Under 60 second MUSIC + COMIC on our current music production system. I have always DI’ed my guitars and have never mic’ed an amplifier. The only guitar amplifier I have is a micro Orange practice unit, and rarely use it now. It just makes too much noise, and I rarely practice. Making something is my practice.
This MUSIC + COMIC has a few extra irrelevant things going on in it to see if it can keep the attention of the general viewer for more than a few seconds on YouTube in the SHORTs feed.
Have a few Distortion Pedals. Even an old MXR and a Boss DISTORTION & FEEDBACKER, and man, that BOSS thing is terrible. Have bought things like the METAL CORE and Mackie Mixer second hand. Happy enough using the ANVIL Amplifier and large cabinet in the Pod Express Black recently.
I don’t use any of the Pods effects or stereo, as I add that during the mix with vsts. I can also use just the Pod amp and turn off the cabinet, and use the IR loaders I have. I just haven’t needed to do that yet. But it will come a time I will want to change things up a bit. Would love a HX STOMP but expect the HI-GAIN extra amp and cabinet options, especially in mono without effects the way I use it, would go UN-noticed in my finished tracks anyway.
Until moving to the Windows 11 GTUNE MOUSE PC I was using a Roland Rubix22 and Cakewalk audio interface. I could still use the Rubix as there is a WIn11 driver, but it isn’t great. I hate that input level indicator. The control of volume between use in the DAW and standard Video and Animation applications isn’t consistent either, which makes it tedious. So PC LINE IN, LINE OUT, ASIO4all and a Mackie mixer are what I am using at at the moment. The mixer has phantom power for condenser microphones (like my audio-technica AT2020), and a real level meter.
The basic noise floor of the Mackie Mixer -> PC LINE IN with nothing plugged into the mixer.
The noise component when you plug anything in becomes 60Hz mains hum some -68dB down. Irrelevant for a Hi-Gain Guitar and even my vocals.
I started my music production career in earnest with a TASCAM PORTAONE, so compared to that, my current system is “perfect”. For many years I used a BEHRINGER MC100 into the line in of my PC for guitar and microphone interfacing.
Use an audio-technica AT-HAZ to drive headphones (love my AKG K702) and that also connects to JBL104 tiny powered monitors. I can power on Just the Headphones or speakers if I want, and most of the time it is just headphones. My studio is so tiny, there isn’t room for any larger monitors, or room treatment. I use headphones A LOT. I use the mastering spectrum analyzer and larger tower speakers in a larger room to check how I am going. Also have room simulator for the headphones and other things.
This is all very much a lowcost music gear approach. I don’t need an expensive Neve Microphone Preamp, compressor or EQ. Wouldn’t be any audible difference for what I do.
In years past, checking music in the car was the best, but I almost don’t drive any more, and it is now a different car I haven’t spent 100s of hours listening to on long commutes to and from work. These days I don’t hear anything above 12kHz at all, and have some big dips in my hearing too, so I don’t hear like I used too and don’t trust my own ears. ( I also go out of my way to protect what hearing I have and not get Tinnitus, like lots of people I know have. I use Ear Plugs when appropriate ). The SPAN spectrum Analyzer in mastering mode is thus a significant too to check the balance of what I'm doing and how much spectrum individual tracks are using.
I use the REAPER DAW, with a bunch of effects and VST synthesizers, such as SURGE XT and ZebraHZ with a KORG microKEYS keyboard. Have an old Roland PC-180 too, I bought with a staff discount, but it takes up too much space now and the key touch is terrible. I think BOSS and Roland aren’t competitive for what I am after these last decades, and haven’t been value for a long time (since the TR-606 anyway, which I used in my 4 track days). I also have a KORG MS-20 mini, a real analog synth. Bought second hand.
Most guitarists will have at least 4 tracks of guitars. I have done that in the past, but recently I have one rhythm track and one lead track. Keeping it very simple, more Van Halen style than heavy metal.
The music I put on these music + comics is slapped into a limiter to make it loud and stand out. Very much like a TV advertisement. A longer track doesn't need to be slammed anywhere near as much as these short things.
At the present time, only YouTube Shorts get any views so that is why we keep with the 60 second music tracks. They also go on X with my “I am not paying for X!” account.
When I started my YouTube channel, I used it for slide shows with music of my illustrations, like this:
I still do the same, with the music as support most of the time. So I identify with the pronoun PRODUCER, rather than GUITARIST or MUSICIAN.
This blog post and Short upload to YouTube will be the 3rd week in a row I am waiting till Sunday afternoon Japan time to post. This seems to be what YouTube is encouraging, and I will see if that is contestant with last weeks results or not. Also the 3rd time to write the post in Scriven first, rather than in the Blogger online editor. For the last years, I have just uploaded stuff when I finished it, which more often than not, was a weekday morning. Many have had very few views. It also means I get to review the result over a few days before I finally post it, and I think that has probably made the results a little better (or may be just busier) too, with added, interesting details I may be the only one to notice.
But in the end, I make these things for my own entertainment and how I fill a few days a week of my remaining time in retirement. I’m not trying to “grow my channel” as all the tedious YouTubers say. I am not a YouTuber, but having stuff seen is nicer.
Dangerous Advice
On a related note, was shown a YouTube video yesterday about mixing on headphones, and their advice was to play it at a loud 85dB to judge, and that 8 hours at that level was safe.
My first thought was “what level do I listen at?”. So made a quick foam jig to hold a Sound Level Meter in one ear pad, with the ear pad sealed (even though these are open back headphones ).
Played BROWN NOISE and MUSIC and found I listen at a very low level. 60dB is VERY loud, and 85dB is like head crushingly loud!
The advice is 85dB is “safe for 8 hours” but really, that will result in ear damage if you do that often.
We can be found at ArtAndTechnology KYOTO JAPAN
No comments:
Post a Comment