The "how do I make electronic/club/DJ music" Megathread!

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > No Music Discussion > Musician's Lounge > The "how do I make electronic/club/DJ music" Megathread!

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wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

edit: ~ wait a second, strike that.

# ¿ May 21, 2008 14:52

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 16:56

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

WanderingKid posted:

Recreating a waveform based on how it looks rather than how it sounds is more than a little bit unintuitive and I'm not sure what you expect to gain by doing this but I am still confused about what you are showing me.

Shh, picture 1 is zoomed into the selection shown in picture 2.

# ¿ May 23, 2008 15:21

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

GOAT, CARRY ME posted:

Is it just because most people here are PC users?

I think it's mostly that. Mac have a market share of what, 4%? It was a pretty dumb decision to make Logic Mac only.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2008 07:23

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

moron posted:

Not really. As has been said before, Apple are primarily a hardware vendor...it makes more sense for them to sell Logic as OS X only, to motivate people to buy Mac hardware. If Apple were really interested in making mad profit from Logic, they wouldn't have slashed the price for Logic 8 so drastically....i mean, come on, it's ridiculously cheap for what you get (especially compared to Cubase).

I'd say it's a very shrewd business decision.

Well, from Logic's point of view it was stupid. Sold under value, target market shrunk by over 90%, image loss (corporate pawn product/giveaway with uncertain future, moving toward a toy image a la garageband, iMusic, what have you), fewer people are going to learn on Logic -> fewer paying users. You said it yourself, Apple doesn't care about Logic as a product, only as leverage. That's not a good omen.

From Apple's perspective, mh mh mh... it certainly reinforces their arrogant image, which I guess is a huge draw for current Mac users, but I'm not so sure about new people. With me personally, Apple has lost a lot of goodwill making Logic Mac-only, cause frankly it was a dick move.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2008 11:04

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Kai was taken posted:

I guess you could say the same thing about oh, Windows-only software. I guess that makes Image-Line and Cakewalk pretty "arrogant" then.

Not that FLoops or Cakewalk styled themselves as elite, but if they had had a Mac version at one point, and Macs had a 90+% market share, and they'd abandoned their Mac userbase because they got bought by, uhm.. Dell? Yeah, they'd be arrogant.

# ¿ Jun 10, 2008 21:26

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

moron posted:

http://www.demoralised.org/trance_thingy.mp3

This is really very solid. The only thing I disliked was the too-heavy sidechaining during the main part and especially when the kick sets in in the break. The chord progression is a bit stale (although I shouldn't complain, I've used it myself.. twice, probably

), but you're doing well with. I like the little stumbling fills in the beginning, better than a snare roll

Anyway, I feel like this could benefit from something that's not sidechained to the kick, because it's got this kind of awkward pumping that's coming a bit too early. Good work otherwise.

edit: thanks to whoever fixed the smilies that broke the line height!

# ¿ Jun 21, 2008 12:44

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

http://www.yfinder.de/driven/index.php/2007/07/14/10_kick_samples_for_download

I've made a couple of my self-made kicks available, you could probably use those as a starting point for what I heard in your youtube video.

# ¿ Jun 26, 2008 21:24

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

ManoliIsFat posted:

That's the whole process of becoming an electronic musician, though. You can't expect them to start sounding right till you knock out at least a half a dozen to a dozen horrible tracks.

You can do it, I know you can. I find what makes me grow the most and learn the most as an electronic artist is to just constantly bang out tracks and keep your craft up. All art is a combination of creativity and craft, but I find that craft can carry you a lot of the way. You need those skills in place so that when you are creative as gently caress, you're able to articulate those ideas in your head easily.

But you really need to just knock out some tracks, even if they suck, because its the only way to learn.

I agree, and it's also important to GET poo poo DONE and not fiddle and fuzzle until everything is just so. You're just starting out, so it's gonna suck for a while, no matter what. Get songs DONE. Call them finished. Play them to people.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2008 17:30

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

You should really give it another try, it helped my kicks tremendously. Maybe try and slice the punch from one kickdrum together with the tail from another in a wave editor. Or i dunno. What I did was set up a dedicated project file for layering kicks and just pull every stop I could. Non-realtime compression, checking against signal analysis, waveform surgery like filtering single peaks, etc. Spending an hour or two on a single kick sounds like a really stupid idea but once you do it and it works, it's gonna pay off.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2008 15:22

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Nah man, layering isn't so restrictive. Alphazone kicks are something I try to stay away from.. Sean Tyas usually gets them right. There's nothing in the method that would prevent you from from making smoother drums, like Breakfast style.

# ¿ Aug 14, 2008 15:49

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Cyne posted:

Hey, here's kind of a strange one. I'm working on a track with the Arturia Prophet-V in Live and am getting some weird issues with MIDI note triggering. The problem is that whenever I play a chord on the Prophet, it sounds fine when it's being played but when the recorded result is played back only the highest note of the chord sounds. Everything appears to be in order - all the notes are there in MIDI, the velocity is where it should be, obviously it's not an issue with polyphony on the Prophet since I can physically play chords with it. What's the deal? Any ideas? I have several other software instruments going and they all work fine, this is the first time I've ever encountered anything like this.

Have you tried sending each note on a different channel?

# ¿ Aug 28, 2008 09:57

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

The Fog posted:

Here's another question.
Does anyone of you know of some sort of MIDI-triggered gate? I'm using Cubase SX3.
The problem is as follows: I'm making a synthesized distorted kickdrum, but the tail of the kickdrum needs to be cut off. Because of the distortion, I can't really control the tail without affecting the main body and the main sound of the kickdrum. There's one simple solution to this which has crossed my mind and that is resampling. Now obviously resampling is very effective, but the problem with resampling is that I can't control the note of the kickdrum anymore, so resampling is out of the question. I thought that maybe there would be a plugin that uses a MIDI signal to reopen the gate, and then I can adjust the ADSR times in the gate to use as an amplitude envelope in my kickdrum's insert. Please note that it's very important that I can retrigger it and not just use a synched LFO on it.
Any solution is welcome.

There's mgTriggerGate, which I believe you can trigger on and off via MIDI. You should also try Dyno, it lets you (among other things) put an arbitrary volume curve over hits, which it recognizes automatically. OR you could just automate the volume itself, I guess? I don't know if Cubase can route MIDI to arbitrary parameters, I'm so spoiled by Buzz, where I have a machine called PeerADSR that provides triggerable ADSR control for any parameter I choose.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2008 10:51

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

oredun posted:

unison=monophonic

No, unison is at most a subset of monophonic. Synths can be monophonic without having unison.

# ¿ Aug 31, 2008 18:42

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Vanguard has polyphonic unison iirc

# ¿ Aug 31, 2008 19:58

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

I Dig Gardening posted:

I learned this trick on my own, when one day I plain asked myself "does this even do poo poo?" and now I do it on EVERY track I compress. Well what I actually do is lower the "output" of the compressor until the meter peaks at the same spot as it would have without the compressor.

Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the matter completely? Compression lowers your peaks, and auto make up gain does exactly what you are doing here, so it's just the thing you want to avoid doing, since it will in fact make the compressed signal sound louder than the uncompressed. To a/b your compressor without the loudness factor, you should disable auto make up.

# ¿ Sep 24, 2008 07:14

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Am I reading something wrong here or are you? The original issue was A/Bing the effect of the compressor without the psychological effects of louder=better. The gain in loudness comes from what you are describing (turning up the gain until the peaks are the same as before compression - making up for the compression, hence make-up gain). Some compressors do this automatically, it's called auto make-up. So what you're describing (and what I dig gardening had discovered on his own) is actually the opposite of what the guy was doing, and that's why I posted what I did.

# ¿ Sep 24, 2008 14:55

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

WanderingKid posted:

snip, snip

Well thanks for the lesson professor, although I already knew how a compressor works, if you can believe it

You must have missed that I wasn't commenting on how to use a comp, but only on how what I dig gardening was doing and what he was thinking he was accomplishing with it weren't the same thing at all. *I* don't want to do anything at the moment, I was merely commenting on a technique that couldn't work, and explaining why it couldn't

I agree with RivensBitch that we could as well be talking about limiting, but since the distinction is pretty much one of attack time only, I don't think it matters much. In drum hits, a 15ms attack leaves most peaks intact, with most instruments and vocals it's 50ms or so, it's an artificial distinction really.

But I also have to disagree with RivensBitch (and The Fog) on the purpose of a compressor. The machine itself has no purpose, it's just a machine. It might have been intended a certain way or engineered with a certain application in mind but there's no law that it can't be used differently, or that using it for your own, different purposes is somehow wrong. You can only measure "success" if you have a goal. So I guess both of you are right about what a compressor is there for and wrong about how it's there only for that

# ¿ Sep 25, 2008 10:40

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

I think you guys broke RivensBitch or at least his superiority organ

# ¿ Sep 27, 2008 00:54

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Take part in a competition

# ¿ Oct 10, 2008 07:38

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

tylertfb posted:

a detroity techno track I'm working on. This is a little 16 bar loop to test levels and sounds. I probably won't be adding much in terms of elements, but rather making a progression of these sounds and adding a fill here or there and a breakdown. I'm looking for feedback mostly on the mastering / mixing / sound choices here.

Kick: needs more work. It's dull, mid-heavy "plock" sound that needs some careful EQing to not make it sound like it comes from the inside of a washing machine. some clashes with the bass (try cutting both around 300Hz). The little fills are distracting (too long!), I'd use short dribbles instead.

Clap: works well, could use a little volume boost.

Hats: good groove, shakers are a bit too prominent.

Bass: wobbly seems to work.

Chords: the filter on/off part in the last seconds doesn't work, try playing with the decay to vary the pluckiness instead and use slow automation for the filter.

Pad: I like it. Try automating the volume to gently duck it around the kick, see if that sounds good. If it does, try it on the chords as well.

Ideas for additions: a pad-like, flanged, hi-passed white noise (or if you wanna give it some texture, soft rides), subtle blips and beeps at rhythmically interesting points to accentuate overtones

Looking forward to the finished work!

# ¿ Oct 11, 2008 09:43

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Quincy Smallvoice posted:

...In 1998, at that.

I disagree, it sounds like a 2007 Sean Tyas track

Specifically, his remix of Bobina - Lighthouse (compare the main part at about 3:00 in the mp3 with http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kdGAdFQdF0, starting at about 1:45).

edit: and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM5Fc0ehPso, starting at about 3:30

wayfinder fucked around with this message at 07:50 on Oct 12, 2008

# ¿ Oct 12, 2008 07:47

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Quincy Smallvoice posted:

Well, we ARE discussing a genre thats generally not developed much since that era. Maybe not 1998, but definitely 2002 and onwards.

There was a period of stagnancy in song structure and slow development in sound design, but I think the last year or so has changed some things with a more techy, riff-based and less melodic approach by a lot of popular artists. It's still one of the most formulaic genres, but there is more than one formula

# ¿ Oct 12, 2008 14:44

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

cubicle gangster posted:

What i'm hoping for (and probably the most logical option) is the ability to bring up an audiomulch/ max/msp style schematic view up, although as to what extent that will be taken i'm not sure.
Im not so hot on other software, but as far as I know nothing else has it beyond a very basic processing level, does it? Could be the first schematic mixing/mastering solution if so, and good lord that would be amazing.

You mean like buzz and psycle?

Click here for the full 711x599 image.

Available since like 1997

# ¿ Oct 12, 2008 20:02

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

The Fog posted:

Wasn't psycle developed by the now diseased Arguru (RIP)?
Also, I'm sure wayfinder already knows this, but buzz is under development again! There's some tasty new betas out there. Looks rather promising.

Yes on both

I just added a subforum for NewBuzz to Buzzchurch, in fact, and I've been using the new buzz betas for a while now.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2008 21:53

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

How about Revisit? It's a VST tracker. Use it together with a sampler and a drum map and there you go.

# ¿ Oct 21, 2008 22:08

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

colonp posted:

What are touchpad like interfaces called? I'd like to use something like a touchpad to play some preset notes when I touch it, and use the x/y coords to shape the sound, ie. x controls amp and y controls filter amount or whatever. Any synths that would be particulary good for something like this? Any cheap/free ones?

Another thing I'd like to do is control which parameters are controlled by the x/y coords on the fly, via knobs I guess, but I don't really know how you'd do that.

I guess it can be done with Touchpad 2 Midi, but I don't have a laptop.

z3ta+ has an XY pad, I believe. And you should be able to use PeerCtrl

# ¿ Oct 24, 2008 10:13

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

They are being made by apple...

# ¿ Oct 24, 2008 13:46

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

cubicle gangster posted:

I would absolutley love it if they brought in a way to sidechain anything which can be modulated. Wouldnt need to take up much interface either, just need a right click drop down list of references, then another page where you add and set up all the lfo/sidechains/whatever and name them to be referenced. Kind of like the way massive does it, but better.

I want this right now, infact.

_{_{_{^{If you were using buzz, you could have that right now}}}}

# ¿ Oct 27, 2008 15:15

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

cubicle gangster posted:

Thats twice i've wanted something I thought was a long way off and you've mentioned buzz, i'm going to have to have a serious look at that tonight...

Keep in mind though, it is truly a bitch in many respects, setting up not least of them.

Anyway, the magic is in the Peer machines. PeerEnv is an envelope follower that will apply the level of an input stream to any parameter in your project you like. There's your sidechained everything

edit: http://www.ekral.com/buzzdiykit/ <- this is what I used to set up buzz again after my recent hd crash. It's well-documented but still quite a task... I wish there was a better install, some one-click exe, because a lot of people are going to say gently caress it and miss out on a really cool, visionary environment.

wayfinder fucked around with this message at 19:15 on Oct 27, 2008

# ¿ Oct 27, 2008 19:09

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

There's no other way to apply a high pass filter in Reason? Seriously? :lol:

# ¿ Dec 7, 2008 12:47

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Can anyone explain to me the obsession with getting the absolutely perfect 909 and 808 and 303 emulation? I've never understood it.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2008 08:12

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Maybe I just don't see the appeal in getting the sound of those machines just right, never mind at the level of dedication some developers seem to have, and while there are a lot of tracks using them that I have emotional attachments to, that never transferred over to the X0Xs themselves - unlike with everybody else on the planet, apparently.

# ¿ Dec 9, 2008 10:34

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

IanTheM posted:

What would be the point of calling them X0X emulation in the first place then? They're trying to give what they sell, there's tonnes of other drum machines out there if you feel no attachment or use for an 808 or, 909.

I don't think you understood me right, what I don't get is the initial impulse to emulate these machines over and over again. Of course, once you've decided you want to make a 303 clone, you might as well give it your best shot, but why make yet another one in the first place? Is there something inherently desirable in acquiring that, as Yoozer called it so eloquently, quantum-level electron perfect reproduction? Something that isn't satisfied by the literally hundreds of clones already available?

# ¿ Dec 9, 2008 11:54

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

I feel like this derail has gone on long enough, so I promise this is my last post on the matter. I can understand wanting an equivalent, or even an emulation of a vintage machine. One, maybe two if the first sucks. But at some point, you'd think people can go "close enough!" and be happy - it's not like those machines have specific, unreplacable advantages that are somehow hidden in the exact way a poorly-designed panel resonates, changing the magnetic field effects on the wiring or whatever. I'll just resign myself to not feeling the hype, and not worrying about it either.

I'll go put on Solar Quest - Acid Air Raid now

wayfinder fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Dec 9, 2008

# ¿ Dec 9, 2008 15:56

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Kai was taken posted:

Every kick that gets created is going to be compared to the 909, and if you don't have that 909 reminiscent tone and you're making something like trance, you might as well go home.

That sounds interesting, how about 808 bassdrums? Where can you go home without those?

# ¿ Dec 17, 2008 12:40

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

colonp posted:

His other stuff is also pretty neat. What is warping though?

When you set markers in Live to tell the program where beats are so that it can then play a loop/song synched to another, it does this by time-stretching the intervals between marker points. That's the warping part.

# ¿ Dec 21, 2008 21:02

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Kai was taken posted:

What's the best way to simulate outdoor reverb? Not like out-in-the-alps delay, but just a generic outdoors.

Every time I try to use reverb to emulate an outdoor space, it ends up sounding like a gigantic room.

I am using Live's built-in reverb though, so that may account for part of it.

Depends on your space, I guess? Many outdoors situations, especially in nature, will not have a lot of reverb, possibly just some light, scattered bounces off the ground - basically early reflections like in a very small room, and no real reverb tail at all; just think of a snowed-in field in winter and how your steps sound: extremely dry and crunchy, no reverb. A concrete & glass city with its large flat surfaces will throw back more reflections and sound a bit like a really big cathedral, although I think an additional delay would be useful to approximate that. If you have something like hills or mountains in a distance that would reflect sound, you wouldn't get much on low level noises, but some late echoes on louder sounds. And so on. Just try to envision what your desired space looks like and how sounds would bounce back to you, and that should give you an idea of how to simulate it with effects.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2008 00:55

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Kai was taken posted:

Fruityloops seems less and less appealing to me every day, not because it's inherently bad software, but because it has one of the worst fan clubs I've ever seen.

Apple Syndrome

# ¿ Jan 3, 2009 18:04

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Yoozer posted:

*snip*

If I'm not entirely mistaken, you understood him wrong and he wants to know how to get the samples to play in his sequencer, since he's only used synths so far?

# ¿ Jan 4, 2009 00:44

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# ¿ Apr 29, 2024 16:56

wayfinder: Jul 7, 2003

Motorball posted:

Whoa, subtle bitcrushing can really make a loop stand out. I'm afraid I'll use that poo poo way too much in the coming months.

Try it together with ringmod and a light phaser and apply a high-pass... whee - crispy!

# ¿ Jan 16, 2009 16:13

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