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Post by torchbearer on Aug 19, 2020 12:14:33 GMT -5
Ahoy, dungeon synth fans young and old!
I have been listening to DS for a few months now, what an awesome discovery. Been loving it absolutely, and being a musician myself, I'd love to try making some of my own.
Could some of you more technical-savvy guys help me out with what kind of equipment I might need to do so?
Everything starting from the synthesizer itself down to the little details like cables, some external stuff I might not know about. Even software. I've NEVER recorded any music by myself on my own computer.
If someone has a list of some sorts - it would be of tremendous help. I'm willing to put some money into it, obviously, but the cheaper - the better for me.
I come from a pretty poor country, so, yeah.
Thanks a lot, you guys.
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Post by DieuxDesCimetieres on Aug 19, 2020 12:40:26 GMT -5
If you wanna start with a low budget: a free or cheap DAW (LMMS, Reaper...) and a bunch of free VST plugins (DSK Overture, Dulcet, Sonatina Orchestra and Synth1 will go a long way) are all you absolutely need. A two-octave USB MIDI keyboard won't cost you much, and most modern ones work with USB cables (or USB-AB cables, eg. the ones you plug into a printer etc.) so you won't have to spend a lot of money.
That's a good starting point; you don't absolutely need a MIDI keyboard, but most producers seem to be in agreement that it makes composing and recording music more natural.
You can buy a more expensive DAW if you want and think you need later on, and expand into hardware if you fancy that. But you don't necessarily need to spend a dime or acquire any hardware to get started.
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Post by torchbearer on Aug 19, 2020 15:19:36 GMT -5
If you wanna start with a low budget: a free or cheap DAW (LMMS, Reaper...) and a bunch of free VST plugins (DSK Overture, Dulcet, Sonatina Orchestra and Synth1 will go a long way) are all you absolutely need. A two-octave USB MIDI keyboard won't cost you much, and most modern ones work with USB cables (or USB-AB cables, eg. the ones you plug into a printer etc.) so you won't have to spend a lot of money. That's a good starting point; you don't absolutely need a MIDI keyboard, but most producers seem to be in agreement that it makes composing and recording music more natural. You can buy a more expensive DAW if you want and think you need later on, and expand into hardware if you fancy that. But you don't necessarily need to spend a dime or acquire any hardware to get started. Thank you, my brother. How much of it would you say is having an actual MIDI keyboard? I imagine it's a big comfort and just makes the process so much better. I don't feel like the DAW would have an integrated application that would replace that. Also, any advice on a two-octave keyboard that's on the cheaper side? Thanks so much.
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Post by DieuxDesCimetieres on Aug 20, 2020 4:22:05 GMT -5
I can't really recommend anything that has a good price-quality ratio, because I've got mine either cheap or free from friends But, Amazon.co.uk seems to list a lot of USB MIDI keyboards for ~£40. I think for a starter keyboard, any cheap old bag of junk will do: just make sure it supports USB and has a minimum of two octaves (25 keys). Once you get a bit into it, you'll start to notice what you need: more sensitive keys for better velocity sensitivity, or maybe more controller knobs and sliders, more keys, whatever, and can look for an improved MIDI keyboard that better suits your needs. Personally, I've been able to work with two very basic two-octave keyboards for everything I've recorded with Dieux Des Cimetières. Most of the time one, but when recording piano stuff, I sometimes use two to have more "reach".
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Post by torchbearer on Aug 20, 2020 8:26:25 GMT -5
I can't really recommend anything that has a good price-quality ratio, because I've got mine either cheap or free from friends But, Amazon.co.uk seems to list a lot of USB MIDI keyboards for ~£40. I think for a starter keyboard, any cheap old bag of junk will do: just make sure it supports USB and has a minimum of two octaves (25 keys). Once you get a bit into it, you'll start to notice what you need: more sensitive keys for better velocity sensitivity, or maybe more controller knobs and sliders, more keys, whatever, and can look for an improved MIDI keyboard that better suits your needs. Personally, I've been able to work with two very basic two-octave keyboards for everything I've recorded with Dieux Des Cimetières. Most of the time one, but when recording piano stuff, I sometimes use two to have more "reach". Thanks so much, my brother! Will keep you posted about my awkward DS adventures.
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Post by anfortas on Aug 21, 2020 11:09:05 GMT -5
I also would add Dexed to the list of free VSTs that have a lot of dungeon synth sounds. It comes with a lot of presets, and especially the Yamaha DX7 sounds can help you to create a "retro" sound, if that's what you are aiming for. There are also 2 soundfonts I like, that can help you for creating this retro feeling:
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Post by crystallogic13 on Aug 21, 2020 15:23:02 GMT -5
Torchbearer, this thread should be at "THe Forge" subforum here, third from top, you will find many many MANY stuff there to help you along the way!!
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Post by thekeeper on Aug 21, 2020 16:56:38 GMT -5
Just moved this thread over for cleanliness sake. torchbearer, the best advice I can give you for first delving into making music, is to just go for it without expecting much. There are great DS albums made with guitar pro, great DS albums made with professional studio equipment, and great DS albums recorded with a 4 track in the middle of the woods. There are so many ways to do it. This may seem even more daunting because then you're met with the paradox of options and possibly feeling stuck, but I would say to identify what style would seem fun for you and go for that. If you're wanting to record a live keyboard, the minimum you'll need is an actual keyboard (check out thriftstores or any of the new basic casio and yahama models that run $100-200, look up demo videos) and a means to record, which would be an aux mic, usb mic, or even just recording straight from a laptop speaker without a proper mic. It's been done to different levels of success, but that's your most basic setup for a real keyboard. If you want to go digital, you'll have to learn a DAW. I think most people just pirate a version of FL Studio, but if you want to stay legitmate and free, try out LMMS which is pretty much a free version of LMMS with a slightly different interface, meaning your LMMS skills would transfer over with little issue, or vice versa. You'll need VST instruments which are like digital keyboards that you'll drop notes into in a 'piano roll'. Check out some tutorial videos on whatever DAW you pick. Or, you can buy a MIDI keyboard which allows you to physically play the VSTs when connected to your computer. Lots of artists do that since it gives them the more personal touch with a huge library of sound possibilites. There's lots of VST recommendations strewn about the forum, but check out the DSK vsts, anything that emulates a DX7 keyboard, and the Erang sample packs on bandcamp if you want to use drop those samples into your DAW to use as an instrument (Erang's the king, afterall). Hope that helps a little bit. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but also try just winging it and seeing how you can work off the cuff.
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Post by torchbearer on Aug 22, 2020 14:02:04 GMT -5
Thank you, guys. This is immensely helpful and doesn't make it all seem like this crazy big deal. I feel like I have something to start with now.
I appreciate it!
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Post by torchbearer on Aug 22, 2020 17:57:15 GMT -5
Hey guys, managed to install most of the things you advised me. Played around in FL studio for a bit with them and even though I have no idea what I'm doing - I'm super addicted. Here's my very first effort at, well, whatever this is. Cheers! www.udrop.com/2DOr/Song_1_DS.mp3
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Post by leyland on Aug 25, 2020 8:10:52 GMT -5
This sounds nice, something about space and sky comes into my head when listening to this.
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