Dad3353 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 [quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1457891597' post='3002720']... One takeaway from this is that I'm not very impressed with Action Strings... [/quote] Oh, I dunno, maybe my expectations are a bit lower (highly likely..!), but I found these to be quite the opposite; very effective. They can be a tad temperamental, and not start up sometimes, but give a polished enough performance for my old ears (depending of context of use, of course...). I'm happy enough with 'em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 well after some noodling this afternoon , I have made a good start , the basic track is recorded , rough mixed and ready for the vocal , I am trying to secure the service of the bands warbler for this , Lurksalittle has had a stab , but it needs a bit of learning so I dont want to push her on this one. If it has to be me , it will be, and the glitter will have to make an appearance to roll the whole thing in . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 (edited) [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1457895216' post='3002776'] Oh, I dunno, maybe my expectations are a bit lower (highly likely..!), but I found these to be quite the opposite; very effective. They can be a tad temperamental, and not start up sometimes, but give a polished enough performance for my old ears (depending of context of use, of course...). I'm happy enough with 'em. [/quote] I'll stick with them. This is the first time I've used them so maybe they'll work better for me in another track. I much prefer the actual sound of Session String Pro though. Shame Action Strings didn't sounds a bit more like them. Anyway, I have both so all good Righto, here's my track: [url="https://soundcloud.com/mornats/tornado"]https://soundcloud.com/mornats/tornado[/url] When you're listening to it beware that it starts off quiet, slowly increases in volume, drops off a bit, comes back in and then hits hard. Very hard. I've made myself jump a few times! Edit: rendering 19 tracks of virtual instruments does this to your CPU! [attachment=214662:cpu-rendering.jpg] Edited March 13, 2016 by Mornats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 [quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1457901310' post='3002889']... Righto, here's my track: ... [/quote] Ha ha..! There are more similarities than differences between our tracks, I'd say..! Not quite telepathy, but with a bit more concentration..? 'Sgonna be difficult for me to say that your track is rubbish, now..! Whilst I'm here, my 14 tracks, with over 20 Kontakt's and other Vst's only load my somewhat modest PC by under 10% when in full swing... I must be doing something wrong. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 I think I hit 50% cpu usage on playback which is still way above yours. I must be doing something wrong myself! Can't wait to hear yours to see just how similar they are Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted March 14, 2016 Author Share Posted March 14, 2016 (edited) ^ My CPU is never sufficient for me to produce tracks in their entirety (I'm running an 'old' 2010 desktop iMac). I'm always having to bounce down stems as I go along, especially as I use some very CPU-heavy plug-ins (notably the Softube stuff that I [i]love[/i]). I'm probably being optimistic to compensate... but for me, it has the advantage of forcing me to make firm mix decisions and then move on from them - 'points of no return' that help me to get each track finished decisively, rather than constantly returning to make little tweaks. Of course I [i]can[/i] return and make tweaks (I save each stem or sub-group in a separate file)... it's just a longer workaround. Works for me. At least until my computer fails and I have justification to buy a new one. At which point I'll say it sucks Edited March 14, 2016 by Skol303 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1457963609' post='3003393'] ^ My CPU is never sufficient for me to produce tracks in their entirety (I'm running an 'old' 2010 desktop iMac)... At least until my computer fails and I have justification to buy a new one. At which point I'll say it sucks [/quote] Are you max'd on RAM? If not, upgrade that & you should get a good bit more oomph. I sold my 2007 iMac late last year (to replace it with a shiny new one) & it was still running strong. Had I not wanted the bigger 5k screen, I'd probably still be using it for music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted March 14, 2016 Share Posted March 14, 2016 OK, Mines now been mixed & mastered & I vocoded my voice (a tornado does less damage than my voice). Here it is, finished: https://soundcloud.com/gxmix/beautiful-destruction-1 & for those who want the lyrics... [spoiler] What started as a beautiful morning, has fade away. The vortex on the horizon, has broken the day. I see the storm. I see it coming. Beautiful destruction, tearing the calm. I'm hiding in the shelter, as it breaks the land. And here it comes, the wind is strong, it takes away as I hold on. And all you had, and all you own, is spinning round, as I am standing here in the... Calm. I'm standing in the calm, in the eye of the storm. I'm in the... In the eye of the... Oh won't you help me. I'm spinning in the wind. I am flying, but I don't want to land. Trying to grab on to anything I can. I don't want this, but I don't have a plan. Twisting & spinning & turning... & Land. [/spoiler] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Misery loves company, they say, though I won't say I'm happy but, rather, find solace to be among those who have spluttered into action this month. I've got little done, just haven't had the focus so far... dunno, just can't seem to get my arse in gear for whatever reason. I have a couple of days off work, though, and I'll try to get this song down. The ideas are there, just getting them recorded so they sound similar in the real world is proving troublesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bastav Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Well, that didnt turn out at all like the original plan.. after som recording, banging my head against a wall and deleting everything I opted to just sit down and record something and hope for a flow to set in. It did, sort of, though the track is a bit of a mess (which makes sense with the storm theme)... we'll see if I can resist the urge to go back and rearrange it after a few days, but I really need to focus on school stuff now! https://soundcloud.com/organicpulseensemble/storm-chasers-lament Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 (edited) Actually I was only at around 28% on CPU usage during playback. Here's mine: [attachment=214755:tornado.PNG] I wonder if my complete lack of track organisation has anything to do with this. Mind you there are some hefty instruments in there. Yours look very organised Douglas, I'd be interested to find out more about how you group your tracks under the master drums and master tracks folders. Edited March 15, 2016 by Mornats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 [quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1458064777' post='3004375']...I'd be interested to find out more about how you group your tracks under the master drums and master tracks folders. [/quote] Well, the impolite reply would be 'RTFM', of course, plus decent crop of the excellent tutorial videos that are out there. Tp be a bit more cooperative, I'd point out the tiny icône at the bottom right of each track controls section, in the form of a folder. This will successively change a folder's parent/child status. Try it to see. Make a top track, then a second one beneath that, then click on the icône of the top one. The second one becomes a child. Now create another, third track below all, and play around with the folder icônes. You'll soon see how they behave. I use this to be able to apply common treatment to all contained in the parent, such as a common reverb, to bind 'em all together sonically, I can adjust the level of a whole group, too, exactly like 'grouping' on a mixing desk. Jus above the folder icône is a handy 'collapse/expand' icône, so as to save on screen real estate by folding away the drums, for instance. I like to change the colour of these 'Master' tracks, for better visibility, too. I'd normally group, for common treatment and ease of manipulation, instrument families, such as drums (of course..!), guitars, vox, horns, strings etc. One may also group the groups, having 'Orchestra' under a general master, containing a 'Vox' folder, containing a 'BV' folder and a 'Soloist' folder. None of this precludes the original advice, of course: 'RTFM'..! (The Manual is free for download, but the other documents offered on the Cockos site are, in my opinion, well worth their rather modest cost. I've not regretted any of those acquisitions, but one has to enjoy reading; there's a ton of stuff in there..!) Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 Cheers and yeah, I was just about to go off and read the manual! I'd actually tried to use sends to send a couple of tracks to another one so that I could add a reverb to them both but found that it sent the actual audio too which made the whole lot louder (so I was clearly doing it wrong!) Every day's a school day with Reaper, there's so much it can do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 [quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1458079759' post='3004618'] Cheers and yeah, I was just about to go off and read the manual! I'd actually tried to use sends to send a couple of tracks to another one so that I could add a reverb to them both but found that it sent the actual audio too which made the whole lot louder (so I was clearly doing it wrong!) Every day's a school day with Reaper, there's so much it can do! [/quote] If you're sending to another track, don't forget to un-check the 'Master/Parent send' in the routing dialogue (upper right...), or you'll get the track twice... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 [quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1458080854' post='3004635'] If you're sending to another track, don't forget to un-check the 'Master/Parent send' in the routing dialogue (upper right...), or you'll get the track twice... [/quote] Awesome, cheers! I'm definitely RTFMing now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 [sharedmedia=core:attachments:167485] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christofloffer Posted March 15, 2016 Share Posted March 15, 2016 i think i will be skipping this month. i have tried all sorts but it all either doesnt fit, is too cheesy to be tolerable or i cant get the idea to sound like it does in my head. its a bit disappointing really as i like the picture and i thought it would be a good one for me. no point in flogging a dead horse though so i will just enjoy the listening this time round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 [quote name='christofloffer' timestamp='1458085250' post='3004667'] no point in flogging a dead horse though so i will just enjoy the listening this time round. [/quote] Don't beat yourself up about it! Just beat the dead horse instead I might not make this month myself... still pleasantly distracted by a project that I need to get completed. I [i]do[/i] have an idea in my head, so I might try to flesh it out albeit very hastily one evening early next week. We'll see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingers211 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1458137337' post='3005022'] I [i]do[/i] have an idea in my head, so I might try to flesh it out albeit very hastily one evening early next week. [/quote] So that's your secret winning formula ......one night only !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted March 16, 2016 Author Share Posted March 16, 2016 [quote name='fingers211' timestamp='1458137968' post='3005032'] So that's your secret winning formula ......one night only !! [/quote] Haha! Well, come to mention it, I have had a few lucky successes with 'one night wonders'. The pressure of a deadline can be a good catalyst under the right circumstances. ...other times, it's just damned frustrating Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Smalls Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 (edited) I've finally finished mine... I'd advise anyone whose mental age is above 15, or is offended by sub-Carry-On humour, or is appalled by a 3rd rate John Cooper-Clarke/Frank Sidebottom tribute, to step away! But if you like the idea of a cautionary song about a chap whose only means of entertainment is based on excessive flatulence, give it a go! https://soundcloud.com/dredd-and-the-badass-weed/there-she-blows [spoiler]This song has got 2 simple drum loops, with additional twiddling done by me via EZ Drummer - the triangle and shaker are loops made by me, also from EZ. FX are stereo enhance, some eq and some reverb. I started, as usual with bass (Wal) recorded direct into Ableton via a Focusrite Scarlett, then played it in again with slightly different fills. Both are doubled up with different eqs on all, plus lots of compression, some chorus, mild tube overdrive and hard limiting. Keys are 2 Fender Rhodes, one with a minor third trigger sequence and wah, plus 2 Clavinovas with slightly different drive and eq, one is wah-ed. Flutes and guitars are edited from Loopmasters samples with clean funk amp and reverb on both. Vocals (sorry!) are recorded twice, given a (large) touch of NY glue compression, with short delay on each, and one has chorus and occasional wafts of "Robo-Voice"...[/spoiler] Edited March 16, 2016 by Leonard Smalls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lurksalot Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Well , having played my tune to the bands warbler, he said he would be happy to do a vocal for me , though it does mean I ought to treat the lyric with a little more respect now , I can probably add a little more gravitas if a proper singist does it, rather than the pisstake that I would normally write to distract the ear from my tonal mugging Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 [quote name='christofloffer' timestamp='1458085250' post='3004667'] i think i will be skipping this month. i have tried all sorts but it all either doesnt fit, is too cheesy to be tolerable or i cant get the idea to sound like it does in my head. its a bit disappointing really as i like the picture and i thought it would be a good one for me. no point in flogging a dead horse though so i will just enjoy the listening this time round. [/quote] Stick with it. I'm not all that happy with my entry this month but it's been a learning exercise and that can only improve my next track. Get some feedback on it and it'll help more than having it sat on your hard drive. I've been surprised by people liking tracks of mine that I thought were some of my weakest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 [quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1458164416' post='3005305']...people liking tracks of mine that I thought were some of my weakest. [/quote] ... and vice versa..! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted March 16, 2016 Share Posted March 16, 2016 Ahaha yeah, totally Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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