/prod/

old thread. What do you think to the latest in my series of politicians rapping?

youtube.com/watch?v=4dV3E6mN4mc

Other urls found in this thread:

clyp.it/t2izrzrp
clyp.it/rwgtjiq3
clyp.it/ljrankqu?token=3c31c8eb8856f5891176908ea798da7a
clyp.it/ygup2wn2
clyp.it/lj14wxpq
clyp.it/35zuwv2n
clyp.it/irdsh1bb
clyp.it/0ob1j4la
clyp.it/j0c2ybix
clyp.it/2iu020gm
discord.gg/qwbmE
clyp.it/aaw1vjdf
clyp.it/2jgtlwcm
clyp.it/xto01uzw
clyp.it/f3h31ao2
clyp.it/nteeuinw
twitter.com/NSFWRedditImage

Don't bother with LMMS it's shit.
I love Linux but it's bollocks for electronic music. For live stuff it's fine, but for midi just use windows.

"shit" and "bollocks" are very helpful. I'm extremely principled in my Linux use and I'd have to find this software absolutely unusable to consider keeping any form of Windows on my computer.
Since I suppose you used it, would you have any idea how I can keep JACK from hijacking my audio devices and leaving me unable to even use youtube?

>Since I suppose you used it, would you have any idea how I can keep JACK from hijacking my audio devices and leaving me unable to even use youtube?
Can't be done, deal with it.

And to give you an idea of just how shit LMMS is, it still hasn't implemented copy and paste for patterns. I'm serious.

I'm posting this comment from Linux Mint. I do everything (video editing included) on Linux, apart from midi stuff.

Is it okay to post WIPs here?

I think that's the point of these threads. It's certainly not to troubleshoot my OS issues.

In that case, here's one. I'm a beginner and wrote this song to practice on my melody composing. My main fear is that my melodies will either be too repetitive or too static.

clyp.it/t2izrzrp

clyp.it/rwgtjiq3
I'm working on this, what do you guys think?

When it comes to multi-connection sound in Linux it's pretty shit at it, so I suggest you emulate a DAW in Wine, because DAWs like FL Studio will work with multiple connections.

>I suggest you emulate a DAW in Wine,

There's nothing wrong with that, on some DAWs though you might experience slow downs, which arent that bad. I get low latency on most of the DAWs I tried for Linux so if you don't want to emulate it just get Windows or something (even though I hate Windows with all my heart)

>I get low latency on most of the DAWs I tried for Linux
Are you talking about trying DAWs in wine, or native Linux ones?

Because using wine with midi software is a colossal pain.

Which ones have you used successfully?

clyp.it/ljrankqu?token=3c31c8eb8856f5891176908ea798da7a

Part of something I'm working on. It's not mixed yet but would appreciate feedback!

Native Linux, I don't have any MIDI controllers with me right now (I'm not at home) but I've tried Bitwig Studio and Renoise for Linux and they both gave me latency issues. On wine however I tried FL Studio and Ableton. Ableton was a bit slow and used up all of my CPU but FL was fine.

Also, I used Renoise on wine and it worked way better than the native one for some reason.

Shame FL is the only thing you got to work.

The melody isn't really my thing but its not necessarily bad. I would suggest bringing other elements in sooner however, that single melody gets very monotonous if it takes an entire minute for something else to happen.

clyp.it/ygup2wn2
thoughts on this?
It isn't finished, obviously, but you can get the idea of what i'm going for in this beat

what does /prod/ thinks about my trap beat?
clyp.it/lj14wxpq
PLEASE RESPONDE

Don't die

Do splitting your instruments loaded in kontakt into several instances of kontakt is consuming more ram or more demanding for the cpu?
If yes how much roughly?

It's decent

what is it even desu

anyone have recs on music theory/production/etc books?

what is a cheap and good DJ controller please?

ableton should be pic related

sounds like shit but the voice clip makes up for it

rate my west africa

clyp.it/35zuwv2n

i feel like i need drugs to get what the fuck im trying to do with the cover squares
>did this 5 min ago

then get some drugs u cunt

literally keyboard and mouse

a couple of pans and chanting suffice for everyone

that looks nothing like me, OPs pic is more accurate

OP's pic is how you see yourself, that pic i posted is how everyone else sees you

>uses BitchWig or FLS

What about Mixcraft?

>or logic or reason maybe renoise so much kek

Does anyone else like to have background sound while they produce? What podcasts do you guys listen to?

Not at all

How often do you guys use fader automation in your tracks?

Quite often i guess

Here's some bullshit I'm working on. Feedback appreciated.

it's pretty much null

Fucking quick reply posted on its own.
clyp.it/irdsh1bb

I try to avoid using fader automation in favor of channel volume automation to preserve a mix.

Only criticism is between 30s-1:15 the track gets overly repetitive, add variation somehow.

Overall great sound, I like what you're going for.

All the time Audiomulch is pretty much based on automation

I made this: clyp.it/0ob1j4la and I don't really know what to do next. I'm very new to this kind of thing. Also how do I make it so the hi-hats don't sound really shit when I upload the file, the exported wav sounds fine on my PC.

dude wtf

>he makes music

It's alright

>Also how do I make it so the hi-hats don't sound really shit when I upload the file, the exported wav sounds fine on my PC.
Idk clyp compress the file maybe it is particularly bad with your hats

I'm trying guys...

Working on this continues, can you please tell me what should I do now? I still have to train my ear for sound design, I can't always tell if the sounds are good or bad.

At least I finally started doing vertical approach, I need to make this part sound good before continuing, I NEED to finish this track.

clyp.it/j0c2ybix

My problem is that my workflow is a terrible mess. I also just learned that putting same reverbs on multiple inserts is not a good idea, so I will have to redo it all by putting those inserts into a single send.

I also still have a trouble making the vocals more present in the main part. I've been trying with EQ and stereo shaper but it's not enough. Btw I fucked up now, it sounds too dry, I'll fix it.

Also, those drums will definitely change, I hate them now. They are boring.

>every riff I come up with that actually sounds good sounds to close to another song

yeah but if you add more stuff to it, like a B part, C part etc, what are the odds that those are also going to sound like another song? After a while it becomes just like 20 seconds of your song that sounds like another song, and no one really cares

>mfw no (you)s

I would rate if I knew what I was listening to, sounds pretty good to a layman like myself

>distort samples on computer with logic pro x pedals
>sounds good
>distort samples by overloading preamps on 80s mixer
>sounds good
>distort samples using guitar pedals
>sounds really filtered

help
i posted about this a few days ago and since then i've tried reamping with the guitar pedals and it still sounds iffy

I see what you mean, the sub bass is the only variation and it's harder to hear than I thought. Thanks for the input :)

Sounds super cool, I'm really digging it. Maybe throw some more flamenco-ish guitar into it.

Thanks lads

Seems like you know what to do next based on your post. You're definitely right about not putting separate reverb for each insert because it can lead to disparate sound. Some of the vocal clips sound a little out of time. Not terrible though, keep working on it.

Yeah, I also played a little with reverse reverbs, but it kinda doesn't fit (I'm probably doing it bad), will fix it.

I always wonder if I don't have good enough plugins and samples. I don't like the bass in the "drop" but I don't know what sound could work well there. That was Nexus 2 I believe, actually, a mix with Nexus and Harmless (yes, harmor is better but I can't fit it on my tiny screen, kek).

In my opinion, the bass could use a little more funk and a clearer tone. Then again, I'm a bassist and I always want to add more funk.

Thoughts on the sound/composition/mixing? Or just general thoughts, any feedback would be appreciated

clyp.it/2iu020gm

Sounds a lot like Ben Prunty, the composer for the FTL soundtrack. I think I hear a chord in the bassline that's a little off, but the first part of its phrase is very cool. Maybe more of that.

I don't hear a problem with the hi hats, they sound fine to me. The sample in the background sounds kind of repetitive tho, and could get boring after a while. i like it though

It sounds really murky around 0:19, and that piano sounds a bit weird to me. overall not bad

oh this sounds really neat, the static-y synth sounds really good in this. i'd turn it down or eq it a bit so it doesn't seem as overpowering

New to the game. So how do good electronic/hip hop producers use 808s? What's the easiest way to be able to play them as an instrument instead of having seperate .wav files for each key?

>guitar pedals
That's why. Guitar signal levels and impedances are way different than the line level signals you're putting through them. Guitar pedals aren't designed for that kind of signal. You're going to need to be around 10% of your device's output to get anything usable.

i'm not putting line level signals through them. i said i'm reamping them, i.e., bringing the line level signals down to instrument level

Does anyone have a decent ableton crack / DL link?

Forgive me. This is /prod/ so I'm used to having to inform people about that.

I read some anecdote somewhere where Edgar Froese of TD had a Prophet 5 with a voice out mod, and he used 5 big muffs to give the synth light distortion for each voice, since running a polyphonic source into distortion just makes everything too muddy.

Idk what your sample is, but it might have too many harmonics.

Personally, I just use preamps of old mixers like you mentioned for anything synth and sample related.

warez-bb brah

I have a pod studio ux 2 and a lexicon alpha, mainly record with the ux2, MY QUESTION IS do I need a really reamp? I'm switching over to using my new pdmic78 and I have a nady sp1 for fucks and I'll admit that my songs when rendered into wave out of Reaper it can be just a hint too quiet. If not a preamp, how would I make my finished master a higher volume in general without it piercing?

Hello guys, join our friendly /prod/ discord if you don't have IRC.

Still trying to grow the community but we have some nice discussions.

discord.gg/qwbmE

The 808 is an analog drum machine, no wav files in there?
If you mean what's the best was to use 808 samples then maybe try some hing like the transistor revolution 808 which uses 25000 samples to recreate the 808 & 909 machines...or just google search for 808 kits and load them up into your sampler.

what I'm asking is how good producers record their 808s. Obviously hardly anyone actually has a real one so my guess is they load it thru samples in their DAW. Just asking what's the easiest way to be able to record them through your keyboard

Good producers will plug the outputs from the 808 Ito their audio interface or mixer and usually record it from there. With samples you would load them into a VSTi sampler and use your DAW or a midi controller to trigger the sounds. No idea how you'd record them through your keyboard, what keyboard is it?

If by good you mean professional producers then I'd image if they use 808 sounds regularly then they would probably have the real 808 £2000 for an 808 isn't a massive amount of money in the grand scheme of things if you are setting up a studio...besides it's hardly going to go down in price so it's also a good investment

Got an axiom with 81 keys. I'm just wondering cause I see lots of producer videos where they seem to be triggering a really fat sounding 808 off their midi controller. Is there some hidden really easy way that I'm just not seeing?

Why is this so incredibly hard? There is so much shit going on, and I'm already in prod for a few years. There is no clear workflow to follow.
How many of you did actually go to school for music production/audio engineering?
Damn, I always wonder how did all these famous producers get to a decent level. Was it all just experimenting or did they have mentors and good learning resources.

Are there some good courses online? Is Lynda worth it?

Ah ok so you won't be recording it with your keyboard. What you will be doing is triggering the samples from the keyboard, most samplers will let you assign the indervidual drum sounds to each key on your midi controller so when you press that key it triggers the kick for example.

yeah I get that, thank you. But I was wondering how to get the 808 sample to play in different keys. Or do you need a new 808 file for each key?

What are you trying to do?

Work flow is something that you just get into after spending a fuck load of time with your instruments or DAW.
I'm self taught, I just downloaded cubase back in the 90's and worked out how to use it by reading the manual and playing around for a few years. Back then there was literally no resources like YouTube. I must admit it can be really frustrating trying to learn how to do stuff on your own, but the advantages are all the other stuff you learn along the way that you wouldn't ever of discovered if someone just shows you.

Jesus Christ...my thoughts man. I finally have time now and a great computer I built to get started but I thought it'd be more fun than frustrating - it clearly isn't. Just making your own drums alone is challenge enough. But my guess is that if you stick with it the frustration makes way for incredibly stimulating fun, no?

What you want the kick drum to be pitched up and down the keyboard? Just set the "zone" or whatever your sampler calls it (where you assign the sample to the keyboard) to the whole keyboard or 3 octaves...or 1 octave or whatever you like. You can set it to play one key, all keys or any keys you like?

It will be slightly different for different samplers, but almost every sampler has the concept of "zones" where you can assign a sample to be mapped to various keys. For example, I could map the 808 kick to keys C0 through C1 on the midi keyboard. Then there's the concept of pitch tracking. If you want the sample to change pitch as you play across the keys, that's usually an additional setting that you need to enable, "pitch tracking" it might be called. Finally you have the concept of a "home key" or a "default key" or something like this. This will be the key on the keyboard that plays back the sample exactly as it originally sounded, without modifying the pitch. In the example above, I might set the "home key" to be C0, thus C0 will be the original 808 kick drum sample, C#0 will be pitched up a half step, etc.

I still have trouble with sound design, choosing the right sounds and/or making them sound good. I think I don't have a good ear for that thing (yet). Then I still lack some theory and my mixing is not good enough, sounds don't always fit. All in all, my sounds don't sound professional and I'm not even sure anymore if I should use plugins and samples like VEE drums, Addictive drums, Nexus, Harmor, whatever else or not. I guess I don't want to go full into audio engineering aspect because I'm not interested in that, but I feel I will not learn much if I just put some finished sound in a channel and call it a day.

I never ever finish a single piece and I fucking hate myself because of it. I really want to dive deep now, but the more I read and watch professionals talk about it, the more I feel lost in all of this.

Really vague advice but here it is: music isn't that hard, don't psyche yourself out, it's just another form of communication like language

Yep, just stick with it.

If you are expecting to be as good as the artists you look upto without putting any time in (years) and lots of work you will get really fucking frustrated. I soon realised that and just enjoy my time in the studio now. It's incredible how much there is to learn and that's one of the things that keeps it really interesting for me.
I also find that spending time doing different things is really helpful to stop myself from getting pissed off with certain things. If I'm having trouble arranging, then I'll leave it and work on some mixing or effects or sound design or something.
Just stick at it as its so much fun once you get into it a bit more. Even looking back at the last 6 months of stuff I've done I can see lots of little improvements.
Also on a side note I've never had any college, I can't play any instruments and I don't know any chords or scales...that's pretty bad I guess.

Made this like a year ago lol
should I try to fix it?
clyp.it/aaw1vjdf

I think I may have overcooked my drums. second opinion? not really an arrangement yet, just adding parts

clyp.it/2jgtlwcm

...

do it, es gut

One thing I find helpful (it may not work for you but) is to set my Daw up like a studio, this takes a bit of time but I find it really handy. So I'll chose my instruments as if they were expensive and just load in a minimal amount. I use 2 classic drum machine kits in sample form, 2 synths, a handful of effects ( 1 reverb, 1 delay, 2 compressors etc) and a small selection of samples. Then I set them all up inside the daw and make that my starting template. This way every time I open my daw I have a few familiar instruments, effects and samples to use and learn inside out.

I still have trouble with sound design it's just how it is, I spent a whole day trying to get a nice bass sound for something I was working on and nothing sounded right to me, it just happens sometimes.
I've also not finished anything in over ten years, don't beat yourself up about that too much, we all have strengths and weaknesses, mine is defiantly finishing tracks, but that's also due to not really feeling like I need to right now, I'm not making an album I'm just experimenting and learning. Maybe once I'm better I might try and start finishing some things, who knows I might even make an album.

clyp.it/xto01uzw
any and all feedback is appreciated, first time dicking around in FL studio

dat 80s snare needs more gated reverb

quite liked it

>but it might have too many harmonics.
thanks, that's probably it. they still sound fine through logic pro x's distortions so i'll just use that and render the samples with the effect already on them.

Okay, lads, I'm gonna share something I made when I was like 14 or some shit. And it's honestly like really really bad. Like really, really, really, bad.

I'm not even kidding, it's just fucking bad. I have another track where I go full autismo if you guys are interested in listening to anything terrible as well.

clyp.it/f3h31ao2

also worth noting, they were created by just copying and pasting audio files into audacity

Literal autism

clyp.it/nteeuinw

So I'm about to download ableton tonight because I really liked the trial but I see "Live 9 software license sold separately." on my Cart page for the Live 9 Suite.

Fuck is that about? Do I have to buy ableton Live 9 Suite and then also buy the $50 software license too?

I'll read up on how to do that, thanks!

wew lad, thats pretty bad.

In all seriousness though, if you want to get better at producing, try torrenting a decent daw and play around for a while. No producer was amazing when they first started.

Start by having some fun with production, and eventually you might find yourself starting to grasp the basics. Google and youtube don't hurt either. You don't have to be a goddamned modern mozart to enjoy making music.