Mixing on a computer...

[the wiggle baron]

Recently, more and more ive been noticing that quite alot of the music I listen to is heading down the road of...oh God I dunno, ambient? ( ) And Ive decided I definitely want to try and make a mix of this kind of stuff.

The trouble is, the majority of the tunes I want to use (most of the stuff that isnt dubstep) I only have as either CD or on me computer. And even with burning stuff to CD and using my cdj, the best I could do is play one tune off cd, one piece of vinyl etc. And it all feels a bit constricting trying to put together a tracklisting.

I was wondering what the best way round this might be? Am definitely considering the "just buy another goddam cdj" approach, but it wouldn't be needed massively beyond this mix to be honest. Maybe drop 5-10 unreleased tunes on my show a week or something, and one cdj is more than enough for that.

So yeah, I was wondering what my best way to try and do this might be? Alot of the music I want to use is beatless ambient noise basically, and I was thinking of trying to get one of these fancy pants computer mixing program things, and putting together chunks of the mix of ambient noise tracks on it, and recording to CD. I could then mix back and forth between vinyl, CD and the pre-mixed sections of noise and record the whole lot.

This the best idea? And if so, what kind of programs am I looking at for the computer mixing? Would be 100% new to this kind of thing if it is the case btw. Never mixed using a computer in me life...literally dont know what to expect lol

Got a page of some of the most beautiful music ive ever heard in front of me here...and I want to do it justice tbh! I know most of it will be general fading in/out of tunes...but I really want to do this right.

[contakt321]

Ableton?

[the wiggle baron]

Yeah ive been teaching myself over the last year or so. Played a bit with cubase, but only ever made/finished tunes with reason. (And only finished the 3 of em...proud of em though )

And are you getting at the idea of putting them together as midi files or whatever in cubase or something then? Cos that seems like a pretty good idea...

And yeah contakt, I had thought of ableton (I know you can do this kind of stuff with it) but I really know nothing about how it works tbh. Would it be too much work to get the hang of it for a one off mix?

[the wiggle baron]

You can just use cubase if thats what you have and use. Shit, you could even do it in reason, but that would be harder than necessary (as is everything in reason )

Just load up audio tracks, and draw your volume envelopes. Job done, go smoke a joint....

If you wanted to get fancy, you could put eq's or filters on each channel letting you mix more smoothly.

Mate. I think youve just given me my answer Nice one!
Really hadn't thought of that in the slightest, but as soon as you asked if I had tried producing at all it seemed so obvious lol

Don't think ive ever been so excited to put a mix together to be honest! I think its half the fact that ill be using fancy ideas ive never used before, half the fact that I absoloutely love every tune on the tracklist...and two thirds because I really should be revising at the moment.

...Heard worse names for an ambient mix than "Procrastination"

[webstarr]

just buy another cdj

you'll thank yourself for it later

[the wiggle baron]

Goddamit, despite the fact that I really don't have the time to do this, I just have to Can't wait to get this mix finished...just, look forward to listening to it so much! lol

Anyhoo, I figure im going to put together the computer mixed bits in reason (the majority are fairly beatless tunes, so I can basically just fade in and out...maybe with the odd play around with delays and things ) using the NNXT? I was planning on just loading up all the tunes in seperate NNXTs and mixing em together that way...Im sure its probably quite heavy on the cpu to be honest, but I guess it would do the trick fairly simply?

But yeah, if anyone has an idea for a way this could be done as simply as possible in reason I would be dead happy. Gonna get cracking with the NNXT in the mean time though, see what happens.

Got a preliminary tracklisting sorted for this last night... So stoked. Its about half and half beatless type stuff and vinyl mixed dubstep. Never done anything like this before, loving it

[the wiggle baron]

Okay, danger.

The NNXT seems to be timestretching all the songs. A good octave or two drop in pitch and far too slow. Is it something I should just fiddle back to normal in the NNXT? Or go down a different route?

...use them as individual hits loaded up in a redrum?

[punisha]

Okay, danger.

The NNXT seems to be timestretching all the songs. A good octave or two drop in pitch and far too slow. Is it something I should just fiddle back to normal in the NNXT? Or go down a different route?

...use them as individual hits loaded up in a redrum?

Just play it higher up the keyboard or look for the 'root key' of the sample in the nnxt mapping. Not 100% sure how as I ain't a Reason user but its the same for all samplers really.

FWIW you can't timestretch in Reason.

Oh and I think you'll need lots of RAM as the NNXT may not stream from disk which means the whole track gets loaded into memory. Wave files are pretty big if they are whole tunes and 10 or so will easily add up to 600mb or more of ram which is also needed to run your OS & Reason.

I'd use something else like Traktor as you can key correct etc so mixes sound in tune which might be important with 'ambient' tones

Just MHO

[the wiggle baron]

Okay, danger.

The NNXT seems to be timestretching all the songs. A good octave or two drop in pitch and far too slow. Is it something I should just fiddle back to normal in the NNXT? Or go down a different route?

...use them as individual hits loaded up in a redrum?

Just play it higher up the keyboard or look for the 'root key' of the sample in the nnxt mapping. Not 100% sure how as I ain't a Reason user but its the same for all samplers really.

FWIW you can't timestretch in Reason.

Oh and I think you'll need lots of RAM as the NNXT may not stream from disk which means the whole track gets loaded into memory. Wave files are pretty big if they are whole tunes and 10 or so will easily add up to 600mb or more of ram which is also needed to run your OS & Reason.

I'd use something else like Traktor as you can key correct etc so mixes sound in tune which might be important with 'ambient' tones

Just MHO

Sound man, big up on the first post knowledge-bomb

And yeah, I did see something that said "root key" in the NNXT, but this is only the second time ive ever used the sampler, really only getting my head round it. You reckon then that if I move the key on the piano manual that starts the sampler to the same as the root note of the sample, it should play it as it is? Gonna have a play with that now...

And as for memory, id like to think this computer should be alright? :S The most tunes ive got to mix together in one section (its broken up by bits of vinyl mix) is 7, and a couple of them are only 1/2 mins long. Ive got 4gb of RAM on this thing, but I spose I am running vista

I'll have a try with the root note thing now. Nice one man!

edit: Oh yeah, and id be interested to find out about traktor? Ive heard of it before, but know literally nothing about it. Can I not key match things using the NNXT though?

another edit: Its worked a charm on the first one! If I can get things key matched now...jackanackanory! Quick question on that though, is the root note thats first displayed, just that? The root note of the tune? Cos if so I guess I can try and dig out some 10 years old+ music theory knowledge and try and match up some keys to scales!

...and another: Wicked. Finally worked out whats going on with the root note, and the note on the sampler thats shaded etc. Can't be bothered to explain it, cos im sure everyone here knows...and now I do too

[punisha]

Sweet man, glad it helped.

If you got 4 gig of ram you should be fine even with MS Fista or Vespa whatever its called

As for Traktor, if you got a suitable audiocard and some kind of controller then it can be a great way to mix.

The 'key' of the tune will alter as you speed up or slow down a track (this happens with vinyl and many cd decks, so mixing 'melodic' elements can be hard. This is why many artist put an atonal section at the beginning of a tune to beat match and mix with. Key correction allows you to retune the track so it can be mixed when 'notes' are heard without the clashing unpleasantness that is often generated.

Its different to the 'root' key of a sampler in your instance as this is the 'key' on a keyboard where the sample plays at its normal speed, and thus pitch.

[the wiggle baron]

Well! After alot more time spent than I really should be, ive put together the first 7 tracks for the mix.

Im not massively happy about it to be honest, but for various reasons it has been a huge mission, and to be honest im happy enough with this. Its mainly just a mix for me to revise to anyway, and at the worst it just sounds like 2 tunes fading in/out. They're never going to be mixable tunes really, and I spose it could have turned out alot worse!

Any thoughts though would be wicked! Is the mixing noticable enough to put you off as it were? Obviously this is just the beginning of the mix, but the next section is vinyl...and ill have to get there another day.

There was one dodgy mix (not going to say which one I think though. See if people pick up on it!) and I had to play around a bit to try and get it to fit a bit better...

Anyhoo, tracklisting is:

Peter Broderick - A snowflake
Burial - Night bus
The Cinematic Orchestra - Dawn
Nightmares on wax - Les nuits
Plaid - Ralome
Pink Floyd - Fearless
Mount Kimbie - William

Mostly drawn for classics to be honest...its how I roll with revision mixes

http://www.divshare.com/download/7118561-688

edit: Listening now, I cant help but think that the tunes being mixed in to should be brought in a bit sooner? As little audible volume change as possible without clashes between keys/beats etc.

[the wiggle baron]

Well, err...after the glowing feedback from the first part, I was wondering if anyone might also be able to drop an opinion on the second part of the computer mixed bit?

Tried to do alot more with this one, as I was having mad trouble making some of the mixes sound nice, and I would love to hear if anyone thinks I may have gone a bit too overboard messing around with the sounds, and should have just stuck to a fade in/out approach?

http://www.divshare.com/download/7158166-e68

Tracklisting is hyar:

Harold Budd - Gunfighter*
Brian Eno - Sombre reptiles*
Burial - UK*
Mount Kimbie - Maybes*

Shes about 10 mins...any thoughts?

[karmacazee]

Pink Floyd - Fearless

Nice selection, just happens to be one of my favourite tunes ;D

I quite enjoyed that mix. Not often you hear classical soundtracks mixed with Burial and Pink Floyd.

Kudos!

Haven't got round to listening to the second one yet, but the first one was quite inspirational. I've been listening to nowt but dubstep for the last week or so, so it's a refreshing change!

[FSTZ1]

MS Fista or Vespa whatever its called

hee hee

I call it WASTE