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cloudbounced · 4 years ago

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Synthwave and the Elements of 80’s Retro Futurism

There is something so innately satisfying about listening to synthwave. It’s that image of neon lights, a dark background, with some elements of driving that really give synthwave its unique aesthetic that everyone knows and loves. And while only recently, with some big name shows using synthwave music has it really caught on with audiences once again, this genre of music seems like it's here to stay.

Synthwave is a subgenre of electronic music and is mostly used to conjure up images of the 80’s. It mostly comprises synthesized notes and sounds, though bits of rock are sprinkled in here and there with a guitar solo. This kaleidoscope of sounds creates the colorful tracks that we are so used to in the 80’s aesthetic.

So what exactly is synthwave music and what elements are needed to create your own 80’s retro futuristic track? Here are just a few of them that should give you some inspiration on your next synthwave track.

1. That Dangerous Distortion

What makes synthwave so unique from many other genres of music is that even with a slower, more soothing track, there are always some elements of danger and mystery. This slightly uneasy, but satisfying sensation in synthwave is brought out through distortion.

Knowing how and exactly where to use distortion will allow you to create the fuzzy, alien sound that will help your track to feel a bit more dangerous. But be very careful when using distortion in your track. While you can use distortion basically anywhere throughout the track, at some points it can become a little overwhelming if used to often. So use it sparingly while allowing your tracks to sound a little more threatening and mystical.

2. VHS Sound with Bitcrushing

The VHS; what an absolute nostalgia trip. It was the video format of choice back in the 80’s, hence why a lot of sound design in retro aesthetics is attributed to this device. If you are looking to get a similar vibe than on those old VHS tapes without having to record your audio onto a tape recorder (because you either don’t have one or don’t want to go through the hassle of working with one) there are some other things you can do.

First, there is bitcrushing, which is an obvious pick for synthwave, as it reduces the resolution of the sound. This lower resolution creates a sound effect that is closer to what they had in the 80’s as opposed to the high-fidelity sound that we have today. By bitcrushing certain parts of the track (maybe the whole thing if you’re feeling brave), add a little warmth which should fit in with the liquid flow of the rest of your synthwave track.

3. Keep the Notes Limited

If you are making a chord progression for the background, focus on keeping the note count low. A typical synthwave track had no more than 6 voices. While you can make more than 6 simultaneous sounds work in a synthwave track, it is still advised to keep to as few notes as possible.

This may seem a little limiting at first, but understand that you are going back to a simpler time. As technologically advanced as the 80’s were in their own way, it was still far more simplistic in comparison to what we have today. So keep things as simple as possible. While you will be using some saturation to add richness to your track, making it sound slightly fuller, the bass and other fundamental features should be kept minimal or tamed to some extent.

4. That Old Tape Saturation

This may be a little harder to pull off than high levels of saturation using analog-to-digital convert (which just ends up clipping the audio anyway), but if you can manage to incorporate tape saturation into your song, then you have the ultimate trip down the nostalgia lane. When an input voltage goes past its limit in analog sound, you get a whole myriad of randomized effects. Since the saturation on tapes is not linear like it is on digital audio, it is far less predictable, so it makes for an interesting distortion effect.

Much like the fuzz and distortion we mentioned earlier, be careful with the tape saturation. It’s a strangely satisfying effect, but considering how chaotic it can be, you should know how to work with it and how to use the sound to the advantage of your track.

5. Hard Snares and Guitar Solos

I don’t have to tell you that rock music was everything in the last few decades leading up to the 2000s. And while rock is still running strong to this day, the 80’s is the decade that one could argue rock was at its peak. So naturally, incorporating a hard snare and some guitar solos into your synthwave track is really going to hammer home that 80’s aesthetic in your audio.

Plugins like the Gated Snare are going to give you a nice, meaty rhythm that closely resembles the 80’s percussive sound. Couple that with a guitar solo with tons of bends and distortion and you have yourself a grouping of the 80’s most indicative instruments. As far as guitar solos go, remember not to overdo them. While synthwave does borrow some elements from rock music, the majority of the track should be electronic. Consider the guitar solos a nice garnish to the main course which is the synthwave’s chorus of electronic sounds.

The Final Element

As with any other music project that you are currently working on, CloudBounce may just be your final element to creating the perfect track, regardless of the genre. Your music needs clear and high-quality sound if you want your audience to enjoy it to the fullest.

With CloudBounce this is possible, without the need for any studio quality equipment or in-depth knowledge of sound engineering. There is nothing stopping you from bringing that futuristic flavor of the 80’s into your life today.

#sythnwave #musicmaster #music #cloudbounce

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cloudbounced · 4 years ago

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4 Tips to Save Money on Audio Equipment and Software for Black Friday

You know that sensation when Black Friday comes around; it’s that feeling of excitement at the amazing deals that are about to come your way on pretty much everything. But at the same time, there’s also that little tinge of worry. What if you don’t make it in time and everything gets sold out? What if what you wanted doesn’t go on sale, or maybe doesn’t have a big enough discount?

And I think it’s this excitement and worry that best characterize this magical and at the same time kind of scary, time of the year. But you should put your worries, at least a bit of it, to the side, since we’re now in a brainstorming session and the topic is upgrading your gear. You make music or make sound for films and other projects. Technology is not just a tool for you: it’s your lifestyle.

To work effectively and do your absolute best in everything that you create, the equipment and software you use has to be in top shape and as good as good quality as it gets.

So, here are some tips on finding the best deals on Audio equipment over Black Friday.

Decide On What You Need

This is such a hard step for everyone to take, but this is where it has to start from. If you don’t know what you need, you’re not going to buy anything and end up without any upgrades whatsoever. Which is why your first thoroughly planned out step should be to go through all the equipment that you already have and decide on what specifically needs changing.

Now sure, you could just go all in and update everything you have lying around, starting from the recording equipment, old wires, to the PC and even some rudimentary accessories that you could work perfectly without. But let’s be honest here: not everyone has the budget to do this, even during Black Friday. Tons of people wish they could give a little boost to all the equipment they have, but this opportunity only exists for a select few who can afford it.

So, if you, like a big chunk of the population, are working with a limited budget, sit down for a second and consider exactly what you need to update. You can start with these questions to help you decide:

Is something malfunctioning?

If I don’t update this now, how much longer will it last me?

Can I still work effectively even if this piece stays the same?

What can I gain from updating this?

What do I urgently need, as the one I have is about to break?

These are just a few examples of the kind of questions you need to be asking yourself when looking through online catalogues. Never jump on the first opportunity, any experienced shopper knows this. Give it a little thought and it should come to you.

The earlier you make these decisions, the better chance you have of finding better deals in the future. And all it asks of you is to take a seat for a little while and think things over.

Ask Around the Local Area

Now, while a lot of us do our shopping over the internet, you need to remember that there are just as many amazing deals in your local shops. And you could very easily miss out on all of them if you ignore your local retailers.

Sure, shopping on Amazon or eBay is super convenient, since it’s cold outside and you don’t want to put on clothes and leave your house in the middle of a pandemic, but the least you could do is ask around. See if someone that you know can recommend a local music shop or PC hardware store that has what you want on offer and on sale.

You can always just visit their websites and see what they have. Yeah, it’s commonly known that smaller, local shops tend to have higher prices than those big online retailers, but you never know. You might find something that you otherwise wouldn’t have. Some shops may even offer certain items that you may not even find online.

Ask around your local area and see if something comes up. You never know what good deals you may come across.

Remember the Software

We get so caught up with seeing new, shiny microphones or PC parts with that attractive RGB lighting, we tend to forget that there’s an entire other portion to recording audio, editing, mastering and everything in between. Now, software may not be as exciting as a new set of speakers, but they are still the tools that you work with and without new software, you’d be lagging really far behind in your work.

So, let’s try to remember our software as much as our hardware and show them a little appreciation by purchasing all the right ones. And Black Friday sales, while traditionally all about fighting over the last 4k monitor that’s on sale or running down the aisles of a department store, carrying that one thing you had your eye on all year, software also has some amazing sales too.

For example, CloudBounce is offering this really awesome deal for anyone looking to have unlimited access to professional-grade audio mastering but in the comfort of your own home, workshop or studio. The CloudBounce app is super convenient, since it basically substitutes mastering equipment that would have otherwise set you back a lot of cash. And the entire lifetime subscription to CloudBounce, something that normally costs 1990 USD, is available at 99 USD over Black Friday, which is a crazy good deal. You can claim this deal here - https://app.cloudbounce.com/c/black-friday-2020

And this is just one piece of software, there are tons of others and they’re having this amazing sale. I can’t say if any of them are as good as CloudBounce's lifetime subscription, but you can definitely find some other things that suit you as well. Which is why you need to always keep an eye out for software as well. Don’t let them fall under your radar.

Don’t skimp out on software. Make sure you have it updated and ready to go.

Narrow Down Your List

When you’re thinking of buying, well, everything, it’s easy to get lost among all the different equipment and tools that are on your list. Now, it’s good to make a list, since that gives you a place to save all the items that you’re thinking of purchasing. A list is already a great way to narrow down what you want, but if you throw in absolutely everything into it, then what’s the point of even having a list in the first place?

What you first want to do is make a big list, a general one, that has everything that you want in it. Then break that list down into several sections, maybe one section for recording equipment, some for mastering hardware and software, another list for more secondary pieces of equipment and accessories, etc. These lists will help you focus on what you need to purchase first and foremost, narrowing your focus as you continue your search.

This allows you to better visualize what you need to purchase, what is immediately available to you, and most importantly, help you rule out the things that you’re not going to need and are not very urgent. Buying stuff you’re never going to use is the way that so many e-commerce giants make their money. A lot of people have the habit of purchasing things they’re never going to use.

But with a narrowed down and well constructed list, you won’t have to worry about wasting money on things you’ll never need.

Tips That Pay for Themselves

If you feel as though your equipment has grown slightly old now and doesn’t feel as smooth as it did when you first bought it, that means you’re starting to notice it aging and may need to update it. And Black Friday is the perfect opportunity for an update, without having to fork over an entire fortune. But only if you know how to take advantage of the amazing deals.

It’s way too easy getting excited and lost when you have so many great opportunities to save money and get a lot of new things in return. Black Friday is the perfect chance for anyone either looking to update their gear or even build a completely new set.

But, and this is a pretty big “but”, if you don’t know how to plan out your purchases and can’t find ways around good prices, you may end up paying a lot more than you otherwise would have. Which is why it’s so important to take a step back and think about every purchase, shopping list or visit to a shop that you make.

Don’t get lost in your own ambitions and you’ll save a lot of money this year and in all future Black Friday sales as well.

#cloudbounce #musicmastering #mastering #audio mastering #black friday

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cloudbounced · 4 years ago

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Getting Professional Audio Quality Without Having to Break the Bank

If you’ve made a song, even tried to create a simple sound effect for one of your movie projects, you know that audio is a very complicated medium. It takes a long time to understand the principles and various characteristics which differentiate good audio from bad and a lot of experience to learn how to effectively use these to create crisp and clear sound.

Most people don’t really bother with clean sound too much, as it’s not really that big of a priority for them to have clear audio. But if you’re creating music, film sfx, uploading videos on social media and any other project which requires audio, you’re going to need high quality sound in order to stand out from the other creators.

But much like other sensitive aspects of media creation, like the writing and lighting, sound is very hard to get if you’re not a professional in the field. Without a proper studio and equipment, you will have a very hard time getting the kind of sound quality that you believe your project deserves. And that’s why we’ll be taking a look at how thanks to modern technology and the advancement of digital audio software, you won’t have to scour your local area and fork over hundreds of dollars for high quality sound. Instead, you can get to know the basics and then work out the rest yourself, without having to rely on anyone else.

Setting Up

Sound is very similar to writing in this aspect. You can’t just plop a microphone down anywhere and expect to get good audio quality. You need to strategize where you’re going to be putting your equipment, so that you can get as optimal sound quality as possible.

A basic example of this is avoiding windows, putting the microphone anywhere noisy and if you want that absolutely clean and isolated sound, you’re going to need as small a room as possible, so that there’s less echo. Even if it’s a small closet, it’ll do the trick for now, until you can invest in acoustic foam (which actually isn’t expensive, but it’s not something you just randomly happen to have).

By taking the time to set up your equipment properly, you can also account for certain things which you otherwise would not have noticed before recording, like room tone and buzzing. You’ll be surprised to find that even the smallest tears in your electric cables can cause a lot of unnecessary noise that dirties up your sound. If you set up your equipment properly, make sure to take care of any kind of buzzing, from the audio cables to the light fixture, you will have to rely a lot less on filters in the future.

Now, your audio equipment setup isn’t necessarily a part of audio mastery. It’s more of a pre-production, as opposed to a post. But by knowing your equipment and how to use it, even if it is just a phone microphone and average headphones, you can get more bang for your buck (literally) and not have to spend too much money on expensive sound equipment.

So try to understand the fundamentals of how your equipment, no matter how inexpensive or unprofessional it may be, so that you have better control of it and more agency over how the audio will turn out in the end.

Be More Confident in the Performance

When it comes to recording a performance, confidence is one of the key aspects to getting high quality sound. It’s not necessarily about how good the performer sounds aesthetically or stylistically, I mean, yes obviously that’s important in music.

But a good performance, that has had lots of practice and is done smoothly can compensate for weaker equipment. Regardless of how expensive your equipment is, how decked out your PC is with the latest software, how powerful you mic and speakers are; if your performer is not confident in their work, it’s going to show up in the audio.

If you want to get high quality audio, even with more inexpensive equipment, you have to make sure the performance is spot on. Whether you’re the one performing or someone else, you have to make sure there has been enough practice and the confidence is there. If you can guarantee this and if the performer is confident and enjoying themselves as they record, the audio is going to sound amazing, regardless of its quality.

Now obviously, this is a lot easier said than done. You can’t really press a button and force your performers to have fun as they’re recording. There are a lot of factors that come into play when it comes to the performance, from how much energy the performers have to how they feel about what they’re recording. These things go beyond simple planning and workarounds. But there are a few things you can do to ensure that the performers are confident enough in their work.

Make sure they’re satisfied with everything before they get to work; don’t let them practice if they’re tired. All that will do is build a hatred for their work, which in turn will be audibly noticeable in the final cut. Make sure they have everything they need to feel comfortable as they perform.

Also, always make sure that the performers have had enough practice. Sure, sometimes, the best performances and tracks come out of completely nowhere, but most of your work probably consists of pre-written pieces. So just ensure that the performers have had the time and the opportunity to practice and get familiar with their material, since this confidence will be directly reflected in their performance, which in turn will only enhance the audio.

With just a little bit of hard work and practice, you can maximize the audio quality and you won’t need to put any extra effort into mastering it to hide all the irregularities, when there aren’t any.

Know Your Software

Audio post-production software can be very complicated, especially when you’re not familiar with all its smaller details and options. You can take your time to learn how to master sound using all this professional software, which is a skill that can become a lot more useful in the future.

If you are creating music regularly, then knowing your software is crucial to producing the kind of audio quality that will be accepted by music distributors. And if you don’t really have the time to learn all the technicalities of music mastering along with how the software works, you can always invest in a few shortcuts, like CloudBounce.

There are tons of applications out there designed to make post-production of audio easier, but none work as well as CloudBounce does. What really makes it special is how easy it is to use. And considering the complicated nature of music post-production, this is very important for any newcomers. Not only does it help you pick all the right options and tweaks to get the most optimal sound from your tracks, but it guides you through the process of setting up and recording the audio as well. Nothing is left vague and everything is thoroughly explained, so that you understand each and every step that you go through.

And considering how expensive audio equipment, mastering software or even hiring a professional can be, CloudBounce is a really easy way out for anyone looking to produce music with high quality sound, without having to put too much strain on their budgets. See if this one investment can save you a lot more time and money in your future as an artist.

All That’s Left is to Try

But at the end of the day, having all the equipment in the world, all the knowledge and guides to getting professional audio won’t matter if you don’t actually do anything with it. Everything’s just a matter of practice and the only way you’re going to learn is by actually doing it. The tips listed here are just some pointers you can use as you’re getting started, but the important thing is to actually start doing something with it.

You’re going to create, make mistakes and then hopefully learn from them, which is undoubtedly the best teacher out there. So, the biggest secret to learning how audio post-production is to do is as much you possibly can until one thing clicks, and you understand the nuances needed to get the best possible sound quality.

Nothing’s holding you back from doing it yourself, and with all the easy to access and use tools that are available to pretty much everyone, some even free, you really have no excuse not to try and master your own audio. So just give it a try and see for yourself how fun and rewarding it can be to plan out your audio production and watch all the pieces fall into place as your project gets closer and closer to the reality that you imagined.

#cloudbounce #desktop app #audio mastering #Music Production

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cloudbounced · 4 years ago

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CloudBounce Launches First Desktop Mastering App

The desktop version of the popular mastering app delivers the fastest automated AI mastering service available and a whole range of new features… CloudBounce has launched its first desktop mastering app. The app requires no upload or download and advanced processing allows large files such as entire albums, DJ mixes, or live recordings, to be previewed instantly and mastered with incredible precision in minutes. The new CloudBounce desktop app offers best-in-market mastering options to deliver clarity and character exactly as preferred - like having a real life mastering engineer always on call. With features including reference-based mastering (the app can match characteristics from a chosen tune), genre-style mastering, album-wide settings, output loudness control, export to all major file formats and more, the CloudBounce desktop app adds so much more than unrivalled speed and quality. Since disrupting the traditional mastering industry with the first launch of their cutting edge, cloud-based mastering app in 2015, the CloudBounce team in Finland have been listening to feedback from users and working towards a desktop app which will once again set new standards in automated, AI-driven mastering. A CloudBounce subscription allows users to master unlimited files in every available format for just $19.90 per month or $199.99 annually. Subscribers receive access to the full cloud-based mastering service as well as the new desktop app absolutely free. The desktop app marks another major step forward for CloudBounce. When the company launched its second product, an upgraded online mastering engine utilising AI and machine learning, it enabled producers to bring high quality mastering into their creative flow and became a must-have addition to a producer’s armoury. CloudBounce has now mastered over a million tracks and in the second quarter of 2020 tripled its user base. Its growth is underlined by its new partnership with ADSR Sounds which will also make the new CloudBounce desktop app (and its affiliated BounceCast app which records, edits and masters audio for podcasts and video content) available to its global customer base. In a competitive marketplace the new desktop app once again establishes CloudBounce as a market-leader. CloudBounce CEO, Anssi Uimonen comments, “The desktop app is a culmination of nearly all user feedback we’ve gotten during the past 5 years. We’ve completely revamped the architecture, user experience and sound characteristics into the new app. Album mastering, instant previews, seamless LUFS control, and many other features will be loved by our customers. This will be a true game-changer for indie artists, record labels and even DJs, because now you can master huge files easily, without the need to wait hours upon hours to upload and download tracks. As a token of our gratitude for all of the critical, honest feedback we’ve received from our loyal users, we’re giving them the app for free. You only need to have an active subscription and you will get both the existing web-based mastering and the new desktop app.”

The desktop app features CloudBounce’s most powerful mastering engine to date. Simply drag and drop a file and the AI analyses each track, using machine listening, classification and various audio procession tools including compressor, EQ, limiter and stereo imaging among others, applying just the right amount to deliver a powerful, crystal clear master. The flexibility offered by this new technology allows any producer to control the final sound of their master, making their own tweaks (16 mastering options), using existing genre references (15+ genre-specific choices) offering almost limitless combinations, using other mastered tracks within the app or uploading an external track as a reference, which the app will analyse before applying similar sound characteristics to the new master. The album mastering option offered by the desktop app sets new standards in quality, speed and convenience. It allows for a whole album to be uploaded with track order specified and mastering options available either individually or album-wide, with all tracks available to preview instantly. Also for the first time users have full control over their track output loudness levels using the loudness dial inside the app to change the LUFS level and limiter characteristic of the final master. Alongside exceptional performance, CloudBounce offers serious value for money. Unlike competitors who charge extra fees to master additional file formats, a CloudBounce subscription allows unlimited masters in all major file formats with its inbuilt professional sample rate converter, with no restrictions on the size or length of the file. Users can master tracks, albums, DJ sets, live performances, jam sessions and more. With the launch of the new CloudBounce desktop app producers can enjoy super fast, instant preview with no more waiting time for re-processing meaning faster workflow, greater productivity and next level masters ready for commercial use. Exclusive launch deal: Come celebrate the launch of the CloudBounce desktop app with us. Grab the new desktop app + web mastering combo, for only $59/year at: https://app.cloudbounce.com/c/desktop-web-combo Sincerely, CloudBounce team

#cloudbounce #desktop app #Music Production #audio mastering

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cloudbounced · 5 years ago

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Work With Us: Affiliate Program is OPEN for everyone

CloudBounce has successfully run an affiliate program for select B2B companies, music industry partners, and influencers for over 4 years now.

Partner companies include big industry players like Focusrite and CDBaby.

To assist creative people in this new global situation, CloudBounce has made a move to open the program for everyone interested.

We ramped the commission from previous 25% to 50%, bringing it up to par with the best offerings in the marketplace.

one partner made their first $500 in sales within the first 72 hours, with 1 video post

Read the instructions below, take note and start earning today!

What is affiliate marketing?

Affiliate marketing refers to performance-based marketing that allows a person (the affiliate) to promote the goods or services of a business or company. This company then rewards the affiliate for each new customer brought in via the affiliate’s own promotional efforts. The reward is called a commission and is typically calculated as a percentage value of the actual sale amount. The affiliate can freely choose the marketing methods, used to generate these sales.

Why should I become an affiliate right now?

Due to the global turbulence surrounding COVID-19, people in the creative industry (music, performing arts) have taken a big and immediate psychological and financial hit. Booked gigs are canceled and ticket sales slump with no accurate info as to when the situation will get better. Social distancing forces creative people indoors, canceling all group activities. This affects bands, studios, production facilities, and all other joint efforts. The faster you react and take action, the better you’ll adapt and move forward.

To help out, we opened our affiliate program for everyone so that they can find a way to stay afloat financially and find alternative sources of income, reel back the lost time and find new ways to earn by working from home. To help you get results fast, we doubled our commission from 25% to 50%. It’s insane, we know, but totally necessary in these difficult times!

Am I eligible to join?

You can join the CloudBounce affiliate program if you have access to a laptop and an internet connection. You also need an affiliate ID for promotion (you’ll get the ID when you signup). If you are marketing-minded, sizzling with ideas, and already equipped with existing social channels, that’s ideal. If you don’t, no need to worry. You can still join this social distancing party!

How do I get started?

It only takes 1 minute to start. Simply signup here:

https://affiliate.cloudbounce.com/idevaffiliate/signup.php. (You will also get a 10 $ sign-up bonus. Your welcome.) Read and accept the terms and conditions first, then continue to fill all required account details. Then, hit the Create My Account -button. Once done, you'll receive simple instructions via email. We’ll guide you to start making money with your unique affiliate ID link – immediately (in that sense this is the most important thing to get right). From every new sale you bring, you earn 50% commission into your affiliate account.

After you are ready with the signup and account creation just go crazy. You can start for example with:

Write a review or a blog post.

Make a YouTube or any other kind of video.

Record a Podcast.

Post a write-up to music forum or websites including your affiliate ID link.

Do anything else you feel provides value for the audience.

You can utilise the affiliate program to promote for both our music mastering service CloudBounce, and/or our new podcast & video audio recording & mastering app BounceCast. Pick and choose, or use both!

You know what time it is? It’s time to make money!

Sincerely,

Your friends at CloudBounce

#affiliate marketing #commission #promotion #marketing #make money online

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cloudbounced · 5 years ago

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Our COVID-19 Response

These times are quite turbulent, especially for the creative and entertainment industry. 100% of performing artists, bands and DJs suffer from this global pandemic due to shows being cancelled, and income severely impacted.

What are we gonna do about it?

I started seeing a flood of my friends posting on Facebook “Available for work. Hit me up if you got anything.” posts, also in music and DJ groups. It instantly struck us that “hey, we are actually able to help people out”. So we decided to do 2 things that have the most impact.

Significant discount on a CloudBounce subscription

Opening up our Affiliate Program to ALL artists, users, and newcomers

The discount: Unlimited Mastering for a year at $59 (instead of $199.99)

As many of us are quarantined (us included!), we have time on our hands. If used wisely, you can get a new EP or even an album out during this time. And when your income is impacted, so should our pricing be, too. That’s why we put a special deal out for all you guys. Check it out here: https://www.cloudbounce.com/campaigns/stay-home-deal

Work With Us: Affiliate Program is open for everyone

We’ve previously kept our affiliate program available for B2B partners, and larger influencers, but decided to OPEN IT UP for all artists, DJs, content creators, etc. Also, we revamped the commission structure from 25% to 50%. So essentially, when you sign up, get your unique affiliate link and create a) blog posts, b) share on social media, c) create videos or d) podcasts, include your affiliate link there and get 50% of each sale that comes through your affiliate link.

The affiliate program works for both CloudBounce, and our new podcast & video audio recording & mastering app BounceCast.

Sign up for the affiliate program here: https://affiliate.cloudbounce.com/idevaffiliate/signup.php (You will also get a 10$ sign-up bonus. Your welcome.)

These are the ways we can help you guys out! If you feel like it, please consider sharing this to your friends, too.

Let’s fight this through together!

Best,

Anssi Co-founder, CEO CloudBounce BounceCast

#covid-19 #covid-response #musicians #music producer #contentcreator #work #support #mastering #audio engineering #audio recording #podcast #podcasting

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cloudbounced · 7 years ago

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Escape the 16-bar loop! Tips to help you escape the writer's block

Reading music forums and groups, it's easy to see that many producers are great at creating loops – and a great loop is the base for a good song. Also, some are good at “half-songs”. But having too many unfinished loops or half-songs becomes a burden to many who are not that great at progressing further from that stage. This is often due to lack of ideas on how to progress (do read our posts, “How to finish more songs” parts one and two if you missed them).

So, here's a checklist with a few tips to help you to get further if you get stuck with your song/loop – these should help you to advance for a few 16-bar steps at least!

• Take something away To keep music interesting, our ears need to hear a change every now and then. That change does not have to be anything major. And not every new 16 bars has to introduce something drastic. If you do have a good loop, you can definitely keep it going for a while as long as there’s some variation in it. If you think about classic 90s instrumental hip hop, for example, one “thing” about it definitely is just muting things. Mute the kick here and there, and it definitely signals a change to the ear; e.g., in the beginning of that 16 bars or at the end of it. Or in the middle. Mute some bass notes; a song does not have to get progressively busy, and in some sections, getting less busy works. Mute a background pad sound altogether or rhythmically – it definitely does not have to be there all the time, and especially rhythmical muting or flicking something on/off introduces a change to your ear (e.g., you may already have got used to hearing a stale one-note pad sound, but creating “gaps” in it works as a nice change).

• Change something, add variation Some styles such as house, techno, or ambient can often sound very repetitive or stale at first, but on a closer listen, there's subtle changes happening all the time, and that’s often the thing in minimal music: a synth gets filtered, a hihat changes its tone, a snare gets longer, a cymbal starts opening up and gets longer, a bass sound gets more dirty progressively…all these contribute to a change, and often a gradual change (as opposed to a more sudden change in the previous point) is a very effective tool in keeping our attention (we've all heard songs where we get annoyed by certain elements playing the same exact thing for almost the entire song). Introducing slight variation is effective: e.g., add new notes to the bassline. Let the bassline jump to new notes for a while; throwing a note up one octave works really well for synth bass as well as leads etc. Reverse some percussion hits, double the pace of hihats (8th notes -> 16th notes can introduce more energy), etc.

• Introduce something new Bringing something entirely new will definitely warrant a new 16 bars, right? Right! Bringing in ghost kicks and ghost snares is an extremely effective method to introduce more energy and life to your drums, and it can be a good idea to introduce a more stripped-down version of the beat after the drop and add elements gradually to build interest. Don't use all your tricks at once! And it most surely gets the listener's attention. For example, bring in a whole new synth that either reinforces or plays a melody you have going on or which contributes to the “soundbed” everything is resting on. In dance music, bringing in a cymbal is extremely common, and introduces a whole new level of added energy to the song, also creating a feeling of fresh change (tip: when the song drops, don't introduce everything at once…save them for later sections, bringing them in gradually or one by one). But be careful, however, not to add too much. Less is often more, and you'll find that in many “good songs”, there doesn't have to be a whole lot happening for it to be good.

• Introduce something similar yet different Gradual and subtle changes and additions are all good, but sometimes more drastic methods are needed, and it will most surely grab the listener's attention, too. If it suits your style and the genre, try distorting the heck out of your drums and bass, for example, even just for one or two bars in the beginning of the next 16 bars. Or, if it fits the song, leave it on for the next 32 bars or something and then take it off for a change once again. Swap the synth or whatever instrument playing the main melody to a new one that sounds entirely different but plays the same melody; maybe change a lush instrument to a slightly (or very!) overdriven for a moment. This way it'll stay familiar while introducing a fresh new element to your song. Ever tried changing the snare for 16 bars? A good change right there! Also running any element through a big reverb for a second or two creates a “What happened?” moment to the ear, once again decreasing the chance of the listener thinking it’s all getting too stale.

• New key If your song is a melodic one (i.e., it contains elements with melodic information – in general something other than drums), changing to a new key works a treat. Especially the vast majority of electronic and dance music doesn't really leave the comfort zone of the key the song was written for. Try switching this up for a section: transpose the notes of your main melody up by a certain amount of semitones (experiment and see what makes sense after leaving your key) and do the same for all melodic elements (bass etc.).

• Explode everything! This is taking the stripping-down to a new level. Drop ALL melodic elements and only leave the bare drum track and bassline rolling. This grabs the listener’s attention, cleans the slate – and allows for a new direction. If you had a very energetic song going, this is where you reduce energy (you can't go full steam ahead all the time) and can start building again. If you wish, now you can prepare the song for a whole new theme, for example. • Change the tempo Have you ever thought of this? J Dilla did this, for example. It actually broadens your scope a lot. How? For example, a certain tempo can dictate some choices (it’s hard to do very swingy stuff at DNB tempo, for example), but especially slowing a section down gives more room for rhythmical trickery. Maybe keep the theme the same, but do a “different tempo remix” of it for, say 32 bars. If this doesn’t get the listener’s attention, nothing will!

• Take a break This is obvious, but…creativity isn’t the same as chopping firewood – you can’t force it. Sometimes you just need a break. Sometimes forgetting the song and going for a walk is all you really need to realize what you have to do. Often, the ideas for getting the song further come to you when you leave your place of musical works and let your mind rest, while trying to force a song forward while looking at your DAW can be a total creativity killer. Make good use of your notepad whenever the idea strikes you so you’ll remember it later on. • Deconstuct the song Sometimes you may get the feeling that your “half-song” sounds good but there’s something about it that doesn’t work. In those cases, it may help to erase everything you’ve done, but keep all your sounds, and just write the song again. It’s not actually that hard, and this may allow for a good new start. Many great songs have been rescued from the trash bin just to get re-written! • Vox glitch If your song has a vocal track, make “glitchy stuff” out of the vocal: chop the vocal track to pads with different start points. This way you can easily create at least a 16-bar section that will sound kind of familiar as the vocal has been heard earlier in the song, but this way you’ll use familiar material for a new idea. What works for YOU? Let us know!

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cloudbounced · 7 years ago

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Finishing songs – PART 2

It's Fanu at the writer's desk here.

I was happy with how the last CloudBounce blog post was received. It was written with the problem of finishing songs in mind. That lead to some more conversation on the topic on FB, so I thought I'd go a bit deeper in terms of philosophy or psychology behind finishing songs. This blog post is a “remix” or a revision of a blog post I wrote in my own blog some years ago. Today, we have the access to a ton of technical advice regarding making songs and we enjoy an abundance of instruments and plugins, which can turn against us. There's way less help in terms of getting songs done out there. Many of the issues relating to that problem are something we are well aware of, and sometimes we just need a pep talk – or a kick in the butt. We all have many things on the go, and sometimes focusing on music needs tweaking of some mental knobs. I won’t be telling how to write a song from start to finish (at least not for now), but I’ll try and give you a coach talk, so take this blog post as that.

Don’t get distracted We all are bombarded with distractions. Internet is this big city that never sleeps. Social media. Emails. Forums. Notifications. It’s not always easy for us to actually leave all that out – or is it? You need to learn how to have “sessions of no notifications”. When you decide to make music – and get something done instead of just creating a 16-bar loop – you need to concentrate on just that: music. When was the last time you actually missed something really important when you didn’t check your phone for a while? Yes, never. Think about what matters at the end of the day the next time you want to write a song. You don’t have to leave all that out – but hey, you don’t have to be a prolific producer either!

Appreciate your working space Have your desk clean. It may sound silly, but it does work. Physical clutter = mental clutter. Think about all those pics of neat studios you've seen – don't they look inspirational? Even if your workspace isn't similar, make it as enjoyable. If you have pots, pans, old coffee cups and whatnot lying on my desk, take it out of your sight. Make your workspace enjoyable: it really helps you focus as you’re only going to have on your desk the most essential things: your music gear.

Appreciate the gift you have Learn to appreciate the gift of being able to make music and enjoy it. Not all of us are lucky enough to have it in us to actually write music. To be honest, not everyone has discovered a creative “gift” of any kind. Just think about it: music IS one of the greatest things in the world. Remember the last time you heard something that made you all goosebumpy? You are able to create some of that aurally pleasing goodness, so don’t waste your chance by procrastinating. When you sit down to write some fresh new music (that’s going to take over the world), give it your 100% and appreciate the fact that YOU can create some awesomeness. Use your gift to the fullest.

“Eternal recurrence” In a lecture by Ill Gates, he mentioned something relating to Nietzsche and “eternal recurrence”. To paraphrase liberally: If you had to watch your life as a film playing on an endless loop, all over again, time after time, what would you regret, and what would be the most boring to watch – in terms of using your time? An obvious answer here is procrastination. You'd hate to see yourself browse the net while you should be making music. Don't count the time…make the time count, always. Make the music that you have in you.

Know how and when to use your time Sometimes, if I’m extremely busy with other things or very tired, I don’t allow myself to work on a musical idea. Why? Your song can quickly grow old on you, even if it’s good. Let’s say you have a very busy week. You come up with an amazing 16-bar loop. You try to work on it every day during a coffee break, and briefly in the evening, and maybe during some other short moments, too. This may work for some, but it may also happen that it kind of wears out. The worst is if it starts playing in your head so you keep “hearing it and it gets old that way, while you cannot work on it…and you start to crave for “newness” on your next session. When you have a nice new idea, you can feed on that and finish a song relatively quickly when you give all you've got in a few dedicated sessions, and you'll find the song kind of writes itself. Save your energy for those sessions!

Carefree sessions

Try to have at least one good “carefree session” per week. What this means is having a dedicated timeslot where there’s NO obligations or anything around you or work around the corner, no phone to answer, no emails to read, no family or girlfriend to chat with…you get the point. To me, Saturday morning or noon is the best part of the week: I don’t feel the new workweek getting closer (like you do on a Sunday night), and I’m totally stress-free, as I know I have a great, free day ahead of me. Then, it’s amazing how much progress you can make in, say, three hours of very efficient work. I often wrap songs up in those sessions. Try to have at least one of those each week. Routine Routine does work. E.g., to me, it’s always work > go out and/or exercise > eat > music at the end of the day. The order doesn’t matter, but what does is that you stick to a routine. Even if your sessions are not very long, they add up. Think about it: if you work on music even for 1.5 hours each day, that makes up for nearly 10.5 hours a week and 42 hours a month. That is actually quite a lot when you think about it. That’s often way more a song takes, and even if you’re writing 12 strong songs a year, hey, what do you know…that’s a great album a year! So make routine your best friend. Left vs. right brain It’s been said that our right brain is the creative one – being a musician’s best friend – and the left one is more rational and analytical, doing all the thinking relating to actions and consequences, for example. Right after waking up is the time when you should try giving working on music a shot. In the morning, the right brain is more dominant – we’ve just been dreaming (dreams are pretty creative most of the time, right?) – and in general, your brain isn’t doing so much rational thinking: it’s still got some of that creative mode left, and you’re not so “stuck” with rational thinking. If you can, make use of that and do some unconventional thinking that’s going to result in unconventional music.

Don't send out unfinished songs When I was a young producer, I learned that if I sent out a “clip” of a tune that’s unfinished in terms of its arrangement, it’s bad for working the track further. It’s going to stop. I get stuck. I don’t even know why. This is somewhat illogical but it seems I can’t shake it off. So I learned to make it 100% done before anyone gets to hear it. This is highly subjective, of course, and I know aspiring producers especially tend to send out their “early previews” for feedback. What's the absolute worst if that someone doesn't like it or you find it impresses no-one. So, if/when you send songs out…make sure they’re done and you’re 100% behind it, so like a true buddha, you won’t be moved by either praise or criticism.

Ruthless deletion policy! To be able to come up with good songs, you need to work on pointing out your weak ones – and just deleting them. Having 50 unfinished songs on your hard drive can really weigh you down mentally when you think of all the songs you should finish. But are all of them really that good? Maybe you can be ruthless and keep 10 strong ones and work towards finishing those…and just delete the ones that don't have that much potential. The fact is, we will never run out of creative juice, so we'll always be able to create more. That's why we have to get good at knowing when to bin some projects that are not worth keeping. Also, there's a saying (by some author): “Kill your darlings”. It refers to letting go of something you have strong emotional connections with, and that may happen with some songs you work on for a long time…but, sometimes it's also good to realize that not every song you spend a lot of time on is that good. Know when to drop a project and direct your energy on where it matters.

Writing vs. mixing Do not concentrate too much on mixing down your song as you go. It eats away your creative mode and resources. Try to lash out ideas quickly and work on the arrangement as quickly as you can. A little tweakery don’t hurt, but don’t spend two hours EQing that snare. Why? The thing is, as you add elements, they’re all going to need a place of their own in the big picture, and if you work on an element for a long time, doing a lot of subtle tweaking etc., it may not even fit there that well after you add a new element, especially if the new element is going to be pretty dominant. In that case, the time you spent on tweaking that one particular sound may be wasted time. You can't give an element its proper place until all elements are there, which usually is once the song is done. Mix your tune when all the elements are there and when you have finished its arrangement.

Good > perfect Never having to commit to a song can be a pitfall, a rabbit hole. Modern DAWs make it possible to always get back to a song and nudge things, tweak stuff…you may often feel that things are not good enough and you need to make this and that better. In today's DAW world, nothing ever feels “finished�� – until you say it is. Ask yourself: is my song now where it has a maximum impact on the listener…if I work on this snare for much longer, will it even make a difference to the listener? Commit! Sometimes you just need to commit to it and realize that a song is now as good as it can be, and tweaking that snare for two more hours may not take you any further as a musician, but using those two hours on a new song probably will. It's good to look at quality, but it's also better to realize that making eight songs in four months (just an example) may be better than four songs in eight months. Why? Each song will teach you different things, and the only way to become a master of making songs (and pretty much anything) is to write a lot of material.

Commit Some producers bounce all their tracks to audio after they feel the writing of the song is done – this is also an effective way of committing to the song. This way you’re mentally leaving the tweaking stage to an extent and move closer to mixing.

Shift of focus Don’t answer that email or message that just popped in right away when you're working on music. Many of us have a tendency to react to new messages immediately: you know how you're talking to somebody, and they receive a message and they stop listening to you and read the message instead…annoying, right? Well, your songs won’t like it, either! The thing is, it doesn’t just take you that five minutes that it’s going to take you to reply to an email, but it’s going to take your concentration further away from where it was and scratch your creative flow, and returning back to it doesn’t happen in a second (sometimes not at all). If you’re deep in the creative zone, getting back that deep into it takes a while after spending five minutes writing a reply – the “zone” is a delicate thing, so appreciate it while you’re there. Changing DAWs Don’t switch to another DAW just because your favorite producer seems to endorse it. Fact is, it will not make you sound like him. Changing to a new DAW won’t change your sound towards his (also, please don’t think that another DAW will improve your sound…these days, you can’t really blame a DAW for a bad sound). Learning a new DAW seriously slows you down, as learning new things takes time, and all your energy will be used on becoming somewhat efficient with a new software. Learn one DAW inside out, accept its shortcomings, and be a master of it, and that’ll result in way more music than using “the best DAW” that you didn’t use before.

To wrap it all up… Let me say this: if you want to get music done, get it done. We’re mostly aware of all our excuses. We know most of the stuff in this blog post, and we are all well aware of it. There’s a zillion excuses for not getting music done – lose them all if you want to make music! It’s about priorities. If you take a look back at the past two weeks, would you rather realize you've made some amazing progress…or that you wasted your time? It’s good to realize that all our favorite artists had put in a mountain of work by the time we heard of them for the first time. So climb that mountain! The parade of distractions and excuses is not going to go away: it’s your job to direct it elsewhere – out of your working space.

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cloudbounced · 7 years ago

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How to finish more songs?

FINISH THOSE SONGS!

One of the undoubtedly most common problems that today's producers seem to face is finishing songs. Every time you see someone present the question of “What's the hardest thing about making music for you?” on social media or music forums, something along the lines of “Actually finishing my songs” always pops up many, many times.

Today, we can enjoy the luxury of using the most advanced music-making tools ever to write music – something that producers some 20 years ago would've killed for! – and it's quicker and easier than ever to start songs, but at the same time, as a side-effect, many producers seem to suffer from the inability to finish what they've started, and having 100 unfinished songs does feel a bit heavy. Your greatest tools can become your enemy.

So how to finish songs with success? David Lynch has mentioned drinking coffee as one of the things that works to his advantage, and while we agree, we thought you might want to get slightly deeper with the actual issues relating to starting songs but not finishing them.

We broke this down to three main points, so let's have a chew at them.

If you're fine with having 100 unfinished 16-bar loops on your hard drive, that's definitely not wrong, but if you aim to produce finished songs and need a boost or some words encouragement, maybe there’s something here for you.

TAKE IT LIKE A PROFESSIONAL – TREAT IT LIKE WORK

Starting songs is enjoyable, really addictive, and relaxing. Instant gratification in a prime form. Nothing beats two carefree hours in your creative space, creating those magical 16 bars of music that didn't exist before. FUN. However, let's face it: achieving any serious results does take work and commitment, and it's not always “fun” (can you imagine how much effort making a movie takes?). So be ready to treat it like work!

One of the modern pitfalls is mostly just enjoying the “fun” aspect (which certainly isn't wrong per se!) and only staying in the fun zone. However, you need to admit that eventually, not all work can always be fun, so take making music as work at times and treat it with the seriousness that serious results require.

Results do take work after all. Think about it: if finishing great songs was easy, we'd all be successful producers. Any type of actual progress takes commitment. If you wish to go out and run or ride a bike to improve your stamina, you need to do it regularly and go lengths that actually contribute to your goal: you can't turn back home after half a mile. Or, you can, but that's like doing a 16-bar loop and leaving it there. You need to learn to leave the “fun” zone by going uphill at times, and if you make that a regular practice, you'll find out it gets less heavy and you get used to it, and same goes for finishing songs if you really just try.

So, if you want serious results, you need to be able to flick that “work switch” on when it's needed. Because not one professional ever became that by only staying in the fun zone (however, if there are any professional stand-up comedians reading this, we’d love to hear your take!).

ALLOW YOURSELF TO QUIT!

Often, when the song is 50–75% done, we may feel we’re past the fun zone, and we know what lies ahead: work. And when you’d only like to have fun, that may not be appealing (while having a new finished song is!). Also, often just starting can be really hard, but once you do, you’ll find you’ll easily work on the song for an hour at least.

So, a good tip is to “allow yourself to quit”. What this means is you’ll kick yourself in the butt so you’ll start and get your hands dirty, but you promise yourself that if you really find that you don’t want to work, it’s OK to quit. BUT! You have to work for at least 15 minutes. No slipping here. It has to be 15 minutes before you can quit. What often happens is that you’ll end up drifting into the zone in that 15 minutes, and more often than not, you’ll end up working on the song instead of closing the session after 15 mins.

This is just a simple psychological tip to get us started, because sometimes the act of starting can feel heavy (just like with exercising: sometimes just starting it is all you need to get a good session going).

DON’T START SO MANY SONGS – DEFINE YOUR FOCUS AND FRAMES

This largely relates to the previous point and is obvious for sure. Ask yourself what your goal is: to start lots of songs, or come up with a few songs that actually make a difference?

One difference between a somewhat successful/productive producer (by any loose definition, but meaning (s)he’s finishing songs regularly at least) and an aspiring one often seems to be the ability to keep up a “work mindstate”: those who put out material regularly know how much actual commitment and “running uphill” it takes, which leads in them producing/finishing material steadily, which in turn helps them to “be out there”…while some less productive ones often seem to start a lot of material but not finish that much.

If you're constantly starting tons of songs (while you’d like to finish them), you're spreading your focus too wide and spending too much of your “focus energy”. This is not what professionals do: they usually work on an album or an EP or a single – any clearly defined project. They keep their focus on the project instead of switching it back and forth all the time by starting new songs that don't contribute to any whole project.

Ask yourself: what is my project that I want to work on? Define that project for yourself and work towards it within the frames you've set for it. Don't leave the project until it’s done – stay within its frames! Without those frames, you may be starting songs all the time.

BAKING THE CAKE

If we take a look at the problem at actual song-writing level, where do we most often fail? On songwriting level. Well, why do we fail? Because we feel the song – although it's pretty good as a loop – doesn't go anywhere and we get bored with it. And then we start a new one, and the same thing repeats…and repeats. And soon we have 100 unfinished 16-bar songs.

It's so easy and tempting to give up on the song and start a new one. And what's often the reason for giving up on the song? Realizing it's quite short, maybe less than one minute, and you know it should be 4–5 minutes, give or take. So you fail to “bake the cake”. Why? Because your cake lacks the much-needed ingredients.

So, try to improve your focus on actually gathering all the ingredients needed for the cake (this analogy is from Fanu's blog) on the table before even trying to bake the cake…don't try to bake it as you go! Because if you lack ingredients and you try to bake the cake as you go while looking for the ingredients and don’t really know where to find them, you ain't gonna have no cake, and you'll be frustrated and just drop it.

So, while you are in the creative zone, forget proceeding in 16-bar steps, because seeing the timeline can be your worst, most dreadful enemy (not to say this doesn’t work for some!). Instead, try and build loads of elements and ideas for the song inside that 16-bar loop that sound relevant in terms of your key idea: add some additional stabs, chords, little rhythmical additions or variation, some background sounds, underlying drones and whatnot, maybe play your main melody on another track using another similar (or totally different!) instrument, etc. Also, in terms of your rhythm track, make it as busy as you can for this 16-bar loop.

Why is this? Well, this way you'll ensure that while you're working on that 16-bar loop, you're giving it all you've got, and once you feel there's almost too much stuff happening in that loop (it all has to be relevant in terms of your song and serve its idea!), a good idea is just to spread all that around and thin it out. This way you'll have all or most of the elements and sections as well as much-needed variation you're going to need for a song before you try to make it into song form. Also, as you've created a pretty busy drum track, it's easy to strip it down and make it more sparse for the intro and then just add elements (that you've already created) to it towards the busy main part, and then just thin it out again towards the outro.

This method is almost like slamming a massive load of butter in one place on your bread and then just spreading it around. Sounds easy? Try it out and you may find that this way it actually is!

The trick here is to do most of the essential “heavy work” needed for a song while you're in the fun zone. After all, at some point finishing music does feel like work (it is!), and it's good to do most of the “heavy lifting” while it's what it's supposed to be…FUN!

Nuggets from Captain Obvious...

Don't concentrate on mixing too much while working on the music. Learn one DAW well; don't switch between DAWs. Have dedicated sound design sessions (so when you work on songs, you can focus on just that). Let others' success inspire you; don't let it make you feel any lesser – work at your own pace. Turn off distractions when you make music: value the time you can dedicate to it. Coffee! Know when not to work on music: e.g., when you’re really tired, you may just end up listening to the song and it gets “old” for you. Also, never just open a session to just listen – only open up a song when you’re ready to work, as that the song stays as fresh as possible for you and you’ll save your energy for those sessions where you can make progress.

Let us know how you feel and what helps YOU to finish songs! (or what you’re struggling with)

CloudBounce team

#songs #songwriting #work ethic #fun #creativity #potential

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cloudbounced · 7 years ago

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We’re giving away for FREE a Serum preset pack.

DOWNLOAD: https://www.cloudbounce.com/products/serum-essentials-vol-1 These sounds are perfect for any bass-heavy electronic music: sweeping pads, growly basses and otherworldly synth presets guarantee some new spice for your productions. These sounds were hand-crafted by a very promising electronic music producer, Rogue Dream. Very suitable for Drum & Bass, Future House, Electro House, Glitch Hop and Dubstep. Expand your soundkit today and grab it! You can download the pack for free using your CloudBounce account at https://www.cloudbounce.com/products/serum-essentials-vol-1 If you don't have an account yet, you can create one for free at www.cloudbounce.com. Let a friend know if you think they should have this, too! 🎛

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cloudbounced · 7 years ago

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How to widen your vocal on a budget? This is how! Get your vocal wider with simple tools. Can be used for any sounds and done with any DAW.

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cloudbounced · 7 years ago

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Ever been sceptical towards plugins or just curious as to what they really do? Here's a tip that allows you to hear just what the plugin adds and nothing more.This can be done with any plugin that allows you to invert the phase of a signal.#plugins #mixing #audioengineering #cloudbounce #daw

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cloudbounced · 7 years ago

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Dynamic control: expansion.

Fanu takes a look at how you can expand your audio signal. While compression makes the loudest parts of the signal quieter, expansion makes them even louder.

#audio #mixing #mastering #compression #cloudbounce #music #studiolife #studio #daw #plugin #audio engineering

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cloudbounced · 7 years ago

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What’s your biggest challenge in making music?

We presented a challenging question on our Facebook page on Aug 14 that seemed to spark interest and a very broad spectrum of answers. We found them so interesting that we decided to try and answer the majority of them according to our own experience and give insight how we have tackled them and found our unique ways to get over these common roadblocks. You can find below the majority of the answers from Facebook and our take on them below.

Question: What’s your biggest challenge in making music?

1. Wasting money on promoters and losing hope

• CloudBounce: We’d say both “wasting money” and “losing hope” are never an option. Good old DIY mentality goes pretty far; using social media and various digital music platforms, connecting with people by email, going to places where like-minded people hang, promoting using every possible channel, and playing “live” will pay off over time. Think all possible ways you can promote your work and let everybody hear your latest and greatest work.

• Fanu: Not sure what this means exactly. Are you paying for promoters to book you or to promote your work? Maybe this refers to a publicist? Anyways, in a way I feel that these days everyone can do a lot about his own exposure on his own by putting out his best work online (even Bandcamp is a super legit platform these days). It does take time, however, and there are no shortcuts. A musical career is like a plant…it won’t pop up overnight. It takes a lot of time to become something.

2. Proliferation

• CloudBounce: This is a tough one, and one we certainly know a lot about. If this relates to having a family, and therefore time management challenges, we understand you. It’s a tremendous challenge but if you are passionate enough you can still find time to do some music. You will have to plan well ahead, be super efficient when on it and focus on the core things (start with the song). See point 17. for additional tips.

• Fanu: Does this mean making too much music? If it does, I feel you on this one, bro! Making too much is the opposite of not being able to finish enough, and can actually be a bit of a burden at times…you want to make more, but you’re already sitting on a ton of unreleased (and/or unfinished) material. One just has to plan decent releases for the music to get it out…which can be a bit annoying sometimes, and that’s often the number one reason many producers would love to get on a label to do the work. Starting your own outlet and putting the eggs in that basket might make sense. If this means having kids, however…can’t help you with that one, sorry! :D

3. Finding the time to finish the hundreds of riffs/loops in the laptop into complete songs

• Fanu: A logical answer would be “Put your energy into finishing songs instead of starting new ones, but we all know that starting new ones is super addictive. Total crack! Still, a key factor distinguishing a more professional producer from a less experienced one (totally not making this personal or offending anyone here!) is actually finishing songs. It IS work and does take a work ethic approach. Starting news songs is always fun, but finishing them always isn’t, so put your work mode on. A prerequisite to becoming a pro requires working like one. Everyone can start five songs a day, but only one with a more professional work ethic can finish them and show something to others.

4. Learning how to make music

• CloudBounce: Although not required in this day and age, it’s really a great idea to learn to play an instrument such as guitar or keys. That really helps with composing and arranging side of things, and let’s you try out different ideas instantly (and record them, too). A massive recommendation!

• Fanu: Gasp! LOL. Listen, listen. Listen a lot. To be able to make music takes understanding music and the tools for making it. There are tons of free tutorials on the net. It just takes time. Being able to understand music and its “contents” and then reproducing that on your own is a very complex skillset, and refining it does take a lot of dedication. But if you love listening to music and find that you enjoy it, that’s a great step number one. Learning how to use a DAW would be the logical next step. Then, learn how to put your ideas into music. I know, I make it sound like it’s a walk in the park while it’s not!

5. Finishing your mix

• CloudBounce: mixing is a true balancing act, and there’s many dimensions to it. Once again, a structured approach is of tremendous help. There’s the obvious tasks of: EQ’ing, panning, adding processing / effects and automation. Build it up like a layer cake, start with the most important like EQ, and once done, proceed to the next phase. You can always come back to tweak but try to complete these required elements of the whole process first, and you’ll end up with a finished song (if you remain persistent).

• Fanu: Ah, the never-ending task of finishing something in the endless world of digital tools. What applies to a song probably applies to a mix: when you feel there’s nothing you want to add or take away, that’s it. Also, realizing that often “good enough” is better in terms of productivity than “perfect”. Does it stand up to work you admire? If not, learn what it’s lacking and how to tackle that.

6. Save enough money with music to build a studio someday to produce good music

• CloudBounce: It’s always worth it to take a long hard look into how you use your money. Learn to give away certain habits that might affect to your music production life more you want to admit. There’s probably a way to cut your monthly costs (Netflix, coffee shops, gym, monthly subscriptions - you know the drill), there’s usually an almost free alternative to all of these money pits. Spending small sums here and there accumulates fast! Learn to do small sacrifices and save money, invest it and maybe even find some additional income (passive income is the holy grail).

• Fanu: I’d say if this means that the money for the decent studio has to come from the music you make, you may be looking at it from the wrong angle. Many things in life take investments at first. I’d say fund your studio with money from something else (your job?) and then watch the money from music come back slowly but surely at a later stage. It’s like if you wish to become a pro translator, you first need to fund some translation lessons, because sure enough that money can’t come from translations at first!

7. Finding the right balance - kick, bass and leads

• Fanu: Kick and bass: a quick tip is to have your kick peak roughly an octave above your sub bass. E.g., if your sub peaks at 50 Hz, have your kick peak at 100 Hz, roughly, for really good separation. So, basically, wherever your sub peaks, multiply that by two, and that’s where your kick should peak, roughly (sure there are other parts to the kick, too, way above that, but getting the low end right is very crucial for clarity).

8. Discipline

• CloudBounce: Certainly one of the most important things to learn in order to get anything done. Focus with persistence, and single-mindedly work on the task at hand until it’s done. Set priorities on a list (pen and paper) and work from the top down. There’s no easy answer to this other than setting clear goals, planning and hard work.

• Fanu: I sort of of touched on this on point 3: willing to become a pro takes working like one. Professional work ethic is one key to professional results. And pros – in any field – have discipline, make no mistake on that. Ask yourself, “Is what I’m doing right now taking me closer to my goal?” and adjust accordingly.

9. Learning the program

• CloudBounce: Learning and sticking to a one DAW is super important for developing the core skillset. There’s so many aspects to music production anyway, so it’s better to focus on the key elements. Choose your DAW wisely, learn it, and maybe even choose just a couple of basic tools (EQ, compressor etc.) that you can truly decode and understand, and use to their full potential. Big tip; apply kind of an analog desk mindset, and you’ll never have to spend time thinking what tool to use.

• Fanu: Second this! Major key. Do not drown under all the different possible DAWs etc. You only need to one to make great music. Learn it well, inside out, and it’ll be a major asset. I know from experience there are people switching DAWs just because this and that producer endorses it…but the fact is, it won’t make you sound like him. Switching DAWs will only slow you down. It can be great for inspiration, as humans tend to become inspired from change quite often, but best to know your main tool, still.

10. Being too productive! Making more music more than I have time to arrange decent release plans for

• CloudBounce: See point 2.

11. Separation in the lows and mids

• Fanu: The only brief answer I can give to this one is decent monitoring play a massive role here. Even decoupling your monitors from your desk is known to decrease the amount of low-mid vibration, which can make mixing low-mids very challenging. Also, needless to say, the more you invest in your monitors, headphones, and room treatment in general, the better tools you will have for hearing the separation in the first place.

12. Finishing

• CloudBounce: See point 3 and 8 above.

• Fanu: Just do it!

13. Recording vocals and mixing them. I don't use autotune and when I sing off-key I have to re-record again. And then which FX add to the vocals

• CloudBounce: We definitely respect the dedication to good old real life performance, it’s the way it really should be. It’s a pain in the ass to get the perfect take sometimes. Pressing the “record button” somehow makes things harder. But the effort is well worth it! What comes to effects after doing some EQ, compression and de-essing, we’d say that in most cases just a quality reverb and delay goes a long way.

• Fanu: Personally I’d have nothing against someone using a little “helper” to tune the vox a little. I’ve definitely done that to a few producers in their mixing project (using the free Vielklang plugin you can get for free with Computer Music, for example). Even professional photographers use image editing software to bring out the best qualities and hide the less-than-good ones. IMHO the tools are there to help us – think about EQ, for example!

14. The limited gear I have without any budget to upgrade

• CloudBounce: Depends what gear you are talking about. If you mean just creating music digitally a DAW from any major manufacturer will be enough. In many cases you get a limited version of a commercial DAW for free when you buy a sound card package or similar. And there are great totally free options as well. If you mean real instruments, there’s hundreds of decent quality options on the market for almost anything (a mint condition used one is usually the best option with a budget). For hardware, their digital counterparts within any DAW is close enough to produce professional results. Also, see point 6 for money saving tips.

• Fanu: Limitations can spark creativity if you look at it from the right angle. Honestly, all one really needs today is a DAW. If you mean your audio system, use a few trusted reference songs and learn how they sound in your workspace. Learn them well. Then, try to get your songs as close to them as possible. Think of how limited many producers were in the 90s and what classics they created!

15. Space on my computer not being infinite

• CloudBounce: There’s probably a couple of alternatives: either clear your computer frequently off the junk you don’t need, as that just eats space. Invest in additional hard-drives, as those should be fairly inexpensive. Also, if you can use free cloud storages to store some of the stuff, that’s always a cost-effective solution.

• Fanu: These days it’s so easy to buy and download tons and tons of VSTs and instruments, which will need endless space. Try a more minimal approach! You’ll find you honestly don’t need that many instruments or samples etc. to make great music. I know you probably know this, and we all know how inspirational it is to get a new synth and even go thru its presets. But make more with what you have. Also, trying to make music with a more limited hardware device may make you understand a more limited approach. Samplers such as Octatrack, Digitakt or an MPC (or an SP 1200 with 10 seconds of sampling time!) can offer a great lesson in doing more with less.

16. Over-perfectionism and inability to just get it done!

• CloudBounce: This is a big one for many producers. You start to work on your new idea (riff, loop, melody etc.), sugarcoating it with too much stuff, and ending up with a good sounding 1-minute long jingle. Tackling this goes back to the focus, work ethic and ability finish. One way to start is to create a full structured song from start to finish before recording anything and adding additional processing. Once you have a song (that feels good), now you can start to work on it and see what comes out.

• Fanu: It’s good to understand that it’s better to finish 6 songs in 3 months than 3 in 6. The former will teach you more. You’ll never be a master when working with one song, if you know what I mean: the more songs you make, the more scenarios you’ll tackle in terms of everything. This will also contribute to forming your own style, which can only happen through making a lot of music, as you’ll “find yourself” in the process. Also, somehow the one song you spend months on will seldom be worth all the time spent on it. I know this from experience and also remember an old DBridge interview where he said the same thing: the tunes you work on the longest are never received as well as those you write quicker.

17. Time

• CloudBounce: We all have only a certain number of hours available, unless you’re stealing from sleeping hours (not the best choice). Even if your schedule is hectic, you can find enough time by being extremely focused and structured. Create realistic goals, write them down, and then think of all possible ways to find the time to execute those goals. Wake up earlier, work later, create structured routines, remove distractions (social media, TV, etc. – you don’t need them). Learn to be more efficient in solving problems and making decisions. Trust your intuition.

• Fanu: Many modern life conveniences often get in the way of what matters. Sell your TV. Do less of the stuff that doesn’t matter. Think about the non-mattering things you do: social media, browsing the internet…and you may realize you spend quite a lot of time on them just because they’re always within arm’s reach. When you think of how it all adds up, it’s a lot. If you sleep for 8 hours, work for 8, you probably have at least two–three solid hours of being able to do what matters every day. That makes roughly 20 hours a week at least…that’s one song at least!

18. Arranging a track

• Fanu: It always baffles me how common this topic is. I’m going to put my granpa mode on and say when I started making music around 1992 or so, we had no song structure templates or tips on arrangement. We didn’t even see waveforms on arrangement or the arrangement in general (tracker style ahoy!). Yet we made it work! A ton of amazing music was made in the 90s. I remember no-one asking for arrangement tips. How did we manage? By just listening to music. See (or hear) how different sections work in different songs and how they make you feel. There are gazillions of zigabytes of music out there online that you can listen to. And I mean literally listening with attention; not while browsing Facebook, because then your focus will be elsewhere. Learn from them! If nothing else helps, listen with attention and write down what happens in the different sections in your favorite songs, for example: be your own teacher in that respect.

Summary: this was fun, and we think we should do this again. What would you guys like to discuss next time? Till the next time!

Team CloudBounce

#music #music production #skills #time management #DAW

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