Where do you start recording an EP?

[RockfordStone]

practice, practice, practice. just literally work out which key is the kick, and the snare, then come up with a rhythm using them... ignore the symbals and toms to start, just worry about the rhythm and build from there

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1357132492' post='1917830']
practice, practice, practice. just literally work out which key is the kick, and the snare, then come up with a rhythm using them... ignore the symbals and toms to start, just worry about the rhythm and build from there
[/quote]

Yeah, i've done that before, but it didn't go well, any time i tried it. I think my downfall is my unfamiliarity of a keyboard, my reducing strength and fine motor skills, and my fairly poor timing with regards to keyed instruments. It's a good enough reason for me to learn the keyboard, but right now....

[BigRedX]

Where do you start recording an EP?

That's a real how long is a piece of string question. In the end only you can answer it through trial and error finding out what works for you and what doesn't.

Personally I wouldn't even think about hitting record until I had the basic structure of the piece worked out. I'm not a massive fan of using "the studio" as a compositional tool, it's great for finishing off your ideas, but not really for generating them. There are people who can work this way but they normally have an inside-out knowledge of the equipment they are using, or are working in conjunction with someone who does.

If you're going to be doing it all by yourself (rather than involving other musicians) you really need to be working to a rhythm that is tied to the bar and beat structure of your chosen DAW. That way edits and changes in the structure of the piece are far easier to manage. You could record your first instrument free-form and then fit everything else around that, but unless you are very sure of the overall structure, you may well find that it's easier to start from scratch if your need to move parts around. Also fitting a MIDI or plugin drum part to this will be a complete nightmare unless you are very good at playing drums or playing them in from a MIDI keyboard.

TBH your best bet is just to try stuff and see what suits you. Be prepared to chuck everything away from your first few attempts when you find that your chosen approach leads to a dead end later in the recording/composition process. Remember while there's loads of sound advice in the posts so far, what works for one person won't necessarily work for you.

Good luck!

[lowdown]

MIDI Drumming is easier than ever with all the software available. You can go from free programmes up to high end.
They all come with midi loops, just drag and drop. Use them as a starting point then edit in the PRV to suit your needs.
You don't have to play keyboards or be a drummer to do this , although i find playing them in on a keyboard is good for getting natural velocity levels,
but again you can change this in the PRV view.

If you are struggling with playing other Instruments, learn the basics of MIDI input, you could even just write it in.
There is plenty of videos on YouTube for this stuff.


Garry

Edited January 3, 2013 by lowdown

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1357139847' post='1917976']
Where do you start recording an EP?

That's a real how long is a piece of string question. In the end only you can answer it through trial and error finding out what works for you and what doesn't.

Personally I wouldn't even think about hitting record until I had the basic structure of the piece worked out. I'm not a massive fan of using "the studio" as a compositional tool, it's great for finishing off your ideas, but not really for generating them. There are people who can work this way but they normally have an inside-out knowledge of the equipment they are using, or are working in conjunction with someone who does.

If you're going to be doing it all by yourself (rather than involving other musicians) you really need to be working to a rhythm that is tied to the bar and beat structure of your chosen DAW. That way edits and changes in the structure of the piece are far easier to manage. You could record your first instrument free-form and then fit everything else around that, but unless you are very sure of the overall structure, you may well find that it's easier to start from scratch if your need to move parts around. Also fitting a MIDI or plugin drum part to this will be a complete nightmare unless you are very good at playing drums or playing them in from a MIDI keyboard.

TBH your best bet is just to try stuff and see what suits you. Be prepared to chuck everything away from your first few attempts when you find that your chosen approach leads to a dead end later in the recording/composition process. Remember while there's loads of sound advice in the posts so far, what works for one person won't necessarily work for you.

Good luck!
[/quote]

Cheers, i really appreciate that.


[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1357199753' post='1918887']
MIDI Drumming is easier than ever with all the software available. You can go from free programmes up to high end.
They all come with midi loops, just drag and drop. Use them as a starting point then edit in the PRV to suit your needs.
You don't have to play keyboards or be a drummer to do this , although i find playing them in on a keyboard is good for getting natural velocity levels,
but again you can change this in the PRV view.

If you are struggling with playing other Instruments, learn the basics of MIDI input, you could even just write it in.
There is plenty of videos on YouTube for this stuff.


Garry
[/quote]

Yeah, i get something done in terms of the drums. Cheers.

[51m0n]

Dont make it a 5 track EP, just make it "lets see if we can record a bass part" to begin with.

Start with your first idea

Play to click in a DAW, because you will rely on the DAW for time keeping any vsti's

Build it an instrument/idea at a time, if it goes of on a different angle pursue it until you think its no good then go back, before you know it you will be there.

It will be a very steep learning curve, so dont put a time frame on it so much.

Its possible to programm human sounding drums with a mouse, but it takes ages....

[Skol303]

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1357129230' post='1917747']get yourself a cheapish midi controller/keyboard...i acquired one last week and being able to play the beats that come to your head rather than have to think about programming them makes life a bit creative.[/quote]
[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1357199753' post='1918887']MIDI Drumming is easier than ever with all the software available.[/quote]

^ Great suggestion there fellas! I've been using keyboard drumming myself for about a year now (including the monthly challenges on Basschat). It's a great method of laying down a beat quickly - often before it gets forgotten in my case. Sometimes I quantize the MIDI afterwards to keep it tight; other times I leave it fairly loose to give it a more human feel. It's a much more intuitive way of programming beats IMO.

I found this bloke, Josh Mobley, to be a particularly good source of advice and inspiration. This video might be worth a look for anyone who's interested... he's using Reason software but what he's talking about can be applied to any DAW. It goes on a bit, so skip ahead when necessary:

[url="http://www.propellerheads.se/mmm/index.cfm?fuseaction=eventinfo&EID=1"]http://www.propeller...eventinfo&EID=1[/url]

Edited January 11, 2013 by Skol303

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1357921017' post='1930686']
Dont make it a 5 track EP, just make it "lets see if we can record a bass part" to begin with.

Start with your first idea

Play to click in a DAW, because you will rely on the DAW for time keeping any vsti's

Build it an instrument/idea at a time, if it goes of on a different angle pursue it until you think its no good then go back, before you know it you will be there.

It will be a very steep learning curve, so dont put a time frame on it so much.

Its possible to programm human sounding drums with a mouse, but it takes ages....
[/quote]

Sorry, i didn't get any notification of this. Thanks! I very often think i have a good idea and muck about with it until it's no good