From time to time I’m asked how I make my music and what I use to make it with, so I’m sharing a quick list here and may expand on in the future.
I’m not in the least saying this is the way you should approach making music, I’m just listing what works for me.
The quick answer of how I make music is I improvise virtually all of it.
One track (instrument) at a time.
I start with anything… it may be a guide drum pattern, a guitar or synth riff or chord progression… anything.
Then I listen back to that and add something to it.
Then listen to those 2 and make a 3rd and so forth until I think the song is there.
I do very, very little editing, do not use AI (Artificial Intelligence),
do not use Auto-tune, Mellodyne or snap to the grid.
As for what I use, the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) is FL Studio which has the virtual instruments, effects, mixer and so forth.
I sometimes use the free Audacity for basic stuff. It’s not a full DAW, but is great for quick recording, editing and so forth.
I control the making of the sounds with a keyboard controller made by Nektar. It is a 61 key, synth action keyboard with a pitch and a mod wheel, octave and note transpose, 9 faders, 9 buttons, 8 knobs and 8 drum pads all of which can be assigned to any parameter in the DAW.
There’s also a midi channel readout, transport controls and a few other things.
I also us a Novation FLkey Mini with 25 mini keys but I wouldn’t recommend mini keys as a starter, if you’ve played for a while then fine, but otherwise you’ll get used to the smaller keys and then when you go to play on a full size keyboard or piano you’ll not be able to play it properly.
The other way I can play the sounds in the DAW is by using a Brian Moore iGuitar that along with regular electric output has a piezo out for a (kind of) “acoustic” type sound and a 13 pin cable feeding the pitches of all 6 strings individually to an old Roland GR-33 synth which then has midi out.
Guitars and mics go to a few compressor limiters, sometimes after a mic pre amp and then to the AD/DA interface and into the computer and then the DAW.
Then the process reverses itself and the sound comes out, goes to the interface, then an amp/receiver to a speaker selector with a few pairs of speakers I can choose from to listen back to the music.
Most sounds nowadays for me are in the DAW but other than the actual guitars I do have a couple keyboards, effects and such to get the sounds.
The main way I get my guitar sounds today is from guitar to a passive volume pedal, then an Ampero One amp and fx modeler, then a couple comp/limiters and on into the computer through the interface.
Videos are edited with Magix.
If I send any files over the net for collaborations I use Mega.io
and I just signed up for a free file sharing site MediaFire that has where multiple people can have access to the same folder which is great for collaborations, I’ll be checking that out soon.
I added links to the companies that made these things, links are in blue, but I don’t get any money from any of them. I am not paid nor an affiliate, just have them in case you’d like to check them out BUT please note, any way you are able to bring music and videos into being, if it works, is the right way.
Don’t fall for people saying you have to use this or that or have to approach it by doing it this or that way.
It’s just not true.
If you do want to get into recording and start out and feel overwhelmed I’d suggest you slow down, have patience (with yourself) and learn it a bit at a time, no need to try to learn it overnight.
Any questions please feel free to drop me a line plus I may expand this in the future but I wanted at least the basics so anyone I talk with can reference it if they like.
Ok?
OK!
Peace,
Steve
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