/prod/ - Music Production General

who cares edition

Production Resources:
>Pastebin - Links, books, videos, articles, tutorials and stuff
pastebin.com/pYGCLu6q

>/prod/ wiki - still looking for contributors
mu-sic-production.wikia.com
There's a severe lack of DAW descriptions in the wiki. If you're good with your tool of choice, consider writing a paragraph about it.

/prod/ IRC is up!
To join, you can go to rizon.net/chat
Choose a nick, put #/prod/ as channel. Enter!
Or you can get a lightweight desktop client here hexchat.github.io/downloads.html

Soundcloud links stay in their own containment thread, if you want to post music use clyp.it

Critique others' work and post your own to keep the thread alive

Other urls found in this thread:

clyp.it/ts0t5jtr
clyp.it/b4cfuk0c
youtu.be/8fXl67zGZlo?t=8m17s
youtu.be/wt3iaHXwPPk
www72.zippyshare.com/v/GJt18KD5/file.html
clyp.it/rsxosh1p
vocaroo.com/i/s1JXmryJbuz4
youtube.com/watch?v=wuHaguhynOM
youtube.com/watch?v=mcNhJI92cF4
clyp.it/alfbrtbc
clyp.it/zp0zq02i
clyp.it/alfbrtbc?token=2e8e88f5c263237d87ed75fd56be9ea5
youtube.com/watch?v=4ypn0F0uq0Q
clyp.it/
clyp.it/awo0bace
vocaroo.com/i/s0SYoNFV0aUl
clyp.it/5y1ydenc
clyp.it/xarwj342
clyp.it/jx5aliow
twitter.com/AnonBabble

How do you guys make 909 beats? Whenever I use 909 samples it's a wall of sound and I can't fit any synths in.

maybe find better samples. there's a big pack of old drum machine samples out there i'd have to see if I could find it again.

since we're on the subject everybody post your best drum packs. my shit got deleted recently so i'm fresh out desu

Any Chicago /prod/man in? I need someone else to ping ideas off of

I'm using the primeloops 909 pack, the samples aren't bad but they are very dense compared to 707/808 ones. I would post some but I'm on my phone.

hey /prod/ how's everybody doing today?
i'm trying to do better with this shit, been working on a track for a lil bit now, still in the beginning stages but was wondering if I could get some feedback on this
clyp.it/ts0t5jtr

speakers came in, they sounds pretty accurate and the sweet spot is huge! But i'm having some buyer's remorse from not giving the Yamaha HS5s a listen before buying these... concerned the JBLs have too much low end for my room.


sup?

Should I buy this or is it overpriced?
There is no real equivalent...

i borrowed one from a friend for a couple months. it had a beautiful sound but I must admit it did sit on my shelve for a while. I dunno 900 is pricey

its called processing and layering nigga
stock 909 samples/sounds, even from the machine itself, need a lot of processing to sound good at this time and age

depends on your workflow and what music do you make
I reckon is great for a quick jam and throwing down basic ideas together.

>There is no real equivalent...
there's the Octatrack, which I would get instead of the OP-1. More expensive, a horrible steep learning curve but so much more versatile

I use drumazon. it's pretty great

Can anyone recommend the best drum sample libraries for post-rock stuff?

Think drums from Hammock..

its kinda like a modern day groovebox.
if it interests you and you've got the money to burn, go for it.
but you could save up a bit more and get something from elektron. or spend less and try to find a cheap mc-505 or something from the Emu command station series.

please

sounds okay, good choices on the track layering.
the pad chords leave something to be desired, but you only gave us a few phrases of the song, id imagine that is going to change up a bit in another section?

Nice set-up dude. Uptown by Wilson red line here. You somewhere in west town I'm assuming? My kik is chiggywawa if you got that

I'm really close to pulling the trigger on this synth.

I really need a poly with plenty of controls and full sized keys.

I considered the minilogue, but it has minikeys, and a pretty goofy shape. Plus nobody has them in stock so I can't even try it before buying, let alone buy one.

why is /prod/ so dead

someone bring back lunga

>tfw the music you want to make is always out of scope

yeah i'm gonna work on some variations and chord changes as I go along and maybe add some sort of synth or keys if i can find something that fits
thanks friend

yeah this place is pretty dull right now

clyp.it/b4cfuk0c

rate, fags. make sure to listen to more than just the beginning, it gets intense(r). you can send donations to my Sup Forums inbox

Just using the 808, 909 & 606 kits that came with Maschine senpai

>clyp.it/ts0t5jtr
Sounds good, not sure what else to say as not my listen to genre really.

What's a good DAW for recording audio? I've been making beats in FL Studio and then recording raps in Audacity and exporting individual tracks back and forth for editing and stuff. Audacity is extremely limited.

Logic, Cubase, ableton, fruity toots...thought all DAW's nowadays recorded audio?

Personally I'd go for Wavelab for recording Audio

FL Studio records audio but the way it does it is extremely annoying. The waveform doesn't show up until after you record and for recording vocals over a beat I generally prefer something that looks like Audacity.

use edison and it shows up as you're recording??

anyone read aphex twins noyzelab interview before it mysteriously got taken down?

in it he talks about recreating ghetto spring reverbs with contact mics and slinkys which sounded nuts but i found this video today showing off the effect

youtu.be/8fXl67zGZlo?t=8m17s

he also talked about creating a 'real' phaser sound by playing back two copies of the same recording on different tape decks running at the same speed, and then adjusting the speed of one deck, usually by touching one of the reel decks

he reckons no digital or software plugin can get anywhere near the 'real' sound of these effects, its got me fascinated

should i cop an unserviced juno-106 for $550?
fuug

theres a guy on youTube that has made a giant slinky reverb unit that sounds insane, well worth a watch

hers the link.

youtu.be/wt3iaHXwPPk

How unserviced are we talking? If its just chips its a decent price.

he says that the only problem he sees with it is that the program number led takes awhile to "warm up". I would definitely try to test the chips before buying it, though at the moment i don't know alot about how to do that. If i can visit him and confirm that all the chips are fine, i think imma take it. If not, it's a tough choice cause internal servicing is at least like $150.
I'm seeing from sold ebay listings that this thing is often going for up to $800 as long as it's working well internally.
going to try to meet up with him and see what's what tomorrow

thats absurd thanks for the link

Have a bump

thanks dude :)

Currently working on a witch house song.

This is FAR from done but I've never produced witch house and would like to hear some opinions:
www72.zippyshare.com/v/GJt18KD5/file.html

What's the point of using a DAW when you can produce music using raw bytes?

>creating a 'real' phaser sound by playing back two copies of the same recording on different tape decks running at the same speed, and then adjusting the speed of one deck, usually by touching one of the reel decks

Flanging is done that way, not phasing. It's where the effect took its name from - the effect is created by manually vari-speeding one of two synced tape machines by touching the flange of the tape spool.

If the chips aren't already serviced there is like a 99% chance they will need to be at some point. I sent my 106 to get serviced 2 months back, just got it back like 3 days ago and one of the chips fucked up on me yesterday. The only good thing is that mines still under warranty.

By contrast, phasing is done by using an all-pass filter to change the phase of a signal, the degree of phase change being dependent on the frequency of the signal so some frequencies are shifted in time more than others, while flanging applies the same amount of time-shift to the whole spectrum.

where did you get yours serviced and for how much?

I made a cloud rap beat

clyp.it/rsxosh1p

what do you think?

Anyone?

never heard of it

It was a local place and it was $230 for all 6 chips

patience, 99% of user's in these threads /prod/ ITB with pirated software.
Some hardware fag will be along shortly to answer all your analogue needs

If you have to invest 1k into hardware you WANT to try it, believe me.
I've never tryed any dsi synth beside the prophet 6 and it sounded like jesus.
Just ask yourself: do you really need an analog poly? It is just gas? What's the purpose of this instrument?

Insightful.

Love posts like these. Where did you learn that?

Used to work at the BBC as a transmission engineer and the flanging thing was common knowledge among their audio people and was where I heard it first, phase shifting with all-pass filters gets used a lot in broadcast too, especially radio, as does variable-frequency compression - look up a device called an "Optimod" that has been used for many years to maximise signal levels for radio and mangle the most carefully-balanced mixes.

Ethan Winer's book "The Audio Expert" is a good resource to learn which circuits get used in which processors.

I'd add to this that the language I used for variable-delay with all-pass filters was slightly misleading - the filter always applies the same amount (ie the number of degrees of phase shift) to all frequencies, but what this means is that a 90-degree phase shift for example (1/4 wavelength) introduces more time-delay on a low frequency/long wavelength than it does with a high frequency/short wavelength signal, while delay with flanging changes for the whole spectrum at the same rate.

vocaroo.com/i/s1JXmryJbuz4
fuck dude i need help

oh thats cool. anymore recommendations considering books and stuff?

Should be a solid synth, as far as 4 voice poly analogs go. I am not super familiar with this particular guy, but Dave Smith is usually quite generous with his modulation matrix- lots of glorious potential for making complex sounds.

Here's where this synth falls short, and where it excels, just based on the specs, imo:

- Lack of individual outputs for each voice- ideally you would have the choice between a 4 voice analog synth, or 4 separate monophonic synths in one, each w/ a different midi channel in your DAW. Two oscillators per voice would have made this an attractive proposition. Not a deal breaker, but something that other synths have offered.

- Analog VCAs- can be good or bad, depending on the execution. The execution of the VCAs in the alesis andromeda was seen as a shortcoming in an otherwise incredibly synth. The recent Korg Minilogue 'clicking' debacle is another example. Just see what owners are saying about it first.

The filters should be great in the X4, at least.

If you are a big fan of Massive for making super agro demon sounds, I would also recommend you check out the Waldorf Q. Quite different than the X4, Its a digital wavetable synth. Very capable & very knobby with a full keyboard. The combo of FM, wavetables, ringmod makes it a very interesting piece of kit.

youtube.com/watch?v=wuHaguhynOM

I managed to get one for 1100 USD after camping ebay, which was a good price. Multiple outs per layer (can divide up the 16 voices into 4 separate layers with their own output or midi channel, or build a complex 4 layered multi patch where each layer has its own modulation).

Another even more oddball digital synth I would recommend is the Korg Z1. Truly a strange beast, physical modeling oscillators as well as the standard waves + FM makes for some truly alien shit. Its not very knobby, and requires lots of menu diving, unfortunately. But a damn fine synth that is underrated.

youtube.com/watch?v=mcNhJI92cF4

How do I achieve clarity in my mixes?

Try to focus on your high-end EQ. Don't compress as much. Pull back reverbs, and try to use them more as sends rather than inserts.

it looks so bad

Bring that sub up, or use an enhancer on it. Has zero content on anything except a subwoofer. Also, see if you can find some different drum samples/focus on your drum mix a bit more. Other than that not bad, still has a bit of work left to do though. Not sure what options you're afforded by the VST you're using for that choir but see if you can maybe give it a tad slower attack in the introduction.

p-pls rate

>mfw the export sounds different than how it sounded in FL, for some reason

Apart from use of a ping-pong delay, what were you trying to do here? Not sure what you want us to rate. Either way, try to find a way to boost your output level when you print it as that waveform looks quiet as fuck. Also, what format did you export in? Could have something to do with the sound difference.

New and looking for any kind of feedback, here's a shitty loop I made. What should I learn or add to this track from here?
clyp.it/alfbrtbc

Thoughts on this? Going for a rap beat vibe. Still need to do some work on the snare, maybe play with the FX and panning.

clyp.it/zp0zq02i

r8 me

would you listen a track that has this in it, i guess. my bad on the waveform and etc

Getting a 404 on that one bud, try reuploading

whoops here is the full link, again any feedback is appreciated I'd love to contribute more to this thread but don't have much experience
clyp.it/alfbrtbc?token=2e8e88f5c263237d87ed75fd56be9ea5

Not on its own, but this isn't really my kind of music. Sounds a little bit too busy stereo-wise for vocals to go over though, and its too bare-bones on its own.

I already have a blofeld and some other oddball digital stuff. I'm mostly just looking for a good gigging synth at this point, as I play in a couple of gigging bands.

I recently played the DSI OB-6, so I'm struggling with the urge to finance one. Also not too concerned with voice outs, as I'll grab a tetra down the line to turn it to an 8 voice and add multitimbrality.

not that user, but that is a great price for the q!

about 10 years ago i passed up charlie clouser's q filled with his patches, it was only going for $900 at the time... i've been kicking myself since

Pretty chill, can't really hear any issues with it. Got any ideas where you're taking it from here?

youtube.com/watch?v=4ypn0F0uq0Q

Since its your shit, how about you post clyp

no idea where to go could use any advice, specifically on moving away from that basic 'MIDI' sound into a complete sounding track. Anything I should look into in terms of mixing/mastering?

what is clyp?

clyp.it/

clyp.it/awo0bace
hows my mix/master sounding?
also is the brushed snare/white noise sound that accompanies the singing too harsh?

vocaroo.com/i/s0SYoNFV0aUl

I really need to work on my writing to make my songs longer. This was just an EARLY demo for a song I want to further write but I think each section needs to be four times as long. I also need to work on both EQ and where I place the mic in front of the amp for each guitar track. What are your guises thoughts on this?

ooooooooooooo

clyp.it/5y1ydenc

>clyp.it/awo0bace

I was using DSK ChoirZ because it was free, i threw a soundgoodizer on the sub and brought it up, it sounds better, changed the hihat sample to one from a higher quality kit.

what should i be doing for the drum mix?

No, you're basically looking for more content. Its ok to make a beat and leave it until you can find a good vocalist/rapper. You don't need mastering until you're completely happy with the track, since the point of mastering is further improving a finished mix.

If you're really stuck try filling out the vocals with some fast highhats, its not exactly unique but it could give you some more ideas.

mix is great, that lowend sounds so clear and smooth
snare seemed fine too

-this was meant for this. . . but listen to my shit anyway >:(

>clyp.it/awo0bace
Panning it, its currently all extremely centered. Keep your kick mono then throw highhat slightly out to one side and snare out to the same distance on the other. Play around with autopanning the highhat in a very small radius around the spot you choose, then maybe set up a sidechain so the kick ducks it. Some EXTREMELY gentle drum bus compression could help too, maybe with a touch of saturation (but make sure that its also very subtle).

ignore that clyp, trying to help too many people at once and its 8am and I haven't slept
Fucking great, loving it. Only input I could really offer at this stage is maybe a slight boost to the lows on that bass, get it really punching through.

Would anyone be able to have a listen and let me know what they think of this? I'm happy with it so far, but my studio is weird with acoustics so not sure if it's mixed decently.

clyp.it/xarwj342

...

Possibly bring that stereo back-and-forth chirp down 1 or 2 dB but apart from that pretty gr8

wow

Those bird sounds? Ok sure, thanks for that!

Took
and
's

advice and fixed the nasty chorus and fucked with the drums a little and it already sounds better also made the outro more substantial by just letting the chorus drop into the rain sounds

what do now?

clyp.it/jx5aliow

and here
Pan your elements, sounds like you've just got stuff sitting where it came in (either mono center or stereo). As I've said here basically, keep your kick centered and then play from there. Ideally keep your bass in the same spot as your kick, and play with matching their frequencies so they sit together.

The wider /prod/ community would probably be best for recommendations to do with audio production since they will have the most experience with them, although you can also get some good reading material from Brandon Drury's recordingreview.com forum - a lot of the stuff I read to begin with has been long superseded by books that are more relevant now, while I picked up the stuff I know over a long period instead, as it developed so to speak - I wouldn't say one method is better than another though and if you're really keen you'll just as easily pick up a huge amount of knowledge by cramming loads of reading as you would do by working in the industry for (what feels now like) a fucking age.

The only thing that takes more time is ear training, and the mapping of that training to theory and knowledge to create your own world view of how all this stuff fits together.

It's worth noting that both flanging and phasing are related to the original chorus effect, which meant to replicate the same effect as double tracking vocals by singing them twice on two tracks and then mixing.
Listen to all the early 60's Beatles and british invasion stuff. They do it everywhere.

Chorus was invented as a means of saving time and tape.

Yeah they all deal with introducing delay, a lot of the groundwork was done at Olympic Studios (they sold off a shedload of their channel strips as lunchbox devices a few years ago - much cash changed hands) and no doubt at Abbey Road during the same time frame.

Need gear recommendation guys.

I'm a guitarist with a big powerful desktop PC and cubase, but I'm looking to get into something more portable groovebox-ey so I can sketch out ideas and arrangements in a more casual (ie: not sitting at a computer) environment.


Been considering maschine + surface pro 3/4 with ableton or maybe bitwig. Also looking at push and other pad controllers. Interested in sample slicing and loose-jams with loop-based music.

Am I on the right track? Is maschine the way to go? Also seriously considering just buying an old Akai MPC, but I need to replace my broken laptop and tablet, so I figured I'd kill three birds with one piece of kit.

>for recording vocals over a beat I generally prefer something that looks like Audacity

Adobe Audition

Ive never head of a situation where maschine was used for anything other than casually sketching out tracks/live sets

You want to fuck around with stuff like this, get yourself a pair of 4-track tascams recorders. Record the same thing on both, and use the pitch wheel to adjust playback on one of them.

Also, you're getting 8 full tracks if you get two. With some creative jury-rigging and a little solder you can even synchronize them (or you can just press the play button at exactly the right time.)

Those things are fun as balls and dirt cheap now.

Just be cognizant that they sometimes need maintenance (the motor can die. The tape heads can get fucked, etc)

Do you mean like a groovebox-ey midi controller to use with you computer or an all-in-one hardware deal?