Making music

[Frost]

Hey all. Feeling guilty since I haven't been on much lately and I've had severaly PMs from brothers checking in, which of course makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, so I figured I'd make a post to at least show that I didn't just dissapear into another dimension or something (one can only hope ).

Plus it' gives me an excuse to share a little bit of some other interests I've been pursuing recently, one of which is an attempt to write and record an album. Needless to say it's slow going since my band consists of only me (shallow talent pool) and my recording studio consists of only my basement (used to be a garage). :lol:

Anyways, heres a song that's been in the works for a while. Can't get the widget thingy to work so a link will have to do: http://soundcloud.com/a-frost/free

Let me know what you think if you are so inclined or feel free to share any tips or suggestions if you've got 'em. I am of course under no illusions and realize that there are many flaws and it certainly will not be everyone's cup o' tea, so feel free to tell me my song sucks and I should go crawl in a hole and die if that's what you really think. You'll have to stick with it for at least 1:30 or so if you want to hear my crappy singing voice :lol:

Just sorta wanted to share. I'll post more songs as I finish them, whether you want to hear them or not. If you like 'em, that's awesome. If you hate 'em, that's still awesome because it will give me satisfaction knowing that every time I post a new one it will annoy somebody.


:cheers:

-Adam

 

[MisterE]

Well done Frosty! Has a sort of psychadelic feel to it at the top.

What you're meaning to do is way more important than what's actually coming out at this point. I don't mean that as a backhanded compliment either. Believe me, there are plenty of people with better training that have far less to "say" musically. Your voice can be worked on, so don't worry about that. Technical **** can be worked on too. If you get into more sophisticaed hardware/software you won't even have to sing well. It can be "fixed". That works for a whole bunch of big names. Ever heard Brittany Spears without any "digital help"?? You're Pavarotti by comparison, lol.

The only thing I didn't quite get from a musical standpoint was what the drums were doing.

 

[Harlock999]

Hey, Frost!
Good to see you posting, and making music!
I listened to the track right before my internet
went down, and misterE said almost exactly what I
was going to say, only more eloquently!
I like the direction you're taking with that song, but the
drums are holding it back, and are kind of distracting
from the piece.
It's why otherwise sane people associate with the sort
of lunatics who play drums...
Cheers, and take care!
Chris.

 

[Frost]

Yeah the drums do sorta suck. :cheers:

It's probably at least partly because and I don't actually have any drums and wouldn't know how to play them if I did. :lol:

I'm still trying to work out all the ins and outs of the drum software and midi and stuff so hopefully they will get better. :lol:

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I can't listen to it right now, Frost, but I shall. I've made more than my fair share of home recordings of what I like to assume is music.



Glad you're okay. I was wondering where you were myself.

8)

 

[MartinH]

Frost,

I like where beginning of the son is going. I think you need sort of a "B" section with some rhythmically interesting guitar sounds, and the go to your vocals. Your vocals can be a "C" section and then you can repeat or "da capo" the "A" section. Just some thoughts from a wanna-be-musician, namely me. I think it sounds awesome! Keep working away at it.

 

[Frost]

I can't listen to it right now, Frost, but I shall. I've made more than my fair share of home recordings of what I like to assume is music.



Glad you're okay. I was wondering where you were myself.

8)

Thanks Kyle. Any linkys where I could take a listen to some of your recordings? Always like to check out the creative works of others, it tends to inspire/motivate me to pursue my own goals.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Yeah, I like checkin' out other people's stuff too.

I'm mostly electronic...here's my most "normal" stuff, from the 2010 NaSoAlMo.org project:

http://www.soundcloud.com/syntaxiate

...more weirdness, experimental:

http://www.soundcloud.com/stickybop

 

[Frost]

Frost,

I like where beginning of the son is going. I think you need sort of a "B" section with some rhythmically interesting guitar sounds, and the go to your vocals. Your vocals can be a "C" section and then you can repeat or "da capo" the "A" section. Just some thoughts from a wanna-be-musician, namely me. I think it sounds awesome! Keep working away at it.

Thanks for the tip and i kinda get what you mean. The structure is atypical and sometimes I think maybe too much so. It's one of those things that never quite feels finished and always seems like it's missing something. There were other bits and pieces (one of which was a sort of "b" section after the stop) that I decided needed to be cut once the song started tickling the 8 minute mark and even I was getting tired of it...lol.

 

[Frost]

Yeah, I like checkin' out other people's stuff too.

I'm mostly electronic...here's my most "normal" stuff, from the 2010 NaSoAlMo.org project:

http://www.soundcloud.com/syntaxiate

...more weirdness, experimental:

http://www.soundcloud.com/stickybop

Sweet. I'll check it out later tonight. Gotta go choke somebody at the moment

 

[MartinH]

Gotta go choke somebody at the moment

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I like that!

 

[PipeLeisure]

Hay Frost, glad to see your doing OK, I listened to your track and I think its great, keep up the great work.

 

[gospelman]

Pretty cool!

Here's a dumb question: what program are you guys using to make music on your computer? My daughter has Garage Band on her Macbook, and she has recorded some stuff with her boyfriend that sounds really good.

However, I know there are other programs out there...I'm getting kinda interested in doing some of it myself.

Mike

 

[Kyle Weiss]

When you're asking "make music on your computer," are you referring to composing the music or simply recording?

To try and answer both potential questions, I use old-fashioned synthesizers, MIDI and non-computerized electronic instruments. I will record with an open-source program called "Audacity."

I don't know anything about Garage Band, except everyone has it installed on any given Mac and seem to get passable results.

8)

 

[gospelman]

Thanks for the reply. I know next to nothing about recording on a computer, so that was the gist of my question, the actual recording.

My daughter and her boyfriend were using the Garage Band program, and he has a decent microphone. Sounds pretty good, actually.

A friend of mine was talking about Protools...but I understand it's kinda pricey.

Mike

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Yeah, I like checkin' out other people's stuff too.

I'm mostly electronic...here's my most "normal" stuff, from the 2010 NaSoAlMo.org project:

http://www.soundcloud.com/syntaxiate

...more weirdness, experimental:

http://www.soundcloud.com/stickybop

Kyle - I like your style - reminiscent of older Tangerine Dream works. The Stickybop collection reminds me of their album Zeit.

For research purposes, listen to (free on youtube) Tangerine Dream's Phaedra and Rubycon. In a way it show's their progression from their works on Zeit (similar to where you were at with 'Stickybop') to what is considered to be 2 of their best albums. They took similar ideas, but took them to the next level or two.

If I was looking for inspiration in Electronic Music using Analog Synthesizers, this is the direction I would face. And you would be hard pressed to find any that did better with the old Moogs.

While you're at it, Tangerine Dream's Alpha Centauri is a great album too.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I'm pretty old school in my approach. I use 30 year old mixers, microphones, instruments, limiters, EQs and tape decks. If I need to record on the computer, I just hook the whole shebang up to my line-in on the thing or use my digital recorder...people spend a lot of money on software that, if you ask me, gets really mediocre results. I like that older analog sound though, sometimes captured digitally.

 

[Frost]

Man i wish I had a bunch of old analog gear to play with. I remember playing with 4 tracks and mixing boards and such in high school...that stuff was so much fun and oftentimes just sounded more warm and "alive" then much of what I hear these days.

That said, nowadays it seem computer recording realy is the best way to go for your average basement musician/hobby recordist. The least expensive DAW software programs I know of are audacity (free), tracktion (dirt cheap but no longer supported software), and Reaper which is what I just started using a few months ago ($60). Reaper is probably all i will ever need for mixing purposes as it comes loaded with more mixing and effects plugins and recording/editing features that I will likely ever need.

Other than a DAW program to digitally record into the computer, the only hardware you realy need (other than instruments/mics/cables) is a dedicated recording soundcard or interface (same thing really). Even that you don't need technically if you can get the sound quality you want from the card thats already in the computer, but thats probably unlikely. I use a basic focusrite saffire 2I2 ($150) as an interface and record any guitars or vocals straight through it and into Reaper on the computer. For anything other than guitar or vocals i use a midi over USB keyboard into the computer and "virtual instruments", which can either be bought as software such as addictive drums (~$100) which I just got a bit ago, come free with some hardware (keyboards, etc) or an be downloaded on the internet. Tons of them are free, some good and some bad.

All I've got at this point is a basement, a guitar i got in high school, couple of mics, $99 mid keyboard, 10 year old computer, the interface, and ~$200 in software. I think I could probably record anything I want given the time...but then making the time is realy the hard part. Like anything else there is always a learning curve and that is probably the biggest hurdle for me personally at this point.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Actually, I pick up old analog mixers for about $10 at junk stores all the time. I have microphones, clamshell headphones and patch cords (the kind you can actually resolder) from the 70s and 80s. Considering what I've spent on gear, I don't think I could buy one retail software program that does the same thing. The problem is, most people don't know how to work on old gear, or even how to use it, so it sits there, unused, at garage sales, thrift stores, flea markets and music shops. *shrug* I gave up on software, I got sick of updates, compatibility, obsolescence and reliance on the "next thing." I know what all my gear can do, and it can't be upgraded. It is what it is. Simple, fixable, real. I dunno, I love my old sh*t. I have everything from a MG-1 Moog, a old JX3P (upgraded with a Kiwi chip), a Kawai K3, K5 and K1, Ensoniq SQ80m and VFX, an Alesis Ion (and its sister, the Akai MiniAK), Casio CZ-101, Korg MS2000R, Yamaha DX21, a bunch of circuit-bent crap, a device I built called The Spacebox, a host of effects triggers, pedals, loopers and delays; mixers, mics, speakers, old amps... probably a lot more crap if I bothered looking.

Rob: I know Tangerine Dream. To you, I suggest Brian Eno, Tubeway Army, Jean-Michael Jarre, Yello, Kraftwerk, and Human League if you want to hear some (equally) proper synth.

 

[Rob_In_MO]

Rob: I know Tangerine Dream. To you, I suggest Brian Eno, Tubeway Army, Jean-Michael Jarre, Yello, Kraftwerk, and Human League if you want to hear some (equally) proper synth.

Yup, i'm a big fan of Jean-Michael Jarre, Kraftwerk, and Brian Eno. I'll check out the others as well.

Honestly, I think Wendy Carlos (used to be Walter) did a great job considering what she had to work with when making the original Switched-On Bach. Kind of a different approach to Synth music. And it worked!

Of course ELP did some good Moog works as well...