Gamers who play musical instruments

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

How are people typically recording? Miking an amp, interface to a PC? I'd think about getting in as yet another guitar player and I know I'd bought a crappy USB interface years ago but sure if I still have it.

Guitar direct into USB interface into computer, then I use amp modelers inside Studio One.

ActualDragon wrote:

I did realize this morning that I could be a one-woman horn line! I don't really have the range for top trumpet parts though, haha. I'm a solid 3rd trumpet and I used to march bass trombone, though all I own now is a tenor.

Remember "One-woman horn line" when it comes time to choose your tag.

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Project 1 - TBC

List of participants:
Vocals - RawkGWJ
Paino - tuffalobuffalo
Cello - Alyosius
Guitar - Fredrik_S, MikeSands, MilkmanDanimal
Percussion - fuzzyslug

Audio Mixing - Fredrik_S
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ActualDragon wrote:

This all sounds very cool. I don't have the time right now to commit, but I can play a few band instruments (flute, trombone, a bit of trumpet, and I also own an alto sax :-P) as well as tin whistle. I'm pretty rusty though and it's hard to make space to play in an apartment. I'm excited to see what you all do, and maybe I can contribute in the future! Would love to have a reason to pick up the horns again.

No worries ActualDragon, given the enthusiasm I reakon there will be other opportunities. I appreciate the comment about space in an apartment given how big my instrument is I miss my old house.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

How are people typically recording? Miking an amp, interface to a PC? I'd think about getting in as yet another guitar player and I know I'd bought a crappy USB interface years ago but sure if I still have it.

I bought a USB mic (A Blue Snowball for what its worth) which seems to work reasonably well. Before that I was using my phone. The quality wasn't great on my phone, but its better to be involved rather than getting everything 'perfect'

On a seperate note, I discovered that "House of the Rising Sun" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-43...) is available in the public domain (https://www.8notes.com/scores/17314.asp) which gives us another option - though this one may be better off waiting until ActualDragon is available as your woodwind instruments would probably suit the melody part really well.
There is a whole heap of other public domain music on that site (8notes) for various instrument mixes, but I'm not sure how most of it would work for a guitar (Modern Bach anyone? :P)

Fredrick, do you have sheet music and a click track for your piece available? I reakon thats as good a place as any to start, especially since you are doing the mixing and know how you want to sound in the end.

I am watching this closely:)

Alyosius wrote:

Fredrick, do you have sheet music and a click track for your piece available? I reakon thats as good a place as any to start, especially since you are doing the mixing and know how you want to sound in the end.

I have no sheet music. When it comes to writing notes or tabs on a paper (digital or otherwise) I am illiterate. I figured with a simple blues, it's fairly easy since it's basically just 4 chords through out the song.

I have rendered out a click track and added it to the zip file I linked above. Here's the link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5riiqt39q453jrv/GWJ%20blues.zip?dl=0

Oh, and I have no preconceived notions of what it should sound like at the end. If you feel like going on a long jazzy improvised section, or bust out some punk chords somewhere, go for it! I am sure we can create a fantastic frankenstein-ian piece of music together.

Fredrik_S wrote:

I have no sheet music. When it comes to writing notes or tabs on a paper (digital or otherwise) I am illiterate.

Fredrik_S wrote:

It's in 105bpm, in E. The structure is: Intro, Verse, V, Chorus, C, V, V, C, C, Break, C, C, C. It's pretty much standard chord changes with verses in E (accent G), Chorus in A, E, A, N, A#, A.

But you do know how to write a chart, as evidenced above. For folks who are accustomed to sheet music, a chart might seem overly vague. For what we are doing here, I feel like a chart works well. If we also end up doing something from 8th Notes which is in sheet music form, simple charts can be drawn up easily.

If everyone is cool using dropbox to share files, I can setup a shared folder for us. I would need an email address to invite you to it, so if you are interested, toss me a PM with your dropbox email and I'll invite you to the shared folder.

I am interested in providing some bass for this.

PM sent to you Fredrik.

Mixolyde wrote:
ActualDragon wrote:

I did realize this morning that I could be a one-woman horn line! I don't really have the range for top trumpet parts though, haha. I'm a solid 3rd trumpet and I used to march bass trombone, though all I own now is a tenor.

Remember "One-woman horn line" when it comes time to choose your tag.

Also: 'Horn Solo', but I need you to change your avatar to a dragon with a single horn to really cement the joke.

There's also BandLab which is made for collaboration like this rather than dropbox.

I do not have my scratch track ready yet, but I have made progress on writing. I’m very close to a “version 1” demo that can be edited and tweaked.

I will post up a bass track this weekend. This week kind of got away from me.

Don't make fun of me Rawk

tboon wrote:

I will post up a bass track this weekend. This week kind of got away from me.

Don't make fun of me Rawk :)

Why would I do that? The sharing of art and artistic expression is one of the things that I hold most sacred. When someone is brave enough to share something that they’ve created... that’s nothing to make fun of.

I’m exited to hear it.

Sorry, I admit to being a little nervous about sharing, even after being on GWJ all these years and having played games with most of you and gotten to know some of you beyond the games. Hell, I also get nervous sharing with a friend I have been sharing music with off and on for the better part of 40 years.

It is a different nervousness from playing in front of an audience. When I am fortunate enough to do that, I am nervous hoping I just remember my parts.

This is scarier to me because my track is me alone. Even if it goes well with the tune (and I hope it does!), you can hear my poor techniques, my lack of sense of timing, my tendency to voice the wrong chord or the right chord in the wrong way. In short, all the ways I know I fall short of some "ideal" player.

I apologize for naming you, Rawk; other bassists intimidate me. It is unfair to cast my self-doubt and other mental baggage on to a person in a flippant way like I did.

Anyway, like I said, I will post a track this weekend.

I totally agree it's scary. It's an intimate act creating something and to share it with the world, even in a relative small circle like this forum can be scary. Just know that even if the track has flaws or is not as perfect as you hear in your head, it's uniquely you and no-one can do it like you can which makes it perfect. I know it sounds like a platitude, but it's absolutely true.

When I get nervous about sharing something, I just think of my brother's attitude of "Just put it out there. The next one will be better and closer to what you are hearing in your head".

Alyosius wrote:

Mixolyde, I reakon you're on point, Orchestra (or Band) Simulator 2020 seems somehow appropriate for us.

Updated below
So what have we got:
Vocals - RawkGWJ
Paino - tuffalobuffalo
Cello - Alyosius
Bass Guitar - RawkGWJ (correct me if I'm wrong here, I made the assumption your talking bass guitar and not double bass)

Fredrik_S, what instrument(s)?

Mixolyde, Hobear, were you keen, if so what instrument(s) do you have in your arsonal?

Anyone else keen?

Sorry busy week and a half on vacation with no service and catching up from work. If I can still join I am Guitar if I can join. Rusty as hell but only getting better! Also need to figure out if my amp situation is working otherwise I can do acoustic through mic in the meantime.

It’s totally normal to be nervous when sharing art. I mean, talk about the apex of vulnerability! I’m nervous too. But I’ve been working towards being brave about sharing things like this.

Bravery is not the absence of fear, nor is it denying your fear. Bravery is is what happens when we acknowledge the very uncomfortable feelings of vulnerability that fear instills in us, and then move forward on our path. I’m paraphrasing Brene Brown.

I’m also a believer in fake it ‘til you make it.

any suggestions for recording software on Windows? I have an old soundboard that I could direct into but should upgrade to USB. So hoping my analog input won't be too crusty. I am stupid excited about this but need my gear setup!

The past weeks I have really craved getting back into making music. Jonesing hard for it!

audiotool is a online mixing software. Not sure if there is a collaboration option but that could work well too.

Hobear wrote:

any suggestions for recording software on Windows? I have an old soundboard that I could direct into but should upgrade to USB. So hoping my analog input won't be too crusty. I am stupid excited about this but need my gear setup!

The past weeks I have really craved getting back into making music. Jonesing hard for it!

audiotool is a online mixing software. Not sure if there is a collaboration option but that could work well too.

Here's a link with multiple different free DAW's for windows. Try them all out and see which one you prefer! (My vote goes to Presonus Studio One, but I might be a bit biased since that's the one I use).

tboon wrote:

Sorry, I admit to being a little nervous about sharing, even after being on GWJ all these years and having played games with most of you and gotten to know some of you beyond the games. Hell, I also get nervous sharing with a friend I have been sharing music with off and on for the better part of 40 years.

It is a different nervousness from playing in front of an audience. When I am fortunate enough to do that, I am nervous hoping I just remember my parts.

This is scarier to me because my track is me alone. Even if it goes well with the tune (and I hope it does!), you can hear my poor techniques, my lack of sense of timing, my tendency to voice the wrong chord or the right chord in the wrong way. In short, all the ways I know I fall short of some "ideal" player.

I apologize for naming you, Rawk; other bassists intimidate me. It is unfair to cast my self-doubt and other mental baggage on to a person in a flippant way like I did.

Anyway, like I said, I will post a track this weekend.

TBoon, if you play bass like you blew me up in Rocket League way back when then you'll rock!

I think we've all been there. Just remember we don't care how you play, we're all nervous the same way as you are about our own music. Lol, downside of being human. You'll do great. It's like projects my father inlaw and I workon, the mistakes are most often only noticed by us. I just watched a podcast with the lead of Jimmy Eat World interviewing Mark Hoppus from Blink 182 where the cover this as well. Here are two pros discussing how they can't believe they make music people can like and also how they f*ck it up plenty at times.

I hope you share, look forward to it!

Fredrik_S wrote:
RawkGWJ wrote:

I can commit to getting the demo done within the next seven days. It would be awesome to be working on several pieces at once, so please, if anyone else has the gumption, please don’t hold back. We should get started on something as a group ASAP.

I have a half finished, half done, half written blues-rock track that I can throw into the ring. You can grab the files here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/5riiqt39q453jrv/GWJ%20blues.zip?dl=0

It's in 105bpm, in E. The structure is: Intro, Verse, V, Chorus, C, V, V, C, C, Break, C, C, C. It's pretty much standard chord changes with verses in E (accent G), Chorus in A, E, A, N, A#, A.

There's also a half attempt at an outro solo, but you can ignore it. The drums are EZ drummer, feel free to throw them away for real drums instead.

What are folks using to combine tracks? I'd like to listen to them together to start piecing together a drum track, likely also delivered as a multi track.

I will put together everything in Studio One and will drop all the stems into the dropbox.

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I have been using GarageBand mobile almost exclusively. Here is a hymn I recorded just last week. It’s Mrs Rawk and I doing multiple vocal overdubs. My choir director is playing piano.

We Would Be One

That's beautiful, Rawk.

RawkGWJ wrote:

I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I have been using GarageBand mobile almost exclusively. Here is a hymn I recorded just last week. It’s Mrs Rawk and I doing multiple vocal overdubs. My choir director is playing piano.

We Would Be One

Garageband was what we used forever ago and it makes what you do so easy I don't blame you. You have near studio quality recordings on your pocket computer....why do anything else lol. Fredrik and you have killer soundclouds!

I want to clarify that I didn’t write We Would Be One. It’s a UU version of an old hymn. The composition is based on a beautiful classical piece called Finlandia.

I know that I’m hopelessly late on delivering that demo that I promised. I guess the song isn’t as ready for prime time as I’d thought.

Positive note: It’s still coming along. I realized that I needed to slow the tempo and rejigger the melody a bit. Then a few weeks of writers block followed, but I think I’m on my way out of that.

I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t checked out those sharing sites yet. Has there been any activity over there?

edit
I’m working on another virtual choir this week. I will post it here in a few days.

So I'm participating in a casual "riff war" in /r/7string where I'm a mod. Just for fun. I'm not a riff creator as I've said many times, nor am I a good recording engineer. Here's what I have. Anyone have thoughts on the mix? Just drums (they provide the drum WAV) and two hard panned guitar tracks. I tried to EQ to my taste, but I'm not sure if it's sh*tty or reasonable. I know the playing could be tighter... this is just me trying to get used to things (e.g. first time I've pressed "record" in Sonus One).

Youtube version for giggles (yes, have to submit audio and video... I'm miming it in the vid).

I don’t know what I’m doing either in regards to EQing and mixing and such. My advice is to play around until you like how it sounds. That’s what I do. Without vocals I don’t think EQing is all that vital. But remember I know nothing so take that with a grain of salt.

I am noticing your shirt. Do you work for Blizzard?

RawkGWJ wrote:

I am noticing your shirt. Do you work for Blizzard?

No :). That was a present from my daughter... we both play Overwatch and I've gotten her OW shirts before so she got me one for a birthday.