Bad quality: I just don't get it!
OK, what is all you all's trick? I've gone through about 3 boards since I got Protools, a Yamaha 10 channel, the Alesis Multi-Mix 4 USB, and finally the biggy which is an Alan Heath Z E D 10FX. For one, I cannot get PT to work worth anything with the Z E D 10FX. The board just seems for my setup to not do what I need and to be way more advanced than what I initially thought. My question is, OK, I heard a jingle that Kevin Reeves put together and I think sent either to Mac4theblind, or macvisionaries, don't recall with, and I just bought the It's About Time release on ITunes that he recorded. I just, don't get it. Maybe I'm wrong, but kevin, you're just a home kind a guy who happens to have a home based studio and a band with a Mac and Pro Tools, right? So, how are people like him getting that nice crisp mainstream radio quality from Pro tools. That is why I switched from Sonar to Protools. I thought by doing so the effects would be so much better, and so much more even/clear/clean and crisp. I was really wanting to go for that industry standard sound of clarity. I mean what Keven did and what I hear a lot of other home artists do with pro tools is literally radio mainstream quality. Yet, for me, either I have a lot of clipping no matter how low I turn the level/EQ's, my highs are too much, or over all, I just don't have any brightness. It's very muddy and very muffley sounding. I just, don't, get it! I'm really pulling my hair out over here. You can't say, well, you're running a cheap board. When I was running the Alan Heath board, that sucker was like $299.99 before tax! OK, it's not a 2 or 3 thousand dollar board, but I highly doubt that people like Kevin are using things that high end. I must say, I'm almost at the point a throwing PT in the water. I'm just getting more frustrated by the minute. Avid says turn your levels back in your clipping. I did, it's not helping. I hear move away from your mike a bit. I tried, though that helped a bit, not much. I even borrowed a friend's mike that was like $1500, as aposed to mine which is about $120. I got no different effect. Both were condenser phantom power mikes. I've tried about every e q to absolutely no avale. Here is how my stuff on the mike was set before I unhooked the Alan Heath board. I'm willing to work with you all, but I'm about to return this thing this Monday if I don't get it up and working optimally by then. I don't mean to pressure people, but this is crazy. How come all you all with not thousands of dollars of boards can get a mainstream sound, yet I never ever can. I don't get what i need to do to make it better. Anyway, things were set on the mike like the following according to my grandmother who looked and is sighted. Level has two markings then goes 0-10. Current level=2 out of 10 Pan=C Aux=all the way down FX=All the way down with preset off... Dry/Flat LF=3 out of 15 Mid=half way out of 10 Frequency=between 1 and 2K High=half way out of 10 Gain=+30DB, range is -10DB to +60DB HPF/Highpass is on Phantum-Power on mike is on. I have no idea! Please if someone coudl call me and give me a half and hour, even just a half hour of your time. Even if you can't help me, even just someone to talk to as a friend, who feels my frustration, and can relate/sympathize. I really could use some encouragement of someone telling me not to give up, although Im almost, not quite, but almost, at that point. I have such a dream to make music, and it's just, not, happenin! Chris.
Forgot my contact info
If anyone wants to call and try giving a gander at helping me with my last comments, my number is: 704-910-1581 I'm free all tonight and all rest of this week, any time day, night, middle of night, you name it. I pretty much am up quite a bit, so odds you'll get me if you call, are incredibly likely. Chris.
Here's what I mean
Take a listen to this. the vocals are not the best. I was pretty flat in places, but that's not the point. it sounds like I am not getting the full bottom nor the crisp brightness either that all mainstream people and most of you guys get. If you all at least can tell me where I'm going wrong, aside probably the obvious a beating myself up, it would make my night. I know there are a million possibilities, but for one, where do I start? Here is a recording for you all to hear. Listen to the vocals, not the backing music, as the karaoke track sounds fine. I was about 6-8 inches away from my mike when I was singing, but if I back up more it doesn't help, and actually gives too much room ambiant noise, yet if I turn the board down to compensate for that, then the mix is too quiet. Here's the link: http://www.sendspace.com/file/txh679 Chris.
Re: Bad quality: I just don't get it!
Hey man. It doesn't matter what you use. That record you heard was done on a cheap $600 001 interface with a $200 mic. When I cut drums, I hired guys who were great engineers. They weren't big names, just some guys from a small town in Illinois. However, they knew how to dial the drums in. Then, I had it mixed by our own Slau. He knows how to dial it in. Would he have preferred that my stuff be tracked on better gear so he didn't have to doctor it up as much or do tons of subtractive EQ? Probably. But he took what he had and knew how to make it sound like a million bucks. What makes it sound clear is how you use it. Tons of folks are doing industry standard stuff in Sonar, logic, garageband, etc. It's all 0's and 1's. Obviously a Pro Tools HD rig running at 192 K will sound better than a $200 interface at 44.1 16, but that's minor. It's literally how you employ the tools you have. I've spent over 13 years messing with this stuff to get the sounds I want. When I first started out, everything I did sounded like dog crap. The trick, get something that's easy for you to use, learn the hell out of it, and record record record. You'll throw away about 90 percent of what you record. THen 80, 70, etc. As you get better acquainted with your stuff, the more you'll like what you record. After 13 years, I know how to dial it in. It's that simple, and hard, all at the same time. Sorry to be such a downer, but I feel bad that someone put it in your head that getting another piece of software would make you sound better. I use Pro Tools because it's my rig of choice. Go listen to stuff by Goldfingas, http://www.goldfingas.com, or have Brian Smart send you something he did in Sonar. That stuff sounds amazing. Hell. I've got stuff I tracked in Sonar while I had that rig. My pro tools rig sounds better to me than my sonar rig did. Not because it's Pro TOols, but because I know how to dial Pro Tools in. That's the ticket. In short, learn your rig. You're jumping from board to board without really learning it. Don't go for bells and whistles. If I were you, I'd get a Mackie Onyx if you can grab the smaller one. That mixer is so easy to use and integrates right into Pro TOols. No effects, no nothing. Just an analog board with a fully digital back end. Then, open every pro tools plugin and see what it does. Move every knob in the window till you figure out how it makes it sound. Use presets if you have to. You'll find what you need after a while. Again, sorry to piss on your parade, but that's the true honest answer. You have to just do it to get through it. Trust me. I've hated stuff I've recorded and wanted to sell everything off. It's just part of this journey. Good luck. Kevin
Re: Here's what I mean
Send me the session. Zip it up and put it on your sendspace. There's nothing wrong with what you recorded. Allow me to show you how I'd make that sound. Kevin
Re: Bad quality: I just don't get it!
If possible, can you at least have a listen to my version of You Don't count the Cost I did with my multi-mix? If you know how to get the vocals for a definite! at least slightly more less clippy, that's my main goal right now for starters. The weird thing is, it doesn't sound all that clipity until I mix the track down to either an mp3 or wave. The clipping's there before, but not quite as bad. Chris. - Original Message - From: Kevin Reeves reeves...@gmail.com To: ptaccess@googlegroups.com Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 8:49 PM Subject: Re: Bad quality: I just don't get it! Hey man. It doesn't matter what you use. That record you heard was done on a cheap $600 001 interface with a $200 mic. When I cut drums, I hired guys who were great engineers. They weren't big names, just some guys from a small town in Illinois. However, they knew how to dial the drums in. Then, I had it mixed by our own Slau. He knows how to dial it in. Would he have preferred that my stuff be tracked on better gear so he didn't have to doctor it up as much or do tons of subtractive EQ? Probably. But he took what he had and knew how to make it sound like a million bucks. What makes it sound clear is how you use it. Tons of folks are doing industry standard stuff in Sonar, logic, garageband, etc. It's all 0's and 1's. Obviously a Pro Tools HD rig running at 192 K will sound better than a $200 interface at 44.1 16, but that's minor. It's literally how you employ the tools you have. I've spent over 13 years messing with this stuff to get the sounds I want. When I first started out, everything I did sounded like dog crap. The trick, get something that's easy for you to use, learn the hell out of it, and record record record. You'll throw away about 90 percent of what you record. THen 80, 70, etc. As you get better acquainted with your stuff, the more you'll like what you record. After 13 years, I know how to dial it in. It's that simple, and hard, all at the same time. Sorry to be such a downer, but I feel bad that someone put it in your head that getting another piece of software would make you sound better. I use Pro Tools because it's my rig of choice. Go listen to stuff by Goldfingas, http://www.goldfingas.com, or have Brian Smart send you something he did in Sonar. That stuff sounds amazing. Hell. I've got stuff I tracked in Sonar while I had that rig. My pro tools rig sounds better to me than my sonar rig did. Not because it's Pro TOols, but because I know how to dial Pro Tools in. That's the ticket. In short, learn your rig. You're jumping from board to board without really learning it. Don't go for bells and whistles. If I were you, I'd get a Mackie Onyx if you can grab the smaller one. That mixer is so easy to use and integrates right into Pro TOols. No effects, no nothing. Just an analog board with a fully digital back end. Then, open every pro tools plugin and see what it does. Move every knob in the window till you figure out how it makes it sound. Use presets if you have to. You'll find what you need after a while. Again, sorry to piss on your parade, but that's the true honest answer. You have to just do it to get through it. Trust me. I've hated stuff I've recorded and wanted to sell everything off. It's just part of this journey. Good luck. Kevin=
Getting Midi to play
So, I made a new session, then hit command+option+I, to import midi. I opened my .mid file, hit space to play, and nothing. Using the virutal instruments would be nice in the long run, and yeah, I do have them, but for start, even just getting any midi out would be nice. Any ideas?
Re: Getting Midi to play
You're not hearing anything because you didn't assign anything to the midi out on that track. Pro TOols doesn't automatically assign the midi to anything. You have to open an instrument or assign it to a keyboard's inputs. Kevin
Re: Getting Midi to play
So, how then do I load an instrument into the track? Chris. - Original Message - From: Kevin Reeves reeves...@gmail.com To: ptaccess@googlegroups.com Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 10:34 PM Subject: Re: Getting Midi to play You're not hearing anything because you didn't assign anything to the midi out on that track. Pro TOols doesn't automatically assign the midi to anything. You have to open an instrument or assign it to a keyboard's inputs. Kevin=
Re: Getting Midi to play
You need to create a stereo instrument track. Put an instrument plugin on the insert of the instrument.. Then, set the midi output to that plugin. That is the basic way to do it.
Re: Getting Midi to play
Hi Christopher, Have you read the manual about this??? This is the first place to check out! Read then try out what you read if you can't get it working then ask away? If you need clarification by all means call me! I am on the East Coast of the great USA!!! Chuck Reichel 954-742-0019 www.SoundPictureRecording.com On Oct 5, 2011, at 10:54 PM, Christopher-Mark Gilland wrote: So, how then do I load an instrument into the track? Chris. - Original Message - From: Kevin Reeves @gmail.com To: ptaccess@googlegroups.com Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 10:34 PM Subject: Re: Getting Midi to play You're not hearing anything because you didn't assign anything to the midi out on that track. Pro TOols doesn't automatically assign the midi to anything. You have to open an instrument or assign it to a keyboard's inputs. Kevin=
