The 'ELEMENTS' :
-the Laptop, Controllers, Soundcard, the software DAW(with vst and effect plug-ins)
-OR the hardware Sequencer, Sampler
-the Synthesizer
-the Mixer
-the cables :) (1/4"TRS cables, RCA cables, MIDI cables, USB cables)
CONNECTIONS:
-connect the audio cables(2mono)from synth's outs to ins on the soundcard
-connect the midi cables(2) midi out from synth to midi in on the soundcard and vice-versa
-connect the controllers with the laptop using usb cables
-connect audio cables(2mono)from the outs on the soundcard to the master mixer(or to monitors for the studio)
INSTALL then the main DAW software on the laptop (i.e. Ableton Live). Install the virtual synths, samplers and effects plug-ins. Turn on everything starting with the place where sound starts and ending up where it comes out (when turning off proceed backwards). Root everything in the DAW, like the soundcard, the synth, the surfaces for control. Test the set-up and set the latency to zero using the settings of the soundcard and also the delay compensation feature.
Now you should be set-up to go! :) Also it would help to create a template in which to work. Another good idea whould be to make the working template, the live template and vice-versa ;)
Of course this is just a basic set-up that you can build on. For example, you can have two synths instead of one, or you can add a hardware sampler in; also you can have dedicated controllers for the main DAW, but also you can have controllers for certain virtual synths or effects racks. Also one hardware synth can be desktop(rack) module, so you can eventually control it from another controller. Realtime hardware effects can be added and tweaked realtime, as nothing compares with physical hands-on control. Even the main daw with the plug-ins, the laptop and the soundcard can be exchanged for a workstation(like MV8800 for example). The truth: sky's the limit :)
Even though we talked a lot about production gear, the initial aim of this blog is the "Live-act"... more exactly the "Electronic Live-act".
One of the bad things of computer production, is that the artists forgot to play their instruments, really expressing themselves. This is a bad thing for both the audience and the artist himself/herself.
Software brought us a lot in terms of possibilities, but in order to remain performing artists we must perform. And I mean really perform, not dj-acts.
But because all starts in music with instruments, let's return for a second to the gear we play with: the electronic instruments.
We'll try to explore 2 things: on one side the live set-ups and on the other side the way we can use them for the live performance.
. . . . . T O. B E. C O N T I N U E D. S O O N :) :)
vineri, 18 decembrie 2009
duminică, 13 decembrie 2009
AUTHOR' BUYER's GUIDE ;)
OK, I'm going back a little...to the tools of trade :) Even though I did talk generally about that I received numerous mails regarding my personal oppinion about the tools that make-up a studio for electronic music production. For that reason I am going to give you my oppinion in selecting the best and most useful equipement.
First of all you have to make up your mind if you just want to be a producer or also a performer ;)
So, let's begin:
- S O U N D - G E N E R A T O R S -
VIRUS TI
- That's probably the best synth there is as a whole package. I mean if you only had to get one synth, this would be The ONE :) Some of you can consider this one being expensive. Even it may look that way....fact is that it's actually cheap for what is does.
Virus TI is actually 16 synths in one and more: 16 multi effects racks in one!! Can you imagine that? I mean to have 16 racks, each whith delays, reverbs, distortions, eqs, chorus, phaser and so on...really. I mean you can't even find an expensive effect processor like that.
So only for the synths and effects it's worth so very much. Now, the other thing is that they are also good, not only many;) Instead of having lots of synths and effect racks all around your studio, you can just have the Virus and all integrated with themselves. To all that above I must add that the quality of sound is really great.
Another thing to consider is the Total Integration (TI) with the computer for the ones using one. It also acts as a sound card, and a good one! It can be said a lot about this great synth: it's the Rolls Royce of synthesizers.
ALESIS ANDROMEDA
- is a very unique synth. It's analog, but unlike most analogs, it is polyphonic and it's got 16 parts multitimbral... so you almost got 16 analog synths. It's complex, powerful and full of possibilities. Even though not a cheap one...it will not probably be made for long time...so it's worth it getting one now!
DS PROPHET'08/and PolyEvolver(hybrid)
- even though I put it the fourth, it deserves a lot of attention. It will become soon a classic. One of the last polyphonic analog synthesizers. Really great! Sounds that are very hard or impossible to obtain with the other synths, Prophet'08 can do them very well ;)
MOOG LP/VOYAGER
- Bob Moog name is synonymous with the name of the some of the greatest synthesizers ever built. I think that says it all. I mean you could ask yourself, why buy an analog synth, especially a monophonic limited one, when I own a Virus TI or any of today VAs. Well the answer is plain and simple: because the analog synths have something in the way they generate sound and in the filters, that modern digital synths can only try to emulate, but without real succes. So if you need something warm, and full... if you need quality sound, get a Moog. You will not regret it :)
FUTURE RETRO XS(& Revolution2)
- is a modern old-school semi modular desktop synthesizer which is really well made, with fast envelopes and powerful oscillators, great filters. Great for bass and for anything that a monophonic analog synth it is.
(Also the FR REVOLUTION2 which is a good TB303 clone ;)
WALDORF Q+/BLOFELD/MICROWAVE XT
- Next in line would be the Waldorf synths. If you can afford get the Q+. It's got a very nice knobby interface, with enough outputs and great power. The Waldorf sound engine it's I believe even more powerful than the Virus one. So you can't go wrong with this one.
The lighter approach would be the Blofeld. It's light and cheap, but its sound and capabilities are far greater that you could imagine. It's the best synth you can buy in this price range. It's really at an unbelievable price, especially the desktop version which is very portable.
The great thing is that it's got the same power as the Q with the exception of the analog filters and I repeat, at an unbelievable price.
RADIKAL TECHNOLOGIES SPECTRALIS/ACCELERATOR
- a hybrid synth, with a very special sound and capabilities. It has the best of the two worlds: digital and analog, but with the highest specifications. It's is for sure expensive, but it's a workhorse with a lot integrated, even sequencer and some sampler capabilities, so if you can afford one, you will be amazed.
NOVATION Synths
- In the late '90s there were produced some of the best synths known as Novation Supernova, Nova and K-Station. Up to this time they keep on being some of the best synths around.
The Supernova has got 8 simultaneous synths and rack effects and the Nova 6. So for that time, actually even for these times it was really great. Apart from that they sound good too! Many people use to say that they are the only synths able to compete with the Virus.
Novation's only synth still in production is the X-Station, which, even though it hasn't got the multi parts of its predecessors, it's still a good synth, and I may say at a extremely good price. Not to mention that is more than a synth: it's a great controller, multi-effects processor and sound card. Together with the Blofeld desktop, they are the most affordable, yet professional synths around. Go now get one! :)
ROLAND V-SYNTH (XT)
- The top of the line and latest synthesizer from the legendary Roland corporation is something no easy to pass out. It's elastic synthesis capabilities are second to none. The VA synth in it is cool, but the place where it excels is its elastic synthesis capabilities. In two words, you can get out of it sounds that it would be hard to get out of any other synth. You can also sample with it and use the samples as waveforms in the oscilators, and much much more than that.
The desktop version it's got as a bonus another two engines: the D50 fm synth and the VP voice synth with which you can do truly unbelievable things. Also, it acts as a good sound card. As you can see, it deserves one of the leading places in anyone's studio :)
There are many other synths old and new that are great, but the ones above are some of the best and almost all still in the making. Roland made the best analog synths in the past...followed by Korg and Yamaha...and of course a few other smaller companies, but great too.
(Other synths include TB303, Roland Jupiter8 or 6 ,SuperJupiter(MKS80), Jx(3p),HS-80, SH101, Korg MS20, Monopoly, Polysix, Moog Prodigy, Clavia Nord Lead and many more)
I will end this with a list of the greatest synths in the history(apart from the ones already mentioned).
The great giants of the past:
Yamaha: CS80/DX1/DX7/CS70M/AN1X/AN200,
Waldorf: MICROWAVE XTK/Q,
Quasimidi: POLYMORPH/RAVEN,
Ppg: WAVE2,
Oscar: ,
Roland: D50/JUPITER 8/JUPITER 6/ HS-80/JD800/JP8000/JP8080/JUNO 106/JX3P /JX8P/MC202/JV1080/JV2080/MKS80/TR808/TR909/SH101/SH5/SH7/TB303/SYSTEM100,100m,700,
Korg: DSS-1/M1/MONOPOLY/MS10/MS20/MINIKORG700/POLYSIX/TRINITY/PROPHECY/WAVESTATION/PS3100/PS3200/PS3300/SIGMA/WAVESTATION A-D/Z1,
Sequencial Circuits: PROPHET5/PROPHET VS/MULTITRAK/PRO ONE/PROPHET10,
Eminent Strings: ,
Moog: SOURCE/PRODIGY/MODULAR SYSTEMS/MINIMOOG/MICROMOOG/MEMORYMOOG,
Oberheim: TWO VOICE/FOUR VOICE/EIGHT VOICE/MATRIX6,12,1000/OB12/OB8/OB-X/OB-Xa/EXPANDER,
Akai: VX600,
Ensonique: ESQ-1/EPS-16+/ASR10/FIZMO,
Elka: SYNTHEX,
Ems: SYNTHI A,AKS,100/VCS3,
Fairlight: CMI,
Jomox: SUNSYN,
Emu: EMULATOR,
Hartmann: NEURON,
Linn Electronics: LM-1 DRUMCOMPUTER/LINDRUM,
Kawai: K5,
Kurzweil: K2000/K2600,
Cheetah: MS6,
Buchla: 200E SERIES,
Arp: 2500/2600/AXXE/ODYSSEY/QUADRA/SOLINA STRING ENSEMBLE. :)
Of course you can choose VST and effect plug-ins and a good controller. Theoretically there is nothing wrong with that as long as you take your time to make templates for those vsts on your choice controller. Some of the more powerful plug-ins are: WAVES, OXFORD, OHMFORCE, IZOTOPE, PSP AUDIO, SOUNDTOYS, ALCHEMY,OCTOPUS, IMPOSCAR, SUBBOOMBASE, LARGO, TERATEC COMPLEXER, REESE MACHINE, ZEBRALETTE, DISCOVERY, SYLENTH, KARMA FX, Z3TA+, SPECTRASONICS stuff and many more..
- C O N T R O L L E R S -
NOVATION X-STATION - best package of a controller, soundcard, effects processor and even synthesizer. Perfect for live gigs where you can carry only so much. Lots of controls on it, easy to make templates...really really great and not expensive either.
BEHRINGER BCR/BCF2000 - probably the best and price effective controllers ever made. A lot of options, well built, used by many professionals(i.e.Aphex Twin). Get any of these tomorrow :)
AKAI APC40 - great controller and although it was designed to work with Ableton, it can work with any other DAW.
NI MASCHINE - one of the best controllers, even though kind of expensive one. It's especially good with the integrated software that it comes. Great for drums and sequencing in general. It's a MPC clone..I could say a really nice and effective one.
Other controllers that deserve to be mentioned because of their quality and possibilities: NOVATION LAUNCHPAD, NOVATION MKII, C-THRU AXIS, KORG NANO KONTROL and EDIROL PCR.
- S E Q U E N C E R S - S A M P L E R S - W O R K S T A T I O N S -
The only SEQUENCERS I would work with are ABLETON LIVE, ROLAND MV8800 or AKAI MPC.
All three have something in common: have a friendly sequencer, a user friendly sampler interface, are very intuitive and easy to work with.
ABLETONE LIVE is top of the line in that is also very complete and user friendly, almost as an instrument, even though it is a fully featured DAW. The MV8800 and the MPC are different in that they still have the features of the old samplers, but that not necessarily in a bad way.
(Of course there are others, and they are not bad too, just that they miss on certain features and are not that immediate, that user friendly, and in the process of music production that is really important. A few examples: Cubase/Nuendo, Reaper, Logic, Studio1, Yamaha QY700, Yamaha RS7000, Roland MC909, Roland Fantom G, Alesis Fusion, Korg ESX, Elektron Machinedrum)
Another nice tools worth having in a live set-up and not only are the ROLAND SP555 and the KORG KAOSS PAD3.
Don't forget a good MIXER, preferable with editable effects and sweepable eq (SOUDCRAFT, MACKIE, ALLEN & HEATH), the MONITORS (ADAM, DYNAUDIO), and the SOUNDCARD (RME, FOCUSRITE, MOTU).
The last, but not the least: powerful desktop computer with latest, most powerful processor you can afford, few hdd, lots of ram, many ports and you set to go!... or/and powerful laptop for travel if it's your choice in a live set-up.
Don't forget: for studio-Power / for live-Portability!
First of all you have to make up your mind if you just want to be a producer or also a performer ;)
So, let's begin:
- S O U N D - G E N E R A T O R S -
VIRUS TI
- That's probably the best synth there is as a whole package. I mean if you only had to get one synth, this would be The ONE :) Some of you can consider this one being expensive. Even it may look that way....fact is that it's actually cheap for what is does.
Virus TI is actually 16 synths in one and more: 16 multi effects racks in one!! Can you imagine that? I mean to have 16 racks, each whith delays, reverbs, distortions, eqs, chorus, phaser and so on...really. I mean you can't even find an expensive effect processor like that.
So only for the synths and effects it's worth so very much. Now, the other thing is that they are also good, not only many;) Instead of having lots of synths and effect racks all around your studio, you can just have the Virus and all integrated with themselves. To all that above I must add that the quality of sound is really great.
Another thing to consider is the Total Integration (TI) with the computer for the ones using one. It also acts as a sound card, and a good one! It can be said a lot about this great synth: it's the Rolls Royce of synthesizers.
ALESIS ANDROMEDA
- is a very unique synth. It's analog, but unlike most analogs, it is polyphonic and it's got 16 parts multitimbral... so you almost got 16 analog synths. It's complex, powerful and full of possibilities. Even though not a cheap one...it will not probably be made for long time...so it's worth it getting one now!
DS PROPHET'08/and PolyEvolver(hybrid)
- even though I put it the fourth, it deserves a lot of attention. It will become soon a classic. One of the last polyphonic analog synthesizers. Really great! Sounds that are very hard or impossible to obtain with the other synths, Prophet'08 can do them very well ;)
MOOG LP/VOYAGER
- Bob Moog name is synonymous with the name of the some of the greatest synthesizers ever built. I think that says it all. I mean you could ask yourself, why buy an analog synth, especially a monophonic limited one, when I own a Virus TI or any of today VAs. Well the answer is plain and simple: because the analog synths have something in the way they generate sound and in the filters, that modern digital synths can only try to emulate, but without real succes. So if you need something warm, and full... if you need quality sound, get a Moog. You will not regret it :)
FUTURE RETRO XS(& Revolution2)
- is a modern old-school semi modular desktop synthesizer which is really well made, with fast envelopes and powerful oscillators, great filters. Great for bass and for anything that a monophonic analog synth it is.
(Also the FR REVOLUTION2 which is a good TB303 clone ;)
WALDORF Q+/BLOFELD/MICROWAVE XT
- Next in line would be the Waldorf synths. If you can afford get the Q+. It's got a very nice knobby interface, with enough outputs and great power. The Waldorf sound engine it's I believe even more powerful than the Virus one. So you can't go wrong with this one.
The lighter approach would be the Blofeld. It's light and cheap, but its sound and capabilities are far greater that you could imagine. It's the best synth you can buy in this price range. It's really at an unbelievable price, especially the desktop version which is very portable.
The great thing is that it's got the same power as the Q with the exception of the analog filters and I repeat, at an unbelievable price.
RADIKAL TECHNOLOGIES SPECTRALIS/ACCELERATOR
- a hybrid synth, with a very special sound and capabilities. It has the best of the two worlds: digital and analog, but with the highest specifications. It's is for sure expensive, but it's a workhorse with a lot integrated, even sequencer and some sampler capabilities, so if you can afford one, you will be amazed.
NOVATION Synths
- In the late '90s there were produced some of the best synths known as Novation Supernova, Nova and K-Station. Up to this time they keep on being some of the best synths around.
The Supernova has got 8 simultaneous synths and rack effects and the Nova 6. So for that time, actually even for these times it was really great. Apart from that they sound good too! Many people use to say that they are the only synths able to compete with the Virus.
Novation's only synth still in production is the X-Station, which, even though it hasn't got the multi parts of its predecessors, it's still a good synth, and I may say at a extremely good price. Not to mention that is more than a synth: it's a great controller, multi-effects processor and sound card. Together with the Blofeld desktop, they are the most affordable, yet professional synths around. Go now get one! :)
ROLAND V-SYNTH (XT)
- The top of the line and latest synthesizer from the legendary Roland corporation is something no easy to pass out. It's elastic synthesis capabilities are second to none. The VA synth in it is cool, but the place where it excels is its elastic synthesis capabilities. In two words, you can get out of it sounds that it would be hard to get out of any other synth. You can also sample with it and use the samples as waveforms in the oscilators, and much much more than that.
The desktop version it's got as a bonus another two engines: the D50 fm synth and the VP voice synth with which you can do truly unbelievable things. Also, it acts as a good sound card. As you can see, it deserves one of the leading places in anyone's studio :)
There are many other synths old and new that are great, but the ones above are some of the best and almost all still in the making. Roland made the best analog synths in the past...followed by Korg and Yamaha...and of course a few other smaller companies, but great too.
(Other synths include TB303, Roland Jupiter8 or 6 ,SuperJupiter(MKS80), Jx(3p),HS-80, SH101, Korg MS20, Monopoly, Polysix, Moog Prodigy, Clavia Nord Lead and many more)
I will end this with a list of the greatest synths in the history(apart from the ones already mentioned).
The great giants of the past:
Yamaha: CS80/DX1/DX7/CS70M/AN1X/AN200,
Waldorf: MICROWAVE XTK/Q,
Quasimidi: POLYMORPH/RAVEN,
Ppg: WAVE2,
Oscar: ,
Roland: D50/JUPITER 8/JUPITER 6/ HS-80/JD800/JP8000/JP8080/JUNO 106/JX3P /JX8P/MC202/JV1080/JV2080/MKS80/TR808/TR909/SH101/SH5/SH7/TB303/SYSTEM100,100m,700,
Korg: DSS-1/M1/MONOPOLY/MS10/MS20/MINIKORG700/POLYSIX/TRINITY/PROPHECY/WAVESTATION/PS3100/PS3200/PS3300/SIGMA/WAVESTATION A-D/Z1,
Sequencial Circuits: PROPHET5/PROPHET VS/MULTITRAK/PRO ONE/PROPHET10,
Eminent Strings: ,
Moog: SOURCE/PRODIGY/MODULAR SYSTEMS/MINIMOOG/MICROMOOG/MEMORYMOOG,
Oberheim: TWO VOICE/FOUR VOICE/EIGHT VOICE/MATRIX6,12,1000/OB12/OB8/OB-X/OB-Xa/EXPANDER,
Akai: VX600,
Ensonique: ESQ-1/EPS-16+/ASR10/FIZMO,
Elka: SYNTHEX,
Ems: SYNTHI A,AKS,100/VCS3,
Fairlight: CMI,
Jomox: SUNSYN,
Emu: EMULATOR,
Hartmann: NEURON,
Linn Electronics: LM-1 DRUMCOMPUTER/LINDRUM,
Kawai: K5,
Kurzweil: K2000/K2600,
Cheetah: MS6,
Buchla: 200E SERIES,
Arp: 2500/2600/AXXE/ODYSSEY/QUADRA/SOLINA STRING ENSEMBLE. :)
Of course you can choose VST and effect plug-ins and a good controller. Theoretically there is nothing wrong with that as long as you take your time to make templates for those vsts on your choice controller. Some of the more powerful plug-ins are: WAVES, OXFORD, OHMFORCE, IZOTOPE, PSP AUDIO, SOUNDTOYS, ALCHEMY,OCTOPUS, IMPOSCAR, SUBBOOMBASE, LARGO, TERATEC COMPLEXER, REESE MACHINE, ZEBRALETTE, DISCOVERY, SYLENTH, KARMA FX, Z3TA+, SPECTRASONICS stuff and many more..
- C O N T R O L L E R S -
NOVATION X-STATION - best package of a controller, soundcard, effects processor and even synthesizer. Perfect for live gigs where you can carry only so much. Lots of controls on it, easy to make templates...really really great and not expensive either.
BEHRINGER BCR/BCF2000 - probably the best and price effective controllers ever made. A lot of options, well built, used by many professionals(i.e.Aphex Twin). Get any of these tomorrow :)
AKAI APC40 - great controller and although it was designed to work with Ableton, it can work with any other DAW.
NI MASCHINE - one of the best controllers, even though kind of expensive one. It's especially good with the integrated software that it comes. Great for drums and sequencing in general. It's a MPC clone..I could say a really nice and effective one.
Other controllers that deserve to be mentioned because of their quality and possibilities: NOVATION LAUNCHPAD, NOVATION MKII, C-THRU AXIS, KORG NANO KONTROL and EDIROL PCR.
- S E Q U E N C E R S - S A M P L E R S - W O R K S T A T I O N S -
The only SEQUENCERS I would work with are ABLETON LIVE, ROLAND MV8800 or AKAI MPC.
All three have something in common: have a friendly sequencer, a user friendly sampler interface, are very intuitive and easy to work with.
ABLETONE LIVE is top of the line in that is also very complete and user friendly, almost as an instrument, even though it is a fully featured DAW. The MV8800 and the MPC are different in that they still have the features of the old samplers, but that not necessarily in a bad way.
(Of course there are others, and they are not bad too, just that they miss on certain features and are not that immediate, that user friendly, and in the process of music production that is really important. A few examples: Cubase/Nuendo, Reaper, Logic, Studio1, Yamaha QY700, Yamaha RS7000, Roland MC909, Roland Fantom G, Alesis Fusion, Korg ESX, Elektron Machinedrum)
Another nice tools worth having in a live set-up and not only are the ROLAND SP555 and the KORG KAOSS PAD3.
Don't forget a good MIXER, preferable with editable effects and sweepable eq (SOUDCRAFT, MACKIE, ALLEN & HEATH), the MONITORS (ADAM, DYNAUDIO), and the SOUNDCARD (RME, FOCUSRITE, MOTU).
The last, but not the least: powerful desktop computer with latest, most powerful processor you can afford, few hdd, lots of ram, many ports and you set to go!... or/and powerful laptop for travel if it's your choice in a live set-up.
Don't forget: for studio-Power / for live-Portability!
miercuri, 28 octombrie 2009
SOUND SYNTHESIS AND MUSIC PRODUCTION
Enough about set-ups. Up to this point I hope I cleared some of the confusion about what to get for this and that in the studio. Now it's time "to get to business" :)
There are 4 areas of expertise you need to learn and experiment with in order to produce music:
- SOUND SYNTHESIS and THE USE OF EFFECTS
- TECHNICAL STUFF dealing with the use of hardware and software that make-up your set-up
- MUSIC COMPOSITION
- MIXING and MASTERING
SOUND SYNTHESIS is an art in itself. The art of generating and sculpting the sound. For an electronic musician I believe it's very important. As important as the composition. Some producers tend to ignore this side of production and use mainly presets or samples. It is their way, of course, but my opinion and others is that they will lack personality and the stamp of uniqueness. Anyway, the sound designer is a professional in his own way. The use of effects (mistakenly taken as sound synthesis), completes the sound synthesis precess, adding the last touch on the sound created.
"THE TECHNICAL STUFF" is the learning of how the tools work and getting the flow of production as smooth as posssible. It takes sometime, but the clearer you are about the set-up, the faster it will be because you will not waste time changing and learning different tools that you'll eventually drop in the process. (It took me more than 4 years ;)
MUSIC COMPOSITION is the area at which all producers look for when starting production, but unfortunatelly it's kind of a long way until all the pieces of the puzzle are put together, so finally they start making some music. One reason for this blog is this. I want to help you get as soon as possible into the real music composition, waisting as litlle time as possible on trial and error about what to get and learning stuff you will not use in the end.
Finally MIXING and MASTERING. In order to make your music sound good, and I don't mean only texture and composition, but getting a clean, full mix, you have to learn the art of mixing and of course mastering. These have to do mainly with volume, panning, equalizing and compression.
So, first you have to learn your chosen tools as good as possible and to create a workflow which makes you comfortable. In time, the more you will work, the better you will get. At the begining you'll have to experiment quite a bit.
Next in line is making your sounds. For that you'll have to learn some sound synthesis which is not really hard in the basic phases, but you'll need patience and if you want to get advanced at it, let me tell you: that's no easy task. There are endless possibilities with synthesis, but that's the beauty of it anyway. Also you'll need to learn what does each basic parameter from each effect and also how a sample is edited in sampler. These things will prove invaluable in the process of production.
At this point you'll be ready for the actual composition :) Some music theory it may help for certain, but there are numerous producers that learned a lot just by trial and error. I would advice on a combination of the two above methods. At composition, it's a matter of both talent and experimentation. For these there is no one that can teach you, even though basics taught by someone to you can speed up the learning process. The main idea at both composition and sound synthesis is not to settle for mediocrity.
The final step is the mixing(& mastering) process. Here a professional would be of great help, at least until you learned the basics and how to use effectively your ears. The main idea at this stage is to give each sound enough space in the frequency spectrum, so not to overlap with the other sounds. This can be achived with the use of volume control, panning and equalization. Also of great use is side-chain compression. Finally you need to use compression to make your mix sound full. Nowadays, the compression is overused, especially with the electronic, club music, and yes, sometimes for the better :)
Good luck and enjoy your journey!
There are 4 areas of expertise you need to learn and experiment with in order to produce music:
- SOUND SYNTHESIS and THE USE OF EFFECTS
- TECHNICAL STUFF dealing with the use of hardware and software that make-up your set-up
- MUSIC COMPOSITION
- MIXING and MASTERING
SOUND SYNTHESIS is an art in itself. The art of generating and sculpting the sound. For an electronic musician I believe it's very important. As important as the composition. Some producers tend to ignore this side of production and use mainly presets or samples. It is their way, of course, but my opinion and others is that they will lack personality and the stamp of uniqueness. Anyway, the sound designer is a professional in his own way. The use of effects (mistakenly taken as sound synthesis), completes the sound synthesis precess, adding the last touch on the sound created.
"THE TECHNICAL STUFF" is the learning of how the tools work and getting the flow of production as smooth as posssible. It takes sometime, but the clearer you are about the set-up, the faster it will be because you will not waste time changing and learning different tools that you'll eventually drop in the process. (It took me more than 4 years ;)
MUSIC COMPOSITION is the area at which all producers look for when starting production, but unfortunatelly it's kind of a long way until all the pieces of the puzzle are put together, so finally they start making some music. One reason for this blog is this. I want to help you get as soon as possible into the real music composition, waisting as litlle time as possible on trial and error about what to get and learning stuff you will not use in the end.
Finally MIXING and MASTERING. In order to make your music sound good, and I don't mean only texture and composition, but getting a clean, full mix, you have to learn the art of mixing and of course mastering. These have to do mainly with volume, panning, equalizing and compression.
So, first you have to learn your chosen tools as good as possible and to create a workflow which makes you comfortable. In time, the more you will work, the better you will get. At the begining you'll have to experiment quite a bit.
Next in line is making your sounds. For that you'll have to learn some sound synthesis which is not really hard in the basic phases, but you'll need patience and if you want to get advanced at it, let me tell you: that's no easy task. There are endless possibilities with synthesis, but that's the beauty of it anyway. Also you'll need to learn what does each basic parameter from each effect and also how a sample is edited in sampler. These things will prove invaluable in the process of production.
At this point you'll be ready for the actual composition :) Some music theory it may help for certain, but there are numerous producers that learned a lot just by trial and error. I would advice on a combination of the two above methods. At composition, it's a matter of both talent and experimentation. For these there is no one that can teach you, even though basics taught by someone to you can speed up the learning process. The main idea at both composition and sound synthesis is not to settle for mediocrity.
The final step is the mixing(& mastering) process. Here a professional would be of great help, at least until you learned the basics and how to use effectively your ears. The main idea at this stage is to give each sound enough space in the frequency spectrum, so not to overlap with the other sounds. This can be achived with the use of volume control, panning and equalization. Also of great use is side-chain compression. Finally you need to use compression to make your mix sound full. Nowadays, the compression is overused, especially with the electronic, club music, and yes, sometimes for the better :)
Good luck and enjoy your journey!
marți, 6 octombrie 2009
BASIC TOOLS FOR ELECTRONIC MUSIC PRODUCTION:
- Sound generator (synthesizer)
- Sampler
- Sequencer
- Mixer
- Effects rack
- Multitrack recorder & Monitors
THE SOUND GENERATORS
The Synthesizer is the basic tool used for sound generation in electronic music production and live shows. There are 3 types: analog synthesizers, digital (virtual-analog) synthesizers and software synthesizers (vsts).
In the begining there were only analog synths. They generally produced a very full sound and all electronic productions of the past were made only with them. The problem with analog synths was in their limitations. Most of them were monophonic and single-timbral. So in order to have more tracks running at the same time in real time, you needed as many synths as the number of sounds that you wanted to play. Pretty expensive business :) Also it was hard to take them to a live show, because they were heavy and many! But it's them that created so many legendary sounds. Nowadays there are very few producers of true analog synthesizers.
After the"fall" of analog synths, digital synths appeared, but most of them were sample play-back. Something that analog synths brought in was missing and many felt that. As a natural evolution the virtual-analog digital synths appeared. They use the same synthesis building blocks as their analog counterparts, some of them even surpassing the old synths in the quality of sound generation and mostly in the diversity of synthesis. Some of them are the equivalent to as many as 16 synths playing at the same time;)
The VSTs or the software synths are software programs emulating real hardware synths, some of them getting very close to the original ones. Most of them cannot get close to the analog synths of the past, not even to the virtual-analogs, even though there are a few plug-ins that are pretty good, being capable of a large pallete of interesting sounds. Their main advantage is the price (cheap to even free) and also the way they integrate with the main software program. Also I have to mention that they can be opened and used simultaneously as many times as the producer likes..., so many synths in just one VST.
Controllers... Sequencers... Samplers.... Synthesizers.....
THE SAMPLER
Another tool for sound generation is the sampler. One reason it was not discussed in the chapter devoted to sound generators is that actually the sampler does not generate itself sound. It only samples (records) sound fron different sources and than modifies it using special parameters like envelopes and filters. Actually this is its special quality, that of recording sounds from a great variety of sources (sounds from nature, voices, drums and any other instruments).
The most known type of sampler is the digital workstation. Everyone knows the casio keyboards for example. In fact all these cheap keyboards are sample playback devices. They contain pre-recorded samples (sounds) that only can be played. These devices are not real samplers. They cannot sample sound and they can't modify it either. Software samplers in generally fall in this category too, the main difference being that they can modify the sound of the samples that are inserted into them.
The other type of sampler (the real sampler) is the one which samples and sculpts the sound. In this category fall the very known and used workstations from Korg Triton series or Roland Phantom series. Also in this category go the Akai MPC series, with one difference: they use pads instead of a keyboard.
THE SEQUENCER
What is this device and why we need it? The machines are playing an important role in our lives more and more. In music one such machine is the sequencer. We can write and play music with it. The are a few advantages using it: first of all all music can be quantized if we want that, we can play more instruments (sounds) at the same time, even to a very high bpm and all that in perfect syncronization.
All these can be done using MIDI messages. Messages that contain the information needed by the instrument to be played. Simply put the sequncer plays at some extent a certain instrument for us, so we can concentrate on other things during production or at a live show. Also the main difference between a midi track and a audio track is that we can still modify the recorded sequence after the recording is finished without being necessary to record it all from the begining.
Especially for electronic musicians, the sequencers are one of the main tools. They fall in 2 categories: software and hardware. The hardware sequencers usually are very precise but because they are missing a great visual interface and because of a bunch of other limitations, they lose the batlle with the software ones. At this moment software sequencers are far ahead.
If we think only of the great visual interface and the endless number of tracks that can be sequenced with them and still they win over their hardware counterparts.
THE MIXER
The mixer, exactly like its name implies, mixes the tracks (the instruments) used in the song. Each instrument needs at least one channel, so of great importance is the numer of channels the mixer has. We can divide the mixers in 2 categories: analog or digital, hardware or software. The capacities of the mixer are proportionally with its price. More expensive mixers have more channels and more controls (like volume, pan, eq, sends and so on). Hardware mixers range from 2-4 channels to 32 channels to professional desks of 100 or more channels. One of the big advantages of software mixers is that the number of channels and controls are as in a professional desk mixer, having the price much much cheaper. The disadvantage is mainly in the physical control, meaning that you have to control everything with the mouse, which is not the best way of mixing. The alternative is the use of a dedicated controller for that.
For the process of mixing, the mixer is of invaluable importance.
THE EFFECTS RACKS
Electronic music without effects equals an impossibility :) One of the most important things in production are the effects. Some example of effects: delay, reverb, flanger, phaser, distortion. The list is quite large. Of course they can be found nowadays as hardware or software. Hardware effects are important in all kinds of music. Again the advantage of software is in the price and portability. One hardware effect can be from 100$ to 1000$ or more, so having dedicated effect racks for each channel would mean very many thousand of dollars and a lot of rack space. All this can be achieved easily with software plug-ins. Like the hardware effects, the software ones can be from very good to worthless. So it all depends of the plug-ins used, some of them being quite good.
THE RECORDER AND THE MONITORS
The recorder is the device that records the actual sounds. It is also known as a multitrack recorder from the number of channels on which it can record simultaneously. The hardware multitrack recorders are pretty expensive and almost extinct. At this time software recorders rule for very many reasons: from price, to interface and the possibilities they offer. Of course here we got recording programs for hobbists and recording software for professional recordings and it's a big difference between the two. If we record using a software program, 2 things are essential: a good, stable computer and a good external soundcard. Also, if we plan to record many external sources simultaneously we need as many inputs on the soundcard as possible.
- Sampler
- Sequencer
- Mixer
- Effects rack
- Multitrack recorder & Monitors
THE SOUND GENERATORS
The Synthesizer is the basic tool used for sound generation in electronic music production and live shows. There are 3 types: analog synthesizers, digital (virtual-analog) synthesizers and software synthesizers (vsts).
In the begining there were only analog synths. They generally produced a very full sound and all electronic productions of the past were made only with them. The problem with analog synths was in their limitations. Most of them were monophonic and single-timbral. So in order to have more tracks running at the same time in real time, you needed as many synths as the number of sounds that you wanted to play. Pretty expensive business :) Also it was hard to take them to a live show, because they were heavy and many! But it's them that created so many legendary sounds. Nowadays there are very few producers of true analog synthesizers.
After the"fall" of analog synths, digital synths appeared, but most of them were sample play-back. Something that analog synths brought in was missing and many felt that. As a natural evolution the virtual-analog digital synths appeared. They use the same synthesis building blocks as their analog counterparts, some of them even surpassing the old synths in the quality of sound generation and mostly in the diversity of synthesis. Some of them are the equivalent to as many as 16 synths playing at the same time;)
The VSTs or the software synths are software programs emulating real hardware synths, some of them getting very close to the original ones. Most of them cannot get close to the analog synths of the past, not even to the virtual-analogs, even though there are a few plug-ins that are pretty good, being capable of a large pallete of interesting sounds. Their main advantage is the price (cheap to even free) and also the way they integrate with the main software program. Also I have to mention that they can be opened and used simultaneously as many times as the producer likes..., so many synths in just one VST.
Controllers... Sequencers... Samplers.... Synthesizers.....
THE SAMPLER
Another tool for sound generation is the sampler. One reason it was not discussed in the chapter devoted to sound generators is that actually the sampler does not generate itself sound. It only samples (records) sound fron different sources and than modifies it using special parameters like envelopes and filters. Actually this is its special quality, that of recording sounds from a great variety of sources (sounds from nature, voices, drums and any other instruments).
The most known type of sampler is the digital workstation. Everyone knows the casio keyboards for example. In fact all these cheap keyboards are sample playback devices. They contain pre-recorded samples (sounds) that only can be played. These devices are not real samplers. They cannot sample sound and they can't modify it either. Software samplers in generally fall in this category too, the main difference being that they can modify the sound of the samples that are inserted into them.
The other type of sampler (the real sampler) is the one which samples and sculpts the sound. In this category fall the very known and used workstations from Korg Triton series or Roland Phantom series. Also in this category go the Akai MPC series, with one difference: they use pads instead of a keyboard.
THE SEQUENCER
What is this device and why we need it? The machines are playing an important role in our lives more and more. In music one such machine is the sequencer. We can write and play music with it. The are a few advantages using it: first of all all music can be quantized if we want that, we can play more instruments (sounds) at the same time, even to a very high bpm and all that in perfect syncronization.
All these can be done using MIDI messages. Messages that contain the information needed by the instrument to be played. Simply put the sequncer plays at some extent a certain instrument for us, so we can concentrate on other things during production or at a live show. Also the main difference between a midi track and a audio track is that we can still modify the recorded sequence after the recording is finished without being necessary to record it all from the begining.
Especially for electronic musicians, the sequencers are one of the main tools. They fall in 2 categories: software and hardware. The hardware sequencers usually are very precise but because they are missing a great visual interface and because of a bunch of other limitations, they lose the batlle with the software ones. At this moment software sequencers are far ahead.
If we think only of the great visual interface and the endless number of tracks that can be sequenced with them and still they win over their hardware counterparts.
THE MIXER
The mixer, exactly like its name implies, mixes the tracks (the instruments) used in the song. Each instrument needs at least one channel, so of great importance is the numer of channels the mixer has. We can divide the mixers in 2 categories: analog or digital, hardware or software. The capacities of the mixer are proportionally with its price. More expensive mixers have more channels and more controls (like volume, pan, eq, sends and so on). Hardware mixers range from 2-4 channels to 32 channels to professional desks of 100 or more channels. One of the big advantages of software mixers is that the number of channels and controls are as in a professional desk mixer, having the price much much cheaper. The disadvantage is mainly in the physical control, meaning that you have to control everything with the mouse, which is not the best way of mixing. The alternative is the use of a dedicated controller for that.
For the process of mixing, the mixer is of invaluable importance.
THE EFFECTS RACKS
Electronic music without effects equals an impossibility :) One of the most important things in production are the effects. Some example of effects: delay, reverb, flanger, phaser, distortion. The list is quite large. Of course they can be found nowadays as hardware or software. Hardware effects are important in all kinds of music. Again the advantage of software is in the price and portability. One hardware effect can be from 100$ to 1000$ or more, so having dedicated effect racks for each channel would mean very many thousand of dollars and a lot of rack space. All this can be achieved easily with software plug-ins. Like the hardware effects, the software ones can be from very good to worthless. So it all depends of the plug-ins used, some of them being quite good.
THE RECORDER AND THE MONITORS
The recorder is the device that records the actual sounds. It is also known as a multitrack recorder from the number of channels on which it can record simultaneously. The hardware multitrack recorders are pretty expensive and almost extinct. At this time software recorders rule for very many reasons: from price, to interface and the possibilities they offer. Of course here we got recording programs for hobbists and recording software for professional recordings and it's a big difference between the two. If we record using a software program, 2 things are essential: a good, stable computer and a good external soundcard. Also, if we plan to record many external sources simultaneously we need as many inputs on the soundcard as possible.
The importance of good monitors cannot be emphasized enough. No matter how good the tools that are used are, no matter how good producer you are, if the monitors are less than great, you'll not be able to mix and master well the music you have produced. So, good monitors are a must. They will bring you the real picture of what you have created. Good monitors will be neutral, meaning that they will not color at all the sound and will not fatten the lows or any other modification that commercial monitors do to sound.
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