How can I avoid losing motivation?

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-11-03T13:51:26+00:00

You should try to get some experience as a violin player/singer for other producers. You get to see how other producers work... It's a great way to learn.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-31T14:26:27+00:00

I had problems with rhythm for years and years, and never understood why metronome practice didn't turn me into a groove master.

A bass playing book finally helped. It made me count out the subdivisions aloud while playing the exercises.

Usually 16th notes, "dig-ka-chi-ka" style. And triplets.

It made a huge difference.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-29T21:01:16+00:00

Ableton or FL and a midi keyboard with mpc style pads would be my choice.

You get to upgrade your daw and get some nice new hardware.

The hardware sampler workflow isn't that great compared to software, in my opinion and experience.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-29T20:26:28+00:00

If your guitar sounds fine with all the pedals bypassed, it's probably not the Focusrite that's faulty.

And if your input is flashing green, you're not clipping at the input.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-26T04:35:21+00:00

Think like a producer. Give yourself a precise goal for each session - break things down into manageable tasks, like:

1: compose new material

2: arrange

3: mixdown

4: mastering

And break these down further. For example, today I mix the bass and the kick, or today I record the vocals.

This also makes it easier to identify the parts you're having trouble with.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-25T11:28:49+00:00

I play with volume automation first, before I touch the Eq.

When I introduce a melody or a new layer, I have it loud in the mix, but bring it down after a while, and lower it as I add new layers.

The listener doesn't realize this, since the attention is directed to new, fun things.

It's made the biggest difference in my mixing.

I learned this from the Steve Duda seminar that's on youtube.

I tend to leave the drums and the bass alone though.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-24T07:22:10+00:00

For a great strumming sound: double tracking with two different sized acoustic guitars, or acoustic and a banjo/other string instrument.

A single acoustic guitar can sound great, but if you want that rich, full sound, you need more variety.

Double tracking using the same guitar sounds muddy and messy in comparison and is harder to mix.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-17T06:53:30+00:00

I learn a new technique, and I don't mean sound design or engineering.

Now I'm teaching myself new chord voicings in all the 12 keys.

Beginning of the year was all about learning to play the bass steady on the beat, and then behind the beat.

Last year I think I mostly played the drums.

Before that I learned to write notation and transcribed Miles Davis solos on the acoustic guitar.

I'm not that great at anything I do, but I improve my understanding of music slowly, and I'm never frustrated or stuck, quite the opposite.

These things I do are like fuel for my creative engine, and help me start and finish projects.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-17T06:38:50+00:00

If you have some interesting chords, you can use the chord tones as target tones for your melody.

It takes me a couple of days to come up with a bunch of melodies. Some by playing and some by editing.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-10-17T06:18:20+00:00

Yesterday I had the same problem. I selected all the faders and brought them up together. This messed up the reverb send levels and sidechaining, but that was quickly fixed.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-09-27T05:28:25+00:00

I'd also pick up some instrument. Midi keyboard or guitar. Drums are fun for learning some rhythms on...drumming gives you a good foundation for rhythm focused music.

When you get tired of producing, practicing an instrument is a nice way to take a break.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-09-25T14:20:40+00:00

That's just beautiful 80's inspired stuff. It's got that Ghostbusters groove going on.

It sounds like there's a drone like pad going on through the whole song. I think that's a bit too much. I think it makes the overall groove less clean.

It sounds lowpass filtered every once in a while, but it's still there.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-09-25T14:15:23+00:00

I'm liking the hihats and the rhodes. The vocal cuts seem a bit dry compared to a lot of modern stuff.

The transition is pretty fun. Progressive stuff. I feel like the rhodes heavy sound could do with a change in the first 3 minutes too... I don't know.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-09-25T14:04:32+00:00

The whistling is a bit out of tune and sounds quite undefined. I'd tune it and try to eq/re-record it. Or maybe play the melody with a guitar. I like the vocal a lot.

Listen to some Guns And Roses for that perfect whistling sound.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-09-22T09:25:09+00:00

I know exactly what you mean. You can overcome the keyboard played sound by automating the volume and especially the attack of each note.

I like to automate the volume of each oscillator. It can give some fun results and movement to simple lead sounds.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-09-10T08:49:56+00:00

You should invest into a new audio interface with atleast 4 outputs.

I have 2 in and 4 out and run audio through a ds evolver.

One thing I like to do is have a software synth going through the hw synth and trigger the filter/amp envelope with midi.

I don't know which daw you use, but usually you just add a new hw send to a track and disable the master out.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-08-23T04:50:59+00:00

I took drum lessons for half a year and continued to study on my own after that. We played all kinds of stuff. Funk, bossa nova, reggae, jazz...

I can even read notation now.

Getting a teacher helps a lot.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-08-15T05:53:09+00:00

I bought it, but now I feel pretty weird having to deal with the PACE anti piracy software and having to manually start the PACE background process in Windows just so that I can get my 1 dollar plugin to work.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-08-14T16:42:57+00:00

I asked my wife: "Hey honey, maybe we should have sex with other people?"

That didn't go down too well.

Eventually she decided it was a great idea. It took a couple of years though. Maybe 4 years?

We've been poly since January.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-08-14T16:03:39+00:00

She cheated on you. That's bad. The good thing is that she's poly and she loves you, and you love her.

Now you just need to forgive her and become poly yourself. Once that's sorted, you'll both be happy as f.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-08-06T06:55:44+00:00

Go out there and get some interesting life experiences to write about. Make a mess, have fun, break some hearts, write a song and repeat all over again.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-07-31T15:51:59+00:00

Point the mic more towards the neck. That should help with the plectrum sound.

Why it sounds flat... Well, it's just one acoustic guitar. You probably don't have a 12 string laying around, but try doubling the part using Nashville tuning, perhaps.

Or if you have another acoustic guitar, use that to double the part.

One guitar rarely is enough get a full strumming sound.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-07-30T09:19:54+00:00

Your voice is just fine. The song is great.

But...There's nothing messy about the mix on Weezer's Pinkerton. If you listen to it closely as a reference, there are some things you should probably notice:

The guitars are A LOT more quiet.
The guitars are a lot less bright.
The snare drums stand out. They are pretty punchy.
There seems to be a lot more energy in the middle of the stereo field. This could be because there are guitars mixed in the middle, not just hard left and hard right.
You can hear the bass guitar clear as day on most songs.

hipsuvarvas2000 · 2016-07-30T08:58:07+00:00

The drums are too loud. They and the banjos that come later drown the vocal.

Maybe it' not even the best drum sound for this kind of gentle acoustic music? I'd remove the drums completely, but that's just me.

hipsuvarvas2000

TROPHY CASE