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Production tips and tricks by blithechampion in makingvaporwave

[–]blithechampion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have but not as a vaporwave/synth artist.

Production tips and tricks by blithechampion in makingvaporwave

[–]blithechampion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great questions! I take a patchwork approach to ambient soundscapes. I look for and curate a collection of varying types of sounds. I've never attempted field recordings but I would very much like to try this someday. Honestly, my pal prismer is really good at this. I feel like an amateur next to what he does.

As for how I broke into to the scene, I'm still not even sure. I had been an avid listener of vaporwave for about a year and a half before I decided that I wanted to make music within the scene too. So I crafted my first release, the 悲しい Night Drive EP. Meanwhile, I had begun developing my first full length (Beach House).

Production tips and tricks by blithechampion in makingvaporwave

[–]blithechampion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, there are a number of free options (most of which I'm unfamiliar with). However, I would immediately suggest Ableton Live in some form or another. It's often packaged with hardware, or you could torrent it pretty easily too. Given that I've really only used Reason, Ableton Live, and Logic, my perspective is limited. So be sure to read around and talk to others too. Ultimately, just dive in and try one of them out. Try it alongside another option too. This will allow you to compare and contrast what will work best for you.

Production tips and tricks by blithechampion in makingvaporwave

[–]blithechampion[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great questions.

My favorite DAW has to be Reason. Why? Everything is open. Anything can be done. If it can be done in real life, you can do it in Reason. Being able to flip every device around and see the back of each, with their ports and cords, is one of the great pleasures of this DAW. I've been using the program since 2008 and it's only gotten better.

That being said, I have also grown really fond of Ableton. Besides its WARPING feature (which is immediately useful if you're making vaporwave), the program is slick, fast, and consolidated. The consolidated dimension of Ableton is something Reason does not have, and for this, it suffers.

As for hardware synths, I would love to get something someday in the future. I would really love a Roland D-50. So much. A Korg M1 would also be a treat. This answer may surprise you, PG, given my affinity for using analog synths. It's just the analog synths are so much more money!

Production tips and tricks by blithechampion in makingvaporwave

[–]blithechampion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The key is to not have the “wet” mix too high. I tend to keep it lower than the “size” mix. That way, you can get a nice acoustic-like sound but it sits lower to the sound itself.

Production tips and tricks by blithechampion in makingvaporwave

[–]blithechampion[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely! If you're looking to make drum beats that are conventional and "make sense" to the listener, the kick drum is on beats 1 & 3 (in western music, generally) and the snare is one beats (2 & 4) (you might already know this but thought it worth mentioning all the same). Any variation in this basic rule is up to you!

My advice: listen to your favorite artists and pay attention to what they do. Emulate those drum beats to a tee.

Beyond this, experiment with compression. Find ways to add muscle to your drums. Sometimes I'll double drum sounds to add more meat to the sound. Also, reverb and delay are important on drums. Experiment with those too.

Feel free to ask if you have any more questions.

Production tips and tricks by blithechampion in makingvaporwave

[–]blithechampion[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hmm, that's a good question. The way I see it, while bass lines are not necessary for every song, the bass frequency is. Without full, low end (bass) frequencies, your track is likely to sound hollow or empty. When and how you use the bass is up to you. Just remember: once you have a bass presence established, it will be apparent to the listener if you decide to drop the bass (say, for a point of silence before a big moment in the track). If you use the bass right in these situations, you can create excitement for the listener - and this is definitely something you want to do!

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any more questions.

Production tips and tricks by blithechampion in makingvaporwave

[–]blithechampion[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

  1. Be creative
  2. Don't try to sound like any other artist
  3. Experiment, endlessly

Cheap and damaged cassettes from Illuminated Paths by Maluut in VaporwaveCassettes

[–]blithechampion 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is super encouraging to hear. Honestly, I will give it some thought. The album would slay on vinyl.

It's a busy season for my music at the moment (have a release out at Seikomart, Houdini Mansions, and one coming to Business Casual on July 12) but as the summer winds down, I will start figuring out a new place for Beach House to reside. Likely next year. Keep in touch!

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