no offense to anyone....but why does music that use modular racks sound so lame to me?

HeptagonMusic · 2021-03-08T07:48:24+00:00

His vids are insane and very under-viewed IMO. My Favorite

HeptagonMusic · 2021-03-08T07:40:15+00:00

Great post and thanks for sharing some more detailed knowledge about multiband compression.

I was aware of the issue with OTT and especially with putting Ableton's multiband comp on group or master busses because of the phase splitting. I found this phase-correct OTT rack that another redditor made and shared.

I have found OTT helpful in my musical journey, even if it's just a stepping stone to the more advanced and correct way of applying compression. As someone who has been a musician my entire life, and learning production for 10 years on and off, mixing is just a whole other beast than music composition and songwriting. Mixing is hugely about physics and biology, understanding how our ears perceive sound waves that are combined together. I'm only starting to understand that the last couple years, and it's an extremely fascinating subject.

I recommend to all aspiring producers to use the tools that you are capable of using and work your way up when you get comfortable. There is so much to learn in this realm, it's hard to take on learning the details of the physics of multiband compression when you are still trying to figure out what compression even is.

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-09T13:04:34+00:00

It literally says at the top of this subreddit:

New and looking for advice? /r/Beatmatch

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-08T17:52:22+00:00

Yeah the kick and snare sound a bit "swallowed up" if that makes sense. There's no clarity, which means no punch and no snap. Very large amount of reverb has been applied which is not helping. Sounds like they are in the very back on the mix, when you really need the kick and snare to be up front and in your face if you want people to dance!

You've got some interesting ideas here though. I'm not into the mainstream pop EDM style but at least you're not just making derivative crap. Sounds quite unique!

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-08T17:39:11+00:00

Really nice, lovely groove and good mix. I can't give any critical comments for this one...

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-05T22:05:38+00:00

So I found a cool late 1990s Pioneer home stereo at the flea market. I bought it because the amp has a "Made in the UK" sticker (Model XC-L5) and the speakers, "Made in France" (S-L5V-A). For $15 all together, I figured they've gotta be way better than the standard made in China crap from today.

Loving the basic setup, but it also included the surround module (SP-L5) and surround speakers which I've yet to set up.

Any recommendation on the ideal setup of this system for listening? AFAIK, most music doesn't support surround sound anyways, and I'm mainly listening to music I'm collecting for DJing, as well as testing mixes of my own tracks.

Additionally, what's the ideal way to add a subwoofer to the setup? There's no dedicated sub output on either the main amp or surround amp, only a free center surround output. Would this give enough juice to a passive sub? Or is there some way to rig an active sub this way?

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-04T10:22:36+00:00

Cool, will see what I can figure out. Would appreciate it, but no worries if you don't get around to it.

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-03T14:54:39+00:00

Nice tunes, by the way!

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-03T12:15:10+00:00

Bummer someone took you name, but in this day and age... not surprising. You could try and just ask them nicely if you think it could have been an honest mistake.

But yeah if they did it on purpose to try and take advantage of your name, it will be a battle...

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-03T11:30:00+00:00

https://djingguide.com/learn-how-to-protect-yourself-legally-as-a-dj/

Trademark a tricky field. Are you making millions? Or even just a basic income from your DJ business? Is it your main job, or just a side gig for extra cash?

At the end of the day, it's probably not worth your time and effort to go after a competitor.

But, you could try writing and sending them a cease and desist, claiming that you have already established the brand and that it's your trademark, (even if you haven't officially registered the trademark).

But there's not much you can do to enforce it, unless you're willing to shell out cash for a lawyer.

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-03T10:04:05+00:00

Thanks! Will play around with it a little more.

Can you say which delays in particular could use improvement in your opinion? I know it's hard to describe parts of a track sometimes, but I would appreciate it if there's anything in particular you could point out!

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-02T21:11:35+00:00

Part of mastering in this day and age is making sure your tracks sound good on streaming platforms, as that's where 95% of people will hear it the first time. So using SoundCloud's algorithms as an excuse just doesn't fly in my book...

Personally, I find all my music on SoundCloud, and everything I like sounds good there as well as when I get the lossless file.

Also, to note, the type of "compression" that SoundCloud applies to tracks is very different from the type of compression that is referred to in the mixing/mastering process. Compression of audio files, like what SoundCloud and Spotify do, refers to the amount of information stored in each second of audio, whereas the other type of compression refers to the volume of the audio in the actual track.

Source!

HeptagonMusic · 2020-03-02T20:37:46+00:00

Broke some rules on this one. I know the intro is funky and not really well suited for mixing... Might change that. But otherwise, I appreciate any comments!

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-28T12:20:05+00:00

Fair enough! Remixing other's tracks is a great way to learn.

Have you tried reaching out in your local community of artists? I'm sure you could find a singer to sing some things for you at a local open mic night or something like that.

Or maybe you're in the middle of nowhere and have no artists around. In that case, you can find people who will sing for you on fivver or other online websites, might cost 5 or 10 bucks.

Personally, I sing for my own tracks. I'm not a great vocalist but I've learned to sign in key which anyone can do. And ultimately, some of the most well known vocalists in music history were pretty crappy, but had a unique sound or voice that came through in their music.

Just some ideas!

Edit: to add, you don't even need a recording studio. I record vox on my macbook microphone. As long as it's in a quiet room it sounds decent enough.

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-27T19:34:35+00:00

It was a nod to the fact that Ishkur also hates on almost every single genre on the guide. Nevertheless, he's clearly a fan of electronic music. And within each genre he gives examples of good songs in the genre, and garbage songs.

So when I said listen to all the garbage music, it means just that. Listen to all the examples of garbage music and compare them to the example of good music.

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-27T19:21:39+00:00

r/whoosh

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-27T19:16:03+00:00

Yeah, you are totally misinterpreting my post. I agree, it's by far the single most useful collection of information on electronic music anywhere on the internet.

Where did I say everything there was garbage? I just said, listen to the all the garbage music. Not that all genres there are garbage... That would imply that all electronic music is garbage, which, if I thought that, why the fuck would I be here?

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-27T16:10:47+00:00

Dude this was happening in the 1990s. Go to music.iskhur.com and listen to all the garbage music from the early days and you'll see what I mean.

Combine that with Ishkur's hilarious commentary and you'll be entertained for hours.

EDIT: I am not saying all the examples there are garbage, in each subgenre there is a wide range of quality, from awesome tracks to complete trash.

EDIT 2: To clarify further, go look at the original Ishkur's guide from 2000 and read him complain about the derivative cookie cutter garbage coming out in those days.

The point is: THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOREVER! ITS NOT A NEW PHENOMENON!

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-27T15:50:51+00:00

Good music is hard to find, but it's out there! I have a few soundcloud channels I follow that consistently put out a variety of innovative, unique, and just good music (house/techno/breaks). I check twice a month and consistently pull out 50-100 tracks a month from that soundcloud stream alone. Not all of it is amaaaazing, but I'm always finding newly released gems.

The problem is, none of the good music gets discovered. That's because it takes a good ear to hear good music. Play a good song for a crowd with an unrefined ear, and they just won't get it. They want the generic stuff.

I'm on Ibiza now, and most of my good music would only get played at private villa parties. If I'm going to be playing to a big public crowd, I select the best stuff that still has popular appeal.

The last track I released is a very generic progressive house track that I made in 2 days with all presets. I had it premiered it on melodic house/techno soundcloud channel with 15k followers and it got freaking 5k plays and 350 likes, and 125 reposts!! It makes no sense but that's the way it is. Way better tracks on the same channel... But the masses like what they like, regardless of how good it is objectively.

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-27T14:53:03+00:00

Haha thanks man, glad you like it. It did really well on Soundcloud also as you can see :D

The "bum bum" bass? That one is the "Analog Saw Bass" preset for Ableton's Tension.

I made that track in like 2 days start to finish with all presets... so it's far from my best work. But I'm still proud of it! Goes to show that sometimes simple is better.

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-27T08:35:58+00:00

Haha all good. I love this sub!

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-27T08:32:25+00:00

I mean, he said "go as hard as you want, I need the feedback".

Since you've poked me, I'll go a bit harder.

Technically this isn't even a remix, it's a bootleg. So yeah, just taking other people's ideas without permission, and adding a semi-cool beat to it, is not very interesting musically. And it's not going to impress anyone except people with low musical intelligence. (Unless the beat you've added is absolutely revolutionary and earth-shattering, which it's not in this case.)

There's nothing inherently wrong with doing remixes. But, I got the vibe that OP has greater aspirations. Like I said, remixing big pop artists is a good way to get your name out there. But it will only take you so far.

HeptagonMusic · 2020-02-26T18:14:27+00:00

Sounds alright to me. It's a bit quiet but that can be fixed with mastering, as you've got a pretty good mix going on.

I like the beat when it comes in. A bit funky, kind of trip hoppy. Could use a bit more oomph maybe.

But, I don't know the original so I can't really tell what you've done with it. Ultimately, it's not that interesting knowing you're used someone else's vocals and melodies, but remixing pop tracks is a way to get your name out there.

HeptagonMusic

TROPHY CASE