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Retrosaurus Rex

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Everything posted by Retrosaurus Rex

  1. Retrosaurus Rex
    A lot of electronic musicians who start out writing with a sequencer, and this includes really popular styles like hip-hop & dance music, find it easier to create sections that are 4 or 8 measures long & loop them, building up the arrangement like that. Also, it gets across to the audience better and it's easier to rap over. Also, pop-type music is almost necessarily going to have repeated sections or refrains. What your friend was talking about was a more "organic" (for lack of a better word) approach to compising, where you let the melody go where it wants, when it wants, and leave yourself less concerned about form. This is a perfectly valid approach that has yeilded some of the greatest compositions in the history of western music. I myself am trying to break free of pop formalism and experiment with this kind of writing... I think it's good to have both comceptions in your repetoire...
  2. Retrosaurus Rex
    I think it's pretty strong... standout nitpick from V2: "Rolled around the windy dunes / Running naked through the sand" ... These lines each seem to say the same thing, maybe replace one or the other with some fresh detail...
  3. Retrosaurus Rex
    Yes! Don't let proper grammar get in the way of expressive writing, it's not a term paper. I generally say write out words, even if they're intended to be pronounced phonetically, "going to" instead of "gonna" when posting on critique boards, for the benefit of reviewers, but the examples you give are ridiculous...
  4. Retrosaurus Rex
    Thanks Roflcopter
  5. Retrosaurus Rex
    Too expensive.
  6. Retrosaurus Rex
    Hey Brady, wanna come to my brother's house & play football?
  7. Retrosaurus Rex
    Thoughts... if you're going to play live at all a good stable hardware synth probably can't be beat, but at the same time, you probably would want to take a classic piece like a MiniMoog out of the house because of the cost of repair if damaged. I have Reaktor and it is incredible. With Reaktor you can design your own synths, so there's the chance of geeking out technically, rather than making music, but I think it's capable of anything...
  8. Retrosaurus Rex
    Yawn. See how your throat feels? Kind of open. It should be close to that when you sing. Now sing up a scale until your voice changes register. Notice when you begin to strain. Then concentrate on that area. Also, I think there's an article by Cheryl Hodge that might help here on SongStuff, and I'm sure you can find some good vids on YouTube if you search.
  9. Retrosaurus Rex
    That's cool, don't let your limitations kill the fun. Even without a coach or lessons, you can improve your intonation just by matching notes on the guitar with your voice, playing a chord and singing a scale, things like that. And of course, singing the songs you like. Listen back to yourself critically and concentrate on problem areas. Most all of us have been thru the same...
  10. Retrosaurus Rex
    In the first video you have good vocal tone, but notes are pretty flat thru-out, horrifying in a couple of places. Singing with both sides of the headphones on will make intonation problems worse. As noted above, need more strength and need to relax in the upper register. This just takes practice, but a good coach can get you there faster without damaging your voice. Pop singing can take its' toll if done incorrectly. Second video intonation was better over-all, but there were a couple of spots where it seemed like you didn't really know the song. Again straining in the higher register, but near the end you slipped into falsetto, and for a few seconds everything came together and it sounded pretty good. Don't give up. You've got some work to do, but the potential is there.
  11. Retrosaurus Rex
    You're quite secretive about the fees to enter that contest, Pez.
  12. Retrosaurus Rex
    It's simpler than that... A, F#m & E7 clearly indicate A Major. Even the upper notes of Gadd9 (B,D,A) indicate the iim7 of A Major, Bm7. Chances are this progression sounds cyclical, with no real resolution... the natural G makes the bassline seem smoother, and together with the E7sus4 avoids having a true dominant sound. Just make sure you don't use G# in the melody over that Gadd9.
  13. Retrosaurus Rex
    In fact, I should have thought of that days ago...
  14. Retrosaurus Rex
    Sorry that was vague... there should be a field in the track info section where you select the input... make sure that's the mic input from your sound card.
  15. Retrosaurus Rex
    I don't know Cool Edit, but if recording w/Audacity is OK then I surmise the settings in Cool Edit are at fault. There should be a menu for "Options" or "Preferences" or "Audio Settings" ... check those... also the basics, you probably have to arm a track to record, did you do that? Are you getting a response from the track meters, but no sound? or is it completely dead? Work the problem...
  16. Retrosaurus Rex
  17. Retrosaurus Rex
    Sound treatment for mixing & recording areas.
  18. Retrosaurus Rex
    Virtual Studio Technology... it's a plug-in format created by Steinberg. What you need to know is that it's the standard audio plug-in type for Windows. Some keyboard drums are not bad actually, even on lower-priced keyboards. Getting a drummers feel for the part if you're not a drummer is usually a bigger hurdle.
  19. Retrosaurus Rex
    That's the bare minimum for recording audio. AFAIK, Audictiy supports VST FX, but not VST Synths. Your keyboard might supply serviceable sounds for most instruments, so you might be better off for the time being learning recording rather than expanding your sonic horizons with software, and adding the learning curve that goes with that. Later you can move up to a full-fledged DAW (software studio) like those Pascal mentions, or SONAR or Reaper, to throw a couple of other names in the mix. If you learn the process for a few months it will also give you time to do adequate research, and some valuable experience to help you make a good decision.
  20. Retrosaurus Rex
    Since you're apparently not coming down with something, I'd say you're dehydrated. Drink water and ease off the caffeine. Pay attention to your diet and how that affects the situation. If you live in a very dry climate buy a humidifier for your bedroom. I'm writing from the perspective of someone learning to sing, and dealing with dry throat and phlegm. Check this thread: Cheryl in particular has good advice...
  21. Retrosaurus Rex
    You might also ask if you can sit in on the mixing session, and pick up some knowledge that way. Not all engineers might agree, as was said, but worth it to ask...
  22. Retrosaurus Rex
    Motel, money, murder, madness.
  23. Retrosaurus Rex
    So, if you don't have a chorus, you can't put the title in the chorus...
  24. Retrosaurus Rex
    Random thoughts... I have no idea who Ryan Tedder is... I've never sold a song, and I don't know anybody making a living solely from songwriting... Given that you already have terrific songs, you have to get the attention of people who can put those songs in a position to make money, and that's getting harder all the time. Probably the best bet for a non-performing songwriter is to network as much as possible with up-and-coming performers, do what you can to help them break thru, and any attention they get will reflect favorably on your songs. Also, look for opportunities to co-write with other writers. A lot of the business is face-to-face, personal relationships. It's probably helpful to focus on a genre: pop, country, R&B... because styles have specific characteristics, and it's hard to be authentic without really getting deep in a style, but don't cut yourself off from opportunities outside your comfort zone.
  25. Retrosaurus Rex
    All the scales span 8+ octaves, so that can't be the problem... no reason you can't bring some exotic scales to the table (Eno was pretty progressive), but nailing the vibe is going to be more about style than scales. Bowie for instance was really heavily influenced by 60s Soul and R&B.
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