Click tracks and home recording rocks and What have you learned here?

[Armistice]

Home recording.com enables the ordinary, anonymous Joe or Josephine to learn about recording, mixing, mastering, writing, selling and other aspects of music, freely and at one's own pace and {in general} without giving the feeling that it's a divine and mysterious art, open only to the elite selected few. That may well mean that overall, the standard of music gets dumbed down over time, but I'm a believer in the notion that those that continually turn out 'crap' don't carry on whereas those who really love creating music and recording it for posterity do and get better at it. And the cream does eventually rise to the top.

I think if there was a Home Recording Dot Com award for font usage Grim would be the undisputed winner..

 

[Armistice]

I'm quite proud of the fact that I've only ever asked 2 questions.

1. Where is the beer kept?
2. See question 1...

 

[miroslav]

I'll edit the title if FTG would like.

Awwww....she's just a girl....wadda you have to ask her for?

 

[Greg_L]

Thanks for the kind words Rami. I've said many times and I'll say it again, when I first got started in digital my shit sucked. I didn't really understand the process and I'm still generally pretty technologically retarded. I wasn't a tape snob by any means, but all of my previous recording was in actual studios with engineers at the controls or on a 4-track cassette tape machine so i didn't really have any significant hands-on experience. My wife got me a USB interface and Cubase one Christmas, she set it up for me, and I was off and running making really bad mixes. (Best gift ever. Thanks Babydoll ) Then I found this site and Rami's mixes were the ones that inspired me to figure it out. He's a regular dude that tracks all his own shit, and that's what I do, so his mixes really gave me a sort of blueprint. They let me know it could be done. From there I just read everything, asked a few questions, and figured it all out on my own.

I'd say the most important thing I've learned in general and can verify through personal experience is....don't suck. If you can't play something and/or don't sound good, don't fucking record it. When you can play it and sound good, then you can record it. Mixes are stupidly easy when you're dealing with good sounds and good talent. Play good, and have your shit sounding good. The rest is gravy. I spend my time dialing in good sounds and trying to mic things properly. I don't fix anything in the mix. I mix in the mix.

I agree with Rami and Miro about listening/feedback. I kind of fall in line with what they're saying. I'm a guy happily stuck in his own genre and no one does Greg music better than me. But as narrow-minded as I am, I can turn it off to give feedback. I listen to a lot of stuff in here that I wouldn't normally ever listen to. I'm a lot more tolerant of different styles if I have a sort of connection to the people making the music. Like WhiteStrat's guitar rock or Chili's folkie country. I never listen to that kind of stuff in real life, but I'm always happy and eager to spin their tracks when they post them up. While those genres are not my personal style, I think I can be helpful if I hear anything that seems wongo to me. I don't have to filter it through my Greg-punk ears. I think I can tell when something is off and something isn't. And it's up to them to take my critique or ignore it. I'm fine either way. And when I receive feedback, I'm always appreciative, but I have to consider the source. I think everyone should. Some people make terrible mixes and/or have ideas that I don't agree with. Some people I simply just don't respect. Some people are yes-men, and some people trash me simply because they don't like me. I have to weed through the nonsense to get to the real deal. I know who those people are. I don't want sycophants, I just want unbiased honesty. The best feedback is bad feedback from someone I trust. But ultimately my main criteria for listening or giving feedback is all you have to do is be a contributing member and I'll listen. I know who posts regularly. I read the stuff in the topical sections. I know who values the community in here for what it is. Those people will always get support and feedback from me until they tell me to stop. The click-seekers and one-off look-at-me types will never get a second of my time.

That whole post was gay as fuck and way too long. If you don't read it, I don't blame you..

 

[Mr Clean]

1. Where is the beer kept?
2. See question 1...

That's a scarily accurate insight to an average day in my life.

 

[Mr Clean]

That whole post was gay as fuck and way too long. If you don't read it, I don't blame you..

Nah, great post Greg.

I personally appreciate all the feedback and advice you've given me.

 

[Greg_L]

Haha cool. I know I'm a fucking dick most of the time, but that's just how I'm wired. I don't sugarcoat things. I'm glad I could be helpful to you.

 

[Mr Clean]

Never been a dick to me mate. Constructive criticism and honesty.....just what I've needed at times.

You also make me laugh when the monthly meltdown comes along as well. There's always one and they always find you.

 

[Armistice]

Thanks for the kind words Rami. I've said many times and I'll say it again, when I first got started in digital my shit sucked. I didn't really understand the process and I'm still generally pretty technologically retarded. I wasn't a tape snob by any means, but all of my previous recording was in actual studios with engineers at the controls or on a 4-track cassette tape machine so i didn't really have any significant hands-on experience. My wife got me a USB interface and Cubase one Christmas, she set it up for me, and I was off and running making really bad mixes. (Best gift ever. Thanks Babydoll ) Then I found this site and Rami's mixes were the ones that inspired me to figure it out. He's a regular dude that tracks all his own shit, and that's what I do, so his mixes really gave me a sort of blueprint. They let me know it could be done. From there I just read everything, asked a few questions, and figured it all out on my own.

I'd say the most important thing I've learned in general and can verify through personal experience is....don't suck. If you can't play something and/or don't sound good, don't fucking record it. When you can play it and sound good, then you can record it. Mixes are stupidly easy when you're dealing with good sounds and good talent. Play good, and have your shit sounding good. The rest is gravy. I spend my time dialing in good sounds and trying to mic things properly. I don't fix anything in the mix. I mix in the mix.

I agree with Rami and Miro about listening/feedback. I kind of fall in line with what they're saying. I'm a guy happily stuck in his own genre and no one does Greg music better than me. But as narrow-minded as I am, I can turn it off to give feedback. I listen to a lot of stuff in here that I wouldn't normally ever listen to. I'm a lot more tolerant of different styles if I have a sort of connection to the people making the music. Like WhiteStrat's guitar rock or Chili's folkie country. I never listen to that kind of stuff in real life, but I'm always happy and eager to spin their tracks when they post them up. While those genres are not my personal style, I think I can be helpful if I hear anything that seems wongo to me. I don't have to filter it through my Greg-punk ears. I think I can tell when something is off and something isn't. And it's up to them to take my critique or ignore it. I'm fine either way. And when I receive feedback, I'm always appreciative, but I have to consider the source. I think everyone should. Some people make terrible mixes and/or have ideas that I don't agree with. Some people I simply just don't respect. Some people are yes-men, and some people trash me simply because they don't like me. I have to weed through the nonsense to get to the real deal. I know who those people are. I don't want sycophants, I just want unbiased honesty. The best feedback is bad feedback from someone I trust. But ultimately my main criteria for listening or giving feedback is all you have to do is be a contributing member and I'll listen. I know who posts regularly. I read the stuff in the topical sections. I know who values the community in here for what it is. Those people will always get support and feedback from me until they tell me to stop. The click-seekers and one-off look-at-me types will never get a second of my time.

That whole post was gay as fuck and way too long. If you don't read it, I don't blame you..

GrimTraveller... is that you?

I rarely even attempt to give actual mix feedback on the mixes of most of the "senior" HR dudes, like Greg, RAMI, Chilli, Heat and the like because (a) I'm only ever listening at work via small headphones / laptop so I can't really hear well enough anyway (b) they pretty much have it all under control anyway.

I tend to keep mix feedback for relative noobs who have some obvious issues that I can actually hear in my mini headphones in the 3.5 minutes of work time I snatch away to listen..

Similarly when I post mixes, I'm interested in the feedback of a group of people who I know have good ears and who will tell me specific X, Y and Z issues to deal with... especially since I'm relatively new to recording both vocals and using MIDI drums to attempt to get a half realistic full band sound...

It's nice to hear that people like it too, if they do, but that's not my prime reason for posting and I do, at this stage of my mixing career find those "your snare drum sucks..", "you should raise the vocal 2db", "bit too much build up in the lower mids" type comments very useful in coming to a final(ish) mix...

 

[Chili]

Thanks for the kind words Rami. I've said many times and I'll say it again, when I first got started in digital my shit sucked. I didn't really understand the process and I'm still generally pretty technologically retarded. I wasn't a tape snob by any means, but all of my previous recording was in actual studios with engineers at the controls or on a 4-track cassette tape machine so i didn't really have any significant hands-on experience. My wife got me a USB interface and Cubase one Christmas, she set it up for me, and I was off and running making really bad mixes. (Best gift ever. Thanks Babydoll ) Then I found this site and Rami's mixes were the ones that inspired me to figure it out. He's a regular dude that tracks all his own shit, and that's what I do, so his mixes really gave me a sort of blueprint. They let me know it could be done. From there I just read everything, asked a few questions, and figured it all out on my own.

I'd say the most important thing I've learned in general and can verify through personal experience is....don't suck. If you can't play something and/or don't sound good, don't fucking record it. When you can play it and sound good, then you can record it. Mixes are stupidly easy when you're dealing with good sounds and good talent. Play good, and have your shit sounding good. The rest is gravy. I spend my time dialing in good sounds and trying to mic things properly. I don't fix anything in the mix. I mix in the mix.

I agree with Rami and Miro about listening/feedback. I kind of fall in line with what they're saying. I'm a guy happily stuck in his own genre and no one does Greg music better than me. But as narrow-minded as I am, I can turn it off to give feedback. I listen to a lot of stuff in here that I wouldn't normally ever listen to. I'm a lot more tolerant of different styles if I have a sort of connection to the people making the music. Like WhiteStrat's guitar rock or Chili's folkie country. I never listen to that kind of stuff in real life, but I'm always happy and eager to spin their tracks when they post them up. While those genres are not my personal style, I think I can be helpful if I hear anything that seems wongo to me. I don't have to filter it through my Greg-punk ears. I think I can tell when something is off and something isn't. And it's up to them to take my critique or ignore it. I'm fine either way. And when I receive feedback, I'm always appreciative, but I have to consider the source. I think everyone should. Some people make terrible mixes and/or have ideas that I don't agree with. Some people I simply just don't respect. Some people are yes-men, and some people trash me simply because they don't like me. I have to weed through the nonsense to get to the real deal. I know who those people are. I don't want sycophants, I just want unbiased honesty. The best feedback is bad feedback from someone I trust. But ultimately my main criteria for listening or giving feedback is all you have to do is be a contributing member and I'll listen. I know who posts regularly. I read the stuff in the topical sections. I know who values the community in here for what it is. Those people will always get support and feedback from me until they tell me to stop. The click-seekers and one-off look-at-me types will never get a second of my time.

That whole post was gay as fuck and way too long. If you don't read it, I don't blame you..

TL/DR... except for the last line.

 

[Chili]

I'd say the most important thing I've learned in general and can verify through personal experience is....don't suck. If you can't play something and/or don't sound good, don't fucking record it.

Okay, so now I read it....

And this is what I was referring to in my post earlier. This is one of the most prevalent things I learned here. No wongo shit. When I first started, I was happy as could be just to get something that sounded close to a completed song. I didn't care if it had mistakes in it because I could hear in my head how it really should sound and that was good enough for me. But as time goes on and I hear perfectly played tunes from others here, I figured I got to step it up a notch.

There were two events for me that opened my eyes to my failings. Rami put up tracks for his Amos Moses song and I listened to them individually. Each one was played great. They weren't difficult, but you could tell he had a plan and he stuck to it throughout. The bass part was particularly clean. Then I listened to tracks I was working on at the time and everything was full of finger flubs and incomplete parts and it seemed like I was making it up as I went along. Which I kind of was.

Then I did a collab with Heat. He did all the guitar parts and it was awesome to see how he worked the different parts together to come up with the main rhythm section. Another eye opener. Up to that point, I was just strumming strings.

I still have a long ways to go but I'm getting there. Thanks to the help of a lot of people here. <sniff> Group hug!! (Where's DogBreath??)

 

[fritsthegirl]

I'll edit the title if FTG would like.

Awwww....she's just a girl....wadda you have to ask her for?

Hey, watch it, I am Fritsthegirl.

It's totally cool with me of course, change it, it's not lyrics or anything. Make it what you like chilli, I'm hopeless at thread titles.

Thanks for the replies everyone, it's been a great read. I too agree with the 'it just shouldn't be shit/crap/bad' and much prefer people to be honest about it if it is.

I still learn heaps with each song I do. There's always 3 tiers to it, stuff I need to learn or work on on the basis of previous feedback, something new I just fancy learning how to do, and then the last bit of work is after I post it. I might have learned it all by myself eventually, but it wouldn't have been as much fun, and definitely wouldn't have happened as quickly as it has having all you guyses help.

 

[grimtraveller]

GrimTraveller... is that you?

No......but I love and treat it as though it were one of my own !

 

[Chili]

I'm hopeless at thread titles.

I think the thread morphed into something other than what you started it out to be.

So, what has anyone else learned from HR??

 

[rayc]

The 1st thing I learnt was that I'd taught myself a LOT of bad habits.
Next I learnt to try most suggestions just so I could understand what folk were talking about & HEAR what was going on.
Subsequently I learnt that I was a reverb junkie - I'm now in the 10 step program, (1 step for each setting on my old Microverb).
Eventually I learnt that compression isn't about making things louder & that using it as a substitute for controlling levels was absurd.
By this time I'd learnt about the nature of this particular online community and that on here honesty is more important that platitudes just as positive criticism achieves more than a slapdown.
Membership/participation is always in a state of flux but the constants really make life easier for me both in that I have had their work to use as reference material and their feedback. Those folk probably know who they are.

 

[polarity]

Anything I know about recording at this point I've learned here. From room treatment to lava lamp etiquette.

The thing I am struggling to learn (it's starting to sink in thanks to Mr. Steeno), is that at some point you have to put stuff out there. The people on this forum between all of them probably know everything there is to know, if you give them something to work with they can help you. Believe in yourself a little but don't be an arrogant ass that is too good to accept criticism.

 

[fritsthegirl]

Subsequently I learnt that I was a reverb junkie - I'm now in the 10 step program, (1 step for each setting on my old Microverb).
Eventually I learnt that compression isn't about making things louder & that using it as a substitute for controlling levels was absurd.

I had an addiction to doubling vocals. It was only coming on here that made me confident enough to give it up. I still use now and then, but I've got control over it now.

 

[fritsthegirl]

Believe in yourself a little but don't be an arrogant ass that is too good to accept criticism.

Every time I post a song, I am half expecting someone to ask me what the hell was I thinking when I wrote and mixed this crap. So when they come back to give me a few bits of editing, mixing, or playing advice, I think 'Sweet'.

 

[Dogbreath]

I still have a long ways to go but I'm getting there. Thanks to the help of a lot of people here. <sniff> Group hug!! (Where's DogBreath??)

Grope Hug!
Sweet!



oh...you said group.


I had another thought this weekend.
I was tracking a friend and I mentioned about double tracking his rhythm guitars and he said, "why don't we just copy/paste?"

So I asked him to humor me, double tracked the rhythm guitar on one song and to another track, I just did a copy/paste. Then I A/B'd the two for him.

In his words, "There's no comparison! I thought it sounded fine until I heard this."

The other 7 songs all had double tracked rhythm's.

Another little jewel I got from you fine fellows here. (and fellowettes Frits )

 

[ollie99]

I had another thought this weekend.
I was tracking a friend and I mentioned about double tracking his rhythm guitars and he said, "why don't we just copy/paste?"

So I asked him to humor me, double tracked the rhythm guitar on one song and to another track, I just did a copy/paste. Then I A/B'd the two for him.

In his words, "There's no comparison! I thought it sounded fine until I heard this."

The other 7 songs all had double tracked rhythm's.

Another little jewel I got from you fine fellows here. (and fellowettes Frits )

Definitely agree with you there. This is probably the thing that made the most difference to my recordings, it added another dimension!