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Messages - Lydian

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407
My personality type is INTJ. I am also incredibly analytical about a lot of things including music, relationships, human behavior, life, etc... I'm way to over reliant on logic and don't trust my emotions very much.

The good news for you is that music is literally applied mathematics. Analytical minds like me and you are able to use it as an advantage because we can hear patterns in music that other overly creative minds cannot. I have a friend who is a decent musician but she isn't able to conceive the relation between music and mathematics. People like Protoculture, Zedd, And BT all show high evidence that they are able to analyze music to an incredible extent.

Zedd mentioned that when he hears a song he likes the first thing he does is listens to it and tries to "analyze it" to figure out what it is he likes about it. Protoculture has an album out named "Music is more than Mathematics." BT also claims that mathematics is a huge inspiration for him.

All the music that I listen to I hear in numbers. You may not believe me but it's been this way ever since I studied music theory and was able to form the relationship between music and numbers. Even music arrangement is often looked at in even numbers of 2,4,8,16,32... but mostly 8 and 16. Musical form contains patterns in letter notation like strophic, binary, and tertiary form. When I write my themes I very consciously decide whether I want the song to be based off of only an 8 bar A section or also include a B section.

Just check out all the patterns you can find within music...

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTE_W5SMP0Q

- This song for example contains both an A section and a B section. The B section only occurs at 2:25 until like 3:00. Therefore it's in binary form
- The chord progression in Theme A looks something I hear as v,VI,VII,i (5-6-7-8) The chord progression in Theme B looks something that I hear as VI,iv,i,III  with another variation as VI,iv,i,VII
- Theme A's bass is literally a 2 bar loop. The background vocal chop is a 2 bar loop. The drums are practically a 2 beat loop. (Kic snare)
-The structure of the track follows a very linear intro-verse-prechorus-chorus-verse-prechorus-chorus-bridge-chorus-outro form.
- The arrangement elements can be analyzed as Bass, Kick, Snare, Clap, Hi-hats,  Harmony, Lead, FX/Atmosphere, Transitions etc... (A lot of tracks can be analyzed like this actually)
-

There are so many patterns in music that you can find and utilize in your own music. Sound design, arrangement, mixing, mastering, composition, structure, can ALL be analyzed. Notes can be seen as numbers and chord progression as roman numerals. Structure can be seen as multiples of even numbers and composition can be divided as melodies, harmonies, themes, motifs, and countermelodies. Don't see an analytical mind as a limitation because in music it is a VERY strong trait. I would even go as far as to say that music is the perfect blend between symmetry and variation. Too much symmetry and the listener will get bored but to much variation and you create chaos.

Ironically, I scored 54% right brain and and 46% left brain. Not to surprising considering that music is the PERFECT mix of both logic and creativity.




408
I've been producing on a PC my whole life, and it's getting to the point where I need to consider buying/building a new one for my production needs. I wanted to hear from you guys about your experiences of PC and Mac as far as processing power is concern and how much RAM you think is suitable for production.

Thanks in advance!!


I can't speak for PC but I've been using a mac for the past 3 years and I haven't came across any problems with ram overload. I mean occasionally if I'm using really heavy samples like Berlin Strings then things may start to slow down or errors might begin to reveal themselves but never have I felt like it's something that I couldn't resolve using the purge function in Kontakt. Also, every once in awhile I may get an error from Logic Pro saying something like "couldn't process the audio in time". When it does that all I do is click play and it works again so nothing to annoying. I'm talking about a 2011 iMac with 500mb and the lowest specs possible btw. Only 4gb of ram. Recently extended it to 20gb.

My new Macbook Pro with a 15in screen, 16gb of ram, and a quad core processor are a different story, Thing works like a beast. Don't get me wrong even the 2011 iMac runs pretty damn well for it's age. But if you're serious about producing then at least make sure that you get a good processor and 16gb of ram. You don't ever want to feel limited by the tools you have available is the way I see it. If you're gonna invest a lot of money in a laptop or computer then you should at least try to make it worth your while.

409
Still mommy af. The only thing that sounded off really was at 1:10 where the snare sounded far to bassy. Either that or it's just a second kick drum I'm hearing and there is no snare. In that case bring me my snare baby!

Also... I have to jack that sound at 1:25. Been hearing that arpeggiated sound for awhile in a lot of tracks. Really need to learn how to make it at this point.

Musically the track seems on point. Mixing seems pretty solid despite some pretty obvious elements that I'm sure you're already aware of. Arrangement is catchy.

Basically get signed to monster cat already!  ;D

410
Your kick needs to be louder. Work on balancing the track. The synths are all to loud in the intro. They also sounds WAYYYYY too dry for progressive trance. Get some reverb on those babies! Get them nice and wet! I don't think it sounds monoish considering that those sustained saw waves you got going on are in pretty wide stereo. I do agree though that this track is DEFINITELY lacking sub bass.

Musically I feel it's lacking. I'm happy to hear chords for a start. However, I can tell that you don't really have your harmony down yet. Learn some music theory. Seriously it will help you a lot. Specifically diatonic harmony. Just youtube that and it will make your chord progressions sound sooooooooo much better.

411
I don't really think it's practical to use the word heavy. It's a word that hardly even has a definition nowadays due to the subjective nature of language. Heavy music can be pretty broad.

Those songs may seem heavy to you but this is probably the heaviest I can actually enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilBOMbvICuc

I'm not much for screams but as long as it's mixed with singing and something melodic I can really get into stuff. For some people heavy is chugging on a low string in drop B. Nowadays though you have guys kinda redefining the direction of heavy metal by using 8 string guitars. No longer any need to drop tune guitars with an extra 2 bass strings.

Then there's vocals and drums... Honestly... you can blast beat to hell and scream the entire track and for some people that can be heavy. Not really very appealing to me but since no one else on this forum seems to have taken an interest in your post I might as well try to get something going. We need some more rock guys over here.

412
I have a different opinion. I didn't have any problem with the melody's rhythm. It sounds like a nice little motif you got going on there. I actually really like the musical content. Pretty chords and pretty melodies. I hear A LOT of potential actually. I think you have the music and arrangement on par. It's only the mixing that's holding you back. Work on your balance. The main melody is far to loud in the intro and it's drowning everything out. I hear cymbals or hi hats in the background but they're being drowned out the most. The lead also sounds a bit dry. It could definitely use some reverb. Just add a reverb on the melody and EQ out the lows so that things don't get muddy.

Also.. the transition at 1:10. There's a sudden jump in volume there that sounds a bit off to me. Dynamics are good but in this case I feel like it's a bit too much. I feel like the section at 1:10 is actually the section that the most potential. I'm not really digging how you remove the bass and drum every few bars. I would prefer it if you were to keep the bass a bit more consistent. I also can't hear the high hats you have in the background. All I can really hear from the drums is the kick and the snare.

At 2:21 the guitar tone sounds fake... Realism may not be what you're after but I really think that it would sound good with a real guitar or at least with better programming. Otherwise, I congratulate you because it actually sounds like it would be played on a guitar. By that I mean it sounds pretty realistic in regards to phrasing and note choice. It's only the sample that bugs me. It's also sounds too dry like most of the melodic leads you got in the track. Listening back to it a second time I'm actually not to sure whether it's a real guitar because at 4:10 I also hear a palm muted clean guitar that sounds pretty real.

Also at 3:55. Those wide stereo drums that you have sound too loud.

Overall the main problems I hear are a matter of balance and lead lines being to dry/needing more reverb. I think you have the music side down. In fact I'm kind of convinced that you play an instrument after listening to how well crafted that guitar solo was.

413
WIPs / Re: Whimsical Mat Zo/Etta James/Featurecast mashup test thingy
« on: February 20, 2016, 08:15:03 am »
It would help if you key matched them. The keys are colliding and clashing in a way that is unpleasant to my ear. Otherwise I really like the idea.

414
Composition/Arrangement/Theory / Re: No Music Background...Thoughts?
« on: February 20, 2016, 07:58:01 am »
Applied knowledge is predictive.

Music theory doesn't help you play better notes or do better compression. It gives you the ability to predict in advance what effect playing a note or turning a knob will have. That saves time and cuts down on frustration, making it less likely you'll say "Eff this" and go log into Tweetbook.

I kindly disagree tbh. Music theory helped me choose way better notes when I learned it. Everything from keys, harmony, and improvisation.

I was able to discover that I have a taste for undiatonic chord progressions combined with melodies based off of pentatonic scales.

It seems that it affects everyone differently tbh. I've seen some people who think that it doesn't help for crap and then there are people like me who think it's the holy grail.

I wouldn't understand music or write it the same way that I do now if I never learned it.

415
An algorithmic synth that randomly generates sounds based on what parameters you set beforehand. Like minecraft, but for sound design.

This already exists in massive's randomizer.

416

Miyamoto Musashi, a Japanese swords man, suggests that you train in unconventional places to gain a better understanding in fighting in poor conditions.

It only makes you stronger if you make music in not the best environment or using the best gear initially, but depending on how serious you want to take this, you'll need to look at things from a different more precise manner. And that coincides with the deliberate practice as well.

Oddly enough, I've read his book of five rings a year ago ahahaha! Forgot about it but it does seem to make sense.

417
Regarding talent I remember reading a book when I was 16 called the talent code by Daniel coyle. The entire theme of the book was regarding whether talent existed or whether it was related to other factors. He examined world class musicians, athletes, chess players, and what he found was a very specific set of variables that led to them all achieving their amount of skill.

I cant remember it directly but he found that one of the big differences was deliberate practice for at least 3 hours a day over the course of 10 years. That was enough to reach the 10,000 hours. He made sure to differentiate between normal practice and deliberate practice.

He also found something about the environment of these experts. Something along the lines of a poor environment being better than a good environment because it motivated them more to practice to escape their poor environments.

I cant remember it very clearly and I don't wanna say something that Daniel coyle didn't say but it was an interesting read.

I dont even remember if the author was Daniel coyle but the book name is accurat.

418
Sound Design / Re: How did you learn sound design?
« on: February 19, 2016, 08:31:18 pm »
Yea, but you'll be required to take notes, do homework assignments, and practice. otherwise you'll be fired.

DOWN!  ;D

419
Inspiration/Creativity/Motivation / Re: Your inspiration for your name
« on: February 19, 2016, 08:59:30 am »
I like the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts series, so that's where my name came from. However, its meaning has become more personal once I started producing more seriously.

Just thought I'd add that Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts) and Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy) are some of the best composers in the world.

420
Inspiration/Creativity/Motivation / Re: Your inspiration for your name
« on: February 19, 2016, 08:57:37 am »
Lydian is the fourth mode. (Music theory) It just so happens that modes have a nice ring to them so I adopted it as my username before someone else took it since the forum is new.

Ionian
Dorian
Phrygian
Lydian
Mixolydian
Aeolian
Locrian

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