General Music Chat

I finally figured out Cubase enough to get down an idea for a song that I"m working on. I want to share it mostly because it's my first real attempt at recording. Its uploaded to my profile - only tune there called Easy Chair. It's kindof bluesy, with some rockish overtones. not sure what it is actually.

It's pretty short, just the intro but I think it sets the stage for the pace and direction of the song.

I'm new to mastering so you can tell from tone where I punch in etc, but it is what is. I welcome your critique and any advice.

Thanks,
Chris

Well I wish I was!
Excellent stuff man. I don't care what creed you are music is global. I really did enjoy listening to you stuff.

Hope you find some friends here, I'm sure you will.

Chippy.

IS this your first experience with computer recording? I see from your profile this experimental. CUBASE is just like protools, logic, and any good program
Big secret is the tracks going in have to be well thought out and rehearsed,and you have to learn to listen very closely.Same as with analog.
You might find things seem easy to just punch and redo when you learn the programs better. DON'T... Try your best to lay down tracks in one full take.
Emotions change,the way you strike strings changes, temperature changes,all these little can't really be fixed by the program. You can drive yourself nuts trying to "repair stuff". Obviously you can play, dont rely on CUBASE to fix stuff. Don't be afraid to experiment but allways remeber what you put in is what you get out.
Ratsass ,Jeff, did one of his songs called TESTING TWO, I love it because its unique,and its three minutes of great guitar playing, live without being fixed.
If he doesnt have it up anymore let me know and I'll put it up on my profile[giving jeff all the credit]

IS this your first experience with computer recording? I see from your profile this experimental. CUBASE is just like protools, logic, and any good program

Yeah, it took me a month of reading and dinking around with settings to figure it all out. Still confused about a lot of stuff, especially mastering but I wanted to see what the output would be like.

Big secret is the tracks going in have to be well thought out and rehearsed,and you have to learn to listen very closely.Same as with analog. You might find things seem easy to just punch and redo when you learn the programs better. DON'T... Try your best to lay down tracks in one full take.

I appreciate this and will take it to heart.

My approach was basically loop / recording as Cubase will record each pass as a new punch-in / out and you can just choose which take is the best of the bunch. I hadn't really memorized any of the parts but after all the looping I can probably do a fresh run from beginning to end.

Emotions change,the way you strike strings changes, temperature changes,all these little can't really be fixed by the program. You can drive yourself nuts trying to "repair stuff". Obviously you can play, dont rely on CUBASE to fix stuff. Don't be afraid to experiment but allways remeber what you put in is what you get out.
Ratsass ,Jeff, did one of his songs called TESTING TWO, I love it because its unique,and its three minutes of great guitar playing, live without being fixed. If he doesnt have it up anymore let me know and I'll put it up on my profile[giving jeff all the credit]

I listened to Take One. Didn't see Testing 2, but I enjoyed the first one ^.^
Let me know if/when he puts it's up, I'd love to hear it.

Again, I appreciate the help and feedback.
Chris

Well I wish I was!
Excellent stuff man. I don't care what creed you are music is global. I really did enjoy listening to you stuff.

Hope you find some friends here, I'm sure you will.

Chippy.

Thanks Chippy, I appreciate it.

I haven't really delved into the computer based recording and mixing yet. I still do thing analogue until it's time to record two sends into the computer for a stereo wav file. I use two matching Alesis boards, one with all the mics and instruments going in, going out of that board to the recorder, then out of the recorder into the other board for mixing down. Once I set the first board, I leave it alone. If I listen back to something, it is being mixed in the second board and you can bring up the volume, change the eq, add fx and all without changing the settings on the first board. That way, if something needs a punch in, all the settings are exactly the same and it's easier to do a seemless punch in. I don't know if this technique applies in computer recording, but if there is a way to do that, you won't pull out so much hair.

And, OK, I'll put Test two back on. I need to change some songs anyway for all the new folk.

I haven't really delved into the computer based recording and mixing yet. I still do thing analogue until it's time to record two sends into the computer for a stereo wav file. I use two matching Alesis boards, one with all the mics and instruments going in, going out of that board to the recorder, then out of the recorder into the other board for mixing down. Once I set the first board, I leave it alone. If I listen back to something, it is being mixed in the second board and you can bring up the volume, change the eq, add fx and all without changing the settings on the first board. That way, if something needs a punch in, all the settings are exactly the same and it's easier to do a seemless punch in. I don't know if this technique applies in computer recording, but if there is a way to do that, you won't pull out so much hair.

And, OK, I'll put Test two back on. I need to change some songs anyway for all the new folk.

cool beans.
Thanks

Just listened to it. Very nice! you've even got the stereo pan going on in the mix. So the entire song is improvised, or do you have a set of guidelines you were working on to guide the main direction of that tune?

./hat tip

Guidelines, guidlines? We don't need no stinkin' guidelines!

The one thing I have learned about punching in and out (fixing glitches on recordings) over the years in order to make them seamless. You have to do the repairs in that same exact session. While my recorder has the option of auto punch in & out (you preset the measures at which punch in & out occur starting several measures before the glitch and several measures after. Also I rewind the recorder several measures before that to help me get my feel. I still try to lay down the complete track first and 99.9% of the time I do. Sometimes because I am tired I just sat F**k it and punch it in.

Rat I think you'll find you can do analogue through Audacity with no problem on many sound cards. (Ubuntu).

Do you know what soundcard you have in you machine?

1. Click applications
2. Select Accessories
3. Select 'Terminal'
When terminal opens copy and paste the following

aplay -l

It should list your card in there.

I haven't really delved into the computer based recording and mixing yet. I still do thing analogue.

Ten years ago people were trowing them away. I'm talking about two inch tape 16 and 8 track decks. The volume of harmonics and the level you can burn things in blows digital. That is not say digital doesn't have it's place MASTERING in digital far exceeds analog from 30 years ago. HOWEVER..
Some of the best recordings I am hearing now ,were done the old fashioned way like RATSASS is doing. Then they get put into the digital arena.
I hope I can find and afford a two inch tape deck[not24 track it gets to thin]
Trax still got to go in as close to perfect as you can ,one shot, you may not get another.

Your right. Digital lacks resonance. That's why we have to pay big bucks for software that provides a sound as though it were live.

For instance nothing I have done that anyone has heard to date has any kind of mixing or additional effects and after all lets be honest. When you plug a mic in without any reverb what do you actually hear? Hardly anyone can sing this way in out modern world and be accepted though they may be brilliant. We are SO USED TO EFFECTS.

Since that is the case and I imagine every guitarist in the world right now throwing their effects pedals away in the aim of being pure and simple, (doubt that for a minute) you simply have to admit that an effect is an effect. Raw sound without effects are often dull to the ears, that's why an acoustic guitar sounds wonderful.

Each to their own, all paths lead the same way and its not right to say which is better.

Although..........

How would you know if you never tried another path?

Chipfryer.

Ten years ago people were trowing them away. I'm talking about two inch tape 16 and 8 track decks. The volume of harmonics and the level you can burn things in blows digital. That is not say digital doesn't have it's place MASTERING in digital far exceeds analog from 30 years ago. HOWEVER..
Some of the best recordings I am hearing now ,were done the old fashioned way like RATSASS is doing. Then they get put into the digital arena.
I hope I can find and afford a two inch tape deck[not24 track it gets to thin]
Trax still got to go in as close to perfect as you can ,one shot, you may not get another.

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.

Here is a funny aside. I just pulled up my my old computer ,loaded with the first version of windows 98.
The first recording program I tryed to work with was cakewalk [sonar] Back in those days seemed that nothing was supported by by these companies. The first ad/da converter I bought was a 20 bit sound card by yamaha. Cakewalk swore up and down they had support for this card. NOPE B.S.
I switched to CUBASE. They were alot more truthfull and they did have support for the yamaha sound card.
THINGS HAVE COME ALONG WAY SINCE THEN!!!!!!!
Back then computers were so slow the biggest problem was processing power.
The learning curve was pretty steep. Not only did you have to know the programs but you allways had to figure out different ways to conserve CPU or else WINDOWS WOULD crash and you could lose great trax just because BILL GATES wanted a good laugh.I must have some patience to use that crap back then.
Just to compare, FIRST Cakewalk offline mix six parts limited effects,three minute song,,,,,,,,ABOUT 20 minutes
Today $500 dollar macbook Running $500 dollars of logic,,,,6 minute mix running unlimited effects,,OFFLINE MIX DOWN, about 20 seconds.
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

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.