POST YOUR RECORDINGS HERE! (not just for amateurs - also for labels/websites!)

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I went to college with the guitarist of this band. He is a brilliant musician, and plays a ton of instruments. Didn't know him personally, just knew he was one of like the THREE metalheads in the whole damn school (other than myself). :)

Recently found his band. They are a progressive metal band along the lines of Dream Theatre, Symphony X, ect.

Some very well done stuff. Not super-heavy, obvious classical influences.

http://www.myspace.com/suspyre
 
New tracks up on my profile (MySpace - link below)

"Higher Learning"
"Amphetamine Psychosis"

Collab. with The Day Laborers coming soon (album drops in June)
 
^the transfers from one area of the song to the next are kind of sharp, but other than that it is totally kick ass... i'm just starting to get into computer recording/sampling/software synths and shit. I am completely blown away by what can be accomplished with a lot of ease if you have a little know how on how to use the programs/tools and have a musical ear...

I'm getting a new entry level keyboard soon....a Roland Juno-D and i was thinking of getting a microkorg as well. Other than that i was thinking of saving up like 2grand to get a REALLY nice synth/workstation keyboard like the Roland V-synth..but i'm starting to think that getting a decent keyboard/midi controller with USB connection and using it with software synths is far better and a far cheaper route....for what i can do. Can you confirm this? Do you know enough about hardware vs. software synths to give me the heads up on this?

P.S... I never really got into Perfect Circle or even Tool...but my best friend did...i'm not very familiar with those songs...i bet i've heard them before...but listening to your remix was awesome...a complete release....and I'm doing a hardcore ayahuasca trip tomorro so this really helped melt away the bullshit from the workday today.
Thx man!
 
heya,

thanks heaps dude :) i was aiming for really choppy transitions because it's mean to be quite harsh and digital.

'm getting a new entry level keyboard soon....a Roland Juno-D and i was thinking of getting a microkorg as well. Other than that i was thinking of saving up like 2grand to get a REALLY nice synth/workstation keyboard like the Roland V-synth..but i'm starting to think that getting a decent keyboard/midi controller with USB connection and using it with software synths is far better and a far cheaper route....for what i can do. Can you confirm this? Do you know enough about hardware vs. software synths to give me the heads up on this?
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wow man, i want your job ;)

basically there is almost nothing that softsynths can't do now. some hardcore audiophiles reckon that hardware still has some extra 'warmth'... but really the only discernible difference is that a hardware synth won't put any strain on your CPU.

the quality of VSTi plugins these days is absolutely awesome. there are some incredible beasts out there if you have the cash....

like the Native Instruments FM7, a 7 operator frequency modulation synth. it's just immense, it scares me, but it sounds incredible; big jangly clashing metallic resonant awesomeness.

fm7.jpg


or absynth3, which is also complicated as fuck to an unedumacated producer like me but is capable of wicked sounds...

absynth.jpg


if money were no object, and i really wanted to get into synthesis, i'd by a Nord Modular G2. it's a hardware nord synth but you can take apart the modules inside it virtually using a software interface and reprogram it... the possibilities are endless, it's a crazy piece of gear.

other biggies include Native Instruments Reaktor which is a huge synth building plugin, or the z3ta, Vanguard, Albino, etc. etc. etc. if you've got money to spend (or, ahem, no moral objections to warez) there are loads of really high-quality plugins.

but then there are also lots of incredible free synths... like Crystal, or Analogue Warfare, or Motion 2.8 for example. there are literally thousands and they keep getting better.

Do you know enough about hardware vs. software synths to give me the heads up on this?
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well, i haven't bought a synth yet man... so i might not be best to advise you :) however i think it depends what you're going to use it for, and where you're coming from. if you have little or no experience with synthesis as a concept then maybe it would be best to start off with softsynths until you get a feel for what you want out of your hardware. all the big synths - Nord, Access, Korg, Roland etc. - are high quality but they will all offer different sounds, different architecture, and a different way of carrying out their sonic duty. you need to figure out what you want from an instrument before dropping a coupla grand on something so special!

so here's what i think: getting a good midi controller is going to be LOADS cheaper. i'd recommend it at first because you can use it to control everything inside your sequencing environment, you can play drumkits and softsynths and change parameters on FX plugins, plus if you find a rackmounted synth (without keys) for cheap on ebay you can use it no probs. what i would recommend is noting down your specs, going to a proper music shop, and chatting with staff there. have a look, a feel, a play - check out the options and decide what you feel most comfortable with.

for what it's worth i made my album using only free synths and a mouse :) but i bought a midi controller for live gigs and it's changed the way i write music. i'm also using it to learn about synthesis before i splash out on a big synth :)
 
I am all about the software synths myself too. Get a good midi controller dex. You will be able to always load new soft synths up and use them. It is like being able to keep getting new synths, without taking up so much space in yur apartment. I have been digging this one Swarmsynth. Wicked potential.
 
Thx a lot Dr. Suess. SHIT THAT WAS HELPFUL, and exactly what i needed to hear! Yeah, i finally came up with that thread response as i was about to buy a Roland V synth but then i came across a good selection of midi controllers in Prosound cataloge and i was thinking........shit, i would probably save a lot more money and be able to get a lot more synths if i went virtual....and a good midicontroller will have all the hardware controllers you need times ten then the best midi workstation for way cheaper. The 2 things that no software synth has that i am aware of is Roland's D-beam and their awesome 4 way globam specturm..it's like a circle with a crosshair going through it...4 sounds (of a HUGE number of seperate midi wavs can be added to each 4) and then you can mix and match those created sounds in real time 1, 2, 3, or 4 at a time and move your finger ever which wave across the quadrant to create a mesh of sound, while playing the keyboard! And of course you can create an basically infinitely complex loop of sound and apply it to one single key so if it's something really crazy, you can focus all your attention on moving your finger across the quadrant, instead of playing the keyboard.) The V-synth comes with a really fucking awesome rackmount synth that is even better than then v-synth itself. lol.... minus the keyboard though. It has a nize sized full color LCD touch screen display...it's really fucking cool. It sucks though that you have to buy the rack mount to get a number of features that don't come with the standard v-synth.)
I reccomend going to Roland's website and watching the video demos of it if you don't know what it's all about.
There are of course a bunch of other synths that are quite possibly better as far as synth programming go, i just really liked that quadrant thing..though i don't know how important it is, if at all with what synth programming can do these day........ we are far beyond the world of simply just LFO's and Oscolators now, right? :)
I was interested also in Virus brand synths as well as kurswiels or whatever that brand is, along with Yamaha Mofif, and Korg. Is the triton overrated?
And what do you think of the V-synth..asuming i would need it for everything under the sun...because once i get into this i am going to, without a doubt, dive as deep as i can....to the center of the rabbit hole.......so yeah...
I am of course going with softsynth+controller now, but I am definately going to buy a hardsynth once i figure out which one....but then i might end up finding out that it's better, cheaper, and easier all around to have softsynths with a controller or 2 and a laptop.
Actually i guess my most important question is, do i need a desktop computer for softsynths or will a standard laptop be able to handle the strain? I want a laptop because i could then pickup my computer/controller and bring it anywhere instead of it being stuck in the studio...you know?

again, thx a lot guys.

EDIT - oh cool! i just noticed that quadrant thing i was talking about in the image file you posted under osc2.... but what i need is a piece of hardware that you can control that with.......not your mouse....or does it matter?

And what are polyphony notes? When it talks about that a hard synth has X amount of notes of polyphony? What is this?
Im thinking of getting the Axiom 61 by M-audio. But it only has 61 keys... if i'm getting a USB midi controller, i might as well shoot strait for an 88key, right? Or do you not ever need 88 keys or what? I was thinking you do, do hit those low end notes or high, im not sure which end it starts at, i actually play those notes every now and then....what do you think? Is it easy to switch over to that part on the keyboard with software, or should i go for it? The Axiom 61 was the first one i stumbled across, my first search for controllers was on the M-audio website, so it's the best one i've found so far, lol........anywyas.
EDIT- actually i found the 88key one from M-audio and it's sick as hell, but i dont want to shell out 500bucks for it if i dont need it...but i am definately ready to take my music to the next limit.
 
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polyphony is how many notes are able to be played simultaneously.

I bought a huge 88 key midi controller, and I sorta wish I had just got one of those small oxgyen ones, something I could play out with easily and not feel like I am dragging a dead robot along to every show. If I could repick what I bought, I would go for one of those small m-audio controllers and a trigger finger. I don't tend to use the thing I bought to play piano like, I use it more to program things in and to play bass parts and some keys, but I seriously don't need the whole range of keys. I couple octaves is fine. It actually helps to have fewer keys when I write songs. Gives me some direction. But alack...I am stuck with the bah-hee-moth i chose.

edit: but I just got a job so I guess that is why I am working...to buy more shit. Yay.

another thing...with the midi controller...you can access whatever note range you like. You just define where it starts on your midicontroller. The limit to the high notes and low notes would be inhernet to whatever synth program patch you where using. So, my point being, a smaller midi keyboard can play any notes you like, but you ability to access the whole keybaord at once is limitted of course. I mean you can hit the octave buttons and keep a scale going up or down still, but if you mean to play more like a piano, you might want at least a mid sized one. But like I said, I never use 88 keys. It is kinda obscene actually having this keyboard in my living room with no place to put it.
 
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hey Catfish :)

i really like Snake Dance. really a lot!

i'm playing a chillout / ethnicolectric set at a big festival in the UK in June and i'd love to play it there - is there any chance you could post me a CD? i'll send you a CDR first if you need one :) lots of label people will be there so if you're unsigned i can pass a copy on as well.

i emailed you my contact details

thanks!

[edit: can't email you through the site - could you mail me if you're interested? [email protected]]
 
^Fuck yeah Dr. Suess, Catfish deserves it!

Hey Cat, thx man. I don't think i will be going with an 88 any time soon. :\
I'm still looking for some midi controllers that are different than the norm. Like either some werid touch screen things like i was talking about earlier or motion sensors like the Roland D-beam. Something other than just slider and faders. Unless that's all you really need.
And about computers. Laptop or desktop? I want a laptop, for the obvious portability of it. I mean, the more portable your whole recording setup, the better...no? I guess i could just look up all this myself, but i like hearing it strait from the artists like yourself. Do you even need all the fastest and best shit out there? Or is your standard laptop, with extra ram or whatever good enough nowadays?

PEACE

EDIT - "Mr. No Goes No Mo" hehehe. fuck yeah. I like how it sounds more analoge.
 
Yeah I wouldn't get one of those gadgety midi-controllers yet myself. I fear the fad. I barely even use all the knobs I have. They are great to have though so you can look busy when you "play" out...

Ideally, a laptop and a desktop is the way to go. But I chose a laptop cause I can;t afford both, and since I wanted to be able to play out with it. Obviously though, you can cram much more power into a desktop. My laptop certainly hits its limit often, and that can be frustrating if you get to a point in a composition and then the computer starts to eat itself under the ram crunch.

I went with the fastest laptop I could get, and with at least a meg of ram. I wish I had 2. Try to get a good dj soundcard too. One with 2 outputs, so you can have a main send to the speaker source (PA or whatnot) and one for your headphones so you can cue shit up without the audience hearing. I didn't get one yet, but I will get one now that I have a job again. It is one of the things that holds me back from crazier sets sometimes.
 
^What is a DJ soundcard?
and also....
"It is one of the things that holds me back from crazier sets sometimes."
what is holding you back? I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand..Do you mean the lack of ram?

Also, you said, "and with at least a meg of ram." You meant Gig, right?

I know you said that there's really no use for those "gadgety controllers" but can you possibly point me in the direction of where I could start to look for them? I don't even know what to type in a search engine to find these. What words to use, you know? And I don't see them as being for looks and showing off. If anything, I personally think it looks kind of stupid and nerdy if you are trying to show off using controller nobs and sensors. LOL. I just thought that the more variety of different control types you have, the more freedom you have to be creative. Who knows, you might come up with a really cool sound that you never would have came up with if you didnt have one of those gadgety contraptions :)

I REALLY appreciate all the help man. You have saved me tens of thousands of dollars and given me so much priceless information that would of taken a lot of wasted time, money, and trial and error to figure out. I owe you man. I'm thinking this. Since I won't be gigging anytime soon, I should just get a really nice desktop comp. This way I get a lot more power for less, and since it's a desktop, there's plenty of room to add more and more power/memory, etc.

I think the 2 output thing is a good idea even if I won't be playing live any time soon. Who knows when i'll need it? and it's not like it will cost a lot more money to get it. I think i'm going to get a smal 25 key controller, and maybe at most a 49key one. Well actually I think I may go with a 61. The m-audio axiom 61 http://www.americanmusical.com/item--i-MII-AXIOM-61--61-key-keyboard-controllers--m-04_68_110.html# I havent decided yet.
For the 49 key one i'm thinking this http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/Axiom49-main.html
and for the 25 key i'm thinking something like one of these:
http://namm.harmony-central.com/SNAMM04/Content/Alesis/PR/Photon-25-Photon-X25.html I like the X/Y joystick, as well as the Alesis Axyz controller dome. I'm still trying to find one that has both the X/Yjoystick AND the Dome on one unit. I don't know, I think it would come in handy. And having both of these things is even better than that touchscreen thing I was talking about that was on the Roland V-synth.
What do you think of these controllers? Lay it out on me.
 
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^Seuss, I listened to that song before you deleted your post. I liked it quite a bit. The only thing I can say is that I honestly would rather hear a live drum feed or a real trap set or something. But realize you're only getting this critique because you posted in NEMD ... I just have a predilection for natural drum sounds. ;)
 
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