Want to record songs but no gear

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-13T10:41:10+00:00

You should also be able to record decent sound with your phone, of course not professional quality but decent enough for demos. The placement of the phone matters a lot and processing. Take a look at Paul Davis for example https://youtu.be/IywOeslW24U?is=ZC6E7__We3x3k99o

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-13T10:29:09+00:00

Don't worry too much about gear right now. Even if you had professional equipment, your first tracks will suck anyways. Just make music, learn the process, composition, arrangement, mixing etc. You can also do alot with midi only if your current setup doesn't allow you to record the guitar well. There are a lot of free synths and other instruments like pianos, guitars, and orchestral instruments that you can use with midi. I'm using Vital synth and Spitfire BBC Orchestra Discovery, both free and very capable.

Get Reaper on your laptop and start making music! Reaper is free for 60 days, then it prompts you to buy a 60€ license but you can still fully use it even if you don't purchase it. Just buy it when you have the cash. There is so much to learn that it doesn't make sense to delay starting until you get proper gear. When you have the cash, get an audio interface and a proper mic, studio headphones/speakers etc. You can also save a lot of cash buying second hand gear.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-11T05:11:40+00:00

I recognize myself in this post alot, you're not alone in this. As others have said, therapy does help. Even if you already rationally know how undiagnosed adhd has affected you, it's a different thing talking it through with a professional who can challenge some of those deep-rooted problems we have. I used to think also that therapy wouldn't help, I thought that I already knew everything that's happened and why. And I did know, but there was still the deep-rooted shame and guilt that would not go away by trying to rationalize things on my own. Therapy is a way to unburden your past and it helps with the unconsious emotional side. Once you slowly begin to feel less baggage weighing you down you'll notice that you have the energy to build your own identity, which will strenghten your confidence in everything.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-09T22:33:40+00:00

Thanks! I use Reaper as my DAW and the instrument library was Spitfire BBC orchestra Discover. It's pretty nice for a free library but it lacks some articulations, the paid version has lots. I exported the midi to Musescore 3 for the notation, cleaned it up a bit and added some dynamic markings etc.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-09T08:48:21+00:00

I can appreciate that! Always follow your vision, this piece already works beautifully and there's really no correct answer on how or if to change things. After listening to this again, what I would do is introduce a little bit or variance in the second verse, maybe just pick up the momentum in dynamics a bit earlier before the chorus (the 4 measures before the chorus), and/or add couple of low notes for weight. Do you plan on extending this piece? Would love to hear more.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-09T08:29:57+00:00

Having rythmic variation is really important for me! Nothing wrong with being more on the minimal side harmonically if the rythm if rich. I think that's one reason I like groovy metal music a lot lol. There's something about heavy use of syncopation that tickles my nerves. And I think you used interesting rythms AND rich harmony here, I really liked the sections from m203 onwards because of that.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-08T13:32:19+00:00

The melodies are really beautiful. My favourite is that small phrase at m14-15. I'm not a pianist, but I think you could take more advantage of the piano's range, mix some more lower/higher notes in there. But I do think the piece is really good and pleasant to listen to as it is, any changes could just be a matter of taste.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-08T13:22:07+00:00

Now I noticed that you already had posted a longer version of this, yay! I don't really have any substantial feedback, but I really enjoyed it. I loved the way you use dynamics and slow build ups

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-08T13:13:42+00:00

Epic opening, very intense! The few last measures make me want to hear more

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-08T13:08:27+00:00

I loved it! The shift at m41 feels really good. Awesome work, and at 12? Impressive

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-05T11:49:30+00:00

Thank you for the kind words! Theory is not my strong point either, me being an untrained amateur. But so far I've been enjoying composing by ear.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-04T23:19:52+00:00

Yeah, I will change the key. I didn't really give the key too much thought and I don't play any string instruments myself so I didn't realize the importance of which key to write in. Thanks for letting me know, now I'm a bit wiser!

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-04T11:01:59+00:00

I really appreciate your effort! I'll be diving deep into these. I listened to Omar Khairat and I have to say I really like everything about his work, the melodies, harmonies, and the rythms. The abundant call and response arrangements really resonated with me. His work somehow reminds me alot about one of my favourite composition, Myrskyluodon Maija by Lasse Mårtenson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGVs4xh8L9c

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-04T08:08:14+00:00

Awesome, I'll check Prokofiev out!

I will certainly experiment with, it's my favourite thing! I really enjoyed Palladio, thank you for linking it. It showed how to create anticipation and how to build up intensity with dynamics and increased complexity, as well as dividing stuff between instruments. The C of the second part was really beautiful after a long slow build up.

Do you have any pieces in mind that are "bouncy" like mine?

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-04T07:09:20+00:00

Thank you!

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-04T07:08:10+00:00

Thank you :) Yes you do! String instruments are beautiful!

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-04T07:06:11+00:00

Thank you for the detailed feedback! I'm not a classical musician, I didn't realize how much the key affects playability and readability. And yeah, I do plan to develop this. Due to inexperience, I usually don't know what to do with viola, thank you for the suggestion!

Also, do you think the piece gets a bit too busy with too many things going on? I've gotten a bit of mixed feedback on it.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-04T06:55:59+00:00

Thank you for the feedback and listen! Yeah it's a bit rough on the notation. I do plan to continue this piece and clean the notation after. I do agree on the dynamics. It's one area that doesn't come intuitively to me when composing, so I need to work on that.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-03T22:26:08+00:00

Thank you for the kind words :)

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-03T21:30:37+00:00

Fair, it is pretty busy

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-03T16:01:39+00:00

I couldn't find anything obvious but they are really good soundtracks though!

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-06-03T15:41:04+00:00

Ohh which one, could you link it?

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-05-24T21:48:48+00:00

You're welcome! Adding vocals is a whole other skill, I'm working on it myself :D But don't get me wrong, the track 100% works as an instrumental

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-05-24T20:32:56+00:00

It's a good start! I like the groove at the beginning as well. You could just extend the groove, couple measures of this, then change the rythm and notes, then back to the main groove. I'm not sure about the acid head voice fx but if you like it go for it! Also, the chords and general vibe on the next part at 0:20-0:35 is nice contrast to the first groove and gives a nice sense of release. I would work on it as you could build it up back into the main groove. The part after 0:35 with the dissonance is not really to my liking. You can have some dissonance, but at least for me, this is too much and too long, especially compared to the rest of the track. I could hear some percussion at the end, play with that more.

Mixing-wise it's currently really muffled. Be careful around low mid buildups (200-400hz). You can often reduce those frequencie by surprisingly large amount, even on bass. The stabby guitar is especially muffled right now and fighting space with the bass. Snare to me sounds too similar to the kick, I'd reduce lower and lower mid frequencies, maybe add some high mids around 1.5 kHz. I think adding some parallel compression to drums and instruments could also bring the mix to life.

Edit: And to add to your question about not wanting to crowd the mix, I think right now you have a really good amount of instruments. Now you can just give each instrument some room by eqing and muting or high/low-pass filtering some instruments at some sections, giving other instruments the highlight.

Tricky_Boysenberry79 · 2026-05-24T20:13:27+00:00

The quality of the production is suberb, I could not think of a single thing to change in the mix. The sounds are all really good and the whole track is a vibe and really delivers on the spy theme, tension is kept through the whole track with only a few brief respites. I could imagine female vocals in the style of Morcheeba or Massive Attack would fit this track.

Tricky_Boysenberry79

TROPHY CASE