>ATTENTION! DON'T post Soundcloud, YouTube, or any other links where you are not anonymous (unless somebody asks you for it). That's considered self promotion and will result in bad feedback.
RESOURCES:
Sound Design:
>SeamlessR (in-depth music production and sound design tutorials, based on FL Studio) youtube.com/user/SeamlessR
>Syntorial (widely considered the best place to go to learn synthesis) syntorial.com/
>Mr. Bill (Ableton based, some of the best sound design tutorials on the planet. Aimed more towards IDM-type stuff. He also posts his music here) youtube.com/user/MrBillsTunes
>first for whoever makes these /prod/ threads is lazy as fuck Nice job.
Grayson Jackson
second for 100% correct
Liam Bell
If you had $40k to spend on music production gear, what would you buy?
Andrew Stewart
ethereum
Michael Williams
moog system 35 and a holiday
Thomas Barnes
do you guys have a concrete idea of the song you want to create before you start?
or do you just start experimenting with random sounds and eventually build something?
I do the latter, but for ~8 years I haven't been able to make anything longer than a minute or two. I always give up in frustration when I try the former. I think I just have no musical talent
Jason Collins
both, neither, depends. usually just get working following a burst of inspiration about what i want to make
Aaron Flores
RIP in peace to the songs that never made it
Sebastian Mitchell
Some very nice condenser mics, an expensive preamp. A basic 4 track mixer, Minimoog Voyager, Some nice monitors, portable recorder, a setup for running original digidesign turbosynth (an old macintosh and the necessary hardware). Probably a bunch of other hardware synths
Ethan Gutierrez
>start out with a concrete idea >starts sounding like something different than planned >continue with it >reject concrete idea >"I'll get back to it" >repeat
Joseph Moore
Sometimes I start to create a new piece of music/new track/write a new song and I get stuck in this 4/4 vibe. What's your advice/tricks for breaking out of the mundane 1-2-3-4 and adding groove and feel to your work??
Andrew Jackson
depends. sometimes I record melodies and use that as a starting point, sometimes I just start writing from the start of a piece and work my way through. Sometimes I start with lyrics and do 'wordsetting' with a guitar or piano and then record and produce the song later in a DAW. Sometimes I have an idea in my head and open up the DAW without recording anything and just start capturing the idea.
Sometimes I open up a DAW and start improvising on a MIDI keyboard while recording. Then I can go back and use the best melody or some interesting ideas.
Most of what I've done recently is writing fugues which involves trying to write or capture a very good melody as the starting point for the piece.
Hudson Cruz
3000 HP of Eurorack, a couple ~$1k compressors, and a new Macbook or something. I have the other basic stuff (monitors, MIDI controllers), so that's all I'd need.
Jason Moore
I always Save As every 5 minutes with a new number at the end and that's WITH ableton allowing you to recover crashed work from the undo history
Where were you when you found out famous and successful producers don't know what they're doing and don't give a fuck about the technical stuff?
Josiah Powell
underrated
Justin Sullivan
That's because saying GUCCI GANG repeatedly is all it takes to be popular, but other than that, making music takes skill, not much gear, but mostly time, which most people don't have (and good music of course doesn't guarantee popularity).
Noah Evans
Of course music takes skill. Just that popular music doesn't take TECHNICAL skill, but rather the ability to know when something is going to appeal to the masses, which is why someone like Avicii makes tens of millions yearly and the Noisia guys are on Patreon.
Luke Peterson
to all those struggling
im no super star, but when music production clicks, you'll know it. it might take awhile. just keep chippin away at it everyday
Jackson Cooper
break
4 beats |-|-|-|-|
into
16 beats
|xooo|xooo|xooo|xooo|
now be a beat scientists and experiment puttting different things in the various spots
sometimes you can replace an x with an o but not on the first beat
try to symetry and asymetry
Xavier Gonzalez
>30k on a outbuilding somewhere in the Welsh mountains >spend the remaining 10k on turning it into a studio space >sell everything I own >relocate to said studio >profit
Hunter Garcia
Ban yourself from not finishing what you start. Once the day or session is over, leave your work be.
Cameron Hall
what's your go to reverb /prod?
bonus question : are you making your own 808's or are you taking sampled ones, if so which?
Kayden Peterson
>what's your go to reverb /prod? Valhalla Room
>are you making your own 808's or are you taking sampled ones, if so which? I make my own, most of the time with the Sonic Academy KICK plugin, but some times with Operator or Serum.
Christian Morgan
What's a good synthesizer keyboard for beginners?
Jonathan Hall
40k is overkill.
you can spend 1.5k on a good desktop with software, a midi keyboard and mic set.
save the rest.
Luis Ward
I have a vocal that's sung perfectly, and another vocal that's sung out of tune. Is there a way to analyze the pitch of both, and shift one's notes so they perfectly match the other's? Or do I have to do it manually?
Can I do it in Melodyne?
Cameron White
i made a few tracks for some rapper locally. i already sent it to him but havent heard back.
side note: im already burnt out on music after 10 years of no real progress and getting left out of groups overall. ive stretched out my field and with this one i didnt really give it my all, so i just phoned it in with this. im ready to just quit and leave it for good.
Thomas Hall
look into software synths first before messing around with actual synths because its expensive.
if i were to do it all over again back in 2003, id just stick to using the computer and not go balls deep on a synth until i learned my way around. back then daw were not as good as today but it was emerging and much more sufficient than thinking youd need all sorts of expensive equipment to get started.
Dylan Perry
You couldn't do either of those things for 40k USD. and relocation is not "music gear".
Mason Brooks
Hmm, I guess I should've said keyboard maybe
I'm stuck with a lettered keyboard for production, and it's not allowing me to press certain letter combinations simultaneously.
Ian Sanchez
You have to spend it or the money's gone.
Nathan Barnes
How to deal with a 20db bass buildup at 125 Hz? Its fucking destroying music listening and all mixing/mastering possibilites. Help brothers! Is rockwool the way out?
shit or lit? trying to do some glitchy iglooghost ambient shit. super WIP. need to beef up the percussion.
Easton Peterson
Post WIP lets hear it.
Jack Peterson
>clyp.it/zgqm5jaj Lit. Do digital/vst to my taste add. Add sounds from real life.
Aiden Morris
WIP?
Jaxon Gray
buy a cheap midi keyboard and decide if you want to move up from there. they can range from 25 dollars to 100. even those cheap casios can go for like 10 bucks at a pawn shop as long as it has midi jacks.
on the software side there are a shit ton of demos to try out or free versions of whatever.
Jace Murphy
EQ on master, it's better than nothing
Elijah Nelson
Work it progress. Post the part of the track you're talking about.
Anthony Robinson
Wip it good?
Jayden Nelson
>EQ on master
David Allen
Oh it's not like a 20db 125hz boost in a certain track. It's general from my monitors and room. Songs like this youtube.com/watch?v=f6zWSNj8ObI has crazy resonance. And when a play the C-major scale with a bass the deep notes around 125Hz, C2 and B2, is loud as fuck compared to the other notes. Hearing music it start to get boomy/resonate at these frequencies as well.
Brayden Thompson
Actually helped a bit. You guys have no problems with bass buildup at lower frequencies? What do you guys do? Specially within a budget?
Ryder Barnes
Yes. To even out that 125 Hz bump his/your room has. You take it off when you export the track. It is not very difficult to understand.
Kevin Harris
You could also experiment with the distance between speakers and wall. Put them away from the walls. Also place them so they are not pointing to a straight wall. To even out 125 Hz with room acoustic elements you have to do quite a lot. Try a mattress in one corner if you have the space for it.
Austin Sanchez
Promotion Shills, MPC & a new MIDI as my current one is broken
Tyler Rivera
ay guys, what do you think of my idea (chord progression/vibe)? i got inspired by church music and still very much wip (ignore the random guitar jamming in the beginning).
>clyp.it/1f0quqwl Lame/10. Could it be more after the books? I can hear it's the 3-6-2-5-Funnychord progression. What are you trying to do? A lame version of Canon in D aka the lamest tune of all time? Good mixing though
Jonathan Moore
Why do my songs sound louder in fl studio but the volume diminishes slightly thereafter export? I'm guessing that the volume is relative to the perceived details I'm hearing in an uncompressed format, whereas the mixed down file obviously looses bitrate and somehow sounds subdued. I have also heard that asio4all is notorious for making things loud.
Carson Baker
ay that was the feedback i was looking for. thanks for the mixing compliment tho, didnt see that one coming ,since i feel like my mixing kinda sucks. guess imma dump that shit. since i am here, could y'all tear this one to shreds for me? been working way to long on it and can't seem to find a proper vocal (probably because this track is too stale too) clyp.it/f3avysoo
Brody Watson
Worst I can say is that the beat is pretty awful. Like it just completely lacks any real groove, it's just this kind of obnoxious mess. It sounds like someone is trying very hard to make it complicated or original, but the end result is just a bit messy. And it completely clashes with the chords and melody which I do enjoy actually.
damn son you are spot on. thanks for the feedback it really helps a ton. i might have to just start again with this one and change the key so it fits my vocal range, since i kinda like the chordprogression myself.
Lucas Young
Thanks for the tip. This worked out great so far! Used REW to help get along. Made -15db boost in 125Hz region and -8db boost at 60Hz region. I'll just use headphones for the bass mixing and remove EQ at export. Nice!
Also now use Equalizer APO for general usage. Same settings.
Nicholas Jones
Maybe a stupid question, but can it damage the speaker if you play too noisy music at too high of a volume? Neither the amp, nor the computer, nor the software are anywhere near max volume.
I'm just kinda experimenting with making really noisy sounds with Serum and it's kinda easy to make your speakers sound like they are broken already, so I'm kinda worried.
Dylan Lopez
>what's your go to reverb /prod? I have 3 as I’m a reverb lover. >Valhalla vintage verb >N.I RC24 >Fabfilter ProR
Ok buy 40k worth of 808’s (for investment purposes)
Jaxson Sanders
I remember a mate popping his tweeters on his fairly new NS10’s by giving me the high frequency hearing test
Cameron Hernandez
How long ago was this?
Evan Myers
I got the feeling I'm destroying my speakers when I made a few operator tracks and configured every operator to create the highest possible amount of overtones. then I made an automation to fade the overtones in more and more. It' slike an orgasm to listen to it but it feels like it can't be good for the speakers
Luis Brooks
What's the better option for CPU hogs like u-he Diva and Reaktor, a high end Macbook Pro or general high end Mac computer? I prefer the potability of a laptop but I really want more power. iMac Pro would be overkill, I think, but awesome.
Jackson Powell
I've never had any problems with Diva and I'm still using a Macbook Pro from 2013
Colton Moore
>fairly new NS10’s
Jaxon Campbell
You said it yourself. A non-laptop computer is better power-wise, but a laptop is better for portability. Choose what's more important for you.
Or, depending on your budget, you can get a less powerful non-laptop computer, and use the rest of the money for a weaker laptop to use on the go. Or just get the non-laptop and wait until you have the money for the laptop.
Also I'd wait a few months, because Apple is likely to release a new Mac Pro, which would have more raw power for the same price as the iMac (since it doesn't have a high-end screen or the All-In-One form factor).
But it's hard to answer without knowing your financial situation, or even just a budget.
Carson Richardson
Get a MacBook.
Asher King
What's better for FM? The new DX7 V by Arturia or FM8? I've got FM8 at the moment but fuck it sounds outdated.
Nolan Jenkins
Latest version of Sytrus is probably the best FM synth out there.
Henry Russell
>it sounds outdated You mean the presets?
Justin Foster
God what an idiot. How can he know about this and not about using the multiband compressor? How can he not know about the crossover peaks that he'll get be doing this shit?
Elijah Clark
How the fuck did you do this man it sound amazing.
James Hall
nice monitors, a macbook pro, a basic mixer, a nice condenser mic, a better audio interface, a compressor, some vintage analog polysynth, a more modern polysynth and perhaps a modular rig, thousand dollar cans, a nasty distortion pedal, and non-pirated copies of ableton 10, reaktor and max/msp. like that other user said i'd sell everything else i have if i could move out in the countryside to make music. i'd love a cabin somewhere snowy. this might not be for everyone but i'm starting to move towards sample and patch collecting before i start composing. it's nice to have your own library of sounds (bass, leads, pads, transitions, percussive samples, granular clouds, glitch machines, etc) to choose from and then treat the composition writing process separately, maybe even writing most of the parts only with basic piano/string sounds.
Matthew Clark
The multiband compressor ruins the sound as well.
The correct way is to do what the guy in the video did, but on the second chain, instead of turing the HPF into a LPF, you have to group the EQ8 into a nested Audio Effect Rack, and make a new chain in that rack with a Utility flipping the polarity (so it phase-cancels with the HPF, effectively creating a LPF that lets through exactly what's attenuated by the first HPF).
This way it's completely transparent and doesn't affect the sound at all, except for what you do to it afterwards.
Most of the time it doesn't really make a difference, but some times you might need to phase-invert the whole rack, and this is the only way it will properly show you the difference, because the phase will be exactly the same. Also, it's a small improvement that, summed with all the other small improvements, will ultimately make your song sound more polished.
Ian Russell
For the inflated price of the fagbook you can get a riced out win laptop that can kick the ass of that hipster pos.
David Ortiz
>How long ago was this? Back in the 90’s
>fairly new NS10’s Ok less than a year old NS10’s
Logan White
What exactly is he fucking up?
Ryan Turner
He's splitting the signal using two opposing filters, which create a difference in volume around the cross-over point and alter the sound in an unwanted way.
Daniel Ramirez
Oh. That makes sense. So what's the way to go? Why not duplicate and mute and do his side-chain there?
Eli Rogers
I'd use a Multiband Dynamics, but the tripfag 5 posts above you says he has a better way, so maybe try that too.
>Why not duplicate and mute and do his side-chain there? What do you mean?
Justin Gomez
Reinstalling FL, should I use 10, 11, or 12?
Samuel Lee
10 beta.
Anthony Kelly
bitwig eheehehe
Cooper Powell
critique me. be mean. everyone I've showed my demos to so far hated it.
oof. too close to iglooghost. get your own sound and the idea behind this would be cool.
Ian Clark
What DAWs are similar to Reaper but better? I like Reaper's workflow but the stock plugins are fucking terrible and the whole thing is just kind of glitchy and cheap.
Adam Baker
what MIDI keyboard do you guys recommend/use? any thoughts on that? I'm thinking of getting one up to ~350 euros (for reference, that's what an Akai MPK 249 would be) I'm worried that I'll get it and then not put the work into learning how to use it properly; I've made some songs in FL Studio, mainly guitar based; I have a focusrite scarlett 2i4 and a microphone so everything else is pretty covered I'd love to be able to play some simple-ish chord on keyboards and make nice fun jingles and such
Would love comments on the mixing/production, if you feel like it comments about the song is appreciated as well.
Mason Foster
About to reach 2,000 hours on my Renoise trial version! 8,000 away until mastery and I can afford to buy it.
Christopher Hall
i'm no metal producer, and i have only been "producing"/learning for a couple of weeks, therefore i can't speak about the production/mixing. i do like the song though, makes me think of Wintersun at certain parts which i enjoy. the only thing i can point out is i feel the drums are a bit off sometimes, like at 1:39 but maybe im wrong
Asher Rivera
Congrats user. I think you’ll make it
Kayden Phillips
renoise isn't that expensive its like 80 dollars
Luke Moore
I'm experimenting with analogue recording and I''m wondering: would it be possible to use a graphic EQ guitar pedal as a regular EQ for other instuments (drums, synths, vocals, etc) or would it sound like absolute ass?
Easton Hill
I’d imagine it will sound however it sounds. It’s a 10 band eq. People have been using guitar pedals for “other instruments” for a lond time already.
Brody Sullivan
Is it worth learning ableton if I already know FL? I got a free copy of Ableton lite.
