|
|
Post by PestilentSwarm on Dec 22, 2016 11:25:30 GMT -5
I thought it'd be cool to have a thread to help out aspiring artists.
If you have any tips on hardware, software, writing techniques, sources of inspiration or anything else, please share.
|
|
|
|
Post by shadowcloak on Dec 22, 2016 13:14:15 GMT -5
Great topic! I'll let others answer the hardware/software aspect of this, since when I first started writing DS in 2013 I was just using a Casio keyboard from Best Buy. I will say this though: when I was brand new to making music, I had no idea where to start, so I tried to find hardware to "sound like" certain projects. I was really concerned about finding a keyboard that 'sounded like Mortiis' and in reality, this didn't help me much. I had to explore a lot of different synths before I found one that FELT right for the sound I was aiming for (which actually turned out not sounding very much like Mortiis after all).
Sources of inspiration: I think this is very important and ties into what I said about 'trying to sound like' artists you enjoy. It's great to be inspired by projects you love obviously, but the important questions you should ask yourself are: "WHY do I like this artist so much?" and "What kind of feeling/atmosphere does this artist create that makes their music so great?". These kind of questions will help you understand what exactly you are wanting to express, and how you can express it in a sound that works. Making music just for the sake of making music is fine, but music that is really coming from your inner creative fire will stand out. Learning to realize and execute that inner creative fire is actually more important than hardware, production, music theory, or anything else, in my humble opinion. So don't worry so much about sounding like anyone else, realize what you want others to take away from your music first, and the music will follow!
|
|
|
|
Post by nahadoth on Dec 22, 2016 21:04:31 GMT -5
Never underestimate the usefulness of pen and paper when composing. Even if you don't read or write music, just having a visual way to think of your song structure that's not just tracks in a DAW can be very useful when trying to think of arranging especially.
|
|
|
|
Post by Verminaard on Dec 23, 2016 2:24:42 GMT -5
The most important thing I think there is to remember is that first and foremost, you want to make music for yourself. Make music about the stories that YOU love, in the style that YOU love, without regard to what other people seem to like. If you craft your music to meet the expectations of others, you'll always fall short. If you craft your music for yourself, to the best standard of quality that you can, the authenticity of your work will speak for itself.
|
|
|
|
Post by andrewwerdna on Dec 23, 2016 10:21:45 GMT -5
I'll just say this, if you're going to pay for a VST, I recommend Korg M1 or Korg Wavestation.
|
|
|
|
Post by PestilentSwarm on Dec 23, 2016 12:09:31 GMT -5
what medium do you use to perform?
software you use to record?
do you do any mastering once you've recorded?
Any particular VST's you prefer?
How much have you spent on your setup?
Are there any budget-friendly options for a prospective DS artist?
|
|
|
|
Post by nahadoth on Dec 24, 2016 0:02:10 GMT -5
what medium do you use to perform? software you use to record? do you do any mastering once you've recorded? Any particular VST's you prefer? How much have you spent on your setup? Are there any budget-friendly options for a prospective DS artist? My answers to those questions: - Live performance as much as possible - using various Yamaha and Casio keyboards/digital pianos on both of my released recordings. In the few cases I've included VSTs, I try and play them in as well - it just feels more connected for me. - I use Logic Studio VIII, a very old version. (It's made by Apple, so it is Mac exclusive) - my recent release I turned to someone else to master, but I have minimal ability to at least get a consistent volume on a set of tracks. - the only VSTs I've used are those included with Logic. There are tons of presets which work fine, but you can also customize a lot of the software instruments and make your own sounds from scratch, too. - Including only the gear I use with this project, probably in the range of $800-$900 - but that would include the computer and software (on academic discount!) many years ago. But I also have a lot of other gear and other projects, so I've more than gotten my money's worth for the software, on which I've recorded, edited, mixed and occasionally mastered over 20 releases. All these opportunities have given me a slow education in how to utilize the software more effectively as a composer and engineer. -If you're not already a committed Mac user then no point in buying one just for the sake of pursuing recording - but if you happen to have one already, then you have a powerful tool for recording for free with Garageband. Garageband (and to a much greater degree Logic, the 'pro' version) also comes with a bunch of VST instruments, so it can be a kind of all-in-one experience - although it is also compatible with other vsts. I'm sure there are other musicians here who would be able to talk you through a setup, but to me the most barebones setup would involve a PC running Audacity, a free program, then a simple 2x2 Audio interface, a keyboard/synthesizer with a 1/4" output/headphone jack, and a cable to connect them. If you want to be masochistic about it, you could omit the computer and interface and just use a 4-track cassette machine. |
|
|
|
Post by Verminaard on Dec 25, 2016 4:58:23 GMT -5
what medium do you use to perform? software you use to record? do you do any mastering once you've recorded? Any particular VST's you prefer? How much have you spent on your setup? Are there any budget-friendly options for a prospective DS artist? 1.) All of my music with Verminaard is programmed directly into my DAW. I sadly don't know how to play any instruments, all of my musical performance experience is from singing in several choirs and picking up some music theory doing that. My only skill (and passion) lies in composition now, so thank God for DAWs. 2.) I use the DAW Renoise. It's a tracker styled DAW, which is completely different from something like Reaper, which I note is popular among dungeon synth creators. It looks intimidating at first, but I find it much easier to program the music because you can see everything going on at once from (for the most part) a single screen. I'm in good company though, it seems, as Erang has told me he uses a tracker for his music too! 3.) Yes, nothing fancy though. The big piece of mastering I do is typically using a reel to reel tape emulator, Reelbus. Also making sure the mix is balanced, etc. 4.) I make the most use out of the Korg M1, Roland Sound Canvas, and Korg Polysix as far as instrument VSTs go. Effects wise, I use Reelbus on the master track and use Ambience for reverb effects. 5.) Probably $400.00 to $450.00, if I had to guess, not including the actual computer. 6.) Certainly! A license to use Renoise is not very expensive ($80.00, if I recall correctly, for personal use), I believe Reaper is affordable, and there are tons of affordable / free VSTs out there, often bundled with the DAW of your choice. Another cheap option may be to explore some Soundfonts. It's an older format, so a lot of times you'll see Soundfont libraries out there for free or very cheap. |
|
|
|
Post by andrewwerdna on Dec 25, 2016 6:31:06 GMT -5
Yeah, Reaper is what I use, and I cannot recommend it enough. Most of the "professional" DAWs are absurdly overpriced, and Reaper can do all the same stuff. It's basically free because the trial never really expires even though it says 30 days or whatever, and all the features work in the trial. But the personal license is very affordable if you get to the point that you're ready to release something. I haven't tried any sort of "tracker styled DAW," so I couldn't really compare them to something like Reaper. I can say Reaper definitely takes some getting used to, one'll want to follow tutorials for a while.
|
|
|
|
Post by Verminaard on Dec 25, 2016 6:39:15 GMT -5
Audacity is a wonderful program and definitely something I use, but typically only as an aid to mastering and audio conversion. A tracker is a fully functioning DAW, the layout is just a lot different than the type of DAW most people think of. The following is a screenshot I just took of the project file for Lorac's Folly:  So as you can see, each column is a "track," and you organize your instruments according to these. There is no piano roll, rather, you use the bottom row of your keyboard as a piano roll -- so I would enable editing, go into the tracker, and insert notes directly in. For example, the key Z = the note C, the key S = the note C#, the key X = the note D, so on, so forth. It's easy to see everything going on at once and it allows for really rapid creation so you don't lose ideas fiddling about with a piano roll, etc. |
|
|
|
Post by andrewwerdna on Dec 25, 2016 9:44:59 GMT -5
Sorry, I edited out my recommendation of Audacity before you posted. I don't ever really use it anymore, but it might be nice for people who are starting out. Unlike a lot of genres its minimalism could suit dungeon synth just fine, assuming you have a decent synthesizer/keyboard.
Also Renoise looks pretty cool. I just watched a video on it so I sort of get how it works now. Seems cool, might be a much more intuitive workflow than the traditional DAW.
|
|
|
|
Post by PestilentSwarm on Dec 26, 2016 11:47:05 GMT -5
Renoise looks interesting, I may check that out. I've been using Reaper to record guitar for years now. It was a downgrade from CuBase but I've gotten so used to it that I prefer it over CuBase now.
|
|
|
|
Post by curwenius on Dec 27, 2016 7:14:02 GMT -5
My experience about this topic was:
Hardware: A 61 notes sensitive midi keyboard and a low latency audio card (internal or usb external, these ones work fine), with a PC with standard resources (1T HD, 8 GB RAM, i5 processor, or higher). This applies for those ones who compose music playing the instruments. Otherwise, as our colleague Verminaard mentioned, if you don't use a midi keyboard for composing, the PC mentioned above is quite enough, I think.
Software: There is a lot of available DAWs, with a wide range of prices. I can speak for what is essential to me: musical notation and the staff view. Regarding to this feature, I've only tried Cakewalk-Sonar (with many VST plugins), and I've found it superb. I use Adobe Audition for some parts of final mastering and for adding vocal tracks.
Perhaps these tools are not the cheapest or easiest for a beginner. Whatever is the tool you chose, I strongly recommend to get some tutorials before start using anything. Never before there was so much information available about so many topics, the only thing we must do is to use it wisely.
I hope this helps.
|
|
Tyrannus
Verified Account
Knowledge is Night
Posts: 806 
|
Post by Tyrannus on Dec 28, 2016 20:42:16 GMT -5
I had previously been using Reaper and had some VST (I truly don't recall which) and I was mapping MIDI inputs to my laptop keys. Now I have an Akai MPK Mini MKII and I'm using the Hybrid VST, and I much prefer this. I have 5 tracks complete out of the 11 I have planned. I'm very excited with the flexibility this new format gives me.
|
|
Tyrannus
Verified Account
Knowledge is Night
Posts: 806
|
Post by Tyrannus on Dec 28, 2016 20:46:59 GMT -5
I had previously been using Reaper and had some VST (I truly don't recall which) and I was mapping MIDI inputs to my laptop keys. Now I have an Akai MPK Mini MKII and I'm using the Hybrid VST, and I much prefer this. I have 5 tracks complete out of the 11 I have planned. I'm very excited with the flexibility this new format gives me. Oh I do use Audacity in combination with this. I sort of produce my tracks on MPC essentials and then import them into Audacity and do some mastering there. I also use Audacity for the same reason for all my other sound projects outside of Tyrannus |
|
