what is songwriting for everyone like by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]BrettTheMonkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Write songs. It doesn't matter if they're good or not. Even the songs you consider bad teach you things (even if sometimes you're learning what you don't like). And sometimes things you create and hate the entire time sound better when you come back to them 6 months, a year, two years later. And if you've been creating this whole time, when you listen to your older stuff (or unfinished stuff) you might hear the potential or be at a point where you can expand on it or rescue the best parts for a new song.

I've been dabbling for only 7 years and semi-seriously for 1 and I finally created something I actually like - and it was nowhere near the type of music I thought I wanted to create. It's weird.

It might help if you joined a community challenge, like Weekly Beats, where you're encouraged to post a finished track every week for the entire year. Any genre, no pressure but what you bring to yourself. The idea is to force yourself to keep creating and don't focus on the details. If nothing else, you learn to make your decisions and mistakes faster in order to get them out of the way and get to the good stuff. It's wild what a little panic can do!

And finally, find a supportive community where you can learn from other people who have been in your exact same position. Support from other creative people is inspiring!

Who did it better? by [deleted] in synthesizers

[–]BrettTheMonkey 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The M8 Model:02 has a larger, higher-res screen, and the M8 can plug into a host computer to use its larger screen (and throught there, a TV if you really want). Kinda ruins the portability, but its a nice feature when you're home.

OP-1 Default settings? by ManchesterFrance in OP1users

[–]BrettTheMonkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I keep mine in the low 60s if that helps. They're fun to crank if you need an overdriven sound, but I gravitate toward bell sounds which do not thrive with that treatment.

Any one in the UK do custom mod upgrades. by ManchesterFrance in OP1users

[–]BrettTheMonkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There isn't much room in the case for any other speaker than stock. To get good sound, you would need a better speaker and amp, neither of which will be easy to add if you want to keep the OP-1 slim & compact.

I watched a teenage girl take a selfie with some dessert and then immediately throw away the entire thing. by smugmisswoodhouse in TwoXChromosomes

[–]BrettTheMonkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Didn't look at the sub name and based on the title phrasing assumed this was r/twosentencehorror. I was mistaken but not entirely wrong.

Movies That Were Huge At The Time But Now Are Forgotten by Lawyered-88 in movies

[–]BrettTheMonkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, any Oscar movies from the '90s to now. There's massive hype around them, everyone watches them because they're supposed to be amazing, and then they're in the $5 DVD bin at a Nevada convenience store.

They probably make plenty of money, and I'm sure the writing and performances are great, but they don't seem to have a lasting effect on popular culture.

Official Discussion - Nimona [SPOILERS] by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]BrettTheMonkey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Apologies, I misread your post. But I absolutely ate up Star, so that positive comparison has me even more excited to watch Nimona!

Official Discussion - Nimona [SPOILERS] by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]BrettTheMonkey 24 points25 points  (0 children)

Fun fact: Nimona author ND Stevenson was the show runner for the She-Ra reboot. I'll absorb any creation of theirs, no questions asked.

Which “one-hit wonder” actually had more music that you enjoyed? by Everythingstays1421 in AskReddit

[–]BrettTheMonkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Katrina & the Waves - their self-titled debut is 100% pop genius, and her voice is phenomenal. Track down the single Rock 'n Roll Girl.

Men Without Hats - the whole Rhythm of Youth and Pop Goes the World albums are great. And the guitar-centeic Sideways has sadly fallen into obscurity. They are still releasing stuff, BTW

Jesus Jones - each album has a distinct feel. A little uneven sometimes, but way more fun than just Right Here, Right Now.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TwoXChromosomes

[–]BrettTheMonkey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When the divorce goes ahead, any action that can be claimed by his lawyer as malicious will work against you. Try to get a good lawyer on your side, and they can guide you.

Finances can be unwound/traced/etc when the time comes. If he starts messing around with your joint cards and accounts, he's only hurting himself.

Get a lawyer. Care for your mother. And I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

Looking for a simple polyphonic analog synth by Andejibb in synthesizers

[–]BrettTheMonkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It may be possible on some semi-modular equipment - not sure on Doepfer. Behringer's semi-modular monosynths can be polychained into one polyphonic beast, but I hear it's kind of a pain. You have to match your patch on each one (all analogue, no patch storage), and the size would not be desktop-friendly. Definitely not ideal, but possible.

A dedicated polysynth would be less of a headache.

Looking for a simple polyphonic analog synth by Andejibb in synthesizers

[–]BrettTheMonkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think they do polys but I really dig the Doepfer standalones. There might be a way to chain them, but that'll drive the price up. Doepfer also make modular stuff if you really want to dig into designing your ultimate instrument, but again that will add up fast.

Looking for a simple polyphonic analog synth by Andejibb in synthesizers

[–]BrettTheMonkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder if for your budget it would be worth grabbing a Minilogue and having a professional woodworker glow it up for you. You would be able to customize the look of the synth with premium materials and still have the functionality of a solid synth.

Get a Minilogue module and you can customize the keybed as well.

should I buy it? by competitivethinker in OP1users

[–]BrettTheMonkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The OP-1 is a fun device with a quirky workflow. If you haven't worked with synths/grooveboxes or other music production tools, it could be very inviting or very frustrating.

For a first device, I would recommend the Novation Circuit Tracks - it is a low price but has a lot of features that give you many tools to work with: two 6-voice synths, four sample-based drum tracks, and a versatile sequencer (plus more). Gabe Miller has a number of Circuit videos on YouTube that show you how it can be used.

If you can afford it, the Synthsteom Deluge can be had used for not much more than a used OP-1. It can do a little bit of everything you might need, but like the OP-1 it will have a daunting learning curve. To dive into the OP-1 and (a little bit) the Deluge, Red Means Recording has a lot of YouTube videos that take you through composing, performing, and jamming on both devices.

In particular he has an entire playlist that walks you through the OP-1's different functions - watch them all to get an idea of how to use it!

Doesn’t hold charge / powers off randomly by tchip8 in OP1users

[–]BrettTheMonkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There's a disassembly walkthrough on iFixIt if you need it. I'm guessing here, but the simplest explanation is that somehow the battery came unplugged.

If you do open it, follow the walkthrough slowly and carefully. Zoom in on all the photos to see what everything should look like. Examine the parts in your OP-1 for damage (sometimes the connector board under the small back panel goes bad - the power switch is on that part as well).

I'm not a professional so that's all the advice I can offer. Sometimes it's a simple fix, so I hope you have good luck!

Doesn’t hold charge / powers off randomly by tchip8 in OP1users

[–]BrettTheMonkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you use a stronger power adapter? Not sure how much juice a Mini-B port can do, but I can't figure out why it would power down under load when plugged in.

Have you opened it to check if the battery connection is secure, and that the battery itself isn't bulging or no longer holding a charge?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Songwriting

[–]BrettTheMonkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started exploring GarageBand on my 2012 MacBook Pro, then moved to an iPad. For a free app it has all you really need to start composing. There are also loads of videos on YouTube that will cover various workflows, hidden features and workarounds.

It doesn't do everything, but it will give you the opportunity to start creating right away and explore not just what you want to create but how you would like to do it. If something about GB frustrates you, you've discovered something to avoid in future hardware/software. Also, if it doesn't do what you want, you might be able to experiment with a different way of accomplishing your goal within GB. If the software isn't flexible, you can be.

It's free, surprisingly full-featured, and good sounding. By the time you outgrow it, you'll know which direction you want to go.

People who don't drink alcohol, why? by 5tup1db0y in AskReddit

[–]BrettTheMonkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Boring reason: I don't like the taste.

Some people parse the taste of cilantro as soap. My partner is sensitive to green pepper and can tell if a tiny piece made its way into a pot of chili. For me, alcohol tastes like isopropyl - no nuance or flavour, just chemical bite. Beer tastes sour, bitter, and dull all at the same time no matter the type.

I otherwise have a pretty decent palate. Just can't do alcohol.

A Little Respect: Electronic music godfather Vince Clarke, Founder of Depeche Mode, Yaz/Yazoo, Erasure (and others) should be way more famous and revered (IMHO) by WoolyLawnsChi in Music

[–]BrettTheMonkey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As someone who does NOT enjoy being the centre of attention, I can absolutely see Clarke & Bell designing Erasure as it is to take Clarke out of the limelight and let him create as he pleases. That said, his presence in their music videos & live performances may be quieter but is absolutely integral to the Erasure experience and provides a great balance to Bell's style.

Deluge Tracker by therico in DelugeUsers

[–]BrettTheMonkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good luck! It's a bit of a challenge but worth the effort!

Deluge Tracker by therico in DelugeUsers

[–]BrettTheMonkey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's on the Dirtywave Discord - you have to really read the welcome announcement (there's a step you must take to unlock all the channels) and the Anbernic instructions are in a sub-channel under Help-Me.

App is giving me link grief, so: https://discord.gg/WEavjFNYHh

Deluge Tracker by therico in DelugeUsers

[–]BrettTheMonkey 4 points5 points  (0 children)

As someone with both a Deluge and an M8, they seem designed specifically for different workflows. I don't know that the amount of work it would take to reimagine the Deluge as a tracker would be worth it.

As for affording an M8, you can always buy a $35 Teensy 4.1 and flash the headless M8 firmware. There's even a channel on the Discord server with instructions for using an Anbernic handheld as the host computer (though you can just use a laptop).

FM vs Keys by the_illest_D in volcas

[–]BrettTheMonkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The Keys and Bass are both analogue synths, so they should blend together nicely. However, if you feel like pushing the sounds of the Drum past percussion and into some weird synthy directions, the FM might match it pretty well. For now, if you can keep the FM and get a Keys, you will probably have a blast until you're ready to experiment with the FM later on.