What do you struggle with most in your tracks?

will check them out on flee bay

8 bus is about the same price as i could sell my digi desk for , running 24 tracks at the mo so best to keep the same track amount

in seen a 32 track desk but i couldnt take that out the house but

probs get a 16 track for live stuff so maybe ,

so much gear , i never finish anything , but 1 day it will happen

cheers 4 advice

Actually finishing tracks

Haha

Im spending far too much time on production, soon as i get in the door im str8 on ableton, im well behind in my track downloading lately

Finnish these tracks off n am givin it a bit of a break.

Same here m8, i'll have glasses as thick as my bedroom wall b4 long lookin at this screen all the time

I try not to listen to tunes i really like when about to work on stuff as my midi starts to sound a bit like tracks i love lol. What software u usin like m8?

They look wkd those like. Im up at daft oclock still working on tracks... but im getting this shitty feeling that im bangin my head off a brick wall again, maybe im just tired, im not usually one for giving up but i feel like fucking this shit off at times.

I guess it keeps me busy when i get in, hoping that i'll get somewhere as the old clock ticks away

Arranging tracks is my biggest problem. I usually create something i think is banging. Then spend the next fortnight playing a loop and bouncing round the room.

Basslines bug the tits off me sometimes. Especially if im trying to make it quite a short punchy bass, and i cant remove the click sound that sometimes appears. Even EQ and changing attack wont work. It might just be me that can hear it like.

I dont think there is any right way to start a track. It all really depends on what your idea was at first. If you cam up with a melody in your head etc I would start there so you dont forget it. If its a really complax melody, then that will take precidence over most of the other sounds in the track.

A good book to read is The Dance Music Manual, Rick Snowman. Its a bit out of date and has some really stereo typical views on genres, but theres some brilliant tips, and ways to start tracks. It also covers mixing tracks and Dynamics (compression/gating etc).

Its on of those things that takes a while to get your own style, and I could talk all day.

P.S finishing a track is impossible lol

Ive got a question actually that i am sure there must be a way around, though i just cant think of and its doing my head in.

Been working on a new track the last week or so and i have some wicked elements to it though its now came to the arrangement.

The bass is pretty heavy and i have used quite a lot of sidechain compression with the kick to get the kick to sound punchy through the bass and its sounding pretty good i think.

The problem is though that when it comes to dropping the kick out for a few beats the bass really comes through much louder, as obviously the kick isnt there to compress it. I want to be able to drop the kick for a bar here and there without this impacting the bass. I have tried other things like using automation on the bass for this bar and trying to get the same kind of sound that the sidechain gets, though it just sounded shite in all honesty

I am going to keep playing around with a few things though anyone got any ideas? Grazias

Use a kick, thats's only used as a trigger for your sidechain. Have it playing even when your 'actual' kick isn't.

It needs to be on 'silent' - Not sure about Logic, but on Live you set the output to 'Sends Only'.

Best to use a solid kick, with not too much bottom end as that will make your sidechain have more of a pump.

If that makes sense...

Aye that makes total sense mate, cheers.

Thats the sort of lines i was thinking of tbh, and have just been trying there adding a second muted kick over the bar where the the main kick is taken out, and running the muted kick through the same bus in the hope that it will give the same effect.

Unfortunately it didnt though pretty sure im on the right track

Edit - nailed it Cheers Che

Nee probs.

If I'm not mistaken mate they re-released this as a more up-to-date version. Totally forgot about it myself, think I'll invest

I use Ableton Live 7 with Reason 4 Re-Wired and the basic M-Audio Oxygen8 V2 midi keyboard. Just been using Reasons built in instruments coupled with Abletons arrangement screen and effects. It's a dream set up for someone like me who's just cutting their teeth with this whole production malarky.

My biggest problem is simply creating the sounds I crave! Basslines especially, as mentioned earlier. I want a nice subby bouncy bassline, typical tech-house stuff. Just can't get it quite right!

Was thinking about investing in the Jupiter V8 VST, possibly the Minimoog too. Anyone use them? Verdict? Cost? Copy going spare?

The best thing to do, is the muted kick. But dont bother switching between one on then one off. Just run the sidechain as a silent kick, at all times. If you want to drop that out at any point, and avoid the level jumping, theres a few things, depending on what your using.
In logic i would:
1. if you side chaining using a gate only, check your threshold and reduction levels, and play about until the volume doesnt change (in most cases it will in logic unless you have a seperate gate). If you get it to a nice level, try using a limiter or an expander which will help maintain the levels.

2. It a bit easier side chaining with the standard compressor, but it means your compressing your sound, but you can get some really good cohesion between the kick and bass this way.

3. If your using logic and the Es2. Your routers in the middle do the work for you.
Set the top part as amp/volume and the bottom as sidechain. route your sidechain activation sound (kick, click snare etc) into the top of the es2 where it says sidechain, then drag the green pointer in the router down. Double or triple up for more extreme side chaining.

Your sidechain activation sound can be anything, and your best playing about with snares and rim shots aswell as kicks to get the perfect sound.
Playing with the envelope will can help make a sharp or gradual sidechain.