@digitaldragon You haven't tried samplers/vsti/au's yet! Blasphemy! I've just started with DAWs too but, consider this: It took me 8 months of practicing classical guitar on avg 6 hrs a day during the work week* until I rethought my approach to playing, focusing on every fk'ing note had to sound as good as possible (I was always told that even from childhood but, never understood it).

Yesterday I was using a "steel string guitar" library in Kontakt with some ooh'ing and ahh'ing women pads (well mmm'ing women too) and I noticed after an hour or so of no composing but jamming with myself, which is my new problem, the sound of the guitar was fk'ing amazing, every time. At first I wanted to tell the guitar player he was somehow cheating cause nobody is that good, and then I realized it was me thru a computer program...

So consider eliminating the problem of tonal quality of the composition as being a problem at all, and just focusing on the score. Modern composers have gotten around this perfect tonal quality by adding FX and try to bitch about getting this sound or that...I assume even beauty can become boring. I know after I started to date really good looking women after around 29 years old, I did...which I find a weakness in my personality not a strength. I also proved the dictum, "never marry the beautiful woman" but, you probably know why.


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*I was a "punished" Medic in NYC. Given the medic personality type, sitting is considered unbearable, ha! I know why the caged bird sings.

 

@jeffglobal I've used several VSTi recently trying to add some fill parts to our songs. I haven't tried any samplers. I used to use Soundfonts a long time ago. This seemed more useful when I was composing by myself and needed a part, but didn't have anyone to play it. This was tedium at it's worst as I didn't own a keyboard at the time and had to manually score everything in a piano rollout. Lately, I've had the benefit of having a full band to write and compose with. I've also gotten a keyboard. So I'm sure I'll get into this at some point. All of my focus has been on learning mixing and mastering. Didn't get a chance to work with this last night as the other vocalist was after me to work on the tracks we recorded Friday. Hopefully this evening.

 

Idk, but I think Kontakt is pretty nifty, and I think I also wasn't playing with it until I got midi cables to my keyboard...the more you dig into Kontakt, the more it looks like you've arrived at a party that started in 2008! I'm procrastinating by learning the KSP of Kontakt right now, while I can't complete a 1:15 min score for a trailer. It seems it's writing itself in the background though like what happens when I used to work or be in school, waiting and then wham, then I write it down...that's how I'm selling it to myself now. I got more ideas playing with Antidrum 3 yesterday.

Now that I think about it. I didn't start to compose music UNTIL I got the keyboard and then the midi cables...just learning mixing and faux mastering...

I do know steady and slow always wins though, HIT and Crossfit training now being in vogue to the contrary. Enjoy yo injuries, suckas.

 

Quite a bit of good advice around, here's my 2 cents. I took a look at it in RX, there's definitely some pitch modulation going on, see for yourself:

 

Very Very interesting that you can spot that,
I never ever thought of that, +100 kudo's

 

@Qrchack Hey, would this "forensic" technique be useful in trying to recreate a specific sound and effect? I've only used spectra to delete clicks but, in my Adobe Audition days, before I learned how to draw them out in the waveform of my DAW directly in Cubase.

What category of sound design would this be classified in? Using spectra other than for making pretty sound pictures or checking your eq'ing? I'm still learning about sound synthesis...and thought this kinda stuff is only used for sound fixing and stuff trying to polish turds. I am a wise masta approaching 2 months in, so it looks like I missed something again.

 

Sounds like a simple case of a doubler or chorus effect with the sides panned hard left and right. Maybe an extra pitchshift and a phaser is involved as wel as EQ (low cut and/or automated filter). You have to start thiking from a reverse engineering view: who are these people? Well, they make handmade music and probably don't know shit about audio engineering. So what they have? Certain pedals (Wahwahs, Phasers, Delays, Chorusses, Mics and PreAmps and a Mixing Board). So then approach the effect from the recording/signal flow side of things. And then you can recreate it.

 

Is it me or there's some really aggressive highs and not enough lows ?? Sounds like a high pass at 1 or 2khz !! What monitors or headphones do you use ??
But nice composition work !

 

Yeah, been mixing entirely in the cans so I don't aggravate the other household member (my wife)! Just gave it a listen on the monitors last night, and I'm gonna have to go few and fix some tonal issues and mix levels.
@Jessycd , I have a set of KRK Rockit 8's with the 10" sub that goes with them for monitors, but using a set of AT headphones, but I don't think they are reference headphones. Definitely need to upgrade my cans.
@Baxter , lol, is it really THAT bad? I almost gave up on mixing after I read that edit yesterday, but instead you've given me the drive to get this track sounding as pristine as I can, so thank you for that feedback.
Seriously, though, I realized that the mix wasn't anywhere near perfect, but after checking it out on the monitors, it's like all of the energy was just sucked out of the piece. I'm open to any suggestions in that area as well. Perhaps I'm riding some of the compression too hard. I usually start by finding the best preset and adjust from there after I get on the monitors.
Looks like for the effect I'm going after, I'm having some good luck with a ring modulator and a multi tap delay. Gonna try to apply a reversed reverb too and see if that gets it there.
@Qrchack , I also found the use of RX to find the modulation very very interesting. I'm guessing that's the flanger that you're seeing there.

 

AKA vibrato. Most vocalists have it.
Freddie Mercury had one of the fastest.

 

Nope, it is not vibrato. See the fundamental stay in pitch while harmonics move around? That's a chorus with high-pass on the modulated signal.