Overwhelmed!!

Hi,

I'm trying to get used to Sonar (8.5 Producer) to make music, not having done loads of MIDI/Audio stuff since the late-90s, when I was based around a couple of hardware synth modules, and old version of Cubase VST and a couple of outboard effects. Life seemed to SIMPLE back then!

Just now, I downloaded Korg Legacy M1, for old time's sake. Was playing around with a sound, and I though I'd record a simple track on that one instrument, then play around with compression, gating, reverbs, delays, EQ etc, to experiment and start to learn a few things. This is when it gets to the bit I hate - there are just TOO MANY options when making music! 

I tried some compression, but wasn't sure if I could hear a massive difference between different ratios - couldn't even decide if the compression on that instrument (a sort of layered polysynth) was needed or not/good or bad/improved the sound or not. Then I whacked the compression up for a laugh, very high, and started playing with all the parameters. What happened? It massively affected the reverb tail! 

At which point, my brain exploded, wondering "right, would I want that massive reverb tail or not? Is that the best way to get it? How else could you get the same effect? Why didn't I know that compression would do that? Should I consider EQ'ing the reverb tail before or after it's compressed?" Etc, etc, etc....

There's twenty lifetimes' worth to learn about audio production, and I thought I knew quite a lot already. I don't even trust my ears anymore, and am thinking of dumping the PC in the bin!!

Vent over.

Daniel

Two synths and a cassette recorder is still a viable alternative, Daniel!

Once we get past the overwhelming number of options, everybody eventually ends up trimming their toolkit down to the essentials of what they really need. I sure have a lot of software and libraries that I thought were necessary when I bought them but now sit mostly unused.

As for compression on synth tracks, that's just something I never do (except on sampled drums). A synth already has all the control built in that you might ever want, eliminating the need for compression and many other effects. Compression, IMO, is best suited to live audio tracks and full mixes.

And you're right: compression changes reverb tails. That's why you put compression on first and adjust to taste - and then add reverb, and subsequently revisit both of them when you add your limiter to the master bus. Compression messes with other effects, too, such as EQ. Compression may even mess with other compressors further down the chain! Like Bub says, compression is a big subject.

But don't throw out your computer just yet, Daniel. Keep reminding yourself that the journey is more important than the destination. Rather than despair over the enormity of all the stuff yet to be mastered, enjoy the process and be glad you won't ever run out of new things to learn.

And if all else fails, vintage Portastudios can be had for fifty bucks or less on eBay and at garage sales.

Over 10 years I have learned & relearned everything about compression, delay timing, automation, panning, EQ, tape saturation, microphones, outboard gear, room treatment, tracking, mixing and mastering and yet......I am happiest with my digital hand recorder with a single record button and a good song. It does a pretty good job, it forces me to arrange before I hit record, I can change the song on the fly without compiling a lot of worthless tracks that I have to wade through later, and it's fast. It has a built in compressor/limiter and adds a decent quality to the track and I can just load it into the DAW when a lot of the details have been worked out. The greatest resistor to creating music is the computer screen.

bitflipper

The greatest resistor to creating music is the computer screen.

You are wise, oh Man in the Middle. You know what would be cool is if the musicians played in a totally separate room and you paid somebody to sit in front of the computer and tweak the knobs for you. You could have a window in between the two rooms. Hey, that could be the future!

Brilliant, the new paradigm.... not having to be artist, recording engineer, mixing engineer, producer. People teaming up for a joint creative process. That would be wonderful future.

When all else fails... go back to the basics.

Mix dry tracks..... and only add very small amounts of reverb.... perhaps ONLY in the master bus, not in the tracks.

sedm0710


Hi,

I'm trying to get used to Sonar (8.5 Producer) to make music, not having done loads of MIDI/Audio stuff since the late-90s, when I was based around a couple of hardware synth modules, and old version of Cubase VST and a couple of outboard effects. Life seemed to SIMPLE back then!

Just now, I downloaded Korg Legacy M1, for old time's sake. Was playing around with a sound, and I though I'd record a simple track on that one instrument, then play around with compression, gating, reverbs, delays, EQ etc, to experiment and start to learn a few things. This is when it gets to the bit I hate - there are just TOO MANY options when making music! 

I tried some compression, but wasn't sure if I could hear a massive difference between different ratios - couldn't even decide if the compression on that instrument (a sort of layered polysynth) was needed or not/good or bad/improved the sound or not. Then I whacked the compression up for a laugh, very high, and started playing with all the parameters. What happened? It massively affected the reverb tail! 

At which point, my brain exploded, wondering "right, would I want that massive reverb tail or not? Is that the best way to get it? How else could you get the same effect? Why didn't I know that compression would do that? Should I consider EQ'ing the reverb tail before or after it's compressed?" Etc, etc, etc....

There's twenty lifetimes' worth to learn about audio production, and I thought I knew quite a lot already. I don't even trust my ears anymore, and am thinking of dumping the PC in the bin!!

Vent over.

Daniel

And you've just seen the tip of the iceberg. But don't throw the PC into the bin, you'll only go in there after it once your brain catchs up. Your looking for more subtle changes now. It's time to release old hearing habits when the "systems on". You should consider using less of a reverb until you can't hear the compressor kill it off.