Danny

2 hours ago, whoisp said:

Every Fender strat sounds different, nothing in reality is identical. In the box gives you constancy and all of this talk about the best digital compressors, preamps  and FX etc  is more about marketing and sales. Ego love sound bites of a famous Neve or Comp CLA 2A or 1176 etc even though like you said they all sound different and often repaired with different valves and transformers etc  

My point was more about people mixing into some crazy mix bus combination which often does take the life out of those sounds they are trying to emulate and the tracks going into the mix bus or buses going into the mix bus. Like you said, to then claim the plugin not sounding like the real thing. I checked my friend mixing out who was having some issues. A template he download for logic, which i don't use but obviously i know what a chin is to look at what he was doing.  He always had comp on the track, then the instrument bus, then his mix bus. So its gone through 3 comps before he does anything and wonder why things were pumping and he was buying silly priced plugins to get this neve sound lol People get bogged down in so much bullshit 

That sums it up perfectly for me. Then of course you have the placebo effect as well as how things may sound "different" not necessarily "better".  It's amazing how people cling to something because they paid big money for it.

I'll never forget my hardware Manley Massive Passive. I paid a boatload of money for that thing. It sounded great. UAD comes out with the plug. I go on a mission to hear the difference. I bring my fiance in on it so there's no way I can cheat. She's a real witch when it comes to this stuff and really knows her stuff after being with me 13 years.

She messed me up so bad, the end result was "if you can't hear a difference comparing something 3 to 5 times, there isn't enough of a difference." And up for sale the hardware went. I got what I paid for it nearly.

In a world that listens through little earbuds as well as mono USB phone devices via their car speakers, (some are stereo, quite a few are NOT) they don't know about or care about quality anyway. I stopped trying to compete with commercial mixes long ago. Most sound terrible today. Benchmark me instead, you'll sound better. Lol!

At the end of the day, someone who knows what they are doing can make a mix sound great with nothing but an eq. That's where everyone should strive to be because if the sound isn't right before you print, you sit their polishing a turd for weeks and no plugin or hardware gizmo will fix that.

Spot on with the BS. Every time I see the name Steven Slate, I throw up in my mouth. Dirtiest, non transparent, over priced plugs I've ever used next to Sonnox. I can't tell you how many people sent me mixes with that stuff messing up their mixes. Upon removing them, the artifacts magically disappeared....go figure. Pilot error and over use? Maybe....but I had similar results and know a little about what I'm doing.

@Lord Tim Totally agree there. I do the same though I don't send anything out anymore. I've done enough of it to where I trust myself and feel I can compete with notable ME's after doing this stuff for over 35 years lol.

Yeah your tune was great everywhere I listened. Singing was incredible as well. I just completely dug it and the way it was set up etc. It's a good benchmark tune showcasing quite a bit of Cakewalk's horsepower and usage. Again, stellar job!!!

Since we're on the glue topic, speaking for myself only, I personally can't use a plugin on my master bus other than something from UAD. The Emperical Labs Fatso Jr is my personal weapon of choice because the thing really sounds like it makes a difference for the better and glues things together beautifully.

I used to use a Drawmer Tube comp but this Fatso thing to me does a better job. Mixing through it is where it truly comes to life. Quite a few people I read about don't know about mixing through the 2 bus comp. Most on this site know, but whew, I've read stuff and have had clients send me stuff with "thrown on comps" that wouldn't have made a difference if they would have mixed into it anyway. People fail to realize most plugin comps truly have 0 coloration.

Some literally dirt up a track which to me, isn't really coloration. It's just digital dirt which degrades the track further.

Once I convince clients to trust me and they hear how much better things sound, they learn how much they don't know about pre master processing. Less is definitely more when turning something over to an ME that is good at their craft. 👍

On 1/5/2023 at 5:59 PM, Lord Tim said:

There's really no rules other than if you're sending stuff out to a third party mastering engineer, don't crush it so much they have nothing to work with.

It's actually really common (especially back in the old analogue days) to add some glue compressors to the mix bus, so have at it, I say!

There lies the problem. People mixing have no clue what "some glue" is. They ruin the track so that when the next guy gets it, their hands are tied. I can't even begin to tell you how many projects I've sent back for that reason. People think because they can't hear the compressor that it's not working. Sometimes these plugins ruin everything including the people using them.

Hey Tim, by the way, got a chance to hear your tune you shared for the Cakewalk demo. Freaking fantastic work, man! Loved everything about the song! Killer playing, mix etc!

Danny

2 hours ago, paulo said:

Living the dream mate, living the dream............

 

I'm just not sure whose dream though. Whatever this is, it was never one of mine, lol !

But I'll do you a favor and keep my thoughts all to myself. 😀

 

Hahaha!!!

As long as it's not the "American Dream" as that doesn't exist any longer. Someone I know wrote a pretty cool song about that. 😎 We're actually living someone else's nightmare most of the time. I'm with you, man!

5 hours ago, craigb said:

Can't be!  'Cause that would be too cool.  😉

Aww, you're way too kind. Thank you! I still hang around and read.  I don't quite have the time I once had and I seem to get way too passionate with my beliefs on forums and get into trouble. So I'm not as active. But I'll try to stop around a little more.

8 hours ago, paulo said:

 

 

Wait...........

 

Is that.........?

 

Could it be...?

 

I do believe that there has just been a rare sighting of a lesser spotted Danzi,  a species previously thought to be extinct in these parts.

 

How are you fella ? Long time no see......

That's way too funny! You almost lost me for good as I nearly choked on my coffee when I read that! Hahaha!!!

Ah I'm doing fantastic, thanks! How are you?

Lee, I'll give you my take for what it's worth. First off, it's hard (at least for me) to sit down and say "I'm gonna write a song today." I can say "I'm gonna work on an idea today that may turn into something" but I never set myself up to where I'm depressed if I fail. Here are the things that work for me.

1. Always write little parts and stick them in a folder. Even if it's just music, a chorus line, a cool drum beat, a guitar riff. You never know when you may find something useful. Don't put pressure or stress on yourself to complete something. Just log ideas. I have so many of these, I could probably throw parts in Sonar's Matrix and have it write the song for me.

2. Words for me have always been my nightmare. I can write music, hooks, melodies etc like there's no tomorrow. But words stump me at times because it's just not something I do very well without loads of time being spent. Until now. There's a program I highly recommend that will inspire you and cut you lyric writing in half or more time wise. It's called Master Writer and man, it's fantastic. If you can't write a song using that, go fishing or something.

3. Sometimes it's good to just stay away for a bit and do other things. I've gotten into some pretty "different" hobbies in the past few years that have helped me actually connect more with music. These "hobbies" are things I've never done before. Some of them bring me way out of my comfort zone to where I have to be totally on guard and on my toes or something terrible can happen. That "on edge" thing just brings me to another place, therefore, inspires me in ways I've never been inspired before.

4. Don't be afraid to indulge in "something" to slightly alter your mind. My first 200 songs were written when I smoked a lot of pot. I've not written a good song since. LOL! I kid, I kid...but seriously, sometimes a little shot of something can take the pressure off you and relax you into a cool idea. That was the one thing I enjoyed when I used to smoke. I was so relaxed, I felt I used the experience as a vehicle. I don't do it anymore, but man, a glass of homemade wine or some good scotch takes the edge off me and allows me to just roll disc with the lights out, my gear on, my lava lamps on and I just close my eyes and something magical happens. I may not play very good, but the altered mind idea is something that I could have never gotten to without a little help. Sometimes it makes my music more dramatic or theatrical. Sometimes it's arena rock, prog or something modern. It just is something that comes out of me that doesn't come out when I'm not indulging.

For example, I have riffs on guitar that I play all the time. Eventually they do become songs. If I have a few shots or whatever, something NEW comes out of me that I never played before. The execution may suck, but the idea is where I want to be.

5. Listen to music you wouldn't normally listen to. It's amazing what your mind will hold on to while not even realizing it. Of course you want to like whatever the stuff you listen to is, but just make sure it's something you might not normally listen to. The same with playing your instrument. Try to play something you DON'T know. Learn a few new chords or a new lick of sorts. The new chord voicings alone will inspire you.

6. Hang with people that are positive influences. This means, friends, family and even musicians. Sometimes it's great to just jam with another person. Bounce ideas off each other. But try to keep it positive. Then again, negativity can inspire amazing songs too. I just find that keeping positive influences in my life helps me to enjoy life as well as my experience more than the people that bring me down.

7. Try to play with musicians that are better than you. The reason being, you can learn so much from them and challenge yourself all at the same time. Sometimes the big nasty musician is all fire and YOU are the one that helps him write that hit song. There are plenty of guys who can play, but it takes the right combination to deliver a good song. Maybe you are that missing link, or maybe you're the fire and the person you play with is the missing link.

8. Grab an acoustic guitar (if you play guitar) and go out to a lake, creek, park, somewhere nice that inspires you. Or take a drive with whatever instrument you play and pick a secluded spot where you may want to just chill and throw a few ideas out while recording them on your cell phone. I go to the park in the back of my neighborhood with my guitar. In the woods of that park is a cool little creek. I sit there and write all the time. Or I'll sit on a merry go round and play and write. Sometimes I drive somewhere....like a lake spot or even a cliff where we used to go cliff diving. So many things can inspire you.

9. Sit down and think of various topics you would like to write about. There is a lot going on in the world right now. You can solve the worlds problems in song. You can right the political wrongs. You can save the world. You can live inside the internet. You can create a world of your own. Just think of topics....anything, fiction or non-fiction and have fun with it....or get serious with it. See, the object is to create without boundaries or pressure. Sometimes we over think the obvious and we end up deterring our progress and talking ourselves right out of writing. I released a 15 song concept album called "Tribulations" on September 24th. The song topics are all about life and in the order in which they were lived. Meeting my first real love, loss, death, politics, military, children, sci fi, I dove into a little of everything. And old Master Writer was right there helping me along. LOL!!

10. Unfortunately, I can't remember what 10 was. LOL!!! I know I had one and it was a good one, but for the life of me, I can't think of it. Oh wait, I remember!!!!! Try playing an instrument you don't play often or have never played before. Or, if you have cool synths, just mess with the sounds on them. You should be able to write a few hundred movie scores with just the sound samples inspiring you from Dimension Pro alone. I always listen to my synths in headphones. They totally inspire me in so many ways. They take me on different journeys and the sounds just instantly inspire me while taking me to places I can't go on guitar. That's another thing....if you play guitar, the new multi effects processors they have out today are amazing. Just going through the patches alone should inspire you. Anyway, sorry for the novel...but that's what I used to do when I posted here. I figured no one has heard from me in years so I'd share something that may be helpful. Best of luck to you and I really hope this helps.

Danny

@CSW I have a question for you. Why are you getting clicks and pops? You shouldn't be getting them to edit them out. Honest I'm not trying to be confrontational....but the only time you should encounter something resembling a click or pop would be the following:

1. Improper cross fading: Sometimes in CW when you punch in and do not cross fade properly, you will get a click. Never trust "auto-cross fade".

2. Clipping or some sort of artifact: Always check your LED meters as well as plugin meters. Though CW has enough headroom to where it takes quite a bit to clip it to make noise, if you get enough tracks pushing, you'll definitely pick up some clicks or pops.

3. Audio received from someone else: In this scenario, the tools that have been discussed are what you need to get rid of these artifacts.

4. Interface issues: Some sound cards/interfaces may just produce clicks and pops. Most times it's a driver issue that needs to be updated, the interface itself may need to be replaced, or you may be taxing your machine to where you're just expecting too much out of it.

However, the real issue here should be why you are getting these to where you need to remove them. You have to find out why this is happening. I NEVER get clicks or pops in any of my audio and haven't ever gotten any in all the years I've been doing this other than when I have not cross faded properly after a punch-in.

At the end of the day, you shouldn't be getting them either. Your quest should be to figure out why this is happening. Once you can figure it out, you won't need any of those click pop tools other than if someone sends you something that needs them removed. So keep this in mind and if you can, try to figure out the source as to why this may be happening. Post back if you figure it out.

Danny

On 7/29/2020 at 10:10 AM, Starise said:

Haters gonna hate. Trolls are gonna troll. You helped a lot of people out. You truly have a good heart.

I'm not always using Cakewalk . Lots of good tools out there today.

 Good to hear from you. Wasn't sure what had happened.

Anyone who comes off authoritive ( like you do) seems to be challenged on the web. I know you have every right to be authoritive. Some people just like to challenge . I say hey, if they want to try something else, let them do it. It's often a set up really, someone asks how do you do this or that? You answered ( usually with a very detailed thoughtful response) Then someone else comes along to mix everything up....and frustrate the helper. Yep. I get that. Still......missed reading your very well crafted posts. Still remember one you wrote on EQ. It should have been published. 

You have trouble posting now? Hope all is well. If you are somehow laid up maybe one of those verbal speech to text things would help? Or maybe you just were ready to do something more useful with your time lol. Like I should be 

 

Thanks Tim, good to hear from you also. Nah, there's enough hate and trolling in the world. It's easier to shut down my browser and do something else. People that know me, know how to get a hold of me if they need me. I'll still be around from time to time. I'm just WAY more selective with who I reach out to and help these days. 👍

With the typing thing, what I meant was, I used to type so much all the time, I barely had to hand write anything. So my writing is now horrendous like a doctor. I also don't take part in forum stuff so now my typing skills are horrible. I was so fast man, now I typo like crazy. I don't have any physical issues or limitations. Sorry if it came.off that way.

On 7/29/2020 at 9:53 AM, InstrEd said:

@Danny_Danzi thanks for the update. I never was able to help like you did so I just decided to hang out here in the Coffee House for the most part where most of the folks have a sense of humor. Yes even for my weird sense of humor

Nice to see you are doing well.

 

It's OK, helping is often times overrated and takes a special soul with thick skin that enjoys a diet of crap. After 30 years, it was time for a diet change. 🤣

On 7/29/2020 at 1:28 PM, michaelhanson said:

Danny- So nice to see your name pop up on my thread, it has made my day.  I hope your doing well, brother!  You said little, but it spoke volumes to me.  

These days less said is more unless there are blatant issues. I don't hear anything that bothers me. Another thing I tend to do now is I listen for what YOU presented, not what I feel it should be in MY image, understand?

Commenting on stuff like this is so subjective, who cares how *I* would do it? It's about YOU and how YOU did it, ya know? Trust me, if I hear something for you to fix, I'll always mention what it is and how to fix it.

The only thing that sort of offset me a bit is the lone guitar to the left in the beginning to the middle until more instruments join in. It sort of made the mix sound a bit lopsided to me because there was nothing in the right like the dominant acoustic to the left. It did eventually even out, but I don't know if I like it like that. It just seems like the right side is missing something for a bit. But it's still good because you built up the mix gradually.

I'm weird with stuff like that. Like some of the old Beatles mixes annoyed me with their panning. The thing with them though, they always had a ton of stuff filling everything up. But other than that, this was really good man.

One other thing that I just heard. Some of the vocal harmonies seemed to land on the same notes....like you guys may have been unsure of what they may have been. It can be quite challenging not to land on each other, trust me, I know! 😃

Sounding good Michael!

On 7/22/2020 at 11:15 AM, craigb said:

Definitely miss Sharke, the Beepster, Ubiquitous Bubba, Danny, and many more!

 

Thank you kind Sir. I've missed you too.

On 7/22/2020 at 11:59 AM, InstrEd said:

Did they move to another DAW or just taking an extended brake from us😟

Nah, Sonar is still my weapon of choice. I just don't hang out in forums much these days. The "Danzi help store" got a bit too much for me to handle. Too many people trying to rule the roost with idiotic posts attempting to make recording  look like a dark art. After a while you get tired of debunking the myths and fighting with people. All the links and technical mumbo jumbo just irked me. Then the bashers would start in and it got my blood boiling to where it just wasn't worth me being involved.  I'm one of those guys that treats this like I would if you were standing here face to face. I wouldn't type something here that I wouldn't say to a man's face like others that stir things up.  I just get too passionate and emotionally involved  with forums because I take this stuff so seriously and truly did want to help others. I can't help who and what I am, ya know? So it's been all forums, not just this one.

On 7/22/2020 at 12:05 PM, Bapu said:

Danny Danzi has always been a supporter/user of multiple DAWs, Reaper is one IIRC.

Yeah, unfortunately, I got tired of turning down business when someone would call and say "you got pro tools, you got Cubase, you got Studio One, you use Reaper?" If no one asks for anything specific, it's always Sonar.

On 7/22/2020 at 12:11 PM, InstrEd said:

You're right Ed, Danny does use multiple DAW's. I hope he is doing well. I would always read his detailed posts.

Beepster had some health issues. I hope all is well with him too.

Thank you, I'm doing very well and hope you and everyone else are well also. Glad you enjoyed my posts, that makes me feel great. I really enjoyed making them, truth be told. I actually have stayed away from posting for so long, I'm not as good at typing as I used to be. So now I not only can't write because I used to type everything, I can't type either. Thank God I can still create music!

Sorry to hear about Beepster. Good dude. I hope he's ok also.

Glad a few of you remembered me. It meant a lot to see this! Thank you all so much!

-Danny

Thanks guys, I appreciate the responses.

Anyone using the mac version? Decided to test it out but can't get it to see more than 8 inputs from my Midas console. Does anyone know why this may be happening? I've tried all the driver choices and none of them even work for playback other than MME. I would think ASIO would work, but we don't see anything showing up in the driver input/output options. Any ideas? We are using mac os software that is compatible with the release. Totally stumped?!

5 hours ago, scook said:

Have you played around with the MIDI Event Chase settings?

I have, but I'd be lying to you if I told you I knew what to touch on that. LOL! Here's an update of another symptom.

Ok, I mentioned once the project drops the midi cymbals that I have to reopen to make it stop. That is not the case. So here's the scenario..

I'm working in a project and stop and start a few times somewhere in the middle. The cymbals drop out. However, if I just take the time line and move it to the end of the project (like say the last 4 measures) and press play while allowing the project to finish and stop, upon rewinding, all the cymbals are back. Weird!

RBH: drum note durations are exactly a 16th note long other than some of my really fast ghost note trips on my kick and snare. All the other notes are the same even on cymbals.

-Danny

Thank you all for the replies and suggestions. Two things I have figured out so far.

1. The choked note IS a midi note of one of the cymbals. I've not tried deleting it to see if the problem goes away, but will try that just to see.

2. It only happens if I stop the project in between and work on different sections. As long as I press play and let it go from start to finish, the issue never happens. As soon as I  set up a loop to work on back up vocals or something, the cymbals will stay choked eventually and even if I remove the loop mode, rewind and start from the top, the notes are muted. It's only one of the crash cymbals and the ride. What the ride has to do with it, I have no idea...other than it's a 3 way ride with bell, edge and bow. Whatever is happening, it seems to disrupt it when you stop in the middle of the song and work on isolated areas.

I've messed with all the CC numbers as well as looked in event viewer to see if anything is weird. I remember Willy Jones from Cakewalk once helped me with a client project that had weirdness in it where he made adjustments in the midi filtering options? It's been so long ago, I don't even know how or where to do that. Does that ring any bells?

In the meantime, I'll look into the other things you guys have mentioned. If anything I've posted above gives you guys any more ideas, I'm all ears. Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.
 

-Danny

Hi everyone,

Was curious if anyone else has ever experienced this? I play a drum track using V-Drums. It doesn't matter what drum module I use. BFD, EZD2, Superior, AD etc. Anytime there is a choked cymbal in my project, after about 3 rewinds working inside the project, the cymbal that was choked will remain choked on every hit from the start of the project, and the ride cymbal will be sort of choked off as well. The weird thing is, all I have to do is close the project and reopen and it will work fine for another 3 plays or so. (it happens in all versions of Cake/Sonar Plat etc)

I'm thinking it's some sort of midi event somewhere, but for the life of me, I can't seem to figure this one out. I've tried higher and lower midi playback buffers, as well as "Zero controllers when play stops" off and on. I don't know what to do as this is driving me insane with the project I'm currently working on. Any suggestions as to how I may go about fixing this? Thanks in advance.

Thanks scook and everyone else. Much appreciated.

Hello,

Any Dim Pro users out there that can tell me how make a sound stop fading in? Example, I'm using the sound called Memories in Dim Pro and would like for it to hit a little more instant. Every synth I've ever used has an attack knob to solve this issue. I don't see one for this.

I've tried everything and I guess I just haven't touched the right setting yet. Can anyone help me stop the fade effect on that sound please? Thanks in advance.

-Danny