thekingisdead
11-11-2006, 10:12 PM
Dear Friends,
Recently there have been a lot of posts inquiring of musical equipment and techniques. Many people who join this forum (including myself) subsequently become interested in making music of their own. I thought it would be a neat idea to compile all the existing townhaller knowledge of creating and recording music into one helpful guide for aspiring townhall musicians. If anyone wants to help, simply post advice, and I'll periodically add it all to the first post. It could be anything, a songwriting or recording technique, a microphone suggestion, a description of an instrument and its uses...anything. Once a significant number of people have posted, I'll compile it into an outline, which can grow and grow with each new personal tip.
(this out line will become more complex, but basically...)
I. Making Music
A. Instruments
*Use unconventional instruments (they're fun!) and don't look at conventional instruments..well..conventionally! You can make some really neat sounds by making slight alterations to your instruments, or just playing them a bit differently. (like by untuning your ukelele, playing it with odd vibrato, then recording it backwards ;))- tomatoesandradiowires
B.Songwriting
*Songwriting (from soniclovenoize) :
NOTE: This little essay pertains to my own personal songwriting. I really dig melodic songs, verse/chorus/verse, Beatles-influenced stuff, so of course my advice is stemming from that whole pop-song genre. Take it or leave it. I'm sure those of you who do not like this tyep of music will loathe my little essay; instead of flaming, just ignore it. To each his own, right? This advice isn't absolute, and I'm sure not everyone needs to heed it...
* Listen to a lot of music... Listen for things you like and you want to emulate. Listen to things you do not like and wish to avoid. If you want to be completely original, listen to what has been done to know room there is to create. Or just listen to music to learn rules, only to break them!
* Songs start as seeds that need to be harvested and grown. Sometimes they start as a stray melody that needs to be expounded on. I write many songs like that, coming up with an abstract lyirc and a melody...
"Cellophane feelin from a 7am ceilin / And it's only ours to keep"
I wrote that and it meant nothing (at first). So the next step is to find out what it means... I interpret 'Cellophane feelin' as the feeling you get when you first wake up in the morning and you are too comfy to get up, maybe in a fetal postion, and all you want to look at is just the ceiling, laying in your bed. That's what I thought the line meant, and so you expound on it...
"Detroit's callin back the San Francisco pollen / Christ I gotta get some sleep"
That's one way I write songs, creating an abstract thought, finding my own unintentional meaning, then expounding it into more abstract that can be later re-interpreted by the listener.
* Find a song you like, and dissect it. What makes it a hit, what makes it good? The learn from it! For example, let's take a look at a song I'm sure we all know, "Say it Ain't So" by Weezer.
- Note the song follows a basic 4-chord progression (C#m G# A E), played both the verse and chorus, the difference between the two is dynamics (soft verse/rockin chorus, what we will call "The Pixies Dynamic"). Many modern pop songs follow this formula (The Pixies Dynamic), and it's a sure-fire way to make a hit. But take note that although the chord progression stays the same, the melody completely changes. So there's a lesson: if you have a song with the same progressions in the verse/chorus, utilize two seperate melodies, preferbly the more hooky of the two as a chorus
- Note the first words of the chorus "Say it ain't so..." Another lesson: if you ever get stuck for a killer chorus, find an age-old saying "Say it ain't so, Joe!" and embed it into the lyrics of the chorus. Make it a catch-phrase.
- Although the verse and chgorus are the same, there is what we call a middle-eight stuck in the middle of the song to break the monotony of the same 4 chords. So if you're writing a song like this, be sure to shake it up a bit and toss in a new element to the structure...
* Yeah, I know, kinda hokey to dissect a Weezer song, huh? Move on to a Beatles song like "We Can Work It Out" or "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away". Take a look at the melody and where it goes ontop of the chord progression, as well as the structure.
* Watch out for obvious rhymes! An example:
"All the pain you brought to me
But untill the day _______"
What's the next line? it was "you see". Pretty obvious, huh? That's the point: been there, done that. Why write predictable songs? So next time you are writing some song, stop youself before finishing a line: can I think of another word to communicate this that isn't "you" and "too"? Would that improve the song? Would that allow me to go into a completely new direction with the following line, that I didn't even think of going before?
II. Recording Music
A.Digital
A1. Recording to Computer
* "In most PC's and Mac's there's a simple recording device that you can use to record with, just connect a cheap mic to the mic input and record. Then if you want to, you can edit these sounds, add effects etc by downloading a free audio editing program. Just search for "free audio editing software" in any search engine. These programs usually allow you to record too but you probably need a fancy soundcard for that."
Play loud (so the microphone can hear it) and just do it. Practice makes perfect, don't expect classic records at first. - Big H
*If multitracking by yourself using a DAW (digital audio workstation, like protools, garageband, blablabla), try to record with a click track to keep a steady pace. it helps so much, especially when you're recording a song with any traditional western time signatures and/or a chorus/verse/bridge structure... because you can simply drop a whole musical phrase (like a verses chord progression) into the song later and it can save you a lot of work without sounding artificial or something.- tralala
*This may seem basic to alot of people, but when you're done with a track, save it in the default file type that your recorder saves in, before you convert. So say you're program saves everything as a .wav, save it thusly. then convert to an mp3 or whatever. in my experience your comp is alot more likely to stop responding during a conversion then during a basic save, and you don't want to lose your track!- tomatoesandradiowires
A2. Digital Multi-Track Recorders
B.Analog
B1. Tape Recorders
B2. Multi-Track Recorders
C.Instruments
C1.Recording drums:
FOUR MICS:
To get a good drum sound with home-recording equipment (as well as limited tracks and microphones), I use a 4-mic recording configuration, micing the snare, kick, and two overheads to get a stereo picture of the cymbols and remaining drums...
- SM57 mic on the snare. I mic it as close as possible to the top head of the snare. Experiment different positions to get different sounds, and in a way so it isn't intrusive to the drummer.
- AKG D112 mic on the kick drum. I mic it 6 inches from the drum; experiment to get different sounds, like a few feet away or even inside the drum itself. Your average SM58 vocal mic also gets a decent sound, as well as a PZM "plate" microphone...
- 2 condencer mics for overheads, I use MXL 2001 condencer mics. I mic them about 4 feet above the drummer, sometimes higher, for ambience. You want to place them so they equaly pick up toms and cymbols since you have no actual toms miced, but most important is to capture the actual drum sound (unless you are trying to achieve something else specificly). Once again, experiment to get what you like... I've also used SM57s and SM58s as overheads to get some good results, although the condencers have a better frequency responce for overhead micing...
* I record this setup onto 4-track, each mic recieving their own track. I mix the kick and snare to the center with the 2 overheads panned hard left and right--that seems to get an accurate stereo picture of the kit. I add a tad bit of high end to the snare for some crack, add a tad of low end to the kick for thump, and remove some high end from the two overheads so it's not too bright. I then mix this down to stereo 2-track into a digital multitrack program (SONAR, ProTools, etc) and overdub at will.
* When mixing, it's genral rule to mix as you see the drums stereophonicly, with kick and snare in the center (because they hold the main rhythm) and everything else spread left and right. Remember that human's generally percieve lower frequencies monophonicly, so bass and kick drums are best panned in the center.
* Don't mic the hi-hat; you will get more than enough signal bleeding from the snare mic and the right overhead mic.
* If you have more that 4 tracks/mics to use, go ahead and mic the toms, try SM57s. Mix them to make an accurate stereo picture of the drums.
If you have less than 4 tracks, you'll have to experiment to capture a good drum sound with two or three mics...
THREE MICS:
Of course, utilize the above tips.
- Try: 1 mic on the kick with two overheads. OR
- Try: 1 mic on kick, 1 on snare, and third as overhead left to capture what the snare mic doesn't.
Experiment to get the sound you like...
* Careful when mixing to not mix tracks hard left, you might get an un-natural drum sound! It's sometimes better to mix in mono or it will sound weird.
TWO MICS:
It's getting harder to get a good drum sound, huh? Utilize the above tips...
- Try 1 mic on kick, 1 as overhead center
* Try moving that sole overhead at different places to get different sounds, like behind drummer, overhead centered or even mounted above kickdrum, staring at drummer.
* Experiment, experiment, experiment! -soniclovenoise
III. Releasing Music
As this progresses, I'll continue to clean it up.
[Edited on 11-12-0606 by thekingisdead]
[Edited on 11-12-0606 by thekingisdead]
[Edited on 11-13-0606 by thekingisdead]
[Edited on 11-13-0606 by thekingisdead]
[Edited on 11-15-0606 by thekingisdead]
Recently there have been a lot of posts inquiring of musical equipment and techniques. Many people who join this forum (including myself) subsequently become interested in making music of their own. I thought it would be a neat idea to compile all the existing townhaller knowledge of creating and recording music into one helpful guide for aspiring townhall musicians. If anyone wants to help, simply post advice, and I'll periodically add it all to the first post. It could be anything, a songwriting or recording technique, a microphone suggestion, a description of an instrument and its uses...anything. Once a significant number of people have posted, I'll compile it into an outline, which can grow and grow with each new personal tip.
(this out line will become more complex, but basically...)
I. Making Music
A. Instruments
*Use unconventional instruments (they're fun!) and don't look at conventional instruments..well..conventionally! You can make some really neat sounds by making slight alterations to your instruments, or just playing them a bit differently. (like by untuning your ukelele, playing it with odd vibrato, then recording it backwards ;))- tomatoesandradiowires
B.Songwriting
*Songwriting (from soniclovenoize) :
NOTE: This little essay pertains to my own personal songwriting. I really dig melodic songs, verse/chorus/verse, Beatles-influenced stuff, so of course my advice is stemming from that whole pop-song genre. Take it or leave it. I'm sure those of you who do not like this tyep of music will loathe my little essay; instead of flaming, just ignore it. To each his own, right? This advice isn't absolute, and I'm sure not everyone needs to heed it...
* Listen to a lot of music... Listen for things you like and you want to emulate. Listen to things you do not like and wish to avoid. If you want to be completely original, listen to what has been done to know room there is to create. Or just listen to music to learn rules, only to break them!
* Songs start as seeds that need to be harvested and grown. Sometimes they start as a stray melody that needs to be expounded on. I write many songs like that, coming up with an abstract lyirc and a melody...
"Cellophane feelin from a 7am ceilin / And it's only ours to keep"
I wrote that and it meant nothing (at first). So the next step is to find out what it means... I interpret 'Cellophane feelin' as the feeling you get when you first wake up in the morning and you are too comfy to get up, maybe in a fetal postion, and all you want to look at is just the ceiling, laying in your bed. That's what I thought the line meant, and so you expound on it...
"Detroit's callin back the San Francisco pollen / Christ I gotta get some sleep"
That's one way I write songs, creating an abstract thought, finding my own unintentional meaning, then expounding it into more abstract that can be later re-interpreted by the listener.
* Find a song you like, and dissect it. What makes it a hit, what makes it good? The learn from it! For example, let's take a look at a song I'm sure we all know, "Say it Ain't So" by Weezer.
- Note the song follows a basic 4-chord progression (C#m G# A E), played both the verse and chorus, the difference between the two is dynamics (soft verse/rockin chorus, what we will call "The Pixies Dynamic"). Many modern pop songs follow this formula (The Pixies Dynamic), and it's a sure-fire way to make a hit. But take note that although the chord progression stays the same, the melody completely changes. So there's a lesson: if you have a song with the same progressions in the verse/chorus, utilize two seperate melodies, preferbly the more hooky of the two as a chorus
- Note the first words of the chorus "Say it ain't so..." Another lesson: if you ever get stuck for a killer chorus, find an age-old saying "Say it ain't so, Joe!" and embed it into the lyrics of the chorus. Make it a catch-phrase.
- Although the verse and chgorus are the same, there is what we call a middle-eight stuck in the middle of the song to break the monotony of the same 4 chords. So if you're writing a song like this, be sure to shake it up a bit and toss in a new element to the structure...
* Yeah, I know, kinda hokey to dissect a Weezer song, huh? Move on to a Beatles song like "We Can Work It Out" or "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away". Take a look at the melody and where it goes ontop of the chord progression, as well as the structure.
* Watch out for obvious rhymes! An example:
"All the pain you brought to me
But untill the day _______"
What's the next line? it was "you see". Pretty obvious, huh? That's the point: been there, done that. Why write predictable songs? So next time you are writing some song, stop youself before finishing a line: can I think of another word to communicate this that isn't "you" and "too"? Would that improve the song? Would that allow me to go into a completely new direction with the following line, that I didn't even think of going before?
II. Recording Music
A.Digital
A1. Recording to Computer
* "In most PC's and Mac's there's a simple recording device that you can use to record with, just connect a cheap mic to the mic input and record. Then if you want to, you can edit these sounds, add effects etc by downloading a free audio editing program. Just search for "free audio editing software" in any search engine. These programs usually allow you to record too but you probably need a fancy soundcard for that."
Play loud (so the microphone can hear it) and just do it. Practice makes perfect, don't expect classic records at first. - Big H
*If multitracking by yourself using a DAW (digital audio workstation, like protools, garageband, blablabla), try to record with a click track to keep a steady pace. it helps so much, especially when you're recording a song with any traditional western time signatures and/or a chorus/verse/bridge structure... because you can simply drop a whole musical phrase (like a verses chord progression) into the song later and it can save you a lot of work without sounding artificial or something.- tralala
*This may seem basic to alot of people, but when you're done with a track, save it in the default file type that your recorder saves in, before you convert. So say you're program saves everything as a .wav, save it thusly. then convert to an mp3 or whatever. in my experience your comp is alot more likely to stop responding during a conversion then during a basic save, and you don't want to lose your track!- tomatoesandradiowires
A2. Digital Multi-Track Recorders
B.Analog
B1. Tape Recorders
B2. Multi-Track Recorders
C.Instruments
C1.Recording drums:
FOUR MICS:
To get a good drum sound with home-recording equipment (as well as limited tracks and microphones), I use a 4-mic recording configuration, micing the snare, kick, and two overheads to get a stereo picture of the cymbols and remaining drums...
- SM57 mic on the snare. I mic it as close as possible to the top head of the snare. Experiment different positions to get different sounds, and in a way so it isn't intrusive to the drummer.
- AKG D112 mic on the kick drum. I mic it 6 inches from the drum; experiment to get different sounds, like a few feet away or even inside the drum itself. Your average SM58 vocal mic also gets a decent sound, as well as a PZM "plate" microphone...
- 2 condencer mics for overheads, I use MXL 2001 condencer mics. I mic them about 4 feet above the drummer, sometimes higher, for ambience. You want to place them so they equaly pick up toms and cymbols since you have no actual toms miced, but most important is to capture the actual drum sound (unless you are trying to achieve something else specificly). Once again, experiment to get what you like... I've also used SM57s and SM58s as overheads to get some good results, although the condencers have a better frequency responce for overhead micing...
* I record this setup onto 4-track, each mic recieving their own track. I mix the kick and snare to the center with the 2 overheads panned hard left and right--that seems to get an accurate stereo picture of the kit. I add a tad bit of high end to the snare for some crack, add a tad of low end to the kick for thump, and remove some high end from the two overheads so it's not too bright. I then mix this down to stereo 2-track into a digital multitrack program (SONAR, ProTools, etc) and overdub at will.
* When mixing, it's genral rule to mix as you see the drums stereophonicly, with kick and snare in the center (because they hold the main rhythm) and everything else spread left and right. Remember that human's generally percieve lower frequencies monophonicly, so bass and kick drums are best panned in the center.
* Don't mic the hi-hat; you will get more than enough signal bleeding from the snare mic and the right overhead mic.
* If you have more that 4 tracks/mics to use, go ahead and mic the toms, try SM57s. Mix them to make an accurate stereo picture of the drums.
If you have less than 4 tracks, you'll have to experiment to capture a good drum sound with two or three mics...
THREE MICS:
Of course, utilize the above tips.
- Try: 1 mic on the kick with two overheads. OR
- Try: 1 mic on kick, 1 on snare, and third as overhead left to capture what the snare mic doesn't.
Experiment to get the sound you like...
* Careful when mixing to not mix tracks hard left, you might get an un-natural drum sound! It's sometimes better to mix in mono or it will sound weird.
TWO MICS:
It's getting harder to get a good drum sound, huh? Utilize the above tips...
- Try 1 mic on kick, 1 as overhead center
* Try moving that sole overhead at different places to get different sounds, like behind drummer, overhead centered or even mounted above kickdrum, staring at drummer.
* Experiment, experiment, experiment! -soniclovenoise
III. Releasing Music
As this progresses, I'll continue to clean it up.
[Edited on 11-12-0606 by thekingisdead]
[Edited on 11-12-0606 by thekingisdead]
[Edited on 11-13-0606 by thekingisdead]
[Edited on 11-13-0606 by thekingisdead]
[Edited on 11-15-0606 by thekingisdead]