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Welcome to the all new revised Musician's Lounge FAQ Thread! CONTENTS DIVIDED BY POST:
REVISIONS TO THIS THREAD: 11/02/04: Updated a link to reflect changed address for a guitar TAB site 11/04/04: Updated the last section of the FAQ, plus added some links. 12/13/04: Removed references to Smee's hosting deal. 12/14/04: Came to this thread to remove Smee's hosting and found out zoomzip had already taken care of it since he's the fastest gun in the West 05/18/05: Added link about vocal removal 07/30/05: Removed Guitar Center hookup 03/17/07: Edited Neotek's tindeck hosting deal to make it more concise. 04/04/07: Changed Neotek's hosting deal again to add that if you don't own the music, don't post it 10/15/07: Added thread tag rule 06/26/20: No mods, no masters (removed rules and renamed thread) Colorfinger fucked around with this message at 02:24 on Jun 27, 2020 |
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Oct 10, 2004 17:36
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REMOVING VOCALS FROM SONGS Q: Can you remove the lead vocals from professionally recorded songs? A: Sometimes, but normally it makes it sound terrible and requires replacement of other instruments as well as the vocals (bass and snare drums being good examples). A great article on this is located here: http://www.ethanwiner.com/novocals.html STUDIO RECORDING ADVICE Originally written by RivensBitch. Revisions by Colorfinger Q: What is the best way/equipment to record my music? A: Home recording setups can range from extremely large and expensive (literally hundreds of thousands of dollars) to rather small and inexpensive (hundreds of dollars). But in any recording setups, there are certain requirements that must be met. [bq]A sound source[/bq]Most of the time this is an acoustic source, such as a vocalist, or a guitar, or a drumset. Other sources could be non acoustic, such as the output of a keyboard or a DJ mixer with turntables. [bq]A microphone[/bq]If your source is acoustic, you will need a mic and a preamp (if you have an electric guitar or bass, the pickups on that instrument are considered mics, but you will still need a preamp). For more information on microphones see the "MICROPHONE ADVICE" post immediately after this one. [bq]A preamp[/bq]A preamp will amplify your mic from mic level to line level, a difference of about 50db. Almost all engineers agree that the preamp is crucial to getting a good clean signal from a mic. The preamp is the first piece of gear in your signal path, and the electronics is uses to bring your mic up to level will determine how clean or how noisy your signal is. Just like a mic, a mediocre preamp is just that: mediocre. A great preamp will make your recordings sound stellar, not just in terms of noise, but also in terms of how the mic responds to the sound source. Once you have your source, your mic, and your preamp, you will now need something to record onto (known as a medium). Your "medium" will record line level signals. One of the most popular mediums these days is a computer since it can do multi track recording very quickly and easily with less danger of damage to or loss of the recording. To record onto a computer you need a recording interface. While a Sound Blaster, onboard sound, or similar sound card will work as a temporary interface, it will probably cause several problems (unexplainable pops/hiss/static) and ultimately result in poorer quality recordings and (if you are using it beyond its capabilities) possibly even a burned out sound card. Also, some of the more professional recording software requires special drivers to use with your recording interface, and most Sound Blaster or on board sound cards do not have appropriate drivers. Recording interfaces can run as expensive as $30,000 (Protools HD) or as inexpensive as $150 (M Audio AudioPhile). Recording interfaces start with as few as 2 inputs, up to as many as you can afford. Most professional recording studios have 32-48 inputs, but 8-16 inputs is considered to be adequate for the most common studio needs such as recording a band with a drumset. Once you have a source, a mic, a preamp, and an interface, you will still need software to record with. As with anything else computer related, there are many opinions about which software is best. Most software companies have downloadable demo versions available of their software and as such it is highly recommended that you try the demos before making any purchases since most recording software which is worth getting is in the range of several hundred dollars. Some of the most common/popular pieces of recording software are:
THE MOST BASIC AND LEAST EXPENSIVE SETUP Get a cheap $100 large condenser microphone and a decent mic cable (not the $14 cable that the guy at the store throws in for free). Don't forget a mic stand and a pop screen (to block out wind and large "P" sounds). Then get a two channel computer interface with mic preamps built in. A good example would be the M Audio MobilePre ($150). Now it's up to you what kind of software to record with. You always have the windows sound recorder that came with windows, maybe you can find some recording functions in your cd burning software, or maybe you can afford to shell out another $100 to get cakewalk's home studio. It's up to you at this point. MID RANGE SETUP Get a good mic, like the AT4033 ($400) or the KSM32 ($500) and a good mic cable like the B.L.U.E. KIWI ($50). Obviously, the mic stand and pop screen is still important. If you only need two channels at a time, consider the digidesign MBOX ($449) which has high quality focusrite preamps built in, and includes protools LE software (which is a competitor with Steinberg's Cubase or Emagic/Apple's logic, which puts it's value around $500). If you need more inputs, consider an 001 ($699) or an 002 rack ($1199) or maybe a MOTU 828mkII ($750) or an 896HD ($1250). If you need even more inputs, get one of those interfaces as well as an 8 channel mic pre with digital lightpipe out (yes those interfaces accept lightpipe input), such as the digimax or the octopre (~$800-$1000). Then you'll need some software (unless you got a digidesign interface, then it's up to you if you want something other than Protools). I highly recommend cubase SX ($599) or nuendo ($1199, only recommended if you want to do serious surround sound encoding). SUMMARY As long winded as this answer is, it is actually very basic. Recording can be as complex as you make it. Keep in mind that the professional recording studios that the artists you enjoy record their music at usually start out with a capital investment of about $2 million. There is no "cheap" way to get that "professional" sound. However, you don't need a loan to make good sounding music. It is perfectly possible to make CDs and sell them with gear that only cost you a few hundred bucks, but unfortunately there is no magic bullet, $29.99 answer to get you into recording. Colorfinger fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Jun 19, 2005 |
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Oct 10, 2004 17:38
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MICROPHONE ADVICE Originally written by RivensBitch. Revisions by Colorfinger. What seperates a good mic from a crappy mic? A good rule of thumb is, if you spend less than $50 on a mic, it's most likely a piece of poo poo. If your mic is meant to be used with a desktop computer's sound card, it's deffinately a piece of junk. It will work, but it's going to sound really bad. A large diaphram condenser is usually ideal for recording, while a dynamic handheld mic is usually best for live. There are some mics out there for $100 that are decent, and with a decent preamp will sound pretty good. But the truth is, a mic is like a musical instrument. Have you ever played a fender squier made in japan, and then played a $3000 american made strat? Whats the difference? You can still make music on the japanese strat, but the $3000 strat responds to your playing, it is more fun to play and it sounds better in 99% of applications (the 1% being if you WANT that "cheap guitar" sound). The same is true of microphones. The $100 oktava microphone aint bad, but the $800 B.L.U.E. dragonfly is an amazing mic to sing with. The $3000 neumman microphone, with the right voice, will sound like gold. Q) I Need a microphone, what should I get? The simple answer: A) For live use, the Audix OM7 (~$250) or the Sennheiser E865 (~$250) are about as good as you would want to get. If you need a more affordable solution, the Shure SM58 ($99), the Audix OM2 ($99), or the Sennheiser E835 are all fine mics that have decent feedback rejection and sound good enough for most applications. If you absolutely have no money to your name, get the Sennheiser E815S ($39), just don't use anything from Radioshack, for the love of God. For recording purposes, Oktava makes some okay cheap condenser mics ranging from $69-$250. Marshall also makes some decent cheap mics, as well as many other no-name companies that for the most part are using the same cheap chinese capsules that every other knock of brand are buying for pennies on your dollar. The good news is that these mics don't suck and are probabaly still better than that creative labs mic you found in your closet. For recording, A large diaphram condenser is ideal for vocals, and a small diaphram condenser is best for instruments. The Shure SM57 ($89) is considered a nice "all purpose" mic and every single studio in the world owns at least one (usually used for snare drums). As commonplace as they are, it's a 40 year old design and there are better things on the market if you have a better idea of what you're trying to record, but buying one would hardly be considered a poor purchase. The more accurate answer: A) This is a very complex question, and I would best compare it to asking someone what kind of guitar to get. I like comparing microphones to guitars, because a microphone should be considered an instrument. The subtle nuances of how a microphone responds to a sound source are what determine whether it is a "good" microphone, or a "bad" microphone. Because of this, you really need to consider the source of the music/sound. You wouldn't ask the lead guitarist from Cannibal Corpse to play a gig with a hollow body Gibson with single coil and internal pickups. You have to match the instrument to the performer, such that they compliment each other. There are 4 common types of microphones: Dynamic, Condenser, Ribbon, and Pressure Zone (commonly known as boundary mics). Boundary mics are mostly used in theaters and TV sets and for the purposes of this FAQ will not be discussed. Dynamic mics are the simplest type of microphone, and are primarily used for live performance. The main reasons for this are that dynamics are cheap and they can handle abuse. You can drop a dynamic mic and it will most likely still work, and in a club or on tour it is a given fact that mics will be dropped and abused on a regular basis. Also, on tour a dynamic element can be easily replaced. You unscrew the mic, remove the broken element, then resolder a new one (2 wires), and then screw the mic back in. Typical dynamic elements cost from $20-$40, so if you have over 20 mics that are in heavy use on a tour, and you end up needing to replace a mic every few shows, it becomes very economical to use dynamics rather than condensers that break much easier, and have much more expensive elements that require testing equipment to replace properly. Dynamic mics work like a speaker in reverse. You have a paper (or other types of polymer material) transducer (aka a diaphragm) that is connected to a voice coil that is connected to electrical wires. When vibrations move the diaphram, it generates current on the wires, and generates a mic signal. Condenser mics are more complicated, and therefore more expensive, than dynamic mics. A condenser mic consists of an electric plate with DC voltage running through it, as well as some basic circutry to affect it's pickup pattern, pad, and rolloff (these will be explained later). When pressure moves the metal plate, it "condenses" the electricity running through it which creates your mic signal. The voltage used in a condenser mic is often reffered to as "Phantom Power", and without it a condenser will not function. Because of the fragile nature of the capsules and circutry, as well as the precise craftsmanship that goes into making a condenser mic, they are much less durable and road worthy than a dynamic mic. Even moisture or extreme temperatures can permanently affect the response of a condenser. Because the metal in a condenser mic is more flexible and plyable than the diaphragm on a dynamic mic, a condenser is much more responsive and accurate when reproducing FAST frequencies (fast frequencies are high frequencies, or the "treble" of a signal). Condenser microphones are also much more accurate with extremely low frequencies. Dynamics will almost always drop off at 80hz until there is nothing present below 60hz. Even large diaphragm dynamic mics designed for use with bass drums and bass guitar cabinets only go down to 50hz. A good condenser (not a cheap one) will have a (near) flat response all the way down to 20hz. Because condensers are more accurate, they are the preferred mic for recording in most situations. The few exceptions to this are when a tight pickup pattern is required (pickup patterns will be explained later) or when a sound source is extremely loud and overloading the mic (most dynamics can take very high pressure levels before becoming overloaded). Another instance where a dynamic is preferable is when you are micing drums, and you don't want to risk damaging your mic if the drummer accidentally strikes it with his drumsticks. Ribbon mics are uncommon, yet can sound very good on certain instruments. They're described as very smooth, and they have a very particular character. They sound great on vocals (especially sultry females) and are also used on guitars, amps, and drums. A ribbon mic's element is closer to a dynamics than a condenser, in that the ribbon fillament generates current when it is vibrated. Ribbon mics do not require phantom power (some will burn out if used with phantom power), and they are even more fragile than condensers and cannot handle high pressure levels. There really are no cheap ribbon mics, the cheapest I've ever seen is the Oktava ML52 ($250), which is a decent mic but very fragile, even for a ribbon. The character and response of a mic Three things to consider when chosing a mic for an instrument/application are: Frequency response. If you put a microphone in front of a speaker generating a 500hz sine wave, does the mic return a level on your board that is the same as when the speaker is generating a 1000hz (1khz) sine wave? Most microphones come with a graph with frequency as the X axis, and volume as the Y axis. These graphs can be tweaked to be misleading, but they provide a basic guideline to understanding how well your mic will sound. When examining this graph, ask yourself some questions. How flat (accurate) is the response? Are there any noticable peaks or dips in the response, and if so where are they and how big are they? At the low end of the frequency spectrum, at what point does the flat response drop off? At what frequency does the high end drop off? How much farther does it go before it doesn't pick up anything at all? A professional mic should be almost flat, with no dips or bumps greater than +/- 3db at any point. It should retain this almost flat response from 20hz to 20khz. The more bumps you have, the larger they are, and the less range of flat frequency you have, the less accurate the mic will be. THIS MAY BE DESIREABLE. No mic is perfect, and the best sound is found when multiple mics are tested until the one which has "flaws" that compliment the source the most is found. That being said, 9 times out of 10 the truly good flat mics will sound better. It's easier and more effective to use a high end fully parametric EQ to compliment your sound rather than test every mic in the studio. Another thing to keep in mind when considering frequency response is what type of instrument you are micing. When micing cymbals, you are most likely going to roll off any frequencies below 500hz. So when chosing a cymbal mic, you wont necessarily need a mic that goes down flat to 20hz. But you'll deffinately want one that goes to 20khz (in other words, no dynamics). Sound Pressure Levels (SPL). So you want a really, REALLY deep kick drum sound, right? But you also want a heavy metal "click" punchiness to the sound? You'll need something with lots of low end, and you'll want it right up against your beaters, inside the drum. Now is the time to use your large diaphragm condenser mic that goes down to 20hz. Or is it? 90% of condenser mics can't handle the SPL that a kick drum puts out, they will distort at the mic and you can't do anything to stop it, even the pad won't work because you are litterally pushing the metal diaphragm too hard. You could back off 8-16 inches, but then you've lost your punchiness. Currently I know of only one mic that can do this specific application, the Neuman U47 ($2000). 2 inches away from the beaters on the inside of a kick drum, this mic delivers tight, punchy kick with a LOT of low end. If you can't afford $2000 for your single high end studio mic, then consider a dynamic inside the drum and a condenser on the outside placed at a safe distance. You can actually damage a mic if you hit it with air too quickly and too hard. One reason that the SM57 is so commonly used on snare drums is it's ability to handle high SPL levels. If you hang out in studios long enough, eventually you will hear someone say, "you can drive nails with an SM57" or some derivative of that common studio banter. Pickup Patterns This is a commonly overlooked property of a mic. If you are talking directly into a mic, and then back up two inches, how much does your voice drop off? What if you moved to the left 2 inches? How "tight" is your mic? This is a HUGE consideration when performing live and trying to achieve lots of gain before feedback. When recording in a studio, it's common to have the drums and guitar amps in the same room, how much of those guitars are going to be picked up in your cymbal mics? How much cymbal will bleed into your tom mics? The last thing you want is cymbals on tom tracks that are louder than the toms. The directional pickup pattern of a microphone is crucial to proper seperation. For more information on the different pickup patterns, click here Different pickup patterns are achieved by creating cancellation, and this is achieved with mic vents. Consider the typical ball mic (for instance the SM58). If you were to hold the mic in your hand upright, the northern hemisphere of the ball is the active pickup area of the mic. The southern hemisphere is the vent. If you have one of these mics, try talking into the vent. Notice how muffled the sound is. That is because signals picked up in the vents of a mic are put out of phase against the main mic signal, and therefore are cancelled out. This is why when you are at a show and some dumbass covers the mic, it usually feeds back. If it doesn't feed back on it's own, a good sound engineer will intentionally feed it back to teach the vocalist not to hold the mic that way. If you cover the mic vents, you now have an omnidirectional mic, and are robbing yourself of any feedback cancellation you might have available to you. One More Thing: "What's all this I hear about TUBE mics?". Well Timmy, a tube mic is a mic that's signal runs through a tube inside the mic. This "warms" up the sound with really smooth distortion. If you overload that tube mic just enough, you'll get a sort of gritty and lively sound that you don't get with non-tube mics. This is desireable in some situations, but not all. A good studio will have a few tube mics lying around. The bottom line is, mics are very complex. Because of this, don't believe everything you read about them. TRY THEM OUT SIDE BY SIDE. At the Guitar Center that I work at, we have our mics ready to be demonstrated because graphs and specs can be exaggerated and manipulated to say anything, the only way to really understand how useful a mic will be is if you plug it in and hear it against a mic you are familiar with. Cheap mics: the rule of thumb for any studio is, "the more mics, the better". But, a studio without any real quality mics is useless. So, when you're just starting out, feel free to purchase some of the cheaper bargain bin mics you find at music stores (read: not radio shack, not best buy). If you spend $100 on the mic, it's likely that 10 years from now you'll be in the middle of a session with that ska band that has 7 annoying horn players, and you'll run out of mics - so you'll turn to your trusty $100 Oktava condenser, your first mic ever, and it will sound fine. "Moderately" priced mics: After using that cheap $100 mic for about a year or two, you're going to wonder why your recordings only sound 90% professional. After banging your head against the wall, or maybe after borrowing a friends mic or visiting another studio, you'll save up $400 and buy your first nice mic. You will be amazed at the difference in sound quality, and you will be the envy of your peers. Less "Moderately" priced mics: Your vocals sound great, but your kick drum is floppy and your guitars need some depth. Also, your toms sound very papery and your overhead cymbals are okay, but could be better. It's time to get another mic or two! You think back to how much better that $400 mic sounded when you first got it and compared it to that old $100 mic of yours, and now you're asking yourself - "$400 is really a lot of money... why waste it on a mic that's just as good as the mic I already have? I might as well go all out and get an even better mic". But then you remember you need TWO mics for stereo. So, you save up your money, apply for one of those no-interest-for-a-year promotions at guitar center and plunk down $1400 for a pair of stereo matched condensers. These mics come in a cedar box, and when you bring them home you masturbate furiously while listening to the first drum takes you record with them. You may even take pictures and post them on the internet for all to see. EXPENSIVE MICS: You're about to graduate college when you notice your parents are nowhere to be found on a saturday afternoon. Later that night you find litterature from a local car dealership. WARNING! WARNING! This is your only chance ever to own a real, honest to goodness vintage mic. You already used up your highschool graduation money for that '68 Les Paul Custom, and you're about to take your band seriously for the first time in your life, because if you don't then you'll have to use that degree you got to get a real job. You confront your parents about their decision to buy you a car for graduation, and suddenly realize that with all the studio gear you've acquired over the years, if you just had one really, really, really good mic (and maybe a really good pre to go with it) you could open your own studio and charge money to record bands! You finally convince your parents to go get that $12,000 B.L.U.E. Bottle microphone, the one that's over 2 feet long with the 8 interchangeable capsules, the external powersupply, and the two $500 flight cases (one for the mic, one for the capsules). After bringing it home, you buy a bus pass. (an interesting side note, we actually have a Bottle mic at my Guitar Center, and I had to lower the shelves in our display case an entire foot just to fit the damned thing in there upright. This is a huge mic, it's about as big as an average adult male's forearm.) Colorfinger fucked around with this message at 06:20 on Nov 24, 2004 |
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Oct 10, 2004 18:21
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LEARNING TO SING Written by zoomzip and Colorfinger Q) I'd like to learn how to sing. A) Your best best is to take a junior college vocal class. It's cheap and you'll probably learn everything you're curious about. You'll develop things like your breathing and support, and over time you'll improve. If you can afford it, private voice lessons are also an option. The general consensus is that you really need someone standing in front of you and instructing you to learn properly. Tapes and books and voodoo magic from Haiti won't cut it. Q) Well, are there some vocal exercises which I can do on my own? A) Two standard vocal exercises which you might want to try are as follows: Tonal Staircase type exercises: Repeating the first third fifth and first raised an octave back and forth at steadily rising pitches (ie C E G C G E C followed by D F# A D A F# D and so on). You can also try different patterns of notes moving up and down as long as the patterns can be easily repeated at different pitches. This helps in learning to loosen your muscles while making notes - a very common problem with singers is tensing all muscles in the neck, face and shoulders while producing a high note. If you can learn to ease this tension, it becomes a lot easier to produce even higher notes than you're aiming for. For example, for a very long time I considered my comfortable top note to be an E. After practicing this technique a lot I have now moved it to an A or even a B on some days. Buzzing: This one is really irritating, but also helps with tension and learning to breathe properly. Put your tongue just behind your teeth to create a "zzzz" buzzing noise. First off, just try singing one of your favorite tunes using the buzzing sound (no words, obviously). It should be considerably harder. Next, try just starting as low and you can and raising your voice to as high as you can (in pitch not volume). The reason for this exercise is to shoot out a LOT more air than you would be under normal circumstances. Part of learning to sing is learning to breathe, and as you reach the end of your breath simply letting your diaphragm go and allowing it to grab more air. If you use muscle tension to attempt to pull more air into your lungs, it will in fact decrease the amount of air you have to work with since your lungs are compressed by the muscles. Both of these vocal exercises are great to do while taking a long commute (in a car normally, although if you want to do it in a train or on a bus, that's your business). One thing to seriously bear in mind while singing is that you absolutely must sing using your diaphragm (it should feel like you're pushing air out from your stomach, not from your lungs). If you use your lungs you do two things: probably sing too breathily (thus reducing the amount of air you have to work with) and risk damaging your vocal cords by scratching them and causing polyps. Colorfinger fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Oct 10, 2004 |
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Oct 10, 2004 18:42
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ADVICE ON BANDS Written by OptimusCrime Once you’ve decided that you want to play in a band, you need to choose between the two fundamental types: cover bands and original bands. There are positives and negative aspects to both and you really need to consider them so you can make the choice that is right for you. Cover vs. Original Cover band upshots
Cover band downsides
Leadership and Ownership Bands need strong leadership or else nothing will get accomplished. A rock band is NOT A DEMOCRACY. I cannot emphasize that enough. Trying to get 4-6 individuals to agree on anything is an exhaustive exercise. The end result will be all over the place, with no firm commitment to any sort of artistic direction. I was in a band for a short while that did original material, as well as covers from Paul Simon and Pink Floyd. It might sound cool if it was done on purpose, but that unusual mix was born out of an uneasy compromise, and it sucked. It also didn’t even last past the first show. Ideally, your band should decide on leadership from the very beginning. Usually it’s the vocalist who takes charge, or maybe the drummer, or even a team of the lead guitarist and vocalist. It doesn’t matter who takes charge, as long as everyone knows who it is. The leader provides direction and makes decisions. In order to be successful, leadership is needed in three different areas: Artistic, Logistic, and Personal Artistic leadership
A few words on Ownership – Ownership of a certain piece of gear or the rehearsal space does not give you the rights to any more say than anyone else. Just because the band practices in your basement, doesn’t mean every song should feature a drum solo because you like to show off your mad chops. However, owning the rehearsal space does give you the right to say that 11 P.M. is much too late to practice in your basement because of your sleeping kids/parents upstairs. If you want to provide something for your band to use, do it and don’t hold it over anyone’s head. If someone provides something they own for the good of the band, be respectful of their property and wishes. At a minimum So you’ve decided to play in a band, you know what kind of band you want to be, and you’ve got a good leader who you like and trust. Here is what you will need to have and do, at a minimum, in order to succeed.
Rehearsing The only way your band will ever be tight is if you practice intently. This does not mean every day, or 8 hour practice sessions. It means that you practice with the sole intention of improving. The amount of practice necessary varies depending on the relative skill and experience level of your band members. Old pros practice once during the week and play out Friday and Saturday night. Young guys who have never been in a band before might want to do more than that. It all depends on the situation. A good leader will set a rehearsal schedule that is appropriate and tenable. Rehearsing is different than practicing. Practicing is something you do as an individual. Rehearsing is practice for the whole band. Here are some tips I’ve learned through the years to make sure you get the most out of rehearsal.
Staying together Statistically, most original bands break up shortly after they record their first demo. Cover bands fair only slightly better, staying together on average for 18 months. You’ve got your band, everything is set and going well… how do you keep it together? The first and most important thing is camaraderie. If you’re not more than friends with the people in your band, it probably isn’t going to last. It’s been said that being in a band is like being married to 5 people simultaneously. In some ways, that’s fairly accurate. If you can’t hang with your core members, or if they don’t gel with you… find another band. Conversely, if one member of the band doesn’t fit in, it’s probably best to find a replacement sooner rather than later. Seek out like minded individuals who share a respect of the music you love, and those who have similar lifestyles to that of your own. Be willing to compromise on small things, but always stick to your guns on the issues most important to you. Listen to other’s opinions and you can expect yours to be heard as well.
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Oct 10, 2004 18:43
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HOSTING FOR MP3s HOSTING OFFERED BY NEOTEK *** IF YOU ARE GOING TO POST AN MP3 ON TINDECK PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU OWN THE COPYRIGHT. POSTING COPYRIGHTED MUSIC WHICH YOU DIDN'T MAKE OR DON'T OTHERWISE OWN CAUSES PEOPLE TO SEND NEOTEK NASTY C&D LETTERS AND THREATEN LAWSUITS. *** Neotek posted:Tindeck is a web-based mp3 hosting utility so people without hosting of their own can still share their music easily. I hope you don't mind Neotek, but I reworded your original post to make it more succinct. Colorfinger fucked around with this message at 16:54 on Feb 18, 2013 |
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Oct 10, 2004 18:48
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VST PLUGIN INFORMATION Written by Colorfinger and zoomzip Q) What are VSTs? A) They are virtual instruments and effects which you can use within hosts which support VST (such as Fruityloops, Cubase etc). Q) What are the best VST plugins? VSTi's? Where can I find some? A) https://www.kvr-vst.com is your one-stop-shop for everything VST related. Be sure to browse their forums for a constantly-growing treasure trove of information, the sub-forums of DSP giants Smart Electronix and TobyBear, and honestly the nicest and most helpful group of people you can find on this here internet.
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Oct 10, 2004 18:50
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DIAGNOSING GUITAR PROBLEMS Written by Arhez What's your problem? We're all here to help, but we can only help if you can clearly explain what the problem is. Things to include in your thread are: Description of problem Type/Make of instrument How old instrument is Possible causes of problem Other additional info Common Problems Fret buzz: This is caused by a string when plucked to vibrate off a fret, creating a buzz sound. Solutions are to raise the height of the saddles on your bridge ( raising the action ), by using an allen key (for most non locking tremolos (usually found on guitars like the Strat)), or the spindles for Tune-O-Matics (usually found on guitars like the Les Paul) (some bridges cannot be adjusted using either of these methods). In some cases, ( depending on the age of the guitar ) frets may need filed down ( dressed ), or a nut may need replaced. In either case, its best to take it to a luthier, or guitar shop. Neck adjustment: This is another solution to fret buzz (but don't be so quick to blame the truss rod), but isnt very common. Take off the cover ( if any ) on your headstock just above the nut. This will reveal a groove inside your neck, with a truss rod inside. In some cases, some truss rods need the neck to be removed to be adjusted if the groove is at the butt of the neck instead of the headstock This truss rod keeps your neck the right shape under the tension of the strings. To check it press the thick E down at the 12th and 1st fret at the same time and check the gap between the string and the frets around the 7-9th fret area. If there's no gap (take note the gap will be very small), turn the truss rod counter clockwise about 1/4 of a turn (large adjustments may permanently damage your guitar). If the gap is too large then turn the truss rod clockwise about 1/4 of a turn. Changing pickups: To change a set of pickups, the most effective way is to unsolder the wire from the pots and switch, and just slip the pickups out. This saves the wire incase you would want to sell them, or reinstall them. Intonation: If you feel that when you move chords up the neck, some notes become sharp, your intonation may be incorrect. To check your intonation, use a tuner to tune up, then play the 12th fret harmonic of any string. If its nearly/the same note, your intonation is fine. To change it, you need to adjust the saddles at the bridge. There is a great tutorial on doing this here. Glossary: Action: This is the distance between the fretboard and string. Fret buzz: This is caused by the action being too low, and the string vibrates off the fret, creating a buzzing sound. Single coil: The plastic covered things in front of your bridge, that pickup the vibrations from your strings and send it to your amp as a signal, which your amp processes and sends out as a sound. Single coils are prone to hum, but some pickup manufacturers like Seymour Duncan produce 'stacked' single coils, which prevent the hum, but you can still get the single coil sound. Humbucker: Two single coils wired toghther to stop hum that occurs in single coils. This also gives a fat, meaty tone, that is great for rhythm, but also for lead. Single coils give a more jangly sound, which is why they have not faded away. Active and passive pickups: Active pickups are pickups that require a battery, and passive that do not. Active often are higher output pickups, and are used by artists like Zakk Wylde and Metallica. EMG are a popular make. Also, most acoustic/electric guitars use active pickups. Pots: Pots, or potentiometers, are really just variable resistors. They are your volume control, and tone control. They adjust the volume by restricting the flow of current/electricity, making it quieter and vice versa. Tone pots have a capacitator which, depending on their rating, will affect the frequency.
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Oct 10, 2004 18:51
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GUITAR TAB SITES Collected by Misterkillian http://www.activeguitar.com – All-genre tabs http://alt.venus.co.uk/weed/music/classtab/welcome.htm – Classical tabs only (Not working? 3/17/07) http://www.allguitartabs.com – All-genre tabs but spotty uptime http://www.basstabarchive.com – Self-explanatory http://www.death8699.com/05-metal-guitar-tablature.htm – Metal tabs only (Now working again 3/17/07) http://www.deathwarp.com/DeathWarp/tabs/tabs.htm - Metal tabs only http://www.e-tabs.org - All-genre tabs http://www.frankblack.net/tabs/ - Frank Black and the Pixies tabs only http://members.fortunecity.com/youthoftoday/hctabs/ - “Old School Hardcore Tabs” apparently http://www.giventowail.com/ - Pearl Jam tabs only (Down as of 9/27/06, doesn't look like it's coming back...) http://www.guitarboard.com - All-genre tabs http://www.guitarists.net/tab – All-genre tabs, but hard to navigate (Artists are in alphabetical order by first name http://www.guitarnoise.com/pink_floyd/ - Okay, look, if you can’t figure it out you don’t deserve these tabs http://www.guitarnotes.com/tabs/ - All-genre tabs http://www.guitarseek.com/getcat.php3?catid=101 – List of tab sites that may or may not be on this list http://www.guitaretab.com – Small selection but accurate http://www.guitartabs.cc/ - All-genre tabs http://hem.passagen.se/ak5/ramones/ - Ramones tabs only http://hem.passagen.se/ak5/rancid/ - Rancid tabs only http://www.kontek.net/vgjam/ - Video game tabs http://www.lastlifemedia.com – Indie rock tabs http://www.metaltabs.com – Another difficult site to figure out. http://www.mysongbook.com/ - All-genre tabs (Requires Guitar Pro) http://www.mxtabs.net/ - All-genre tabs http://www.olga.net/dynamic/browse.php?local=/main/ - All-genre tabs http://www.powertabs.net/ - All-genre tabs (Get the software here: http://www.power-tab.net/) http://www.punkhardcore.com – Punk/hardcore/ska/etc only http://www.radioheadtabs.com – Radiohead tabs only http://www.ram.org/music/primus/tabs/primus_tabs.html – Primus tabs only http://www.rockmagic.net/guitar-tabs/ - All-genre tabs http://www.spfc.org – Smashing Pumpkins tabs only http://www.tabalorium.com - All-genre tabs http://www.tabcrawler.com/ - All-genre tabs http://www.tabit.net/ - Highly recommended but with $20 pricetag http://www.taborama.com/ - All-genre tabs, site tends to be slow http://www.tabmall.com - All-genre tabs http://www.tabrobot.com - All-genre tabs http://www.tabs-guitar.com – All-genre tabs with flash animations http://w1.131.telia.com/~u13108580/misfits/ - Misfits tabs (Danzig era) http://www.thefade.net/ - Queens of the Stone Age tabs only http://www.tooltabs.net – Aptly named http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ - All-genre tabs http://www.vaxxine.com/mtbhl/weentab.html – Ween tabs only http://www.wholenote.com/default.asp – Good beginner’s site http://www.dmbtabs.com/ - Specifically Dave Matthew's Band tabs Chords Sites http://www.webslapper.com/chords.html GENERAL MUSIC SITES Contributed by RivensBitch http://www.zzounds.com - This site has user reviews of gear. Take them with a grain of salt, they're useful but always remember that the reviewer could be some 12 year old who just bought his first mixer ever, and boy is it awesome!! 10/10/10!! http://www.mixonline.com/ - this is the site for mix magazine. the archive is free, there are a million articles in there ranging from how to build a basic PC recording setup to how to get that new digidesign console to automate your mixed drinks at the wet bar in studio C. http://www.prosoundweb.com/ - a cool community of pro audio nerds, lots of resources for you to check out http://duc.digidesign.com/ - digidesign user forums http://www.steinberg.net/Steinberg/Forums.asp?Langue_ID=7 - steinberg (cubase/nuendo) forums http://www.cakewalk.com/forum/tt.asp?forumid=5 - cakewalk/sonar forums http://discussions.info.apple.com/webx/garageband/ - garageband/logic forums Colorfinger fucked around with this message at 02:33 on Mar 18, 2007 |
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Oct 10, 2004 18:52
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Colorfinger fucked around with this message at 03:39 on May 19, 2007 |
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Oct 10, 2004 18:53
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Dont call what your wearing an outfit.
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Jun 4, 2021 22:35
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Some of the gear advice could do with an update. Do they even make MBOX's anymore? The modern (and superior) version would probably be those nifty focusrite scarlet 2 channel boxes. I'm told Audient stuff is both affordable and excellent quality, but no personal experience with it.
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Oct 7, 2021 03:27
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