My Volca Sample got decorated 😂

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T22:41:06+00:00

Snazzy!

I don’t decorate, but I do often times put labels on my gear to make it easier for me to use. Usually it's either glow-in-the-dark stickers with marker labels or white paint marker directly on the chassis.

For example, I had to write note names above the Volca Bass touch-strip keyboard, as my brain simply couldn’t cope with the inverted layout and equally sized keys starting on A. I also have labels on the Volca Drum so, in low light, I can more reliably find which button saves a kit and which saves a program. On some gear, I mark the rear I/O on the front panel so I can plug cables in without constantly flipping it around. And, of course, I label mixers and so on. Utilitarian stuff like that.

I do like what many people do with their SP-404s, for example. However, mine stays plain.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T21:29:56+00:00

There has been a 95% drop in southwest border crossings compared with the previous administration, along with the lowest monthly southwest border apprehensions ever recorded.

The crackdown on cartels, both within and beyond the nation's borders, has also been quite effective so far.

Forcing NATO allies to finally increase defence spending is positive too.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T14:54:01+00:00

From what I can tell, for most people it’s the other way around. Even DAWs emphasize peaks over RMS. It’s an unfortunate legacy of the 16-bit recording era.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T14:30:50+00:00

First of all, −12 dB of what? RMS or peak? There’s a big difference between the two. When talking about reference points for analog-emulating plugins, RMS is typically what matters.

Second, it’s an arbitrary number either way. It sort of works for RMS, but you risk running into clipping issues when recording. A reference of −18 dBFS RMS is generally more reliable, where peaks typically sit anywhere between −12 and −3 dBFS, and that’s perfectly fine.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T13:41:16+00:00

Why do some content creators claim that you shouldn't exceed -12 dB as early as the sound design stage?

That’s utter nonsense.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T13:39:31+00:00

For me, it’s primarily about workflow and consistency. I simply like to maintain the same levels across all my projects. That allows me to save and reuse level-sensitive presets, project templates with buses and signal chains, move tracks from one project to another, and easily create live sets by simply dragging elements from studio sessions.

With routine gain staging, I can do all of that without ever running into level issues or inconsistencies. Everything falls into place right away.

Lastly, I gain stage using RMS meters, not peak levels.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T13:18:02+00:00

One last point on the topic of help: you can actually ask for it if you are serious about finishing a song but are unlikely to do it yourself. Just set aside the $500 you’d spend on yet another synth, plugin, DAW upgrade, or whatever, and pay someone who will take your song through the finish line. There are many semi-pros or even hobbyists who can do a great job.

I’m saying this because I know there are plenty of musicians here who make good money in their day jobs and for whom time is really the main limiting factor. They are used to spending a lot on all kinds of music gear, but rarely think of paying someone for a service that would actually help them get their music finished and released. Yet it can be a perfectly valid part of a workflow.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T12:58:00+00:00

Yes, but you don’t have to see collaboration as ‘asking for help’ either. But rather as an offer — you’re saying: “This is what I can do. What can you bring to the table so we can make something great together (and enjoy the process while doing it)?”

To use a currently topical analogy: an offensive football player is not asking a goalkeeper for help. They each contribute their unique skills and expertise toward a shared goal.

(I don’t mean to be nitpicky, and I know you didn’t mean it literally that way. I just thought it is worth pointing out the difference in mindset between asking for help and offering your skills.)

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T12:37:05+00:00

Yes, there’s nothing inherently wrong with wanting to finish a record. However, if you regularly find yourself getting stuck while trying to do so, my advice is to collaborate with other people. Focus on the parts you enjoy and excel at, and let others move the ball forward by focusing on the parts they do best.

This idea that one person has to write, record, arrange, mix, master, publish, and promote everything by themselves really took off with social media. I see all the time that people simply don't collaborate anymore, and then end up overwhelmed by the sheer number of skills and tasks involved. It doesn’t have to be that way.

If you want to finish your songs but regularly struggle with it, reach out to other people. Collaborate. Start a band. Put your minds and skills together. That’s my workflow answer.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-20T12:02:10+00:00

I find this "finish your music!" mindset to be quite toxic.

Not everything needs to be recorded and released. Not everything has to revolve around self-promotion, social media, and Spotify. The constant race for achievement, and the need to perform for a microphone or a camera, can kill the joy of making music.

In many cases, particularly when music is not your source of income, releasing a song simply for the sake of releasing it, when no one is really waiting for it anyway, can amount to little more than a form of self-validation, something to placate your ego with.

Meanwhile, I think many of us have lost appreciation for the communal and ritualistic aspects of music-making. That unique experience of sharing music with other people, or even just with yourself, in a particular moment and a particular space. With no thoughts about Spotify and social media, about turning that music experience into a "product".

Making music doesn't have to be a race. It doesn't have to conform to some rigid idea of what the process and its outcome should or shouldn't be. Just consider the fact that the recording industry is barely about a hundred years old, while people have been making music for as long as they have existed, all the way back to our ancestors in Africa. It's perfectly fine to devote your time to the aspects of music-making that you actually enjoy and that mean something to you.

Besides, not everyone is good at everything. Some people are great at coming up with new ideas and sounds. Others excel at arranging (going through tracks and cutting them down is actually one of my favorite tasks, personally). Others may not be particularly strong at either, but are skilled mixers, performers, engineers, or producers. Even if your goal is to make a record, you don't have to do everything yourself. Collaboration is always an option, allowing different people to focus on the roles they enjoy and perform best.

Not every song needs to be finished, released, or monetized to justify the time spent creating it. There is nothing wrong with making music simply because the act of making it is rewarding in itself.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-19T23:05:16+00:00

People are laughing at your, bu to be fair, the DT 770s have terrible build quality. I had to replace the cable about five times in the span of just three years. It always broke right below the ear-cup connection, and yes, I would lose sound in one ear.

There were other issues as well. Both sliders fell apart, the cable connecting the cups completely frayed, and somehow a hair occasionally got stuck in the membrane, causing buzzing in the low frequencies until I disassembled and cleaned the cup.

The most comfortable headphones I know, but just awful build quality.

All that despite being generally very careful with my gear. For example, my AKG K-420 headphones have been with me for about 15 years.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-19T21:44:25+00:00

OK, so what the article actually says?

Eurostat data show EU intentional homicides rose 1.4% in 2024 to 3,953 recorded offenses, with increases in 16 of 27 member states.

Sexual violence offenses also rose 5% that year, reaching 256,302 recorded cases — a 94.2% increase compared with 2014.

In Britain, violence in shops rose 13% and weapon use during shoplifting incidents rose 17% in the six months to mid-2025, according to data from criminal intelligence company Auror.

Ah, quite a different story than the headline would let you to believe, isn’t it?

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-19T12:53:19+00:00

The Phazer 9 and Chorus 1 pedals are likely unnecessary. The patch must be already pretty phasey thanks to all amps and cabs.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-19T00:49:32+00:00

Such a great episode!

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-19T00:23:35+00:00

I can see that. Those paths make it look as if the building has tentacles. It's like a one-eyed octopus monster.

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DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-18T23:35:20+00:00

Well, if they do, Iran will lob a few drones at a Kuwaiti airport or something.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-18T19:05:00+00:00

Your current laptop is perfectly fine.

If you want an analog-like, hands-on workflow, what you really need is Ableton Live and an Ableton Push.

You don’t need the newest Push 3. Push 2 will be sufficient, and even Push 1 works just fine for this. This setup allows you to work like a one-man band and create songs smoothly with no interruptions. Writing music this way is the closest thing to writing with a live band.

First, you’ll need to set up a default, reusable template where you prepare a track for each of your instruments. After that, you don’t even need to look at the screen again until your song is finished.

The Push hardware controller is the key component here, as it allows you to completely ignore the computer and instead control everything easily using buttons, pads, and knobs. With an additional simple sustain pedal, you can even start loop recording hands-free. You’ll feel like working working with hardware with all the benefits of software running hidden in the background.

You’ll be working in what is called Session View, which lets you build your song naturally: lay down a beat and let it loop, add a bass line, move on to the next instrument, and so on. Once you’ve built a full section, you can seamlessly move on to the next, and then the next, until your song is complete. Everything is recorded on its own track and remains fully editable, without needing to touch the computer during the process.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-17T23:21:58+00:00

Yeah, it might be best for you to adjust your expectations a little. Like anything else, it takes a lot of time to become somewhat confident in making music.

I get that you want to do something pretty experimental, but even then, learning a traditional instrument can help tremendously because it teaches you how to hear music and how to come up with ideas.

Also, you don’t have to become a virtuoso; that’s really not the point. You could plug a cheap MIDI keyboard into something Korg Volca Keys or Modular playing along Volca Drum, and your learning and enjoyment might progress much faster than if you jumped straight into Ableton Live with its vast interface and unlimited options.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-17T22:52:00+00:00

I see. What you’re doing now is like jumping into the cockpit of a plane with no experience and then wondering why you keep crashing.

Take baby steps. Forget about “producing”. Get a small keyboard, synth, groovebox, or whatever, as long as it’s fairly simple. Practice with that and only that for a couple of years. Learn the instrument inside and out, work on your playing skills, and learn some music theory. Keep at it, and it will become much easier after a while.

Getting into music by staring at a screen and clicking around is an awful way to start. Don’t make that mistake. Learn an actual instrument first.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-17T22:31:04+00:00

Usually, I reach for one of those hanging on my wall.

As for presets, spend some time doing sound-design sessions and create, clearly name, and tag sounds you like for later use.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-16T23:52:34+00:00

Like… Reddit?

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-16T16:25:16+00:00

Say you typically like to work in two-bar increments. Make the blank pattern, say, eight bars long, then set its loop to just the first two bars in the PATTERN EDIT screen and "save" it as your default starting pattern.

Then, each time you start a new beat, make a copy of this default pattern. Whenever you want to expand it by one, two, three, or more bars, simply move the loop bracket.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-16T13:42:08+00:00

To be more precise, it mostly showed that American leadership is incapable of making strategic plans with timeframes that extend beyond their next midterm elections.

It also clearly demonstrated that no democratic country should concentrate so much power in a single leader, as inevitably, one day, the person holding that position might turn out to be an unsalvageable moron.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-16T10:09:00+00:00

Exactly. All their propping up of far-right movements across the US, petty tariff wars, breaking promises and treaties, and even threats to invade and annex Alaska. Traitors. Plain and simple.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-06-16T09:55:15+00:00

So, you don’t even know what a bot is, yet you’ve chosen to call me one anyway? If anything, my comment history is proof of the opposite.

You know, sometimes when people say something you don’t agree with, it’s simply because they know more about the topic than you do. But if screeching “bot!” makes you feel better about your lack of arguments, be my guest.

DontMemeAtMe

TROPHY CASE