE=UnknownDude;49886700] I wanted to make some techno again, so I to sample and remix some obscure experimental electronic library music from the 70's. [media]https://soundcloud.com/brotherworks/macchina-di-jarrell[/media] This is my first time using sidechaining. In this case the kick is chained with one of hi-hat channels and the main sample.[/QUOTE] This is some dark stuff. I really like how everything slowly builds. Personally I feel like it could use something more like a hook, like an occasional bass pluck or digital sounding arp. __________ I've been listening to a bunch of 90s hip hop and wanted to have a go at making some beats. [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/front-lines[/media] [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/bowlers-run[/media]

[QUOTE=Instant Mix;49885557] working on a prodigy-esque song, not really properly mastered but have the whole "no idea how to structure the song" issue [media]https://soundcloud.com/instantmix/greenes-theorem-wip[/media][/QUOTE] Insanely good job on the synths there. Love the intro especially. Not sure what generation of The Prodigy you're going for, but the drums seem out of place. A lot of the earlier breakbeat hardcore stuff used sampled drum loops as far as I know, the standard synthesized 909 stuff doesn't really fit a song like this and feels really lacking. Something like the drum pattern in Out Of Space would fit better. Problem a lot of breakbeat hardcore had was that it was mostly just dull filler to pad out the length of the song. A lot of them just sort of copy pasted the same progression over and over, so it's hard to say what else you could do with the song. I made some weird detroit techno/deep house thing [media]https://soundcloud.com/grandmamax/can-you-repeat-yourself[/media]

gosh whenever i make a tune or collab with someone i just have this period of time where im musically dead and it succks

Could somebody give me advice on how to remove the "punch" out of drums for musical effect? I have a foggy idea of what techniques are used, however I wish to solidify my understanding. For example, the intro to One More Time. [video=youtube;n6RTF4OPzf8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6RTF4OPzf8[/video] The drums start out with a very gentle timbre like they're coming out of a radio, then they bring the kick out, and then finally the whole shebang kicks in. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Is that a highpass? :v: [editline]10th March 2016[/editline] With Daft Punk I always thought they started with the drums from the song they sampled (highpassed) and then added their own drums and bass.

[QUOTE=WoodenSpoon;49909227]Could somebody give me advice on how to remove the "punch" out of drums for musical effect? I have a foggy idea of what techniques are used, however I wish to solidify my understanding. For example, the intro to One More Time. [video=youtube;n6RTF4OPzf8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6RTF4OPzf8[/video] The drums start out with a very gentle timbre like they're coming out of a radio, then they bring the kick out, and then finally the whole shebang kicks in. Any help would be greatly appreciated![/QUOTE] Yeah that's definitely a filter, high-pass as Ott said. It cuts out lower frequencies (hence only letting the "high pass"), giving the sound a very thin sound like a radio in the distance. On the other hand you can play with a low-pass filter (guess what it does) which makes it sound like you're in the bathroom at a club, where most of the bass is permeating through the walls. On a side note, anyone mind listening to my first official remix? Feedback and critique welcomed. [url]https://soundcloud.com/onnaut/say-my-name-oneironaut-remix[/url]

Okay I suspected a high pass filter but I thought there would be an extra step. Thank you guys

Anyone have the valid links for the drum machine in the OP? It seems they've expired and I would really love to try it out.

[url]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/965202/WIP%20Music/doom-sign_of_evil-002.mp3[/url] [url]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/965202/WIP%20Music/BitBlasted4%20WIP.mp3[/url] Two songs near completion. Will respond with C&C for others after this post! [editline]12th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Hobo4President;49888864]Yeah it sounds a lot like the prodigy. Such an awesome 90s vibe at the drop. This is some dark stuff. I really like how everything slowly builds. Personally I feel like it could use something more like a hook, like an occasional bass pluck or digital sounding arp. __________ I've been listening to a bunch of 90s hip hop and wanted to have a go at making some beats. [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/front-lines[/media] [media]http://soundcloud.com/philmaah/bowlers-run[/media][/QUOTE] In "Front Lines", I think the bass needs be stronger and more defined. You could reduce the bass on what's already there and throw in some subs. Other than that, you should mix around the vocals as they can be overpowering to the vocals. Reduce the volume on the unimportant stuff when the vocals come in and turn them back up when they drop out for good. All in all, very solid and very fun. "Bowler's Run" rules and I'm throwing that in the playlist I shuffle through every day. [editline]12th March 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Instant Mix;49885557]I'd lower the overall volume of the trumpet synth, as well as killing a bit of the reverb and portamento; It's by far the loudest thing in the "drop" part, so much so that it's drowning everything else out. I'd lower some of the <40hz stuff, almost kill it entirely. I'd raise the volume of the bass just a tad. Feels like the snare should come in a bit later as the snare / bassdrum / click all sort of mush into one sound and you can't really differentiate it to get a nice buildup - potentially increase the volume of the click? The knocking sounds like it's not FM - some sort of synth with a really sharp, fast filter envelope. Going from letting all the highs in to only a sort of low pass filter. You hear the highs quickly and then the mids - that's why it sounds like knocking working on a prodigy-esque song, not really properly mastered but have the whole "no idea how to structure the song" issue [media]https://soundcloud.com/instantmix/greenes-theorem-wip[/media][/QUOTE] Same for you, buddy. This song is great.

[video=youtube;IfMnTML5E-k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfMnTML5E-k[/video] What do you think of this live hardware performance?

:snip: [QUOTE=Levakama;49924555][video=youtube;IfMnTML5E-k]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfMnTML5E-k[/video] What do you think of this live hardware performance?[/QUOTE] I love it! The video is great and interesting to watch. The song is probably something I'd have on iTunes haha.