GregB

Hi. I've created another music video for which I needed to make some unique decisions. I rejoined the stock video site www.artgrid.io (after a 6-month lapse in subscription) as I had a few videos to do, this being the third. I love this site for its cost (the 'Basic' is good enough for me), the quality, simple T&Cs, and the multiple clips available for every 'story'. There were approx 150 clips in this 'story' of a Blues Band. 70 were colour and 80 B&W (of which some were simply greyscale duplicates). The biggest problem, and one I've encountered before but skirted around, is that of people in clips either PLAYING an instrument or MOVING rhythmically. Either of these can clash horribly with your own track. Instruments in particular may be absent on the track, or totally wrong (e.g. an acoustic shown instead of the electric playing), or the 'playing' is faked and not believable, or the performance detail shown is nothing like what's in the track (e.g. strumming vs picking). But in this case, because the clips I found were so good MOOD-wise for this video, I was determined to make them work. HOPEFULLY this has been achieved by: slowing the clips to a dream-like state that is obviously NOT playing to or synchronised with the soundtrack showing as little performance DETAIL as possible ... e.g. the pianists hands are never shown, the guitarist's rarely so. avoiding the drummer completely using extra-arty shots of the singer. There's no female voice on the track, but she is the quintessential core of the band in the visual story. there is no saxophonist on the track, and I've kept his clips to a minimum I DID focus on ONE clip (in colour, of them around the piano) to get her clicking her fingers in time with the track. I think this helps re-focus the eyes/ears. the above criteria meant that only about 25 clips (out of the 150) were suitable but, fortunately, having to slow their speed really helped pad out the running time. The Artgrid clips are presented and downloaded in random order and have random names (grrr!). So I then have to do the usual grouping for 'scenes' and, continuity (e.g. opening shots ... the first clip shows her putting IN earrings, the second shot has them fully displayed ... so these clips must be used in THAT order!), and also 'story' arc (e.g. preparing to play, and THEN playing). I also grouped clips according to being B&W or colour ... it would look crazy to flipflop between the two colour schemes. Once clips were placed on the timeline and invariably trimmed down to allow changes on the beat, I ended up being short of material. I did find clips for a white guy walking with a guitar case ... a great analogy for 'going down to the crossroad' BUT ... the scenery was wintery, and the case looked odd - like a banjo. I eventually stumbled across the end sequence - just four clips suitable out of a 'caravanning' story of 60 clips. The sunset vibe felt good, as did the hippy dancing (Cream's "Crossroads" was in 1968). I used the shortest of these (the hair flick) to end and speed-ramped it down, capturing the last frame as a still to support a long fade-out. Not one of my best/favourite or more innovative music videos, but it turned out 'good enough'. Greg

Thanks. Great feedback and suggestions. And you are correct. .. EDM is NOT my thing 😆

You're a brave man to have go at this @Jarkko!! But it is a solid result, so bravo. Remember that, besides Jimi, there were also some very inventive drums and bass that made the whole greater than the sum of its parts ... plus it was ground-breaking for the time. Personally, I think it would be hard to equal the original, both for guitar tone and playing chops. Being high on something would have made the playing looser and inspired. If next to impossible to imitate, why not try to find your own tone and work out some new licks?

There is ... ... see new separate Topic

Following the lack of relevant info available in the Manual, in discussion forums, and video tutorial, I put in a Support Ticket via the PreSonus site and they responded within 24 hours!!! (Suck on that, AVID.) THE SOLUTION Right-click on any meter to access the menu and enable or disable Pre-Fader Metering. [For meters displayed either in the track Inspector, or in any Mixer CHannel, this works on the meter column on the left side, NOT the Fader button itself and NOT the column on the right that is above/below the Fader button!] When enabled, the level meters show levels independent of Fader position [PRE]. [And this seems to be the default] When disabled the level meters respond to Fader position [POST]. This is known as Post-Fader Metering. The selection you make [on any one Channel] will be applied globally to all Channels, including the Output Channels. HUZZAH! I can't believe that something SO important was SO difficult to find, but I now feel my conversion from Pro Tools is complete. From my system with POST enabled (PRE 'disabled') ... The other settings in the menu allow you to set the peak type and for how long to display it. E.g. with the following settings, you start playing the whole song, leave the room and, on your return, and see the maximum level achieved in every track. If the Master OUT had been clipping you will be able to identify the contributing culprit(s) ... there'll be bar in the meter window of each channel showing its highest peak.

SOLUTION FOUND ... HUZZAH!!!! Details posted in separately in the next listed Topic so it can be easily seen/found.

Hey John. I've opened a support Ticket at Presonus. I see there that Sphere members can ask questions of each other ... is that what you meant? My perceived issue with Faders SHOULD be covered by the reference manual or in the many available mixing tutorials ... but it is not. Is it just I'm used to the Post Fader mixing option in Pro Tools, and other DAWs don't work that way? We'll see. I'll post the result if anything arises. Greg

Exactly - the channel fader strips do not show the OUTGOING levels! With ProTools you can toggle between the faders being PRE or POST ... ideal for recording then mixing. It's like mixing blind without this. I was also surprised that Studio One was slower than ProTools when bouncing/mixdown. The average never exceeds 3x. ProTools was often 5x or higher. Hopefully Studio One will soon start using the GPU (if available) for faster/parallel processing. But, hey ho, no DAW is without fault (I assume), and I got a good result from it. And hopefully there'll be no future costs ... or will they charge to go to version 6?

Hi The topic of 'Swearing in Songs' became a sidebar in a separate discussion where, likely due to my poor singing, the lyric "foggy memory" was mistaken for an expletive memory! Amusing, but it does raise the issue of the use of swearing in songs, and I wonder what the collective hive mind thinks about it. In my opinion, conversational swearing can be a worthwhile form of expression that conveys a wealth of meaning. But, while I do swear in everyday situations (and often with gusto), my songs and videos are specifically G/PG rated. My reason for this is that I do not wish to alienate ANY listener because, as we all know, listeners are hard enough to get! But, more importantly, when I know a swear word/phrase is coming in a song, and because it is delivered the same way on every listen, all the meaning/exasperation/venom/surprise etc. are completely sucked out of it. It then simply becomes cringe-worthy and a lazy substitute for good lyrics. Thus, for me, swearing in music is a real negative. Greg

Hi. Finally finished my German/English mashup Details posted here ...

I've just (and finally) completed my first Studio One project. WHEW! It finally became easier and allowed me to focus on the music rather than the mechanics and the interface!

Correct.

Correctamundo. I'm sure it stems from the unsupportive and rabid religious environments at home and school. Constant criticism and nothing I did was ever good enough. While completely aware of the effects that must have had on my developing mind, those seams run deep and require constant self-nurturing. I don't think self-criticism is a BAD thing as it has lead to better songs/productions. But it IS very wearing. The single due out in the next few days had 50+ revisions AFTER the 'final' mix!! It's been an eye-opener that no-one else here shares this particular struggle ... I thought we were all fellow anguished artistic types suffering in despair in our darkened garrets

Here is a sample of what I'm working on. I'll provide more explanation once it is released in a week or so. Besides being a "different language", it is also a re-magined cover, as well as my first production using Studio One instead of Pro Tools. Where Is Your Smiling Face excerpts.mp3 The four segments in the sample are: 1) me singing the original German lyrics 2) me singing my English translation 3) the original German female vocal (a stem downtuned 2 semitones) 4) my English with bits of her German vocal as callbacks Greg

Not an image, but I love it ... "He has Van Gogh's ear for music.” - Billy Wilder

Thanks for all the insights Dad John. 😆

Most people probably would ... but I can only talk about my own mindset. >> It depends entirely on what you measure against. Yes ... I agree with what you said about 'opinions' vs. critique. >> The issue begins when we try to expand personal taste and use it as a predictor for market success. The two things don’t usually correlate. Unfortunately 'market success' is something we all witness but I for one don't understand. So many GREAT tracks by established artists are passed over for commercial alternatives. So many GREAT musicians I've witnessed at small venues who can't make a living from music. >> Someone somewhere will have datasets that can be used to predict the chances of a hit, the scale of that hit and how long it will be in the charts. Are they usually right? Yes I disagree completely. A few people can catch one wave and then ride it until it peters out, but only a tiny number can predict the next wave. Next to none will identify and catch the third wave. >> A great pop producer would ... understand the concept of units sold and money made. They have a vision of not just what is popular but also what will be popular and [how] that popularity is measured ... Again, this is pertinent only if trying for commercial success (vs. being 'good'). >> The mistake is to reduce ... an amateur listener’s understanding ... with a musician, a top producer ... and saying they are all equal. Again. Perspective and definition of 'amateur'. I know virtuoso musicians who have to earn their living by other means. >> Exactly the same issues exist in book writing, painting, clothes design. Sure. Quantifying creativity is like capturing smoke in a bottle >> Four people will listen to your symptoms, examine you and prescribe [differently] I feel this metaphor was not suited to the discussion we're having. An illness/injury is largely data driven and you can witness the diagnostic path being taken that reviews (or not) and cross-checks the available data. >> So why this idea that there is an equivalence in opinion about music, songwriting, production and music marketing? When I started the topic, I didn't say this. I'm saying that the biggest critic that I listen to ... is ME. I need to suppress my ego and TRY to be impartial as to the quality of my writing, musicianship, technical abilities. If I get to release a track, it is because it has met my own strict minimum standards. Being 'popular' has no bearing on it. My stated self-doubt is based on whether those standards are valid and high enough, and whether I can truly fairly evaluate something that I've created and in which I've invested time, effort and emotion. >> While there are plenty of amateurs on our boards, not all are. The variety of experience is one of the strengths of Songstuff, although the common thread is enthusiasm. However, one must also be wary of people shouting "I am good". Some are, some are not. Some may be good but haven't a body of work to show to allow us to form an opinion. >> That is why critique is not getting an opinion. No arguing THERE! I commend you John for such a detailed post. It made for interesting reading and I noted the many smiley faces aimed to defuse any potential taking of offence. You truly don't have to worry. I am inured to criticism. I am my sternest critic, closely followed by my wife, sons, extended family and friends, most of whom don't play, sing, or even create music!! I'm not sure is this supports or disagrees with your many arguments! Greg

Surely (and I'll stop calling you Shirley) this doesn't solve anything. When recording, the fader works AND SHOWS the changed INPUT signal levels in the strip. On playback, each fader affects its output signal level but does not SHOW the change in the channel strip.

That was probably a joke, but no! That's the way of influencers, pop stars, politicians, CEOs etc.. The world would be a better place without the self-declared geniuses acting on their beliefs

But I don't WANT to get close to The Macarena, or Shaddapa Your Face, or a million other 3-chord, 5-note, 10-word, all-chorus "hits'. Sure, these are "hits" but not necessarily by being GREAT music, instead capturing the quickly-passing social zeitgiest of the day. Even then, it's still down to personal taste. Two people can differ hugely in what they consider 'good', and neither is a better judge than the other.

Hi My first STudio One project is 95% complete, after falling on my arse for every 2 steps forward. E.g. the stock plugins (e.g. Mixverb) don't sound or work the same as those in ProTools. I'm getting quicker with the shortcuts, although my "left-hand-resting-position" is still giving me grief ... e.g. ALT-Z (Zoom to fit) is much too close to CTRL-Z (undo) ... which means I often find I've undone heaps of special-effort changes ... and they're not in History so I can't easily restore them. Frequent saving helps for now. But, GRRRRRRR!!! THE MAIN QUESTION I HAVE: The MIXER CHANNELS show track sound. Sliding the mixer UP causes an audible increase in volume, but the visual animated METERING LEVEL ARE UNCHANGED!!! In ProTools, the whole session could be switched between PRE-Fader monitoring (for recording) or POST-Fader monitoring (for mixing). Is there an equivalent setting in Studio One??? I'll share the new track in a couple of days prior to release. Greg

Exactly. I doubt myself and my own songs while I'm creating them. I chuck out anything which doesn't satisfy my own tastes and standards, and keep working on promising stuff until it pleases me on multiple listens. But is this acceptance only because I've got used to hearing it? Could I have played better/differently? Should THIS instrument be THAT instrument? Should that line go up instead of down? Does that lyric phrase fully nail the intent? So many questions, Grasshopper. I accept that the possibilities are endless and one has to move on once you get past a self-imposed line in the sand. Else no track would ever get finished. Greg

Hi. I think it helps if you enjoy being a mimic and have developed an ear for accents ... although it's become woke to pillory anyone who attempts an accent! I think we all did mimicry to some degree at school (teachers, friends, people on TV) until it was ground out of us by the career machinery which seems to reward the conformity and the lack of humour. ANYWAY (end of rant) I'm currently doing a cover of German song that I translated into English. But, as a surprise element, I open with a couple of lines in German. I listened intently then wrote the sounds phonetically as meaningless English syllables. Seemed to work fine and I figured this approach would actually save me time ... done once instead of remembering correct pronunciations in a different tongue while reading from the page when recording. I'll post the audio in a week or so when the final production/mix is ready. If of interest, here is the original German and my phonetic interpretation: Du bist nicht da an meiner seite Dein sitz bleibt leer und macht der freiheit platz Doo biss nish da ann miner ziter dine zits bly bleer und markt der fryer platz Gesundheit! Greg

Hi. Thanks for the detailed response. 1. My drums parts to date have always been via EZ Drummer 2. Other than rhythm and general tone, I lack any band experience or sophistication in tweaking the sounds of each part of the kit. I love drums but I don't understand them. I'm simply an acoustic guitarist trying for a fuller production. (More excuses available on request 😄) 2. My condenser mic here was a Rode NT1. Affordable and, to my ears, nice enough sound. Other factors include: Mic placement. I simply don't have the patience (or the acuity of hearing) to identify the absolute best position. EQ. Mainly subtracting undesirable elements rather than boosting the good ones Cheers, Greg