Calling all Musicians, show off your compositions and covers here.Music 

  • Thread starter Skython
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Slashfan
I find that surprising. Maybe it comes naturally to me then. I'm shy about it though.
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I don't. Think about it, it can take quite a long time to really find your singing voice. I'm still finding new areas of my voice that I didn't know I had, like yesterday I found another technique for my head voice, but I didn't really like the tone, so I just left it. And these techniques for using the voice have never really been used as frequently as talking voice.

I would say you are using a talking voice to sing, it is possible to do that. And because the talking voice is naturally developed as talking is just nature, it is able to keep a note for longer than the singing voice which has only been found in recent years. If that makes sense. I know what I mean.


PeterJB
I have bunch of orchestral stuff on my Soundcloud, but it's all MP3s from Sibelius Software, because unsurprisingly, finding orchestras willing to play your stuff is quite difficult.

https://soundcloud.com/peterjb1

I did get one piece sight-read by a local orchestra, which explains all the mistakes:

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Ooooh! I love orchestral stuff! :D There's no problem with using Sibelius, I use similar programs to make all my music. And all I can say, is that while I do occasionally make sort of orchestral stuff... I can't do THAT! My more complicated music can sometimes get big, but not quite as big as what you have here. 👍 I better just stick to my prog metal/hard rock roots, with cheap string ensembles sitting behind it a bit. A con of being a self taught writer. Well, if I ever decide that I need an orchestra properly pushing a song, I'm going to blackmail you to do it see if you can do it.
 
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Skython
I don't. Think about it, it can take quite a long time to really find your singing voice. I'm still finding new areas of my voice that I didn't know I had, like yesterday I found another technique for my head voice, but I didn't really like the tone, so I just left it. And these techniques for using the voice have never really been used as frequently as talking voice.

I would say you are using a talking voice to sing, it is possible to do that. And because the talking voice is naturally developed as talking is just nature, it is able to keep a note for longer than the singing voice which has only been found in recent years. If that makes sense. I know what I mean.
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I get what you are saying, but this is through a mic belting it out as hard as I can.

Interesting though, I must say.
 
Slashfan
I get what you are saying, but this is through a mic belting it out as hard as I can.
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Yeah, and talking voice can belt out quite hard. I've experimented with it, and it's damn loud. :lol: Talking voice for me lasts will last 20 seconds or so at full volume.
 
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Got a little something. Just a test track, and the first track actually with the new Focusrite setup. Considering I didn't use a preamp, I thought the bass sounded pretty good. Normally I would have liked to go through my Demeter pre, but again...this was really just a test to make sure everything was working as expected.

Thought the groove sounded pretty decent for what it is so here it is. :)

[Morning Edit]
Ok so....it sounded better last night when I was half asleep than it did this morning.... :lol:

Ok, Forget all that... It was trash so I deleted it. :)
 
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Quick vocal cover of Working Class Hero with my new microphone (Peavey PVi 100). Its not brilliant however it was just a quick recording.

 
Pako, your stuff is awesome! Keep the spam coming!

I'd contribute more but college leaves little room for me to do side things. I am currently working on a HUGE multitrack (39 parts, 7 minutes) though and I will definitely post that here when it's done.
 
Bigbazz
It's a shame you can't embed Soundcloud on forums yet (it works on facebook etc).

https://soundcloud.com/bluelightride/blue-light-ride-define-freedom

This is a song my band recorded a few months back, I play guitar and also did the recording/production.
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Totally not my kind of music, but i really dig this song.
Nice solo parts, catchy chorusline, and i liked the apreggios played on the synth-keyboard.
Took me right back to the 80's!
Btw,Nice editing. which software did you use?
 
DonJo76
Totally not my kind of music, but i really dig this song.
Nice solo parts, catchy chorusline, and i liked the apreggios played on the synth-keyboard.
Took me right back to the 80's!
Btw,Nice editing. which software did you use?
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Cheers! It's all recorded, edited and mixed with Cubase 5, mastering too.
 
Bigbazz
Cheers! It's all recorded, edited and mixed with Cubase 5, mastering too.
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Nice man, ive quitted my band 2 years ago, and did the recordings with ableton live.
At the moment im writing new songs and use ableton with reason as a rewire host.
So if im correct, your the leadguitarist?
Did you see the "all gtp musicians collaborate thread"?
 
DonJo76
Nice man, ive quitted my band 2 years ago, and did the recordings with ableton live.
At the moment im writing new songs and use ableton with reason as a rewire host.
So if im correct, your the leadguitarist?
Did you see the "all gtp musicians collaborate thread"?
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I've been in bands for over 10 years now. Started taking it serious in 2005 and did a lot of touring between then and 2008, still just as serious from then onwards but less touring (none at all infact in the last 3 years). Though we're looking to see that change this year, some friends from the good old days are touring Europe (a mate of mine was touring with Duff from Guns N' Roses last summer!)... And I'm stuck in Wales, let's see what 2014 brings!

But to the point, on that above song the first solo would be mine, the 2nd from our other guitarist. We're both fairly accomplished and don't really have a "lead/rhythm" guitarist, rather we both just play guitar, we discuss to decide who gets to play the lead on each song, but since I also sing that can be dictated simply by that!


I've not tried Ableton, dabbled with a bit of Logic (apple exclusive) while in University, and have used Pro-Tools at bigger studios but I've always been a Cubase fan myself. I started out on Cubase 4, then Cubase SX, then to Cubase SX3 and finally upgraded to Cubase 5. Tried the newer versions but haven't seen a reason to upgrade yet (they're not cheap either!).

I saw the thread, I haven't really thought about it. When I do play music I'm usually working on my own stuff, I have an albums worth of music in progress (80% progress) at the moment!



Edit : Unrelated, but found my personal soundcloud (haven't used it in nearly a year). Country style cover - It's a song from a movie about country music with Gwyneth Paltrow, though I probably got some of the lyrics wrong, recorded from memory! All vocals/drums/guitar done by me, nowhere near the production/performance level I put into my band songs though, pretty rough infact!
 
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Good grief :eek: - I have to admit, when it first started, I wasn't sure it would be my cup of tea, but it quickly turns into something really exceptional. Amazing piece of work, and there are some absolutely sublime moments, not to mention a tremendous amount of work and brilliant musicianship. My favourite parts are probably the more sombre parts around the 2 minute mark - the chord change at ~2.17 is beautifully done.
 
Some awkward clipping at times, but that's irrelevant. A roller-coaster of a composition. Some nice buildup in about the 2nd quarter, and I really like the massive sound it holds. Love the different sections. The last minute or so would have to be my favourite section, well done. 👍
 
I really enjoyed the above piece from Driving Park, I think it could do with (and deserves) a little more work production wise but as a musical piece it was awesome, some of the mood changes and the arrangement of the parts really stand out and give you the "feels" so to speak. In some ways it reminded me of The Beatles, for some reason. I genuinely enjoyed it, which is more than I can say for most music I happen to listen to these days.

Unrelated, looking through my old ramblings and song ideas I noticed a song I had uploaded. I remember when I wrote/recorded it, I was feeling "Sting/The Police" vibe and was jamming out the chords and feeling the rhythm. I recorded it all down in 1 take (guitars, bass and vocals.. programmed the drums). No mixing or production.

https://soundcloud.com/ryanvickerybluelightride/its-raining-so-i-recorded-a

I remember liking the guitar and bass sound. A 76 Fender P-bass (that needs a lot of work as the frets are all raised and it buzzes a lot) and a frankenstrat built out of cheap parts (2 old Squiers, body from one and neck from another). I have too many Strats, even though I say that, I do want another!

Never did make a song out of it or explore it further than the above jam.
 
Thanks a lot guys, I really appreciate it! :cheers: Recording huge projects like this one is a labor of love and a pretty massive undertaking, so any positive feedback means a lot.

@Touring Mars: I'm glad that the beginning didn't put you off, as I deliberately wrote the beginning to sound like a cheesy brass quintet version of Sleigh Ride. Obviously it quickly changes into something much bigger than that (5 to 39 parts in a matter of seconds), but I hoped that people wouldn't stop listening after hearing the opening. :P The whole piece was arranged to be over the top in every possible way and I think it succeeded in that regard. That chord change you mentioned at 2:17 is one of my favorite parts of the piece - that minor to major slide occurs twice (the other being at the end when the minor Carol of the Bells finally resolves to the major Polar Express and final push to the end).

Re: the clipping/general production: that is a result of two factors: 1) although I can make my way around Audacity, I am no audio engineer and about all I know how to do is pan the mono tracks to sound stereo and adjust the dB of each track to compensate for balance issues, and 2) I recorded it in a bedroom. Not exactly the best studio environment. :P
 
I think with some careful use of compression, EQ, perhaps some careful experimentation with reverbs to add a little space and then a closer look at the panning, before then mastering pretty raw (but with those clipping issues resolved) it could really come alive.

You want those lows to really feel low and the highs to breathe, the mids really assault your ears (and that isn't bad, it's normal) but a few tweaks could have them sounding sweeter, the whole thing would sound massive then when the frequencies have more room to breathe around each other, and it would flow more, the intricacies would be more noticeable. I found at times they were fighting with each other and it's really only small tweaks here or there that can make a nice difference.

The thing with production is that it's really an art of its own, the thing I both like and dislike about working on other peoples music is that you're basically putting your artistic impression or view on their music. Two people will never mix something the same way. The way you have it now is really raw, and maybe that's a good thing (aside from the clipping!).
 
Yeah, I know it's raw. Each individual track (there are hundreds of tracks in the Audacity file) usually stays well below clipping territory but when combined they clip. When I opened the exported .wav back in Audacity, a large part of it was significantly clipped, even though each track wasn't. In terms of fighting each other the part where there are four solos occurring at the same time is a pretty obvious example to me. I recorded a complete jazz Sleigh Ride refrain first with every other part (35 parts) and then put the 4 solos on top and in order to make the solos audible it also resulted in the accompaniment being almost completely lost. You can't hear even a smidgen of the 8-part harmonized melody.

One day I will a) learn how to use the Studio One program that came with my audio interface and b) really learn how to mix, because I'm nearly clueless when it comes to that. I know what the terms mean but I don't know how to use them.

I panned the parts by drawing a diagram of the instrumentation as if it was an actual physical ensemble arranged in rows, configuring it the way it would logically be set up in real life and then panning the parts based on their positions.
 
I'm guessing your interface is a Presonus then? I have 2x Presonus Firestudio interfaces setup, and they both came with a copy of that Studio-One, not tried it myself.

The basics of mixing are first to think of the EQ as a spectrum where your instruments sit. Now within that spectrum you look at it that you can only fit in so much without losing information. So you start to listen to pieces and group them into catagories (you can take this further and analyse the exact dominant frequencies). I personally look at this like

Low sounds
Mid sounds
High sounds

At the very basic level. So for example I know that my guitar is dominant mainly in the mids, lets say for example from 400hz up to 4khz (which should be easy to pick out on an EQ). So I know that frequencies outside of that band are less important, so I can perhaps afford to pull away some of the low end below 400hz and some of the higher end above 4khz. As I pull that away (reduce the DB at that point in the EQ) I then create space for other instruments that may sit more dominant in those frequency ranges. Now the compromise then is about finding out how much you can afford to pull away without it having a negative impact on the sound, the idea is to mold the sound so that it will fit in better with others around it. Subtle changes can often make the world of difference in the overall picture.


0099_steinberg_cubase.jpg


The above is an example I pulled from Google (it is Cubase, the program I use). As you can see this is a vocal track and as is very common the bottom end has been completely pulled out of the EQ. Now in terms of actual audible sound these frequencies are not important for the average vocal track, you probably would not notice/hear them much, but removing them will give the effect of cleaning up the sound and adding clarity to not only the vocal track but the rest of the mix. This person has then boosted the frequencies at 250hz to emphasise that part of the voice (a pretty low but much more audible frequency), and again boosted it up at around 7-8khz to add some top end clarity.

Ideally you want to try to remove the unnecessary rather than add to compensate. There are no hard rules and you will learn to shape the sounds based on preference and experience, but the general beginner mistake is that they start to just start boosting frequencies. What you really want to do with EQ in an ideal world is to simply take small steps to removing frequencies just to allow different parts to slot in together.

With a little practice it will become a lot more natural, you will find your recordings will breath a lot more and I'm certain you will be a lot more confident with production.
 
Here's one hot off the press...

Wrote the tune last night and wrote the lyric about 2 hours ago... recorded the main track as guitar and vocal together and overdubbed it with two harmony vocal tracks, one with a bit of additional guitar... it's very basic/stripped down, but I'm trying to keep it simple.

https://soundcloud.com/atlascedar/a-time-with-you-cheltenham
 
Bigbazz
I'm guessing your interface is a Presonus then? I have 2x Presonus Firestudio interfaces setup, and they both came with a copy of that Studio-One, not tried it myself.
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Yeah, it's a PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL. 2 mic inputs and it works pretty well.

That EQ stuff will for sure come in handy someday...I just need to have enough time to sit down and figure it out. Working with up to seven different brass instruments with distinctly different sounds and volumes doesn't make it any easier.
 
Driving Park
Yeah, it's a PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL. 2 mic inputs and it works pretty well.

That EQ stuff will for sure come in handy someday...I just need to have enough time to sit down and figure it out. Working with up to seven different brass instruments with distinctly different sounds and volumes doesn't make it any easier.
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It all comes with just diving in, you'd be surprised how fast you can see results, you could have a breakthrough within 5mins of trying it, it's pretty intuitive to a skilled musician once you get stuck in. With your piece above It may look like you're mixing a lot but it's not that uncommon. Most of my work is done with a typical band, but looking at my personal work as an example.

Drumkit : Bass drum , 3x toms, snare drum, 3-6 cymbals. The bassdrum and snare often are actually 2 different bass drums and snares layered on top of each other to create a blend of the 2 sounds.

Vocals : I've had whole choir's worth of vocals (24 + tracks) alongside main solo lines, it's pretty common for me to be working with 5+ vocal tracks at any one point (harmonies, double tracking, interlacing parts etc), and in the more extreme situations a lot more.

Guitars : Typically between 4-10 guitar tracks. Many double tracks, but often with lead over rhythm or polyrhythmic interlacing parts, sometimes just your basic harmonies. Sometimes you will blend different sounds to create one sound. For example I may play a part with 1 guitar + amp using a certain technique, but then to create the desired sound I will layer it with another guitar/amp sound using a different technique (for example, a very soft and subtle playing to bring out lower resonance or upper harmonics, a smooth sound underneath a generic playing of the same part). The final product will sound like it's just 1 instrument played, but it will be not possible to reproduce. It's often the case I've had people say "what amp do you use, how do you get it to sound like that"... Layering and studio trickery!

Bass Guitar : Usually just the one track, but not always.. sometimes it will be blended with an orchestra double bass sound, or even just a basic synth.

Synths : Anything between 1-10 (or more in some cases) synth instruments at one time.

And sometimes you will want seperate sounds for different things at different times. I've mixed projects with over 150 audio tracks, just blending multiple tracks and effects to create certain sounds. Things can get pretty crazy at times when you're recording and the more you delve into it the more it really opens up.


You mention the different volumes and those aspects are really important to get right with those type of recordings, infact I'd say getting the dynamics right is more difficult than the EQ and many other aspects. Using compression can help but it can be just as much a hinderance. Used carefully though it could turn your recording into something huge, and that is probably why it is so overused in modern music... I'm guilty of it myself.


Anyway, enough rambling from me! I thought your piece was awesome mate, listened to it a few times!

Touring Mars
Here's one hot off the press...

Wrote the tune last night and wrote the lyric about 2 hours ago... recorded the main track as guitar and vocal together and overdubbed it with two harmony vocal tracks, one with a bit of additional guitar... it's very basic/stripped down, but I'm trying to keep it simple.

https://soundcloud.com/atlascedar/a-time-with-you-cheltenham
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Lovely acoustic guitar sound, and you have a great voice. I don't listen to much folk music but that was really well done. I've a Faith Venus acoustic, never did get much of a good recorded tone from it, but I love it as a social gathering pick up and play guitar. If there was one aspect of my playing I would like to work on then it would be my acoustic guitar technique, to get the dynamics and expression of playing more up to scratch. I always feel I'm a bit of a shoddy player on the acoustic and perhaps that's why my guitar doesn't so good.
 
Hey man, I really appreciate the rambling! When I have some time to sit down and dive in as you say, I'll absolutely do so. I'm assuming Studio One will be sufficiently powerful enough to do some of that EQing.

@Touring Mars: love your track! Very smooth, and I like the simplicity.
 
Looking forward to giving this awesome thread to which I'm now subscribed a proper listen! Great work Bigbazz, Driving Park, and Touring Mars. Very fun, distinct, and diverse!

I've been sonically doodling for the past few years myself. I've written lyrics and music casually over the years since I was a kid but it wasn't until I bought my first Mac in 2005 with garageband that I started actively recording.
Now I use Logic Pro & Audacity with an Akai MPK49, Volca Beats, and a Korg microkey.
And I'm still learning as I go...

Here's some of my music: Bandcamp - Soundcloud - Reverbnation
 
Tried something a bit different today, and wrote a new (albeit depressing as all hell) new song...

https://soundcloud.com/atlascedar/took-your-heart

Tried to get a decent electric guitar sound using my acoustic and a distortion effect in Guitar Rig 5.

Added a couple of lead guitar parts to it - the net effect is a bit rough and noisy, but it's supposed to me something a little less folky, as pretty much everything I've done up until this point could be classed as folk :ill:

I might add some drums at some point, but I'll probably not spend much more time on it, since it was a spur-of-the-moment improvisation.

edit:

Added drums, bass and a synth pad...

https://soundcloud.com/atlascedar/he-took-your-heart-from-me-1
 
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