Production Thoughts

What’s the handheld mic box thing in the video?


https://www.instagram.com/p/BuNFtOUBK9y/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

That’s a Zoom H5. Maybe a H6. Didn’t watch the vid.

edit: OK, watched some of the vid. I think that is a H4n or something.

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Been setting up an mks inspired techno station in the room here. Trying to separate things a bit from the rest of the setup as I come to terms with the octa

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Nice one! Here is a recent photo of the Techno Table:

Also, just got one of these in the mail this week to add to the mix:

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Worth getting if you want to record foley and organic percussion elements?
I’ve read your phone mic is good enough… seems fake but ok.

Actually, an H5 or probably an H6 is on my list of devices I would like to get this year.

I want it to record the Techno Table pictured above, record samples from my turntables and to do field recordings.

I had one of the original Zoom H2 recorders from my old job that I made recordings across Europe. I also used to record with a MiniDisc and a little microphone.

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how are you getting along with that soundcraft signature 10 btw? always been interested in picking up a mixer from that line but the need sort of diminished when i got a interface with a decent amount of I/O. Now im once again swinging back towards working more outside the box for quick mixing stuff before it goes back itb and im interested again.

I wanted the mtk 22 for ages, but have no need and no space for such a large mixer here, the 10 almost seems perfect just wish it had another send or three (or just inserts). The other option from what I’ve seen is an a&h zed mixer and I was not a big fan of the Zed series after using a friend’s for a while.

I had actually ordered an A&H Zed but changed my mind while it was in transit and refused the delivery. I told my Sweetwater rep what was going down and he said to just refuse it.

I got the Soundcraft instead because it was more my style and had everything that I wanted in a mixer including long faders and mute buttons which the A&H didn’t have. Plus it has built in Lexicon effects which sound nice!

I like to play the mixer like an instrument which is crucial for the Techno Table.

Also, I thought about getting one of the MTK series with more USB in/outs but they were hundreds of dollars more and my whole point with this was getting away from the computer.

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not saying im any good at it, but this is important to me as well. There is a reason my tascam portastudios are some of my fav and most used pieces of gear i own.

yeah, when the mtk’s first came out they were a really solid shortcut in terms of buying a mixer that also acted as I/O. I dont really have any need for that functionality these days after adding interface and other convertors to the rack so im just looking at the non-mtk versions now. Well, ‘need’ is always a bit of stupid word for a hobbyist like myself anyways haha

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I’m tryna get my subs to wobble. I know assign LFO to cutoff filter. i remeber that from the old DSF days. The LFO is a waveform that you assign to modulate another parameter - in this instance the volume of a sine sub or a particular frequency yes?

Nothing in Reaper has that capability like how I’ve seen people do it in say, Massive for example.
Excuse the extreme noob-ness of all this but I wan’t producing when wobbles were all the rage and I never needed to learn how to do it. I’m only about 14 years too late :slight_smile:

At the minute I’m doing this…
I have to use an automation track to adjust the low freq shelf and then create a parametric LFO and adjust the parameters (seen bottom left). When played this automates the low frq shelf to move up and down cutting the low freqs and then bringing them back in. And i get something approximating a wobble.

However this all seems fiddly and not very intuitive.
I’ve seen videos where people just drag the LFO across to the cutoff filter and it looks smooth and nice and sounds good. I’ve watched the REAPER Mania videos on YT but it’s not really helping.

What can I use that would be more simple and “visual”. Am I looking for a synth VST?
Is that what something like Massive is called?
I do like a nice UI etc, I’m a visual learner so it helps me understand what I’m doing…

Get a synth m8.

for sine subs, i’d indeed suggest volume automation, reaper allows you to modulate by using an lfo. away from pc and unfamiliar with your theme, but it might be the sinewave icon on your automation track.

anyway, i’d recommend Tal-Elek7ro as a free and very beginner friendly synth, a bit limited, but very simple and clean interface.

If you get that, set the OSC1 to sine, pull down all other oscillators in the synth’s mixer section, set LFO1 to VOLUME and adjust intensity and rate to taste. Boom - instant wobz. I also recommend using the ‘Trigger’ option, so that the LFO retriggers every time a midi note is played, meaning it will always start at the same point.

Also, i bet there’s probably some JS plugin that can do volume lfo tingz.

Also, I’d advise you to save your samples as wavs (24bit is prefferable) instead of mp3

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click the parameter -> track parameter -> modulation -> select LFO

Some thing like that.

This may sound counterintuitive, but I find that modulating a lowpass on a sub to actually be superior to LFOing the volume. If you look at the volume change with the former, it has a flat top, with dips in between without needing any compression. Try it yourself and compare, it just sound better. Plus a little resonance gives an interesting volume shape.

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Techno table ready 4 action

well nearly, need to get the power supply for the 414 from behind another table in the room which will be a nightmare to dig out, having fun with the octa now tho.

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Lo-Fi phone vid.

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did you just upload that directly from ya phone?

tried that before and it never worked, maybe some added functionality from the software updates

Nah, that’s hosted on my server.

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@syrup thanks will check out that synth. Gonna dl the massive demo too and see how i get on with that.
My samples are always 16 or 24bit wavs. Not sure how that sine slipped thru the net!

@Uncle_Jonno ive been modulating the lowpass not the volume. I sounds better if ive got a bass sample that has some mids in it. They stay but the sub wobs.

This is more difficult than i hoped it would be but there ya go.

imo making wobs is better done with notation instead of an lfo

get the notation you want on the piano roll, adjust adsr on the synth and make sure the synth is re-triggering properly with no note glide or anything. The wobs will be way more impactful and easier to work with compared to being stuck with a simplistic lfo filter wob.

i.e, midi 8th notes triggering the synth instead of a sustained synth note with an 1/8th note lfo going on.

LFO’s are often best used unquantized imo

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i think the massive demo is a good idea though, im not sure how limited the demo is, but massive is relatively easy to understand and quite powerful, i learned a lot from it myself when i was starting out

Massive’s ‘performer’ section is super fun in general

used massive heavily in this oldie, chek 2nd drop for tha sik wobs

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Ahhh ok i think i get you.
So that way i can go back into the piano roll and adjust notes individually (pitch length etc)

:thinking:interesting. I like that idea…
I need a proper synth though. I dont like Reaper’s built in synth. Gonna check out what syrup recommended and ill get the massive demo too and see which method i like better.

Music production is so much harder than i imagined!! :grin: well not harder per se, just more involved i guess