What Is My Best Course Of Action To Finally Get My #^%$ Together?

[wagtunes]

I will try to keep this short because heaven knows I could write a book here.

Just found out about this sub forum today and am coming here for help, but not the kind of help you're thinking. I realize that there is no way all my questions can be answered in this one thread. It is physically impossible. So I'm coming here for just one answer, the question of which can be found in the title of this thread.

Brief background including strengths and weaknesses because I feel they are important. And yes, I can be totally objective about them.

Here goes.

Been writing songs, recording songs and mixing my own tracks since 1979, long before we had all the technology that we have today.

My only formal training in any of that was in music composition where I am classically trained and have a degree. I learned nothing about recording, mixing, mastering or any of that stuff from any formal institution. I did learn synth programming on my own from a lot of very hard work.

Strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths:

I can write well when I put my mind to it. Commercially? That's another story as I am a little out of touch with today's pop music. But my knowledge of theory can certainly allow me to learn quickly. I am not at all concerned about my ability to write.

I can program mostly any synth with great ease.

I can make a good arrangement of a song, though I am better with simple arrangements than with more complex ones. As I've written symphonies and concertos, I don't have to worry about how they sound recorded as they'll be played by a live orchestra.

Weaknesses:

I can't sing or play very well. So I need to concentrate on instrumental tracks and a lot of sequencing and/or quantization to make my tracks sound good. If you listen to a lot of my music where I don't do this, you'll notice some serious timing issues.

I know very little about using FX such as EQ, Compression, Limiting, Delay, Reverb, etc. I can do a few basic things such as taking out the muddiness from the low end or softening the screeching highs. Any frequencies in the middle and how to get all the instruments to "play nice together" is beyond me.

I don't know any tricks of the trade as far as panning, levels, how to make vocals sit in the mix, etc.

Getting back to my symphonies and concertos, if I were to try to record one myself using VSTs (which I've done) they'd be a disaster because of the poor skills outlined above. And of course this would hold true for any type of musical arrangement outside of piano and vocal. I think I can handle that. But that's about it.

In short, I suck at recording. You can go and hear just how much I suck at my Soundcloud page if you want. But it's not necessary. Trust me, I suck.

So here is my question. I have tried going the "go to Youtube and listen to tutorials route" and the "ask questions on forums route" but none of that has helped.

I believe I need one on one instruction. I need somebody to watch me put a track together and show me what I'm doing wrong. Show me how to improve it. I want to sound like the stuff on the radio. Now maybe that's not possible given they're using hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment and I'm using Cubase 7 and VSTs that cost a few hundred dollars. But I want to at least sound close. I've heard some OSCs here that sound amazing. I want to get that good, but I can't do it on my own.

So what's my best course of action? As I own and run my own business, taking time off to go to a college like Berklee just isn't an option. And that's if I'd even get the one on one instruction that I need there.

Is there anything that exists that will give me what I need or am I simply out of luck? Continuing on my present course of watching videos and asking questions isn't going to cut it. After 36 years that's obvious.

Personally, I think it's pathetic that somebody can do something for so long and still be so bad at it (though better than I was when I first started when I didn't even know what a limiter was) but that's my reality and that's what I have to work with.

I want to get better at this. Much better. Why? Honestly? Because I'm tired of people telling me my music sounds like crap.

So there you have it.

What do I do?

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

start with your timing and performance, as they are your foundation. the rest is for later

spend time with just a metronome (preferably away from your computer), and tap your hands and feet with, and around, the beat.

[Aloysius]

You say you're out of touch with current music trends but you want you music to sound like the stuff on the radio. Hmm...

I'd say, get some CDs that you like and study them. Figure out what instruments are in what frequencies, where the instruments are panned etc.

Drag a commercial Track into your DAW and cut it up into sections. Just listen to a verse for example. You could even attempt to replicate a section of the song for practice.

Etc.

''I am classically trained and have a degree''

That's nice.

[wagtunes]

start with your timing and performance, as they are your foundation. the rest is for later

spend time with just a metronome (preferably away from your computer), and tap your hands and feet with, and around, the beat.

I've been playing piano since I'm 5 years old. I use a metronome when I record. I am still THAT bad. It doesn't help. And at my age, my timing isn't going to get better as my reflexes aren't what they were. I'm simply going to have to compensate for that by doing a lot of sequence recording and tons of quantization.

Point is, if I'm going to wait for my playing to improve before getting to that "other stuff" I'll never get to that other stuff.

And certainly I can learn recording and mixing while I'm practicing my playing, which I do constantly anyway.

[wagtunes]

You say you're out of touch with current music trends but you want you music to sound like the stuff on the radio. Hmm...

I'd say, get some CDs that you like and study them. Figure out what instruments are in what frequencies, where the instruments are panned etc.

Drag a commercial Track into your DAW and cut it up into sections. Just listen to a verse for example. You could even attempt to replicate a section of the song for practice.

Etc.

''I am classically trained and have a degree''

That's nice.

When I said "sound like the stuff on the radio" I meant from a recording aspect, not a genre aspect. I want that clean, open, professional sound which I hear no matter what kind of music I listen to whether it's country, rock, pop, dance, techno or whatever.

I know a lot has to do with arrangement but that's only part of it. There has to be some recording skills that I need to improve the sound of my tracks.

As for getting a radio track and dragging it into a DAW, you mean just taking an MP3 that I have and loading it? I'm sure there is no way to get the individual instrument tracks to see how each one was processed.

In fact, that would amazing if I could get something like that. The pro mix of any recorded song broken down so I can see what was done to each track. That may very well be the best way for me to learn.

Is there any way to get a hold of such a thing?

[Aloysius]

Well there are Studio Multitracks available on the Internet. Some legal, some not.

If you're really interested in having the individual instruments to check out in a modern context, I'd suggest getting a Sample Pack which contains the individual stems (instruments) in the genre you like. All of the elements within the pack will have been processed to work together. Big Fish Audio is always worth a look.

[wagtunes]

Well there are Studio Multitracks available on the Internet. Some legal, some not.

If you're really interested in having the individual instruments to check out in a modern context, I'd suggest getting a Sample Pack which contains the individual stems (instruments) in the genre you like.

Some sample packs will even contain every drum element in great detail if that's the sort of thing you're interested in.

I'm interested in it if analyzing what they've done to these individual tracks will help me become a better mixer.

[skipscada]

In fact, that would amazing if I could get something like that. The pro mix of any recorded song broken down so I can see what was done to each track. That may very well be the best way for me to learn.

Is there any way to get a hold of such a thing?

Sound on Sound's "Mix Rescue" article series should be a good place to start.

http://www.soundonsound.com/

[BITWORD]

Here is a place to start if you want to play with stems:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mu ... tem_format

HTH

[Aloysius]

You need to focus on the style you're interested in. Examining a sample pack or a studio multitrack in your preferred genre will open you up to new ideas. Sometimes you'll be staggered at how bad an instrument or reverb (for example) sounds on its own but how perfectly it sits in an arrangement.

[el-bo (formerly ebow)]

start with your timing and performance, as they are your foundation. the rest is for later

spend time with just a metronome (preferably away from your computer), and tap your hands and feet with, and around, the beat.

I've been playing piano since I'm 5 years old. I use a metronome when I record. I am still THAT bad. It doesn't help. And at my age, my timing isn't going to get better as my reflexes aren't what they were. I'm simply going to have to compensate for that by doing a lot of sequence recording and tons of quantization.

Point is, if I'm going to wait for my playing to improve before getting to that "other stuff" I'll never get to that other stuff.

And certainly I can learn recording and mixing while I'm practicing my playing, which I do constantly anyway.

i am curious, can you feel when it's out of time ??

[wagtunes]

You need to focus on the style you're interested in. Examining a sample pack or a studio multitrack in your preferred genre will open you up to new ideas. Sometimes you'll be staggered at how bad an instrument or reverb (for example) sounds on its own but how perfectly it sits in an arrangement.

I've been told this that many times they'll take this great fat synth and EQ the hell out of it so that it sounds like crap on its own and yet in the mix it's perfect. I still don't understand how this is even possible or how they do it.

[Aloysius]

Well, if you take the time to listen ...

[wagtunes]

start with your timing and performance, as they are your foundation. the rest is for later

spend time with just a metronome (preferably away from your computer), and tap your hands and feet with, and around, the beat.

I've been playing piano since I'm 5 years old. I use a metronome when I record. I am still THAT bad. It doesn't help. And at my age, my timing isn't going to get better as my reflexes aren't what they were. I'm simply going to have to compensate for that by doing a lot of sequence recording and tons of quantization.

Point is, if I'm going to wait for my playing to improve before getting to that "other stuff" I'll never get to that other stuff.

And certainly I can learn recording and mixing while I'm practicing my playing, which I do constantly anyway.

i am curious, can you feel when it's out of time ??

Actually, no, not always. In fact, sometimes I don't even hear it but somebody will point out that the timing is bad. So I have an ear problem as well as a physical playing problem.

My most recent OSC I quantized and/or sequences the whole thing. There is absolutely nothing out of place. But to me, it sounds robotic. It just doesn't sound natural. But maybe that's just me.

[Aloysius]

In Ableton, you can apply grooves to loosen up quantised MIDI. Perhaps your sequencer has a similar function.