Challenge: Publish an example of your work in a month!

[TrevsAudio]

shinythang - that's great!

I especially like the use of light and shade. Please tell us more about your methods and software.

Thanks for sharing

[shinythang]

Well thanks that's nice of you to take the time to listen and comment. In answer to your request for method and software;

Software first. That's 100% Mixcraft Pro Studio. There are no 3rd party instruments or effects.

Methods; well, in the case of this piece I was just examining the bundled sounds after buying Mixcraft and a string sound inspired the whole thing. Then I continued using this idea to try out the features in Mixcraft. I just kept laying down parts using my Alesis Q49 controller keyboard to drive native sounds in Mixcraft. Then I copied various bits to other instruments, made small changes to match the characteristics of that instrument and let the whole thing find it's own path. I did stick a graphic of a conventional orchestra layout on the wall to help with instrument selection and positioning.

I tend to lay down all parts using the keyboard first then I manually quantise them by shifting just those notes that I can't live with closer to their correct location using the piano roll editor (I haven't tried the built-in humanise feature yet).

I have a very mobile life and this track has been worked on at home, at my digs when I'm away working (yeah - not daft enough to give up the day job!) and even on my boat.

Apart from using the odd cello or flute in a song I have never tried anything orchestral before. I have also never changed time during a piece before but Mixcraft just made it so easy I couldn't resist!

I have to say though that the mix seemed to lose something after converting to MP3. Those kettle drums weren't nearly so boomy in Mixcraft.

[gypsy101]

Now you're getting technical Gypsy

Let's make it midnight in the most westerly North American time zone.

If someone can confirm what that will be...

Loving the track BTW well done Gypsey!

ummm,Aleutian Islands,Alaska UTC or GMT-10:00
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=n ... 52&bih=715

[TrevsAudio]

Great! That gives me an extra 10 hours here in the UK!

[Rod VM]

Here is the link for my song:

http://mixcraftlive.com/podcast.php?band_id=1768
Hope I did it correct......
Rod.

[TrevsAudio]

Brilliant, thanks Rod!

BTW, the link is not quite right but I found it at http://mixcraftlive.com/Rod_VM/audio.php

Interesting tone you have there - how was it achieved?

Thanks once again.

[TrevsAudio]

Apologies Mark - I seem to have missed your "nuthin-fancy"

A great little happy, catchy song; I shall probably be whistling it tomorrow Linda must be some special lady!

I wish I could do something original - probably could if I applied my mind to it. I really admire all you guys who churn out your own stuff - well done lads.

[Studio 919]

Ok, I must admit this is the closest that I have come to "completing" a song. There's still some tweaking that I want (need) to do. It is also the first time I have used Mixcraftlive AND the first time I have attempted to post one of my songs ANYWHERE.

But, here it is anyway.

http://mixcraftlive.com/Barry/player.php

Feel free to offer tips, suggestions, complaints, and so on.

[Mark Bliss]

Damn Barry your talking my language. That is tasty! And oh so close to being very very good!

On my initial listen, my gut reaction was to reach for two faders.

Pull down the ride cymbal (I think it is? or is it an open hat?) about 1.5 to 2 dB. Its jumping out at me. Push up that vocal about the same. Then play it again and see if thats about right.

Other than that its pretty close. I did notice the guitar walks on the vocal in the last verse, but its a delicious lick, so maybe if it could be shifted to after the verse where the break starts, theres a little pause in the action there, where I think you were trying to highlight a piano riff. The pianos a bit low there, but thats fine. Put that guitar riff right there.......

Let the vocal stand out. Thats the song! It may need a little level ride to even it out a touch, but its great! Very natural vibrato, deep and soulful!
And give that fine guitar track its own space. Everything else plays to those two tracks.

Just my opinion! Very nice work. I'd like to mix that project.

[TrevsAudio]

Oh so bluesy - I really feel your pain Barry!

My suggestion would be to add a light, non busy bass line. I think it would give the whole song a lift. If you PM me an mp3, I could do a demo for you.

Nice effort and thanks for sharing.

[Studio 919]

Hey MBliss,

Thanks so very much for the response including suggestions and tips. Hopefully, I'll get to try your suggestions tonight. You mentioned the guitar walking on the vocal in the second verse. I have thought about deleting the guitar and make it more like the first verse. I just haven't tried that yet.

Hey Trevlyns,

Thanks to you also for the positive feedback and tips. When I posted this song, I mentioned that I wanted to do some tweaking. My thought was to add a bass line plus a little fine tuning on the mix. It's funny that these two things are the same that you and MBliss mentioned. Let me also thank you for issuing the challenge. It was a kick in the behind for me to get busy. I've got six songs written, I just need to get them recorded. (Like my signature says, The hardest part of doing nothing is knowing when you're through).

The thing is, I had to do everything through earphones. I never got to hear it through monitors during the mixing phase.

Thanks again.

[Anorax]

Oh man... I remember this! I was going to participate too...


Someone should bring this back for this year, maybe May can be the challenge month?

[mick]

Please excuse my ignorance but can someone kindly explain what a "sticky" is? I keep coming across all sorts of new words that are totally beyond the horizon, I'm struggling to keep up!
Anyway back to the original, I never saw this before but it sounds interesting and I agree with Anorax that it should be resurected as a ANNUAL MIXCRAFT EVENT but using only Mixcraft instruments. And a second catogory using anything you have. The reason is to show what Mixcraft is about "out of the box" and also how it handles 3rd party stuff (contrary to what some other DAW doers think) I'm in and I'm starting something regardless this evening for May31st 2014. I've got all sorts of idea's scattered about but incomplete (discusting really) so need to take my finger out. Thank you for the push I needed it!
As Mark says we can ask each other "how did you do that"?

[TrevsAudio]

You'll have to ask Greg about that one Anorax

Mick, a sticky is a thread 'pinned' at the top of the forum like the current 'Optimize your PC for Mixcraft!' and 'Mixcraft 6 Tutorial Videos and Mini-Tips'. Greg put this up after I had suggested it in a thread last year sometime..

[gypsy101]

well...it's been over a month.
I've done a few but I'm redion my SC account @ the moment so there's not much up there right now and I've got a couple that still need vocals if I ever get enough quiet time to do them.
try my Reverbnation site,it might have a couple of the newer ones.