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Messages - Marrow Machines

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721
Composition/Arrangement/Theory / Re: Drum Programming
« on: January 25, 2016, 03:12:35 pm »
I love reggae rhythm patterns. But the one thing that they do well is, nearly every instrument that you can hear fills up the phrase at certain points. So it's just a really big sound that gets you moving on all ends.

The jazz comment wontolla suggested is also good.

but honestly, just study drumming. I some times finger drum my patterns on the table as i write them. or do the motions of how i'd be playing the drums.

Even if you don't play drums, just imagine the drum set and start playing it. Even if you have to do one part of the drum kit at a time.

722
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Reverb Processing
« on: January 25, 2016, 03:08:01 pm »
Quote from: turf on January 25, 2016, 12:05:34 am
Thanks for the reply!

The tip about the width control seems to make a lot of sense, I remember constantly putting really wide tracks into the reverb buss and then making the reverb wider than the original synth and it sounded like absolute muck most of the time.

I've always wondered about adding too much reverbs that are different to one another, would this not create an unrealistic space? I know it can work in favour of depth but other than that, what difference does it present?

The main component is this: mixing the sounds with taste and precision.

Using any tool with out understanding is a no no. Depending on what you're doing, how you're doing, and where every thing eventually ends up will decide if it's "realistic" or not.

I mean, they used plate and spring reverbs, the sound they got out of that was from sheet metal and coils. Do you think that's a realistic space? Maybe not for a human, but it gives a certain sound that was desired.

Back to basic principles to answer the question, you have to understand your tools and tailor them so that it fits. Quite honesty, some times it just doesn't fit!

I will suggest to do some research on reverb history.

723
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Reverb Processing
« on: January 24, 2016, 11:36:07 pm »
You can do as much or as little to any sound you'd ever want to achieve, give the understanding of the program you are using.

That being said, you'd have to use all available means to get the desired effect. You're only limited by your knowledge and will to manifest your creativity.

Back to reverb processing, I have a few reverb units (limited to 8 inserts but that's more than enough) going on at once for specific textures. I normally tame my reverb units with an eq (low cut/ high cut) so that it won't interfere with the super and sub part of the song.

some times i have reverb busses(individual channel pre fader) being routed to my main instert bus(mixer) while having an eq on the that channel buss shaped to enhance the frequencies that i want out of the reverb.

It's a great tool that adds characteristic, depth, and texture to any track. Shape it with EQ, haven't used compression a whole lot outside of taming an entire sound, and any other effect that you can think of.

Lastly, consider a width control tool that will allow you to make things more mono or more stereo to enhance the precision and accuracy of the reverb buss (mixer) or the signal prior to the reverb buss. This helps with a lot of tools such a phaser, flanger, chorus from being all over the place and muddy when you combine reverb and stereo tools. The trade off is an unclear image until you control the width of one component of the stereo image you've created.

724
Samples/Plugins/Software/Gear / Re: Good speakers to bedroom studio :P (share your opinion)
« on: January 24, 2016, 11:27:10 pm »
I was first exposed to KRK'S when i first go into music production (through friends and what ever) and had no opinion. Now that I've learned my ears, i've found that the KRK's are kind of glorified consumer speakers. You can mix on then, but there's other things that are a little more expensive that will boost your ability to understand what's coming out of the speakers better than KRK's.

I own yamaha hs8's, and i think they're really good. These speakers will annoy the shit out of you if you don't fix something in a mix. It shows you a good deal of what's wrong and what exactly you need to fix it. They're kinda like a friend who'll point out your flaws to you, but unless you do something about it, he won't stop telling you about what you need to work on.

I'd also suggest you get some stands with what ever purchase you decide on.

725
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Compression in Anticipation of the Master
« on: January 24, 2016, 11:22:14 pm »
Raising the average level of your track will result in a louder mix overall.

I try to squeeze out as much volume as i can with my finalization phase and often use slight multiband compression with parallel compression (crazy hard compression mixed with the dry signal).

I also think if you're getting your mix down correct this shouldn't really give you a whole lot of trouble because hopefully you've already made it loud  in all the right places and with automation.

I don't compress my mix until i've got my mix sounding good before i export it into reaper.



726
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Anyone give any mixing tips for a brand new producer?
« on: January 22, 2016, 11:49:05 pm »
Quote from: Mussar on January 22, 2016, 08:01:26 pm
Quote from: Marrow Machines on January 22, 2016, 05:44:38 pm
It's tough to discern what makes a good sound with out understanding simple components of the mix.

A catch-22 is almost evident here, because with out the learned ears of experience you won't be able to discern the what is tasteful for yourself to have it relate for other people.

I wouldn't quit say that it's a catch-22, because that implies you are creating in a vacuum. Thankfully, we as artists and human beings are lucky enough not to exist within a vacuum. There are thousands of tracks that have been released that you can use to train your ear. You find the records that inspire you and you listen to them in a different way - not as a fan, but as a student. You ask questions about what the producer was doing and why, and experiment to try and apply those concepts to your own work. You also look for records that you dislike and listen to them as well, trying to figure out what you dislike about them and why, and making sure to avoid those sounds when you are composing your work.

These experiences are not going to be as effective as trying a bunch of different things and failing until you get it right, but when you're just starting out it can be an invaluable resource to get you started.

It's the catch at first because of the initiation of the learning process of many components if you aren't actually in a more stable and focused setting. I may not have chosen the right word, but it's definitely the mindset that you'll have to overcome with practice, experience, and equipment (and this is part of it).

But once you break through that initial wall, you'll be equiped and ready to go to take on the more complicated tasks.

But like i said, it's the learning part that kind of circles itself, and if you can't get out of it then you're stuck in that loop.

It's a hell of a lot easier if you go to a school and try to make this your career, or surround yourself with individuals who do this thing professionally, have the time of day, or have gone to school for this sort of thing.

But that depends on the individual, disposition, and resources.

727
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Anyone give any mixing tips for a brand new producer?
« on: January 22, 2016, 05:44:38 pm »
It's tough to discern what makes a good sound with out understanding simple components of the mix.

A catch-22 is almost evident here, because with out the learned ears of experience you won't be able to discern the what is tasteful for yourself to have it relate for other people.

Also, some times you have a good sample that fits in your layers, but you might not know how to tame it. Then the input becomes obsolete because you can't direct the output's direction based on the input.

So all of what every body said is important. It's more about the ears, experience, and decisions used by the two prior.

728
Samples/Plugins/Software/Gear / Re: What Gear to Start Producing
« on: January 22, 2016, 05:41:20 pm »
Start small, with really not accurate gear.

If you find yourself serious about it, then come back and ask more specific questions about gear.

Other wise all you need is a computer for the most part.

The investment isn't that bad, but it just sucks to drop a few thousand on something you might not pursue for the rest of your life.

729
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Anyone give any mixing tips for a brand new producer?
« on: January 21, 2016, 03:45:10 pm »
Learn how to Eq, Compress, Stereo width control.

I would suggest you learn those three components in that order because the signal chain i would suggest to any one is exactly in that order.

That's for mixing.

The sound design comes from the mixing, but just applied to individual sounds to great a group or a singular element (and those elements combined to make a song)

Synthesis is kind of easy, that's just spending time making weird noises.

You can be practicing all these things at once, but you won't get the concepts of the specialized nature. I'd suggest you do things simply, then consider more complicated tasks once you get the idea of the simple aspects.

730
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Master Channel while Mixing
« on: January 21, 2016, 03:38:39 pm »
I'll always suggest to leave the mastering when it's time to master.

It might be a good exercise to help you realize what you're doing or not doing to get the desired results.
In which case, you might have to look outside of the daw and into the room and equipment. Other wise, consider specific techniques on mixing a certain component or string of components that effect the element in question,that best gets the results you want.

Often times, You can do things individually that you've done on a master that might work for that singular element. This logic stems from the focus and pointed question you have "oh because i want this to happen to X and i did on my master, it must be ok". But the focus is on X, so shouldn't you just do that for X instead of entirely having it for the master?

Plus if you treat individual elements, it gives the master track more life in it's entirety.

This is just going from Macro perspective to Micro perspective. You need both, but understanding which perspective to use where is the key part.

731
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Producing for the mix??
« on: January 21, 2016, 03:33:07 pm »
Quote from: Dichotomy on January 21, 2016, 12:33:30 pm

What's "too many" instruments? You just need... MOAR COWBELL!! ;D Presumably, you're adding these instruments deliberately and they have purpose in your music. I don't see any reason to curtail that behavior. Just organize them in the mixdown.

If you're going for a "wall of sound" style mix, simply spread them out in the stereo field to create a fat, wide stereo image. With a lot of mid-range instruments, position them in some logical fashion... i.e. lead voices / instruments dead center & present (12:00), support & harmonics (10:30 & 1:30), etc. Panning will place them left & right (x axis). Use gentle EQ boosts to lift (highs) and lower (lows) sounds (y axis). Use volume and "effects" for presence (z axis). Use compression to "pin" an instrument in space and give it priority in that spot. Compressed sounds are less susceptible to being masked.

If you have reverb on your percussion, use a noise gate on the reverb to tame it. You'll have more room for instruments. With reverb on instruments, shortening the decay time and adding some pre-delay can open up a mix.

Also, it helps me to establish a "back wall" in the z-axis... the softest level before something sounds like unintelligible noise, and think in levels (6 usually) up to the loudest sounds on level 1. The levels don't have to be rigid (the human brain will pick out level 2.3 from 2.7 just fine), it's just a guide.

Great voice, btw!

Solid response and well thought out due to experience.

I honestly don't have very many components to my song. Drums (drum set with or with out toms), Bass (sub+audible bass), Leads, Chords. I focus on getting those elements down for my music, then i look into adding layers for the bass, leads, chords, or percussion. Which eventually leads to sound effects and transitions when i have the music.

Like what the quote says, you can spread out your layers and/or decide what has purpose.

I would suggest you get the foundation of your song strong, then focus on what could be added rather than going all ADD and just doing what ever you want. Eventually you'll have to come back to organizing it if you want to make sense of it all.

Which to my point is about book keeping and purpose in your sound and creation.

It sounds like your the opposite of me when it comes to making music. I am just trying to get a right balance of musical expression with the components i have in the mix with out adding to much. You might go over board with ideas and eventually get slammed when you catch yourself. In that case, your way is fine, but i'd suggest more self control and mindful behavior. It will enhance your natural flow if you're, once again, taking a step back and focusing on the phase of work you're in. And if you aren't to keen on yourself, i suggest you start practicing that self awareness. Plus it might lead into other aspects of your life and make that better too!

732
Inspiration/Creativity/Motivation / Re: Help me!!!My parents are driving me nuts.
« on: January 21, 2016, 01:04:42 am »
Quote from: lopryo on January 20, 2016, 07:37:46 pm
Quote from: cryophonik on January 20, 2016, 07:54:03 am
The thing is, you don't have to waste your youth by staring at a computer every waking minute to be successful.  I lived for 15 years as a professional musician, earned a degree in music theory/composition, made a solid income gigging, doing session work, and working as an audio engineer, and used that income to put myself through advanced degrees in science, all while having an active social life, staying fit, being an avid outdoorsman, etc.  Work smarter, not longer.  Get some real life experience to draw your inspiration from and to keep up your personal skills (you'll want that to be successful in almost any career).  Also, realize that the days of getting successful by making the same repetitive music as the countless other bedroom producers (i.e., your competition) is not a smart long-term bet because that trend won't be around forever.  Your parents know this.  As a parent myself and someone who has a lot of experience in the music industry (even though I never wanted a long-term career in music), I know this.  So, take my advice or ignore it, because it won't affect me either way.  But, the reality is that not everybody who parks himself in front of a computer for several years is going to be the next big thing.  Have your dreams, but don't let that stop you from having realistic goals, and definitely don't let that stop you from having a life or a solid education.  Good luck in whatever you do.

I respect your viewpoint, but we need to remember that success is not the same for everybody. not everyone wants to be an outdoorsman and a family man with a steady career and a nice house, etc.

the most important thing is for him to keep his expectations in check. like you said, music is not a reliable way to make a living, regardless of how much or how little you produce. but if he wants to get a cheap education and a modest job and spend the rest of his hours producing music, because that's what keeps him happy, I see no problems with that.


That's exactly what cryo saying. The point is that, there should be balance in making his desires possible. Yea sitting in your room all day making music is great. But unless some one approaches you through non physical means,you're probably not going to be able to realize(manifest) those desires.

Not to mention it takes a certain hustle, that is literally years (maybe months) to get to work on top of learning a craft. It's better to get your life situated and use your life experience to help get to your end goal as a person (not a producer, but can encompass being a producer).

It's your hustle, it's your journey, and it doesn't get easier.

733
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Producing for the mix??
« on: January 21, 2016, 12:59:05 am »
You have to practice good book keeping.

If you just go buck wild with out any sort of gate, you'll just end up where your question is at.

Practice being mindful.

often you will have to take multiple steps back to realize where you're at in regards to the phases of your work flow.

Out sides of technical recommendations, these are the more "philosophical" components you might be lacking.

734
Mixing/Mastering / Re: Mixing at consistent levels
« on: January 20, 2016, 04:38:20 pm »
Quote from: Culture Addict on January 20, 2016, 06:10:39 am
My studio environment is not that big actually. I'm talking about C weighted 85db not A, which is a good deal louder. I'm not sure about the orchestral volume being 85db before amplification, although you may be right about that. 85 db doesn't seem to be too loud for me.  I usually don't compose that loud, but when mixing you should be moving quickly anyway. At that volume if you loop a section your ears may get fatigued, but I have the luxury of taking breaks every other hour for 15 min to reset my ears, which is good practice anyway. If you are mixing into a limiter which I don't do until the end, it may sound a good deal louder as well. All that matters is the end result. I'm just talking about what works for me, after a good number of years of experimentation, so I'm not just talking out my ass. I'm also pretty sure a good number of engineers mix at this volume or around it and I know a few people in the business who mix music as their careers who swear by it.

Then that information goes beyond the context and knowledge of this particular question lol.

I'd specify what weight system you're using in some of these comments, it would be safe to say that most people here might not know that there is a different "scale" for the dB system. I didn't, but learned a new research topic.

*edit*
Old post from gearslutz but it definitely help shed some light on the topic

735
Sound Design / Re: SUB BASS HELP! (C0-C1) OR (C1-C2)??
« on: January 20, 2016, 04:57:00 am »
That's bass dude, you're dealing with frequency and science.

The only way to get that "consistent" sound is to actually be consistent. I know you can taper off some of the low end on the keys that are typically "higher in pitch" to keep it sort of consistent.

But you need to go study how a bass guitar works, and you'll find out it's strikingly similar.

It also could be the velocity you're playing at or even the pitch of the synth you're using.

and typically a bass sound is layered with a few parts that comprised a "consistent" sound as well. because the layers cover more audible range than sub sonic range.


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