POLL..... your recording/mixing seesion software

[stringy_]

well i think i was getting at more this: why do so many people RELEASE albums and such with this. i understand the use of programming drums for tracking and getting ideas down as i use midi for that, but whats wrong with finding a cheap studio/drummer to do your stuff. or even create your own samples (something i've done).

i can't stand hearing programmed drums and i find it annoying when it all sounds the same. between the guitar tone, the drum sound. the only difference in the end is the notes, which are similar in itself some of the time. i'm not pointing fingers at anyone here, but i've just heard way too many people using the same PODXT/drumkit from hell set up. i've made the most out of what i have. a 250 buck drumset with about 500 bux in cymbals (actually had to replace two with the kit) i've gotten over the past 5-6 years. the kit is horrid, but it is a real kit and I get plenty of experience working with a real instrument in a real environment. I am lucky to know someone who is a great drummer and i've helped him out by pushing him to new heights with the music I write. Also a musician isn't that hard to find, it just takes time and patience. how else do all these millions of bands find people to play for them. unless I'm clueless and everyone just plays guitar these days lol. but i know quite a few drummers and even more who can play drums. I guess if you live in the middle of nowhere with no studios around you it can be hard.

also a real drummer can add dynamics to the drums and not play THAT loud. we all have neighbors. mine just don't seem to care THAT much.

As far as I know, one manned things get you nowhere. get your ideas down, sure no prob. but don't think of yourself as a one manned act. you are just a musician without a band. Find others like you and create something together.

after about 10 years or so I've found a group of musicians who I can jam wiht and create something together. I have tons of music in that time to work with, but i haven't released any of it. no problem with the forum members getting advise on mixing or whatever using their own tools, but i hear a shit load of bands on myspace and elsewhere with this kind of stuff and i'm not exactly sure what the situations were here.

sorry for a long post.

Back off topic...

You have very valid points, and believe me, if I could get live drums tracked on my stuff, I would. But I literally do live in the middle of nowhere, lol! I've played with one amazing drummer around these parts, but his and mine friendship ended sort of violently. Haha!

If you do your homework and really put effort into it, it has never been THIS easy to make a decent sounding song with just a POD and DFH...and I think that's absolutely great. More and more people are getting into producing and songwriting and their stuff is getting out. I absolutely love when one of the guys here on the forum pops up with a new POD/DFH song...it's really refreshing to hear these guys' ideas and riffs.

I don't really agree with the cynical view that "it's just a POD and DFH," some of these guys have real chops at what they do...and you can tell that when these guys get into a real live act ('cuz I know EVERYBODY wants to be able to play live), they are going to absolutely tear it up and they'll be going places. Despite what tools these guys use, they are stellar musicians, no way around that. And to dismiss them and their music, as a fellow music lover, just because they use POD/DFH, would be insane.

I would much rather listen to the one-manned guys around here than the nameless 40,000 live acts on Myspace that think they're the next Morbid Angel or Suffocation. Absolute unoriginal hacks I tell ya'.......... My MP3 player probably has more play counts on Tesseract, GOR, and Toxic Grind Machine than even the big-named major label bands!

I can't speak for everybody, but getting into a live band is somewhat difficult for me. Granted, I haven't really tried that hard as of recent to find other people...but it seems that everybody who plays an instrument around here is a dumbass or an emo kid...many times both. This seems to be a dead-spot in music. I've been to the clubs around here, I've been to all the venues...I would sooner shoot myself in the foot than ever ask any of these guys to form an act with me. It is safe to say that I HATE the local music scene around here.

Now I'm not going to let that keep me down, I'm not going to just walk around and bitch that there's nobody to play with...I'm still going to stay positive about finding some dudes to jam with that I really like. I'm going to try to look for musicians in other places. There are a few guys who I've just made some acquaintences with at some local book shops and such, and I might pass them a demo CD of my shit to see if their interested. Wearing my Opeth shirt really seems to bring out some cool dudes, always commenting that they're really big Opeth fans. Haha! So obviously there are guys around here who listen to the same stuff I do...they just like to hide.

So I've got plans to try to get my shit live...

...but till then, I'm going to rocking DFH!

Like I said, you have very valid points, and I'm not trying to be argumentive. Just expressing my views is all....

 

[zmetallica]

well i guess i came off pretty negative towards the pod + dfh stuff, but it is more that the production is so identical, i've worked with a pod, you can do more than the same tone, i'm not criticizing their playing ability at all, just their production.

I've heard some amazing players in one man band situations, but the problem with them is usually ending with songwriting. amazing musicianship, but there is lots lacking in the writing. sometimes its the flow, other times it is the lack of melody and just a sick rhythm-solo combination.

I find that most of the music done as a one man band ends up lacking chemistry, since it isn't more than one person. It is 100% one person's vision. This is something that'll never be as good as multiple's.

Also if you don't own a drum kit yourself ask around and find someone who does play drums and has a set up, send them the programmed tracks, and have them play for the songs. I have seen that done a few times, online projects.

 

[Carrier Flux]

well i guess i came off pretty negative towards the pod + dfh stuff, but it is more that the production is so identical, i've worked with a pod, you can do more than the same tone, i'm not criticizing their playing ability at all, just their production.

I've heard some amazing players in one man band situations, but the problem with them is usually ending with songwriting. amazing musicianship, but there is lots lacking in the writing. sometimes its the flow, other times it is the lack of melody and just a sick rhythm-solo combination.

I find that most of the music done as a one man band ends up lacking chemistry, since it isn't more than one person. It is 100% one person's vision. This is something that'll never be as good as multiple's.

Also if you don't own a drum kit yourself ask around and find someone who does play drums and has a set up, send them the programmed tracks, and have them play for the songs. I have seen that done a few times, online projects.

I know what you're saying about homogeny in sound from the DKFHS/POD projects. On the other hand, some of the guys on this forum who use that combination really blow me away in what they're able to do with those two inexpensive tools. I used to be 98% anti-POD, but black neon bob amongst others have shown me that the POD can* be a truly useful piece of equipment.

I also struggle with exactly what you're talking about with the one-man-band problem. My project is a one-man-band. And although this is definitely what works best for me, I often wonder if it wouldn't be better with the addition of other musicians. It would at least have different flavors that I wouldn't come up with myself.

However working on your own can often allow you to get more done in a shorter period of time. I'm never waiting on other people, I can go at my own pace (be it slow as hell one month and constant the next), and if I have an idea I can go straight for it.

I tried hiring a drummer at one point, and it ended up being a waste of time. He was adequate to play the material but wanted money up front. I mean I can understand wanting a share of the profits if they ever come to light, but for a project like mine that doesn't pull in any income, coming up with $500 cash to pay a session drummer is pretty hard to do. so I said screw it and went back to programming drums.

 

[stringy_]

well i guess i came off pretty negative towards the pod + dfh stuff, but it is more that the production is so identical, i've worked with a pod, you can do more than the same tone, i'm not criticizing their playing ability at all, just their production.

I've heard some amazing players in one man band situations, but the problem with them is usually ending with songwriting. amazing musicianship, but there is lots lacking in the writing. sometimes its the flow, other times it is the lack of melody and just a sick rhythm-solo combination.

I find that most of the music done as a one man band ends up lacking chemistry, since it isn't more than one person. It is 100% one person's vision. This is something that'll never be as good as multiple's.

Also if you don't own a drum kit yourself ask around and find someone who does play drums and has a set up, send them the programmed tracks, and have them play for the songs. I have seen that done a few times, online projects.

Yeah, ultimately I agree. I'd absolutely love to have other people in my project that I could get input from.

Sometimes it really is a struggle when the inspiration-tank is on empty and you have to fill time with something that's just not jiving with the rest of the song.