Nicholestien
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Posts posted by Nicholestien
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piracy is wrong in my opinon, but when it comes to music and such, nah, not really, just the way I see it. I mean, how the hell does one go from making music, to making money off of music? I just don't understand that logic. is it because you want to make a living doing what you've always loved to do? So I take it you completely forgot about everyone else when you choose to be a musician for a living? pretty pointless living, I see no reason as to why you can't make this software without having to be payed for it.
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Taucher, you don't happen to be some dude who wrote a book do you? >_>
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yeah, i know exactly what your talking about.I'm new here and to mastering audio, and I'm really bad at it, but I think I have a good tidbit of advice.When making a song, I listen to it over and over for hours and start to get too used to it, making it harder for me to be more discerning. When it comes to mastering, I missed a lot of parts that I simply just got too used too. I found that an easy way to get a fresher look on things is to turn my headphones around backwards. It reverses all the panning and the song sounds familiar but new. Peculiarities jump out immediately. Of course, the best way to prevent fatigue is to take breaks and work on it in smaller chunks of time, but sometimes that's not an option.
I hope that helps.
here are some tips to get around it.
1.) Mute all the instruments, take a 10 minute break or so, go to an important section of the song, solo the "voice of the song", is it too loud? to soft? Adjust it till it's comfortable to your ears.
then keep bringing in instruments in the order you feel is most important, and keep adjusting the volume levels.,
but in some cases, like the kick drum, it might be to "attacking" , and not neccessairly loud.
i learnt that there is like this difference between how loud something actually is, and how loud it's tone is, or something like that. and how loud a tone might appear changes depending on your volume level, but there is DEFANANTLY, a volume where they are more balanced than the others, I believe this volume level is slightly louder than the volume your "bass" starts to cause rumble on the table, and the reason the bass is overexaggerated is because the table is rumbling.
remember to take off all the effects processing when you did this, this goes for things like EQ too. like when you solo your first instrument dry, enable to eq and compression you did on it to see if you did to much
and don't go for a balanced mix, think hard on what your original idea of the mix was, like, a nice warm mid, slightly thumpin' bass, and highs which don't sparkle, or stick out, etc.
an example of what not to do, is to make the song as balanced as possible, things just sound weird that way. like, the highs aren't sticking out, but nether or the mids, but the place inbetween them is.
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I want em all. Just link me up anywhere, preeferably free ones. :] there crazy guitars, there crazy flutes. I just listen to so much toshiro masuda i got to have my hands on them dawg. you feel?
I promise you a crappy jago remix in return!
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reading right now. Thanks for the advice.Nicholstein, you might want to read about all the different temperments... See the way we tune instruments in modern music is to make all the notes equally spaced apart. This system isn't perfect at all, it's just the most flexible in terms of being able to play in any key. For example, for a minor third to really sound best, the top note should actually be a little bit flatter than it is on a typical piano or guitar tuning. People who play instruments with more flexible pitch (wind instruments, violins, etc.) actually do adjust for this, if they know what they're doing. Point is, you may have happened upon a tuning that worked particularly well for the chord you were playing.Tell him to use pitch bends
I see myself becoming obsessed with this though, tell me, brutally honestly,
anyways
basicly it breaks down like this.
Equal temperament = the twelve-tone equal temperament = the most common tuning system.
(based on dividing an octave (logarithmically) into 12 "equal" parts. It uses 440hz as a standard pitch.) << english please. >_>
this is the one most generally used? I'm taking a wild guess because I recognize the 440hz
anyway 2.
I just want to confirm this before i even think about moving on. >_>
I read not to much of this stuff, I can already see that this isn't the way to find my "flava" in music.
i was thought the piano on my own, you know, just the simple stuff, like the scales, chords, modes, keys, arpeggios...
what i learned isn't going to understand this stuff even if my ears do right? >_>
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it sounded like a scale... it just felt like... it dosn't "finish" :S
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ok, so I've been listening closely to music and i'm finding a whole shit load of things I've never seen before, anyways, the point is, I was wondering if you could tell me if my music analisis is charect
like korn, black sabbath used tritones exclusively in one of there songs, i'll be honest, i didn't know what the hell a tritone was untill a few days ago,
now, i terras "morning theme", there is a very fast "thrill" note before the the oboe intro begins, what i'm thinking is, that this is some sort of musical technique that makes the second section "fit"
the second section is similar to korn and black sabbaths "tritones" in the respect that they just repeat over and over again, and lead into the next section, now, it dosn't feel repetitive, and it makes it all run smooth,
what the hell are these things called!? augmented then diminished over and over again?
i thought that too, sort of like the pac man theme song, and then i found a final doom song on my piano by trying to use this technique, it's located around E and F-G, I believe there is a remix on this site of it, it's called "Iron Demon"
another thing, if i were to use this technique, could i somehow play a pattern out like this...
ABAB-ABAC
using a sound similar to a tritone, something that "feels" normal repeating over and over again, and then "break" that chain and do something that will open up many musical possibilities?
I don't know to well of how this stuff works technically and i don't mean to come off as a scrub but I have no choice. >_>
i do plan on submitting the greatest remix this site has ever seen, so in order to do this, i must attain these godly skills , and then give you a taste of the nicholestien flava. ;D
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well, heres the deal, basicly, I played my guitar for a few hours out of tune, I knew it was out of tune, I can't say exactly by how many cents, infact, it was waaay out of tune.
and I only found 6 notes that sound together, which means theres something wrong i'm sure,
i was wondering how would do you go about figureing out how to use this to make music, i could use my ears to make everything in tune when i'm using reason but I don't want to risk it because I know my ears aren't precise enough.
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whoever thinks that bassline is off is retarded.
end of discussion, the bassline makes this mix magic.
like how the fuck is a peice of music that comes from gerudo valley supposed to play by the rules of western music?
makes some fucking sense for once your lives. >_>
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I don't mean drums in particular, i mean strings, i've been trying several methods but I can't seem to get it right. =/
i'm looking for something that sounds like it's playing from a turntable directly, an old fashioned one, with that "saturated" feel too. simply put, i'm looking for a sound that is similar to whatching tv with a bad signal. :}
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how would i make the progression be the start of the song? I want it to sound like it's starting, and then when the 4th part comes in, it does not give any direction as too where the song is going, instead an instrument playing above it will give the song as a whole direction.Protip 1): convert your .wav files to .mp3 files with RazorLAMEProtip 2): put all of these in one single .zip file and number them, it's a lot more convenient.
The first sound was not a single sound like the piano is; it's a layer cake of several sounds; a few of 'm are detuned to -5 or +7 semitones.
It does, but that's not a crime; better would've been an E-D-E-D B-A-B-A progression since the sound is a fifth of itself already.
And this is why theory is important, it cuts down down on the hunting and pecking.
The lazy route: Spectrasonics Atmosphere.
The busy route: start resampling.
That's not it. It sounds weird because the Egyption mp3 demos are completely dry - without any effects - and the sounds lack balance. It's like they're all trying to be equally loud. Dynamics - it's not only just plonking a compressor on something, it's also playing instruments with different volumes. Try to keep the velocities variable instead of all cranked up to 127.
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just read and fallow on, you see where i'm coming at once your about half way trough, i just need someone to put this in a much better perspective than me, but read the entire thing first,I take this pretty seriously, it is the way i make my music.
anyway, the first,
http://download.yousendit.com/EFF0FFDE2C0EB9B4
This i a simple whole note going from C3, to A2 (I think, I did this in a couple seconds. xD)
The tempo is about 70-73, the instrument thats playing it?, shit man, fuck if I knew.
anyways, heres the same exact thing, just with the instrument changed to a piano.
http://download.yousendit.com/FEE6690C43D74FF6
Same notes?, nah, the first one has a quality to it that many many "Preset and Sampled" pads and synths have, that "chill out, snowbound, surreal, dissonant yet not dissonant" feel to it.
I'm sick of using presets, i'm never satisfied, how do i make these sounds?
http://download.yousendit.com/BA773A140205FB8D
It's a single unprocessed part of the terra remix i posted some time back, only with one instrument going and no effects pan etc...
Ok, everyone tells me the 4th part sounds weird, and i'm like the only one that think it works flawless. :S, it only gives me the effect when this instrument is playing it though, I can't play certain notes that are needed to be there because that would require a new instrument all together that would interfear with it and make it sound "normal", but i don't want normal, i want what i wantz and i want it the whole way. no bad stuff.
and the last and final thing i found strange...
http://download.yousendit.com/4BEC1EDD06B7C112
i always loved this peice, so I slowed it down to show people in detail exactly what I'm likeing about it, there are alot more things i'm hearing that don't become absolutely clear unless i slow the wave file down, but you should hear it clearly when the fifth saw wave comes in, best way I can describe it is a howling sound. , yet again, just another note i cannot find on the damn keyboard!
I would LOVe to use that sound in the same style of music.There are also things I swear I heard when the file was speed up, but when i slowed it down, those sounds were not present, thankfully though, i did managed to replicate the exact sound, though, it is not in the same "rhythum", it is the EXACT sound.
http://download.yousendit.com/745070353311D6EC
It's that crazy sound, not the sound in the backround, but the most present sound.
Here is the very original file if you want to listen for refrence...
http://download.yousendit.com/CD8B25E90F3A51E4
Please tell me the things i need to know, because it's this type of stuff inspires my music the most. thats why my music sounds bizzare to alot of people because i just havn't gotten properly equipped.
that file, egyption synthetic, it seems that I'm the only one who can really listen to it for what it really is, the synths have a rhythum that isn't really there, it's hard to explain, the techno lead that comes in at the start, blends in with the 5th sawave to create a new instrument all together, and that "insanity sound" is also present, but it has a good rhythum, and the synth that is playing 4 whole notes in the backround also has a very very sexy rhythum, but nope, none of it actually exists.
I know this because the rhythum is not there anymore when i solo it. the same goes for every other instrument.the song is a good example, though, it isn't anything i would listen to because it dosn't fall into my style, so ideas don't come... ideas i like anyways.
best way i can some up egyption synthetic is that it blends things that aren't present, with things that are present, to create a whole new thing, and this just dosn't apply to single tracks, the entire song as a whole, its not like music, but something else that invokes new emotions. >_> all i have to do, is bring my mind to yours.
if i could play "my instrument", without using samples that play the same damn thing over and over and have the knowledge to take what i'm hearing inside my head and put it into real 3, I would eventually spit out something half decent for a change. I cannot complete any of my music because I don't know how to draw music.
something like that, all the songs i post do not represent the original idea, emotion, or any of that. -
Thanks a bunch yoz bro, I can't believe so many of my mixes have been rendered useless by this phase thing, i didn't realize it was doing it, and now that you told me I can hear it clear as day.
btw,
can you borrow me some of the yoozer sugar brah? My mixes an't sweet enuff'
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what is evil sounding
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Description from Reason Tutorial...
D-11 Foldback Distortion
The D-11 is a simple but effective distortion effect, capable of producing anything from just a whisper soft touch of distortion, to complete thrashing. This effect is most often used as an insert effect.
Parameters
The distortion has the following parameters:
Parameter
Description
Amount
This controls the amount of distortion. The higher the value, the more distortion.
Foldback
This adjusts the character of the distortion by introducing foldback, which makes the waveform more complex.
The default value is in the middle position. This produces a "flat" clipping distortion, which is the most common type. Lowering the parameter makes the sound rounder and more gentle, raising it makes the sound sharper and more *evil*.
wtf?
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well, i'm a huge amature at mixing but i'm almost certain that you can use reverb in a way that it isn't considered "A condiment"Okay, I read the brief mastering overview from gamedev.net linked in an earlier post, and I just want to say that it's almost all very bad advice.I'll take it part by part...
Wrong. Utterly wrong. Mixing does.
Opinionated meaninglessness. Good songs sell, quality has just become cheaper and easier to attain. Tracker music will always be awesome. And the Prodigy used Cubase and a Roland W-30. Liam was a keyboardist, and he played those beats in by hand, dammit!
More crap. There are lots of ways to ensure quality sound. Using good samples and synths is a start, but a decent microphone and a quiet room, along with a quality mic pre, is far from impossible to aqquire.
NO! You use a formant shifter!
And then you get the problem that plagues beginner mixers... way too much reverb on your song. Reverb is a condiment, and this method is like drowning a meal in ketchup. Combine this with any type of mastering compression, and it sounds unbelievably ugly. Turn the reverb off. Mix your stuff dry. Add a tiny little bit of reverb on only the stuff that needs it; you should barely even notice it.
Using a compressor on every track can flatten an entire mix. A much better technique is just turning the fader down and EQing a track to taste. I'm mostly of the opinion that compressors should be used to tame peaks and keep volume levels from getting out of hand... Except on drums, where compression is best abused.
This whole section is a recipie for phase cancellation problems. If you want "phat stereo effects", pan your instruments. Detune your oscillators. Just about anything will sound better than stereo enhancement.
There are tons now, but most of them are pretty useless. Good compressor plugins will do all the work for you in this respect, and harmonic exciters tend to give a very harsh sound to everything. I'd avoid them.
These all sound awful. The drums distort on the 2nd mp3. The third one just detuned the osc's on the synth and added delay. The ones titled "premastered" and "postmastered" just add more distortion to the drums, and plainly haven't had any thought behind them. The unfortunate conclusion I have to give you, is that this is all bad advice from someone who doesn't know what they're doing.
now correct me if i'm wrong, but on reasons reverb there is this thing, not sure what it is, but it's called ER-Late> or something like that and i think its purpose is just for this, to make something sound "Transperent" but in your face at the same time. I do that alot on cellos, and make 3 cellos, pan one to the semi far right and semi far left and one dead center so the cello goes "around" things like drums. instead of muddying them up.
thats my 2 cents, i'm sure it's wrong as hell xD
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I'm not entirely sure what it is, but, my best guess is that it's making multiple duplicate tracks another to make say, a choir, or a one string track sound like a bunch of strings?
how do you do this?
i tried using reasons ntt sampler but i don't know how to make two instruments share the same note, I'm confused. :S
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or should you just set the settings and leave it be?
i'm pretty sure some things should not be automated... >_>
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I agree to some extent, music is a beautiful art yes, but it can only go as far as the ears can.Define inspiration. Don't you need musical ideas to create music? Do you honestly think most music is created by trying random sequences of notes and listening if they sound good?What if you're tone-deaf, what if you don't hear musical ideas in your head all the time? Don't assume that it's easy for everyone just because you might have a certain degree of musicality.
I beg to differ. It takes time to learn to create music if you're starting from scratch and it's naive to think you can take a few years off and start again with making music of the same quality/quantity as before.
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Well, it wasn't intended to be a rip off, but I will say this, rob dougan is probably my favorite artist of all time and alot of my music is inspired by him, so if something does sound like a rip off it was never intended to be. mayby doing it subcounciously without thinking.
Edit: So my analisis is correct which means I'm able to see mistakes? =D
Soon, it will come, my master work. =D
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first off, harmony, thx for the help, it gave me the knowledge and wisdom I needed to be an official amature. anyways, here goes the mix I made, the ending sucks and the rest of it an't that great. I really didn't put to much time into making the song, but my skills in terms of balancing audio are so terrible that I thought I should atleast tuned them up a bit so I took the melody from my old arcadias lament song and built a structure around it.
http://download.yousendit.com/D4AEFF9B62C0DE45 -Arcadia's Lament
I spotted alot of mistakes, after listening the next day. tell me if these are correct...
the song is not balanced in terms of panning, its to far to the left?
The piano that comes in to play one of my infamous short solos is to dull , muddy, and overall not bright enough and not sticking out in the right ways.
The bass piano is panned to far to the left, and is annoying and gives an earache after awhile, expecially on headphones.
The Drums, the booming kick drum, and the piano bass are not working in unison the way I wanted them to be, hard piano bass fallowed by some booming kicks while you hear the vintage kicks and thick snares doing there stuff.
The pseudo rhodes that comes in during the "pre coda" if you will, is to loud and resonating to much.
The song overall can use less mud.
An intro, and new section can be added before the section at the start comes in, without the song falling apart.
The piano section can defanantly be extended. Because right now all it's doing now is dropping by to say hello.
The ending, well, I believe it's a good idea, but it defanantly needs to be executed better. and probably extended. Add some crazy phase/flang effects to add to the feel of "brain rush". Also, the strings that carry out this section come in way to soft.
Chorusing piano bass a good idea for some parts?
Drums don't have enough high end and need variation at parts.
The song overall sounds to rigid and artificial.
it needs a climax, or some high point in the song, right now it feels like it is going no where, atleast thats the way I see it.
the strings that come in at the very beggining are not "hard hitting enough".
The song does not feel like it has it's own "sheen" to it. Everything sounds like it's being played in a different place.
Need to somehow make the song overall slightly louder while at the same time making it more dynamic, don't know how the hell i'm going to do this.
I need to up my sampling skills? not sure what the principles behind sampling strings are.
Also, what is layering? and can I make use of it here?
your suggestions and tips and what not are always appreciated even if I don't tell you directly that I appreciate them, so say whatever you feel like saying.
if anyone is willing to collaborate with me that would be nice I could send you the reason file and you can complete it, and consider it yours if you want.
EDIT- ergghh.. the drums I think might be sticking out to much at high volumes. >_>
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I don't think music has anything to do with inspiration.
if you have the motivation then do it, when you don't, then don't. Music isn't like a sport, you don't have to always make music to keep the same skills sharp. they're in your head for good.
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thx son! =D
check out my mix when i post it in the remix sub forum. bbl.
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So i'm finished making my mix, I'm going to take it to ozone, and I was wondering, what steps I should take first you know?
I understand compression and multiband compression, but what really confuses me, is that if I use compression first like the way most people do *I think*, I would be setting thresholds like at about 12-24 db because my wave form is still pretty far from commercial volume levels, exactly how do I raise the entire volume level of the mix if ozone has threshold's at 23db and stuff? if i raise the volume wouldn't that cause the compressor to go crazy?
I'm kind of confused,
also, what are some good settings for getting that nice trip hop sound on the drums without it sounding out of place on the mix?
I'm looking towards something like a mix rob dougan would do.
Edit- And if I raise the volume of the mix before compressing, I can't even raise it that much before the entire mix starts going passed 0db at the loudest parts, if I compress it before raising the volume it messes with alot of the parts where I use volume automation to bring in instruments.
Pirated software
in Music Composition & Production
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