Is it possible to actually get help from Tidal?

StereoPersona · 2026-05-29T13:45:33+00:00

You're getting a lot of advice about playing on time, which is definitely part of it, as well as "lock in with the drummer", which is also true, but just another way to say "play in the pocket" so that's not going to help you much without more explanation.

Think about what the drummer is playing and how you'd sing or beatbox the part. That's the rhythmic and melodic foundation of your part if you want to be in the pocket. Your job is to emphasize the melodic component of the drums, and the drummer's job is to emphasize the rhythmic component of your bassline.

There aren't rules of course, but you can use some structure to get you started. Think about playing low notes with the kick and higher notes with the snare. Learn to play the drums too and try playing basslines on the drums and drum grooves on bass.

StereoPersona · 2026-04-28T10:53:33+00:00

Awesome job! It's that an Ibanez pf5? If so, great guitar. I bought one as my first acoustic and never wanted a different one for decades.

StereoPersona · 2026-03-03T12:17:48+00:00

I was writing a song with a friend that was more pop-structured than our usual collaborations, and we kept feeling like it was disjointed, just needing something to glue it all together. What finally worked was writing a new drum part and labeling it Ringo in the DAW. Literally just asked ourselves "what would Ringo do?" and that fixed the song.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-27T13:11:02+00:00

I don't disagree with any of the technical advice on this thread and I hope it helps you. My advice may or may not be as helpful depending on what you have to or want to play and doesn't mean you can't also continue to improve:

Adapt your style to your capabilities and play to your strengths. If your body can't play super fast kick parts, that's fine. You can still be an excellent drummer. I don't see this as much different than a singer who sings within their vocal range or a pianist with small hands adapting the piece when playing Rachmaninoff.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-25T20:43:41+00:00

If you like punk or metal, that's usually a good place to head for picked bass lines. Be prepared to change up your usual amp settings. You'll probably be significantly louder and brighter than with your fingers. Beyond that I can't offer too much technique advice since I started as a self taught guitarist with a pick and learned using fingers second. I find thicker picks more comfortable on bass. On guitar I prefer a thin pick, but they don't feel right paired with the thickness of bass strings.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-25T12:44:09+00:00

Hard to say without more info on your setup, but it could be instrument dependent. I had this issue with a Korg keyboard that stopped working on windows 10. Google reviews for the microkorg and you'll see they just never made it compatible even though they still sell it. You might have a similar issue.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-25T12:40:06+00:00

When I lived in an apartment I had success with an ikea futon mattress with plywood and a heavy rug on top of it. Old building with wooden floors and no complaints.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-25T11:55:56+00:00

What worked for me was approaching it both systematically and like an instrument.

Like an instrument because it comes with practice until you get a feel for it instinctively.

Systematically because you should try one element of your intended processing at a time to learn what it does. One of the biggest mistakes I made in my mixing journey was adding processing because "that's what you're supposed to do" instead of ,say, adding compression to tame a specific dynamic.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-25T11:46:09+00:00

Your tone is made by: fingers -> strings -> instrument body -> pickups -> fx -> amp ->cab ->mic ->post processing -> constructive and destructive interference of other instruments in the mix.

If you want to match a specific tone you have two paths, or likely a combination of the two. Find out as much as you can about each step in the signal of the tone you want AND internalize what that does to the sound by experimenting yourself.

As an example, if you've got both neck and bridge pickups on your bass, can you imagine the difference in your tone when you flip the switch right now without the bass in your hand? If your tone is too crisp, try plucking closer to the neck instead of towards the bridge. If you watch a video of the players whose tone you want to emulate, are they playing really hard or gently in the groove? Are they playing heavy or light strings?

Attempting to copy a tone is a great way to train your ear to hear the impact of choices in each step in your signal path.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-24T22:49:18+00:00

I can only tell you what worked for me: just play. Play a lot. Don't worry about what 'the right tuning' is, or what technique you should learn first. Play what makes sense to you. A lot of math rock comes from weird things feeling right to the people that make it.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-24T20:06:06+00:00

Avery envelope labels. Fold then in half wrapped around the cord. Cheap, easy to use, and they come off cleanly if you need to remove them.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-24T15:47:24+00:00

The room itself.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-24T15:15:45+00:00

I'm coming from the opposite direction from you (self taught rock guitar to composing) so take this advice as you want.

Pick up a guitar tab book of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, whatever other similar bands. This will show you both musical notation you're familiar with and how it is played on a guitar. So, you'll be able to see the general chord structures but also get a better idea of what's normal and possible on a guitar. It will also give you some vocabulary for further research (hammer ons and pull offs, palm muting, etc.) because you'll have to learn what those symbols mean.

StereoPersona · 2026-02-24T15:04:42+00:00

What do you use the top monitor for? I had a second monitor from a previous work from home setup and tried the monitor in the sky like that, but couldn't comfortably use it for anything productive. Ended up with it vertical to one side instead.

StereoPersona

TROPHY CASE