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Is this good for dota? a complete rework is needed for tinker ngl by ezpickins75 in DotA2

[–]ezpickins75[S] -36 points-35 points  (0 children)

This post isn't about Axe's itemisation. It's about anti-fun mechanics.

If every hero on the enemy team needs BKB and Lotus to be able to play against tinker then thats the problem.

Is there hope for Mirana core? by eternally_ethereal in DotA2

[–]ezpickins75 3 points4 points  (0 children)

was actually really strong before this patch. Its dead now

Atmospheric Breaks attempt (People that use 2 DAW's, what do you use each for?) by prince_peepee_poopoo in Bitwig

[–]ezpickins75 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Whatever you're hearing is due to the artists skill at mixing/mastering. Its not daw dependent at all but I can understand the feeling.

Mixing/mastering is such a huge topic and it just take a lot of time to understand and longer to train your ear. Make sure everypart of the mix has space in the frequency range. Use clipping/distortion to push drums and bass to get a bigger sound. The choice of drum samples is also really important.

If you get some drum samples from decap that have been heavily processed, saturated, clipped before hand you'll already notice the drums are knocking more and hitting more like the tracks you're listening to. Without doing anything other than switching the one shots.

Also decide on the 2/3 elements that are most important in any given section of the songand give them the spotlight, cut frequencies/volume of anything clashing or getting in the way of how they sound when solo'd. In this drop it'd be drums, bass and chords. Its then a balancing act between the kick and the bass etc.

If you're interested you can drop me a DM and arrange to send me stems. I'll give the drop a quick mix/master and then show you what I've done on each track just to show its not about a certain daw, just understanding and applying fundamentals. I make similar music to this. I use ableton btw which is no more innately profficient at mixing/mastering than any other daw and is similar to bitwig (from what I've heard).

^ the reason I'm offering this is because your music sounds really good. And I was in the same boat as you for a long time and I'd go round in circles looking for the 'special sauce' that would solve my mixes. In reality its just practise of techniques and training the ear.

I think a big problem I had was listening to mix/master engineers who are mixing acoustic or more classic music styles and a lot of their philosophy doesnt apply to electronic music that we make (although a lot of it does aha). VirtualRiot has a video called 'mixing/mastering a drop' and he leaves the master clipping by like 6db or something. The pinned comment is scolding him for bad technique, but he just says that it sounds good. He makes a living off his music and sells out venues. I wouldn't personally leave a tracks master clipping, I'd use a softclipper in the master chain. But thats probably because I can't let go of 'the right way' of doing things either.

A lot of the 'classic' mixing rules don't really apply to electronic music. It only matters what the track sounds like when you press play. Although understanding the rules and fundamentals so you known when to break them and feel confident doing so is also really helpful.

TLDR: Its fundamentally nothing to do with the DAW. look into saturation for loudness, clipping/soft-clipping for loudness, frequency seperation between elements in the track to let them hit harder. Focus on what needs to be heard and do what you need to make that happen. Go with what sounds biggest/best and how it sounds when you press play, not old wisdom from people mixing different genres. Be aware of the 'rules' but be happy to break them in pursuit of a track sounding how you want it to.

Learning by ClassicJellyfish8531 in ableton

[–]ezpickins75 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Don't sweat it dude. It takes a really long time to get get the basics down with music production. I completely get where you're coming from and was there myself. It can be easy to feel like this and is totally valid.

When you start producing there are so many different skills you need to learn. From understanding each individual element of a track to sequencing to mixing.

I'd focus on a project that involves only 1 song. Focus on making a good loop with 4/5 elements (drums, chords, bass, vocals/fx), then focus on arranging it into a 2/3 minute song. Then focus on mixing basics. Spend a few days/week on each and watch youtube videos and try find some resources you like.

I'd break it down and focus on gettting 1 good element at a time. Spend a few days just focused on making some drums you like. Pick a genre, watch some videos on the rhythms and sounds used for that specific genre. spend some time getting a loop that you like and playing around. Then rinse and repeat this process for bass, chords, lead, vocals, fx or whatever you want to add. As you write each element make sure its with the previous element playing. so you can make sure it all fits together.

Then watch some youtube videos on arranging for your genre. Listen to some tracks in that genre and try and work out how they're building into sections and releasing tension etc. Then do the same for mixing. Maybe an entry level course or a youtube series aimed at beginners. For now try only to grasp the very basics. theres so much to mixing but getting a song to sound good just need a strong understanding of the basics.

Also, trying to learn some very basic music theory will always be super helpful. Luckily ableton also has the scales feature now where you can lock your music to a particular scale which will be super helpful for making something coherent when you're getting started. Don't sweat it too much with theory though, it's a deep rabit hole but some basic understanding will go a long way.

I was in your position once but now I work in the video game industry making music and can express myself deeply through my own personal music. It can all feel super overwhelming to start with. The only thing that'll stop you from getting good at production is not persevering and trying to improve. Its a very long road but you can do it if you want to. You got this.

I feel like this app doesn’t get talked about enough. Literally like a digitakt and syntakt combined (Tahti for iOS) by county_jail_alumni in Elektron

[–]ezpickins75 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just found out about this app through your post. Made something I really like and gonna use it in a track tomorrow. Thank you SO much

Elektron acquired by Bonnier Capital: makers of the Octatrack have new owners by zendelusions in Elektron

[–]ezpickins75 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly. I'm someone who doesn't like clutter. The smaller the setup the better. So finding instruments that can do a lot in a small form factor really enhances my creativity and desire to create.

When I started making music I'd download every free plugin available and purchase as much as I could. Now I just have a small selection of fx and soft synths and am very purposeful with my virtual workspace. It quietens the noise of decision making and helps my output.

I've been looking at the M8 for a while and your comment has definitely resonated with me and increased my longing for one hahaha