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NEOGAF's Official Music Production Thread: calling all producers

C

Chemo

Member
HappyBivouac said:
Man, stop saying that shit. You're selling yourself way short.
Click to expand...
Oh, no worries, man! I'm not hating on myself, I love the stuff I produce. I just realistically think it's not very accessible, which is totally alright with me. That's what collaborations (and this thread) are for. :lol

It really is a hard sell for a lot of people. It doesn't bother me at all.
 
O

Outdoor Miner

Member
Does anyone have word on a new Komplete bundle this year? 'Cause I want to get 6 but don't want a week later to see a new one announced with 6 given a huge discount.

I d/l'ed the demos for Massive, Battery, FM8, and Kontakt. I have been messing around with them for the better part of 2 weeks now.

Friggin' amazing all of it. Particularly FM8.

*puts FM synthesis on "Shit I Need2LRN" list* :lol
 
Y

Yasae

Banned
Timedog said:
Here's a question I've always had:

How are dudes sampling stuff from old soul records and what not and somehow not having drums, vocals, etc in their samples? Like if a guy just wanted some strings or horns from a record that's too old to have an instrumental version out, how does he do it? I'd like to start getting some samples, yo.
Click to expand...
They aren't. They're sampling sections of a song that have no vocals and looping them.

-"It Was A Good Day" by Ice Cube. Samples "Footsteps in the Dark," written by Ronald, Ernie, Rudolph and Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper.

Much of this piece only pulls two bars from the Isley Bros. song. Occasionally you hear another two bar section with Ronald singing a little on it. So, Ice Cube only sampled 4 bars of "Footsteps in the Dark," then looped those repeatedly.

Name a song and we'll find what bars it lifts.
 
S

saelz8

Member
Production infant question, What would be the bare essentials as far as production hardware goes? Preferably cheap, but good enough to get the job done. I plan on using Ableton, if that'll help any recommendations. I'm looking to create some simple IDM, maybe D&B.

Just a Midi Keyboard?
 
Y

Yasae

Banned
saelz8 said:
Production infant question, What would be the bare essentials as far as production hardware goes? Preferably cheap, but good enough to get the job done. I plan on using Ableton, if that'll help any recommendations. I'm looking to create some simple IDM, maybe D&B.

Just a Midi Keyboard?
Click to expand...
Bare essentials? A DAW and some samples.

Oh, hardware. Some of the lower end M-Audio and Novation controllers aren't bad. Bare minimum 25 keys, a few knobs, a few faders.
 
H

HappyBivouac

Member
saelz8 said:
Production infant question, What would be the bare essentials as far as production hardware goes? Preferably cheap, but good enough to get the job done. I plan on using Ableton, if that'll help any recommendations. I'm looking to create some simple IDM, maybe D&B.

Just a Midi Keyboard?
Click to expand...

You don't even need the keyboard, to be honest.

Get Ableton or whatever you're comfortable with, scour the net for free samples you like, and visit http://www.kvraudio.com/ for VST soft synths and effects and stuff. Then just start making stuff. Also fuck genres. Get the idea that you're making "IDM" and "D&B" out of your head, it'll only fuck with you.

As far as hardware: make sure you're listening to your mixes on something halfway decent at the very least. Anything else is optional.
 
B

btkadams

Member
Whoompthereitis said:
Buying an iMac today, 21inch. Gonna use it with Ableton and the APC-40 controller. Very excited...
Click to expand...
IT WILL BE SO MUCH FUN :D

i got an apc40 and ableton about 2 months ago. best decision i've made in a long time. soo soo sooooooo much fun.

and i use it with my macbookpro
 
J

JumpJeff84

Member
btkadams said:
IT WILL BE SO MUCH FUN :D

i got an apc40 and ableton about 2 months ago. best decision i've made in a long time. soo soo sooooooo much fun.

and i use it with my macbookpro
Click to expand...

Very cool. Yeah, I've had the APC-40 for awhile, love it. Can't wait to get down to it. THE FUNK WILL BE BROUGHT!
 
C

cory

Banned
I feel like I'm missing an element of production, I only have patterns, layout, effects, and mixing. No "live" stuff.
 
J

JumpJeff84

Member
cory said:
I feel like I'm missing an element of production, I only have patterns, layout, effects, and mixing. No "live" stuff.
Click to expand...

Live stuff is great. I record everything live, save for drums. The more spontaneous you can make it, the better. Just buy a random instrument, mic it, and fuck around. Could be a guitar, could be a kazoo. Give it a shot.
 
C

cory

Banned
Whoompthereitis said:
Live stuff is great. I record everything live, save for drums. The more spontaneous you can make it, the better. Just buy a random instrument, mic it, and fuck around. Could be a guitar, could be a kazoo. Give it a shot.
Click to expand...
I don't really mean recording things, more like adjusting things throughout the course of the song. I've tried doing this, but I can't really get the hang of it. (Fl Studio)
 
J

JumpJeff84

Member
cory said:
I don't really mean recording things, more like adjusting things throughout the course of the song. I've tried doing this, but I can't really get the hang of it. (Fl Studio)
Click to expand...

Aaaaah, I see. Sorrry. I get what you mean now. Not familiar with Fl Studio at all, but I will say that it's great to have a mix of live and programmed arranging.
 
Y

Yasae

Banned
cory said:
I feel like I'm missing an element of production, I only have patterns, layout, effects, and mixing. No "live" stuff.
Click to expand...
The concept of Ableton Live was to have live composition via the tools provided. It was to free you of having to stop and start, lay in parts (fill and/or copy/paste,) and go back to work. You can have a riff or several going and simply compose on top of that without having to go through different windows or screens.

It can also be used for compositions on the fly. DJs sometimes use it to segue between songs, and the start, stop, and loop markers are accessible enough to do so in real time along with crossfades, filter sweeps etc. from a controller. It takes a little practice but I've seen it done.

Some people think this leads to a loop/riff only mentality, that your pieces might become repetitive and less complex because of the workflow Ableton provides. I agree partially. I found myself using a lot more stock loops and not really experimenting with sounds as much as I would in FL Studio. For example, the slicer in FL chops fast and is easy to use for creating new loops or sounds out of pre-existing ones.

Ultimately you could do whatever music you wanted on either one. I know Live would certainly have the upper hand for recording even though it's not a replacement for a multi-track-centric DAW like Cubase, Pro Tools, Reaper etc. The biggest differences in DAWs are mostly due to workflow if you ask me.
 
C

chaostrophy

Member
HappyBivouac said:
You don't even need the keyboard, to be honest.
Click to expand...

I dunno, I think a controller keyboard of some kind, if just a basic 25-key one, is pretty essential. I do a lot of programming of notes and patterns with the mouse, but still I can't imagine having to only use a computer keyboard to play softsynths in real time. Just doesn't feel like an instrument.

You don't have to bother with a MIDI interface, or a keyboard with its own sounds, as those are more expensive. A USB controller keyboard is fine.
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
Outdoor Miner said:
Does anyone have word on a new Komplete bundle this year? 'Cause I want to get 6 but don't want a week later to see a new one announced with 6 given a huge discount.

I d/l'ed the demos for Massive, Battery, FM8, and Kontakt. I have been messing around with them for the better part of 2 weeks now.

Friggin' amazing all of it. Particularly FM8.

*puts FM synthesis on "Shit I Need2LRN" list* :lol
Click to expand...

Not sure, but I bought NI Komplete Synths a while back on special for around US$299 which includes Massive, FM8, Absynth and Pro-53. Awesome value, those 4 synths pretty much cover all my needs.
 
Y

Yasae

Banned
Hmm, Alan Parson is doing a Q&A right now on Gearslutz: http://www.gearslutz.com/board/q-engineer-producer-artist-alan-parsons/

Discography at a glance:

THE ALAN PARSONS ENGINEER/ASST./MIX ENGINEER (main credits)
The Beatles (Abbey Road, Let It Be)
Pink Floyd (Atom Heart Mother, Dark Side Of The Moon)
The Hollies (Another Night)
Paul McCartney (Red Rose Speedway, McCartney, Wings Wild Life)
George Harrison (All Things Must Pass)

THE ALAN PARSONS PRODUCER (main credits)
John Miles (Rebel, More Miles Per Hour, Sympathy)
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel (Best Years Of Our Lives, Psychomodo)
Al Stewart (Year Of The Cat, Time Passages)
Ambrosia (Somewhere I’ve Never Traveled)
Andrew Powell (Ladyhawke)
Pilot (Pilot)
Symphonic Music Of Yes

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT
Tales Of Mystery And Imagination
I Robot
Pyramid
The Turn Of a Friendly Card
Eye In The Sky
The Best Of The Alan Parsons Project
Amonia Avenue
Vulture Culture
Stereotomy
Gauidi
Tales Of Mystery And Imagination (Remastered)
Pop Classics
Freudiana
Anthology
The Ultimate Collection
The Definitive Collection
Gold Collection
Love Songs
Works
The Hits
Silence & I

THE ALAN PARSONS BAND
Try Anything Once
The Very Best Of Live
On Air
The Time Machine
A Valid Path

Might be worth checking out. Also, comb their archives for more Q&A with people like Michael Brauer, Kevin Killen, Dave Pensado, Chuck Ainlay, Russell Elevado, Tchad Blake, etc etc etc. If you don't know who those people are, you should.
 
N

Nyx

Member
Outdoor Miner said:
This is right up my alley. I'm digging this.

*thumbs up*
Click to expand...

Thanks man, I've added another ''woosh'' sound @ 3:17 in the latest version, and am trying to get just a bit more variation in the percussion throughout the track.

But I'm already very happy with the result, and already sent the track to some of my fav labels, let's see if I get a reply. :D
 
O

Outdoor Miner

Member
Wow what a pain in the ass it is to get a trial download of Cubase 5.

Get your version of Cubase 5 Trial

1. Request a download link and activation code from within MySteinberg.
2. Download and install Cubase 5 Trial (alternatively, ask your local dealer for the DVD installer).
3. Activate the trial license on the USB-eLicenser using the activation code.

All fine and dandy except the "request d/l link and activation code" button is greyed out. So I get to this message in bold

Attention! You have not registered a USB-eLicenser. Please note that you require a USB-eLicenser to use Cubase 5 Trial. You can purchase a USB-eLicenser from your local dealer or the Steinberg Online Shop.

Incidentally, the amount paid for the USB-eLicenser will be deducted when purchasing a Cubase 5 or Cubase Studio 5 full version in the Steinberg Online Shop.*
Click to expand...

So I go into their online shop and look around and find NOTHING about a license anywhere. I go to the elicenser site and grab the eLicenser Control Center software, which is worthless because I need the activation code from the greyed out link!

Do I have to pirate the damn thing just to try it out? How sad would that be?
 
O

Outdoor Miner

Member
Chasteleth said:
Do you have the actual dongle? You need a USB elicenser.
Click to expand...

I thought there was a non-dongle software version of the key you could get.

Anyways, I finally found it. Tucked away in an obscure part of the store. $24.99 for the dongle. That's an hour or so of my life I won't be getting back. *grumble*
 
C

Chasteleth

Member
Ah I see, well that's definitely annoying and overly-complicated just for a trial. I hope you like Cubase 5 though, I think it's great.
 
O

Outdoor Miner

Member
I have finally found a winner in the "Choose a DAW" sweepstakes. Ableton Live come on down!

I've tried nearly all of them sans Cubase 5 and all were great to be honest but Live immediately clicked with me. I am loving the shit outta this demo. :D
 
C

Chemo

Member
Another one, after the better part of a week spent in Super Street Fighter IV... back to business. :lol

Transgressions escaping once-trusted lips.

Hope you guys don't mind me using this thread as my progress blog, hahah... I don't have much to say about my methods, and until I grab some performance gear, I have no real insight on those discussions either.
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
Outdoor Miner said:
I have finally found a winner in the "Choose a DAW" sweepstakes. Ableton Live come on down!

I've tried nearly all of them sans Cubase 5 and all were great to be honest but Live immediately clicked with me. I am loving the shit outta this demo. :D
Click to expand...

Congrats and welcome to the team! Live is the shit.
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
There's so many rad music production apps out now for the iDevices that I thought I'd make a mega-post about them.

Some of the best ones I've seen include:

Propellerheads Rebirth:

http://rebirthapp.com/

Yes, THAT rebirth. It's back and it's multi-touch.

4599392027_8b502dc6f2_o.png


Korg Electribe:

http://www.korg.com/ielectribe

I've owned Electribes in the past, they're wicked bits of kit. This is a multi-touch version.

4600010034_1f5f7d1cd3_o.png



IK Multimedia Amplitube iRig:

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/irig/features/

It's Amplitube in your pocket. This will great for late night jams, and also saving your favourite presets and taking them to your mates house for a jam.

4600010078_2061a474b5.jpg


AC-7 Midi Controller:

http://www.saitarasoftware.com/Site/AC-7_Pro.html

It's a touch surface wifi Mackie-clone.

4599391849_422d03b1ee.jpg


Guitar Tab Toolkit:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tabtoolkit/id325946571?mt=8

For reading and storing guitar tabs.

4599392117_3b5df597ef.jpg


TouchOSC

http://hexler.net/software/touchosc

Customisable MIDI controller surface, change the layout to suit DJ software or your DAW or your live performance.

4600010120_ba24c457be_o.jpg


StudioTrack:

http://www.sonomawireworks.com/iphone/studiotrack/

8 track multi-touch mixer and track recorder with effects and track bouncing etc

4600032900_3117732475_o.png


BleepBox:

http://www.bleepboxapp.com/

Drum machine and synth.

4599414805_e7e36c5f61_o.jpg


HexOsc:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hex-osc-full/id367828277?mt=8

Hexagonal MIDI controller

4599424009_97911909a4_o.jpg


iPad Mixr:

http://ipadmixr.com/

DJ App for iPad

4600048350_40cb236fe0_o.jpg
4599430315_e93f713b98_o.png


EasyBeats:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/easybeats-pro-drum-machine/id323674242?mt=8

MPC-style drum machine

4599437399_3349227b62_o.jpg


Groovemaker:

http://www.groovemaker.com/ipad/features/

Touch surface groovebox for making beats

4599440711_0bde4273f0_o.jpg


Air Harp:

http://air-harp.com/

So you're putting the finishing touches on your 18 minute epic prog folk tune and you can't find your harp. Game over, right? Wrong. It's Air Harp to the rescue!

4600103446_661ddf9597_o.jpg


TrixMix:

http://iphone.monotonerecords.com/

Wifi DAW Midi controller with templates for Ableton, Reason etc.

4599495305_c6c35ff841_o.jpg


MidiPad:

http://www.midipad.de/Website/Info.html

Wireless MIDI controller for Ableton

Video: http://vimeo.com/11108947

4600123010_b7017fb495_o.jpg


Unfortunately I can't do mini-reviews until my iPad gets here but I plan to cane this lot of apps when it arrives.
 
H

HappyBivouac

Member
I have always thought the iPad was stupid and could never see wanting one. But holy shit at all those midi apps.

Wait, how do you rig it up to your computer without USB?
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
Unnoticeable, it's great. I've been using TouchOSC on the iPhone with Ableton for a long time. The tech is stable with minimal latency.
 
B

Blutonium

Member
About time I started posting in this thread :D

I'm an FL Studio user, but I should really start getting into Ableton Live. I have about 3 years of FL Studio experience (bedroom producing, I only have a PC + speakers) but I just don't like the way FL handles automation. Side chaining isn't as easy as in Ableton too and it's quite important for the music I want to make.


Anyhow here's my (hopefully) last FL Studio work in progress:

http://soundcloud.com/xenogenome/new-project-v0-75
 
B

BobDylan

Member
Ok so I have about 300 dollars of birthday money to spend on recording gear. I do not own a single piece of recording equipment. I am just looking to record acoustic guitar, vocals and electric guitar. I realize I will need a microphone and a preamp to hook up to my computer. could anyone help me figure out all I will need to start making some pretty basic recordings.
 
O

Outdoor Miner

Member
BobDylan said:
Ok so I have about 300 dollars of birthday money to spend on recording gear. I do not own a single piece of recording equipment. I am just looking to record acoustic guitar, vocals and electric guitar. I realize I will need a microphone and a preamp to hook up to my computer. could anyone help me figure out all I will need to start making some pretty basic recordings.
Click to expand...

Get an audio interface. They come with mic preamps already, provide a low-latency connection to your PC and usually come bundled with a variety of software.

If you have a Firewire port on your PC I would look into getting a Presonus Firestudio Mobile. Comes with Studio One Artist (DAW, pretty full featured), Native Instruments Guitar Rig LE, and EZDrummer Lite.
 
B

BobDylan

Member
Outdoor Miner said:
Get an audio interface. They come with mic preamps already, provide a low-latency connection to your PC and usually come bundled with a variety of software.

If you have a Firewire port on your PC I would look into getting a Presonus Firestudio Mobile. Comes with Studio One Artist (DAW, pretty full featured), Native Instruments Guitar Rig LE, and EZDrummer Lite.
Click to expand...


is there a specific audio interface you would suggest?
 
B

BobDylan

Member
thanks ill be sure to look into that when I go check out equipment tomorrow
as far as programs go, what would be the most logical one to get when starting out
 
T

thcsquad

Member
Anybody else do audio production on Linux?

*crickets chirping*

I do, I mainly use Ardour. Runs on Linux and OSX. Its a great, open-source DAW.

ardour_au_small.png


Only problem is that it doesn't support MIDI yet, so unless you're only recording physical instruments you have to use another program like Rosegarden in tandem with it.

I do mostly just use my Zoom H4 to record, so it works out well. Once I get a real job, though, I plan on getting an Echo Audiofire 4, which (according to gearslutz) has a superb preamp for the price (<$300) and will allow me to record in 24-bit.

The only exception is drums, for which I use Hydrogen.

hydrogen-0.9.2.jpg


I don't have anything finished - I'm planning on recording an EP over the next year, but sooner than that you might hear a track or two in Dudebro.
 
Y

Yasae

Banned
BobDylan said:
fxd
Click to expand...
Oh? You could help people out by telling us what it was. My guesses are:

1.) No phantom power.

2.) Kept input switch on guitar rather than mic/line. This changes impedance and typically gain calibration.

3.) Inputs in Cubase were funky and/or unintuitive.

I still hit one of these every once in a blue moon.
 
C

Chemo

Member
I've been out of the loop for a few days, but finally got a chance to sit down tonight and work on another track...

Rendering the summit.

One more and this record is a wrap... better get my website finished up so I can actually start promoting the one I just released before it. :lol
 
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