Fuck computing...

lets jam!

Mac dude is a dork, pc guy is a putz...

monster truck guy make-um-big-a-noise!

Lets face it Dev, were all geeks! and its all good! PC or MAC..!

Hey Dev, or anybody: I just bought a t.c. electronics konnekt firewire interface, im having problems with the firewire connection. Is it worth trying to get it to work right or should I mabye try something else? You mentioned having a t.c konnekt, how did i work out for you?

[The Dev]

Get the newest drivers, they were notorious for dropouts in earlier versions...I have Konnekt24 and it's really the best for the price imo...

Hello Devin....if you are listening....I have had so many questions for years I don't know where to start, but I guess the one racking my brain for so long is: How did you achieve the main keyboard sound on Infinity i.e.- the end of Truth, All through Soul Driven (best song ever), etc. I hear arpeggiators and such, but is there a certain patch, brand, etc. that was used? Maybe a technique of layering?

Thank you kindly sir,

Daniel Wieten

just looking into the konnekt24, since im in the market for a new soundcard. it really looks like an awesome recording device. ive played with some m-audio and tascam cards in the past, but they never really offered me an optimal recording environment or decent sound

For me, recording is partly the software and hardware, but I think it's the ears that make or break it.

Example: I record guitars with MAGIX. Yes, the cheap-ass software you'll find at Best Buy. I dump all recorded tracks into FL8. I also like DFH Superior run through FL8, so I converted hits into wav files...just because I like the Fruity loops sequencer layout. GR3 finishes it off and I do the mixing and mastering in one application- FL8. I burn my mixes to the ipod to listen to in the car and headphones. So far, I don't consider doing anything to my PC other than upgrading to 4Gb RAM. That's it.
Low stress.

Are there are million ways to make stuff sound 'more perfect'? Sure. But, someone like me will spent next to no time programming half the instruments, laying down guitars, and re-amping them with a few clicks. Mixing takes as long as you allow it (less is more), and time management/organization matters more in the long run.

To the point, however and whatever you use, if you don't hear/see how things fit, or find ways to tweak quickly and efficiently, you'll get burnout and make less meaningful music that sounds stale. It's taken me a long time (juggling work, school, family, etc) to lay down some decent music, but my expectations are in-line with my results.

PCs are for people who truly understand computing, and are better in alot of ways for those folks...

Not necessarily...OSX has UNIX under the hood, so there's still a lot of stuff geeks can do...you can fire up Terminal and do all sorts of command-line stuff. I've always said Windows is for people who can't use UNIX...

Anyway, welcome to the Mac club, Devin! I've been a Mac user for 15+ years and I'll never have a need/use for a PC. Now that my wife is a recent Mac convert as well, we're an all-Mac family! She got sick of the computers that her school supplies - she's in medical school and the software load they put on 'em is horrendous!

...and as far as compression/mic placement/levels go... Steve Albini instantly comes to mind. He's all about using good mics, good placement, and a clean signal path. He fixes problems when they happen, not relying on 'fix it in the mix' trap that a lot of engineers fall into. His website has a good forum where a lot of engineers/audiophiles trade tips: http://www.electrical.com

For me, recording is partly the software and hardware, but I think it's the ears that make or break it.

Example: I record guitars with MAGIX. Yes, the cheap-ass software you'll find at Best Buy. I dump all recorded tracks into FL8. I also like DFH Superior run through FL8, so I converted hits into wav files...just because I like the Fruity loops sequencer layout. GR3 finishes it off and I do the mixing and mastering in one application- FL8. I burn my mixes to the ipod to listen to in the car and headphones. So far, I don't consider doing anything to my PC other than upgrading to 4Gb RAM. That's it.
Low stress.

Are there are million ways to make stuff sound 'more perfect'? Sure. But, someone like me will spent next to no time programming half the instruments, laying down guitars, and re-amping them with a few clicks. Mixing takes as long as you allow it (less is more), and time management/organization matters more in the long run.

To the point, however and whatever you use, if you don't hear/see how things fit, or find ways to tweak quickly and efficiently, you'll get burnout and make less meaningful music that sounds stale. It's taken me a long time (juggling work, school, family, etc) to lay down some decent music, but my expectations are in-line with my results.

Into FL bro, not the best sound engine to be mixing down with. Its great at what it does but...

I too am trying to apply the "less is more" approach, but my perfectionist mentality always pushes me to tweak, cuz I know it can sound just that tiny bit better. I think of producers like Mutt Lange.....would Def Leppard's "Hysteria" have sounded that crisp and awesome if he thought less was more? That record took 2 years to make!! "Infinity" by dev is another great example of that, and I am sure he still hears things there that make him cringe (I know I don't though).

I dunno, I am conflicted. I do know from experience that getting it right the first time is the best option i.e.- Steve Albini.....Good mics and placement, etc. Some of us have to use what we got though, cuz we is broke as a joke!!

It may come down to how the music is supposed to sound also. Does it need room to breath, like Ki? Or should it be like Infinity or Alien where all that compression gives it that unmistakable electric energy?

Good topic.....

P.S.- Opinions on Cakewalk Sonar?

I too am trying to apply the "less is more" approach, but my perfectionist mentality always pushes me to tweak, cuz I know it can sound just that tiny bit better. I think of producers like Mutt Lange.....would Def Leppard's "Hysteria" have sounded that crisp and awesome if he thought less was more? That record took 2 years to make!! "Infinity" by dev is another great example of that, and I am sure he still hears things there that make him cringe (I know I don't though).

I dunno, I am conflicted. I do know from experience that getting it right the first time is the best option i.e.- Steve Albini.....Good mics and placement, etc. Some of us have to use what we got though, cuz we is broke as a joke!!

It may come down to how the music is supposed to sound also. Does it need room to breath, like Ki? Or should it be like Infinity or Alien where all that compression gives it that unmistakable electric energy?

Good topic.....

P.S.- Opinions on Cakewalk Sonar?

I only had Sonar for a while before I come to the conclusion that it was a total resource pig. Then I sold it. Sorry, not really constructive but hey, something right.

Resource pig? How so?

Bear in mind that I'm not very experienced with regards to recording music, and my main motivation for making music is to take the piss out of things, but I use Sonar and I think it's great.
At the end of the day, the important thing for me, is that I feel the program I'm using allows me to express myself without its limitations holding me back. Sonar meets my needs in that department.

At the end of the day, the important thing for me, is that I feel the program I'm using allows me to express myself without its limitations holding me back. Sonar meets my needs in that department.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Good points on the Def Leopard album, etc. I also think of Stone Temple Pilots' first album. It's got a big, thick, wet kind of sound with that huge snare reverb. I guess the bottom line is that if we had the time, resources and the money to get that million-dollar sound...we wouldn't be discussing this here. So, I'll stick with less is more, unless you have the headspace and time and goods to prove more is more.

A few great examples of more = more would be the City album or Meshuggah's Destry Erase Improve, courtesy of Danne Bergstrand's ears. Nothing I can ever recall sounds more 'non instrument'-like, yet still comes from traditional rock instruments. Listen to the drums on City...they sound so thin and thick all at once, and the bass guitar sounds like a machine that you feed humans to. We can't replicate that.

Back to Earth!

A few great examples of more = more would be the City album or Meshuggah's Destry Erase Improve, courtesy of Danne Bergstrand's ears. Nothing I can ever recall sounds more 'non instrument'-like, yet still comes from traditional rock instruments. Listen to the drums on City...they sound so thin and thick all at once, and the bass guitar sounds like a machine that you feed humans to. We can't replicate that.

Back to Earth!

Awesome point........Bergstrand is a genius. I wonder what happened to him? Or maybe I am just out of the loop.....

I never thought of it that way, but the human feeding machine analogy is right on the mark. The way the guitars blend with the bass on DEI is just sick. Very industrial and cold. That album is prolly the heaviest Meshuggah ever sounded, and they were still tuned to B weren't they?

City,....man, I guess I could swallow the whole forum with talk on how this album changed my life. It would be cool if Devy would work with him again. "non-instrument like", hmmm.......I know there is a word for that, but "artificial" sounds a bit mean doesn't it?

Dan