Music Production

[eastynh]

Can't seem to see a thread on similar lines so hopefully you don't mind me making one.

I have started to get into messing about with making tunes. It is fair to say I am an absolute novice. After getting some advice I am using Ableton.

Does anyone else produce their own music?  What equipment do you use? Have you got any tricks or tips to share?

Any help or advice you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

[stuartbert two hats]

Are you based in Manchester? There is a meetup group of Music producerrs there. I can give you the link if you like?

[stuartbert two hats]

I've got a production/engineering tip about  EQ - don't keep boosting every part to get it to stand out in the mix. That way you'll just end up with everything set to 11. Instead work on *cutting* frequencies from other parts that are conflicting.  Once you've taken that as far as you can reasonably go, then by all means boost, but you'll usually end up with a less muddy mix and you'll have more options.  

Hope that makes sense.

Edited March 6, 2016 by stuartbert two hats

[eastynh]

10 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Are you based in Manchester? There is a meetup group of Music producerrs there. I can give you the link if you like?

You gave me the details of that late last year. Do you go to these meet ups?  With being an absolute novice I would be a bit apprehensive about just turning up

10 hours ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I've got a purifying/engineering tip about  EQ - don't keep boosting every part to get it to stand out in the mix. That way you'll just end up with everything set to 11. Instead work on *cutting* frequencies from other parts that are conflicting.  Once you've taken that as far as you can reasonably go, then by all means boost, but you'll usually end up with a less muddy mix and you'll have more options.  

Hope that makes sense.

It makes perfect sense mate. Funnily enough I don't think I will have as many problems with the engineering side of it. I come from an electrical and electronic engineering background (qualifications and I work for a company that manufactures semiconductors).

It is the little things I am having to learn at the minute like where to put my hi hats, what button does what and general music theory. The sound engineering side of things should be a little easier for me.

1 hour ago, Scruffylovemonster said:

Is eastynh based in Manchester? I thought you were a regular round here. 

I have no idea what gave Stu that idea mate :-)

[stuartbert two hats]

Here's a non-engineering tip - study these: http://www.40drumrudiments.com/

Not necessarily that site, but look into drum rudiments and try to program some.  Then try layering them together for some interesting patterns.  Samples are great, but it's so handy to be able to program the exact beat you need for a situation.  

I don't go to those meetings anymore, I just went to the first one, not had time since.  In fact I'm not doing much music at all at the moment.  It turns out that my musical output last year was a blip almost entirely linked to taking a few weeks off work.  As soon as I got my head down working again, my creativity turned off like a tap.  It's nice to know it's likely to come back if I had the head space, but that's difficult to do with a business, wife+child to support.

Getting back to the meetups, I'm pretty sure Ableton is widely used.  But I wouldn't worry about being a novice, there was a wide range of experience across the people who attended the time I was there.  You can always post on the message board to get the lay of the land.  I'd really encourage going, it'll accelerate your learning no end, even if you did end up feeling out of your depth at first.

Also, get Computer Music magazine if only for the software downloads, although the tutorials and articles are also pretty good.  Reading Sound on Sound can also be fun, but that's more inspirational than full of directly actionable tips.

[Room to sway]

A lot of advice depends on what software you're using and what style(s) of music you're wanting to make.

If you're using Ableton Live I'm guessing you're making electronic music of some kind...?

[eastynh]

On 3/6/2016 at 9:51 PM, stuartbert two hats said:

Here's a non-engineering tip - study these: http://www.40drumrudiments.com/

Not necessarily that site, but look into drum rudiments and try to program some.  Then try layering them together for some interesting patterns.  Samples are great, but it's so handy to be able to program the exact beat you need for a situation.  

I don't go to those meetings anymore, I just went to the first one, not had time since.  In fact I'm not doing much music at all at the moment.  It turns out that my musical output last year was a blip almost entirely linked to taking a few weeks off work.  As soon as I got my head down working again, my creativity turned off like a tap.  It's nice to know it's likely to come back if I had the head space, but that's difficult to do with a business, wife+child to support.

Getting back to the meetups, I'm pretty sure Ableton is widely used.  But I wouldn't worry about being a novice, there was a wide range of experience across the people who attended the time I was there.  You can always post on the message board to get the lay of the land.  I'd really encourage going, it'll accelerate your learning no end, even if you did end up feeling out of your depth at first.

Also, get Computer Music magazine if only for the software downloads, although the tutorials and articles are also pretty good.  Reading Sound on Sound can also be fun, but that's more inspirational than full of directly actionable tips.

Cheers Stu. I will have a look into these meetings. Will be a few weeks off yet as I am in work none stop at the minute. It is the drumming I am having problems with for some reason. I will get it in the end

On 3/7/2016 at 2:55 PM, Room to sway said:

A lot of advice depends on what software you're using and what style(s) of music you're wanting to make.

If you're using Ableton Live I'm guessing you're making electronic music of some kind...?

I want to make electro pop type stuff mate (New Order, Depeche Mode, Human League)

At the minute I am just getting my head round everything and not making much progress.

[Room to sway]

7 hours ago, eastynh said:

I want to make electro pop type stuff mate (New Order, Depeche Mode, Human League)

At the minute I am just getting my head round everything and not making much progress.

Ah right, I haven't used Ableton but I know it's pretty popular. All I can suggest really is to watch some YouTube tutorials and playing around with it, that's how I started with Reason. Give yourself time to learn the absolute basics.

Do you have any physical controllers? Like a keyboard and/or a launchpad of some kind? Cos trying to do this with just a computer keyboard will likely drive you insane.

[WS_Jack_III]

Fellow Ableton user here. I've recently started making my own electronic tunes. Also use it for Deejaying.

Edited March 14, 2016 by WS_Jack_III
Mistake

[WS_Jack_III]

A few good youtube channels i have come across:

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_MRIcjqu5LDh7A6--hOWQ - Ableton Liveschool

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5i1oUMFiBV6W4fu4CjXXAA - Music Pro Tutorials

https://www.youtube.com/user/SonicAcademy/videos - Sonic Academy 

https://www.youtube.com/user/WavestrikeIDM/videos - Wavestrike Electronics

[stuartbert two hats]

1 hour ago, WS_Jack_III said:

Fellow Ableton user here. I've recently started making my own electronic tunes. Also use it for Deejaying.

Any on-line?

[WS_Jack_III]

27 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

Any on-line?

I have some mixes and a track online yeah. I've avoided posting on here for fear of being called a spammer. I can link them though if you like?

[stuartbert two hats]

I think if you have 4694 posts and it's a music production thread, you can probably get away with it,  

[WS_Jack_III]

2 minutes ago, stuartbert two hats said:

I think if you have 4694 posts and it's a music production thread, you can probably get away with it,  

That is a track I recently made, I was fortunate enough to have it played on BBC Tees and BBC York & North Yorkshire which in turn lead people to my soundcloud and increased the play count by something like 80 plays.

 

I actually used a sample breakbeat that comes with ableton and I believe the bass is the same case, though I applied a few effects to it.

To be honest, the track needs a better mix down (hence the demo tag) but i'm fairly happy with it as a first go. 

I have another track very close to being done, more in a house style. I'm aiming to release an E.P. this year.

 

https://www.mixcloud.com/Nashville_Electro_Service/just-press-play-3/

 

One of my "Just Press Play" mixes is on Mixcloud, I need to re-upload the previous two. I find Ableton brilliant to DJ with, even if it is considered "Cheating" by the purists, it was a great way for me to get into it. Gives you lots of creative freedom. 

 

Please bare in mind all this was created within my first year of properly doing this. I have a degree in Music Technology but it took me years to finally buy all the kit. 

 

Could post some pics of my set up if you'd like?

 

Also i'm sure they'll be someone around here better qualified.

[eastynh]

 

13 hours ago, Room to sway said:

Ah right, I haven't used Ableton but I know it's pretty popular. All I can suggest really is to watch some YouTube tutorials and playing around with it, that's how I started with Reason. Give yourself time to learn the absolute basics.

Do you have any physical controllers? Like a keyboard and/or a launchpad of some kind? Cos trying to do this with just a computer keyboard will likely drive you insane.

I am in no rush mate. It is slowly slowly at the minute. I have a Novation impulse Midi controller. Murder trying to learn how to use that nevermind anything else :-)

7 hours ago, WS_Jack_III said:

A few good youtube channels i have come across:

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0_MRIcjqu5LDh7A6--hOWQ - Ableton Liveschool

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5i1oUMFiBV6W4fu4CjXXAA - Music Pro Tutorials

https://www.youtube.com/user/SonicAcademy/videos - Sonic Academy 

https://www.youtube.com/user/WavestrikeIDM/videos - Wavestrike Electronics

Cheers mate, will have a ganders on my days off

5 hours ago, WS_Jack_III said:

That is a track I recently made, I was fortunate enough to have it played on BBC Tees and BBC York & North Yorkshire which in turn lead people to my soundcloud and increased the play count by something like 80 plays.

 

I actually used a sample breakbeat that comes with ableton and I believe the bass is the same case, though I applied a few effects to it.

To be honest, the track needs a better mix down (hence the demo tag) but i'm fairly happy with it as a first go. 

I have another track very close to being done, more in a house style. I'm aiming to release an E.P. this year.

 

https://www.mixcloud.com/Nashville_Electro_Service/just-press-play-3/

 

One of my "Just Press Play" mixes is on Mixcloud, I need to re-upload the previous two. I find Ableton brilliant to DJ with, even if it is considered "Cheating" by the purists, it was a great way for me to get into it. Gives you lots of creative freedom. 

 

Please bare in mind all this was created within my first year of properly doing this. I have a degree in Music Technology but it took me years to finally buy all the kit. 

 

Could post some pics of my set up if you'd like?

 

Also i'm sure they'll be someone around here better qualified.

Spam the thread with all your productions mate and please post a pic of your set up. Will post mine later on my lunch.

In regards to using Ableton for djing, I would like to give it ago. I am torn over the midi and analog debate. As someone with more than a passing interest in electrical engineering, I love the advances in technology and the new found creative capabilities. That is tempered by the fact using midi controllers or software is absolutely nowhere near as enjoyable as using Vinyl. I feel sorry for kids now who will in all probability never experience the buzz of nailing a mix using vinyl.

[WS_Jack_III]

1 hour ago, eastynh said:

 

I am in no rush mate. It is slowly slowly at the minute. I have a Novation impulse Midi controller. Murder trying to learn how to use that nevermind anything else :-)

Cheers mate, will have a ganders on my days off

Spam the thread with all your productions mate and please post a pic of your set up. Will post mine later on my lunch.

In regards to using Ableton for djing, I would like to give it ago. I am torn over the midi and analog debate. As someone with more than a passing interest in electrical engineering, I love the advances in technology and the new found creative capabilities. That is tempered by the fact using midi controllers or software is absolutely nowhere near as enjoyable as using Vinyl. I feel sorry for kids now who will in all probability never experience the buzz of nailing a mix using vinyl.

i'd like to give vinyl a go at some point but I can't get my head around how mixing funk record with an electronic would work on vinyl, whereas in Ableton I can correct all the beats in the funk records where the band speed up or slow down so that it is always in time.

 

There certainly is a lot of handholding going on but I put a lot of work into it all beforehand. 

 

I've got a gig on Friday, i'll try get some snaps then. Might have some kicking around on my phone already.

[eastynh]

1 hour ago, WS_Jack_III said:

i'd like to give vinyl a go at some point but I can't get my head around how mixing funk record with an electronic would work on vinyl, whereas in Ableton I can correct all the beats in the funk records where the band speed up or slow down so that it is always in time.

 

There certainly is a lot of handholding going on but I put a lot of work into it all beforehand. 

 

I've got a gig on Friday, i'll try get some snaps then. Might have some kicking around on my phone already.

You speed the record up with your fingers when it goes out of time. It is a dying art now spinning vinyl. To be honest people get confused about what a dj's role actually is. A dj is there to entertain a crowd, it does not matter what media he/she uses to entertain, it does not even matter if they actually mix. All that is important is the crowds reaction. I remember the days when anyone using cdj's was looked down upon, nevermind midi controllers and a laptop. The old saying you are not a proper dj if you don't mix on vinyl. Thats a load of bollocks imo. I would rather hear a dj using a laptop and playing quality tunes than listen to a dj playing shit tunes on vinyl. 

For the record I wired my decks up for the 1st time in 12 months the other day and I am afraid to say that I was utterly woeful. it was nice hearing some of them tunes again though.

As for gigs, my dj'ing days are well and truly over. I walked out half way through a set at my mates bar last year. It went down like a lead balloon. If something stops being fun then there is no point in carrying on. I had a right good doo though for 10-15 years

[WS_Jack_III]

Yeah that has been my reply to a few people, ultimately it's reading the room and picking the right songs.

[eastynh]

9 hours ago, WS_Jack_III said:

That is a track I recently made, I was fortunate enough to have it played on BBC Tees and BBC York & North Yorkshire which in turn lead people to my soundcloud and increased the play count by something like 80 plays.

 

I actually used a sample breakbeat that comes with ableton and I believe the bass is the same case, though I applied a few effects to it.

To be honest, the track needs a better mix down (hence the demo tag) but i'm fairly happy with it as a first go. 

I have another track very close to being done, more in a house style. I'm aiming to release an E.P. this year.

 

https://www.mixcloud.com/Nashville_Electro_Service/just-press-play-3/

 

One of my "Just Press Play" mixes is on Mixcloud, I need to re-upload the previous two. I find Ableton brilliant to DJ with, even if it is considered "Cheating" by the purists, it was a great way for me to get into it. Gives you lots of creative freedom. 

 

Please bare in mind all this was created within my first year of properly doing this. I have a degree in Music Technology but it took me years to finally buy all the kit. 

 

Could post some pics of my set up if you'd like?

 

Also i'm sure they'll be someone around here better qualified.

From the bold parts, if i was a betting man then I would say you are the best qualified 

[WS_Jack_III]

12 minutes ago, eastynh said:

From the bold parts, if i was a betting man then I would say you are the best qualified 

I've had to re-learn a lot of stuff and I continue to learn every week (I'm sure that's the case for everyone)

 

And what i meant was, they'll be someone on here who's done it to a more professional level, I've just got my degree and one track on Soundcloud but as I say, I do hope to have an E.P. out this year.

[WS_Jack_III]

I got one of these:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/gn8gGegZQG/?taken-by=wsjack3

[eastynh]

2 hours ago, WS_Jack_III said:

I got one of these:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/gn8gGegZQG/?taken-by=wsjack3

Is that like The Push? I have a Maschine which I have hardly touched as I was trying to learn too many things at the same time. I am thinking about getting a push and a smaller keyboard. To be honest though, I probably need to start making a bit more progress before I continue buying equipment.

[windy_miller]

I used to use Ableton for creating mashups/bootlegs, and Reason for creating songs from scratch.  Before that it was Fruity Loops, and going back even further OctaMED on the Amiga.  Haven't done any for a few years now though.

[WS_Jack_III]

9 hours ago, eastynh said:

Is that like The Push? I have a Maschine which I have hardly touched as I was trying to learn too many things at the same time. I am thinking about getting a push and a smaller keyboard. To be honest though, I probably need to start making a bit more progress before I continue buying equipment.

Think it's similar. I love my APC40, it's especially great for deejaying but i have used it in some live shows too.

[WS_Jack_III]

Been a while.

 

Got this on BBC Tees this past weekend

Finishing up my EP.