Music Production, DJ, Live PA and Random Ramblings
Archive for January, 2010
2010
Jan 7th
A new year is here. Like those that have come before, it feels surreal that another year has passed. But oh, what a year it was! What an amazing, difficult, challenging, fantastic and transformational year it was. 2010 has got a lot to live up to…
With my home country, South Africa, hosting the Football World Cup this year and with a good dose of irony in that my wife and I are emigrating from this beautiful country this year, times ahead are both exciting and daunting!
So excited, so scared, its gonna be a heck of a ride! By this time next year, I will be writing this blog post from Sydney, Australia (and will be lavishing the supremely better internet connection). I wonder how we are going to look back the place that has been our home for 28 years? How will we see everything once viewed as an outsider? I wonder how long it will take before I put on an Australian rugby jersey and praise the team?
So much beauty here, seems crazy to leave paradise except for the fact that it’s nearly paradise but not quite. It is all those not quite’s that are driving us away and to the place that has everything we have but fills in the missing gaps. You probably think we are taking the easy way out.
Is it easy to leave everything you know and everyone you know behind? Is it easy to start again from scratch? I think it’s far easier to maintain status quo.
I just can’t imagine ever supporting the Ozzie cricket team though 
My Music Production Setup
Jan 7th
Nearly the end of work for 2009 and the start of 2 weeks of nothing but music making madness! (ok its already 2010 by the time I have finished writing this)
I thought I would describe my home “studio” to anyone who may be wondering what kind of stuff is needed to create music nowadays from home.
First off, I will show you what I wish my home studio looked like:
and….
At this time though my studio is comprised of 5 simple things namely:
- Laptop (the same one I use for work)
- Sennheiser HD 25-1-II Headphones
- M-Audio Axiom 49 Midi Controller
- Ableton Live Suite 8 as my sequencer
- Wide variety of VST instruments, processors and effects
At this point in time, you will not have heard any of my tracks because I have not put any of them anywhere. In due course though, I will start bombarding every available web avenue and social media platform until hopefully a label bites
In terms of instruments, effects and processors, I make use of the big names:
VST Instruments
Subtractive
- LennarDigital – Sylenth1
- Novation – Bass Station
- Novation – V Station
- ReFX – Vanguard
- Rob Papen – Predator
- Fab Filter – Twin
Wavetable
- Native Instruments – Massive
Harmonic Component Modelling
- Tone 2 – Gladiator
Frequency Modulation
- Native Instruments – FM8
- Rgcaudio – Z3ta+
Percussive Synthesis and Sampling
- Native Instruments – Battery 3 (Sampling)
- Waldorf – Attack (Synthesis)
Orchestral
- Miroslav Philharmonik
In terms of effects and processors, I am using a variety of stuff from SoundToys, Sonalksis, Waves, Flex Development Labs, FabFilter, PSP and Oxford. These comprise compressors, limiters, phase and frequency shifters, fancy filters ,gates, transient designers, expanders, multiband EQ and top class echoes, reverbs, delays, doublers, flangers and a million other things.
The thing that I have realized over the last 8 months since I started my music production journey is that your processors and effects are crucial to obtaining that professional sound but using the latest, greatest outboard gear is not.
Music theory is important but not as important as being spontaneous and learning as much about sound engineering and production techniques as you can.
I am not yet at the point where I have made a professional sounding track with all the polish that you would expect from a top tune but this year is the year!!
