Do you ever ever listen to a specific band or make up a playlist of multiple bands to listen to while you're working on a project such as an album or EP?

and I don't mean you listen to this with intentions to rip the bands that you listen to off but more as a "this is the vibe I want to go for so I'll listen to these songs to draw inspiration from" sort of thing?

Sometimes I'll deliberately not listen to any music at all and other times I'll make a 10-15 song playlist full of different bands that have songs with a similar sound that I'm going for.

I'm a drummer in a band as a hobby and I had a question about the drum sound you get when recording and how it might change during the mixing/mastering process. As i said the band I'm in is more of a hobby but we take efforts to do things as professionally as possible. We record in a very professional studio with an experienced engineer and i love the sound we get from our recordings. Recently we laid down a couple tracks and we got this fantastic big sound from the snare drum in particular. There's a room quality to it, sort of like you hear on "when the levee breaks" but not quite as big. After having the tracks mixed and mastered though I'm finding the drum sound to be much flatter. Is the mixing process applied to the song as a whole or are adjustments made to the individual tracks from the recording session? Can just the snare drum be adjusted without compromising the mix on the rest if the song?

I'm a new songwriter, and I've noticed that when I start to make a song, my brain gravitates to 4/4. Is this because most of the music I've heard all my life is in that time signature, or it just less complex to beginners? Should I feel more amateurish because I write in common time, and should I force myself to try other time signatures?

Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers "Free Talk Friday" Thread! Feel free to talk about anything and everything - This is a text-only thread, but otherwise anything goes!

I have recently been learning the basics of mastering, and decided it would be fun to throw in some music into my DAW of choice, Reaper, in order to take a look at said music's wave forms. I threw in a video game battle theme that I had recently discovered.

Well, I ended up kind of surprised when the wave form looked like this. https://imgur.com/a/cXzlDYP Here is a link to a playback of said piece of music on youtube, though youtube playback is of course mp3 and not 44.1khz flac, as is the case in the imgur pictures.

A dry run render tells me that the true peak is -0.2, that 0 clip is happening, and that the LUFS-I is -7.5. How can it be that the wave form clearly looks clipped, yet the render tells me otherwise? Is this perhaps the work of a limiter? I admittedly have little understanding of its finer mechanisms at this point in time.

Lastly, is it just me, or does this piece of music being mastered this loud, and potentially quite clipped as a result, really come through in the final product (link again), especially in the piercing nature of the brass? Or could it perhaps be that the sort of crunchy sound of this piece is more likely to have from a different part of the creation process? I can't really know myself, as my production skills are just as untrained as my ear and mastering abilities.

Any input is appreciated, thank you.

The vocals sound spectacular on this tune, perhaps the best I've ever heard. Do you folks have theories on what makes this vocal mix so crisp, clear and satisfying? Thank you in advance and enjoy your day.

Welcome to the Weekly Gear Thread! This is the place to ask what item, program, or service you should buy or use. It is also a great place to get help using your equipment if you are confused about something you found in the manual or in an online tutorial. This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it is automatically replaced.

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I've been writing music for many many years for my own personal form of expression. I primarily play in the styles of Satriani, Vai, Johnson, etc. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that I often struggle with thoughts like "maybe the reason I can't create something good is X". Lately for me the X has been overcompensation of accompanying instruments to justify why I am struggling to create a good melody. I'm starting to catch myself doing this more and so far has not remedied any of my writing struggles and actually seems to cost me more time and energy, as by the time I get those other parts down and move to the melody I can't come up with anything that doesn't sound like boring jamming. So I'm hoping for some insight to help redirect my creative efforts and asking if you all think the primary melody should still hold it's own if heard solo. Now of course without the context of other instruments it won't have the full effect, but do you think it is safe to tell myself in these times that if the melody on it's own doesn't vibe, that I need to put more attention on it before making up reason why I'm not getting anywhere?

Thoughts, questions, comments, concerns?

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Hi, I'm not formally trained in music but I do compositions as a hobby and I'm eager to learn.

I'm trying to find a way to achieve that reverby reversey note sound that you hear usually in solemn or very dream-like pieces. The problem is, I don't know exactly what it's called and if I try searching it up on google, something entirely different comes up. So I figured I'd ask a question here on how to do that, maybe a reversed specific instrument?

Specifically, the sound I'm pertaining to can be found in the beginning of this track.

https://youtu.be/TOIlLy-sWzc

Hi guys. I’ve been playing guitar for a few months now and recently have started recording my own parts for songs in my DAW. Ive been trying to record this song (acoustic) for about 3 days but every take has seemed to have something wrong with it, wether it’s the timing, or the pressure I use to hit a string, or even maybe accidentally hitting another string unintentionally.

Ideally I’d like to get the song down in one full take so it feels more cohesive (and not have to take more than 3 days) but it seems it may be easier to just record separate parts of the song at a time.

For those of you that record guitars - do you record in parts? Or do you just record the full song all in one go? And if you don’t record in parts or have stopped doing this, how did you/can I ensure I become more consistent with recording going forward? Does this just come overtime with more experience and practice?

Thanks!

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I’ve been in a band for about 12 years. It has gone through some lineup changes and fluctuated in size, but the core of the band (me and one other dude) has remained the same since inception. We used to play out all around LA, but our last show was in 2016. Since then, we’ve released a full length album and an EP. Currently working on our next album.

I love making music but the hassle of assembling a full live band, renting a practice space, and hustling just to put on a show with a very middling turnout seems… not worth it to me anymore. For reference, I’m 36 years old, which means many of my peers are now understandably more focused on their families and careers. And the sad reality is, I can’t picture any of them wanting to stay out late at some crappy venue on a Wednesday night to see a band play. I personally still love going out and seeing live music during the week, but I’m definitely in the minority for my age. Anyway, I’m just curious how many of you are in a similar boat?

This has nothing to do with gain staging or amp headroom. I’m asking if the overall loudness makes us feel differently about a guitar’s distortion.

I played 2 gigs this past weekend with my Quad Cortex and I was extremely happy with my presets. I got in a practice room yesterday where the drummer was playing an electronic drum kit and everything was much quieter than the gigs. I found myself wanting more from the same exact patch I used this weekend.

I've been chasing a particular sound that appears in a lot of Trent's work. It sounds like a kind of heavily broken up single note thing but I thin there is also use of eq filters and maybe modulation? It's usually a background layer, some examples would be NIN, Getting Smaller, in the second half of the chorus. How to Dystroy Angles, A Drowning, also in the chorus but most prominent at the end of the song. Halsey, You Asked for This, in the chorus again but also present from about 2:20 onwards.
I've been experimenting with fuzz, wah, high and low pass filters, super short reverbs, fast picking and sliding up into the notes but I'm not even getting close. Anybody got any ideas?

Getting Smaller https://youtu.be/c3gIUbvhOac?list=PLYmuumz9R1OsW7AjUu0GcwR_IyFsBn8E7&t=50

A Drowning https://youtu.be/HaB3kpvZN1Y?t=320

You Asked For This https://youtu.be/tbVt5qVH9eA?t=89

I recently recorded my band and release an EP but during the process I had trouble finding the best way to mic the drums. I Used 4 mics 2 at4040s as over heads, beta52 on the kick, and an sm57 in the snare. I started with the probably most common way of micing a kit (one mic above the kit facing center of the snare and the other equidistant over the other half of the kit) and found that the snare and hi hat were just too loud in the over head. I then moved them around and tried a few different positions and found one that worked well enough. It was a setup similar to the glyn john's technique but with the mic closest to the floor tom slightly taller than where it'd normally be probabaly about 1-1.5 feet. This was definitely not the best setup but it got the job done. (he's newer and can't control how hard he hits very well so that's out unfortunately)

In your experience what's the best way to set up 4 microphones for a loud drummer?

Hey all, I've been trying to recreate the weird synth in the track for the Twilight Realm. I've managed to track down the sample as "Solia Long" from the sample pack Distorted Reality by Spectrasonics. It is the sample at 0:47 in this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHmN6KDUEXw

I've been trying to recreate this in Serum by various combinations of stacking sine waves, ring mods, and modulating reverb size. Nothing I try really sounds right though. I know there are likely many layers stacked together to get the sound, but I at least want to get the smooth, sine-y sounding pad down.

Any sound design folks who might have an idea on how to make the sample?

Hello,

I wanted to ask if the files you get from sites such as Qobuz and Bandcamp have the same loudness readings (ie. LUFSi, True Peak) as the ones from the original mastering session from their DAW. To explain, I'm new to mastering and trying to figure out what True Peak I should be hitting. It's confusing as there seem to be people who say to leave anywhere between -2db to -0.3db of headroom, and then others who say completely disregard it.

Another way would be to compare values in my session with reference tracks, but as I stated I'm not sure if the readings from the downloaded files are actually what they were in the session or not. Perhaps I'm overthinking things?

As the title suggest I am working on the setlist for my band's next liveset. What is your strategy to build a good liveset?
Up to now I am using this method:

1. I list all the songs we can play
2. I rate each song with a parameter called "intensity" that represent (more or less) the energy of the song. E.G. taking System of a down as an example, Toxicity would be a 10 while roulette would be a 2.
3. I then order the songs so that I start and end the liveset with high "intensity" songs while in the middle of the concert I try to alternate 2 high/mid intensity song with a soft one
4. When I'm done i check for the keys so that songs in same keys are not too close.

I know this can sound a bit weird but it gets easier everytime. Also I am an engineer so I have weird reasoning process

Okay I can't figure out for the life of me where the 8 count starts in Wouldn't It Be Nice by the Beach Boys. Going into the chorus my gut wants to say it starts to where the word "nice" would be on the 5 count, but then that makes the rest of the song feel weird.

But if I adjust it and make it to where "nice" in the chorus goes on the 1 count, it feels even more weird?

Why is it doing this? What is the complex music stuff happening here that I don't understand?

Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Feedback Thread! The comments below in this post is the only place on this subreddit to get feedback on your music, your artist name, your website layout, your music video, or anything else. (Posts seeking feedback outside of this thread will be deleted without warning and you will receive a temporary ban.)

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'Blue Jay Way' is one of the most underrated Beatles songs (if you ask me). I heard it in the car recently and was blown away. I have listened to The Magical Mystery Tour album countless times and I don't understand how this song never caught my attention before. It's a true psychedelic music theory masterpiece.

The smart use of an endless drone, different musical modes, the direct interplay of diminished vs major, and time signature/tempo changes. In short, this song has so many interesting things going on. Too much to mention.

I hope you enjoy my song analysis. If you prefer to read, I wrote all the key points below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIV_JvgOgoE&list=PLqIfZnCVJX8Qwpu35Q4S3rT5W4HRMl-Pc&index=2

Use of studio techniques:
While the studio effects—flanged drums, reversed sound snippets, and vocals manipulated through a Leslie speaker—add a psychedelic sauce, the song’s core brilliance lies in its musical composition.

The Ominous Organ Drone
At the core of "Blue Jay Way" is its hypnotic, drone-like organ part, played by Harrison. This drone does more than provide ambience. It provides the foundation of the song’s harmonic structure. The organ’s sustained tone is rich with harmonics, creating a natural C major chord.

The harmonic series, beginning with the fundamental frequency (approximately 261 Hz for middle C), produces a collection of overtones of which the first ones form a perfect major (this case C major) chord.
This puts the song in a bright C major setting. For now...

Dissonance in the Verse: The Diminished Chord
Over the neverending C drone, George Harrison in the verse sings the tones of a C diminished chord. The interplay of the switching between a C major chord and a C diminished creates quite a moody sound. This dissonance is made even stronger by the fact that the organ’s drone keeps reinforcing the harmonic series of a C major chord.

C Lydian Mode During The Chorus:
The chorus of "Blue Jay Way" uses the C Lydian mode. This mode is similar to a C major scale but has a raised fourth scale degree (F# instead of F). This raised fourth creates the tritone interval between C and F#. The cello in the chorus accentuates the Lydian mode, playing fragments that highlight the F#. Harrison’s vocal line mirrors these melodic ideas.

Tempo Changes
The song’s tempo shifts add to its dynamic character. The verses’ slower pace emphasizes the mysterious and intense atmosphere. The quicker tempo of the choruses, combined with the brightness of the Lydian mode, create an uplifting feel.
To recap:"Blue Jay Way" is a masterclass in the use of drones, diminished chords, and modal interplay. That's why I think it's one of the best and most underrated Beatles tracks.

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Making a song with double kick 8th notes at the same time as baseline that has long held out notes. Can't hear the double kick at all it just makes the bass sound wobbly. Any tips to make it stand out on top.

I've been trying to make some orchestral music recently, and I've been able to come up with some cool melody ideas, but I noticed that its pretty hard to progress after I get something down. It feels like it wants to stop right there and not keep going. And even if I do keep going on to create something after it it feels kind of distinctly different. Like it feels like sections swapping kind of instead of flowing continuosly. I usually make music that doesn't have very long melody progressions, so is it possible that I'm used to writing my melodies in a way that they end fast even though I want them to be long? If so how do I fix this?

edit: Thank you everbody for the great responses.

No 808 hats. I‘m more a Fan of mixes that are Not too bright. Maybe Griselda Style is the easiest to explain.

When I have a dense Instrumentation the hats/often Shakers Are too much in the background.

Any advice?

When I just make them brighter and louder it Sounds too much again. I just cant get it Right

Hey, I’ve been producing music for 7 years, starting in high school, and now I’m graduating from college. Recently, I’ve realized that I still don’t have a clear workflow for writing and producing that truly suits me. I think my natural approach is to sit at the piano, find a good melody, and let the lyrics flow into my head. But unfortunately, that process takes me a really long time to develop into something complete.

Over the past two months, I’ve been trying a different method: visualizing the sound in my head first, then translating it directly into my DAW using MIDI. I’ve avoided aimlessly experimenting or relying on ‘happy accidents,’ and it’s been so much faster for me. Projects that used to take me weeks, even months, to create a demo for final recording now take only about a week.

Does anyone have a more systematic approach for this? Or could you share your thoughts on your creative process?

notes: engish is my 3rd language so im sorry if its confusing

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Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers "Free Talk Friday" Thread! Feel free to talk about anything and everything - This is a text-only thread, but otherwise anything goes!

I'm recording several songs for the first time by myself. I'm also playing all the instruments. The genre is indie/folk rock if that matters (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, keys, drums, vocals). Hope that makes things easier to understand.

I keep reading that drums are to be recorded first. This makes sense to me and I've done it for almost all projects in the past (I was in a punk/alt band).

I've also read that generally the drums should be recorded to a guitar "scratch track," meaning the drummer should be hearing a guitar track recorded earlier, and then the real guitar recording is done over the now recorded drums.

But doesn't that mean the drums are recorded over a throw-away track that had a specificity not matching the new track? Does the scratch guitar have to be done to a metronome for the real drum track to matter? I guess my question is - why have a guitar scratch track if the drums aren't abiding to a lone metronome? Is it just in case the drummer doesn't fully know the song by heart?

What I've been doing (and tell me if I'm out of line, because I'm willing to start over completely) is recording guitar/bass/etc. over programmed drums so it's all in time, and then planning to record drums last. Please tell me why or if this is stupid.

Any insight is much appreciated. Thanks.