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Do you make your own music?


RawB93

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I watched an interview with Paul Banks from Interpol recently where he talks about finding the balance between perfectionism and just getting stuff out there, sounds like he tends to lean towards the latter (from 2:20, the whole thing is interesting though, even if you don't listen to that type of music):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ndw4UHYvuqs

When you're just starting out though, I think aiming for perfection (whatever that may mean to you) is the way to go when it comes to creating as, although it can be maddening, the results will always be better than if you set your standards low.

I can totally relate to him saying get them finished and get them out there, before you can move on. I've got probably about 20 tracks sitting on my PC which are virtually finished but will be forever tweaking them. You can't properly learn from a track until you have it completed to sit back and look at. Some of my best stuff was made in under 10 hours.

Would disagree with aiming for perfection though, I'm a rather diffident person and aiming for perfection makes it much harder for me to be happy with anything I make, hence the countless unfinished projects!

Anybody have any thoughts on compression/mastering?

I've been using mastering tools for a wee while now and am studying sound production in Perth. Are you having problems making your stuff sound 'professional'? Could offer a hand if so. :)

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I've been using mastering tools for a wee while now and am studying sound production in Perth. Are you having problems making your stuff sound 'professional'? Could offer a hand if so. :)

Cheers, mate - I record stuff on a Zoom MRS 1608 hard disk recorder, which I like, as it does (almost) everything.

It does master the 16 tracks (12 single and 4 stereo) onto a stereo master track, which is great.

I don't mind it being it being a wee bit rough around the edges or even lo-fi. (in fact, I like a bit of that)

However, I recently recorded one of my pal's songs, and he sent it to a few people for comments, even though he is personally very happy with it.

Most of the comments were vey positive, but there was one guy (who runs a local studio, and may well have been touting for work) who was quite critical.

He was saying that this was too loud, and that was too quiet, and that most of the problems could be fixed with a bit of compression here and there.

I wouldn't necessarily disagree with his comments, but I'm limited in what I can do.

I know that professional studios offer mastering services, but you're looking at £20 an hour/per track - that's a lot of dough for a 12 track album.

Is it good to add compression to each individual instrument at the recording stage?

If you're using the recorder's internal effects, is there even any point in adding compression to the instrument as it's being recorded?

It doesn't seem that you can add compression to the stereo master (mixed-down) track, so the final mix really still needs mastering/smoothing - if the final mix still needs to be mastered/smoothed, is there even any point in adding compression in the first place?

Maybe I could write a CD, (from the recorder's internal CD writer), load it into my PC, then try to smooth it with some mastering software?

That's a lot of questions - please feel free to tell me to ram them - I am a jambo b*****d, after all! :lol:

Edited by paranoid android
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I do the solo artist hing under the name Andy K and I'm involved with 2 bands as well, one of which is called Albino Bears and the other has no name yet. We'll most probably go for the name "Denim Tracksuit", provided nobody has taken that already.

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I was in a band called Won Mississippi released an album in 2003 which is still available on Amazon. It was fun at the time - not sure we were much cope though but played a few gigs and got John Earls' demo of The week on Channel 4s Planet Sound teletext page (anyone old enough?) Anyway here is a video that someone put up on You Tube years after:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4seJ20Sd1H8

And a link to Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Welcomes-Careful-Drivers-Won-Mississippi/dp/B0000E6QV0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1421925583&sr=8-2&keywords=won+mississippi

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I'm in a band, got some live tracks form our gig at King Tuts on Soundcloud but nothing recorded professionally...think the link is in my sig...

edit: yes it was.

Edited by Mik
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  • 1 month later...

Breaking Decency who posts on here sometimes does some great stuff and releases his own and others through his label, Sema4Recordings. I'd recommend his Soundcloud.

Cheers for the kind words Pete :) I'm still making music, I have this one coming out at the beginning of March with the flip being a remix from the legendary Jon Kennedy. It's not my usual D&B, tried a garage stylee for this one:

https://soundcloud.com/sema4recordings/sets/sema4030

Is he still on the go? I remember he was not very well quite a while back but haven't seen him on here for a couple

of years.

I'm still on the go! Much better health-wise, still have my moments of illness but I'm alive, so that's what counts I suppose :)

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Mozza's stuff is pretty decent. Sebrenica is fantastic (felt very odd typing that out!). Have you ever thought of sending that in to film/TV companies? Some of it would be perfect in film/documentaries. Do you ever play live, or is it too hard to replicate it all?

I started playing bass at 14/15 - played in a few bands growing up mostly indie/rock stuff to begin, then drums for a slowcore band - I'm in no way a drummer, but it was pretty much 4/4 all the way through, but like anything really we didn't split up just stopped reherasing one week which eventually led to years. Life got in the way of things. We occasionally say at Christmas, or catch ups in the summer (after a few beers) that we'll get together again to fanny about, but it never happens.

I've got about 9/10 of my own songs. I really want to record them, and hopefully will at somepoint this year. Just to have them down and dusted. It's mostly just plodding about on a guitar with a few chords over the top. I find I end up singing about the same things though lyric wise - growing up, traveling, not settling etc. So I imagine the songs not only all sound the same with my limited chord progression, but lyrically too.

There a few guys I know who can sit down for a few days and turn out a few songs. I'm pretty envious of those. It takes me sometimes months to find a bit that goes with another little part I previously wrote.

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Haven't touched my guitar for a good year but previously played in a Post Rock band, sadly called "Ohm". Musically though we weren't too shabby and still fairly proud of our ep despite it being a tad generic. Can listen below.

http://ohmmusic.bandcamp.com/

Nice.

What's the voice sample from? Did you have to get clearance to use it?

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Nice.

What's the voice sample from? Did you have to get clearance to use it?

It's a recording of Dr Oppenheimer following the dropping of the A bomb. Wouldn't need any clearance on it as copyright on sound recordings are for 50 years.

Edited by mrcat1990
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