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-- ...finally back to it!

...finally back to it!

So I finally got out of my rut and back into production. I started a production today while I was at work (I was doing overtime and we don't really do anything on saturdays). Took my G4powerbook and used Reason to make some patches and some beats. I wish I'd taken my Logic key with me because I don't like the overall sound that Reason spits out after you render to audio. It's not as crisp for some reason, hm. Anyway:

Beat8synth

Let me know what you think...mainly experimental and testing beats.

Feels good to be back getting creative again.

sounds good to me.

Nice Glad to hear you got out of your rut, I remember your thread a little bit back.

.....mmmmmmm housey ...

Great work, reminds me alot of Sasha's Airdrawndagger... great record

I'm surprised you managed to get such a hot level, especially toward the end the drums sound very full. Is it just compression, or did you just choose the right samples?

Sounding very nice though, maybe a little crisp. You'll need more low-end, either via level (the bass instrument comes to mind, as the kick sounds loud enough already) or EQ. Also watch the extreme treble on the panned hihat at 0:28. Reduce it in level a bit, and use EQ to roll off the top and/or reduce the frequencies around 17-18 kHz.

Otherwise, liking what I hear so far. Just go a little less on the treble. Some more 200 Hz on the snare could do wonders, too, while the bass could do with more clarity around 400 Hz, and boost the midrange around 800 Hz on any synths or pads.

Just my 2 engineering cents.

Thanks a lot, I think being a pianist, so I've been told by my bass playing cohorts, the high-end usually can get a little much without us noticing.

I'm not entirely sure if I'm going to continue with what is there or if I am going to start from scratch. This was to test a few production ideas I've had bouncing around. That, and to put my samples to work that I've been designing. I am very beat-oriented, and I hate using loops unless I am using them specifically for a certain sample within them. I prefer to create them on my own though, layering things in Peak and EQing them, etc.

I didn't spend much time designing the bass, it seems pretty weak. I am liking the overall sound, though it still seems thin to me, and I am going to try and plot out a much broader idea for this sound set.

There's a lot of compression specifically on that main drum beat that's directly 64 (pan pot speak). I liked it but I didn't think the kick/snare were defined so I tweaked a kick and snare sample to layer on top to give it extra punch. I need to design a pad/string style sound now. I am also testing some ideas where I generate noise and then comb-filter it, fading it in slowly towards that triple-stop. I also want that to be more defined, I bring the bit crushing way up right there after it's been slowly faded down, and I don't think that's such a great idea.

Ultimately though, I want to in corporate some of my piano chops on this.

Any more pointers? Ideas? I think my biggest weakness right now is workflow; figuring out a solid technique for going from conception to completion. In the past, deadlines were the only thing but it made my material slightly chaotic in my eyes. I'd rather have a more streamlined workflow now. Help? Heh


EDIT:


Airdrawndagger is still one of my fav albums. I'm stuck on ESCM right now by BT though.

Good stuff, I'm liking what you have so far. As Atlantis said, it needs some more low end. I like the bitcrushing; you said you made this in Reason -- is that the Digital setting on the Scream?

quote:

I think my biggest weakness right now is workflow; figuring out a solid technique for going from conception to completion.

Definitely one of mine, I have only one track that I would consider even close to complete. It's a curse!

quote:

Airdrawndagger is still one of my fav albums. I'm stuck on ESCM right now by BT though.

Good taste, I see.

quote:

I like the bitcrushing; you said you made this in Reason -- is that the Digital setting on the Scream?

Indeed, it's the Scream 4 device. I have to confess, I know how to do far more effects processing in Reason than I do in Logic, however when I translate my knowledge to Logic (like my use of things like bit crushing), things always sound much more crisp. I don't entirely enjoy Reason's output for some reason. A/B it next to a pro track and it sounds very...Reason...

EDIT:

I also have to confess that I find it easier to make beats in Reason because of it's layout with the Redrum, Dr. Rex, and how you can easilly patch everything to specific effects. I am trying to translate this into Logic but it's difficult. In a perfect world, I could do all of it in Logic, heh.

I'm all over the map as far as programs go. Sometimes I will work just in Reason, others just in Ableton, and others in Ableton with Reason rewired. My friend uses Logic and I enjoy using that when we work on stuff together, too. If I'm having trouble making any interesting sounds in one program or synth, I just switch to another. Then the frustration stops and the fun starts again.

But all this jumping around and lack of concentration probably has something to do with why I end up with all sorts eight-bar things like this latest one from Reason:

http://www.philosophaster.com/music/new_loop080606.mp3

...and very little "finished product" to show for my efforts. Oh well, I still have fun every step of the way.

MrJiveBoJingles, I know what you mean: I could probably do a whole set with just different 8/or 16 bar loops...and one or two songs

BTW, your example sounds nice (particulary the bass sound). Is this work in progress?

BB

Thanks.

That loop is still just a loop, not part of a larger song. I've tooled around with it and tried to figure out where I could take it, but no luck so far. I like the bass sound, too, so I keep the loop around in the hope that I'll think of a way to turn it into a whole song.

Latest logic supports rewire, so you can have your cake and eat it.. ;-)

I gotta say I dig it quite a bit. I'm going to echo what has been said... a bit more low end would work well.

yeah i kinda got to agree with arudius, i think mainly im trying to find some good shots to make beatz. atm i really finding it hard but thats just me and will have to spend some more time making beatz in reason only to find where i can improve on sounding pro.
man i love reasons scream 4, i actually did some digital distortion on the beats and was really cool. sounded alot like speedy j!

after using reason and getting to know it im finally now pretty knowlegable of what it can do. therefore i have come the conclusion that i find synth patching in reason somewhat distracting when making music. soon im going to be expanding anyway and im amazed of how good most of the vst synths sound, i was making much better sound quality music in no time at all and i felt inspired to write music again. whereas im taking so much longer to make a clean and beautiful sound im still using the synths and learning everytime and i find nothing wrong with them but just a bit out dated and it takes alot more time to get the patch right.
for now im going through a patch process before i make a track. this is so my productions dont sound like ass and thin because to many of them have. i have looked back on sound design i have done and many i feel like just scrapping which i will because there not production quality, man i have know idea what my ears were listening to then! they sound like shite. atleast it's on the improvement.

my production computer is nearly built just have to load xp on!
soundcard that im going for is maybe a focusrite saffire pro but there is some better ones?
synths and programs i will uses with reason:
ableton 6
cubase sx (in future) for flexability in projects
synths:
albino3
minimonsta-melohman
rapture
z3ta
absynth3
arturia prophet v

cheers

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