This sounds like a great program but it seems REALLY confusing. I don't even know where to start, and why cant I get basic stuff like drums and guitars and whatnot?
<!--QuoteBegin-Skidzor+Jul 8 2004, 02:53 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Skidzor @ Jul 8 2004, 02:53 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> This sounds like a great program but it seems REALLY confusing. I don't even know where to start, and why cant I get basic stuff like drums and guitars and whatnot? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Most of the machines work differently from the others.
While a synth only needs you to enter a ntoe to make a sound, a drum machine may need you to activate a trigger or choose a rythm instead.
You will only understand things by trying everything out under you get the desired effect. If you find that a machine is not giving you the desired effect, look for another machine to download off the site that does.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I'm gonna give this a try.... I needed a way to compose some stuff. Can you make sheet music with it? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Surge+Jul 8 2004, 02:26 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Surge @ Jul 8 2004, 02:26 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> I'm gonna give this a try.... I needed a way to compose some stuff. Can you make sheet music with it? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> Why would anyone use a digital sequencer for sheet music? Here is where the original synthesizer engineers went totally wrong. Circuits are not born to mimic pianos, violins or other complex soundwave instruments like guitars.
Technically it is possible to use Buzz's pattern views as base for written compositions, but don't expect the sequencer to speak traditional music language. It prefers binary interpretations.
All in all, I suggest that if anyone wants to get familiar with Buzz, google around for general help guides on composing electronic music. Familiarize yourself with at least the following terms (specifics in parenthesises):
Filter (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, cutoff, resonance) LFO EQ (graphic, parametric) Compressor (sidechain, mastering) Noise Gate Distortion Volume Level (specifically the results of too much volume on digital systems)
Also find the meaning for the basic synth operators, ie. the meaning of Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. With the knowledge of filters, operators and LFOs in hand, you'll understand the way more complex Buzz softsynths like the Padsyn (which is totally awesome) work in no time.
I know that the interface of the program is not very easy to understand at first, but trust me, it's astoundingly logical once you get it. And remember, never control the basic volume of an instrument from the instrument itself. Always control it from the master.
If you want orchestral stuff or guitar stuff, rent an orchestra or buy a guitar. The digital equivalents suck at the moment, and will most likely do so for a long time. The cheap way is to sample bits of orchestral or guitar music off cds and then use those samples in your songs. (For god's (any god is good here) sake, don't sample Orff!)
Oh, and if someone is even remotely interested, I can summon various bits and pieces of knowledge I've come across during my musical exploits. Some of them may be helpful, other utterly useless, and almost all of them are pure heresy from a pop producer's viewpoint.
<!--QuoteBegin-Scinet+Jul 8 2004, 08:56 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Scinet @ Jul 8 2004, 08:56 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Oh, and if someone is even remotely interested, I can summon various bits and pieces of knowledge I've come across during my musical exploits. Some of them may be helpful, other utterly useless, and almost all of them are pure heresy from a pop producer's viewpoint. <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd--> not wanting to sound too **** kissey, but after hearing your tunes, I would be very happy to hear any tips you wish to pass on.
Im a patron of Fruityloops myself, but consider myself to have a working (and growing) knowledge of digital music production, and am sure any advice you can offer would be equally applicable to Fruityloops. Still saying that, all this talk of Buzz has got me intrigued... I may give it a go.
something im having trouble achieving at the moment is a well balanced high range of frequencies with a bassline which seems to own the mix. im really just starting my adventures with EQ (but its already paying off).
Sounds like you got it made. Please do try it out and tell us what you think of it. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
I really wish this would handle timing in normal modes. Like, you know setting it to 4-4 time or something. Or Cut time. It's got unnecessary tics instead.
<!--QuoteBegin-Omegaman!+Jul 9 2004, 09:16 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Omegaman! @ Jul 9 2004, 09:16 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> *Shrug* Some people like 16th notes... <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> The 16th notes are industry standard for these kinds of programs... Both Reason and FLP do the same thing. Ussually you can get the option of working with 12th notes (3/3 time) as well, so I'd keep looking for that feature if that's what your trying to do.
I <b>OWNED</b> my pance when i heard it was free! I <b>OWNED</b> my pance again when i heard it could make .mp3s! I <b>OWNED</b> my pance <b>AGAIN</b> when i heard those two music clips!
The third line doesn't rhyme, WTH! <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Pants are overrated anyways... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Okay, time for some more Buzz talk. Settle down and listen to an old man whine.
First of all, let's go through the note tempo thingy. My patterns are always 64 ticks long, a remnant from my past Scream Tracker days. What this means is that basically the songs are 4/4 (except for my random forays into the worlds of 3/4 and 7/8, in which case my patterns are 48 and 56 ticks long, respectively). This means that with a standard about 130 bpm, if I want a 4/4 bass drum, I play a bassdrum hit every four ticks. However, I usually set the song's speed to 7 or 8, which means I would program the bass drum to hit every 8 ticks instead of four. This method gives me more ticks between a time sequence, and enables me to make faster hihat riffs or nice, long and tight snare slides. I just like having extra ticks to play with.
Oh yeah, hitting CTRL+backspace in pattern view enables you to change the amount of ticks per pattern. The number is pattern specific, so not every pattern must be the same. This enables the user to build songs that change from 4/4 to 3/4 and back if needed. Also, to get a good view of what's going on in the sequencer view, set the displayed ticks there to correspond with the number of ticks that are in the majority of your patterns. That way you can see one pattern per row in the sequencer, and control your song more easily. No matter how many ticks you want per pattern, always make sure that the amount is consistent with the tempo. For example, both 64 and 16 are divisible by four and thus usable in 4/4 or 8/4 or whatever mode, while 48 is divisable by three, and thus okay for 3/4.
<b>With that out of the way, let's go into the mixdown:</b>
Assuming you've already got a few machines connected to the Master, go check out the Master properties by right-clicking on it and selecting properties. Now you'll see the volumes at which the master tape receives the instruments. NEVER, EVER, when beginning a song and only having a few instruments, keep all the volumes at 100%. Move them down to about 75 or 80%. This'll give you some headroom on the mix, which is very important when you add more instruments.
Always monitor the master volume level (as seen in the upper left corner) and don't let it max out if you've only got a couple of instruments playing. If you leave no volume headroom at all, you'll have to resort to heavy compression when mastering the track, which robs the music of all its power to truly kick ***.
<b>Here's a couple of tips on how to EQ instruments properly:</b>
1) Using a graphic EQ to boost a certain frequency is a bad, <i>bad</i> idea. Always use graphic EQ to cut undesired frequencies 400Hz to 1kHz is usually where all mix clutter (useless extra sounds) end up in, so cutting a bit there is likely to make your song sound clearer.
2) For boosting a certain frequency range, the parametric EQ is your mate. Find tutorials on the net to understand its mechanics better, but in short it gives you much more accuracy in dealing with both wanted and unwanted frequencies.
3) Use EQ to boost a frequency only when it's absolutely necessary. If your bassdrum or bass riff is a trebleish whine from the start, pumping up the low end isn't going to make it any better. The best thing to do is to switch to a sound that's better right from the start. Using EQs can make a good sound godlike, but can't make a crappy sound good. Instead of boosting, cut the frequencies you <i>don't</i> want to hear and raise the volume of the instrument instead. I usually only boost certain low level bass frequencies to give my bass riffs extra richness.
4) A good idea is to open one extra graphic EQ and connect all instrument/effect chains to it instead of the Master. Then connect the graphic EQ to the master. This gives you an EQ that effects the whole track, and can help you clear mix clutter. If some frequency range just sounds plain awful and you want to cut it from the song entirely, attach a parametric EQ between the graphic one and the Master, and find the offending frequency range. Then cut it down.
5) Kill useless frequencies. For example, if your hihat samples have a funny peak at bass frequencies that you don't really need, cut it out of the mix with an EQ. However, remember that harmonics always go upwards, so never kill high frequencies from bass sounds, unless you're absolutely sure that the instrument will sound better without them.
<b>Now, what the heck is a compressor anyway</b>?
A compressor is in short a tool that controls the volume of a single instrument. If you want to use a compressor, always place it between the last effect in a generator/effect chain and the Master. Take a look at the picture of the machine view I posted on the second page of this thread. You'll see a lot of machines titled <b>jComp</b> as the last effects in a chain. They are all compressors set to limit the input from the machines before them.
How to set one up and what exactly does it do: 1) Set the compressor's threshold to -0dB (100%) 2) Set the compression ratio to 1:1 3) Set the attack time to as low as possible 4) Set the release time to about 15-30ms
Threshold is the point where the compressor starts working. If the sound passess the set threshold point, the compressor starts cutting it down. The compression ratio means how much the sound will be cut when it reaches the threshold. 1:1 would mean it won't be cut at all. 1:2 would mean it's volume past the threshold will be halved, and so on. Attack time means how fast after the sound has passed the threshold will the compression start taking place, and release naturally is the lenght of compression after the attack. By setting the release time to a very short interval, the compressor will only cut at the points where the sound is louder than the threshold, and leave the quieter parts of it alone.
If you want to record songs at loud volume levels (is there a point in recording quiet?), learn the art of the compressor and its sibling, the sidechain compressor.
<b>Okay, now what exactly is the point of all this talk?</b>
I've heard a lot of demos and non-professional songs in my time. Most of the time the artist has mixed and mastered the songs him/herself, and the result can be heard easily. Muddy mixdown (bad sound) is something that happens to everyone, especially if your home speakers are teh suck. I don't have superfine monitor speakers, so I always listen to the songs in three ways before deciding if a mix sounds good. These three ways are stereo speakers, headphones through the stereo amplifier, and headphones straight from the sound card without anything in between. The mix should sound good or at least ok on all three.
However, nobody can mix at home like they can do at professional studios, so do please compensate by recording loud and clear. When a digital sound reaches the machine's peak level, it will start chopping up or distorting. Most of the time this is a very bad thing and should be avoided at all costs, unless you are Thomas Garrison of <b>Control</b>, who uses the chopped up effect to add even more violence into his sound.
Most people instinctively lower the master sound level if it peaks out. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO GO. The way to go is to find the offending instruments which produce peaks in the mix, and compressing them a bit. If that doesn't help, lower all individual instruments' volumes in the Master, but don't you dare touch that master volume level. For the record, I do not record loud enough yet, but plan to hone my skills until I do.
Overcompression is always a bad idea, unless you plan to produce radio-friendly, sucktastic pop music. Ever wondered why even the most aggressive drums like the snare sound so bland on pop songs where there is a lot of distortion (ie. heavy guitars) present? Compression, baby. The producer has decided to compensate for the heavy distortion, which is bound to cause a lot of peaks in the mix, by compressing all peaks out, leaving a lifeless husk of a sound that doesn't offend anyone, but nor does it have any soul or energy in it. The point of distortion is to make sounds aggressive, so you should always seek a way to make it louder and still keeping the mix under control, instead of just copping out and compressing it until it loses all its dynamics and power.
Here are some posterboy artists who do things like they should be done:
<b>Control</b> is the god of volume. His album <b>Natural Selection</b> is a prime example of how massive master volume level can make the music crush the listener even when it's listened to at a very quiet level. Nobody, not even <b>Merzbow</b> compares to this man.
<b>Lustmord</b> is the master of hi-fi sound. His new albums display godlike mixing and balancing. Ambient music can be loud, detailed, totally hi-fi and incredibly scary at the same time. For further proof, find his album titled <b>Zoetrope</b>. Not even high quality MP3s compare in any way to listening to this thing on cd. Even with small speakers it sounds like being in a large room with the walls themselves as speakers. Learn to mix like this man and you've got it made (plus I'll send my tracks for you to mix and master, 'cause I can't do it myself <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> ).
<b>Scorn</b>. No mix clutter here. Every frequency is wanted and carefully placed. Swingin' sounds, real headnodding music, groovy like no other, and more bass than you'll ever need. Try tracks like <b>Boss (All That's Missing) (Beat Mix)</b> and <b>Dangler (No Original Members) (Beat Mix)</b>, both from the <b>Governor</b> ep.
No no NO! 16th notes go into everything. I'm saying it would be a lot easier if I had a staff and could actually easily place things on beats. I mean, this just has unnecessary things. It's too difficult to choose the length of a note. I would've liked it better if it was just divided into 4's (or 3's, whatever you have the time set it), and I could put in 16th notes manually.
<!--QuoteBegin-Surge+Jul 10 2004, 02:10 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Surge @ Jul 10 2004, 02:10 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> No no NO! 16th notes go into everything. I'm saying it would be a lot easier if I had a staff and could actually easily place things on beats. I mean, this just has unnecessary things. It's too difficult to choose the length of a note. I would've liked it better if it was just divided into 4's (or 3's, whatever you have the time set it), and I could put in 16th notes manually. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd--> You are thinking 'traditional music theory' way. It's very good and proper when composing sheet music (and I wish I could still remember how to do it), but sequencers are something entirely different.
The amount of ticks in a pattern is a personal preference (I like having two beat repeats in one pattern, so two patterns make a full 4/4). Remember that you don't need to put a value in every tick. Just set the cursor to skip next 3 rows if you want to place a value in every fourth.
The lenght of a note is selected <i>machine specifically</i> which gives much greater flexibility, since the generators can adapt to different timesigs better that way. Take a look at the Jeskola Bass3 for example. At the pattern view, you can select how long the note plays. While it always plays the amout of ticks specified, the actual lenght of the sound depends on the speed of the song.
Wow, dude. That was incredibly helpful, I learned alot of stuff, and I will definitely be giving Control, Lustmord, and Scorn a good listening. <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->
This thread is officially Roxor. <!--emo&::tsa::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tsa.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tsa.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Comments
Most of the machines work differently from the others.
While a synth only needs you to enter a ntoe to make a sound, a drum machine may need you to activate a trigger or choose a rythm instead.
You will only understand things by trying everything out under you get the desired effect. If you find that a machine is not giving you the desired effect, look for another machine to download off the site that does.
<!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin-->I'm gonna give this a try.... I needed a way to compose some stuff. Can you make sheet music with it? <!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Erm...I guess you could. Yeah.
Why would anyone use a digital sequencer for sheet music? Here is where the original synthesizer engineers went totally wrong. Circuits are not born to mimic pianos, violins or other complex soundwave instruments like guitars.
Technically it is possible to use Buzz's pattern views as base for written compositions, but don't expect the sequencer to speak traditional music language. It prefers binary interpretations.
All in all, I suggest that if anyone wants to get familiar with Buzz, google around for general help guides on composing electronic music. Familiarize yourself with at least the following terms (specifics in parenthesises):
Filter (lowpass, highpass, bandpass, cutoff, resonance)
LFO
EQ (graphic, parametric)
Compressor (sidechain, mastering)
Noise Gate
Distortion
Volume Level (specifically the results of too much volume on digital systems)
Also find the meaning for the basic synth operators, ie. the meaning of Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release. With the knowledge of filters, operators and LFOs in hand, you'll understand the way more complex Buzz softsynths like the Padsyn (which is totally awesome) work in no time.
I know that the interface of the program is not very easy to understand at first, but trust me, it's astoundingly logical once you get it. And remember, never control the basic volume of an instrument from the instrument itself. Always control it from the master.
If you want orchestral stuff or guitar stuff, rent an orchestra or buy a guitar. The digital equivalents suck at the moment, and will most likely do so for a long time. The cheap way is to sample bits of orchestral or guitar music off cds and then use those samples in your songs. (For god's (any god is good here) sake, don't sample Orff!)
Oh, and if someone is even remotely interested, I can summon various bits and pieces of knowledge I've come across during my musical exploits. Some of them may be helpful, other utterly useless, and almost all of them are pure heresy from a pop producer's viewpoint.
not wanting to sound too **** kissey, but after hearing your tunes, I would be very happy to hear any tips you wish to pass on.
Im a patron of Fruityloops myself, but consider myself to have a working (and growing) knowledge of digital music production, and am sure any advice you can offer would be equally applicable to Fruityloops.
Still saying that, all this talk of Buzz has got me intrigued... I may give it a go.
something im having trouble achieving at the moment is a well balanced high range of frequencies with a bassline which seems to own the mix.
im really just starting my adventures with EQ (but its already paying off).
The 16th notes are industry standard for these kinds of programs... Both Reason and FLP do the same thing. Ussually you can get the option of working with 12th notes (3/3 time) as well, so I'd keep looking for that feature if that's what your trying to do.
I <b>OWNED</b> my pance again when i heard it could make .mp3s!
I <b>OWNED</b> my pance <b>AGAIN</b> when i heard those two music clips!
I need 3 new pairs of pance... anyone have $150?
Pants are overrated anyways... <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->
First of all, let's go through the note tempo thingy. My patterns are always 64 ticks long, a remnant from my past Scream Tracker days. What this means is that basically the songs are 4/4 (except for my random forays into the worlds of 3/4 and 7/8, in which case my patterns are 48 and 56 ticks long, respectively). This means that with a standard about 130 bpm, if I want a 4/4 bass drum, I play a bassdrum hit every four ticks. However, I usually set the song's speed to 7 or 8, which means I would program the bass drum to hit every 8 ticks instead of four. This method gives me more ticks between a time sequence, and enables me to make faster hihat riffs or nice, long and tight snare slides. I just like having extra ticks to play with.
Oh yeah, hitting CTRL+backspace in pattern view enables you to change the amount of ticks per pattern. The number is pattern specific, so not every pattern must be the same. This enables the user to build songs that change from 4/4 to 3/4 and back if needed. Also, to get a good view of what's going on in the sequencer view, set the displayed ticks there to correspond with the number of ticks that are in the majority of your patterns. That way you can see one pattern per row in the sequencer, and control your song more easily. No matter how many ticks you want per pattern, always make sure that the amount is consistent with the tempo. For example, both 64 and 16 are divisible by four and thus usable in 4/4 or 8/4 or whatever mode, while 48 is divisable by three, and thus okay for 3/4.
<b>With that out of the way, let's go into the mixdown:</b>
Assuming you've already got a few machines connected to the Master, go check out the Master properties by right-clicking on it and selecting properties. Now you'll see the volumes at which the master tape receives the instruments. NEVER, EVER, when beginning a song and only having a few instruments, keep all the volumes at 100%. Move them down to about 75 or 80%. This'll give you some headroom on the mix, which is very important when you add more instruments.
Always monitor the master volume level (as seen in the upper left corner) and don't let it max out if you've only got a couple of instruments playing. If you leave no volume headroom at all, you'll have to resort to heavy compression when mastering the track, which robs the music of all its power to truly kick ***.
<b>Here's a couple of tips on how to EQ instruments properly:</b>
1) Using a graphic EQ to boost a certain frequency is a bad, <i>bad</i> idea. Always use graphic EQ to cut undesired frequencies 400Hz to 1kHz is usually where all mix clutter (useless extra sounds) end up in, so cutting a bit there is likely to make your song sound clearer.
2) For boosting a certain frequency range, the parametric EQ is your mate. Find tutorials on the net to understand its mechanics better, but in short it gives you much more accuracy in dealing with both wanted and unwanted frequencies.
3) Use EQ to boost a frequency only when it's absolutely necessary. If your bassdrum or bass riff is a trebleish whine from the start, pumping up the low end isn't going to make it any better. The best thing to do is to switch to a sound that's better right from the start. Using EQs can make a good sound godlike, but can't make a crappy sound good. Instead of boosting, cut the frequencies you <i>don't</i> want to hear and raise the volume of the instrument instead. I usually only boost certain low level bass frequencies to give my bass riffs extra richness.
4) A good idea is to open one extra graphic EQ and connect all instrument/effect chains to it instead of the Master. Then connect the graphic EQ to the master. This gives you an EQ that effects the whole track, and can help you clear mix clutter. If some frequency range just sounds plain awful and you want to cut it from the song entirely, attach a parametric EQ between the graphic one and the Master, and find the offending frequency range. Then cut it down.
5) Kill useless frequencies. For example, if your hihat samples have a funny peak at bass frequencies that you don't really need, cut it out of the mix with an EQ. However, remember that harmonics always go upwards, so never kill high frequencies from bass sounds, unless you're absolutely sure that the instrument will sound better without them.
<b>Now, what the heck is a compressor anyway</b>?
A compressor is in short a tool that controls the volume of a single instrument. If you want to use a compressor, always place it between the last effect in a generator/effect chain and the Master. Take a look at the picture of the machine view I posted on the second page of this thread. You'll see a lot of machines titled <b>jComp</b> as the last effects in a chain. They are all compressors set to limit the input from the machines before them.
How to set one up and what exactly does it do:
1) Set the compressor's threshold to -0dB (100%)
2) Set the compression ratio to 1:1
3) Set the attack time to as low as possible
4) Set the release time to about 15-30ms
Threshold is the point where the compressor starts working. If the sound passess the set threshold point, the compressor starts cutting it down. The compression ratio means how much the sound will be cut when it reaches the threshold. 1:1 would mean it won't be cut at all. 1:2 would mean it's volume past the threshold will be halved, and so on. Attack time means how fast after the sound has passed the threshold will the compression start taking place, and release naturally is the lenght of compression after the attack. By setting the release time to a very short interval, the compressor will only cut at the points where the sound is louder than the threshold, and leave the quieter parts of it alone.
If you want to record songs at loud volume levels (is there a point in recording quiet?), learn the art of the compressor and its sibling, the sidechain compressor.
<b>Okay, now what exactly is the point of all this talk?</b>
I've heard a lot of demos and non-professional songs in my time. Most of the time the artist has mixed and mastered the songs him/herself, and the result can be heard easily. Muddy mixdown (bad sound) is something that happens to everyone, especially if your home speakers are teh suck. I don't have superfine monitor speakers, so I always listen to the songs in three ways before deciding if a mix sounds good. These three ways are stereo speakers, headphones through the stereo amplifier, and headphones straight from the sound card without anything in between. The mix should sound good or at least ok on all three.
However, nobody can mix at home like they can do at professional studios, so do please compensate by recording loud and clear. When a digital sound reaches the machine's peak level, it will start chopping up or distorting. Most of the time this is a very bad thing and should be avoided at all costs, unless you are Thomas Garrison of <b>Control</b>, who uses the chopped up effect to add even more violence into his sound.
Most people instinctively lower the master sound level if it peaks out. THIS IS NOT THE WAY TO GO. The way to go is to find the offending instruments which produce peaks in the mix, and compressing them a bit. If that doesn't help, lower all individual instruments' volumes in the Master, but don't you dare touch that master volume level. For the record, I do not record loud enough yet, but plan to hone my skills until I do.
Overcompression is always a bad idea, unless you plan to produce radio-friendly, sucktastic pop music. Ever wondered why even the most aggressive drums like the snare sound so bland on pop songs where there is a lot of distortion (ie. heavy guitars) present? Compression, baby. The producer has decided to compensate for the heavy distortion, which is bound to cause a lot of peaks in the mix, by compressing all peaks out, leaving a lifeless husk of a sound that doesn't offend anyone, but nor does it have any soul or energy in it. The point of distortion is to make sounds aggressive, so you should always seek a way to make it louder and still keeping the mix under control, instead of just copping out and compressing it until it loses all its dynamics and power.
Here are some posterboy artists who do things like they should be done:
<b>Control</b> is the god of volume. His album <b>Natural Selection</b> is a prime example of how massive master volume level can make the music crush the listener even when it's listened to at a very quiet level. Nobody, not even <b>Merzbow</b> compares to this man.
<b>Lustmord</b> is the master of hi-fi sound. His new albums display godlike mixing and balancing. Ambient music can be loud, detailed, totally hi-fi and incredibly scary at the same time. For further proof, find his album titled <b>Zoetrope</b>. Not even high quality MP3s compare in any way to listening to this thing on cd. Even with small speakers it sounds like being in a large room with the walls themselves as speakers. Learn to mix like this man and you've got it made (plus I'll send my tracks for you to mix and master, 'cause I can't do it myself <!--emo&:D--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo--> ).
<b>Scorn</b>. No mix clutter here. Every frequency is wanted and carefully placed. Swingin' sounds, real headnodding music, groovy like no other, and more bass than you'll ever need. Try tracks like <b>Boss (All That's Missing) (Beat Mix)</b> and <b>Dangler (No Original Members) (Beat Mix)</b>, both from the <b>Governor</b> ep.
You are thinking 'traditional music theory' way. It's very good and proper when composing sheet music (and I wish I could still remember how to do it), but sequencers are something entirely different.
The amount of ticks in a pattern is a personal preference (I like having two beat repeats in one pattern, so two patterns make a full 4/4). Remember that you don't need to put a value in every tick. Just set the cursor to skip next 3 rows if you want to place a value in every fourth.
The lenght of a note is selected <i>machine specifically</i> which gives much greater flexibility, since the generators can adapt to different timesigs better that way. Take a look at the Jeskola Bass3 for example. At the pattern view, you can select how long the note plays. While it always plays the amout of ticks specified, the actual lenght of the sound depends on the speed of the song.
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