[General Stalin]

Decided to create this thread from an apparent demand stemming from my 'Running Your Own Recording Studio' data sheet.

Use this thread to discuss all topics musician related. Everything from how to compose and write music, how to record, instruments, gear, etc. There are a number of very experienced DIY musicians and recording artists on here, as well as a number of amateurs who I think could really benefit from open discussion - and maybe a few people who have been on the fence about getting into playing an instrument, writing music, or recording music that could use a little inspiration.

Head on over to the thread I linked above if you'd like a little preliminary. Let's talk music!

[Windom Earle]

Singer-songwriter here. Been playing guitar for 26 years. Discovered my vocal ability more recently however. Have experience in the live scene in Australia fronting bands (and doing solo acoustic gigs), as well as recording (and successfully winning government grants). Nothing against covers, but I've only ever done originals (my own). Looking to get into home recording and production more.

[General Stalin]

For small-time artists, if you want to make a living, covers are where the money is. I now a few older dudes who are in locally known cover bands and they makes a few grand a month just of playing a couple gigs every weekend. Clubs, social events, weddings, whatever.

I myself was a frontman in a regionally known heavy metal band for about 8 years all DIY. Put out 3 albums, did 3 US tours, and in the past couple years got into recording. Now I run my own small time recording studio that I'm slowly trying to grow into a viable business.

[General Mayhem]

I have been writing songs for as long as I can remember. For a period of time when I moved to the city I was on a terror writing songs as fast as I could write them down. I think I was naive and inexperienced enough with women where it was easy to write about it. I pushed myself to start playing publicly but then kinda crashed and life went in a different direction.

Every now and then I pick up my guitar just to see what comes out but there is still some mental blockage in my way. I've had AB's how to write a rock song advice stuck in my head for days and I'm trying it out. Like tonight I'm strumming and I write down two cool lines but then my cynical brain takes over and I smack into that wall. It's frustrating to have this problem when it used to come so easy to me. Maybe someone has some advice.

[Windom Earle]

^ recreational drugs?

[General Stalin]

Currently working on a score for a short horror film and it's pretty exciting. Scoring definitely pushes you to think much more outside the box, and it's been pretty enlightening. Being more creative with soundscapes, mood, and effects.

Anybody else ever do things like scores or sound effects recording?

[Rhyme or Reason]

(06-09-2016 10:34 AM)General Stalin Wrote:  

Currently working on a score for a short horror film and it's pretty exciting. Scoring definitely pushes you to think much more outside the box, and it's been pretty enlightening. Being more creative with soundscapes, mood, and effects.

Anybody else ever do things like scores or sound effects recording?

I've always wanted to do scores, but I've only ever played in bands. Currently the band I'm in has had a few tracks selected for licensing by some company in the UK, but the songs weren't written specifically for film scores.

[Rigsby]

(06-08-2016 08:22 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

For small-time artists, if you want to make a living, covers are where the money is. I now a few older dudes who are in locally known cover bands and they makes a few grand a month just of playing a couple gigs every weekend. Clubs, social events, weddings, whatever.

First off GS, thanks for making the new thread.

I haven't clocked in since last week, but I'm gonna head back over there to the other thread in a bit. Good timing as always.

Interesting to hear a bit about your background as well.

As for playing covers, it was the only time I really earned decent money consistently. It was work though. I mean, you have to sit down and learn the songs to a standard you can get away with. That takes time.

It also means schlepping gear to gigs, and worse, back out again, just after you are on a buzz and getting a beer at the bar from the cutie who wanted to make you 'her own'. Sorry, got to do a bit of roadie'ing kind of thing. Great excuse to ask for a phone no. though, or to posit a possible hook up later, if you can, when van unloaded.

I was above all that for a while - playing other people's songs. Because I was a musical genius, and well, why wouldn't the world recognize me as such. I ain't gonna play no stinking covers.

Then, one day, a mate who is already doing it and got it all set up, has his guitarist drop out, so he asks you to come in, as a temp, see how it goes. He has the van, the backing tracks already recorded into the sequencer (I am talking a typical 'duo' type set up here), and most importantly of all the contacts. He says he'll give you a 40 percent cut. I say 'hell yeah - I'm in'.

I got offered so many gigs out playing, I could take my pick after being poached several times. But none of them offered the hard cash that playing covers well, involves. So I stuck with it.

Running a recording studio is nice. But it's a time as well as a money sink. Going out to play in bars and pulling a oner (hundred quid) at the end of the night is not too bad at all. If you do that a few times a week...

But still, it was work. You have to learn other people's songs. You have to be able to play them well enough. You have to turn up on time, sober, and remain sober, all the way to the end of the night, and back home again to offload your expensive gear that everyone wants to steal. You have to put up with drunken idiots. But on the whole, yes, this isn't a bad gig to get if you can do it.

It becomes a bit soul destroying after a while of course, like anything. But if you are as serious a musician/songwriter as you think you are, you will find your own way out.

If nothing else, it is great experience for being disciplined. I think everyone in the music game should be forced to do it for 18 months as a kind of 'musical national service' kind of thing. Sort the men from the boys and do a bit of character building.

Else you are left contemplating your navel, and not earning. That new guitar won't buy itself you know!

It's fun, can build contacts, can get you laid, and enhances your musical ability as well as your 'business' ability. There really is no downside to doing this, even for six months.

Excellent advice.

[Rigsby]

(06-08-2016 07:36 PM)Windom Earle Wrote:  

Singer-songwriter here...

Nothing against covers, but I've only ever done originals (my own). Looking to get into home recording and production more.

I hear ya.

I could have easily skipped the 'playing other people's songs' phase myself, had it all somehow magically worked out for me. It doesn't for most people. So I was happy to take a little detour.

Anyway, it's a hard road that one. And you really have to want to do it. After a while it does get to you if you have dreams of doing your own stuff. It's very rare to find an environment where you can do both. Though it does exist (like I was saying about my Kiwi friend in the other thread who mixed in his original work).

And even if you did find the environment, it is not the answer. Don't mix these two very separate things. Do the live gigging covers for the added benefits, and pursue your own vision, unhindered by any kind of need to bring home the bacon.

Best not to do it at all if you need to pay the rent. Many do, but a lot get burned. It should be obvious why that is. Well known top-drawer players can find a nice niche. It's hard to get there. I respect any musician that has made that leap. I never could.

But never mind all that.

Follow your nose with the home recording and production. But try to bring something new to the table, even if no one gets to eat at the table, so to speak. Your musical virtue will be your own reward.

Dare to be different and just do what you do. Everyone says that, but hardly anyone does it. I'm sick of music. I'm sick of songs. I'm sick of songwriters.

I need something new. Something bad even. Something truly terrible. I just don't want to hear another well performed cover like everyone else is doing.

So we come full circle.

[Rigsby]

(06-08-2016 09:10 PM)General Mayhem Wrote:  

Every now and then I pick up my guitar just to see what comes out but there is still some mental blockage in my way. I've had AB's how to write a rock song advice stuck in my head for days and I'm trying it out. Like tonight I'm strumming and I write down two cool lines but then my cynical brain takes over and I smack into that wall. It's frustrating to have this problem when it used to come so easy to me. Maybe someone has some advice.

I went through many blocks, until the deluge came. Be prepared for the deluge. Prep for the blocks too of course - that is the majority of the time for most 'composers' - but be prepared for the outpouring that sometimes comes, when you have 'paid your dues'.

There will be no one around to hear it. So make sure you have a zoom digi recorder or something to hand. The worst thing is (and I mean the worst thing) when you have a great idea, and the juice is flowing, but damn, you ain't gonna remember that song in the morning, are ya?

So get it down. Be prepared.

Some people write songs just coz they want to be a songwriter - nothing wrong with that - you don't really know until you try. And you can't blame a fella for trying. Some people write songs coz they know they have something inside they want to get out. Again, what they want to get out might not be so great.

The act of 'getting out' and the act of 'appraising whether it is any good' are two very different matters.

Your first job is to get it out, in a format and feel that you are not just happy with, but lightens your whole being, lightens your whole day, just lightens you generally. Then you know you have hit the motherlode. Anything after that is a bonus. Girls, money, drugs, fame, all count for nothing compared to the deepest Gold you can mine here. This is Alchemy. When it is done properly. If it isn't Alchemy, you are approaching it wrong.

No one even needs to hear your songs. This isn't about them, it's about you. If your own songs can not lift and elevate you to a higher place, then don't expect others to be enamoured very much either.

There is a special place you go when you throw caution to the winds. It's the same place you go when you are on a fast motorbike, inches away from death (not recklessly). I don't know. I imagine it is the same place that people who try to climb Mount Everest get to, when they are in the 'zone' - whether they reach the summit or not.

Don't listen to anyone else. I'm just bulshitting you. Just giving my version of events as I see it. A little bit of rabble-rousing goes a long way.

I'm talking a good fight here as best I can. But I know, if I was to meet up with even half of you that have responded to these threads, you would put me to shame - be it voice, guitar playing, studio ability etc. - but that's ok too. It's about getting the team together.

You get yourself together first, then you get your team together. You can't get your team together if you don't know what you are about.

I don't know what the hell I am about lately, musically, but I like that. And anyone who comes on my team would appreciate that. Just for kicks.

But General Mayhem, don't sweat it. I've had rough patches that lasted years. It just makes it all the sweeter when the 'Eureka' comes.

[Vienna]

Guitarist checking in.

Been playing since high school, so about 10 years. Got into the fingerstyle genre a few years ago and it stuck. Covered a few songs, particularly a few pieces by Calum Graham, and wrote a few of my own. I have a deep respect for guys that create songs that just stick the first time you hear it. Playing a Martin OM-28 Marquis, hands down my most prized possession.

Tried to sing in the past year and have realized I'm not a natural. I believe singing emphasizes talent to a greater degree than other instruments; you can have a great ear and hit the right notes, but some people are just born with golden vocal chords. As long as I can learn how to belt I'll be happy.

Great to see some musicians on here, particularly guys running their own studios. My dad (also a musician) ran a small studio way back so I know the heavy work that goes into it. But there's a certain feeling being awake during the small hours, five cups of coffee and 12 hours into editing and mixing a song to fit what you hear in your mind. It is incredibly immersive and rewarding.

I sent you a PM General Stalin. It'd be interesting to hear your music as I'm a metalhead as well.

[General Stalin]

Yeah one of my associates who is in a "big-money" cover band really dislikes it. He loves the extra money he gets, and enjoys being able to be on stage in front of an excited crowd, but obviously it pales in comparison to being up their playing your own music from your own heart and soul and seeing how it affects people.

Schlepping gear sucks, but that comes with any gig-lifestyle. Playing covers is no different. My friend who I mentioned uses a digital kit so it's east as hell to load in/out and he just plucks the control module into the PA and he's good to go.

I for one love playing shitty basement shows in front of just a few dozen people for free. I miss it and would love to get another band started just for the hell of it. To be on stage again and let out some emotion. Get the crowd going.

[Rigsby]

(06-09-2016 10:34 AM)General Stalin Wrote:  

Anybody else ever do things like scores or sound effects recording?

Not me, not my bag.

There's a very large torrent going around that you might find useful -
http://www.sonniss.com/sound-effects/fre...ame-audio/

That's a 10GB pack but is unavailable at the moment from their site, though the torrent is out there if you look - very easy to find. I think I have a copy of it myself somewhere.

Then there is the version 2 of that which is 16GB and is available from here -
http://www.sonniss.com/gameaudiogdc2016/

It's free to use as well without attribution.

16GB+ of high-quality sound effects from many of the best sound recordists and designers in the world. Use them personally or commercially without attribution. Everything is royalty free.

As for the first link, I think the guy just wants to get a handle on who is using his stuff, maybe it is a kind of modern networking, I don't know. He says:

If you missed the 10GB bundle from last year just drop me a message.
I am always here and happy to help. My email address is [email protected] or you can add me on Facebook. Alternatively, you can just drop me a tweet using the hashtag #GameAudioGDC

Pretty sure if you hit him up he'd oblige you. It's out there anyway, been out there for a while.

--------------------

I wouldn't mind getting in to the film game and scoring and whatnot, but it's a pretty cut throat sealed market. It's not realistic.

What the hell. Here's a bit of Hollywood composer porn:
Creative Cribs - Harry Gregson-Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kbg3g0zJnw

Also check out -
http://www.sonicscoop.com/2013/12/22/com...ial-in-la/

http://www.sonicscoop.com/2016/03/21/com...ngeles-ca/

http://www.sonicscoop.com/2015/11/09/com...s-angeles/

Here is a playlist of the full cribs series videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4JqrdbA...iVHG13oYLa

Do check out John Powell:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpempyrP...iVHG13oYLa

Oh, how the other half live. Or rather, the other 0.0001 percent!

Have fun.

[General Stalin]

Maybe I'll take a few pics of my setup and post 'em later on. I have a list of other gear I'd love to get my hands on, but that shit is all a money sink and not 100% necessary to make my studio useful at the moment. When I have more cash to throw around though, I have a couple other investments I'd like to make.

The next investment I really would like to make is more microphones and cables for recording drums. Shure sells a nice drum mic kit for like $400 comes with a Beta52 and 3x SM57's as well as drum mounts and a case. I already own two other SM57's so this would basically complete my basic kit needs (until I need to record a 7-piece).

[Mr. D]

(06-09-2016 02:53 PM)Rigsby Wrote:  

(06-08-2016 08:22 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

For small-time artists, if you want to make a living, covers are where the money is. I now a few older dudes who are in locally known cover bands and they makes a few grand a month just of playing a couple gigs every weekend. Clubs, social events, weddings, whatever.

As for playing covers, it was the only time I really earned decent money consistently. It was work though. I mean, you have to sit down and learn the songs to a standard you can get away with. That takes time.

It also means schlepping gear to gigs, and worse, back out again, just after you are on a buzz and getting a beer at the bar from the cutie who wanted to make you 'her own'. Sorry, got to do a bit of roadie'ing kind of thing. Great excuse to ask for a phone no. though, or to posit a possible hook up later, if you can, when van unloaded.

(06-09-2016 03:40 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

Yeah one of my associates who is in a "big-money" cover band really dislikes it. He loves the extra money he gets, and enjoys being able to be on stage in front of an excited crowd, but obviously it pales in comparison to being up their playing your own music from your own heart and soul and seeing how it affects people.

Schlepping gear sucks, but that comes with any gig-lifestyle. Playing covers is no different. My friend who I mentioned uses a digital kit so it's east as hell to load in/out and he just plucks the control module into the PA and he's good to go.

I'm very grateful for the Line 6 Helix I'm using in my current cover band gig. Quite easy to dial in a good preset from scratch and it sounds quite good through the PA. And it's schlep-friendly.

In fact, the whole band is plug'n'play. Except the drummer, he's got a digital kit with real cymbals and a real kickdrum with a mic inside & a trigger on the beater head.
The heaviest thing in our van is the PA and FOH console. And with everything thought out and simplified to a degree (this band's been around for 5 years), our teardown time's about 30-45 minutes.

I don't mind playing covers, quite frankly. When you're starting out, that's the best way to learn the craft. From songwriting to showmanship.
If you've been out of the game for a while (like I was), it's a good way to restart.

As far as original material goes, I'm working on songs when I'm not on the road. I'm aiming for a 5-song EP by August, under my penname.

[General Stalin]

(06-09-2016 04:41 PM)Mr. D Wrote:  

In fact, the whole band is plug'n'play. Except the drummer, he's got a digital kit with real cymbals and a real kickdrum with a mic inside & a trigger on the beater head.
The heaviest thing in our van is the PA and FOH console. And with everything thought out and simplified to a degree (this band's been around for 5 years), our teardown time's about 30-45 minutes.

That's insane to me. A typical show I'm used to will have 20 minutes at most between bands' sets except for headliners/co-headliners. With my band, from the time the band before us had all their shit off the stage, we could be ready to play in less than 10 minutes, and we had no simplified setups. Full 7-piece drumkit with a sample pad and 3 half-stacks (though often times the bass head was DI into the PA for larger gigs). One of my guitarists had a big money digital setup with a separate rolling case (AxeFx, power amp, wireless, power conditioner, pedal board) and my other guitarist had a full analogue setup (Orange TH100 head with large pedal chain and effects loop).

We would just take the time before our set while other bands play to pre-set all out shit, then when it's time to rock we roll our shit on stage and plug it/mic it, and sound check.

EDIT - though looking back you did say "teardown" which is actually a big difference. The lengthiest part of the teardown was really just the drumkit and loading gear back into the trailer. We'd take our shit right off the stage then break it down out back, but really didn't take more than about 20 minutes still if we were on task and not shooting the shit.

[StudebacherHoch]

As the late Frank Zappa once said, "Music is the best!"

Aside from my family & friends, music is THE most important thing in my life. I decided fairly early (age 25) that music wasn't going to afford me the lifestyle that I desired, so back to school I went - to study accounting & finance...the best choice I could've ever made.

35 years later. I'm a year away from retiring. Although I made my living as a corporate controller, I never lost my passion for music. I continued to write music, practice, learn new instruments, study theory, arrangement and production (my undergraduate degree was in music composition, so I had a basis upon which to continue to self-study), and slowly built the studio of my dreams in my home.

Here's what I've learned about music in my 60 spins around the sun:

- One can never know enough about music - all aspects from theory to mastering tracks. If you think you know a lot about music, it's time to go back & study some more. If you're trying to write and find yourself composing the same things over and over again, it's time to go back & study some more. The "I play by ear" routine will only get you so far up the food chain creatively, in my opinion.

- Listen to every snippet of music you hear, from supermarket musak to the crap your neighbor insisted on blaring. Try to crack the code of WHY a track works, listen for hooks, and develop your ears so that you can immediately hear chord progressions, intervals, etc. Play to music you like, implementing your ear training so that you can figure out music on the fly.

- IF you want to push yourself musically - learn how to play jazz. This entails lots of the ear training mentioned above coupled with a innate understanding of both harmonic theory and modes. Jazz is SO deep that you could spend a lifetime (like golf or surfing) trying to get it dialed in, and what you learn can be applied to all other forms of popular music.

- Balance your efforts between practicing, writing/producing & studying. Keep notes (or notebooks) to annotate what you've learned, and review it - this stuff has to be second-nature, particularly when it comes to improvisation. If you have to "think about it" - you're not there yet.

- Write in as many styles as possible, not only to push yourself but to gain a greater understanding of that genre.

- Don't under-estimate the power of a good instructor if you're just starting out. Don't develop poor playing technique; it will haunt you later on.

- Write music to please YOURSELF.

[Guitarman]

Guitarman checking in here! I've been playing since the 1970's so that's about 37 or 38 years depending on when you would judge that I could play.

Music is a huge all encompassing passion for me. I just love playing, especially in front of people at a gig.

My style is heavily influenced by the Jimmy's ; Page and Hendrix as well as the great underrated Michael Schenker and my favourite guitarist since the 80's os Eric Johnson. If you don't know Johnson's work, check him out, he's amazing.

I've been in both original and cover bands and from the start I both played other people's music and created my own. There is no difference. It's all music and as said above (I do love Zappa as well!) music is the best. And being good on your instrument definitely gets some girls wet. And yes, I've got notches just through being a good musician. But That's not the point, the music comes first.

[Vienna]

(06-09-2016 05:46 PM)Guitarman Wrote:  

And being good on your instrument definitely gets some girls wet. And yes, I've got notches just through being a good musician. But That's not the point, the music comes first.

Very true.

To be honest, when I started playing I did it partly just to get girls. It was also out of curiousity since people in my family have been playing instruments for a long time.

But as I learned more and realized I didn't suck, I lost all interest in playing just for chicks. Typical case of learning guitar to have girls fall in love with you, and ending up falling in love with the instrument instead. Very zen. If there's one passive/lifestyle enhancer to your overall game that's within reach for most guys, it's learning a musical instrument.

On another note, does anyone here own or play a lute? I'm curious about trying my hands at the ancestor of the guitar. How different is it from playing a guitar? Nothing like the tones of a lute on a quiet night of reading.

[Windom Earle]

The Lute would be an interesting endeavour DF. Nice guitar you have by the way. I've got a Martin HD-28v. When I was in the market for a high end acoustic about 7 years ago, Martin wasn't even on my radar (or so I thought). I was thinking of going with an Aussie made Maton.

From the very first chord I strummed on a HD-28, I knew that was the acoustic sound in my head. Not only that, but the whole guitar just seemed to resonate a whole lot better than any others (and was lighter). I did some more research and settled on the pre-war version, being the HD-28v. Interestingly, this was the only instrument that survived my divorce - all other guitars/amps/effects were sold off (which I've been slowly building back up again).

I've recently been thinking about buying an Erhu (Chinese violin). There's something very enchanting/hypnotic about their tone.

[General Stalin]

My prized possession is a cheap-o 8-string electric guitar that I customized.

I bought a Schecter Omen 8 years ago which is their low-end entry-level 8 string guitar. Passive Schecter-brand pickups, basswood body, maple neck, 2-piece bolt-on construction. I was itching to get an 8 string but didn't want to invest in something really nice and high end considering I was so new to guitar and just wanted something to mess around with. Anyway I found it used at GC for like $180.

I decided I wanted to change it up and wired new pickups and pots into it. I got a set of DiMarzio Ionizer-8's (was convinced after watching a promo video from Tosin Abasi):

I liked the idea of having a coil tap so I could play the guitar with a really backed off, natural single-coil sound, but obviously the cheap-o Omen 8 doesn't have thse kind of features, so I installed a couple of Bareknuckle pots - the tone knob being a push-push pot to wire a custom coil tap.

I spent hours researching guitar wiring diagrams online, figuring out how to get this function to work and in the end I ended up getting it and I'm very pleased with the sound, although I still have plans to someday buy another 8 string and transfer the hardware over.

The 26.5" scale on the Omen 8 is far too short to provide satisfactory string tension when playing at such low tuning (don't know what they were thinking) and the basswood doesn't have that best natural sound which these pickups can really highlight. I'd like to get a guitar with a 28"+ scale and a body made with harder wood to get a brighter sound.

[Vienna]

Indeed Windom Earle, Martin's pre-war style guitars are hard to beat for sound and playability. Big fan of the V neck, enables easier access for weird chord shapes. Also wider string spacing - fretting on the OM feels like something between a nylon string and steel string to me, and that's not a bad thing when playing fingerstyle. What do you play?

Haven't tried the HD-28, but judging from Youtube (link below) it sounds like the ultimate western/bluegrass guitar. I hear you on Martin's high end guitars being light - couldn't believe it the first time I held mine. It weighs nothing. At first it felt cheap...

Have you tried the OM? The string separation is phenomenal and tones sustain well. I can fiddle with harmonics for several minutes just to hear them ring out the way they do. Note: I have the OM-28 Marquis that was discontinued in 2014, Martin have since remade the OM28s.

That HD28V sounds like a dream. The high strings ring a bit softer than on an OM from what I can hear.

[Vienna]

(06-11-2016 02:46 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

The 26.5" scale on the Omen 8 is far too short to provide satisfactory string tension when playing at such low tuning (don't know what they were thinking) and the basswood doesn't have that best natural sound which these pickups can really highlight. I'd like to get a guitar with a 28"+ scale and a body made with harder wood to get a brighter sound.

Sweet work on the Schecter.

Tosin Abasi has a signature 8-string that sounds fine as hell. Maybe you can modify a higher-end Ibanez to suit your needs?

Those chugging, sustained chords. Damn. Great clean tone as well.

Also, that's what WIA would look like if he was a progressive metal musician.

[General Stalin]

(06-11-2016 03:27 PM)DarianFrey Wrote:  

Tosin Abasi has a signature 8-string that sounds fine as hell. Maybe you can modify a higher-end Ibanez to suit your needs?

I've been considering it, or if I had the time and tools actually building my own custom 8-string. That would be killer. I'd make it super thin and sleek made with hard ass wood. Maybe a mahogany body. 30" scale.

[Rigsby]

(06-11-2016 02:46 PM)General Stalin Wrote:  

My prized possession is a cheap-o 8-string electric guitar that I customized.

Very very nice. Talking about Tosin Abasi's guitar. The Ibanez. I've had a good few of them in my time. Acoustics too.

I used to have one of those Ibanez Gem's (Jem's?) years back, when I was trying to be Steve Vai. I never could get on with the Floyd Rose.

As for coil taps, I've got some Protomatic 3 humbuckers and they can do strat as well as LP.

One day I'd like a 7/8 string guitar, after starting off on bass first of all. Then I'd like a Stick. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.