Is it just me...................

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guitar ed

guitar ed

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...............or does anyone else here feel like they're spending a lot less time playing their instrument, and more time tweaking, finding drum samples, setting up samplers, trying out plug-ins, replacing bass soundfonts, looking for better soundfonts, making soundfonts, scrapping the drum track, setting up the drum map, re-loading the DR-008, going to bed late, getting up late, working all day, thinking about the latest project all day, coming home tired, opening Sonar, tweaking, replacing soundfonts, etc, etc, etc.....................I'm doing so much other stuff, I can't even remember how to play the damn guitar part on the song I'm working on !!!!!!!!! It's a shame, too, cuz it was gonna be a big, big hit !! Is anyone else noticing this?? My guitar just sits there for days at a time. I don't know if this computer recording stuff is a blessing or a genuine curse from the flaming pits of hell. Oh, well, just wanted to spout off for a minute. Gotta go try out some new drum samples in the DR-008. Have a good night, and don't stay up too late............you guys gotta work in the morning!!
Ed
 
not me.

I use the same Ensoniq ASR-X that I've had for the past 3 years.

I know where all my favorite drum sounds are and there are tons more that I rummage through after I create a new beat.
 
I know exactly what you mean, Guitar Ed! :D

You just have to slap yourself in your face and get back to what it's all about: making music! I slapped myself on the face two weeks ago and I wrote two new songs already...highly recommended!
 
...more than that, since I found this site, everything goes to ruin. I realize only warm my SONAR at home if someone ask how to do particular think and I tend to help. This site's suspected killing music creation... ARGHHHHH.....


:D :D :D
 
Well, I tried that slap in the face thing, and so far all I got is red mark. I'll keep trying
 
my poison isn't drum loops. my poison is SNR and editing tracks. I spend so much time trying to figure out how to reduce the noise while increasing the level of the recording that I end up running through the house turning things off. Then when I get something recorded I spend so much time playing with gain envelopes in Sonar trying to get the levels to be consistent without actually having to use the compressor.
 
Yep, Guitar Ed, that sounds about right to me:)

As some clever guy once said, "To travel is often better than to arrive" :rolleyes:
 
It's a sad state of affairs !! I swear, I'm ready to turn this puter into a video game machine and break out the old 4-track tape deck. Remember those days? I actually recorded stuff back then! I did dust off my guitar today, though................I mean, I didn't PLAY it or anything, but I dusted it off!

Don't get me wrong, I love all this technology and the fact that your average Joe off the street can record music in his own home, but I for one have to face the fact that A) I'm a guitarist, B) I'm NOT an engineer, and C) I honestly don't think that your average Joe off the street can really get that commercial CD sound in your average home studio. You can definitely achieve a decent demo, but I don't think it's realistic to think I'm gonna be able to turn out a finished product that can rival commercial recordings. On the other hand, I spend so much damn time messing with drum samples, it'll take me ten years to finish a complete album, so I don't know what the hell I'm worried about !!

Well, gotta run........I'm gonna go give Battery a try!! Take care.

Ed
 
Finally bought myself some effects after years of being totally indecisive and working with crappy demo versions and dirty cracks (I know, it never felt right. I feel much better now)

And they actually inspire me to make new music! I found the key to make an awesome drumsound (yay!): hook up LiveSynthPro to play the drumsoundfont, add a compressor to the track (I'm using the brilliant Wave Arts Track Plug). Then add FX3 Soundstage reverb to it, and the results are absolutely amazing!
 
i agree with everyone! i'm a bit lucky i guess, because a buddy of mine loves to program drums for some reason. so, i have the luxury of recording my guitar parts to my cheesy "metronome" patterns and then send them off to him to get fixed. there's was a point during the past year and a half where i didn't play the guitar for more than an hour over a three month period. since then, i make sure i dedicate at least and hour a week. at the very least. and ya know, just pluggin in and recording a two minute individual jam can lead to a few new songs, let alone one. but then we're back to where this thread started. programming midi drums. crap. has anyone ever tried using a v-drum or some other type of electronic kit with cakewalk? i know they're pretty pricey, but it seems like it would be easier to learn how to play drums and get one of those things than sit and program in piano roll. imagine if all guitar players could play the drums......
 
Yeah, I'm considering buying some drumpads. The V-drum is way too expensive for me, but I've seen some things by Yamaha that looked pretty cool (8 pads and 2 footpedals for bass and hihat). I can use the samples of the Yamaha or use Soundfonts, the main thing is: playing it live with sticks and feet will sound much better than trying to play 'drums' on my keyboard (ever tried play a realtime drumfill with your thumb, index & middle fingers? Well, I guess you do :) )

On the other hand one of my wishes has been fulfilled this year: I've found myself a drummer who wants to re-record all of the programmed drumparts for my next cd. The ultimate key to perfect drumsound! He has a harddiskrecorder and a fully miked setup in his studio so he can deliver as much as 8 drum tracks (bass, snare, cymbals, overhead, etc) per song. I can't wait (he's still practicing, he wants to play it the exact same way as I programmed it, yet humanize it a little) for the cd to arrive. Still curious whether it mixes well, my homemade stuff with external drums!
 
that sounds great. i'm suprised you found a drummer who is so willing to learn your programmed beats. i'm still going to continue to take a break from drummers for a while. at least until i can find one who is a bit more reasonable.
 
Drummers (sigh)....can't live with em.....can't live without em:rolleyes: :D
 
I want a MIDI drumkit! But they're too expensive... damn this country! ;)
 
Templates for songwriting are the only way I keep on track (no pun intended). This and a regular system.

After mucho experimentation, I have finally created tracking and mixing standards i.e. what effects and compression I use for different things. I have a rough idea template, a tracking template and a mixing template. I am trying to move away from dinking except at the mixing stage.

I use 2 computer keys in the rough idea template stage the W (Rewind) and the space bar(Play). This is for raw ideas not sound quality. I will start prelimnary tracking of bass, guitar and piano with the vocal, no click track all in midi.

Once I hash out the song structure (weeks to months) and I feel good about it, I will move to actually recording the song. I will put in markers as soon as possible so I can jump around quicker in this phase. I go for 0db if possible on all the vocal tracks, keep everything midi on the instruments until it has a groove, then I will eliminate the mid parts one by one with real insturments, except drums. Hey I am not a drummer and so I use soundfonts or wavs set up in the drum map. Also I may re-record the vocals to play off the instruments or spaces in the music.

Finally if all is well, I punch up the mix template with my effects and buss routing. I have all drums on one master buss, all vocals on another and use two others for outboard gear however this can expand. This is where I may dink. Hey it's play time, the talent or lack there of is already in the can. It's time to polish the tracks used remaining digital (there's an acronymn in there if you care to look)

Just get a system and keep your mind in whatever phase you need to be in. Not always easy but hey, brush your teeth everyday, stay focused on the task.
 
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