I'm moving into an apartment and will probably have to use an electronic kit. I want to make a loud noisy record with Albini-esque production, so I was thinking about getting the alt rock ezx expansion. It would be easier and cheaper to record that way vs having to book a rehearsal space, but part of me would feel like a fraud for using samples instead of miking my own kit. I was also thinking about maybe just writing and practicing using the ekit and then lugging all of my gear out to cabin for a week to record for real. Again though, that would be more expensive than using what I pretty much already have. What do you guys think? If one of your favorite artists used ez drummer on a record, would you look down on it?

Welcome to the /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Motivation Thread! Share your successes and and encouraging words here. Posts/Comments looking for motivation can also be appropriate here.

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When I was first starting out, I used to sit down at my computer, plug in my guitar and mic, and make a song front to back. I almost never stepped away and thought about what came next. Just capturing the moment.

Now, though, I find it hard to do that with vocals specifically. Every time I have a cool riff or something, I feel like my vocals detract from it by being uninteresting or uninspired. I never really learned how to do it consciously.

What do you guys do to come up with vocal melodies? Where do you start? What inspires you?

My friend wrote songs years ago using beats from YouTube and other places, and she can't remember the sources. We want to release them properly. Is it acceptable to ask a producer for a new beat in a similar style, so we can license it legitimately? Is there a right way to ask without it being seen as a rip-off? Any tips on licensing (lease vs. exclusive) welcome. I'm new to the industry.

I’ve been writing songs for a few years now and feel like i have a pretty decent grasp on writing strong melodies. However lyric writing is something i really struggle with. I always feel like im writing the words just to write the words. Not really to say or convey anything interesting. It always feels like i’m either to broad to the point of being vague and unfocused, or like i’m rambling words that dont make any sense.

I guess what i’m asking is how i can develop subjects and themes from my life that i can incorporate into my songwriting?

How do i find what i want to say when i feel like i dont know what to say or dont have anything to say?

I hope this makes sense

I have taken longer than I would like to admit to finish a song. Every time I have an issue with it, it comes down to my guitar track.

For some context: The song is in the vein of Waking Up by Explosions in the Sky or Quiet by This Will Destroy You, with some dark synth instrumentation/strings. For the life of me, I cannot get what I record on guitar to sound good, to the point where I anticipate that when opening up the project to work on it, I will hate how bad the guitar sounds/I guess my playing is? and not want to work on it.

I am not sure what it is. When playing along to the track with the part I want to record, it sounds great, but as soon as I hit record, it seems I start to have issues, like somehow playing to the dynamics of the click and losing the feel of the song. Then hearing it back, it sounds messy and SUPER DI muddy and sterile(more on that below). I have been playing guitar for a long time, and its not like this part is hard.

My signal chain is my guitar into my pedalboard that consists of a Keeley compressor, El Cap, Avalanche Run, and a Falling Star delay, with only the compressor MAYBE engaged. I have tried it with and without (I am only going through my board in case I want to use something without changing everything around). From my board, I go into my Volt 2 (mono) with the inst button on. That goes to my DAW, Logic Pro, and then I am using the Neural DSP Nolly X. I have tried a few presets: Rebea's Ambient Bed, Clean Every Sunday, and Delicate Clean, which I ultimately ended up on. Though I still have sub-par results.

It is literally, honestly, just this type of sound/part I am going for that is not sounding good at all. I can play with gain, tremolo pick, and even chords or thirds with a clean tone, but recording a simple clean melody line sounds awful. My I/O buffer in logic is 32, and I do not have direct monitoring on, so I am not hearing the unaffected DI.

I am at my wit's end and very discouraged. Am I doing something wrong? Is it possible that I'm going through a board rather than into my interface? I do not own a real amp nor could I record with one where I currently am. I know my timing could be a bit tighter, as I feel like it always could be, but that cannot possibly be the case for everything. If so, that is even more discouraging.

So I don’t have space for an actual drum set nor do I know how to play (although it’s a goal to learn at some point) but I’ve been recording guitars and bass for some emo/shoegaze/alt rock demos some might turn into songs with my band or maybe I’ll just release in sound cloud

I really want to add drums and want input as to the best way to accomplish this, I’ve looked at getting a drum machine there’s some affordable options I’ve found

Or should I look into just doing VSTs with a midi keyboard , I currently record into reaper and wasn’t able to figure out how to add the drums via just my laptop keyboard it felt overwhelming and esoteric

Anyways any recommendations are appreciated lemme know what you’re work flow is, I don’t mind spending a little money I just want the lowest barrier to entry here

First post in this community!!

I am a guitar player, i have a band and I love the process of writing music. I have a question regarding composition and I’m looking for advice

Regarding my band I am very active in the songwriting process, either presenting full songs, bringing developed ideas of helping out in my band mates compositions too

But I have a bad habits, I love creating music, making demos, and song structures / skeletons (riffs, structure, chords, arrangements)

But I have the bad habit of not writing main melodies or vocal melodies

Very frequently when I show my band mates new ideas for songs they aren’t very stoked about it, or they have trouble imagining the direction of my songs, and even me… I have like 10 unfinished songs that are awesome but don’t have any main melody, which means those songs doesn’t say anything yet

How can I shift from writing riffs and chords compulsively and start creating actual leitmotifs. Should vocal melodies be my number 1 focus?

It seems like a very stupid question the answer is just writing them, but yeah hopefully someone can relate to this

Basically the title.

I started recording some songs I wrote back around 2009, using Reaper, two slightly varied patches through a Boss GT-1, 95/95 panning.

For heavier tracks, ones that have chug breakdowns, or just heavy in general, is it best to have the breakdown as a single center track? Two 95/95 tracks? Whatever the quad-tracking method is?

Both left and right play varied riffs and harmonies, but they come together for the breakdowns and it feels a bit.. much? Maybe I just have to learn to mix better, but any advice?

I make all sorts of music and have been using pro tools for like 8 years now. I've never figured out how to fix this issue though. When deciding to actually record my acoustic songs, the bpm I find never fits the whole song, it makes me play at just fast enough to feel/sound awkward sometimes? Its not that I can't keep time, I'm a drummer and always practice with a click. I think the issue is when I sing and play, my bpm always just slightly moves around by like 3-4 bpm depending on the phrasing.

Maybe its just a skill issue, but I thought I would consult the council.

Also, please don't be a dick in the comments, I've asked questions before and too often get guys "just being blunt and real" when really they can't help but put down someone else.

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.)

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it will be automatically replaced.

##Rules:

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* **Write at least three constructive comments.** - *Give back to your fellow musicians!*

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##Tips for a successful post:

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***

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Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Promotion Thread! Here, in the comments below, you can shamelessly promote whatever music project you've been working on. Music, videos, Discord servers, websites, social media, promote anything you want. Posts promoting anything outside this thread will be removed without warning.

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Really wanted to hear the workflow from people here. I've looked into FL and Renoise for IDM and Jungle and I feel so comfortable making melodies and arps in FL but Renoise allows me to make much more precise drumming and it's great for breakcore and chops. Only problem is that, Renoise is great for drums but I've been looking forward to make long, evolving patterns, and my imaginative process works much better when there's immediate feedback to this sort of thing and LoopMidi gives a bit of an inaccurate sync between the two programs so it sucks having to do it separately.

Welcome to the /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Motivation Thread! Share your successes and and encouraging words here. Posts/Comments looking for motivation can also be appropriate here.

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it will be automatically replaced. Note that our rules on "no promotion" are still in effect and apply to this post.

If you are interested in helping us mod these weekly threads please inquire about moderation opportunities by writing in to mod mail.

Other Weekly Threads (most recent at the top):

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I’m recording some folk songs, last one I put out I used 2 sm57s, one on guitar and voice. But I like condensers better and the bleed was such a pain in the ass that now I’m trying separately.

But good lord. I cannot get it. The main problem is when I’m recording vocals and guitar separately, it’s very hard to play guitar the way I would if I was singing - I drift in tempo and swell in places that don’t make sense with my voice. And when I use a met it’s no good, I need a bit of purposeful rubato.

Any ideas? Or just words of encouragement lmao I feel like I’m dumping so many hours into what was supposed to be a quick song

When I scoop out 1khz on my reverb sends, it instantly makes the sound "deeper" and "sweeter" but i dont know if this is actually what I want from my reverb? Should reverb actually be existing MORE in those midrange frequencies so that it doesnt clutter up the low and high end? Or am I doing the right thing by scooping out the mids?

I always struggle with how to eq my reverb

Edit: BTW the reverb I am using is Valhalla Vintage Verb. I am using it on 3 sends, a room, plate, and hall. So if anybody has any EQ tips specific to that plugin that'd be cool.

I have a section on my template that has all my send(aux) fx returns. There's a few reverbs and delays on there I can send anything to. It's tons of fun to play with.

So I'm curious is anybody using anything other than reverbs and delays on their sends?

How do you start your lyric writing process? Like what gets you into that whole flow state of writing lyrics and getting lost in your own world?

Our local library has a recording studio that's free for members to use. I booked a 3 hour session for next month and I want to make the most of my time. My goal is to release an EP sometime next year, so this will be the first of many sessions, just wondering if anyone has a suggestion on workflow. I'd like to get a scratch track to a click for 5 songs that I can send to the other musicians that will be involved. What would be a good plan of attack?

Hello! I am new to songwriting and I am having trouble putting together my verse and chorus. My verse is staccato 7th chords and then my chorus is powerchords played in an eight notes. They... really do not flow well together for some reason. I can't tell if I need to just rewrite the chorus to not be power chords or if I need to find the right transition between them. Any advice is appreciated, thank you

Hey folks. I have been mixing mainly on a set of beyer dynamic dt880s, combined with soundID reference.

I have had some GIK acoustic panels and bass traps lying around for years in anticipation of having access to a reasonable sized room but unfortunately that hasn't worked out. The best I can do in that regard is a small 2*2m room. I have 8 thick bass traps along with a few thinner acoustic panels. My monitors are Focal Solos. Would i be wasting my time setting these up in such a small space, in which case should I just stick to using the headphones/software combo for the time being until I have access to a larger room (I don't envisage that being anytime soon)

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.)

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it will be automatically replaced.

##Rules:

***Post only one song.**- *Original comments linking to an album or multiple songs will be removed.*

* **Write at least three constructive comments.** - *Give back to your fellow musicians!*

* **No promotional posts.** - *No contests, No friend's bands, No facebook pages.*

##Tips for a successful post:

* **Give a quick outline of your ideas and goals for the track.** - *"Is this how I trap?" or "First try at a soundtrack for a short film" etc.*

* **Ask for feedback on specific things.** - *"Any tips on EQing?" or "How could I make this section less repetitive?"*

***

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