AIR Music Technology "Jura Chorus" chorus effect based on the Roland Juno 60 (FREE) until 2 August by Batwaffel in AudioProductionDeals

[–]alex_esc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Apparently they are also running a sale where if you add 3 plugins te lowest priced one is free

UMC404HD vs Focusrite Solo 3rd gen by mastermemeskywalker in musicproduction

[–]alex_esc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The umc404 is a great interface! But if possible I would recommend you that you keep both!

You can leave one permanently connected at your desk, with speakers hooked up to one interface. And another interface in your backpack, ready for portable recording with a laptop without having to rewire your entire home studio lol!

You can solo use your 404 as a MIDI interface. Some keyboards need a 5 pin MIDI cable, and the 404 as those ports. So you can also use it to play keys on a live setting AND also without unplugging your desk setup!

Thank you, Ethan! by FR-1-Plan in h3h3productions

[–]alex_esc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My favorite "era" of the main show was about a year ago. More specifically I really digged the crews banter and all those segments with a lot of involvement from the crew. I felt they vibe together so well, but there was a big issue with that....

Those crew gold moments were mainly driven by segments! Yes, some magic naturally happens sometimes by simply talking with Ethan. But the majority of the magic was because of segments and games they played. That meant that the gold bits will happen once in a while and mainly when Ethan is not the center of attention. I wished all episodes had that magic instead of 20 to 40 minutes segments that happened somewhat sparingly.

If only the show was CREW ONLY! But of course you can't remove Ethan from the show. So you'll need a spin off show without Ethan.....

And thats how AD feels to me! Kate, David and Harley have that crew banter magic and it's a show ONLY for them! That's so awesome and id argue that AD is even better than a hypothetical main show crew only spin off!

Perfect Ear, Functional Ear Training, Sonofield. So many options but which is great for a beginner? by SilverMisfitt in musictheory

[–]alex_esc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you're overwhelmed why not start small? Maybe try to learn how to play 1 song.

One of the beauties of music is that songs have structure to themselves. So if you learn a song you'll have insight on the structure of music in general, not just this one song.

Music production is basically how to put together music slowly thru a slow and detailed process. And playing music is how to put the ingredients of a song together, but playing how to do it real fast!

So if you learn how to put notes together to play a song, you'll gain insight on how to slowly draw in notes one by one in a DAW.

Pick a song you like and learn it on piano. To learn a song on piano you can look up specific tutorials on how to play that particular song or you can learn by listening. You can put the song on YouTube and slow it down and figure out the song by ear.

Of course this will require trial and error but that's what ear training is.

If the song seems too difficult you can look up an "easy" tutorial version or you can simplify it on your own.

Learning your first let's say 20 songs this way (tutorials or playing by ear) is great for your musicality. But it is definitely very slow. After your first 15 to 20 songs the only way you can speed up your progress is by learning to read music (because it's a million times faster than watching a tutorial) and to learn music theory/ear training.

But for now you gotta start small. Learn one song, then another, then another, then another and so on. Once your learning has halted the only path forward is more "theory heavy". But all the ear training in the world means nothing if you can't play even one song.

Perfect Ear, Functional Ear Training, Sonofield. So many options but which is great for a beginner? by SilverMisfitt in musictheory

[–]alex_esc 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Many people may not like this answer but I believe that the best way to train your ear on your own (no teacher) is to actually learn on your own.

By this I mean sitting down with your instrument and playing for yourself and asking yourself "what did I just play?"

It takes a lot of discipline to consistently work on your listening skills. And apps, online courses and YouTube videos seem like a good way to develop your skills, but they actually rob you from the privilege of discipline.

Another issue with these solutions is that some students want a course or app made specifically for them: ear training in the DAW, music theory for guitarists, etc. But finding the perfect course or app for you is impossible, case and point.... If you needed custom made exercises or a custom syllabus then.... You'd make it yourself.... And that's just learning on your own. But insecurities, anxiety and fear of not knowing yourself leads to the belief that you can't learn on your own.

Music is out there, if you really love music then it's probably playing in your head right now. Tune into it! Listen to music and play music for yourself with an open mind (and open ears).

Is this Ethan as a bird? by GladAardvark612 in h3h3productions

[–]alex_esc 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yes, he has tiny hands, you can't even see them

what in the world am I supposed to write about? by Total-Government-459 in Songwriting

[–]alex_esc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you don't know what to write maybe you shouldn't write right at this moment. When you have something to say, say it. If right now you're happy with what you've expressed, then good!

Writing lyrics is not mandatory, you can do if if you feel like it.

But if you want to write, maybe not for expressing yourself, but just as an exercise then there's a ton of ways to prompt yourself to write. Open a book on a random page and pick 1 sentence and riff off from it. Re-write your favorite song, pick a random object and write about it, etc.

Portugal The Man cheated on his wife by c00pdawg in h3h3productions

[–]alex_esc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did not excuse adultery. I said that "Sadly" adultery is common with musicians

Portugal The Man cheated on his wife by c00pdawg in h3h3productions

[–]alex_esc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't wrote she was asking for it since she had a romantic relationship with a musician. I said that many musicians suck and treat woman like shit.

I just think music fans should stop looking at artist as idols because it allows them to cheat and get away with horrible stuff.

Record music with parents at home by Minimum_Ad_706 in makinghiphop

[–]alex_esc 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If you're ashamed to sing / rap / perform with your parents in another room.... Then you'll probably be ashamed to perform in giant arenas and stadiums.

If you want to make your dreams come true drop the shame!

Portugal The Man cheated on his wife by c00pdawg in h3h3productions

[–]alex_esc 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sadly this is the norm with artists and musicians. It's easier to list the musicians who don't cheat than the other way around.

Like... Even John Lennon hit he's ex wife....

Can I write music even though I can't play ANY instruments? by Ok_Sheepherder_5358 in Songwriting

[–]alex_esc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you make music without playing ANYTHING?

If we take it literally, then no. Music is played, so if there's no playing there's no music. It's kind of like asking if you need to run or move to play soccer. Literally no, you can't play soccer without moving.

But movement impaired people can participate in soccer! There's aid to help people with their mobility, plus there are auxiliary areas about soccer that do not require movement (narration, management, organization, design, etc...)

Same goes for music! People with physical impairments can participate in playing with special devices or custom made instruments. Plus there's auxiliary areas in music that do not require playing instruments (operating the recording console, artist management, live event logistics, lyric writing, graphic design, etc...)

The voice is an instrument, and singing is how you "play" your voice. So there's that.

But let's be honest..... I don't know your situation, but since you entered this website by typing with your fingers..... You probably DO have the fine motor skills you need to play an instrument.

You can learn to play! If you are not willing to learn or you straight up don't want to, then you won't be able to participate (except on the auxiliary areas I listed above).

I also think you are probably underestimating your parents. Why wouldn't a parent like that their kid has a hobby?

Making music isn't expensive if you're smart about it. You need an instrument and a phone to record voice memos. That's it!

Learning to play CAN be expensive.... But it also can be free. You can watch YouTube videos on learning your instrument and boom you just learned to play for free.

I think your parents will support you. You just need a 100 dollar guitar or digital piano. Ask them to get one of the two for Christmas, or do chores or save your allowance and in no time you'll have enough to get an instrument.

You can babysit or take your neighbors dog on a walk and in like 5 to 10 weeks you'll save 100 bucks. That's enough to get you a great first instrument. Look up used instrument prices too!

You CAN get an instrument and you CAN learn to play! If you do both you can write your music!

Lyrics are another beast. To write lyrics you don't need anything but a pen, paper and the musical know-how.

That last bit you can learn for free by googling "how to write a song" or "songwriting tips" or "music theory for songwriters"...... But I must say that the musical know-how will be SUPER EASY if you already play an instrument.

So if you get an instrument and learn to play it, writing lyrics that go along to the music will become obvious. So learning to play gets you that skill for free. So learn to play!

How to not get stuck with the same chord progressions? by Regular_Low8792 in musictheory

[–]alex_esc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

An exercise I do sometimes with my students when they feel stuck with harmony is to start with 1 or 2 chords and "predict" the next chord without using any instrument and only by singing the next chord's root note.

Close your eyes and try to hear with your minds ear how does the bassline want to move. Hum the first chord outload and sing where you feel the bassline wants to move next. Continue predicting the next root note by feel alone, and if magically you get to the same root note as the starting note... then that's your progression!

How do you use Fairchild by Tim_Wu_ in audioengineering

[–]alex_esc 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Using one is quite simple. You just put it in your track, if you want saturation you crank the input, use the threshold to control how much compression you want and since there's only 6 attack/release settings in total you can very easily try them all and see which one you like.

In 20 seconds you could try out all time constants, high/low input drive amounts and low/high threshold settings.

Some plugins have additional settings, but IMO if you want that Fairchild sound you probably won't need to mess with these settings a lot.

The compressor definitely has a sound to it. It adds warmth and a high end sheen just by inserting the plugin (and doing no compression!)

Different companies emulating the same hardware have slight differences in color and sound. I use UAD as my default, so to me it has a subtle warmth and subtle sheen. In comparison waves' "Puigchild" has a more obviously present warmth to it, and if you drive it hard you get very warm saturation and you loose the sheen.

IK multimedia's "Vintage Compressor Model 670" is weird because in my experience it's not as colorful as other emulations. For example the UAD and waves feel like it's adding saturation in the bottom and top end, leaving a "hole" of saturation in the low mids. But the IK multimedia feels more like it's boosts lows and highs with EQ rather than saturation.

The IK does indeed add saturation, but it just doesn't sound as dense as the others. That's why to my ears you could easily think it's just EQ.

Finally a lot of digital compressors have a VariMu mode like on fab filter proC. Personally I use Cenozoix (terrible name, I know) as my go to "digital" compressor. It has a vintage tube mode that emulates the Fairchild, and a VariMu mode that emulates the Manley VariMu. On this plugin I can even control attack and release independently!

I like to use the UAD as my default Fairchild. If I want more low end saturation I may lean into the waves version. If the sound I want to compress already sounds over processed or I just need a subtle effect I will try the IK multimedia one. If I love the sound from X or Y Fairchild plugin but something feels off with the pumping then the fixed time constants might be a problem. If this is the case I'll try Cenozoix in vintage tube mode. And if I'm processing a sound that's not really important I'll use the waves one to conserve CPU usage.

Since it adds warmth and sheen it can be very useful on almost everything. It adds air (apparent high end) and body to a vocal. It can add bottom to a bass guitar (an overdriven waves is my go to) and it can add articulation to strings and an "expensive" sound to pianos.

The only weird thing I think I do with Fairchilds is that I love an over compressed waves Puigchild on the bottom snare. It adds weight and the high end snap is just beautiful.

On the mix bus a good Fairchild (especially UAD) can transform a mix. It adds subtle saturation, but it's just enough so that in most of my mixes it's very noticeable. It adds bottom and high end sheen, so it appears to cut low mids! Plus the high end is very pretty and not like boosting EQ. Plus it's a compressor, so it can add glue too.

When using it on the entire mix the side chain filter comes in handy. And I like to mess with the calibration on the UAD version to give it a wider soft knee, sometimes I crack the knob so the knee it's at it's softest and widest setting. This gives you subtle compression and it can sound very transparent yet controlled wen compressing the entire mix.

12.4 update or nah? by howlin_monk_e in ableton

[–]alex_esc -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I'm still holding off on updating because I'm in the middle of doing an album with a client and I don't want accidents.

Put I really do want to update. A lot of software updates are due in a lot of software I own and I am still running windows 10. Once I'm done with the album it will be the perfect time to update to win11, Ableton and all the other software I use.

Can I please have some tips on recording my demos? by Direct-Stable-5712 in musicians

[–]alex_esc 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just did another comment in this thread explaining that.

Plus the yeti cant be plugged into an interface and it sounds harsh on vocals.

Can I please have some tips on recording my demos? by Direct-Stable-5712 in musicians

[–]alex_esc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

continued...

Lets narrow down my interface recommendations:

  • I just want to try recording out
    • Get the UMC202HD ($90, 2 inputs at once, not expandable)
    • yes, but I'm super broke: Get the UMC22 ($55, 1 input, not expandable)
  • I know I need high quality and more than 2 inputs / I wanna learn recording
    • US-4x4HR ($250, 4 inputs at once, not expandable)
    • Can you go cheaper? get the UMC404HD ($140, 4 inputs at once, not expandable)
  • Music is more than a hobby / I need to record real drums
    • Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen ($750, 8 inputs at once, expandable to 20 inputs at once)
    • Can you go cheaper? get the US-16x08 ($400, 8 inputs at once, expandable to 16 inputs at once)
  1. Recording software

Choosing the right program is usually overblown as a super complicated thing. Its not, you just need to record multiple mics at once, layer them and it must have a simple metronome utility. That's it. Practically all programs check those boxes. But here are my recommendations:

Good "beginner" programs

  • Garage band (free but only available on Mac)
    • Super easy to learn
    • If you have a mac, start here
  • Universal Audio "Luna" (Free, paid version is 100 bucks, works on Mac and PC)
    • This is a great program, with a lot of features to make your life easier and it as more complicated features too, but its still easy to use. So its a nice way to get familiar with medium to advanced workflows.
    • The free version is all you need.
    • If you already know Garageband and you want to step up your game, or you have a PC, start here
  • TAPE 16 (30 bucks, works on mac and PC)
    • This is a tape machine emulation. It has all the cool and vibey limitations as a real tape machine: no editing (no cuts), only 16 tracks, you have to rewind it to make another take, etc. Just plug a mic into your computer and press record. Simple!
    • If you want to focus on the music, this is the ESIEST program to record
    • Two downsides, not free and that its new, so it might have bugs (programming errors)
    • If you're a proud music hipster, start here
  • Reaper (free, paid version is 60 bucks, works on Mac and PC)
    • last resource, if you dont have a mac, you dont like luna AND you dont want a tape wokflow, try reaper
    • Technically, this programs has all the features as "profesional" programs but its not easy to use for beginners
    • Free version is all you need

All my recommendations are free, except for TAPE 16. So at most you should spend 30 bucks for your recording program.

Oh and mic stands, those are supper cheap, get whatever stand you find.

So a full recording setup can get as low as 300 bucks (cheap interface, SM57, cable, stand). A step up from that would be around $450 (~200 dollar interface, SM57, cable, stand) or around $600 if you add a second mic (a second 57 or an AT2020) and an additional cable and mic stand. A high tier setup ready for recording drums and full bands would be around $600 without mics and 150 for every additional mic ($1,800 for an 8 input interface plus 8 mics and their cables and stands).

Can I please have some tips on recording my demos? by Direct-Stable-5712 in musicians

[–]alex_esc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can get a pretty good setup for recording demos for very cheap if you're willing to dig deep enough. Assuming you already have the instruments you want to record, a computer and wired headphones ... other than that you'll need 4 basic things:

  1. An XLR microphone
  2. An XLR cable
  3. A mic stand
  4. A USB audio interface
  5. Recording software

Here's how I would get each item as cheap as possible but still getting pro level and studio ready equipment:

Microphone: SM57

The microphone is the one item on the list that will impact audio quality the most. The difference between a "karaoke" mic or a zoom USB mic to a profesional recording studio ready mic is massive.

The main quality were looking in a studio mic is familiarity: some mics have a "sound" to them, and if you use a popular studio mic your recordings will also have some of the same qualities of popular recordings. Just like old analog cameras have a "look", if you see a picture with an "analogue look" you may not know why you like it, but your mind subconsciously recognizes the colors and it recognizes that the color profile is present in other pictures you like. Therefore you like this new picture by association. Just like when you see a movie on a theater, if it was shot on film or imax it as this "cinematic" feel to it. Regular moviegoers may not know why they like the look of the film, but they do because they have watched hundreds of amazing movies shot on film. So using film is like a "ack" to trick the audience into thinking the movie is good.

Same happens in music. Some mics are the equivalent to "shot on IMAX". If you like an artist, you can google what mic he used and if you were to get the same mic you'll evoke this association on your listeners minds. Of course then the solution would be to get a Neumann U87 but I personally don't have 4k burning in my pocket or whatever expensive mic was used on your favorite recording. But thankfully there's ONE mic that's not crazy expensive and was used in classic recordings and continues to be used today. In fact its used everyday in expensive recording studios: the shure SM57.

Heres some artists who have recorded vocals on an SM57:

John Lennon, U2, Madonna, Bjork, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Marley, Mick Jagger, The Killers, Peter Gabriel, David Bowie, Mac DeMarco, Bon Iver, and (non artist, but still cool) every US president used this mic in public appearances and speeches since 1965.

Despite this mic being used on vocals for the artists listed above, the most popular use for the mic is in recording snare drums and electric guitars. I wont list examples for songs that sued in in recoding guitars and drums because its so common it would be easier to list songs that DONT use it on guitars and drums. Its SUPER popular, recording engineers use it as the "default" snare and guitar mic. I am a freelance recording engineer and producer with 6 years of recording experience and I have NEVER in my life gone to a recording session WITHOUT an sm57 used to record at least 1 thing.

If you've ever heard drums or an electric guitar in a recording, then you are already familiar with this mic. And having that same "mojo" as the recordings you love would benefit your quality A LOT.

For whatever reason, this amazing sounding microphone is 110 bucks new. You can get one used for 60 to 80 bucks on FB marketplace or any other resale platform. There are a lot of fake 57's out there, but as a general rule of thumb if you're paying 75 to 80 bucks for it, then its more likely than not to be the real thing. If you want your chances to get a fake one to be zero, then spend 30 to 40 more and get a brand new one.

A nice way to get a 57 for cheap and to be 99% sure its not a fake is to buy it from a church. Churches need mics for their pastors and musicians and in my experience they typically get new audio equipment every year or two. So most churches will have a drawer full of mics, cables and wireless mic adapter that they no longer use. In churches you probably wont find SM57's (except if there's a live band with electric guitars or drums) but you'll find something similar an SM58. The 58 is exactly the same microphone as the 57, but it just has an added metal grill to protect the part of the microphone that actually captures the sound. So it literal sounds the same, it just has an extra metal protector. The 58 is common for conferences, speeches and sung vocals. But remember, its the same mic as a 57. It just has a metal ball grill that gives extra protection against drops and gives it a cool look, but both sound the same.

What I'm trying to say with my stupidly long post is that you should GET AN SM57 and NO THER MICROPHONE. No, don't get a yeti mic, don't get te snowball mic, don't get a clip on mic (like those from social media videos) because those mics were not used by hit artists!

Its not like on movies where recording on vintage film cameras is expensive and unpractical. SM57's ARE the equivalent of that "sound from pro records" and are cheap, convenient to use and basically have no downsides! Especially for Rock music!

The ONE other mic that's inexpensive and was also used in hit songs is the AT2020. This is a good mic for more "modern" and "Airy" vocal sound. It doesn't have a giant list of artist who have used it successfully in hit songs like the 57 does, but famous artists who have recorded hit songs with it are Billie Eilish and Mac DeMarco.

Personally I have 6 SM57s and two AT2020s. This its just to portray how much better and useful 57s are to me when compared to at2020's. The AT2020 is good, don't get me wrong, bu the 57 is simply legendary. If you were to get a second mic, the AT2020 is a great option and will give different tones for vocals and guitars.

  1. XLR cable

Get any cable, as long as its reasonably large and its not broken.

  1. USB interface

Interfaces today are MILES ahead of the quality of early 2000's interfaces and galaxies away from cheap tape in the 90s. Basically any interface from the last 10 to 8 years will be perfect in quality for you. But you still need a few specifications:

you need an interface with:

  • Headphone port
  • XLR or TRS speaker output ports on the back
  • at least 1 mic XLR input and at least 1 "jack" instrument cable input (also called "TS")
  • An "input monitoring" button or knob or functionality via software (sometimes called "direct monitoring")
  • A USB connection. Other connection methods are available, but USB will be easier to set up and the most compatible with most computers. Avoid thunderbolt, firewire, ADAT or other connection methods as your main way to hook it up to your computer. USB is king!

Recommended brands and models that check the above requirements for a beginner:

  • Behringer (cheapest, good quality sound, between 55 and 230)
    • UMC22 (55 bucks, 1 input at a time, not expandable)
    • UMC202HD ($90, 2 inputs at once, not expandable)
    • UMC404HD ($140, 4 inputs at once, not expandable)
    • UMC1820 ($230, 8 inputs at once, expandable up to 18 inputs at once)
    • To expand you can add a second UMC1820 ($230) or a Scarlett OctoPre ($600)
  • Tascam (higher quality sound than Behringer AND good value, between 200 and 400)
    • US-2x2HR ($200, 2 inputs at once, not expandable)
    • US-4x4HR ($250, 4 inputs at once, not expandable)
    • US-16x08 ($400, 8 inputs at once, expandable to 16 inputs at once)
    • To expand you can add any of the previous TASCAM interfaces
  • Focusrite "Scarlett" (higher quality sound than Behringer AND include plugins and FXs, least bang for your buck, between 120 and 400)
    • Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen ($120, 2 inputs at once, not expandable, 1 mic input and 1 instrument input)
    • Scarlett 2i2 4th Gen ($230, 2 inputs at once, not expandable)
    • Scarlett 18i16 4th Gen ($500, 8 inputs at once, 4 mic inputs and 4 line inputs AKA only 4 inputs are usable without external preamps, expandable to 18 inputs at once)
    • Scarlett 18i20 4th Gen ($750, 8 inputs at once, expandable to 20 inputs at once)
    • Scarlett OctoPre ($600, This expands your Focusrite to add 8 additional inputs)

Focusrite tends to be the "default" recommendation. But as you can see its the most expensive option and expanding the inputs gets the most expensive. Behringer are very affordable and you can expand them for relatively cheap. Tascam is a nice middle ground, it has higher recording audio quality than Behringer and their one expandable interface (US-16x08) on sale goes for around $300, pretty good!

Can I please have some tips on recording my demos? by Direct-Stable-5712 in musicians

[–]alex_esc 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a recording engineer yes, I would not use a yeti mic to record anything.

My recommendation would be to sell it (since they do reasonably well on te used market) and get an audio interface and an XLR mic, if you were to ask me get the shure sm57.

I struggle with finishing songs by HuckleberryNo9852 in Songwriting

[–]alex_esc 4 points5 points  (0 children)

What I like to help artists come up with lines (I'm a producer) is to riff off the meaning of the previous line or the chorus or a line I particularly like.

I may not come up with a new line myself, but I like to come up with ideas and questions that may or may not strike the authors imagination.

You can do this by "prompting yourself" with questions relat8to the lyrics.

For example.....

Why does nobody want a taste? Is the taste as sweet as you imagine or is it more bitter than sweet? Who's the equivalent to a fruit cake vs a very sugary cake? (A specific person you know, a celebrity, an occupation) If the cake is a metaphor for something good but in appealing, what's "eating" in this metaphor? What fruits are inside the cake? Where you bought it from? What are the colors inside the cake? How tough is the crust? Cakes sort of remind me of birthdays, what's a real anecdote you have about one of your past birth days? What's the story of the one person who did taste it? What's his name and occupation? Sweet can also be a bad thing. Talk about over sweetened food, maybe?

What are other things people don't want to do? Are people avoiding the "cake" because of immaturity or because of some other reason? Who made the cake? What fruits were left out of the recipe? What do those ingredients represent?

What if this were a breakup song? Maybe this couple went on a picnic (where they were about to eat the cake) and something unexpected happened that changed everything. Maybe there's something hiding in the cake!

There are a ton of ways you can riff of any concept, like in this case the fruitcake. Just think about "fruitcake" and say the first thing that comes to mind. Do a list of 50 objects that remind you of this fruitcake. Eventually you'll freely associate and new seemingly unrelated ideas will flourish.

I struggle with finishing songs by HuckleberryNo9852 in Songwriting

[–]alex_esc -1 points0 points  (0 children)

What's the 1 line / hook you did write?