[Alpone]

I'm a new member who has been reading musician threads on here. I thought this guy gave some good advice:

http://www.rooshvforum.network/thread-25507-...#pid484776

I'm interested in hearing from people who have some experience playing live and have created a demo & online presence to compliment their shows. This is more of a technical post.

I've been getting back into music during the past 2 years and playing short shows at local dive bars and small cafes when I have time. On good nights, I get awesome reactions from audiences. My "fans" are encouraging me to take this hobby further.

As far as song writing, technique, stage presence, etc., I think I'm aware of my strengths and I'm actively working on my weaknesses. I've also been hanging out at local shows and meeting other musicians which I think is important. I want to create an online presence and quality demo that does some heavy lifting - the goals being to expand my online audience and help me book shows at more respected venues. I have a 9 to 5 which I love, so this is a moonlighting endeavor right now.

I've created a rough demo in Garage Band and opened a ReverbNation account, but it seems spammy and too focused on the up sell. Here are my questions:

-Is Logic Pro worth the money? I'm mostly doing live acoustic guitar/vocals with some keyboards/synths in post. I would like to expand my sound though with more keyboards and techno-style kits. I also want maximum control during post production to create something professional.

-Is Sound Cloud a better distribution tool than Reverb Nation? Are there any other music distribution sites you recommend? I assume I should also create a YouTube channel, facebook page and all that.

-Right now my USB mic (Yeti Blue) and MIDI controller (M-Audio 49 keys) are pretty low end. Any recommendations for upgrades are appreciated. I've been looking at Nord stuff for keys. If there are specific Nord models you recommend, I'm all ears.

-More of a live performance question: I think a MacBook/Midi keyboard combo for live shows can be magical since it adds a lot of versatility if you're playing solo. I'd like to experiment with this. For folks that have experience with this setup, do you plug your laptop directly into the PA or use a dedicated keyboard amp hooked up to your laptop? I'd be using this setup for pre-recorded loops in Garage Band as well as live MIDI keyboard stuff.

-Any other advice or random thoughts about creating a demo are appreciated. Thanks.

[Biz]

-For what you're doing I would suggest Ableton Live over Logic - Live is extremely user friendly and geared towards Live playing. Best of both worlds = Live for writing and composition / Logic for mixdown

-Soundcloud at least for my music style is the only site there is.

-If you want to spend the money on a great synth you can't go wrong with a Nord - go with a Nord Lead. If you just want an MIDI upgrade from the M-Audio maybe go with the AKAI MPK49.

-You need to invest in a audio interface/soundcard - This will be your most important investment. The more you spend on this the happier and better sounding your music will sound. If you just want something simple without many ins/outs but great quality at a reasonable cost -
-Univeral Audio Apollo Twin
-RME Babyface
-Apogee Duet

[Alpone]

Awesome, thanks. Just looked up Ableton and will probably upgrade to it. Also going to open a Soundcloud account and research audio interfaces.

[StudebacherHoch]

1.) I'd stick with Logic. Don't get me wrong, I love Ableton (9) and have used it since Rev 3 (along with Reason, Logic & Sibelius). Logic is industry standard - if you need to a) take your project to another studio to mix or master or b) collaborate with someone else online, etc. - chances are MUCH higher that they are using Logic or ProTools. Also, Logic is much more robust than Ableton - where Ableton really excels is in audio manipulation. If you were going to focus on remixes, mash-ups, etc. - I'd say go with Ableton - if you're doing conventional recording, go with Logic.

2.) I have both Soundcloud and Reverbnation - what I like about Soundcloud is that is allows me to upload full-fidelity wav files. Nothing like working weeks on a project, only to have it sound lackluster online because it's been compressed into an mp3.

3.) Stick with your M-Audio keyboard for the time being. First off, both Logic and Ableton will come with a massive amount of sounds and synths, and VSTs like Omnisphere are a lot cheaper than a Nord keyboard. Once again, not throwing Nord under the bus - I own an Electro/76 and a C2D - but I'm an old fart with the wherewithal to buy anything I want musically - buying a Nord Lead to use as your master keyboard is a waste of money at this point in your musical journey.

4.) As Biz pointed out - an interface is your most important investment right now - don't scrimp on it, otherwise it may make a dandy paperweight in the future. I'm big on M-Audio; I use the ProjectMix I/O which I don't think they manufacture any more, but I love that interface - it's served me well over the past eight years or so. Your choice of a Blue mic was good; you'll be wanting to upgrade from it eventually to more substantial condenser mic.

5.) As for your questions re: playing to your track live. Do not go with a combo/keyboard amp - these are designed for a keyboardist in a live band, wherein he/she is positioned somewhere onstage/in the panning field. You need to run your backing tracks into stereo monitoring (either through the house PA or the new portable stereo performance PAs) - otherwise your output will sound like monophonic mud; all your pre-prep mixing will be meaningless because it's all coming out of ONE speaker/location.

4.) Focus on the music, the rest will follow. The more you KNOW about music, the better - read and study as much as your can, and practice the fuck out of your instruments...good luck!

[Alpone]

Thanks, Studebacher. I've been playing around with Soundcloud and I like how you can repost other people's songs on your timeline. I've uploaded all of my material on there. It's all in MP3 now but I'll look into converting to WAVs from GarageBand.

I'm looking for an interface next and will look at ProjectMix. I already have a Shure M58 mic I use for live stuff, so I assume I can plug it directly into the interface. I've actually been pretty happy with the Blue USB mic considering how cheap it was.

As an aside, I played my first complete solo show last night (I usually play as a duet with a lead guitarists). When I got off stage I had 3 different guys in various bands come up to shake my hand and compliment my performance. We all connected on Soundcloud. What's really improving my live show is controlling fear. It's taken about 2 years of playing semi-frequently in public but I'm at the point now where I'm relaxed on stage. Once this happens, I can completely focus on performance and the songs.