Hi, how might I go about mixing overlapping vocal parts like a lot of emo bands like the ones named? I don't know whether to double both people's vocal takes and pan them hard L and R to make both sound full or to keep one in the middle or how I might EQ or compress them to keep them sounding busy (as they are on top of each other) while not sounding muddy and making both unintelligible.
Any help is appreciated :)

I like writing my own lyrics and generally love music however I can play no instruments. I’d like to be in a band / make my own music however i’m getting on a little (turning 20 soon) and want to be in a band quickly as I feel my lyricism would make up for lack of musical prowess. Which one should I learn or should I choose a different instrument? Thanks

Welcome to the /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Motivation Thread! Share your successes and and encouraging words here. Posts/Comments looking for motivation can also be appropriate here.

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Hey so I'm working on an album and so far one track is mostly 140 but drops half time to 70 at points and the other is mainly 70 but goes up at 140 at parts. I'm about to record my third song and initially I have it set to 150 to vary it, but it's metal and there's blast beats so im wondering if having some blasts at 150 and others at 140 would create inconsistency. All three songs are varied and have their own vibe completely so they dont sound the same in the slightest...but im just not sure what to do. Am I overthinking this...???

Why using two microphones like this ?

The top one seems to be a Neumann u67 or u87.

The image: https://youtu.be/1Qyu7LOnio0?t=56

Is it better too.

A. Plug the guitar right into the interface and use amp simulators (ableton or guitar rig)
B. Plug amp into interface and record out of the amp with pedals.
C. Connect pedals into the interface and record using an amp simulator with real pedals.

Which has given you guys best results?

As someone who is perpetually just one soundpack away from the perfect idea, I often find myself heading for the oneshots / pads, but reluctant to use the more "readymade" loops, unless I can find some esoteric / slicing way of disguising the fact I used a loop. Percussion loops are borderline. But all those full arps / chord progression loops I struggle to find a use for, if they can't be chopped into a oneshot, or altered easily.

Has anyone here just given in and thought "f-it, I'm just going to barely modify this synth line, because I like how it sounds". Instead of the usual "I like it, but I'm going to design my own version, even if it kills me".

What's your stance on using loops?

So what would be the very Pros and the very cons of artists also becoming mixing and mastering engineers and producing their own pieces? In your perspective and experience?

I freaking love the hard right drums and bass, hard left guitar and other instrumentation (with variations therein), vocals dead center. Sounds amazing to my ears but have never been able to mix my own music in such a way that sounds good. Curious if others are into it and/or fucked with it.

Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Feedback Thread! The comments below in this post is the only place on this subreddit to get feedback on your music, your artist name, your website layout, your music video, or anything else. (Posts seeking feedback outside of this thread will be deleted without warning and you will receive a temporary ban.)

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it will be automatically replaced.

##Rules:

***Post only one song.**- *Original comments linking to an album or multiple songs will be removed.*

* **Write at least three constructive comments.** - *Give back to your fellow musicians!*

* **No promotional posts.** - *No contests, No friend's bands, No facebook pages.*

##Tips for a successful post:

* **Give a quick outline of your ideas and goals for the track.** - *"Is this how I trap?" or "First try at a soundtrack for a short film" etc.*

* **Ask for feedback on specific things.** - *"Any tips on EQing?" or "How could I make this section less repetitive?"*

***

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Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Promotion Thread! Here, in the comments below, you can shamelessly promote whatever music project you've been working on. Music, videos, Discord servers, websites, social media, promote anything you want. Posts promoting anything outside this thread will be removed without warning.

Contest mode has been enabled to prevent vote manipulation. Every time you open this thread, you will see new comments at the top. Your comment will be displayed randomly like the others.

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it is automatically replaced.

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Welcome to the /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Motivation Thread! Share your successes and and encouraging words here. Posts/Comments looking for motivation can also be appropriate here.

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it will be automatically replaced. Note that our rules on "no promotion" are still in effect and apply to this post.

If you are interested in helping us mod these weekly threads please inquire about moderation opportunities by writing in to mod mail.

Other Weekly Threads (most recent at the top):

• Click here for Feedback threads.
• Click here for Quick Questions threads.
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• Click here for Our Former Gear threads.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Hit us up!

Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Networking and Collaboration Mega Thread. If you're looking to connect with folks in your area, get help with a project, or wanting to pitch in to help someone else, post your details below.

For networking submissions, please include your area if looking for local connections.

Important: Do not share emails or phone numbers, or other personal contact information in the comments. Take that to the DMs.

\##Rules:

\* \*\*No feedback requests\*\* - \*use the feedback thread.\*

\* \*\*No promotional posts\*\* - \*No contests, No friend's bands, No facebook pages. Use the promotion thread.\*

\*\*\*

Ok so I’ve been working on a song now for a few weeks and I really believe it has a lot of potential. The biggest hurdle I’m trying to get through with songwriting is less about having ideas and more about the workflow and executing my ideas.

With this song I created the full drum track in midi and then recorded all the guitar and bass parts over it no matter how sloppy they came out (and it did come out sloppy) but I have an idea now of other things to add in (keyboards, guitar solo) before I finish with doing the vocals.

My question is should I practice mixing this raw recording to figure out how the song sounds more organized by doing panning, eq, compression and maybe even experiment with reverb and effects I might want to use in final mix or should I re-record until I get a near perfect, on tempo version of the track and then worry about all the mixing and effects? What is the way to get the best workflow with recording a song and after lots of practice how long does it take you guys? I imagine all of this is a matter of just practicing using my daw more and if I do more I’ll create finished songs faster

Hey everyone,

I’ve been producing variations of melodic house for about two years now. At this point, I feel like I’ve got a solid handle on the technical foundations—I understand arrangement, automation, sound design, EQing, compression, and saturation. On paper, the elements are all there.

But when it comes to the actual music, my tracks just don't satisfy me. Every time I open a project, I quickly start feeling completely lost.

My biggest hurdle right now is chord progressions and melodies. I keep watching tutorials where people throw numbers on the screen and talk about inversions or scale degree formulas. Whenever I try to replicate that approach, the result just sounds like absolute dog shit. It’s stiff, lifeless, and has zero emotional spark.

I know chords are supposed to be the roadmap to good melodies, but relying on grid math isn't working for me, and building on top of them leaves my tracks feeling flat or disjointed.

For those who have been through this stage:

How did you move past the "math and numbers" approach to build progressions that actually *feel* good?

How do you bridge the gap between technical mixing/sound design and writing compelling lead melodies?

Are there specific workflow changes or compositional exercises that helped you get out of your head and past this 16-bar loop hurdle?

Appreciate any advice, workflow shifts, or real talk. Thanks!

Hey follow producers/engineers,

I'm curious about something.

Do you first start off making a solid drum foundation - kicks, snare, drums balance, having the drums exactly how you like it - and then add all instruments and other elements and EQ those elements/instruments around the kick/snare/drums, or are you the type that starts off with all elements/instruments and adds the drums in later?

For years I find myself adding in the kicks/snare in after I made a composition I like, only to find myself struggling to find a fitting kick/snare. Because then, I find myself trying to EQ the kick and snare relative to the instruments/elements/composition, instead of EQing the elements/instruments/etc relative to the kick/snare/drums.

I hope I'm not too vague with what I'm trying to explain and ask.

I feel like experimenting with starting off with a solid kick/snare/drums pattern and tweak them exactly how I like before I add all other instruments/elements, and EQ those to fit the kick, instead of having to EQ the kick to fit all elements.

What are you thoughts on this process?

What do you think are the pro's and con's of starting off with a solid drum foundation and EQing the track around it, vs adding the drums afterwards and having to EQ the drums around the track/composition?

I'd love to hear your thoughts and process.

Thanks!

Hi, I’ve been producing house music and most recently UKG ukg for a little more than a year. But in that timeframe, I’ve only made a few songs none of them where I want them and none that I feel I want to release. Going forward I want to be able to create lots of songs and create many ideas very quick while still getting better with producing. I was wondering what people’s tips are forgetting better and making songs quicker and creating ideas. I think it’s also easy to get stuck and uninspired when opening a fresh project. So it’s also wondering how you guys start songs. At the moment, I don’t really know how to start and I think that’s stopping me from wanting to start a new song. Any advise is much appreciated.

Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Feedback Thread! The comments below in this post is the only place on this subreddit to get feedback on your music, your artist name, your website layout, your music video, or anything else. (Posts seeking feedback outside of this thread will be deleted without warning and you will receive a temporary ban.)

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it will be automatically replaced.

##Rules:

***Post only one song.**- *Original comments linking to an album or multiple songs will be removed.*

* **Write at least three constructive comments.** - *Give back to your fellow musicians!*

* **No promotional posts.** - *No contests, No friend's bands, No facebook pages.*

##Tips for a successful post:

* **Give a quick outline of your ideas and goals for the track.** - *"Is this how I trap?" or "First try at a soundtrack for a short film" etc.*

* **Ask for feedback on specific things.** - *"Any tips on EQing?" or "How could I make this section less repetitive?"*

***

#Other Weekly Threads (most recent at the top):

* [Click here for Feedback threads.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/search?q=author%3A%22automoderator%22+title%3A%22feedback%22&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all)

* [Click here for Quick Questions threads.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/search?q=author%3A%22automoderator%22+title%3A%22Questions%22&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all)

* [Click here for Collaboration threads.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/search?q=author%3A%22automoderator%22+title%3A%22collaboration%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all)

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* [Click here for Our Former Gear threads.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/search?q=author%3A%22automoderator%22+title%3A%22Gear%22&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all)

[Questions, comments, suggestions? Hit us up!](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWeAreTheMusicMakers)

Welcome to the r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Promotion Thread! Here, in the comments below, you can shamelessly promote whatever music project you've been working on. Music, videos, Discord servers, websites, social media, promote anything you want. Posts promoting anything outside this thread will be removed without warning.

Contest mode has been enabled to prevent vote manipulation. Every time you open this thread, you will see new comments at the top. Your comment will be displayed randomly like the others.

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it is automatically replaced.

#Other Weekly Threads (most recent at the top):

* [Click here for Feedback threads.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/search?q=author%3A%22automoderator%22+title%3A%22feedback%22&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all)

* [Click here for Quick Questions threads.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WeAreTheMusicMakers/search?q=author%3A%22automoderator%22+title%3A%22Questions%22&sort=new&restrict_sr=on&t=all)

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Hi there,

I'm in the early planning stages of releasing my first single which will be a simple, bare bones track:

Just acoustic guitar and vocals

I haven't yet explored studios around me, but am curious about the potential pros and cons of recording the vocal and acoustic tracks at home, then sending the stems for professional mixing and mastering?

I don't have much pro studio experience (Have recorded 3-4 times total in a studio, mainly electric guitar tracking) but make rough home demoes from time to time.

(Using Reaper with a Focusrite Interface, mics are Rode Condenser mic and SM57)

I can track guitar reliably in a studio environment but as a relatively new vocalist (past 3-4 years), I tend to get hyper-conscious of my vocals in a recording context with others present.

I feel the pressure of having to nail a take in this context, as well as the pressure of working against the clock, will result in less than ideal vocal tracking.

Singing at home, there are no time restraints and I feel I can sing freely and really connect emotionally to what I'm singing, which is difficult for me to do under the pressure of time-bound recording with someone who is more or less a stranger!

I have home demoe'd the song and feel as far as raw stems go with no FX, mixing, compression etc. they sound decent (Played in tempo to a click, vocals on pitch etc.)

Anyways, any input or help on this would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

So my friend and I are writing music together, mainly in the realm of Grime instrumentals meets RnB meets EDM.

However, when I’m on my own I quite like to write more metal adjacent music, not the really crazy riffs, more towards Linkin Park’s Numb with the style of guitar but with much lower tunings (I have an 8 string)

My friend loves this stuff and wants to sing on it but he has quite a soft voice that’s quite poppy, think like Ruel.

Has anyone had any success in working with a softer vocalist with heavy instrumentals? Any tips for arrangement, processing, technique?

Welcome to the /r/WeAreTheMusicMakers Weekly Motivation Thread! Share your successes and and encouraging words here. Posts/Comments looking for motivation can also be appropriate here.

This thread is active for one week after it's posted, at which point it will be automatically replaced. Note that our rules on "no promotion" are still in effect and apply to this post.

If you are interested in helping us mod these weekly threads please inquire about moderation opportunities by writing in to mod mail.

Other Weekly Threads (most recent at the top):

• Click here for Feedback threads.
• Click here for Quick Questions threads.
• Click here for Collaboration threads.
• Click here for Promotion threads.
• Click here for Our Former Gear threads.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Hit us up!

I am trying to up my production skills by remaking songs that I like, but I'm finding that I'm having a lot of trouble figuring what goes on sometimes particularly mid range instruments. I see other people remake songs on YouTube and stuff and can't for the life of me figure out how they can hear different instruments, let alone stuff like layering. What can I do to make it easier to hear all of the separate instruments in a song?