the production thread

loopdokter

Amps I think he’s just DJing with them.

Ahh, misunderstood. Still, room correction software can help him there too.

Mad_Cyril

Ah yes. Perhaps I should have made clearer 👍

apyssjw

loopdokter Echo this to a large extent. A set of monitors you can trust I would say are essential as, and this is going to sound obvious, if you can’t hear what you are actually doing you can’t hear it. When I moved from the original set of monitors to the genelecs I have now for one thing extended the bass range I could actually hear. You don’t need to go big though, especially if you are in a small room.

The same thing happened when I upgraded my soundcard to the RME one I have now. Instantly I had more range.

That said I do most of my production these days on my headphones as we live in a terraced house and it’s really unsociable to womp up the sounds. I did spend a stupid amount on headphones though to compensate for this… Plan to build a garden studio but umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether we’d be better served converting the loft (or paying down the mortgage…!) - and whether it would instantly be robbed!

303abuser

Mad_Cyril here’s my confusion, and i promise i’m not trying to be an ass, why can’t you hear the bass?

the way i see it, there are a few possibilities. your headphones aren’t working properly, there’s a physical issue with your ears/perception, or you have to spend more time training your ears. i’m betting on training your ears as i can’t imagine how those cans aren’t putting out enough bass, given they’re massively skewed that way. if they’re loud enough for a club, you shouldn’t have a problem with them at home.

if it comes down to it and you just don’t like them, the best thing to do is go down to a shop and spend some time trying out various brands to see which one you like best. assuming there are shops left after covid, of course.

Mad_Cyril

303abuser
Been trying to focus solely on hearing the bass today.

You’ll be surprised to know its definitely there.

You’re probably right about the training 👍

303abuser

Mad_Cyril active listening is a real skill. try to focus on picking out specific, individual sounds … could be the kick, hats, a tom, whatever and try to shift your focus from one to another once you have it isolated. i will warn you that once you get good at it, passive listening requires a bit of effort where it didn’t before, but the active skill is really useful. and way cheaper than buying new cans.

303abuser

free bass amp plugin, code is AMPEG-FOR-FREE.

https://www.plugin-alliance.com/en/products/ampeg_svtvr_classic.html

303abuser

1 gb of free bastl samples, not sure how long this will be up (it’s an official link from bastl)

http://bit.ly/2M97cvC

edit: i can’t get the rar file to unpack, not sure if it’s me or an issue with the download

apyssjw

303abuser Have downloaded ()thanks) - it’s unpacked fine for me. Maybe try it again if you haven’t already).

303abuser

apyssjw i’ve dl’ed it 5 times, doesn’t work for me. what software did you use to unpack it? i tried stuffit (i’ve used it for years just fine) and keep getting errors.

ArchimedesQ

303abuser worked fine for me - unpacked with Breezip

303abuser

ArchimedesQ thanks, i think it’s the download file. i’ve tried 3 different expanders, they all give me an error message.

edit: tried on a different machine and it works perfectly, no idea what the issue was

Dubman

Unbroken1

Dubman …interface is wild, terrific design

303abuser

Dubman not sure if it’s just the patches in the video, but it sounds really digital, which i don’t love. that interface is pretty cool, nice to see companies innovating, though i’m not sure how many they’ll sell at that price point.

Unbroken1

hugopal

Unbroken1 the earlier demos from a couple of years ago seemed a bit off in parts, but it now sounds pretty mint.

Unbroken1

…yeah, actually think all the delays will pay-off with this, looks tight

ArchimedesQ

So, as per usual I have done things completely arse about face and bought myself Ableton, spent wads of cash on Serum, Pigments and a host of FabFilter plug ins and realised (again) that I really need to learn the basics before I confuse the shite out of myself!! - Can anyone suggest a decent course for a beginner that goes through Ableton in a methodical matter. I have learned to my cost over the years that a scattergun approach rarely works for me so watching random You Tube video’s probably isn’t gonna cut it, at least at this point. Any guidance or advice is appreciated and please, don’t make the mistake of crediting me with any knowledge whatsoever. total novice and never owned a DAW before.

303abuser

ArchimedesQ what do you want out of making music? is it a hobby, something to keep you mind busy while doing something you enjoy? if you’re looking to become as good as possible as quickly as possible, i’m sure there are courses that are helpful. if it’s just for yourself, enjoy the learning curve, to me that’s half the reason to do it.

as someone who started out in this exact position (minus all the plugins) a few years ago, here’s my advice (and take it for what it is, i don’t know anything outside my own experience).

first, learn ableton and don’t spend any more money on plugins. every time you buy something, you have to learn a new tool and ableton itself is unimaginably deep. read the manual, watch a tutorial on something specific when you get stuck, and immediately try to apply what you just learned to ingrain it. rinse and repeat. you can try things like loading a track you like into ableton and break it down to see how it’s arranged, where the instruments sit in the mix, timing, transitions, etc.

second, and even though it’s going to be complete garbage at the start, aim to finish every song you start. even if the ideas are bad, you need to build that muscle and you’re learning the process of making music. you’ll get stuck a million times and each time you’ll learn a new technique and you’ll get better. as far as i can tell, that process never ends.

try starting with a simple goal, like making a kick, hat, & snare groove. then add a lead sound, then a bass sound, etc. the best way to learn is by doing. on days where you maybe feel like making music, but things aren’t working and you’re frustrated, do some house keeping instead. make templates, organize samples, mess around with sound design for a couple of hours and just have fun with it.

bottom line is that you’re at the bottom of a mountain and there’s no way around just digging in. if taking a course helps you, go for it, but it’s not necessary. my experience with whatever new stuff i’m trying to learn, i do best with a quick intro to a tool, mess around with it for a month or two and figure out the basics, then dig into a detailed tutorial. i find things click better that way, ymmv.

sorry for rambling, i don’t think i really answered your question, but that’s my experience starting from that same spot.

ArchimedesQ

303abuser Nah, that’s really helpful. I really do understand that it’s not an overnight thing - I experienced the same thing when I first picked up a guitar, albeit a guitar is way simpler. I shall plod along. Really good idea to finish every track as I already have a couple of unfinished projects. I appreciate your advice mate.

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