The One Truth's Lounge Thread

I like the sound of mics in a room. To me it's all about picking up the energetic imprint of the guitar, location and player. I like tape hiss too, always have done. Lots of information encoded in white noise.

On second listening, the track is too indulgent, and needs editing.

A tiny bit of compression would probably do the trick. But only a little I like a raw sound. Most modern music is way overproduced. This is a good essay by Jack Endino:

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HOW TO OVERPRODUCE A ROCK RECORD!

[2002 ADDENDUM: On some circulating versions this title has mysteriously changed to "HOW TO PRODUCE A HIT RECORD!"... attributed variously to F. Lee Harvey Blotto, or to no one]

Written by Jack Endino, Xmas 1998; also available in "The Tape Op Book", published by Feral House Press.

First, spend about a month on "preproduction", making sure that everything is completely planned out so that no spontaneity is necessary or possible in the studio. If there are no "hits" there, make the band collaborate with outside songwriters. [On one of the uncredited versions of this essay that I still get unwittingly forwarded to me from time to time, someone added here "... or better still cover an old hit!" Thanx, good point.] Line up extra studio musicians who are better players than the band themselves, just in case.

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http://www.endino.com/archive/arch4-0.html

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Originally posted by Contact Point

Most modern music is way overproduced.

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I'm inclined to agree with that. I prefer the "human feel" in a recording, and I don't even mind little mistakes. That's what makes it organic and real. ;)

I just started playing around with trying to record and mix stuff I've wrote, and though I hardly know where to start and am learning through trial and error, one thing I do know is that I'm not getting the kinds of sounds I want. I was using a cable to input my guitar directly into the mic jack on my computer, and then simulate amps and effects pedals through some VSTs in Reaper (Amplitube and Guitar Rig), but the sound that produces just sounds really frail. So I was thinking of buying this:
http://www.amazon.com/Lexicon-Alpha-.../dp/B000HVXMNE

I thought about buying a dynamic mic to stick in front of my amp too, but I don't have a lot of money to be throwing around for this kind of stuff anymore, so I'm trying to be economical.

Also Coursera.org has a free online course on music production from the Berklee College of Music, and I've been watching through all of that. At one time I was studying electronics engineering at a local college until I realized this is not something I'd like to do for the rest of my life, but I still got enough of an education to understand all of the physics involved with spectrum analyzers and compressors and all that. It's just getting them just right for that sound that's what I'm try to learn.

Any tips or tricks or good buys you guys know of would be appreciated. ;)

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Originally posted by bsbray

Any tips or tricks or good buys you guys know of would be appreciated. ;)

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Well, I don't know much about recording either, because I've always worked in live settings, and without a microphone in front of my amp. But that said, I have a BOSS GT-10 floor effects processor -- I'm not sure whether they're still making them these days, as BOSS regularly replaces their products by newer versions -- and it can be connected to the computer via USB. That way, you can record your music directly on the computer, and you can download sound patches and software updates directly to the device.

In terms of effects, the device has an enormous amount of them on board, and I think you can use up to 18 effects simultaneously: several boost/overdrive/distortion/fuzz effects, compressor, limiter, graphical and parametric equalizers, different choruses, flangers, phasers, Univibe, various wah models, volume pedal, pitch shifter, harmonizer, pitch bender, two guitar synths, slow gear, reverbs, delays, a loop station, noise suppressors, auto-wah, pickup type simulator, guitar type simulator, et al.

It also has the BOSS COSM technology, which is an advanced digital sampling technology, and with that, you can also simulate lots of different effects from other manufacturers -- e.g. a Vox CryBaby wah pedal, or an Electro-Harmonix Fuzz Face -- as well as a great number of amplifier models, including all the usual suspects: Vox AC30, several Marshall models, Fender models, Mesa Boogie, et al. And if you use the amp modelling, then you can switch between a rhythm and a lead channel. And of course, it's all also MIDI-compatible. ;)

The downside is that the software for downloading patches and upgrading the firmware is for Windows or OS X only, whereas I exclusively use GNU/Linux on my computers. But then again, I keep my computer activities and my musical activities separate anyway. ;)

I've got a CryBaby, and that's probably about the only thing that my software can't simulate well by itself. I have more effects installed as VSTs than I even know what to do with. Of course some of it sounds better than others. Guitar Rig sounds a little more digital, but has some amazing effects and is simpler to use. But even though it has a very effective noise gate setting, that noise isn't taken out of the signal once I'm playing. So the noise only goes away during moments of silence, no hiss or anything until I start playing. I downloaded AmpliTube and it has a much more realistic sound, modeling tube amplifiers (and also modeling lots of real pedals), but also a little noisy. So my conclusion is either my cable (which is an adapter type, 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch) or the adapter I use to go into the headset jack on my computer (which was only $5) is introducing a lot of noise into the signal.

If I get that thing I linked to above, it'll go in through the USB in digital, so I only have to worry about any noise my 1/4 to 1/8 inch cable might pick up, and not the other cheap adapter. And the signal should be a little meatier too by the time it reaches the PC.

Once I get those things set up then I can better assess what the real damage is as far as me just being new to the mixing process and all the other tricks going on within the DAW itself.

Here's another one of my favorite songs, taking me back to my early teenage years, sitting in my room, listening to the Top-30 charts on Saturday, with my tape recorder ready to record. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAFHC4Wo3B4

I remember standing on the corner at midnight
Trying to get my courage up
There was this long lovely dancer in a little club downtown
I loved to watch her do her stuff
Through the long lonely nights she filled my sleep
Her body softly swaying to that smoky beat
Down on Mainstreet

In the pool halls, the hustlers and the losers
I used to watch 'em through the glass
Well I'd stand outside at closing time
Just to watch her walk on past
Unlike all the other ladies, she looked so young and sweet
As she made her way alone down that empty street
Down on Mainstreet

And sometimes even now, when I'm feeling lonely and beat
I drift back in time and I find my feet
Down on Mainstreet
Down on Mainstreet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7uwo4Ce34g
a nice track

For those who like bossa nova, this is an amazing album featuring 5 different singers across and 4 different languages (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) across its 13 tracks:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0CBzKfvA80

BSBray, Crybaby's are awesome.

Here's me taking out my frustration on an SG. Can you guess what pedal is being used? Not mastered. It needs mastering as the sound is kind of thin...

I included the link, as the photo is important to me. It gives an emotional context for the track that the audio file alone can't do:

http://agarthanalliance.blogspot.hk/2015/08/the-sinking-son.html

Any comments about the track/demo appreciated. Is it too brutual? Too tuneless? Not staged right? Always looking to improve. I was going for a 'Tom Morello on crack' sound. If you lost interest, tell me when and why...

Peace

This one is my all time favorite! Love Weird Al in Foil, makes me laugh every time. Glad to know I am not the only one that gets a kick out of Weird Al.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urglg3WimHA&feature=youtu.be&list=RDurglg3 WimHA

Another one of my favorite bands... These guys here have always had a very good eye for what's going on in the world around us. :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1100QINlo4


Break it down again
So those are my dreams
And these are my eyes
Stand tall like a man
Headstrong like a horse

When it's all mixed up
Better break it down
In the world of secrets
In the world of sound

It's in the way you're always hiding from the light
See for yourself, you have been sitting on a time bomb
No revolution, maybe someone somewhere else
Could show you something new about you and your inner song
And all the love and all the love in the world
Won't stop the rain from falling
Waste seeping underground
I want to break it down

Break it down again
So those are my schemes
And these are my plans
Hot tips for the boys
Fresh news from the force

When it's all mixed up
Better break it down
In the world of silence
In the world of sound

"No sleep for dreaming" say the architects of life
"Big bouncing babies, bread and butter, can I have a slice
They make no mention of the beauty of decay
Blue, yellow, pink umbrella, save it for a rainy day
And all the love and all the love in the world
Won't stop the rain from falling"
Waste seeping underground
I want to break it down

Horsin' around
Pray to the power
Play to the crowd with your big hit sound
And they won't simmer, won't simmer, won't simmer down
Play to the crowd
Play to the crowd
Play yeah yeah

It's in the way you're always hiding from the light
Fast off to heaven just like Moses on a motorbike
No revolution, maybe someone somewhere else
Could show you something new to help you
With the ups and downs
I want to break it down
Break it down
Break it down

Break it down again
No more sleepy dreaming
No more building up
It is time to dissolve
Break it down it again
No more sleepy dreaming

Thanks for posting the lyrics, Aragorn. Love those guys. I believe I mentioned it before but I'll throw in another plug for Roland Orazbal's "Tomcats Screaming Outside". The song 'Dandelion' comes to mind but I love the whole record.

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Originally posted by bsbray

I just started playing around with trying to record and mix stuff I've wrote, and though I hardly know where to start and am learning through trial and error, one thing I do know is that I'm not getting the kinds of sounds I want. I was using a cable to input my guitar directly into the mic jack on my computer, and then simulate amps and effects pedals through some VSTs in Reaper (Amplitube and Guitar Rig), but the sound that produces just sounds really frail. So I was thinking of buying this:
http://www.amazon.com/Lexicon-Alpha-.../dp/B000HVXMNE

I thought about buying a dynamic mic to stick in front of my amp too, but I don't have a lot of money to be throwing around for this kind of stuff anymore, so I'm trying to be economical.

Also Coursera.org has a free online course on music production from the Berklee College of Music, and I've been watching through all of that. At one time I was studying electronics engineering at a local college until I realized this is not something I'd like to do for the rest of my life, but I still got enough of an education to understand all of the physics involved with spectrum analyzers and compressors and all that. It's just getting them just right for that sound that's what I'm try to learn.

Any tips or tricks or good buys you guys know of would be appreciated. ;)

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I have the Lexicon Alpha and use it with Reaper. Very good combo. The Alpha ASIO driver also has the lowest latency of all the ASIO drivers I have used.

Quote:

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Originally posted by Aragorn

Another one of my favorite bands... These guys here have always had a very good eye for what's going on in the world around us. :)




Break it down again
So those are my dreams
And these are my eyes
Stand tall like a man
Headstrong like a horse

When it's all mixed up
Better break it down
In the world of secrets
In the world of sound

It's in the way you're always hiding from the light
See for yourself, you have been sitting on a time bomb
No revolution, maybe someone somewhere else
Could show you something new about you and your inner song
And all the love and all the love in the world
Won't stop the rain from falling
Waste seeping underground
I want to break it down

Break it down again
So these are my schemes
And these are my plans
Hot tips for the boys
Fresh news from the force

When it's all mixed up
Better break it down
In the world of silence
In the world of sound

"No sleep for dreaming" say the architects of life
"Big bouncing babies, bread and butter, can I have a slice
They make no mention of the beauty of decay
Blue, yellow, pink umbrella, save it for a rainy day
And all the love and all the love in the world
Won't stop the rain from falling"
Waste seeping underground
I want to break it down

Horsin' around
Pray to the power
Play to the crowd with your big hit sound
And they won't simmer, won't simmer, won't simmer down
Play to the crowd
Play to the crowd
Play yeah yeah

It's in the way you're always hiding from the light
Fast off to heaven just like Moses on a motorbike
No revolution, maybe someone somewhere else
Could show you something new to help you
With the ups and downs
I want to break it down
Break it down
Break it down

Break it down again
No more sleepy dreaming
No more building up
It is time to dissolve
Break it down it again
No more sleepy dreaming

[/CENTER]

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One of the bands from the eighties. The last decade before music turned into GMO.

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Originally posted by modwiz

One of the bands from the eighties. The last decade before music turned into GMO.

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I wholeheartedly agree with you on that, fellow Middle-Earthian. ;)

And here's another band from the 1980s that I liked very much, also from the UK. Their music was always beautifully arranged, but without excess, and their lyrics were always very introspective, conscious, and conscientious.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFyRhVvdSko


Please be careful, is never careful
Till it hears the gun
She will always pay the bills
For the having big fun
He talks so well (talks so well)
what can you do
It's pretty plain (pretty plain)
he means it too

I don't want to sell you lines,
I only mean to do you right
But I'm a simple slave of appetite,
I'm a poor slave of appetite

Hunger howls (hunger howls)
Hunger's red,
Hunger stays (hunger stays)
Till it's fed
Then it someha-ha-how fades,
Then it somehow leaves your sight
Depending on its appetite,
Depending on your appetite

So if you take, then put back good
If you steal, be Robin Hood
If your eyes are wanting all you see
Then I think I'll name you after me
So if you take, then put back good
If you steal, be Robin Hood
If your eyes are wanting all you see
Then I think I'll name you after me
I think I'll call you Appetite

Here she is with two small problems
And the best part of the blame
Wishing she could call him heartache
But it's not a boy's name

If you grow (if you grow)
up to be, just like him (just like him)
just like me
You're fighting for exclusive rights,
For honeymoons each sleepless night
In which case I'll call you Appetite
Yes I think I'll call you Appetite

So if you take, then put back good
If you steal, be Robin Hood
If your eyes are wanting all you see
Then I think I'll name you after me
I think I'll call you Appetite

So if you take, then put back good
If you steal, be Robin Hood
If your eyes are wanting all you see
Then I think I'll name you after me
I think I'll call you Appetite
Then I think I'll name you after me
Yes I think I'll call you Appetite