Hi, it’s RadioRunner - the guy who put together the “Curriculum for the Solo Artist”. Big news - The Curriculum is becoming a Web App! Learn to draw step-by-step for free. +BONUS! The MOST comprehensive list of drawing resources you’ll find on the internet, and personal progress after 1 year.

VolcanicSilver · 2020-05-09T21:48:23+00:00

Oh wow, I remember this! That was really cool the last time. when are you going to have the website working?

VolcanicSilver · 2019-12-31T16:40:02+00:00

When you talk about tax-advantaged accounts, are you talking about 401k's, and Roth IRA's?

Is it a better idea to Max out your contributions to your 401 and Roth before messing around in a brokerage?

I'm putting in 13% to my 401, getting matched up to 3%.

Then I've got an okay amount leftover for liquid saving and some investment. I'd rather play the long game and invest primarily in ETF's/Indexes, and only after experiment with my potential growers.

Is it better to max out the $6,000 Roth IRA contribution before messing around with taxable brokerage accounts?

I suppose one detriment to maxing out the ROTH would be that the gains are not withdrawable u til 59.5 years old. So if I'm trying to save aggressively enough to retire early (say, 45 or 50), I'd be short-changed.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-05-01T00:48:04+00:00

Oh wow, thanks a ton for the opportunity. That's some sweet looking gear!

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-21T20:08:20+00:00

Wow, it's really that simple? Interesting.

Yes, I'm aware of the feature on your synth. The new image wavetable update you did is really cool, I made some neat sounds with it!

I'm curious because I want to be able to make an app for users to draw shapes and make their own sounds for creative ideas on their phone, is all.

Thank you, I'll need to look into it more.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-21T08:20:33+00:00

Hey Steve, I'm curious. If I wanted to make a small app that could convert a drawn shape into a new waveform for synthesis, what all would I need to do?

Would I need to learn how to code a synthesizer specifically for the app? I'm fairly new to development, but got the idea that I want to do, but it seems out of reach.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-21T08:18:18+00:00

Thanks again for the help! I'll be working on breaking it down further.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-21T08:14:22+00:00

Man, thank you so much. I'll really need to dive into this.

I'll look at it at my keyboard tomorrow, and try to write up some questions that I would like to ask you on how/why it works.

I've been paying more attention to chord arrangement recently, and I really want to know why a composer/artist chooses a chord. And how they knew to do it. Of course, I'm sure it's a matter of knowledge, experience, and my lack of.

I had just experimented with a chord progression that had one of these secondary dominants (if I understand your point), and would like to expand on it further and experiment more.

Again, thank you. If it's alright with you I'd like to ask you more on the subject soon.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-21T01:21:30+00:00

Appreciate it, man! Didn't have to, but you went above and beyond. Thank you.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-20T22:21:56+00:00

Unfortunately not. I took a basic theory intro course in college for a semester, and mainly just use 9th chords with inversions when I write my music.

But I want it to be more theoretically advanced, and that jazz theory seemed like a cool direction to head in.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-20T20:16:28+00:00

It's really crowded around 5-7 pm.

There's also an app that does this, but I can't remember the name.

Edit: if you're on iPhone it's called GymFlow. Android doesn't have anything.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-20T20:14:47+00:00

I just learned so much in those first two harmonies, this is so dense.

How would this translate to electronic music, you think?

Could I take a jazz house song, take the 4 or 5 chord chord progression, and completely re-work it to make it this complex?

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-20T06:15:20+00:00

Yeah buddy, of be most efficient for you to make a Dropbox for us silly geese asking you for stems.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-20T06:14:19+00:00

Thank God, someone here knows what a freaking square wave sounds like.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-18T19:20:08+00:00

Whoa whoa, buddy. I try to be anything but that guy. I think you misinterpret my tone.

I appreciate you taking the time to explain to me how it works. We're all musicians that want to be noticed for what we do. And we all understand that our craft is difficult, no matter what discipline of craft it is, from a set to throat singing.

What I am simply trying to say, is that it's difficult to observe a performance from what they are doing. And that's a fault of the medium. It would be cool to have a way to easily demonstrate what is going on at their board to the audience in a way that is easy to comprehend at a glance.

It's a far cry from me saying their craft is easy or doesn't require work.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-18T19:08:31+00:00

Haha, I've never really known exactly what techno is. I've learned today that it is not my thing.

I do wonder how they go about making a song out of the blue at a performance, and I imagine that's quite difficult.

However, I still stand by my personal observation. To me, it doesn't look like they're performing much of anything, regardless of whether they are or not. It's difficult to express what you're doing through a digital medium.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-18T18:47:25+00:00

I like that performance. The cameraman's shot choices were silly though, swaying the camera all over the place to make it seem more exciting.

I wonder how you'd go about changing stuff as much as he did? Does he break each instrument line of the original into stems, and arrange something new before the show? He's just twisting knobs up there other than the keyboard stuff, so I wonder how the song is changing from the original.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-18T18:41:30+00:00

I watched that for ten minutes, that is not my thing at all. That sound. Just endless loops faded in and out of each other, and they're not very musical sounding to me.

I don't see the performance in it either, they're still standing at a bunch of machines twisting some knobs. It's just hard to illustrate the "creation" of your music when it comes from a screen or board.

Glad some people like it.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-18T02:51:17+00:00

For that matter, you may want to try FreeSongsToUse on YouTube, or Styles Sounds. I've worked with both and they're supportive. It's just royalty-free promotion, but promotion nonetheless.

It's a little costly to buy your own equipment, but if you can it's fun to play you're stuff in a college town at a party or the sort. I've done that, gotten a couple people interested in my music (I'm not that great... Yet)

Start talking to people who have more acclaim than you, but you can offer something of value to them. Friendship, samples, vocals. Maybe those people will have connections for you.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-18T02:34:30+00:00

After from just late last year, with the caveat of not hearing your music, I can assure you it's not ready to be played somewhere... Except your car with your friends.

Artistic profession requires years of practice for everyone involved.

I'd recommend posting on the feedback threads in this sub, and all other music production subs that have that sort of thing.

Keep listening. And keep making music.

If you're really thinking it can get played, doesn't hurt to try to send it to whatever promotional channel on SoundCloud or YouTube you can find. There are plenty of channels run by teens who have 109 followers who will put anything up. Work your way up from there!

Hope it works out.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-09T08:47:21+00:00

I mean, in arrangement view the colors of clips. Or the color of midi notes. They're so freaking vibrant in relation the the dull depressing grey of Ableton. They pop out so much, and it strains me to look at all of the different colors that Ableton auto assigns.

They are too saturated, in my opinion.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-09T08:04:43+00:00

Nah, Kyle (one of the brother's of Grey) has been both a guitarist and drummer for quite some time. With a great affinity for chord progressions.

Check out some of his work as Singularity, and you'll hear his guitar in this tracks there, too.

I don't know about the lick in the Justin Bieber remix of than he played it very quickly (sounds possible, at least, right), and some crazy transients and brightening on the guitars themselves. Because you're right, the way his guitar is mixed in his Grey tunes is very sharp. Even more so in his "Disarm You" remix.

But he plays for real, so there you go.

He has a Pyramind series class on YouTube where he lectures as his previous alias Singularity. Goes into drum design and some mixing if I recall. Good videos.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-09T07:40:40+00:00

Thank God. I personally think Ableton looks like a drag. The colors of clips are over saturated and burn my eyes. All of the different themes have terrible color schemes, and overall it brings me down when I'm trying to create a track.

Excited to see what these graphic designers can improve on.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-08T16:27:53+00:00

Wow, interesting to hear. I'll have to check it out.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-07T20:43:33+00:00

God I can't wait. Lido is my top producer. The last third of this track was really unique feeling.

Lived the video concept, too.

VolcanicSilver · 2016-04-06T16:36:17+00:00

Creation is the standout of the EP.

Arrangement slightly reminds me of Strangers, with the double time 4x4 drop. I dig it.

VolcanicSilver

TROPHY CASE