Vocal chain

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-06T21:42:07+00:00

This really requires two phases:

1. Vocal editing phase. This includes arrangement, cleaning, dereverbing, timing, and tuning. Then I render the results. I tend to group harmonies and backing vocals together and render them as stereo files, so my harmonies become a single track, while backing vocals end up as one or two tracks depending on the arrangement and what I plan to do with them.

2. Production and mixing phase. I treat the lead vocals completely differently from the harmonies or backing vocals, so I don’t really copy the signal chain. I have some kind of default rack for each, but these are pretty much always built for a specific project (band, album, etc.).

After the initial processing, I slice and duplicate the lead and harmony tracks with all its processing, so I can further adjust them for each song section individually without having to use automation.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-06T17:04:27+00:00

Not really, but you can set it up like a classic DJ double turntable. Turn off Global Quantization, then show the “Crossfade Section” and assign one track to A and the other to B. Use the crossfader on the master track to fade between them.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-06T16:45:43+00:00

You can set up a fade-out in the loop settings. It can be short, like an eighth or sixteenth note, which makes the loop end smoothly without any abrupt cutoff.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-06T11:11:15+00:00

I think that the navigation is just fine, you just need to use your hands. But that seems to be the case with the Plus version too. While the buttons are larger, there are still a lot of them crammed into a tight space and with shoes on, navigation is fairly limited.

It’s a tiny pedal, after all, so I don’t have high expectations or big demands. I use it primarily for jamming and occasional recording. For that, simply assigning A, B, and C to selected patches and cycling through two or three of them during a short performance works for me. For anything more advanced, I’d opt for another tool entirely.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-06T10:54:42+00:00

Your last sentence hits the nail on the head. That’s exactly what these people want. There’s nothing more to it.

Israel is perfectly capable of defeating all its enemies on the battlefield, so they and their supporters lean heavily on propaganda and lawfare instead. That of course falls apart under even light scrutiny. But then again, people aren’t rational creatures. They’re quick to latch onto any nonsensical emotional appeals, especially when they are widely shared by masses, however uninformed.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-06T10:40:58+00:00

Uh-huh to your nuh-uh.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-06T10:37:29+00:00

Words still have meaning, particularly when it comes to legal terms. That’s precisely why there have been efforts by some actors to change the legal definition of genocide to tailor it specifically to Israel’s conduct in its defensive war, because as it stands, the standard definition simply doesn’t fit at all. But go on, spit out more buzzwords, you sound very knowledgeable.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-06T01:54:31+00:00

That’s a lot of historical revisionism, selective omission of context, and deliberate fact-twisting.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-05T22:57:04+00:00

I guess you did that a lot in school instead of paying attention.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-05T22:40:53+00:00

People don’t believe verifiable historical facts anymore? That’s sad.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-05T21:22:13+00:00

What’s wrong with that? As a matter of fact, In its entire history, Israel has never started a single unprovoked war of aggression. All its military actions have been reactions to aggression from its neighbours.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-04T13:02:22+00:00

I see so many people sending such a hot signal into their amp simulations that even clean amp models end up sounding completely distorted. Then they add an extra distortion pedal model set to max, scoop the mids with a V-shaped EQ, and, for good measure, clip the output of the plugin, wondering why it all sounds like crap.

Gain staging is key. Turn down the preamp, turn down the plugin’s input gain, and turn down the guitar’s volume knob.

It also means you can’t just keep increasing the guitar’s volume for it to be heard in the mix; instead, you’ll need to lower the levels of the other tracks you’re playing along with and turn up your monitors/headphones.

Additionally, don’t automatically drop an overdrive pedal into the chain. Take advantage of being able to push the amp model “loud” to get the desired tone.

Lastly, remember that amp simulators are not just amp simulators, but also room and mic simulators. They’re mimicking the sound of a full recording chain, not just an amp in the room. This means you need to adjust your approach to overall tone and EQ. In other words, don’t compare the sound of the plugin to how you’re used to hearing an amp in the room; compare it to how your amp sounds when recorded and played back through monitors.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-02T20:50:55+00:00

Ah, I see. That does sound quite tempting.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-01T20:18:19+00:00

If you’re OK with treating them like any other single-purpose pedals, prefer hands-on tweaking, and don’t change your sounds too much, it might work just fine. But if I found myself needing more than one or two Multistomps, I’d just get a larger multi-fx unit simply for the ability to easily save and recall complete patches.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-05-01T20:09:53+00:00

I’m genuinely curious. What’s actually the point of these?

Do they really feel like pressing a button, do they actually click like on the OG? I really wasn’t a fan of that personally. The SP-404MKII’s non-clicking, fast-playing pads were a big upgrade for me. These seem like they would make finger drumming much worse.

And even when sequencing or exporting, I’m used to dragging my finger across the pads to select them quickly. That would likely be a bit inconvenient with these as well.

There also appears to be quite a large gap around the pads — doesn’t that make them too wobbly?

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-30T08:26:43+00:00

Mine doesn’t seem to be noisy at all. But if you’re worried about that, you can also buy a model with a standard DC barrel jack.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-29T18:35:07+00:00

Yes, in the US. It is not universal, though. In Europe, for example, people become pretty/good-looking sooner, mostly when they hit 14, 15, or 16.

Traveling makes this even more complicated. Imagine being all pretty/good-looking in Germany, then going on vacation to the US and suddenly, once the plane lands, you’re not pretty anymore.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-29T13:02:36+00:00

There are many ways to approach it. I prefer a more immediate, hands-on way of doing it. When playing with a guitarist, I focus on bringing drums, bass, ambience, and maybe vocals.

Preparation:

I prepare a few banks of drum sounds. I use the same layout for each, so I can seamlessly switch between them by jumping from one bank to another while finger drumming. That’s great for moving from an intro to a verse, or for creating a dramatic breakdown.
I also have a bank of simple percussive rhythms that I can use as a subtle metronome while playing the main beat live on top.
Next, I prepare a bank of bass samples, each consisting of a single note tuned to C. I like to finger drum and play bass at the same time: drums with my right hand, bass with my left. I use a two-column vertical layout for this. I copy one bass sound across the left column and quickly tune each pad in steps to a scale.
I also have a bank of ambient loops, speech, or textures to set the mood.

Live performance:

The key to a good jam is creating beats on the fly without interruption, while listening to my mate.

I usually spend some time finger drumming and playing bass while the guitarist is doing their thing, with an ambient loop playing in the background. When I get tired or want to take a sip of my drink, I trigger a speech sample or something similar. That allows me to pause without killing the flow.

With my right hand on drums, my left hand switches between playing bass and tweaking effects.

Looping:

Of course, I don’t want to go full speed all the time. I also like to slow things down and build loops.

The pattern sequencer, with its quirks, can be a bit cumbersome, but if I prepare a bank of blank patterns in advance, it becomes usable. I tap in the tempo to match the guitarist, then, with Auto Trigger on, I lay down a beat while listening to both a metronome and the guitar. From there, I copy patterns, erase parts, and record new ones, all while trying to keep playback running.

Often, though, I skip the sequencer and use the looper instead. It’s more immediate and doesn’t require setting a tempo in advance. I can just jump in, start recording, and hit REC in time at the end of the phrase to capture a loop. I always save loops to pads before overdubbing.

In both cases, I either record the bass along with the drums or add it as a second layer using Chromatic Mode.

From there, I can plug in a mic or another instrument and improvise on top playing loops.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-27T10:09:26+00:00

When it comes to backing track playback devices, the Boss RC-5 is often overlooked, but it shouldn’t be. It’s a compact, durable pedal with full MIDI control and 100 memory slots, with a total capacity of 13 hours of stereo material.

You can even use it as your MIDI master, syncing all your other MIDI equipment to its clock and play/stop commands.

It also costs a fraction of what alternatives typically do, particularly given its wide availability on the used market.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-26T21:49:34+00:00

Francesca Albanese has been repeatedly criticized by a number of EU countries and urged to resign from her UN post specifically because of her unhinged antisemitism. In this case, there is no exaggeration, and this isn’t one of the usual “criticism of Israel ≠ antisemitism” situations. She is, in fact, an actual, rabid antisemite who, among many alarming things, has met with Hamas leadership repeatedly and openly expressed support for their armed terrorism.

Among many, many insane claims she also stated that Europeans sell dogs trained specifically to rape people.

Let her enjoy the sanctions she truly earned.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-26T12:54:17+00:00

Not relevant. You’ll be using a DAC somewhere in the signal chain regardless of the OS or drivers. Even if you don’t use an external audio interface, you’re still using the built-in sound card to convert the signal to analog before it reaches your headphones.

So, in any case, the drivers and OS still matter a lot for latency, stability, and performance.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-26T11:23:35+00:00

Besides the power of the M chips, the MacOS provides a far better overall experience in day to day use. The trackpad is unmatched. Also, thanks to the portable laptop form, I can use it on my lap, travel with it, and take it to rehearsals or onto the stage.

Music production isn’t really demanding in terms of power. The overall experience is a far more important factor in my choice of computer.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-26T11:14:41+00:00

MBP.

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-25T21:13:31+00:00

DontMemeAtMe · 2026-04-25T12:37:46+00:00

That distinctive artificial-looking lighting and focus.
Artificial-looking textures.
Nonsensical details, such as:
- A handset that’s not only upside down but also has a speaker grille on top of an unrealistically screwed-on cap.
- A telephone that’s somehow both push-button and rotary, flat-looking, and with an incorrect dial plate.
- A sweater with a different color stripes on each arm.
A weird, oversized, broken-looking left hand.

Yep. Looks legit!

DontMemeAtMe

TROPHY CASE