Blaine

Original My arrangement here Don't really intend to submit this... I don't think this has enough interpretation to warrant it anyway (and I'm not really interested in changing/adding more than I did). Did this for fun and to try and experiment with/learn some of my stuff better. Also the first time I used Reaper 100% to make something start->finish. It took a while to configure everything, but I really liked it's workflow (for the most part) once I got everything more or less figured out. Any thoughts/critiques are welcome. If you're at a loss as to how to direct your comments, I'd be particularly interested in hearing thoughts on the overall mixing/production and/or thoughts on the bits I added/changed (if you thought they fit in or stood out, didn't like them, etc.).

I can only hope that there's a F.L.U.D.D. themed post of Mario Sunshine mixes.

Thanks for the insight. For the first two, I'm guessing you're talking about the high hiss? I couldn't get rid of that in post without compromising the instrument sound quality. I might have had the mic gain a little too high, but part of that was me trying to compensate for the fact that I wasn't picking up much low end (I think anyway, it HAS been awhile since I did these) And yes, I'm sure the narrowness comes from the fact that I recorded the main mic in mono, and the room mic in stereo. So there's sort of a stereo reverb with mono sound I guess? I'm not sure if it's the right way to explain it, but I am aware of it, and that's what I aim to fix in this next bout of concert recordings Also, by "farther than the trumpets", do you mean farther than the single horn player? None of those examples had trumpets in them (and there are none in the group). The Brahms trio is just one violin, one french horn, one piano. I'm assuming that's what you mean, and the extra space has to do with what the room mic picked up compared to the main mic (it picked up the horn much more clearly, likely because it's bell was facing the mic almost directly). I'll have to keep that set-up in mind, though there won't be horn on the upcoming concerts Anyways, thanks again for the comments. It's always reassuring to know that what I hear is in line with what someone else hears. My ears and general audio knowledge/awareness have really improved since I did these so I'm excited to get another crack at it

Spitfire Audio just released eDNA, an interesting synth thing similar to ISW's Celestia, for an early bird price of £129. (Regular price will be £149). The early bird offer lasts until 10/01/14.

Yeah, I did some (very quick and not in depth at all) searching, and it seems that omni mics in my price range are not going to be very good. So, I think I'll take your suggestion with the Rode mics. The PZM seems interesting, I'll have to keep that in mind. I'm not sure if I'll be able to get everything at once since there's some other random equipment I think I'm going to need as well (like a long extension chord to power my laptop), but we'll see. The only thing that worries me about it is the fact that I would have to place it on the ground in front of the performers. Since they are often changing group configuration mid-concert, I feel like there would be a high chance for the mic to get stepped on or bumped Thanks again for the sound (I'm sorry) advice though! This was all very helpful

Sorry for the double post! Anyways, thanks for the article shaggy, it was very helpful! It's definitely something I'll be going back to for reference frequently. So, with new information gained, here's my current dilemma. I have a budget of $300-$400. What Shaggy was suggesting in the earlier post (as I understand it), would be two mics in an XY setup. This seems to be a stable and easy to run option (and it also fits within my budget, which is nice). However, one of the issues I had with my previous concert recording was the low end response, which it looks like this setup will not fix. An alternative that would solve this issue looks to be using two omni mics as a spaced pair. I think this will also achieve a sound closer to what I'm looking for (in theory at least), which is a (somewhat) wider, fuller sound but not neccessarily a lot of definition/control. Based on what I've gotten from the group while talking to them about this, they're not looking for super quality studio recordings, they want demos that are live recordings and that sound like live recordings (but still good, obviously). In other words, they'd prefer that I "mess with" the recordings as little as possible right now. They also don't feel comfortable having a lot of mics all up in their business while performing (right now at least), they'd prefer something as un-intrusive as possible. So, I need two mics. Shaggy's original suggestion is still under consideration, but I think I'd prefer to try the spaced pair setup. I could try a decca tree as well I guess, using two new mics in conjunction with the 990 I have access to, but I would definitely need a new audio interface for that, as mine only has two inputs Any suggestions on two omni mics within the range of $300-$400 total? If you think I shouldn't use the spaced pair setup, any suggestions on how to solve the issue of poor low end quality? Should I use the Zoom as a sort-of room mic again? Thanks for the help so far everyone, I'm feeling much more confident about setting all of this up

Sorry about that, I was trying to set it up so only people with the links could listen, but I don't think Soundcloud has that option (at least not in a convenient form...). Should be fixed now. I'll definitely be checking out that link tomorrow, thanks a bunch. Lots of useful advice in there, so thank you! I do know at least a little bit about phase cancellation, but only enough to get myself in trouble, I think. One of the reasons I wanted to ask for some advice. I think option 1 is really what I'm looking for right now, but it's looks like what I already have? When you say one room mic and one mic in front of the ensemble, this would still only give you a mono signal right? Unless the front mic records in stereo I guess, which seems to be what Shaggy was suggesting with a stereo pair. Unfortunately it's late for me right now and I need to get to sleep for work tomorrow I'll be sure to read through that link that Shaggy posted though (It'll probably answer some of the questions I have at the moment), and then I'll probably be back with more questions. Thanks for the advice so far!

Hello again everyone! Recently some friends of mine asked if I could record some concerts for them and I find myself in need of some advice. I recorded a concert for the group once sometime last year, and I guess they were pretty happy with the results, so they asked if I could do it again. I agreed, but as I've talked with them it looks like this might become a more frequent occurrence, so I wanted to ask some advice on equipment to look into getting (both short-term and long-term) so that I wouldn't have to keep borrowing random equipment from them (and so I could give them something of a little better quality). To give some more info, the group is a small chamber group. Here's the specific instrumentation: 1 Violin 1 Viola 1 Cello 1 Double Bass 1 Oboe 1 Clarinet/Bass Clarinet 1 French Horn 1 Piano The last time I recorded one of their concerts I borrowed an MXL 990 with a tall stand from the clarinet player, which I put in front of the group, and a Zoom H2 from the oboist that I stuck a bit behind them (the concert was in a church). The 990 was plugged into my Steinberg UR22, which was connected to my MacBook, and I recorded it with a beta version of FL studio for Mac. The recording from the Zoom I mixed in afterwards. Overall, I was fairly happy with the results, but I think things could be improved. So, there are two concerts coming up. One is just a clarinet quartet and the other is the whole group (doing a number of smaller pieces, so the seating changes). I have access to the same equipment as before, but as I mentioned I'd like to give them something that's a little better quality. My knowledge on live recording and the equipment involved is unfortunately lacking quite a bit, so I'm not exactly sure about how to achieve this. For one, things were only in partial stereo last time (curtesy of the Zoom), so I was thinking of trying to make things full stereo. I know I need at least two mics upfront instead of one to do this, should I buy another 990? Or should I look into getting a pair of another brand/type of mic? Is this even necessary? I also noticed last time that the 990 wasn't the best at picking up all of the instruments, piano and horn specifically (the low end was weak as well). Having the Zoom compensated for this, but are there any mics better suited to recording varied instrument groups like this? Also, would it be better to setup 2 of the same mic in front of the group or 2 different mics? Another thing I noticed the last time I recorded was that it took a long time for the audio to process after I stopped recording (but really only when I was recording for over 3-5 minutes). What I mean by this is, I would hit record, they would play, then I would stop when they finished and it would take anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple minutes for the audio to appear within FL studio and for me to able to do things again without potentially crashing the program. I wasn't sure if this was caused by my audio interface, my computer, or the fact that I was running everything through a beta FL on a Mac... I'll be using Reaper for the upcoming concerts, so that might fix things, but any insight into this would be appreciated. But yeah, I feel a bit like a fish out of water with this, since I've basically been teaching myself everything about music production and related stuff. I've found plenty of stuff on recording in a studio, or recording bands and stuff live, but nothing really for this kind of setting. Any insight, advice, or general recommendations would be much appreciated! If there are any questions or clarifications needed, ask away. P.S. The next two concerts are also taking place in medium sized to sort-of-large sized churches (though this probably won't always be the case, this is how it is for now). I'm really not sure if this affects the kinds of mics to look into, but I assume it does, at least to some extent. P.P.S. To be more clear on my intentions, no one in the group has a problem with me using their equipment to record them (nor do I). However, I feel like having one mono mic in front and one stereo mic in back is not a very good setup (it feels kind of janky/amateur to me, but maybe it isn't), so I'd like to try to add to/improve this. Additionally, there's the possibility that I might start recording other similar groups where I don't have access to someone else's equipment, so it would be nice to be somewhat prepared if that were to happen. P.P.P.S. Here are some pieces from the last concert for examples/reference: Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

Thanks again everyone! Already sent my pick, so you should have a pm HoboKa

I was getting worried I might have to change my cover into a lol Threw my vote in. Another fun round

Encouraging to know my MacBook might be useful as is, since that would definitely be a rather large purchase. The thought that adding bass into the live mix might be too much, at least for now, has definitely crossed my mind. I think you're probably right in suggesting I remove it from the equation. I'll probably mess around with the idea still as I get things moving, but I think making it a low priority of focus for the moment is a good move. Part of this might also be due to the fact that I don't consider myself much of a keyboard player/pianist, but this is probably just me being silly. I was almost positive that recording a show through my daw while simultaneously using it to perform was going to be a no go. Thought I'd at least ask though, just in case >_> For controllers, my keyboard does have some knobs and faders, but I'm obviously gonna want to be able to control some effects with those, so I think your suggestion of one additional piece of equipment is a sound one. I guess I'm not too surprised that what I have is probably enough, but I think a part of me wanted to buy a ton of more gear just because I like playing with fancy equipment I think you're right on the money about FL studio's performance issues (heh...). I've had a tough time trying to find decent comparisons of the two, but from what I've seen of them individually, Ableton looks like a clear superior. I also agree with you 100% on preparing/prearranging the show. That was my original intention, I just didn't explain it that well But yeah, the idea would definitely be to have a bunch of stuff set up beforehand with at least a solid roadmap of where I'm going and how I'm going to get there. I DEFINITELY don't want to improv everything. The main thing I wanted to get across was that I didn't want everything to be set up so that I just press buttons for things to happen (like, press a button for intro. Then press a button for the percussion. Then press a button for bassline+pads, etc.). I want to be able to extend or shorten a song, or be able to add different ornaments to melody lines, or maybe do different things with effects, and I wanted this stuff to be "in the moment" as opposed to premeditated. The structure and "skeleton" of the tracks would be there, but the extra bits would be added on the fly. That, and I kind of want some flexibility with tempos, as I think it's really exciting when a band or musician takes something faster or slower than you're used to. It can really change the feel and mood of things, and if I can't react appropriately to that change, things will sound a little weird (to me at least). Very helpful advice, thank you both! It looks like my next purchase is probably going to be Ableton, though I might mess around with Bitwig a bit as well, since I've heard it's pretty similar. And Shiny. Any more thoughts/advice/whatever (from anyone) is still welcome! I'm all ears (or eyes I guess, in this case )

Important stuff to know: 1) The music I'm looking to do is, of course, heavily electronic based (hence why I need some suggestions here!) 2) I am one person, not a band. I am not particularly opposed to collaborating with other musicians to perform live, but for the moment I'm wanting to keep things solo. 3) My current gear is: 1 M-Audio Oxygen49 keyboard (with stand) 1 Novation Launchpad 1 Home-brew desktop running primarily FL Studio (though I've been messing around in Reaper as of late) 1 Standard Mac book Pro (4gigs of Ram, 2.8GHz Intel Core i7), I don't really do music on this atm 1 Steinberg UR 22 audio interface 2 Electric bass guitars Here's my goal playing live: I want my set to be continuous, as if I was DJing or something (that's what DJs do right? Make a smooth flow of continuous music?). However, instead of mixing together pre-recorded/created tracks, I want to be able to build them up live, and then be able to transition between them. The best example I can think of for this is the duo Minilogue, though I'm not trying to do exactly what they do, just that general idea. I'm really looking to create a live show that can change and evolve, and react to the moment (at least to some degree). For a more specific example: I start by setting a tempo, I then play in a basic drum loop. After that, I trigger some pre-made percussion loops and then play a chord progression on the spot. While these are all looping, I add some of my electric bass in. That is now looping as well. Maybe I then shift back to my keyboard and play a melody or something. I switch up the percussion, mess with some filters and modulation, and the track starts to wind down. As things move into the next song maybe I want to move to something faster, so while a basic percussion groove/arp groove is still going I slowly dial up the tempo 10 clicks and then start a new song. Then repeat the process. Some concerns I have with the setup: - Latency - Having enough magic computer juice to run multiple VSTs and handle recording live bass, most likely with effects (which goes back to latency) - Will I be able to record the whole show (possibly 30-60+min of music) within my DAW, so that if I improv something I like I can recall it later (in that show or others)? - Signal flow? How should everything be connected? Should the bass be DI (Is there even another option that would make a difference in computer performance)? - Will opening/closing VSTs and switching between presets on the fly cause issues? So here's my actual question(s) to all of you out there. What would you suggest, if anything, I look into buying to make this idea a reality? I don't really want to lug my desktop around to gigs, so what would you suggest to use as a DAW on my laptop? Should I invest in Ableton/Bitwig? or should I look at getting a new not-Mac laptop to run FL on? I have a feeling I'll likely need to upgrade my laptop anyways, so switching over to windows might be easier. Brand suggestions? (I don't think you can home-brew laptops yet). Should I stick with a Mac? If so, what kind? Also, how does FL's performance mode compare to Ableton's? I still haven't quite figured out how to do much more than trigger loops with FLs performance mode, and I'm aiming to do a little more than that. Have any of you messed around much with Bitwig? It seems comparable to Ableton on most levels, it's cheeper, and I like the look of it more. Are there any other DAWs that are tailored well for performance? I'm not really looking to replace FL, I just need something that will function how I want it to live. What about Maschine? Is that something that would be worth investing in? I've heard it's good for doing live stuff, and that it can function alongside other DAWs. As a final note, I'm thinking long-term here, as in at least 5 or 6 months (probably closer to a year+) before I really get rolling. I'm trying think ahead in order to get everything in line and give myself a chance to practice/get comfortable/have a nice chunk of original material before I actually try to get gigs. So, I don't really have a price limit or anything, cause I can always plan and budget accordingly depending on what I might need. (That being said, I really can't afford tons of new equipment costing $1,000+ ) Any and all help and ideas are welcome! Also, let me know if you can think of other problems/issues that I should be concerned with.

Alright! My track is in. It's looking pretty barren in that entries section though... I hope some more of you submit something! IDONTWANTTOBEALLALONE

I feel like Koshiro does not get NEARLY enough love on here, between Streets of Rage, Etrian Odyssey, and ActRaiser (to name a few), there's a large amount of great material that no one has even touched Needless to say I was really happy to see this show up, and even happier once I started listening. I can always tell a track or performance is really good when I just start smiling uncontrollably during it

Hmmm... I think it's a little muddy, but I think issue is more with the reverb than the bass. It seemed fine until more instruments came in (like around 1:30 ish) and I felt like things started to get a little cluttered. It wasn't super noticeable though, my attention may have been drawn to it because I was listening for it But yeah, if you want to try to tweak some, I'd look at the reverb and the mid/low-mid area. Honestly though, I think it sounds pretty good, so you may just want to leave it

Whew, thanks for the great entries everyone! I'm glad people liked this track =] I wish I could have entered a bonus track, but it just wasn't happen' for me this past week-ish Looking forward to the next round though!

I want to do a bonus track this round, but we'll see if I actually get one done. I've got some ideas, but since starting my new job recently I've had way less time and been feeling kind of blech Edit: Still looking forward to whatever everyone else throws together though =]

Wow, thanks everyone I picked the next track and sent it in, so you should have it in your PM box HoboKa.

Just threw in my vote, hopefully it went through alright (don't know why it wouldn't but eh). A shame there weren't as many entrants, perhaps next time!

Looks like I've got more to add to my growing list of "Games to Play". Doesn't help that I just got Mario Kart 8... and Wind Waker HD......... and Pikmin 3............Darn you Nintendo and your deals! Also, you're welcome! Doooooo iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

Nah, everything's set to go. I actually just uploaded my track It wound up being a fun source, though I wasn't familiar with it (I've only heard of the game, never played it).

I really like the setup you have of intro -> source -> remix -> source -> outro, and I think your transitions between each part are great. My biggest complaint is that your source sections are basically just filtered versions of the original, they lose a lot of what makes the original great and you don't really add much of anything to replace that. Also, I think some of what you have added clashes (in a not good way) with your use of the source, such as the percussion at 1:05 ish. I think it could work, but those (source heavy) sections definitely need more attention. I'd either strip the source down further (getting rid of the the percussive dnb ellements), so that it fits better with the slower beat you have going, OR switch styles in the source heavy sections so that it fits better with the dnb vibe of the original (but still keep the breakdown-y sections the way they are). Personally, I'd go with the latter, but that's all just, like, my opinion man~

I've got something done at least, just want to give it one more listen before submitting. Hopefully I won't be the only one

I think you mean the must go on >=] Also this.

Ha, this made me smile =] The biggest thing I noticed was that there were WAY too many trumpet falls for my tastes. My guess is that you did that because it may have sounded awkward to have the trumpet just hold the note, but listening to those trumpet falls over and over and over got old fast Save those effects for a special moment ;] At 0:24, that would have been a great moment to bring in an additional melody instrument (even just copy-pasta-ing something else in would have been pretty effective I think) and maybe some accompaniment guitar strums/more things/more motion in the bass. You kind of went there, but you didn't go all the way. GO ALL THE WAY But yeah, the rest is more nitpick-y I think. On a less related note, I really want to get this game (even more after hearing that track =]). Looks like I'll have to put it on the list of "Things-to-get-when-I-have-money-again" (it's a working title).