The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by AlsoRan
    You are kidding about the work it takes!

    That's why I went with drumming software that was a little on the easier side to work with. I have some nice drum tracks that I have created in only an hour or so of work. I use EZDrummer 2. I am sure there are other similar ones.

    The only thing I have not figured out yet is how to create my own custom grooves to cut and paste into my original songs. This is on my to-do list for the near future.
    I also use EZDrummer 2, Addictive Drums 2, StraightAhead Jazz Drums/Brushes/Mallets. Each has a set of available grooves, which are OK for simple music pieces (e.g. same style all along). I created many drums track this way, but Mr Kenyatta is a good example of a tune which is hard to deal with this way. Also brush sweep samples aren't always available or even good if available (Addictive Drums and Straight Ahead are the best ones in my opinion)

    Creating custom grooves requires a good MIDI editor combined with a notation editor: I've been using Ableton for years, but its MIDI editor isn't the best in this respect. Reaper is. I didn't use other DAW, except a short attempt at Cubase which I quickly dropped in favor of Reaper. Notation editors are constrainted at entering hits on typical bar subdivisions, MIDI editors, specially Ableton, can do that too but in a very akward manner, and it's too easy to inadvertently move or modify a hit. plus they also lack several useful notation features like section repeat, metric modulation (straight, swing, etc ..). The best way is to create groove sections using a notation editor, and later slightly adjust MIDI parameters using the MIDI view of the hits, here and there.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    Search forum for Fep's posts on subject, also on one other forum he had a thread Why Your Recordings Suck, or similar, Google will place it near the top.

    Re RAM, to utilize more than 3gb you must have 64 bit OS. If you have 64 bit OS chances are old hardware won't have drivers. I see you are in a buying mode, so old hardware is probably not an issue, but anyway.
    Ammount of RAM should not have influence on CPU overload. It's likely your latency settings are too low. Give your CPU some more time. Make sure power saving options in OS are turned off. If CPU is regularly switching from 50% to 75% to 100%, you will get glitches and it will signal overload.

    Couple of days ago I made this with Iphone4, freeware 4 track and analog iRig. All the rest hardware you see is either not essential, or not used at all. I'm showing signal path, from guitar to headphones ...





    Sent from VladanMovies @ YouTube
    Last edited by Vladan; 11-29-2016 at 04:06 AM.

  4. #28

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    The biggest beginner mistake that I did was trying to mix/master myself when the final thing had to be "ok for public".
    Record, give the tracks to someone who actually does this for a living. Well, unless the whole thing is a hobby I guess..

  5. #29

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    Hmm my contribution would be to learn a DAW as economically as you can before spending the big bucks on the full packages. Seek out the free or intro editions and try to make a complete recording or complete song first. It doesn't really matter what DAW, they are all more or less the same. Before I get scolded for saying that, what I mean is that they're the same like different types of motorcycles are the same. Going from a scooter to a dirt bike requires some work, but if you know how to ride a 2-wheeled vehicle you're already WAY ahead of the game

    My other bit of advice is more when you get down in the weeds of recording, and have laid down some tracks. During the mixing process, EQ EQ EQ! There are so many frequencies that you can cut that will muddy up your mix. This has made the biggest difference for me in producing quality recordings. There are entire books on the subject, but I would say that you can cut way more off the top and/or bottom than you think, and the integrity of your individual sounds will remain intact.

  6. #30

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    Yeah some info on how to begin would be great. Eg have Garage band, think I have a guitar input thingy somewhere. How do I get a jazz drum loop or 3 that can be edited eg Maybe SessionBand as you can insert fills etc, can it be input into garage band and bass and horns without big bucks?


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  7. #31

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    Quote Originally Posted by gggomez
    Yeah some info on how to begin would be great. Eg have Garage band, think I have a guitar input thingy somewhere. How do I get a jazz drum loop or 3 that can be edited eg Maybe SessionBand as you can insert fills etc, can it be input into garage band and bass and horns without big bucks?
    I have managed to import Sessionband loops into Garageband on my iPad.

    The only thing that was a bit fiddly was that the Sessionband audio export left a tiny bit of blank audio at the beginning of the loop, which made the Garageband loop sound a little bit lop-sided so to speak. So I magnified the audio sample inside Garageband to the maximum size (by dragging it left and right simultaneously) and then chopped the front off it.

    Bear in mind if you quantise the loop by setting bar length in Garageband first e.g. 32 bars, then for this scenario it is better to set to 33 bars, import the Sessionband, trim it, then reset to 32 bars. Otherwise you will lose a bit of audio off the end of the Sessionband loop when you import it! (because you need a bit of trailing space to allow for the unwanted bit of audio at the beginning.)

    Nothing is simple!

  8. #32

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    Some other software tools have similar audio export problems as exposed by Grahambop, Sibelius for instance, i.e. the exported audio isn't well adjusted with the music, which makes it difficult to properly import into a DAW and synchronise with the other tracks (possibly exported from other tools as well). This may have been fixed in most recent versions of Sibelius (?).

    I ended up always creating two bars of count-in with played notes or hits at 1-2-1234 (in 4/4) at the beginning of every software created tracks, whatever the tool is, as well as an extra bar at its end, with a note or hit at beat 1 of it. This way one can perfectly align all exported then imported tracks (assuming the export tool is correct with respect with the tempo. Surprisingly there might be small differences, may be due to rounding effects. The extra notes can then help with warping the tracks to the DAW tempo in this case).

  9. #33

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    Quote Originally Posted by mhch
    Creating good drum tracks is a lot of work, I just spent the whole day creating one and I probably need another day to polish it. Ended up with a headache !

    Things are relatively quick for relatively simple tunes when one can use existing loops, audio or MIDI (That can be found, but that implies some more expenses). Unfortunately this drum track of today is for the Mr Kenyatta tune, a mix of Latin and Swing feel, plus lots of awkward fillins ...
    Are you actually creating drum tracks or trying to copy the recording? I always ask myself "what's actually necessary to get this across?" when I'm creating tracks for public use. The groove is first, any fills are based on the structure, and about 100% of the gigs one might use tracks on have nobody listening critically. But I'm not familiar with that tune, so I may be entirely irrelevant.

  10. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by ronjazz
    Are you actually creating drum tracks or trying to copy the recording? I always ask myself "what's actually necessary to get this across?" when I'm creating tracks for public use. The groove is first, any fills are based on the structure, and about 100% of the gigs one might use tracks on have nobody listening critically. But I'm not familiar with that tune, so I may be entirely irrelevant.
    Didn't try to copy the recording drum track, that would be an impossible challenge



    Just tried to create something to help me practicing (the bass in that case, including a solo) and come up with a couple of appropriate bass and drum pattern templates in the same spirit as those you can hear on almost every other bar.

  11. #35

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    Quote Originally Posted by mhch
    Didn't try to copy the recording drum track, that would be an impossible challenge



    Just tried to create something to help me practicing (the bass in that case, including a solo) and come up with a couple of appropriate bass and drum pattern templates in the same spirit as those you can hear on almost every other bar.
    Man, I liked that playing. Nice use of repetition, and I really like the way you matched the song's intensity. Surely you did not create that drum backing track yourself ?

  12. #36

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    I'm not the one playing Just put that video so you could get an idea of the song and its drum track complexity.

  13. #37

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    If you plan to use microphones, listen to your room before proceeding. Noise is everywhere.

  14. #38

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jonzo
    If you plan to use microphones, listen to your room before proceeding. Noise is everywhere.
    I bought a nice little mic/mic stand set-up a few years ago. I used it once and it was pretty good.

    I found our that is also a science in and of itself. By that, I mean the position of the microphone in relation to the speaker cone can have dramatic effect, in addition to extraneous noise.

  15. #39

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    Mic'ing is critical to get the sound you want. Take some time and make test recordings moving the mic around. When you find the spot(s) you like make notes with measurements (distance from top & side of cab and distance to grill cloth), this will help you refine mic placement or quickly find that magic spot next time you record.

  16. #40

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    On my first-time home recording, I made the worst recordings ever. The biggest mistake for this is that I have no proper guide track. I've hit the record button without even having a proper guide track ready. I should have set everything in place early on. Though it needs extra time but it can do a lot to make a better performance.
    Last edited by audlegend; 12-04-2016 at 04:06 AM.

  17. #41

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    Quote Originally Posted by audlegend
    On my first-time home recording, I made the worst recordings ever. The biggest mistake for this is that I have no proper guide track. I've hit the record button without even having a proper guide track ready. I should have set everything in place early on. Though it needs extra time but it can do a lot to make a better performance.
    You remind me of my first time using Reaper. I discovered it had a metronome in the top left corner of the string. But I had to do some research to figure out how to change the setting. It was a pain because you could not just right click on it and have the option appear.

    It was not intuitive in my opinion. I will watch out for this with other programs.

  18. #42

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    I found out my wife's computer has 8GB RAM so I installed Ableton Live 9 on it. When I get a chance to play with it, I will probably add more tips.

  19. #43

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    I wish there was a Company who sets up a few different cheap Laptop/ Interface/ Software Packages that as long as you use Computer 1 /with Interface A or B you can INSTANTLY and with stability run Software AA or RR etc. and it's guaranteed to run all the Drivers and Updates and ZY- 2795 Mystery Cables are there...so you can just Record and Play Back and Overdub.

    Because it seems like People start out trying to play the Guitar and Record it.....
    but end up playing the Computer and the Software and wondering why it does not just work.....

    When I last did serious Recording in 2000 I went to great lengths to avoid Protools and Computers until I was in the Studio with an Engineer...but that was MIDI keyboards and Modules and a Singer ...no Guitar so I used a Sampler to cut all the backups and Lead Vocals then dropped the individual Tracks onto a Masterlink and transferred those into Protools in the (pro) Studio in Sync and recut just the leads in the Pro Studio ..

    Not sure I will be able to do that with a Guitar intensive Project....
    But it was cost effective and I was able to concentrate on the Music ..not Computers/ Pro Tools etc etc etc

    I've been told that a Mac (most types ) and Garageband/Logic(most versions provided system requirements are met ) are probably the best plug and play reliable low headache solutions.
    Last edited by Robertkoa; 02-21-2017 at 12:30 PM.

  20. #44

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    I just lost a lot more moments in my life trying to figure this stuff out. Using the Reaper recording program and the EZ Mix 2 for effects, I once again tried to record through my focusrite Scarlett 2i4.

    I spent 3 nights in my hotel surfing the web trying to figure out why I could not hear the guitar's recorded tone while recording. On the fourth night, I gave up and sent a message to the technical support people at focusrite. I then sat down again with my setup and just started clicking on everything that seemed to be a button in the Reaper program. I accidentally saw a momentary message when my cursor passed over this little button-looking thingy, and it said something about monitoring.

    I moused over the item again and clicked and it turned into a little headset-looking icon - and I could hear sound with the focusrite monitor knob on "playback"! And I could also hear and vary the effects that were being recorded.

    So my tip here is that as you are learning your DAW, which in this case is Reaper, just point your mouse over things and see if a description or some other message comes up.

    I missed out on a lot of guitar playing this trip....

  21. #45

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    Biggest Beginner and even some Pros who should know better is :

    Guitar mixed WAYY too loud in the mix so it sounds like a Karaoke Recording making the Rhythm Tracks sound small and not hearing the interaction....

  22. #46

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    Quote Originally Posted by Robertkoa
    Biggest Beginner and even some Pros who should know better is :

    Guitar mixed WAYY too loud in the mix so it sounds like a Karaoke Recording making the Rhythm Tracks sound small and not hearing the interaction....
    So hard to judge. Different people have different tastes. I was recording and mixing a R&R CD for a client. They kept telling me the guitars weren't loud enough. So I made them ridiculously loud to make a point about how wrong they were. Still wasn't loud enough. Everything else sounded tiny. Drums and bass and vocals seemed in the background. Still wasn't loud enough. Either I just didn't get it or they were wack. Needless to say I lost the job.

    I've some of my own music, my last CD and never did get the lead guitar to sit right on one song. I was convinced it was finally right. I did so many mixes of that song! It makes me cringe every time I hear it. Too far back and tone is wrong!!

    I worked with a producer many years ago who used to produce hit vocal pop records. Air Supply. He said whenever he'd ask the singer about the vocal level and he said it was just a little too loud, he knew it was just right.
    Last edited by henryrobinett; 06-08-2017 at 11:33 PM.

  23. #47

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    Well yeah ..When I was young long ago I wrote and Produced Jingles...not National Ones but Regional and this was Magnetic Tape and that Rule was...

    The Client wants to hear their Tag Line Loud...obviously.

    And I remember seeing some of your Posts before on other Forums ..you are one Pro Jazzer who pays total attention to your Signal Chain with great Converters , Axe Fx and you own a State of the Art Studio..so yeah gotta please the Client...

    I' ll give you an example though...

  24. #48

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    THANK YOU!

    There's this great Adam Rogers CD. The guitar is, for me too loud. And as you know, we love our jazz guitar very dark. You can tell the engineer was frustrated. The guitar had all the low end. The upright bass was back behind the guitar. Rogers took up all that frequency. Almost everyone buying the CD would be jazz guitar players and all they wanted to hear was Adam, so it was all good.


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  25. #49

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    Another CLASSIC mistake a lot of Musicians make is
    trying to do a Commercial Quality Recording in a Home Studio even a good one.

    I am a fan of doing all the Preproduction at Home or in the' small' studio getting nearly ' Perfect Takes '
    on your Instrument or Vocals ...

    Doing Mixes at Home ... try it sure ..

    BUT if you have 3 or 4 Tunes fully preproduced at high fidelity and really want Commercial Quality ..

    Spending a few hundred dollars on even a mid level Pro Studio with an Engineer and 3 or 4 Sets of Monitors and popping your best Mix on there then mix the Levels .EQ even EFX ..but maybe let the Engineer do the Compression and Mastering...

    Also once you have your 'best' mix Up it's only 5 or 10 minutes each to do ....
    1) A dry type mix with less EFX...
    2)A wilder mix more EFX
    3) Slightly bottom heavy - slightly
    4) Slightly Brighter
    5)Engineer Choice Mix
    Mark each one decide over the next week which one makes it to the CD play it in Cars , Boomboxes etc.

    Do the above( not exactly but you get it.) With each Tune.

    IF you can really get Commercial Quality at home and it plays well on a lot of Systems ( the Public - remember them ?) then you are good without the Pro Studio...but few can do this it seems.

    The Karaoke thing I mentioned is usually Youtube People...and Semi Pro Albums sometimes even semi famous Guitarists.
    On Jazz Guitar albums I usually want more Bass Guitar...but I am R&B oriented so not qualified to say.

    Metheny is never too loud..Benson never..Norman Brown is a bit louder than Benson but never too loud...
    Seems like they used to mix Wes louder but he sounded great that way ...

    I usually like the Jazz Guitar Pro Albums mixes...the Semi Pro and Youtube ones are often way loud on the Guitar ..
    Last edited by Robertkoa; 06-09-2017 at 02:27 PM.

  26. #50

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    They don't understand their speakers how they color sound. Combine that with not check their mix on other speakers or environments. One brand and series of popular speakers hype the bass which is why so many like them for listening, but for mixing they don't factor that in. You really need to understand the sound and colorization your gear gives your recordings. If you only have one set of speakers then go to a friends and listen, make friends with audio department at a store so they will let you listen a mix on some speakers.

    Audio is about ear training just like playing music is.