General Music Chat

Got a chance to give a listen after the dreaded day job today Chris.
I have to say I like the direction this is taking you. Looking foreward to more.

Thank you!

I've gotten some input on my recording from fresh ears (I was too close to it to notice really) that told me that I'm rushing too quickly into the solos, etc.. Next run I'll be backing off on the solos til later in the song in an attempt to build up to them. I'll also try to do it in a single take per well given advice from others in this thread.

I much appreciate all the veteran musician input!

Chris

*snip*

Any way CHRIS YOU HAVE FUN, what you have to work with is a whole lot better than it was 11years ago,YA STILL GOTTA PLAY GOOD TRAX

^.^
I can imagine. I'm a software engineer and was around for the 286 monstrosities running DOS. DOS was actually really fast and reliable for everything you could want in the programming world - it was about the time that windows came on the scene that TSRs began clogging up the works and the 256K ram needed to be upgraded to 512K. Graphics were a bear, and given the fact that music is just as processor intense as graphic manipulation, I'm surprised you didn't throw your machine out the window!

I am having fun though. I have the luxury of a fast machine, dual monitors and a good sense of humor that masks alot of my frustration The learning curve 2x as bad for me than I suspect it is/was for you as you already know the studio-technician terminology - I swear the Cubase manual is written in Pig Latin (no affense to pigs).

^.^

CHIPPY, Dont misunderstand me, I wish I had an old analog two inch 8 track or sixteen track recorder.
As far as digital I think this is a wonderful opportunity for people to record within a strict budget. Back in 98 the computer cost $2000,the sound card was $1200 ,The program $ 500,cakewalk,$700 CUBASE. Forget about mics cables and preamps and a small board to simplify. IT WAS STILL INEXPENSIVE COMPARED TO GOING TO THE STUDIO .
As far as mastering, I don't have any software yet But if your running PC I would checkout CUBASE.
There is another company I am interested in ,called iZOTOPE, they have a mastering program called OZONE4 If I ever find a drummer with two good knees to help me finish the trax I've been working on, I might give it a trial run. ANYWAY check them out . HEY RGM have you heard anything about OZONE4? PS Its a $300 Program,Cost me $500 for mastering two songs in the 80s.

One thing I can say about Cubase (software in general) is that looping is an amazing tool - you can select a section/region of your song and loop it continuously while you practice your riffs or whatever, and then hit record and you can make as many "takes" as you like without having to hit stop/rewind. When you think one of your 20 takes is good, you just select it as the one you want to insert at that point. It's a great practice tool for that reason alone.

my un-ejukated 2cents.
chris

Sounds a bit compressed, but I like the style. Some parts remind me of George Lynch.

Sounds a bit compressed, but I like the style. Some parts remind me of George Lynch.

I'll turn down the "tone" a bit and see if that relieves some of the compression. I haven't found a tone I like yet. I'm stuck with low-tech equipment :/

George Lynch huh? That's a compliment! though I can't stand all the echo he uses, and as for whammy bars - can't stand using one - I threw mine away

Hey, thanks for putting it up. No, it isn't perfect, but so what? You have shown us that you have some chops, Chris.

As far as I'm concerned, every recording I ever made needs to be redone.

Some day I'll get around to it, too. (Yeah...RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!)

I really need something to record on at home. I envy all youse guys. I'd prolly play a bunch if I had it, cuz I love to experiment & write stuff.

Hahahaha Goingly. I had a wonderful Tascam some years back and a real 2 real. Both were superb, music was almost produced straight away.

Right now have Cubase/Cakewalk MC3. Trying out REAPER which seems excellent, Audacity works through Ubuntu.

All do the same thing of course but my picks are 'Cubase' and now 'Reaper' since most controls are where you want them to be.

I could go completely analogue at the drop of a hat but even then I'm stuck with Digi drums at present (Pad set) though I'm starting to like them a little. What I don't have are guitar effects pedals which limit me a little, I've still to raise the fret board on the Base, (Thanks Rat). I don't yet have a Microphone either so I'm limited in some areas really.

Heck I'm just a springer
I have two very good knees but sadly I'm miles from you.
Keep well Goingly.

CHIPPY, Dont misunderstand me, I wish I had an old analog two inch 8 track or sixteen track recorder.
As far as digital I think this is a wonderful opportunity for people to record within a strict budget. Back in 98 the computer cost $2000,the sound card was $1200 ,The program $ 500,cakewalk,$700 CUBASE. Forget about mics cables and preamps and a small board to simplify. IT WAS STILL INEXPENSIVE COMPARED TO GOING TO THE STUDIO .
As far as mastering, I don't have any software yet But if your running PC I would checkout CUBASE.
There is another company I am interested in ,called iZOTOPE, they have a mastering program called OZONE4 If I ever find a drummer with two good knees to help me finish the trax I've been working on, I might give it a trial run. ANYWAY check them out . HEY RGM have you heard anything about OZONE4? PS Its a $300 Program,Cost me $500 for mastering two songs in the 80s.

Hey, thanks for putting it up. No, it isn't perfect, but so what? You have shown us that you have some chops, Chris.

As far as I'm concerned, every recording I ever made needs to be redone.

Some day I'll get around to it, too. (Yeah...RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!)

I really need something to record on at home. I envy all youse guys. I'd prolly play a bunch if I had it, cuz I love to experiment & write stuff.

Philby, I listened to "heads up!" and I have to say I REALLY like your singing voice. I'd like to hear more if you have any other songs where you take front-center.

George Lynch huh?

A compliment, yes. And I meant only the style, not the tone

Holy s#%+ 3 years. Wow man. Your great, Totally amazing.

Holy s#%+ 3 years. Wow man. Your great, Totally amazing.

wow, thanks for that it means a lot to me. Those 3 years were practically to a metrimome. I'm too stupid and impatient to figure out a drum machine and I've always been too self-conscious to play in a band - intimidated is a better word. Ez Drummer and Cubase to the rescue. I sound like an ad now...

Practicing to a metronome is very good for your skills. I have started doing more of that myself of late.
Now forget being self important (not a slam just another way to look at it) and find yourself some metro-gnomes to play with.
There is nothing as humbling or motivating as having bandmates for whom you want to do good and meet expectations.
Nothing as satisfying as that feeling you get when it all blends seamlessly.
Not that being a one man show is a bad idea if your into that. In fact I think it requires more talent than holding up your part of a group production. (I'd be lost without the boys of NKF)

I had Cubase LE that came bundled with a Presonus USB interface.
I hated it: really hated it.
The app was very prone to crashes, and not to mention that horrific licensing scheme!

I hope yours is solid & bug free!

I also felt that they packed soo much into the UI, that there were just too many buttons, little flippy things that opened up new menus...
Quite a lot unless you're really able to dedicate a lot of time to the engineering side of things.

I ended up with Cakewalk 'Music Creator', and I have to say it's a hundred times more stable, and easy ..I think.

Each to his own with PC recording I say: I just found Cubase(LE) really troublesome.
Maybe it's because it's 'free'..although , now that I think on it, at my friends place , where he runs a much more Pro studio, I've seen his Cubase crash several times. And he's pretty smart.

Um, how exactly did I get down this rabbit trail?
...

Oh, Mastering..
yeah Mastering that's it.

I had Cubase LE that came bundled with a Presonus USB interface.
I hated it: really hated it.
The app was very prone to crashes, and not to mention that horrific licensing scheme!

I hope yours is solid & bug free!

I also felt that they packed soo much into the UI, that there were just too many buttons, little flippy things that opened up new menus...
Quite a lot unless you're really able to dedicate a lot of time to the engineering side of things.

I ended up with Cakewalk 'Music Creator', and I have to say it's a hundred times more stable, and easy ..I think.

Each to his own with PC recording I say: I just found Cubase(LE) really troublesome.
Maybe it's because it's 'free'..although , now that I think on it, at my friends place , where he runs a much more Pro studio, I've seen his Cubase crash several times. And he's pretty smart.

Um, how exactly did I get down this rabbit trail?
...

Oh, Mastering..
yeah Mastering that's it.

Haven't had any crashing problems. It was expensive tho - about 500 bucks, and yes the learning curve is pretty harsh, especially if you don't have the language down. There's a ton of UI elements that if you didn't know the manual or accidentally clicked there, you wouldn't know existed so in terms of UI design, yeah it's pretty nightmarish, but when you get used to where the controls are, you kind of realize why they put it there - quick access.

anyhoots, I haven't tried any other software solution so I'm in no position to compare.

THE LEARNING CURVE CAN BE VERY STEEP. But dont give up its much better than it was.[all I wanted to do was record some music and now Im qualified as a geek]