Long-term collaboration on an album until it makes it

[loveamplifier]

Nice additions! I had to disable most of the effects to be able to work on it (my CPU is slow).

https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=show&file=8019

I think at this point, there are so many things in the mix, that we can stretch the song out longer and add progressive elements to introduce each part.

[caLRo]

Well here’s my addition to CaLRo’s remix of HIGH ON’s IDEALITY. It’s a mess … after starting over 4 times I decided EDM really isn’t my forte. But, I said it was my turn maybe someone can fix it or use some of it.
https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=show&file=8018

Good job. Those are some nice and creative additions. However, I think you should lower the volume on some of my instruments to make your instruments stand out more.

[caLRo]

Nice additions! I had to disable most of the effects to be able to work on it (my CPU is slow).

https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=show&file=8019

I think at this point, there are so many things in the mix, that we can stretch the song out longer and add progressive elements to introduce each part.

There are indeed many things in the mix, and making the track a few minutes longer could be an option. But how many more edits or remixes should we be doing? There comes a time when we have to decide that "Ideality" is done. I would rather not edit/remix a track indefinitely.

It's cool that you can make several tracks in a single day, but try to focus a little less on quantity and more on quality. Most of your tracks contain good concepts and ideas, but in terms of mixing they could use some work.

[loveamplifier]

There are indeed many things in the mix, and making the track a few minutes longer could be an option. But how many more edits or remixes should we be doing? There comes a time when we have to decide that "Ideality" is done. I would rather not edit/remix a track indefinitely.

It's cool that you can make several tracks in a single day, but try to focus a little less on quantity and more on quality. Most of your tracks contain good concepts and ideas, but in terms of mixing they could use some work.

I'm a trained jazz musician, so for me, music is about improvisation on old and new themes, not a static byproduct that is meant to last forever, which to me, is just something that the record labels demand from professional musicians so the average listener has a commodity that they can pay for.

To me, it's all just "jazz", man, you know? You've got standards, you improvise on the standards, you write new tunes based on improvisation, and the best tunes become new standards.

I make new music for me and my friends to listen to, more than anything... we all enjoy hip hop & EDM and just having something new to listen to is the main reason I create what I create.

After I have an album's worth of material I usually go back and remix everything with closer attention to professional detail, but for now, I'm just making a bunch of bass-heavy tracks so me and my friends can sit around smoking blunts and being all gangsta in South Central LA.

Now that I have this huge bass cannon in my room, I do all my production with an audience present, which is really like a live performance more than anything, and I find myself dynamically adjusting the loop points to keep the arrangement going while I'm producing it. LMMS is VERY close to succeeding as a live performance platform, and I think the changes need to be made to my workflow rather than to the software itself.

That being said, I'm not doing ANY stereo work while I'm performing/producing for my friends, and the mixing is rudimentary at best, what I would call "live quality" rather than "studio quality".

Plenty of room for other people to remix, though!

[caLRo]

It's cool that you can make several tracks in a single day, but try to focus a little less on quantity and more on quality. Most of your tracks contain good concepts and ideas, but in terms of mixing they could use some work.

Now that I have this huge bass cannon in my room, I do all my production with an audience present, which is really like a live performance more than anything, and I find myself dynamically adjusting the loop points to keep the arrangement going while I'm producing it. LMMS is VERY close to succeeding as a live performance platform, and I think the changes need to be made to my workflow rather than to the software itself.

That being said, I'm not doing ANY stereo work while I'm performing/producing for my friends, and the mixing is rudimentary at best, what I would call "live quality" rather than "studio quality".

We need to keep in mind who our target audience is. If we are going to release our album through Magnatune, we will need a well-balanced mix (for each of the tracks). Not everyone will be listening to our album through bass heavy speakers.

As we continue making tracks and remixes, adding them to our album, we will need to keep things organized. Since you are the topic starter, can you perhaps edit your first post to inlcude a list of the tracks and remixes we have so far? Maybe sort them in categories like "finished", "currently being worked on by x", etc.?

[loveamplifier]

As we continue making tracks and remixes, adding them to our album, we will need to keep things organized. Since you are the topic starter, can you perhaps edit your first post to inlcude a list of the tracks and remixes we have so far? Maybe sort them in categories like "finished", "currently being worked on by x", etc.?

Good idea! I'll start on that right now.

[loveamplifier]

It's cool that you can make several tracks in a single day, but try to focus a little less on quantity and more on quality. Most of your tracks contain good concepts and ideas, but in terms of mixing they could use some work.

Ever since I heard Kanye West say he made "five beats a day for three summers", I felt inadequate until I learned how to match that.

[loveamplifier]

after starting over 4 times I decided EDM really isn’t my forte.
https://lmms.io/lsp/?action=show&file=8018

Have you considered switching the genre when you remix? I've been getting 4 and 5 stars ever since I switched to hip hop... maybe that's what I should have been doing all along. I did start out by producing hip hop in 2002.

[loveamplifier]

"finished"

I'll call a track "finished" when someone raps or sings over it and provides the stems from a studio-quality recording...

I plan to rap over at least 8 of these tracks with my friends, and I live across the street from a recording studio: http://www.steppingoutmusic.com/recording-services, so it might be quite a while before I can afford enough studio time to fill an album!

Even if we're doing any instrumental tracks, I still plan to have the guys at the studio mix it down professionally.

Of course it would help if any of you guys can rap or sing, and have access to recording equipment...

Check out soundtrap.com... you can plug a $15 USB Microphone into a $120 Chromebook, book $30 of rehearsal time at a recording studio, and record as much as you can write!

[caLRo]

I plan to rap over at least 8 of these tracks with my friends, and I live across the street from a recording studio: http://www.steppingoutmusic.com/recording-services, so it might be quite a while before I can afford enough studio time to fill an album!

Simply recording (rap) vocals afterwards and putting it on top of a track that's already mixed doesn't sound like a good idea. The vocals should be treated as part of the mix, meaning that during the mixing process, you should try to achieve a balance between all the instrument tracks AND the vocals.

So if you plan on including vocals, I'd suggest you have them recorded and inserted BEFORE making any important mixing decisions.

Even if we're doing any instrumental tracks, I still plan to have the guys at the studio mix it down professionally.

Of course it would help if any of you guys can rap or sing, and have access to recording equipment...

Check out soundtrap.com... you can plug a $15 USB Microphone into a $120 Chromebook, book $30 of rehearsal time at a recording studio, and record as much as you can write!

If your guys at the studio are interested in providing vocals, then we should consider them as part of our open collab. Do they know LMMS? Maybe they can join us on this forum so we can work out a plan on the vocals (content of lyrics, mixing the vocals, etc.). Email and other common forms of online communication are fine as well.

Forget Soundtrap, stick to LMMS, and perhaps Audacity for the vocal parts. This open collab has become quite enough of a challenge already. I don't think it would be realistic to pursue any additional stuff.