Previous /prod/ thread: - GIVE feedback and RECEIVE feedback. Upload WIPs on clyp.it/
>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
>is this boring? >is the birdsong too loud? >should i sprinkle some percussive flourishes throughout the track? >maybe more ornamental elements in general? >do you like the mix? tanks frens
It’s nice, early hear stuff like this in /prod/. Birds sound ok, could be quieter but seen as there aren’t that many loud features to the song (birds and swirly pad) I’d probably leave as is. It no doubt will be boring to some people but I was happy to listen all the way through no problem. You could definitely add some more texture or percussive stuff if you wanted...or not it’s your song. I’ve given you a follow if that means anything. Will check through your stuff later if it is public
Caleb Hughes
Looking for a bit more feedback on my latest track
>scroll through catalog >see homoerotic image >it's /prod/ of course
Dominic Wood
it's like listening to you repeatedly practicing the same scale for 4 minutes with drum beats layered on top.. decently produced but i'm not so sure about the melodycraft here.
ebbs and flows rather nicely and the birdsong complements the pads pretty naturally and you do a good job of sequencing it.. never feels overwhelming or kitschy and always seems to balance out the synths. i thought you were nuts pointing me to a 12 minute song but i'm going to check out the rest of your tunes once this one's done.
i really dig those faint deepchord-esque stabs that properly settle in at the midpoint of this track. imo you don't need any more percussive flourishes than those and there was plenty to hold my attention without any additional ornamentation but if you do come up with another mix that has more of those i would listen to it and let you know which i like more
>If you’re developing the next mobile hit, or an upcoming console blockbuster, make FMOD your secret weapon for outstanding game audio. It’s easy as 1, 2, 3. >secret weapon
I think this is a great beat, well produced, and i actually disagree with i think you have enough melodic variation, though generally i think a little more movement in textures could help (or just the addition of vox, if that's the intention). one major thing that would help with is to better mix the low end. your bass is pretty much squashed out of the mix by your kick. cut the sub range from your kick and lower the overall kick level a bit, and boost the lows a tiny bit on the bass, and add stronger sidechain compression on it (obviously trig'd by kick). the two are competing too much right now and the bass is losing. nice not something i'm normally into, but actually really well done. I think some of the delayed synth elements are a little lopsided EQ wise, but could be a bit much resonance on a filter. i haven't referenced this on monitors, so i wouldn't take that point all too seriously.
very high level of noise, either you're over-compressing something in the background (this seems less likely) or your recording equipment isn't that great. i normally think some gentle noise is okay, but it's not flattering here. mix seems overall okay, and the master sounds pretty good! i think there are a few moments where the vocal delivery vaguely drifts from the guitar playing but it's overall a good job!
Zachary Wright
i'm serious, not trolling.
>eq taking 1db on excessive midrange >short room reverb 10% wet >analog mixbussard and 15% expander/exciter >multiband compression up to 2db 70% wet >analog compressor parallell >master tape on the end of chain to emulate printing to tape >limiter
thank you do you know how i can find if the big noise source is the mic or the onboard soundcard or the adapter
Joshua Nelson
I know you started the thread, sorry you could try doing a trap thread at r9k
Joshua Clark
get rid of the tape thing at the end desu and definitely minimize noise is you're going to be doing much compression. i think the EQing might need to be a little more thorough, again, especially if you're going to be compressing the acoustic guitar it's winding up gently lopsided. try sending the reverb instead of inserting it at 10% parallel compression is just absolutely not necessary when your two elements are vox and guitar, it's much more useful for something with a wider variety of instrumentation
Wyatt Long
>get rid of the tape thing at the end desu why >definitely minimize noise is you're going to be doing much compression i did use a noise remover >i think the EQing might need to be a little more thorough cool. how? >try sending the reverb instead of inserting it at 10% what would change >parallel compression is just absolutely not necessary when your two elements are vox and guitar, it's much more useful for something with a wider variety of instrumentation i guessed that lol but its an analog one, it changes tone
Landon Roberts
Gonna be recording acoustic guitar soon. any tips user?
>clyp.it/4cg15tdk You shouldn't even be here. Your production is super clean and your songwriting is a-okay. Sounds like a Kevin Gates type beat. Trap is so trendy and generic and I'm not a fan most of the time but you're one of those producers who doesn't just shit out trap beats and actually puts in effort. Basically any criticism you're gonna get is probably gonna be shit and negative and just lower your confidence. You're doing great. The one thing I would say is that if this for like a beat to sell it's perfect, but if this is your own music maybe try to get more of your own creative voice in there, just in order to stand out a bit more.
>why because it's not really adding anything except noise >used noise remover well it clearly didn't work for you in this track. can't really help with how to remove noise other than potentially re-tracking if it's an issue in the recording chain. >EQing lower mids seems a bit big. something is lopsided. >what would send change v insert really dude? people are complaining you're over processing - im not sure i entirely agree, but it would be worthwhile trying out using the send-processing. then you have dry recordings and fully wet ones and you can much more accurately figure out the levels of each relative to the other without screwing up other parts of the mix. you'll just have more control and a cleaner result than you would get with a simple dry/wet. >analog i mean sure there's a tone change but don't buy into the hype all too much. uh need more information. what kind of playing what kind of mic, what kind of recording environment etc. agree with this but still stand by my low-end recommendations from - with that issue sorted, this is a great production and better than much of the stuff usually delivered in /prod/
Juan Ward
build good percussion kits and get better at building effective patterns. experiment a lot with different effects chains on pads - reverb, distortion, compression - this will help with the doomy atmospheres. taking fairly basic starting textures and experimenting with various combinations of effects.
also good mixing.
Connor Thompson
>because it's not really adding anything except noise it is not adding tape hiss. if anything, its cutting a bit of the high end and the noise goes with it >well it clearly didn't work for you in this track. yes it was worse without it >lower mids seems a bit big. something is lopsided. thanks. what is lopsided? >then you have dry recordings and fully wet ones and you can much more accurately figure out the levels of each relative to the other so its just matter of leveling, i can level just fine with a wet knob. >i mean sure there's a tone change but don't buy into the hype all too much. it opens the sound a bit
>worse without it fair, i can't speak to that. but whatever else is going on is really drawing the noise out, and it's probably all the different compressors you have going. so the noise is clearly added at some point earlier in the recording. the compression isn't all that necessary on the guitar but it's definitely making the noise worse. this is REALLY clear when comparing the mastered to the unmastered version. the noise ducks up and down in the mastered version because of the compressors. consider either making the compressors do less work or removing them altogether.
>opens up the sound like as a spectral thing or as a spacial thing? that doesnt really... mean much?
honestly most of this is nitpicking for the sake of it more than really useful at this point. it doesn't sound bad as it is, and overall is bretty good, but some of the earlier minor edits could totally be helpful but you'd probably best be served by just re-recording the vox and having them correspond a little more tightly to the guitar playing than fussing about some processing bullshit
Sebastian Hill
something not very good desu. the stuttering isn't v good and the grumbly bass sounds are kinda flabby. consider adding more weight to the low end and/or layering with a more defined, tighter bass sound. neat little ditty
Blake Clark
wtf compression is necessary >like as a spectral thing or as a spacial thing? that doesnt really... mean much? both. i cant find a better way to describe it lol
ok thanks lets leave this mix as it is. it was good practice did you like the bass? fun fact theres reverb on it.
how can i arrange this /prod/ atm theres some church organ and ebic trumpets, the acoustic guitars obviously and bass guitar, and there will be overdriven guitars. i was thinking of some classical piano or synth clyp.it/nftz5lzs
Henry Young
don't big boy daws have greater functionality
Hunter Foster
thanks for the feedback lads, i'll see what i can do with textures and percussive elements. i appreciate the follows too but i've only been at this for like 6 months and i'm still in my experimental stage, so i doubt you'll find anything on my clyp that's really worth listening to. it's mostly just sketches, experiments and synth wankery this is definitely the sound that i'll be going with though, it just needs some further refining to make it stand out from the typical ambient crowd. once i have an LP length project worth releasing i'll put it up on my soundcloud (which i've linked on my clyp)
Angel Hill
My '80s DCO synth is out of tune with my DAW. wat do
the synth doesn't have a manual tuning knob? what about digital tuning in the synth OS?
Ethan James
ableton is a big boy daw. choosing a daw is more about the workflow and how well it facilitates the kind of music you're trying to make. ableton's good for audio/sample chopping and sound design fuckery, but its recording and arrangement capabilities could be better. and the piano roll could be less fidgety on the other end of the stick, logic is really good at recording, midi and arrangement but working with audio and samples takes a back seat. the piano roll is fuckin top notch though
Henry Lopez
fast music =/= complex music =/= good music
Liam Lopez
I feel like ableton is best for arranging in realtime in session view while recording the results into arrangement view. Agree that using ableton primarily as a linear based arranger has its issues, other Daws handle this aspect better.
Nicholas Perez
i used to think daws oriented to midi were also the ones good at sampling? i.e. electronic music daws i.e. ableton flstudio and acid pro
Cooper Harris
It tried changing the tuning in the synth OS and it doesn't seem to change anything.
>i doubt you'll find anything on my clyp that's really worth listening to. it's mostly just sketches, experiments and synth wankery That’s ok all I ever upload is sketches, loops and wankery.
Levi Roberts
actually that is true, ignore what i said about logic's midi, i really just meant the piano roll. i much prefer ableton's midi editing either way, if only for the fact that you have the ability to quantize notes in terms of percentages and not just a quantized/not quantized state. it allows it to retain that human element while still being mostly on time
yeah and i think clyp is good for that, while i plan to use bandcamp/sc for finished and ready material. i wouldn't like having random throwaway bleeps and bloops next to my real releases, it not only ruins that "professional" image but also means that fans have to dig through the crap to find anything worth listening to. some musicians and fans will disagree with me though, on the grounds that they want the artist's development and progress to be visible, and i can dig that. but it acts as more of a musical autobiography than a platform for releases
Isaiah Evans
Guys first of all i want to thank you. These productions threads are 80% the reason why Sup Forums is still good. My computer got stolen recently and all the images of great, production advice is lost. Anyone care to post their images of essential techniques and tips regarding mixing and mastering? Mastering recipes? Panning habits? EQ and compression techniques etc. I'll start off:
>Mono everything under 100 Hz (Utility) >Always subtractive EQ before attempting anything else >Go light on compression unless you're going for that Death Grips sound >Haas effect: Grab a delay, make left and right signal deviate by a few ms. Widens up sound. >Don't underestimate saturation.
What happens if you record a track a little too hot into your DAW, like peaking just under 0db?
I've got a couple of guitar tracks that I stupidly recorded for my album a little too hot, I wonder if I kept them, would there be any real damage by the time it's mixed and mastered?
If almost all the other tracks are fine?
Juan Campbell
theorylet here. can a chord progression go from major to minor like example? I can't figure out what scale it might be in, it seems to change. What are the rules regarding this? example: clyp.it/5y0hfqte
If individual recorded tracks are under 0db they're not clipping, so you're not losing information in the source files - you just need to keep an eye on the gain you add via channel inserts so you're not clipping any inserted devices (unless intentional) before you send each track to the mix bus. Floating-point calculation in modern DAWs mitigates the effect of exceeding 0db while summing so as long as you keep your master output sensible you'll be ok regardless, but it's still good practice to keep each channel within limits too, especially if you use any outboard hardware or when you're using analogue mixing consoles.
Gavin Kelly
this is the most horrifying image i've ever seen
Joshua Diaz
it only clips digital when i reaches 0db if it peaks at -0.1 it's just as good
Elijah Hill
Okay thank you for this. It seems like there's a ton of misinformation out there i.e. "if you aren't recording at -18dbfs you're doing it wrong". I have literally been confused on this for song long because I read the meter and it's not fucking clipping so what is the point of this advice. I've heard from a pro mixer that it's incorrect and to just try to keep it around -6 or so. Mostly because recording too soft will boost the noise floor is what he said
Angel Sullivan
This is a very conventional ii-V7-I progression. All of the chords (Em, A7, DMaj) come from the D major scale. Ultimately, if it sounds good, don't worry about it. The theory can help you get there faster though.
Adrian Nguyen
hi /prod/ I'm an animation student, currently looking for a musician to write and perform a piece of music for my end-of-year movie the film will be about 1 minute long, and so will the song Obviously this will be paid, but keep in mind I'm just a student so the pay won't be out of this world. I'm always open to discussion on this topic Ithink I'm looking for something that'll start off as calm synthwave and then become edgy breakcore but I'm really not sure, feel free to apply even if these two genres aren't your cup of tea if you're interested, hit me up at this throwaway e-mail: (I'll post it if you ask for it but right now my message counts as spam if I put it in) or right here here's a sample of my work so you know I'm serious about it: youtu.be/y-RHumXRqhA thanks for reading
Thomas White
post example of music and email i have experience on producing real instruments guitar music and am getting into electronic/synth stuff
Jaxson Bailey
I’m going to a house music concert soon, what’s a good brand of ear plugs I can buy to make my ears die more slowly?
Caleb Moore
heros
Sebastian Wright
A lot of it stems from where people have learned their shit (some audio engineering courses will have tutors who specify a single method to accomplish something, usually to reduce the amount of questions they go on to receive from students) and at which stage of digital recording evolution they started out - yeah -18db (that's 1/8th of a 0db signal's level) makes no sense at all for a recorded source file in a modern DAW and if you're using hardware channel inserts or mixing consoles you'll add loads of noise from these devices if you use make-up gain later in the chain.
Older DAWs, maybe keep your channel levels lower to reduce the risk of clipping when the channels are summed - this is probably where the -18db thinking (and other arbitrary low limits used by people) originated and it has stuck with them, instead of evolving with the technology.
Justin Lewis
prod I'm needing to know where you guys look for samples. Probably everywhere. I'm very willing to cut and clip my own but I have no idea where to look for what I'm looking to sample. Basically tribal vocals and chant type things if there was a youtube channel or really any resource I could go through and rip these from that would be great. I do not have any knowledge of that type of music or where to find it. This is a non-commercial project for a class so fuck copy rights right now
Brody Thomas
uh something that goes from perturbator-venger to machinegirl-ginger claps basically or something much better, feel free to improve upon my ideas. I want an artist, not an hired gun my e-mail is grygdesign(at)yahoo(dot)com
Hunter Robinson
dude there's probably an album (or hundreds) out there that have nothing but tribal chanting of different styles and regions. look for any high quality lossless releases, pirate them on soulseek if you can (or just buy them) and go nuts. i'm literally doing the same thing but with birdsong, rain and other nature shit. i found a site that sells ambient field recordings of rainforests, deserts, lakes etc. and it's more material than i'd ever be able to use in my entire career
is it ok to record metal in ableton? any live users here who recorded rock acts?
Luke Cook
also don't bother with ripping audio from youtube, the sound quality is piss poor and will limit your productivity. freesounds.org is a good resource if you're just looking for a big library of samples
Jack Ward
why don't you use a daw that is actually aimed at recording audio like protools or cubase
Jeremiah Sanchez
I'll probably have to do that >don't bother with ripping audio from youtube I know its bad idea. Mainly I was hoping for a channel I could listen to shit before I try pirating it in decent quality >freesounds.org Is that website still up? I get a domain for sale thing
Kevin Clark
I recorded a metal track with friends in fl studio 7 im sure you can do it in current version of live no problem
James Gomez
because I have live, don't wanna get any of those
Caleb Moore
nvm just needed the right url
Camden Brown
I've done it
I've found it's best to track everything as clips into session mode. That way each clip can represent a different 'take'. Then take your best takes and drop them into arrangement view.
Angel Ward
Holy shit ableton is the most overly complicated raw in the world. Everything that isn't live recording should be done on fl
Hudson Taylor
pretty cool I think it's possible to use Live during rehearsals to sketch compositions, with its session view
Grayson Foster
what are you trying to do
Michael Russell
That’s because FL is the only DAW that doesn’t follow industry standard opporating procedures in terms of MIDI/device/mix routing. All other DAWs share this commonality, you just happen to be taught different ways to do everything because it’s literally a daw meant for beginners to digest
Jordan Peterson
...
Henry Torres
That's how I do it too, haven't used Cubase in ages. I also use Legato Launch Mode with each take/clip so I can do rudimentary comping - each legato clip will play from the same position as the previous one left off at (instead of always starting at the beginning of the clip when launched) so I hit record and play the clips containing the parts I want to use, then fine-tune in Arrangement View afterwards.
Joseph Kelly
FL is perfect for producing hip hop, the midi editing is fast and smooth, programming drums is a pain in other daws compared to FL hip hop producers also need to make lots of beats typically so having a daw that isn't a pain in the ass helps a lot
John Anderson
I'm working on a concept ep, and i'm trying to get in contact with any artist from the Hampton Roads Area aka 757. Trying to make 7 beats that emulate the vibe of the 7 different cities.
Owen Collins
Getting the intro version of Ableton to make basic hip-hop and shit. Thought?
>go to local hip hop events >designate the people who have connections >get to know these people >let them hear your tracks this is how I did it but I'm a yuropoor
Justin Lee
here. Do you guys think it's worth sending my synth in to a technician.
Anthony Campbell
yeah, if the tuner in the OS isnt working that probably means the DCO needs repair
what synth is it though? synth repair typically starts around around $200, and that's just to have them asses the issue.
