Music Producers / Studio Thread

[LiberationFrequency]

Thanks guys.

Yeah i'll definitely keep going.

I think what I enjoy about using samples is that you can warp them beyond recognition to create something really obscure. I'm gonna have to find some more instruments to fuck with, ableton doesn't give you much initially.

[haploid]

Try using Simpler (Sampler if you have the suite).

Also, check out TAL's free plugins. Good bass-synths and effects, completely free.

[Double D]

Thanks guys.

Yeah i'll definitely keep going.

I think what I enjoy about using samples is that you can warp them beyond recognition to create something really obscure. I'm gonna have to find some more instruments to fuck with, ableton doesn't give you much initially.

If you want me to hook you up with anything I've got nearly 90gb of sample CDs and Gigastudio libraries... don't have much in the way of instruments but to be fair beyond the Native Instruments suite there's not really much you need... Absynth, Massive, Battery, Kontakt, sorted.

On a random note I'm bloody annoyed that Pluggo isn't being supported anymore... some of those plugins are the most useful DSPs out there.

[amardeep]

Posted this in Random Thoughts but haploid is probably right in that I'll get a better response here.

I kind of wanna get an MPC 1000 just to fuck around with and make shitty beats on, but I don't know anything about MIDI and don't really want to learn too much about it beyond the basics.

Anyone have one? How hard is it to fuck around with having no previous knowledge of anything like it?

[LiberationFrequency]

Cant rep but thanks haploid.

Hadn't discovered simpler yet.

DoubleD: That would be awesome. I'll send you a PM.

[spike27z]

http://www.myspace.com/matthewlobersteinmusic

Make sure you turn up the volume. I think it's silly to flatten out a track in order to make the peaks/valleys level so you can amplify it to its loudest potential. It takes out the color and depth..you need separation.

The song up there is the first thing I ever really made. I've been meaning to do more and plan to..just trying to define my vision for what I want to create.

Give it a listen..

thanks.

[poly800rock]

http://www.myspace.com/matthewlobersteinmusic

Make sure you turn up the volume. I think it's silly to flatten out a track in order to make the peaks/valleys level so you can amplify it to its loudest potential. It takes out the color and depth..you need separation.

The song up there is the first thing I ever really made. I've been meaning to do more and plan to..just trying to define my vision for what I want to create.

Give it a listen..

thanks.

you're supposed to level out for true mastering.

[spike27z]

well, it isn't mastered.

[haploid]

It's really "dry" (reverbs/delays would give it a far more natural feeling) and the kick feels almost non-existant, but you'll probably come back with something along the lines of "it's supposed to sound like that" so I don't really know what to tell you.

[destructodisk]

I gotta say spike27z, that song's not doing much for me at all. The bass sounds out of key in a lot of places, and i feel like you have way too many uninteresting elements floating around in the mix, without any real substance holding the track down.

It's easy to fill up a track with a bunch of shit and call it 'nuanced' or whatever, but my advice is to work with dope, fat & engaging sounds that truly beat the listener in the eardrums.

ps. I really hate critiquing because I'm very conscious of how critical I can come off over text, and I really don't want to discourage anyone from making music or posting their creations in this thread. So, stay up, don't catch feelings from the shit i say & keep making better and better music!

[poly800rock]

well, it isn't mastered.

sure, i meant when it is.

[panicnation]

hi can someone recommend me a drum machine/midi controller that'll help me to record beats/drum loops on my computer?

looking for something entry level.

i was recommended the kaos pad? hmmmm...

thanks in advance.

[Double D]

http://www.myspace.com/matthewlobersteinmusic

Make sure you turn up the volume. I think it's silly to flatten out a track in order to make the peaks/valleys level so you can amplify it to its loudest potential. It takes out the color and depth..you need separation.

The song up there is the first thing I ever really made. I've been meaning to do more and plan to..just trying to define my vision for what I want to create.

Give it a listen..

thanks.

I kinda disagree with a lot of what destructodisk is saying, as I can see what you're going for soundwise.

At the same time, it isn't 1995 anymore and I think I speak for most electronic music heads that people are going to find syncopated breaks and layers of Aphex-style synths about as exciting as a wet fish.

As with most people in this thread, you need to sit down and figure out exactly what you want to sound like and what defines you... then again, that took me about 7 or 8 years to work out.

[ROYALEFATALE]

hi can someone recommend me a drum machine/midi controller that'll help me to record beats/drum loops on my computer?

looking for something entry level.

i was recommended the kaos pad? hmmmm...

thanks in advance.

if you plan on using soft sounds/samples in your computer check out the MPD24, pretty entry-level but will do the job

[destructodisk]

http://www.throwthisaway.org/4-7-10.mp3

knock knock thread, you still alive?

[haploid]

I'm going to do a stream-of-consciousness critique:

1. Dope kick and general rhythm, really punchy.

2. Pad sound is nice, really adds a base for the concept of the song to play off of.

3. Whatever that hi-freq thing is, it sounds awesome.

4. Not so fond of the hi-hat... Something a bit more low-fi might fit better, or at least have it sit more in the background of the mix.

5. The glitch-ifying seems like a bit of an easy way out, I'd much prefer a change in melody or samples... It would make the part where the kick drops out impact more too.

In general, really great track. Seems like it's got a lot of replay value too, because I'm listening to it again. Reminds me of "What Does Your Soul Look Like Pt. 4" off of Endtroducing (in concept and groove).

[destructodisk]

damn, much thanks haploid. glad you heard some things you like.

all points have been considered. I really need to stop preemptively releasing these sketches of tracks just because i get excited. pretty much all my music needs to be fully actualized. I'm working on a digital EP to release for free, and I'll be sure to polish everything up real nice for everybody )

[destructodisk]

I can digz it haploid, it's one of your better tracks you've posted. you're showing progression and that's awesome!

here is a track i made on 4/20:

http://www.throwthisaway.org/4-20-10.mp3

[ROYALEFATALE]

hap only thing that sounds off-balance is that cowbell, a bit too upfront, kind of dominates the mix, other than that sounds really nice!

[destructodisk]

i am a sucker for cowbell or woodblock so i think it sounds alright

and hap, upon listening a few more times, I wish that the melody part that begins at 0:45 would come back later in the song with that hevvybeet behind it. would be really dope methinks.

you guys listen to the 4/20 track? i woke up yesterday at 4am, smoked a joint and made that

[haploid]

Well it's just a preview, so hopefully I'll sculpt it later into the real thing. Unfortunately, Live is crashing again. I'm switching to Logic I'm pretty sure.

And I like the 4/20 track... I'm only listening on my laptop though. I like the general feel of it, but I'd definitely enjoy a bit more variation with the pad sound. I try to avoid pads for that reason because they tend to get a bit repetitive. I'd also add in something as more of a lead sound, or accentuate that 80's-esque stab with a bit of saturation and a boost in the high freqs just to grime it up a bit. That being said, it is a post-j beat so I know what it's like to get locked into a rhythm that you fall in love with.

I know this is going to sound a bit cliché, but I think it's a bit too clean and sterile. It could use some widening and depth, and not necessarily just from reverb. I suggest making an aux track, putting a simple delay set to 10-30ms delay, 2-5% feedback and 35-50% wetness and bussing in your melodic sounds and percussion accordingly. It really gives the same feeling as a "doubled" guitar; not tight enough to create a chorus effect and not spaced far enough to be an echo. It's subtle but when you turn it off and on you can really see that it adds a whole new sense of depth to the track. If you add a compressor after it you notice it more dramatically, which can really add to the mix but sometimes this takes it over-the-top.

On another note, how do you guys feel about the Euphonix artist series of controllers? To me, it looks like the future of mixing (at least on the under 10k side of things) with the sounds being entirely-in-the-box, controlled via a console-esque controller. It looks really useful and could make working a lot more instinct-based since, instead of staring at a screen, you are moving a fader and deciding, by ear, how loud or soft something should be or by how much the parameter for a certain plugin should be tweaked.

In conclusion to this super-long post, I'm going to list my dream gear. I know you guys probably all have a list too so might as well post them.

Adam A7 monitors

Apogee Duet interface (has great reviews)

Apple Logic Pro 9

Euphonix Mc Mix (two of them) and an Mc Control

UAD SSL series plugins

[destructodisk]

thanks for listening. I'll give that aux track idea a try!

there aren't any pads tho , you should listen on something better than laptop speakers yo!

[ROYALEFATALE]

let me know what you think of this mix so far: http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/3/28/1840564//1000.mp3

basically i'm tasked with recreating the arrangement from this video for someone to sing on, of course trying to make it sound fairly legit in the process:

[FiftyFour]

My latest song rough cut. A friend and i produced this part today.

http://soundcloud.com/lead_riff/secretsoundcloud

[Double D]

I can digz it haploid, it's one of your better tracks you've posted. you're showing progression and that's awesome!

here is a track i made on 4/20:

http://www.throwthisaway.org/4-20-10.mp3

S'like FSOL remixed by Joker, I like. I'd be tempted to slap a shitload of reverb on those 'pads' (pad-like samples, whatever, they're pads) tbh, otherwise I think the main thing is to get variations into the drum pattern.

[Double D]

http://soundcloud.com/puddingbrains/nambuc-preview

Worked on some new shit... Mixing isn't great. I slammed the limiter a bit hard for this example, so I'll have to ease up on that a bit.

Tried to work with a semi-original concept, while still including enough of the popular traits to make it familiar.

Very reminiscent of a couple of seminal 90s techno bands who are probably a wee bit before your time.

Random thoughts: bit of amping/overdrive on the toms, and I'd be tempted to side chain the kick to the other drums so it rips out like a mother. Both ideas may sound shit in practice.

Oh, and some massive reverby taiko drums should come in on top of the kick pattern.

[ROYALEFATALE]

sounds really nice, liking the switch between sort of two-steppy to almost a dubstep sounding beat

[haploid]

Classical (?) Dubstep track I cooked up today.

[haploid]

Interesting forum discussion by the engineer behind Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and other work who is against use of compression

Really good reading here for all the audio heads out there. I must admit, his lack of processing on vocals really shines through. The high freqs are buttery smooth while still being bright and pure. Definitely gives me something to think about.

[ProfessorOak]

How do you guys learn how to work with all the fancy stuff in FL Studio and programs like that? Is it all from messing around or taking a music production class? I messed around with some stuff but idk at all how to work the synths and how/blend to mix things.