EQ Magazine - February 2009 - (Page 35)

object for now is to build a song and arrangement, not a recording. AVOID EDITING AS YOU GO The single biggest inspiration-killer when writing on a DAW is editing. Editing is a left-brain activity, not a right-brain, creative type of endeavor. Laying down a part, then trying to perfect it, is a sure way to have inspiration take a hike. For example, consider MIDI velocity levels. When I’m writing in Ableton Live and doing a drum part, because I play parts in rather than program them, there can sometimes be undesired velocity variations between hits. Rather than tweak velocities, I just add a Velocity MIDI effect set to compression (Figure 1). This evens out the note velocities, but because the original data is unchanged, if the part ends up being a “keeper” I can always remove the FX later and do more detailed velocity editing. Remember, what makes a great song is not great tweaking; that just makes a great song sound better. Concentrate on what matters most— the emotional impact on the listener. WHAT ABOUT VOCALS? If you can get down some key lyric ideas and a melody line, that’s fine. Don’t have lyrics for the second verse? Hum the melody, or just say nonsense syllables. You can always fix it later. Even if you only have lyrics for a couple lines, get them down and move on. KEEP TO THE ESSENTIALS All those “ear candy” parts—the cool double-time shaker, the melodic bells that come in during the solo, and so on—should be added only when the core tracks are down. Ear candy can be another distraction that, unless it’s an element that’s vital to the song, should be left for later. And don’t even think about adding reverb, EQ, etc. The only reason to add a signal processor is if it’s an essential element to the song, like a tempo-synced delay that’s mandatory for the particular rhythm driving your tune. THE LAST WORD Although I’ve given some specific tips here, the main point is attitude. Once you shift your brain so that it understands the difference between the writing process and the recording process—and I do believe these are indeed different animals—that’s half the battle. The other half is having the discipline not to get sidetracked during the writing process. Since figuring this out, my DAW is now as good a songwriting device as an instrument. In fact, in many ways, it’s even better. www.eqmag.com FEBRUARY 2009 EQ 35 http://www.jzmic.com http://www.jzmic.com http://www.eqmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of EQ Magazine - February 2009

EQ Magazine - February 2009 Contents Talk Box Sounding Board Dave Cooley Low vs. Diamond Hank Williams III Travis Franz Ferdinand Guitar Trax Bass Management Key Issues Drum Heads Vocal Cords Mix Bus Cheat Sheet Apple Logic Pro 8 Cakewalk Sonar Near-Field Monitor Roundup Gadgets &�Goodies Sounds Room with a Vu

EQ Magazine - February 2009

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