Now that you have had a few weeks with the challenge; what are you missing/needing?

[la szum]

It's all good, Drew.

Mostly just thinking out loud in a public space, which is nice. When I do it at the store it doesn't go over
quite as well.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Recording is hard. Writing something is hard, too. I am reminding myself that iconic bands with
4 or 5 virtuosos in them would take a year to write, record, and produce an album in a year.

So, why can't I do a single little song that is not a song in a week all by myself??

I 100% cannot look at it like I feel Drew is able to. A "whole song" is too much for me.

I much prefer just seeing if a groove (that someone else provides thank you baby jesus for Rev Drucifer discount drum shop) moves me then string 2 riffs together and call it good. Once you kind of let go of those self imposed "oh god it has to be a masterpiece" notions; the riff lava will flow

 

[DrewJD82]

I 100% cannot look at it like I feel Drew is able to. A "whole song" is too much for me.

I much prefer just seeing if a groove (that someone else provides thank you baby jesus for Rev Drucifer discount drum shop) moves me then string 2 riffs together and call it good. Once you kind of let go of those self imposed "oh god it has to be a masterpiece" notions; the riff lava will flow

I mean, to be fair I started doing this over a decade ago, so I got a little jumpstart in the context of most others here. And don’t be lookin’ at me for badass finished songs, that’s Flaka’s domain now! (But I’ll keep the drum tracks coming for a while!)

 

[JiveTurkey]

I mean, to be fair I started doing this over a decade ago, so I got a little jumpstart in the context of most others here. And don’t be lookin’ at me for badass finished songs, that’s Flaka’s domain now! (But I’ll keep the drum tracks coming for a while!)

You're my hero!

 

[scole]

While I haven't contributed yet to the challenges on this board, I've participated on the song a week challenges that Drew & Iron1 have been a part of in the past on another board. I tend to need the full week to write any song for one of these challenges because I like to develop it in spurts. Obviously, you come up with your initial idea (intro->verse or verse->chorus) but then I mostly get stuck. At this point, I like to cut an MP3 of what I have so far and then listen to it, outside of working on it in the DAW. Listen to it on my phone with headphones, the car, etc. This allows you to judge your mix (the bass is too loud; knock it down 2db..) and the other thing I find is that my mind will subconsciously suggest where the song might need to go (or is expecting it to go).

I tend to go through a few rounds of this so that's why I end up submitting my entries near the deadline each time. Anyways, that's my advice- chip away at it rather than trying to tackle it all at once.

 

[fretworn]

I’m thinking I need more screen space… Monitors… damn you guys

 

[Sascha Franck]

EZ Drummer 3 - supposed to be a pretty nice upgrade to EZD2 with more sounds, better interface, and smart beat sensing.

My advice would be: in case you don't have the cash at your disposal, make sure to get the most out of Logic's Drummer and the supplied kits (does the Logic demo even come with the full content? Full installation contains around 50-70GB sample content).
There's a lot to discover and IMO it's as good (or bad) as pretty much anything else. Ok, in case you're into metal-ish stuff, then Logic isn't all that great, but for pretty much anything else there's tons of great stuff, especially once you get the hang of configuring your own kits and running them through multiple outs.

Drum loops/libraries - while I'm planning to spend time with the Logic drummer, I also want to explore additional loop libraries as that seems like a cool way to build songs.

Again, I would try to get the most out of Logic's Drummer first. *The* main difference compared to others being that it's a) at least sort of interactive and b) that you can easily alter parts as it's not a drag'n'drop thing. However, the same as above applies: This is only true as long as you're not much into metal. For metal, EZ or Superior Drummer or Slate Drums might be the better choice.

Set up a bunch of presets and favorites in Helix Native for quickly recording guitar parts

Another tip: Once you have your patch running, save it as an internal channel preset within Logic. When doing it that way, you don't even need to open HXN, you just need to select your channel preset and there you go. Doesn't even matter if you use other plugins as well, they will all be automatically loaded.

 

[la szum]

I 100% cannot look at it like I feel Drew is able to. A "whole song" is too much for me.

I much prefer just seeing if a groove (that someone else provides thank you baby jesus for Rev Drucifer discount drum shop) moves me then string 2 riffs together and call it good. Once you kind of let go of those self imposed "oh god it has to be a masterpiece" notions; the riff lava will flow

Here's a rough sketch of a demo of an idea that preceded the good idea that I forgot. I may be able to do that.

 

[Fireproof]

1. A lot more available time.
2. A lot more skill and ability.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Gotta say I possibly didn't exactly get the gist of the challenge(s), so let me ask this here: I can start at any time with any material, as often (or seldom) as I wish, the only requirement being that I start something from scratch and finish it within one (respectively two) week(s), correct?

 

[Jarick]

My advice would be: in case you don't have the cash at your disposal, make sure to get the most out of Logic's Drummer and the supplied kits (does the Logic demo even come with the full content? Full installation contains around 50-70GB sample content).
There's a lot to discover and IMO it's as good (or bad) as pretty much anything else. Ok, in case you're into metal-ish stuff, then Logic isn't all that great, but for pretty much anything else there's tons of great stuff, especially once you get the hang of configuring your own kits and running them through multiple outs.



Again, I would try to get the most out of Logic's Drummer first. *The* main difference compared to others being that it's a) at least sort of interactive and b) that you can easily alter parts as it's not a drag'n'drop thing. However, the same as above applies: This is only true as long as you're not much into metal. For metal, EZ or Superior Drummer or Slate Drums might be the better choice.


Another tip: Once you have your patch running, save it as an internal channel preset within Logic. When doing it that way, you don't even need to open HXN, you just need to select your channel preset and there you go. Doesn't even matter if you use other plugins as well, they will all be automatically loaded.

Totally agree on Logic drummer. I actually want to make myself get the most out of Garageband before upgrading.

Two big things jump out for me though with EZ Drummer...

One is the sound samples. I haven't exhausted the Logic Drummer but out of the box the EZD2 kit sounds better than anything I've heard from Logic. And there's a lot of expansions available.

The other is integration with an edrum kit. I splurged on a Yamaha DTX562 a few years back and want to be able to use it as a MIDI trigger with the good samples (as the stock ones are awful). EZD3 is supposed to do that out of the box without any mapping or trouble.

And I already have EZ Drummer 2 so just need to do the upgrade fee.

 

[Steinmetzify]

Riffs…

 

[TJontheRoad]

I certainly don't need anymore gear If anything, I need to rewire my studio and do some streamlining of my workflow. About every couple years I do a complete teardown and rebuild. I'm feeling it's time for that again. Cable management needs real attention.

I could use a better drum suite like Superior Drummer or something like that. Or, actually take some drum lessons to get over my current hack status.

I'd like to get another Kemper. I sold my Stage to buy my FM9. I have over 1000 profiles that made and I miss some of the unique tones. Maybe later this year.

 

[DrewJD82]

Gotta say I possibly didn't exactly get the gist of the challenge(s), so let me ask this here: I can start at any time with any material, as often (or seldom) as I wish, the only requirement being that I start something from scratch and finish it within one (respectively two) week(s), correct?

That's it, my friend! It's not a contest between each other, it's more like a self-challenge to stay active with the instrument. It's also something to throw back at people when they give ya sh*t for spending time on guitar forums instead of playing guitar. The first two weeks have gone far better than I expected, a lot more contributors than I thought we'd have. The first challenge is going to run for 8 weeks then at the end of that, the winner gets a joyous sense of accomplishment and hopefully a whole bunch of skills they learned along the way.

I'm also throwing together a little prize based off contributions; I got a couple cheaper pedals I don't mind sending off, a pack of picks, strings, etc. We've already had a member contribute a pedal to the pile! But ultimately, the biggest prize is the experience gained in the process. Wholesome sh*t.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

1. Huge a$$ display. My dual 21" (?) monitors are fine for working but DAW work is going to require a bigger boat.

2. A WORKFLOW FOR EXPORTING. I need to do some deep diving into cakewalk. I need to optimize my plugin routing to free up some more resources and I also need to figure out keyboard shortcuts for accurately selecting audio and all associated tasks when I go to mix down/export my mixes. I am clunking my way through it and I need to break through that wall.

3. I need to bring my SY1000 back home so I can have a "bass" again.

Snagging a stupid cheap 40" 1080p TV a couple years ago was a really nice upgrade. These old man eyes care about size, not resolution.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Recording is hard. Writing something is hard, too. I am reminding myself that iconic bands with
4 or 5 virtuosos in them would take a year to write, record, and produce an album in a year.

So, why can't I do a single little song that is not a song in a week all by myself??

Separate the writing/recording. Do some covers to get your recording workflow/efficiency/comfort up to speed so when you do have some inspiration it's not immediately destroyed by the overwhelming task of recording.

 

[Deadpan]

1. Huge a$$ display. My dual 21" (?) monitors are fine for working but DAW work is going to require a bigger boat.

2. A WORKFLOW FOR EXPORTING. I need to do some deep diving into cakewalk. I need to optimize my plugin routing to free up some more resources and I also need to figure out keyboard shortcuts for accurately selecting audio and all associated tasks when I go to mix down/export my mixes. I am clunking my way through it and I need to break through that wall.

3. I need to bring my SY1000 back home so I can have a "bass" again.

If you figure out how to export selection normalized let me know. Coming from logic this seems odd to omit.

 

[Piing]

I need time, time, time, many playing skills, and more time

Since Week-2 was announced I started working with the provided Rock MIDI file. On Cakewalk I loaded Hard Rock EZX kit on Superior Drummer 3 and started jamming over it. I came with a riff that was cool, but when I recorded it I noticed that the drums required some adjustments, so I started modifying them on the piano-roll view. Then I tried to develop a theme after the riff, but I found that I also had to modify the rhythm pattern to fit my idea, so I abandoned the project. I also started adding Bass with MIDI Guitar 2... a disaster . I should use the SY-1000, but it is inside a drawer.

Then I started working with the song "Illuminati" by The Flower Kings. It has a beautiful guitar melody

1. I purchased the MIDI file. BTW, a very high quality MIDI that I've found here
2. Loaded the original audio track on Cakewalk, and it is perfectly synced with the MIDI. I like to work with the original synced with the MIDI. It is great for A/B comparisons. I mute the MIDI and play the original audio together with the Metronome for practicing the guitar parts.
3. Spent a long evening choosing VST instruments and mixing. Progressive EZX kit on SD3, Omnisphere for Bass, Mellotron and synths.
4. Tweak the Axe-FX III. I am still far from the warm tone of Roine Stolt's guitar at that track. I will have to spend more time on that.
5. Another two evenings figuring out the notes. I have the first part at 100%, but the second part is very challenging for me. So I am now concentrated on part 1 only.
6. Figuring out which notes to play is one thing, but executing the bendings and all these timing nuances with precision is another thing. I am spending hours repeating section by section on and on, doing accurate A/B comparisons with the original track. I can "play" it, but it is still not suitable for pressing the Record button.

Playing some micro-nuances to make the guitar emotionally interesting can be more challenging than playing ultra-fast licks.

And there I am. Still working on the first section on the solo, and I do not think I will have a satisfactory result to submit it on time

But the fun is in the process, so no problem at all. I love this

...............................
Edit: It is Saturday morning. Plenty of time. But there are the Chinese Lunar Year celebrations on the street. Drums and fireworks. And my Audeze LCD-2 are open cans

 

[JiveTurkey]

If you figure out how to export selection normalized let me know. Coming from logic this seems odd to omit.

I'm in dire need of learning the basic task of easily setting a start and end point, selecting all tracks and exporting that.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

I'm in dire need of learning the basic task of easily setting a start and end point, selecting all tracks and exporting that.

Shall we devolve this thread to one about Macs, too? :)