zircon

Wrong forum; moved to workspace.

Pezman; I'm looking exclusively to perform my own music and/or remixes. NOT DJing. I have no experience as a DJ and have no desire to do it. FL has a pretty cool 'live' mode; I can set up a whole bunch of patterns and trigger them (either with a controller or the mouse) in sync. I can assign various track levels to faders to bring in additional parts as necessary (playing, but muted) and add leads/bass with the keyboard. For some songs, the Trigger Finger could either be used as an MPC to trigger drum sounds, or I could set up a pentatonic scale for soloing, or any number of things in between. Short answer: there will always be some pre-recorded stuff going on, but I'm generally creating new material. Tweek:I really appreciate the advice. I'd rather you tell me "Nah, that's not going to work" than "Sure, that would be fine", which would encourage me to buy a bunch of crap that I wouldn't be able to use, in the end So, just to go through a few things point by point... * With regards to the interface, it's not an issue of sound quality. It's an issue of my on-board drivers being ASS. A single chord in Zebra 2 can create 20% CPU usage - not so bad, but inexplicably, even at 30ms latency, I get cracks and pops. Asio4All doesn't help (no crackles, but unusable latency). I'm sure with a better interface this would not be an issue. I'm actually looking at this now; http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UA1EX/ Cheap, tiny, probably will be an improvement. * As for speakers, perhaps I am just being pessimistic about the venues I'll be performing at. I can do without them and instead just make sure there is an adequate PA wherever I'm going. * I will think about the Axiom more. I trust your opinion on it. Again, it's something of a cost issue. If I got that, would I really need the Trigger Finger...? Redundant pads, right?

Pezman; Noted. Also, sorry I keep forgetting about the CD... will mail that out soon. Tweek/Kanthos; I was considering the Axiom, but take a look... http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Axiom49-main.html It seems bigger & heavier, plus it has redundant knobs/faders which I already have on the Trigger Finger. Even the 49 key version has a list of over 3x the Keyrig's price, which is the main reason I was avoiding it. The Keyrig primarily caught me eye because it's a mere $99. Having a light and compact setup is a priority for me because I will almost definitely have to take public transportation to get to shows and I really can't be carrying a whole bunch of stuff. One large suitcase is my goal. With regards to the monitors, I was planning on using them as a backup PA... like I had mentioned, depending on where I'm performing, I might be in a small room with 20-30 people and no sound system built in. What Behringer gear would you recommend? Moving my Firebox around still just isn't an idea I really like... one thing is it's really sort of nestled in my studio setup and having to completely disconnect and reconnect it would be annoying. I'd have to actually move my computer out from its enclosure every time because of my (bad) desk design. So, I do want a new card/interface. Thanks for the advice so far!

I'm getting paid a reasonable sum of money in the near future and I would like to invest some of it back into my music career. The one thing that I feel has been lacking in my progression as an artist has been my total lack of live shows. Now, I do live in Philadelphia, so there are lots of possible venues, plus I imagine there is at least a decent demand for electronic music around here. I've been partially inspired by seeing a video of The Crystal Method endorsing M-Audio products, and them showing how they fit their entire live rig in a large suitcase. I have a spare one as well. Most of my current gear is locked to my studio; for example, I have a nice Korg X-50 keyboard that I had planned to use for live stuff, but unfortunately the power cord is a bit flimsy and it is not small enough to carry around in a suitcase. So, I'd like to pick up some new gear. Here's what I'm thinking: M-Audio KeyRig 49 - $100.00 This is a very slim, no-nonsense controller with pitch/mod wheels, a couple buttons, and a fader. USB-powered. The use of this one would be obvious. M-Audio Trigger Finger - $150.00 I've heard pretty much nothing but good things about this little device. USB-powered, plus assignable pad controller with various fun knobs/sliders. This could have any number of uses; I just think it would just be nice to have a secondary controller with a different tactile interface. Sennheiser HD280Pro Headphones - $100.00 I have Beyerdynamic DT880s at home, but they are both somewhat fragile as well as semi-open. Very little isolation. This HD280 model seems sturdy as well as highly isolated, which would be great for monitoring live. M-Audio Studiophile DX4 - $150.00 M-Audio Studiophile AV 40 - $150.00 I can't pick between these two, and I'm not sure if I should be looking at another option. I figure that depending on my location, I might not have any sort of sound system to work with and will have to set up my own. Two decent monitors are much better than laptop speakers, even if they're not exactly giant PAs. M-Audio FireWire Solo - $200.00 My laptop is getting a bit old, but with an 80GB hard drive, 1.8ghz Pentium M processor, and 1GB of RAM, I think it SHOULD get the job done. The only thing that is really lacking is the sound, which is onboard and, frankly, abysmal in terms of driver efficiency. The F/W solo seems to be a reasonable choice, but I've never used it, and it's a little pricey. My Presonus Firebox really works well - it's just I don't want it to get stolen ($300). Looking strictly for a rugged FireWire interface.

The biggest achievements of the past few years.. * The first time I got paid for my music ($40 for four custom songs written for a children's PC platformer, "The Adventures of Captain Genia") - 2004 * Receiving the physical copies of my first original album, taking it to my high school, and people actually BUYING it. * The release party for my second CD. A neighbor of mine turned his basement into a mini-club, invited dozens of people from my grade in high school (senior), put on a playlist of great dance music, and we all had a blast. After listening to the big mix of music, I did a 5 minute live improv set, then we played Impulse Prime straight through. Everyone loved it; such a great vibe. * My first three digit deal, for original radio station & advertisement music. * My first four digit deal, licensing Impulse Prime. * Winning "Best Techno Album" and "Best Techno Song" at the 2006 JPF music awards. Not exactly the Grammys but I still consider it to be a big achievement for myself. * Perhaps my greatest personal music achievement, and one I am most proud of, making five digits of income this year from music & sound related activities . Is it less than working even a minimum wage job? Yes. But I'm still really proud, as this was one of my New Year's resolutions, and the year isn't over yet.

Above all, the key is to get used to your monitoring setup and learn its strengths and weaknesses. I know my DT880's like the back of my hand. Now, I like to think I can mix/master pretty well. I recently went a school lab to write, produce, and engineer a song in Logic, using different headphones on a different computer w/ a different interface. The end result sounded awesome on that setup. I bounced it down, emailed it to myself, listened on my home computer... it sounded like ass. http://www.soundtempest.net/Fatty%20Butter.mp3 Thin, lacking in bass, quiet. Moral of the story; I'm bringing my own headphones next time.

We don't post songs that don't get submitted Many people didn't submit their music. We have several more things in the queue from the project that have been YESed, and a few more that are about to be YESed. Darangen's "Collision" is another story. He didn't tell me or anyone else that he had been inspired by the David Crowder band, had I known I might have been more concerned... I only found out after the release of the project itself.

Sounds pretty good to me chipp... definitely an improvement.

I think WIVI is actually REALLY realistic. Too expensive though. It's partially their reverb model that makes the sound so awesome.

Superstar is absolutely amazing. I agree that is pretty much is the pinnacle of the Kirby series. I used to play two player all the time with my friends, do the boss rush mode (coliseum? arena? can't remember) etc. So good.

Unfortunately I have to echo the criticisms I levied on the FF7 project forums. There are production issues w/ the mixing/mastering that BGC pointed out, and the sequencing is rough and mechanical particularly earlier on. The guitar melody clashes with the chords in the :26 section and the repeat of that section later on. I like the arrangement concept, but 1:50 through 3:13 is just a copy and paste of :13 through 1:36. I don't think this can be overlooked. The original material and battle theme variation is good later on but I wish that were incorporated earlier. Overall this needs more arrangement and production refinement. I really want to see this fleshed out! NO, RESUBMIT

One thing that I find amusing is the people who say it sounds like too many people worked on this, that it sounds too jumbled, that it's more of a showcase of ideas. It is funny because it's PURE psychology. Steffan did 99% of the arrangement and instrumentation. Most of what the contributing mixers did was replace his MIDI sounds with live performances or add slight accents. If you heard the track before anyone else added to it, you would know what I mean

Yes it's pretty easy AS. $50 for my copy! Should cover ship too.

I wish I had time to finish a track for this. Ended up having a lot of work. Oh well, here was my WIP, I spent all the time doing drum programming - www.soundtempest.net/robogang.mp3

Speaking of http://www.musiciansfriend.com/stupid You can get them CONSIDERABLY discounted today and today only.

This actually might be the correct forum, since you're basically looking for people to flesh out things you've already written or will be writing... and this is the forum to seek out that type of thing. However the continued progress of this project, eg. works in progress and other announcements, should be made in the WIP forum.

Try this: http://www.bestirantravel.com/culture/music_cds.html I just googled "ney flute music".

http://www.soundtempest.net/03%20Blinded%20In%20Chains.mp3 OK, I'm SURE that one works... sorry about that.

Beyerdynamic DT880 headphones. I have a $50 pair of Altec Lansing speakers and a sub, but considering my desk is hardwood, the floors are hardwood, and there are lots of right angles, the speakers are useless for anything but casual listening.

Sorry CHIPP, try the link to Blinded again. It should work now. HoboKa; No, it does not hurt. I have been remixing on headphones since June 2004. I only occasionally switch to listening on speakers just as a quick reference, or if my ears are tired (eg. listening to the same mix 5 hours straight). Physically, my current headphones are VERY comfortable and I could wear them all day (Beyerdynamic DT880). My previous pair, Sennheiser eh2200, was not comfortable for long periods. Regardless, however, fatigue is always a possibility when on headphones. You also have an increased risk of listening at louder volumes. You tend to think you're listening quieter than you are. I've trained myself to listen very quietly so that I don't cause any damage to myself.

Yeah, WIP:O gets such little attention that it is acceptable to post major album announcements here. This has been done for SGX/Beatdrop too. However, by "major announcements" I primarily mean "my album is done, here's how to get it". It may be acceptable to simply announce you are making one IF you include MP3 previews, but I am inclined to say that only serious projects would be allowed.

Very creative interpretation. Most people choose to do some sort of downtempo electronic remix of this theme, but I'm glad you went a different route to spice things up. I agree with Vig that the oboe could be a bit 'bigger' but it's not a big deal. Also, I didn't hear any cut-out at 3:13 (just a fade). I love the overall atmosphere and mood of this one; it's the kind of thing I could imagine set to video. Great job! YES

You know this doesn't sound bad at all. I would now roll off the sub (<40hz or so), on the rhythm guitars and kick. For metal, kicks aren't supposed to be in the sub range, they're more in the lows to even low-mids, more like a 'click' then a deep hit. The lead guitar can be more sharply rolled off. The hats are a little too piecing, so you might want to slightly reduce those. Snare could have more treble and less bass. The bass itself should fill up the remainder of the low end available. However, I think using reference tracks is the best possible thing you can do if you can't afford a nice monitoring setup (btw, I use $175 headphones, not actual monitors - I have lots of right angles and hardwood floors). Here's a GREAT example. http://www.soundtempest.net/03%20Blinded%20in%20Chains.mp3 Just try to compare your mix to that and match it.

Yeah, this is a really great mix. Tight percussion, tight synths, good production, good structure and dynamic flow. Arrangement didn't seem too liberal to me; it was just right. A little treble-heavy at times, but that's a minor complaint. Very creative! YES

Haha, didn't mean to ruin your mood, man. Sorry. The actual timbres used are good IMO, just a matter of mix/EQ rebalancing. At least you're not muddy; everything sounds crisp and clean. What's your monitoring setup like? Maybe that's what's throwing you off in those low freqs.