I cant write anymore, all I work on is tone/settings?!

gemini8026

gemini8026

always a n00b
Aug 15, 2008
204
0
16
45
Saskatchewan Canada
www.jeffwizniak.com
I've worn myself out.....

I hear too much,

I expect too much from my humble basement studio

I have never "sat in" a real studio

I just listen to all my favourite music and try to piece together a vicious puzzle.....

My dream would be to sit in with a big name producer for a tracking/mixing session.


Anyhow, has anyone else here spent WAY too much time tweaking and ran themselves full circle?

Ive got good tools, (superior 2.0, Revalver, Guitar Rig, Ampeg Bass VST's) as well as numerous other plugs.

I can get decent sounding stuff, but then I listen to my favorite music, and I know it takes years of experience, quality gear and all that, but I cant see myself happy until I one day turn the dial, and my "sound" just sounds right, and feels right......

My biggest challenge is finding the RIGHT guitar tone. Its either muffled, or too bright and brittle. Ive tried EVERYTHING except Micing an actual amp (and thats due to my living arrangements)

Anyone else feel my frustration? I got a lot of music in my head, but I CANT lay it down until I have a better framework for mixing!!! IT seems im NEVER happy..
 
Write away from the DAW...

I always write into guitar pro 5 so i can layer stuff and then when it's finished, take it into a DAW and record it.


I always found writing into a DAW to be counterproductive as hell as you end up tweaking shit that doesn't need tweaked!



In midi, all you focus on is the music not settings or tone!


Try it.
 
Deus.exe said:
+1
Get the ideas out, let them mature, write some more and THEN tweak!
Also, a good song is a good song no matter the production.
Click to expand...

+20000 If the material is good, a sub par guitar tone can still work. Just listen to the old immemorial stuff! The production was aweful, but the tunes just jam!
 
I don't run into that problem while writing, or even in the tracking process. I know I'll change the guitar sound later when I mix. It's at that stage where I begin obsessing about the tone, especially if I had a certain tone in mind (as several people around here can attest to). With the 80's metal song I'm working on now, I'm constantly going back and forth between sounds. Struggling to get one specific tone that I'll probably never get because I'm limited to using impulses, and none of them are quite right for this sound. It didn't prevent me from writing, or even tracking that song. It IS however making me spend way too much time on this song, instead of moving on to the next two songs on my list. So, it does hinder me.

And gemini...snap out of it! Because I'm waiting to hear more of your music. ;)
 
I hear you, i have a project that i have set up just for riffing purposes. I always have to smack my own hand and say repeatedly, Its only scratch tracks, they are only ideas.
 
that's why I started using ableton live....fire up a loop or beat, jam over it endlessly, record a few riffs and start experiment with the arrangement without ever stopping...

my biggest problem is trying to make the drums , bass, and guitar like a finished product while writing...ableton puts me in the ruff demo mode and I can do all the rerecording/fine tuning in reaper later

I do admit a certain type of music seems to come out of this for me( a bit more "loopy" and cut and paste)..
 
the tunes are the most important thing. get em written, get em recorded. if you really really want the pressure lifted, let someone that does it every day for a living record & mix it - doesn't need to be a big name. use the tools you listed to make scratch demos (which probably won't sound half bad even with revalver stock settings).

people on here seem to have different goals. the goal of being great at everything (the guitarist, bassist, singer, drummer/programmer, songwriter, audio producer, mastering engineer, and possbily the art director) is rather unrealistic. I'd personally be more impressed by a good solo versus a stellar production, even though they sort of go hand in hand.
 
A made a decision at some point a while back, it may have been partly unconscious, but I'm very well aware of it now. Anyway, it was that I wasn't going to spend any more cash on gear, no more cash on software, I wasn't going to worry about otherworldly guitar tones, I wasn't even going to fuss about mic'ing up a cabinet anymore. Screw that.
I just wanted the music to be cool and everything else will just be as good as I can do it with minimal fuss. Some of my absolute favorite albums have a very average sound, and I just don't care.

I used to have that nagging feeling that I didn't want to do something unless I could just be totally awesome at it. I've let go of that in regards to being an "audio engineer" because it was totally getting in the way of being a musician, and I could never do it as well as the pros.

But there's no reason I can't write the best music. (and build the absolute best guitars!) without being a stellar audio engineer. :)
 
it's odd some of the best stuff i've ever written was straight into DAW, listening back to ideas, layering them, listening back and improving them. The process just seemed to fit me perfectly. I do still have to slap myself every so often to stop tweaking tone on something that'll only get deleted as i start tracking properly with the band.
 
Oh boy do I recognize this in myself... I think I'm falling into that trap too. Lately, all I've been doing as soon as I have a couple ideas, is immediately starting to tweak the sound. EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ONLY FUCKING SCRATCH TRACKS, gah, snap out of it man! *slaps himself*.

Some of my best ideas have been while playing on the guitar unplugged... there's something about that, that just brings out some reaaaaaally cool riffs from me sometimes. Even heavy ones. I'm gonna have to do that sometime this week again... some good ol' writing.
 
I got the same problem a year or so ago, prior to that I was using the DAW for saving ideas, but I kinda couldn't focus on just recording ideas anymore. Nowadays I write stuff away from the computer, and I seem to get a lot more inspiration. Problem is, I can't remember ideas I've come up with! I keep a notebook at hand so I can write into it, but I've become too lazy to do that. I'm now trying to learn to use Guitar Pro for saving my ideas again (I used to do that a lot a couple years ago) but it's just so cumbersome somehow. I guess I just need to get used to it. Guitar Pro sucks BTW, but it's the only clever option I know of.
 
Personally, I can't write without recording, cuz I need to be able to play and mess around with an idea without having to endure typing it in in GP or any other MIDI tabbing program. However, I do use GP when I'm writing a super-fast lick that I can't even play :D (the best way to challenge oneself IMO!)
 
I rarely worry about the tone at the time, but make sure my gear is setup to focus on the inspiration rather than worry too much about tone. A good tone or effect can influence what is written, but so long as it's good enough to keep me inspired, it'll do during the writing process.

I usually take a hybrid approach switching between the DAW and away from it. Ideas are captured quickly in the DAW to make sure I don't forget them (I'm getting old!). I then start pulling compatible or co-dependent riffs together into a rough arrangement within the DAW. I then usually develop that rough arrangement away from the computer to see how the thing feels as a "song". The DAW aspect of my writing process is pretty important as I rarely write a whole song on one guitar. I tend to write differently based on whether I'm using my ESP as opposed to a Tele or a Ric. I'm even prone to writing sections on bass (4 or 12 string).
 
greyskull said:
i write all my songs on accoustic
get away from the computer
Click to expand...

a nylon string classical works great (with a pick or not). I need to get a cheapy again. I made up some sick riffs on a classical in the past! good tip - really makes you concentrate on the timing and actual melody. plus you can sit about anywhere and goof with it.
 
gemini8026 said:
I've worn myself out.....

I hear too much,

I expect too much from my humble basement studio

I have never "sat in" a real studio

I just listen to all my favourite music and try to piece together a vicious puzzle.....

My dream would be to sit in with a big name producer for a tracking/mixing session.


Anyhow, has anyone else here spent WAY too much time tweaking and ran themselves full circle?

Ive got good tools, (superior 2.0, Revalver, Guitar Rig, Ampeg Bass VST's) as well as numerous other plugs.

I can get decent sounding stuff, but then I listen to my favorite music, and I know it takes years of experience, quality gear and all that, but I cant see myself happy until I one day turn the dial, and my "sound" just sounds right, and feels right......

My biggest challenge is finding the RIGHT guitar tone. Its either muffled, or too bright and brittle. Ive tried EVERYTHING except Micing an actual amp (and thats due to my living arrangements)

Anyone else feel my frustration? I got a lot of music in my head, but I CANT lay it down until I have a better framework for mixing!!! IT seems im NEVER happy..
Click to expand...


Story of the latest 2 years of my life :erk:
I DON'T HAVE TIME TO MIX...2 jobs and university... I WANT MONEY TO PAY SOMEONE TO MIX... before I... before I get INSANE !!!! :goggly::goggly::goggly:
 
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