Want to try remixing, but overwhelmed

[Flugel]

So here's the deal. I have a very solid background in music, both performance, theory, and composition. And like everyone else here, I love video games and video game music. So naturally, I'm interested in making some ReMixes of my favorite video game songs.

The problem is, everything seems very very overwhelming. Trying to figure out which DAW to use, instrument sets, etc. is a daunting task and a large investment in both time and money. Furthermore, I'm not sure which programs I would need for the specific types of compositions I have in mind.

My main concern right now is, if I want to make a big-band ReMix of a piece, would FL studio's pattern-based system be detrimental to more free-form music like jazz? Would a certain DAW be better for big band jazz instruments than the next? Are there big band jazz samples/instruments available for free on the internet?

I apologize if these seem like over-asked questions, but I didn't feel like the stickied tutorial did much other than say "these are some expensive programs, have fun"...which is why I'm turning to a more specific question. After all, 200 dollars and weeks to learn the tool inside and out is a kind of big investment if there's no easy way to do what I'm interested in in the first place.

Thank you!

[timaeus222]

...

The problem is, everything seems very very overwhelming. Trying to figure out which DAW to use, instrument sets, etc. is a daunting task and a large investment in both time and money. Furthermore, I'm not sure which programs I would need for the specific types of compositions I have in mind.

My main concern right now is, if I want to make a big-band ReMix of a piece, would FL studio's pattern-based system be detrimental to more free-form music like jazz? Would a certain DAW be better for big band jazz instruments than the next? Are there big band jazz samples/instruments available for free on the internet?

...

Thank you!

With the smaller concerns, please list examples for those too if you want.

Jazz of the big-band sort can be done in FL Studio by anyone with the motivation to veer away from over-pasting patterns ("Copy/Pasta") and to make sure the timing of each note isn't rigid (quantized/locked to a grid-based computer-perfect rhythm). Another DAW can do it too, but I know ectogemia has done something similar to that before here (0:58), and he uses FL.

Native Instruments Kontakt is a well-liked sampler resource that a large portion of sample libraries out there are made for. I'd recommend libraries like Native Instruments Session Horns, Session Horns Pro, and Vienna Symphonic Library Dimension Brass purely for the sample quality and flexibility. Session Horns Regular seems like more of a fit for your big-band tracks and is about 3 times cheaper than Dimension Brass, but it depends on how much more you want to do with the brass. Free brass samples are easy to find, but I've yet to find enough good ones that you can stitch together (though I stopped trying to find them early on). Besides, stitching is so much hassle, so sample libraries are much more convenient and less time-consuming to use (you know, once you get the hang of them).

Remixing in general is not easy, but it is not demanding. As you expect, you can learn at your own pace. No one is rushing you, and we're a very dedicated/helpful community. There's a lot to learn, but there's nothing wrong with trial-and-error (or post-and-get-critique). As a general piece of advice, I would suggest you to get a handle on a DAW reasonably well before diving into using sample libraries and such.

For example, if someone were to literally start writing electronic (on-computer, not necessarily synthesized) music for the first time and immediately start using a thousand-dollar sample library (they exist, but this is a hyperbolic example), their ears might not have developed enough to perceive most of the audio frequencies present in the samples. I've found that as you write music with a DAW, your ears slowly get used to the audio system you're using. As you continue writing, if you want to get better, you may want to buy a better audio system. This better audio system should have a wider frequency spectrum, and that is what your ears slowly adjust to. You never really know for sure if the one you already have is what you'll want to stick with forever, but eventually you'll get to the point where you are just happy with what you have. Generally speaking, that's about a good time as any to start looking up and comparing sample libraries and begin seeing what works for you and asking others for advice on what you can choose.

However, I wouldn't say that that's something you "have" to worry about right now. If I were you, I'd just put the sample library thing aside for now and just focus on confirming your choice on a DAW and working on your workflow, EQ (Equalization), and the DAW's default plugins. Once you get to know those, posting some sort of remix on the Workshop forums for feedback is always a good idea. That's generally the place where the most development could occur.

Remixing is fun. I think you should do it.

Edited May 22, 2014 by timaeus222

[Flugel]

With the smaller concerns, please list examples for those too if you want.

Jazz of the big-band sort can be done in FL Studio by anyone with the motivation to veer away from over-pasting patterns ("Copy/Pasta") and to make sure the timing of each note isn't rigid (quantized/locked to a grid-based computer-perfect rhythm). Another DAW can do it too, but I know ectogemia has done something similar to that before here (0:58), and he uses FL.

Native Instruments Kontakt is a well-liked sampler resource that a large portion of sample libraries out there are made for. I'd recommend libraries like Native Instruments Session Horns, Session Horns Pro, and Vienna Symphonic Library Dimension Brass purely for the sample quality and flexibility. Session Horns Regular seems like more of a fit for your big-band tracks and is about 3 times cheaper than Dimension Brass, but it depends on how much more you want to do with the brass. Free brass samples are easy to find, but I've yet to find enough good ones that you can stitch together (though I stopped trying to find them early on). Besides, stitching is so much hassle, so sample libraries are much more convenient and less time-consuming to use (you know, once you get the hang of them).

Remixing in general is not easy, but it is not demanding. As you expect, you can learn at your own pace. No one is rushing you, and we're a very dedicated/helpful community. There's a lot to learn, but there's nothing wrong with trial-and-error (or post-and-get-critique). As a general piece of advice, I would suggest you to get a handle on a DAW reasonably well before diving into using sample libraries and such.

For example, if someone were to literally start writing electronic (on-computer, not necessarily synthesized) music for the first time and immediately start using a thousand-dollar sample library (they exist, but this is a hyperbolic example), their ears might not have developed enough to perceive most of the audio frequencies present in the samples. I've found that as you write music with a DAW, your ears slowly get used to the audio system you're using. As you continue writing, if you want to get better, you may want to buy a better audio system. This better audio system should have a wider frequency spectrum, and that is what your ears slowly adjust to. You never really know for sure if the one you already have is what you'll want to stick with forever, but eventually you'll get to the point where you are just happy with what you have. Generally speaking, that's about a good time as any to start looking up and comparing sample libraries and begin seeing what works for you and asking others for advice on what you can choose.

However, I wouldn't say that that's something you "have" to worry about right now. If I were you, I'd just put the sample library thing aside for now and just focus on confirming your choice on a DAW and working on your workflow, EQ (Equalization), and the DAW's default plugins. Once you get to know those, posting some sort of remix on the Workshop forums for feedback is always a good idea. That's generally the place where the most development could occur.

Remixing is fun. I think you should do it.

Thanks, this is very helpful!

The section horns one, listening to the samples, sounds really nice, I'll probably try that one out.

Thank you again!

[Nase]

The biggest problem with FL and more 'free form' music isn't really the pattern thing but that it still doesn't do time signature changes. You can theoretically do anything in it, but it discourages the user from switching signatures. If you do you'll often have to dismiss the bars the piano roll shows and do your own counting.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

The biggest problem with FL and more 'free form' music isn't really the pattern thing but that it still doesn't do time signature changes. You can theoretically do anything in it, but it discourages the user from switching signatures. If you do you'll often have to dismiss the bars the piano roll shows and do your own counting.

Yeah, this.

I think that for the kind of music you want to compose, something like Reaper or Cubase might be easier. It's probably a good idea to just try the demos of Fl, Reaper, Cubase and whatever else you can find to see which one suits your Jazz compositions best.

For example, if someone were to literally start writing electronic (on-computer, not necessarily synthesized) music for the first time and immediately start using a thousand-dollar sample library (they exist, but this is a hyperbolic example), their ears might not have developed enough to perceive most of the audio frequencies present in the samples....

What does that have to do with writing music? I would say that if someone were to start writing music for the first time and immediately start using a thousand-dollar sample library, they probably wouldn't have a clue how to use the sample library and make it sound realistic.

[timaeus222]

What does that have to do with writing music? I would say that if someone were to start writing music for the first time and immediately start using a thousand-dollar sample library, they probably wouldn't have a clue how to use the sample library and make it sound realistic.

There's that, and there's also whether or not they know how upfront or how far back they should place it (among other things, like sample selection; Heavyocity Damage, for example, is not consistently heavy, heavy, and heavy across the board). There's a difference between using a good library in an integrated manner and just using it to cover up other samples you don't like as much. Besides, the how-to-use-a-sample-library dilemma can be solved at least in part by reading the manual, trying it out, and asking someone for feedback.

Edited May 22, 2014 by timaeus222

[MindWanderer]

I think that for the kind of music you want to compose, something like Reaper or Cubase might be easier. It's probably a good idea to just try the demos of Fl, Reaper, Cubase and whatever else you can find to see which one suits your Jazz compositions best.

If you're concerned about the investment, Reaper is compatible with just about everything, and has an unlimited, unrestricted free trial. You can use that to start to get accustomed to what you can do in a DAW.

What does that have to do with writing music? I would say that if someone were to start writing music for the first time and immediately start using a thousand-dollar sample library, they probably wouldn't have a clue how to use the sample library and make it sound realistic.

I think both are true. You need to train your skills to make good samples sound good, but you also have to train your ear to identify a good sample from a bad one. Both are important--you can make free samples sound awesome if you have the chops, but you need the ear training first to know what you're even aiming for.

[Moseph]

Thanks, this is very helpful!

The section horns one, listening to the samples, sounds really nice, I'll probably try that one out.

Thank you again!

One caveat about Session Horns (this doesn't apply to Session Horns Pro): there are no individual instruments, only combined ensembles. It gives a decent sound without a lot of arranging work, since it auto-assigns chord notes to instruments based on range -- but you sacrifice flexibility. If you want a lot of control over orchestration details, Session Horns wouldn't be a good choice.