calvin200001 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 (edited) I have some stuff that i have been working on in Logic. I have decent ears, but I would love to have someone with a professional ear give me some low blows so I can learn. Thanks in advance ! my music link www.myspace.com/kaplansfusion Edited July 17, 2007 by calvin200001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toysun Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 You sure do have decent ears. Nice work! I really like this music, I listened to all 3 tracks. All very cool, and different yet there is a cohesive sound that makes it sound like they belong together. Will you take a minute and share with us how you made this music? Loops? Did you program all the drums yourself, etc.? I normally only give positive feedback in a forum, but your stuff is so good, I can only find a few things I'd suggest looking at. Why not take the vocal performance to the next level and make sure that the two voices really are working together - check out the precision of the vocal takes - rhythm, not pitch. Sometimes I hear the voices attack or cutoff not being together. This is more taste, but I'd like to hear more interesting filtering on the drumloops - it's just my taste, but sometimes they are sounding a bit AppleLoops world beatish to me... but the programming, the little buzz rolls, etc... is really cutting edge, so I am wanting to hear more compact sounds (less boomy drums (BD/toms) and certainly I don't want to recognize an open Hi Hat sound in the middle of all that totally modern cool drum programming, you dig? Onward! Great music! best, john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted July 15, 2007 Author Share Posted July 15, 2007 (edited) wow, thanks man, that means so much and makes a lot of sense! I hear what you are saying completely and will probably redo all of my music now As far as how I use Logic to do this for the most part, I create drum tracks in two different ways: 1. with pre-programed apple loops that either the beat, or sound caught my ear. Then i may have kept the sound but changed the pattern....Or I changed the sound and keep the pattern..depending on loop. the reason i like loops so much, is that they give you a base for a sound, and for an idea... 2. Or i will use my roland v-drums to lay down some midi drum tracks...since i dont have a sound proof room, this is the best for me right now. I almost always start with drums in a song first/ make a groove/...then comes the melody and then the lyrics/ depending on the mood that the drums and I just created.. LOGIC IS THE BEST TOOL FOR THIS KIND OF WRITING>>>I LOVE IT! this is great for capturing moods or places in my life within the sound of the song ...writing lyrics first is fun too, and is equally as creative, but the music that this method helps me create is time-specific just like lyrics would be, but instead of hearing the words as the mood and picking things up from that, I try to relay the message in the sound of the song and then use words to emphesize the mood it of the sound... I also like to add filters and other automation in volume/panning/bypassing..., and really layer sounds in that I think work well together(tibre-wise) The feelings usually come from just listening and playing with it Also, sometimes I will use my vdrums and then quantize the midi...or sometimes if it's good enough I wont quantize.. what i find that works really well with midi info from v-drums is playing it and then making two copies of the recorded midi data. Then in the arrange window, I quantize one copy to like 16ths and the other to like 24ths or something, and then you get a really large human sound that is still in the right tempo. Then I like to really go in with matrix editor to fine tune stuff like the 32nds on the kick using the pencil tool for that reanimation=linkoln park type drum sound. but I think the real fun is putting a track on 'Touch' and then just messing with plugins depending on what I am feeling at the moment and what filters i have on my tracks..... some of the voice stuff has pitch correction too. I dont always get the sound I want this way, but if you have a good enough vocalist and you know the scale...then u can just use Touch control to program in the response time to hold out the sustained parts of the song/voice and then let up during pitch change/modulation...this way no matter what, they are always on key, even if they arent. but yea, i think what has worked best for me is those vdrums...and finding cool kits in garage band packs or in logic's exs to play them with has been a real cool experience... its not too laggy/latent? so i might even try doing it live???maybe with a low buffer oh yea, and the new "enhance timing" audio unit in Logic rocks too if you are recording real recorded drums, especially when you arent that great like me try to get each drum on a different track though and then use it, otherwise, the you get some sound loss if youre doing it to a full set of drums. also, I love the space! delays and reverbs here and there...make me happy And sometimes putting just the snare in a stadium sounds cool or delays on the high hats. Edited July 17, 2007 by calvin200001 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 anyone else have anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donnie darko Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 hey there, i listened to all 3 songs too i think they're pretty darn good, if i heard them on the radio i wouldn't think they were out of place bein on there, do u know what i mean? did u use alot of eq'ing on the drums etc? personally i'm not too keen on the idea of apple loops, i'd rather make my own beats up, but they can be useful i suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlpck Posted July 18, 2007 Share Posted July 18, 2007 Your compositions are good but it's way too fake sounding for my taste. To my ears, nothing even comes close to an actual musician's feel and sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted July 18, 2007 Author Share Posted July 18, 2007 thanks guys that helps a lot. as far as eqing, yea i do a lot. I use compressers, limiters, and different eqing plugs. after i am done, i use the presets on track "output" 1-2 (you know the littel arrow that pops down from the top) and choose different presets there too for masering the track. (At least as close at i can get to mastering...) also, to the third comment, I can appreciate that....and i will have to really ponder a way of making it sound real... I dont really know how to do it with this type of music...maybe add some tempo changes...?? anyone have any ideas about that? I can't really come to a decision... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 sweet any one else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveBrown Posted July 27, 2007 Share Posted July 27, 2007 I particulary like the slow and subtle attention to detail in the drum kit! Brilliant. Sometimes a composer can 'overdo' parts of the music, and hence it sounds too chaotic, but for this type of music you achieved the right balance there. Good stuff, I liked it. "1. with pre-programed apple loops that either the beat, or sound caught my ear. Then i may have kept the sound but changed the pattern....Or I changed the sound and keep the pattern..depending on loop. the reason i like loops so much, is that they give you a base for a sound, and for an idea... " I do exactly the same thing, well perhaps more empashis on the 'groove' more than anything. I usually start with drums as well, in order to start writing on top of that, however when I draw my drums in in the key roll things can be too 'metromonic' for me to satisfyingly concentrate on the composing. Know what I mean? Meh, sometimes i just leave the loop in and add my own drums on later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BouncyJones Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 I enjoyed your three tunes. I think each song had a soundscape to it. What I mean by that is if you think of the Verve's Urban Hymns or U2's Achtung Baby each of those songs had an atmosphere to them. Of course all of those songs were good songs too and your tunes have nice melodies as well. My only criticisms would be – Riding the Earth – vocals are too distorted and distant – People going places – vocals have very slight tuning issues – Get Up – vocals at :42 to :45 (the "Get Up" part) are just slightly out of tune and not in a good way. It's a shame because the song really builds up well. Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BouncyJones Posted July 29, 2007 Share Posted July 29, 2007 In case my last comment was too understated, I thought I'd add that I really enjoyed these tunes and would enjoy hearing more of your stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shivermetimbers Posted August 19, 2007 Share Posted August 19, 2007 Here is a suggestion: In the 1st song 'GET UP' I would try a gate on the guitar part at a 1/4 or 1/8 beat interval for the first minute or so... (gate it with a hi hat or something quick). Can you hear it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted August 19, 2007 Author Share Posted August 19, 2007 yea maybe, Ill give her a try... Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted September 27, 2007 Author Share Posted September 27, 2007 nice new avatar shiver! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erfmufn Posted September 30, 2007 Share Posted September 30, 2007 like the empty vocal stuff in "people going places" .. i dig that kind of minimal stuff. well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted October 1, 2007 Author Share Posted October 1, 2007 hey thanks a lot bro. PS, im going to add a new song hopefully by tonight, which will aim at being a combination of everyones suggestions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holle Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 hey...i like this a lot. i like your (?) voice. put some more songs up. sorry i don't have more input to offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 Josh, listening to People Going Places, this is a great song man!! Quite a departure from what you played for me when we met!! Cool though, I really dig it. I think your music is maturing!!! The production is great, there's nothing to say. It sounds great at low volume, and great loud too. Love the panned low/high voices, the work with the reverb, the sound of the drum loops, the bitcrushed sounds, the bright acoustic guitars... love it ALL!!! DAMN THAT'S GOOD STUFF!!! I'm impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Nahmani Posted October 1, 2007 Share Posted October 1, 2007 BTW I kept thinking.. "this reminds me of something", just couldn't pinpoint it. I know! It's Manu Chao. Do you know him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 yea i love him! "Im the king of bongo baby, im the king of bongo bong." and thanks! that means a lot David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Juicy Dangler Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 Some pretty coolio songs there, i especially like people going places. They were understated but they each had an atmosphere about them, was eerie like some of thom yorkes solo stuff. Nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 who do you think you are, dealing out stories in chunks?....johnny segment??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 Some pretty coolio songs there, i especially like people going places. They were understated but they each had an atmosphere about them, was eerie like some of thom yorkes solo stuff. Nice job. thank you, that is a great compliment! Can you elaborate on understated a little though? Im not sure what you mean exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted November 16, 2007 Author Share Posted November 16, 2007 who do you think you are, dealing out stories in chunks?....johnny segment??? me or the dangler? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted November 16, 2007 Share Posted November 16, 2007 that´s one for the dangler... .in reference to his name... .he should understand, and may elaborate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Juicy Dangler Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 who do you think you are, dealing out stories in chunks?....johnny segment??? You've had all the word nourishment you need! Youre so greedy, greedy for the verse. Cant believe someone actually recognised where my name is from lol. To calvin who didnt understand, my name is taken from a quote in the comedy series The Mighty Boosh, its genius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calvin200001 Posted November 17, 2007 Author Share Posted November 17, 2007 lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el-bo Posted November 17, 2007 Share Posted November 17, 2007 gotta get me a daily ´boosh´fix (either radio show or tv).... can´t wait till my mother sends me the dvd of the 3rd series...i´m currently living in barcelona and don´t really wanna watch online for anyone who hasn´t seen it....the mighty boosh is fantastic....british comedy at it´s best....... Oh sweet lady with your face like a cream oval And your nose like a delicious slope of cream And your ears like cream flaps And your teeth like hard shiny pegs of cream My name is Mindhorn, backwards forwards sideways I'm in love with a woman, she's got no eyes I found her drawing cows near Bruge I dont know her name....I call her mrs china She were a coiffeure but it ended in bloodshed Now she lives in a glass case in the town hall in Ghent And every three years on a Tuesday I dust her My name is Mindhorn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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