FAQ - Please read!

[prismatic7]

There's been some talk recently about behaviour, rights and responsibilities in the production forum, so I figured maybe we should collate it into some kind of FAQ. Putting it up here for you guys to comment on and improve...

----

DUBSTEPFORUM.COM PRODUCTION F.A.Q

PART A - FOR POSTERS

1 - What is dubstepforum.com?
2 - What is the Production forum all about?
3 - Who can post there?
4 - What kind of things can I post?
5 - What kind of things can't I post?

PART B - SUBMITTING AND COMMENTING ON TRACKS

1 - I want to submit a track - how do I do it?
2 - Is there a Subject line format?
3 - I want to comment on someone else's track - how should I do it?
4 - Hey! That guy ripped me off!

PART A - FOR POSTERS

1 - What is dubstepforum.com?

dubstepforum.com is the internet heart of the worldwide dubstep scene. It provides a community for dubstep heads from all over the globe. There is general on-topic dubstep chat, events news, music news and the production forum.

2 - What is the Production forum all about?

It's a place apart from the main chat of the site for people currently producing dubstep or interested in dubstep techniques to exchange ideas, information, tracks and samples. Perhaps you'll find someone to collaborate with, to remix your tunes or to play them on a big system. The Production forum crew have been involved in DJ mixes of unsigned material by other members, DJ for major dubstep nights all over the world, and some members are actively involved in the new <a href="http://www.pressing-issues.co.uk/">Pressing Issues</a> label, which was created to push forum talent.

3 - Who can post here?

Anybody. There's no restriction except that you're a member of dubstepforum. If you're not a producer, or DJ, or you're not interested in dubstep production then you won't get much out of the production forum. There's no membership rules, though - unknown, unreleased or scene hero, everyone's welcome.

4 - What kinds of things can I post?

This is a forum dedicated to dubstep production - that is, to the exchange of ideas and techniques related to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubstep">dubstep</a> sound. We like other styles of music too, so offtopic posts are generally well-recieved! Largely, posts in this forum take several forms:

- A production question ('How do I make a sound like...?' or 'My tune sounds wrong - how do I fix it?')
- A new track (either full-length or a clip) for comment by other members
- Notices about new labels, DJs looking for material or music competitions
- Hints, tips and useful links

This list isn't exhaustive, of course...

5 - What kinds of things can't I post?

Anything you don't own, unless the correct credit is given. No member here is going to save your sorry arse if you rip off someone else. That's THE rule. And you'll find it on most professional music forums, if not all of them. Sorry to put it so harshly, but that's to save everyone a lot of pain.

More specifically:

Don't post copyrighted material like music, samplepacks, patches or software unless you are the copyright owner and give consent for it to be distributed from the forum. If you post any copyright material to the forum you must be the owner of that copyright.

These pages can be read by non-members, and they can be googled. Your copyrighted material will be available on the internet for free and you won't be able to get it back. Dubstepforum's moderators can take no responsibility for any loss caused by you posting your content on a public forum.

Don't flame other members, call them out for being trolls, thieves, whatever. Contact a moderator and resolve your dispute like a reasonable human being.

Don't sign up and demand exclusive tracks from producers so you've got dubplates or 320s for your record box. That's just rude. Support the scene and give people feedback on their work.

More specific guidelines for submitting tracks, asking questions and making comments follow.

PART B - SUBMITTING AND COMMENTING ON TRACKS

1 - I want to submit a track - how do I do it?

First, make sure your track is ready to submit!

...seeing as it does take time to download the file, listen to it, post feedback, etc, would it be possible to get tracks to as near to completion as possible, not just a beat and a bassline pretty much looping for two minutes. I'm not expecting everyone to be amazing first off, but beat + bassline doesn't = tune - have a bit more faith in your abilities and get something close to a finished track before submission. Not knocking anyone starting up, but as I've said before, we're not making tunes by committee.

If it meets that basic standard, then you need to decide on a format and a bitrate. By unspoken consensus, MP3 is the file format of choice here - it's quick and easy to get a transcoder. Audacity is a great, free audio editor and post-production tool that supports MP3 after a small tweak. After that, it comes down to what you want.

Generally, a 320kbps ('320') mp3 (the highest quality) should only be submitted if you WANT your music to be spread around the net. There's no use complaining if you submit a near-perfect copy of your track to a public forum and DJ Buttmonkey from Outer Slobovia rinses it on his internet radio show and shares it on Limewire for the next thirty years. Use some common sense! If you don't want it to be shared, use a lower-quality file.

Now, upload it to a web server somewhere. Lots of members have MySpace accounts, while others use YouSendIt or similar services. It's up to you which way you go.

Finally, post a link with a description of the track and a request for comment to the forum, and wait for the accolades!

2 - Is there a Subject line format?

There hasn't been any specific format to announce your new track until now, so this may be refined in the future, but please follow something like:

Subject: New Track! (or whatever) - [Track name] - [File Format] [Bit Rate]
Post:

[Link to track]
[Description or more info]

3 - I want to comment on someone else's track - how should I do it?

Be fair, reasonable and constructive. "This is bait, f*** off" doesn't help anyone make better music. Try and explain what you do and don't like about the track, and describe ways that you'd do it differently - after all, that's what you would expect when you post a track! Let the MCs merk each other on styles...

4 - Hey! That guy ripped me off!

This is going to be a difficult one. If you put a track up on a public internet site, chances are that one day someone with less moral sense than you is going to take advantage of that. That's something you should always bear in mind. Copyright offers you some protection in terms of authorship, as do some Copyleft and Creative Commons licenses, but be aware that posting your copyright material for free on the internet may reduce your ability to claim in some jurisdictions. Dubstepforum is not liable for any damages incurred by members who post their own copyrighted material.

If you did not post the material in question, or it was posted by someone pretending to be or to speak for you, please notify a moderator at once - preferably before taking any legal action.

----

Edited and formatted now Asking mods to sticky this post... Please add comments/additions/corrections below.

[shonky]

Think that's intelligently explained and covers most of the bases - cheers for that. I think that from discussions here it would also be wise to have some sort of FAQ for new producers so we don't end up with loads of repetition of topics - most discussions about drum programming, etc, have been covered at length, so maybe a sticky with links to those discussions might be useful.

[will]

nice one prismaticm, good clear, well written info

maybe we should have a sticky with useful tutorials/tips/info in. posts such as this one and this:

http://www.dubstepforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=70111#70111

Been a few good posts that get lost down the pages, would be nice to have it all together

just an idea...

[prismatic7]

yeah - still a work in progress tho. things i need to flesh out and more info to crib from the forums...

[ozeb]

This is very proactive and a great idea. I for one would use the FAQ and resulting "tips and tricks" to their full extent.

As long and Shonky writes the Trombone addendum.

Thanks for this!

[metalboxproducts]

very good

[shonky]

Reckon most of this can be tackled by a noobs sticky at the top, with reference to the FAQ's already in the forum, as other subjects are tackled, a link can be placed in there so it becomes an ever growing tome of reference.

Intellectuals thousands of years from now will take pilgrimages to marvel at how the ancients spent many hours of their brief lives ruminating on how to make that sub bass "heavy" and what the fuck "nang" means. If they're not injecting themselves into thrill networks, and listening to 10,000 bpm ambient gabba whilst simultaneously having cybersex with several thousand different intelligent minerals that is

Slightly more imaginative than fuckin flying cars (still waiting on that).

[forensix (mcr)]

Reckon most of this can be tackled by a noobs sticky at the top, with reference to the FAQ's already in the forum, as other subjects are tackled, a link can be placed in there so it becomes an ever growing tome of reference.

Intellectuals thousands of years from now will take pilgrimages to marvel at how the ancients spent many hours of their brief lives ruminating on how to make that sub bass "heavy" and what the fuck "nang" means. If they're not injecting themselves into thrill networks, and listening to 10,000 bpm ambient gabba whilst simultaneously having cybersex with several thousand different intelligent minerals that is

Slightly more imaginative than fuckin flying cars (still waiting on that).

fucking lol

[prismatic7]

Edited now. Asking the mods to sticky this post...

[fullyrecordingz]

Intellectuals thousands of years from now will take pilgrimages to marvel at how the ancients spent many hours of their brief lives ruminating on how to make that sub bass "heavy" and what the fuck "nang" means. If they're not injecting themselves into thrill networks, and listening to 10,000 bpm ambient gabba whilst simultaneously having cybersex with several thousand different intelligent minerals that is

LOL

[seckle]

Edited now. Asking the mods to sticky this post...

we're looking into this. please give us a few days. cheers.

[prismatic7]

we're looking into this. please give us a few days. cheers.

No problem... let me know if any changes need to be made...

[moderator]

DUBSTEPFORUM.COM PRODUCTION F.A.Q

PART A - FOR POSTERS

1 - What is dubstepforum.com?
2 - What is the Production forum all about?
3 - Who can post there?
4 - What kind of things can I post?
5 - What kind of things can't I post?

PART B - SUBMITTING AND COMMENTING ON TRACKS

1 - I want to submit a track - how do I do it?
2 - Is there a Subject line format?
3 - I want to comment on someone else's track - how should I do it?
4 - Hey! That guy ripped me off!

PART A - FOR POSTERS

1 - What is dubstepforum.com?

dubstepforum.com is the internet heart of the worldwide dubstep scene. It provides a community for dubstep heads from all over the globe. There is general on-topic dubstep chat, events news, music news and the production forum.

2 - What is the Production forum all about?

It's a place apart from the main chat of the site for people currently producing dubstep or interested in dubstep techniques to exchange ideas, information, tracks and samples. Perhaps you'll find someone to collaborate with, to remix your tunes or to play them on a big system. The Production forum crew have been involved in DJ mixes of unsigned material by other members, DJ for major dubstep nights all over the world, and some members are actively involved in the new <a href="http://www.pressing-issues.co.uk/">Pressing Issues</a> label, which was created to push forum talent.

3 - Who can post here?

Anybody. There's no restriction except that you're a member of dubstepforum. If you're not a producer, or DJ, or you're not interested in dubstep production then you won't get much out of the production forum. There's no membership rules, though - unknown, unreleased or scene hero, everyone's welcome.

4 - What kinds of things can I post?

This is a forum dedicated to dubstep production - that is, to the exchange of ideas and techniques related to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubstep">dubstep</a> sound. We like other styles of music too, so offtopic posts are generally well-recieved! Largely, posts in this forum take several forms:

- A production question ('How do I make a sound like...?' or 'My tune sounds wrong - how do I fix it?')
- A new track (either full-length or a clip) for comment by other members
- Notices about new labels, DJs looking for material or music competitions
- Hints, tips and useful links

This list isn't exhaustive, of course...

5 - What kinds of things can't I post?

Anything you don't own, unless the correct credit is given. No member here is going to save your sorry arse if you rip off someone else. That's THE rule. And you'll find it on most professional music forums, if not all of them. Sorry to put it so harshly, but that's to save everyone a lot of pain.

More specifically:

Don't post copyrighted material like music, samplepacks, patches or software unless you are the copyright owner and give consent for it to be distributed from the forum. If you post any copyright material to the forum you must be the owner of that copyright.

These pages can be read by non-members, and they can be googled. Your copyrighted material will be available on the internet for free and you won't be able to get it back. Dubstepforum's moderators can take no responsibility for any loss caused by you posting your content on a public forum.

Don't flame other members, call them out for being trolls, thieves, whatever. Contact a moderator and resolve your dispute like a reasonable human being.

Don't sign up and demand exclusive tracks from producers so you've got dubplates or 320s for your record box. That's just rude. Support the scene and give people feedback on their work.

More specific guidelines for submitting tracks, asking questions and making comments follow.

PART B - SUBMITTING AND COMMENTING ON TRACKS

1 - I want to submit a track - how do I do it?

First, make sure your track is ready to submit!

...seeing as it does take time to download the file, listen to it, post feedback, etc, would it be possible to get tracks to as near to completion as possible, not just a beat and a bassline pretty much looping for two minutes. I'm not expecting everyone to be amazing first off, but beat + bassline doesn't = tune - have a bit more faith in your abilities and get something close to a finished track before submission. Not knocking anyone starting up, but as I've said before, we're not making tunes by committee.

If it meets that basic standard, then you need to decide on a format and a bitrate. By unspoken consensus, MP3 is the file format of choice here - it's quick and easy to get a transcoder. Audacity is a great, free audio editor and post-production tool that supports MP3 after a small tweak. After that, it comes down to what you want.

Generally, a 320kbps ('320') mp3 (the highest quality) should only be submitted if you WANT your music to be spread around the net. There's no use complaining if you submit a near-perfect copy of your track to a public forum and DJ Buttmonkey from Outer Slobovia rinses it on his internet radio show and shares it on Limewire for the next thirty years. Use some common sense! If you don't want it to be shared, use a lower-quality file.

Now, upload it to a web server somewhere. Lots of members have MySpace accounts, while others use YouSendIt or similar services. It's up to you which way you go.

Finally, post a link with a description of the track and a request for comment to the forum, and wait for the accolades!

2 - Is there a Subject line format?

There hasn't been any specific format to announce your new track until now, so this may be refined in the future, but please follow something like:

Subject: New Track! (or whatever) - [Track name] - [File Format] [Bit Rate]
Post:

[Link to track]
[Description or more info]

3 - I want to comment on someone else's track - how should I do it?

Be fair, reasonable and constructive. "This is bait, f*** off" doesn't help anyone make better music. Try and explain what you do and don't like about the track, and describe ways that you'd do it differently - after all, that's what you would expect when you post a track! Let the MCs merk each other on styles...

4 - Hey! That guy ripped me off!

This is going to be a difficult one. If you put a track up on a public internet site, chances are that one day someone with less moral sense than you is going to take advantage of that. That's something you should always bear in mind. Copyright offers you some protection in terms of authorship, as do some Copyleft and Creative Commons licenses, but be aware that posting your copyright material for free on the internet may reduce your ability to claim in some jurisdictions. Dubstepforum is not liable for any damages incurred by members who post their own copyrighted material.

If you did not post the material in question, or it was posted by someone pretending to be or to speak for you, please notify a moderator at once - preferably before taking any legal action.

At this time we don't feel that a forum wide FAQ is really that necessary. We never want this forum to feel heavily moderated. That may change very soon, as we grow into the thousands. If you want a forum FAQ in this section, please start a poll for it. If a significant majority feels a FAQ is necessary then we'll take this further.

Thanks,

Moderator

[darkmatter]

i think have the faq sticky and in it have links to threads like "cubase or reason?", "what bpm to produce at?" and all that just starting stuff.

you don't need to moderate it strictly though. if someone posts asking something thats answered in the faq, its easy to point them to the faq cos typing it out again is long.

[86.]

excellent thread

[DZA]

[AnalGangstaHo]

Top thread.

[86.]

OP doesnt even post here anymore.