Forum Activity for @betterledproductions

Mastering - where to get it down and how much to pay

General Producer Chat

How much to pay? What that producer charges...

Producing yourself? Well... that works IF you have had thousands of hours producing others. Then and ONLY then are you able to separate ego from intention. Critical listening skills come after years of immersion, focus and intention. And, even then... you better walk away and do something else... THEN come back with fresh ears. Go listen to what you love, and forget for a few. Then get back to work and LISTEN.

As a "corporate" guy, I've mastered everything from vocalists and music to jingles and parody songs to commercials for broadcast. For years I was the 'last line of defense' before it hits the air. And if a mistake hits the air, it doesn't matter why or how or anything. The ONLY thing that matters is a mistake was broadcast... and that's even an out-of-date :07 second liner. A mistake broadcast to the public, no matter how minor, is a mistake that can get you fired.

I was fired once in my ENTIRE broadcast career... ONCE... and exactly for such a simple mistake. So, even getting that experience is fraught with difficulty. I know other DJ/Host/Producers that were fired a dozen times or more... 

Find a producer that both likes your sound, and you like their style (based on other work). Hire that person and pay them what they charge. Don't hire a rando hoe, that will care like.... meh.... just because they charge ___, high or low. Hire someone that cares about YOU or YOUR journey, and is willing to help that along.  That is worth your money... whatever the cost. 

AND... IF I MAY VOLUNTEER... @robjones has the experience and the skill to do work like that. How much he would charge, OR if he could even take on the role... no idea. I'm just saying he has the ear, skill and patience (he deals with us right?) to take an artist in a direction... if that's the direction you want to go???? No idea. 

Yes, it's hard to find the right producer. 

PC performance of Rob

General Producer Chat

No, you are totally right. RAM is a leading factor! 

Honestly, I did go to 64 gig a few months ago... forgot about that. But you are exactly right.

But, when pushing your PC to it's very limit though... matching the transfer speed of the motherboard buffer, with the processor buffer (L2 cache?) to the RAM buffer speed makes for a stable system that rarely chokes. 

Beginner question related to mastering

General Producer Chat

Don't think of it as volume... it's actually balance and placement within the mix. By balance I'm including both the level of the sound and it's placement within the stereo mix AND how it balances with the other sounds. IZotope can help with that in certain settings. The "assistant" in Ozone software is very helpful, especially when you apply reference tracks. 

Also... get your science nerd on. Understand how a sound wave is formed AND more importantly how they can affect or cancel each other out. Lots of awesome stuff out on that.

But, yes it seems you have IZotope processing itself. Study each element of IZotope software through their tutorials. They are awesome. And those can explain the different elements of IZotope software and how they work together SOMETIMES... not all the time. You are only going to use what you need on each channel. 

And some final compression on the master track... all you need IF you have your settings right on the sub tracks and aux. 

You want to use the fewest plugins possible on each track, while reaching the best mix... unless you have a supercomputer. Or an I9 with 64 gig ram and multiple 300 Mbps transfer-rate storage on a lightning fast motherboard.

But, really it's all about understanding IZotope software in this instance. It's become an industry standard over the last 3-4 years for a reason. But it's still necessary to understand the individual elements, and how they function together, to get the best mix possible.

updated by @betterledproductions: 03/22/23 08:05:56AM

Looking to buy a controller

General Producer Chat

Would love to hear your opinion on the Era Touch videos... and just buy a JAM. Prowl the music resellers, especially the ones in your area that you can walk into... like a pawn shop that doesn't know shit about music.

I even emailed board members of the company that owns NI... I wantsssssss ahhhh new JAM, I do.... preciousssss... we mussssst HAVE it.... precious..... 

Also Massive X frustrations...

DAW or Software Questions

So, I was trying to replicate a lightsaber/photon sword in Massive X. I was hoping it would be easier than this... but I guess I'm not understanding where the options are that give me the right two sound basis of the hum and the buzz.

Can anyone point me towards a preset I can download that helps me get started along the right path? This seems insane now... so difficult to get the right combination. 

OR should I say, F-it and get a real synth... and what type?

Can anyone help?

updated by @betterledproductions: 03/22/23 07:36:36AM

PC performance of Rob

General Producer Chat

I built a custom PC for my production needs (audio and video). Because of heat, I run a large tower outside my closet studio and run the cables in. 

The #1 thing that Apple gets right in my opinion, I match in my design. That key is the buffer speeds of the motherboard, processor cache, and my RAM all match. Generally, mass produced PC's drop the ball in one of those areas, which creates a backup in the buffer which causes the computer to CHOKE now and again, and empty the buffer. The high-end Macs built for production also match speed, allowing for the lowest latency. 

I have a Intel I9-9900, 32 gig of RAM, two SSD drives with 300 Mbps transfer rate, all on... and this is super important... the BEST and most recent ASUS motherboard I could afford. When you match the speeds of RAM and Processor buffer to the motherboard you choose, you create the most powerful PC possible. Do this and you will have a rock solid system that will rarely choke, if ever.

Or buy a Mac. As for me... I even hate Iphones... so yes I am biased.

updated by @betterledproductions: 03/16/23 07:56:43PM

Looking to buy a controller

General Producer Chat

MASCHINE JAM changed me. And... it's gone now. Used models are available. Been thinking about a backup... the touchstrips allow for such a variable and expressive control, while allowing you to decide the notes or chord structures to play within (and eliminating notes you don't want so you don't hit a wrong note). Life-changing for someone who struggles with guitar, and mediocre on a piano.  

But, the Era Touch by Embodme (or some such) is absolutely the bad'st MF-er I have ever seen. OMG I can't afford it now, but I will own one as soon as I can. It's not just one controller... it's every controller you want, in a customizable and 100% touch/velocity sensitive surface that responds to hands, drumsticks, empty paper towel roll... amazing. Need it. 

Summer Challenge 2022 - Sound Design

Announcements

I think I got it now. nevermind.

What's your top 10 Albums?

General Producer Chat

[quote="simon unsigned"]


So here goes, in no particular order...

Massive Attack - Blue Lines
The KLF - Chill Out
Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back
Seal - Seal
Jean-Michel Jarre - Oxygene
Phil Collins - Face Value
Royksopp - Melody AM
Moby - Play
Kraftwerk - Man Machine
Air - Moon Safari


Would be really interesting to see other people's top 10s...
[/quote]

WOW, hysterical that I agree on several points. I had so many remixes of Seal's first album. Some great early tracks, great sampling (I can hear a HIGHLANDER sample in one track). And Face Value was a very important album from a songwriting perspective and a drum perspective... Droned/Hand in Hand is still one of the best modern drum performances live or in studio. Public Enemy is also awesome.

But, I have to say

Digital Underground - Sex Packets (early Tupac!)
OutKast - Stankonia AND Speakerboxxx/Love Below
Heart - HEART
Amy WInehouse - AMY (first release, import only in US)
Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room
Julia Fordham - Porcelain AND Concrete Love.

And I gotta add Beastie Boys (pick something, "Anything!!" "Kick it!!")

But I know those last three women are gonna be lost on quite a few here...
Yes, Amy was more talented at 18 than most of us are our whole lives.
Diana is the single best jazz pianist in the world... I'm not kidding. And if her and Costello's kids aren't prodigies... should be a Mozart
And Julia Forham is one of the greatest songwriters ever... in addition to a 4 octave range that will make you think it's all post production until you realize she was doing that in the 80s before the post- software existed to make you sound that full and rich electronically.

I am now off my soapbox and going to walk away... just walk away....

OMG HOW DID I FORGET... The Roots. Phrenology. OMG.... mic drop

updated by @betterledproductions: 09/13/22 12:28:35AM

Music Software from the 2000s

General Producer Chat

Wow... that brings me back. I had a Trash-80 and did some really cheesy lines to draw KITT from Knight Rider. But I couldn't spell polyphony then. And it was basically using basic... 10 PLAY SOUND*11, 8, THEN GOTO 20 as in actual basic. Totally unhelpful, but funny. It took INFORMATION SOCIETY to make me believe electronic music could actually be cool and I wasn't a total idiot for wanting a CASIO keyboard. I would also buy toy SFX generators, sound wands, things I still wish I had now that I could sample them.
The Knight Rider Theme sounds REALLY bad with just one note and not a chord.

THIS is one of the BEST I ever had and wish I still had it. I could make helicopter sounds and record radio war dramas into a cassette recorder. THIS IS AWESOME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aev1WMvhf98
updated by @betterledproductions: 09/12/22 11:58:50PM