GhstOfIncntOptimism t1_iujq0n6 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:09 PM

Only read all this if you find yourself in a truly desperate place.
------

I'm trying to do this too, but am maybe a little further down the line than you currently.

So, first off, don't expect to be immediately good at it. Go in with the "something is better than nothing" attitude.

You should start with an audio interface. I went with the audiobox, because it has inputs for instrument and mic cables. It came with an Ableton live lite subscription (DAW with some amp effects), which can be really confusing for some things, but has proven useful for just getting something down.

You might want to get a mic so you can at least communicate the feel of the song and if you don't have drums, you don't have a lot of time to burn learning to program, but can tap out a pattern, you might consider a cajon as a placeholder until you can actually allocate time for those things.

This (audiobox + mic + cajon + stand + cables) puts you in the $250 range (you might be able to find cheaper, but that's about what I paid in total). See Appendix 1 for what will happen if you go this route.

You will get writers block so make a folder that's just full of riffs that you came up with that didn't fit the song you were working on at the time. Call that folder your "Noodle Bowl" and argue with others that this was the best name for it.

Download an audio notes app on your phone and when riff ideas or cool vocal patterns come to you in the middle of the night, whisper them into the phone while trying to tap out the beat with it so it's less confusing in the morning. Argue with your partner/flat mate that this is "what it means to be dedicated to your craft". Accept that people need to sleep and find a compromise - that compromise will involve stealing off to the kitchen/bathroom at random hours. Cover the flashlight on your phone with your hand so you don't wake your partner, but have enough light to leave the room without stepping on the malamute you recently adopted.

GhstOfIncntOptimism t1_iujql8d wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:13 PM

#Appendix 1

I'm going to include a lot of information here just in case you ever need it. This is basically a person who doesn't know how to use ableton(or any other DAW)'s guide to using ableton.

Things that you'll experience at this step:

Trouble installing the audiobox driver and having to update the firmware.
Google can help with this... some.
Annoying latency issues

Maybe it's just me, but when I'm trying to put a song together I usually go one riff at a time and that means having to slide tracks around so they align correctly.

Stay in hamburger mode in Ableton and this will help, but under Options > Preferences > Audio (where you would have already been to select the AudioBox ASIO Driver) you can adjust the latency so it's a little bit closer, or offset enough that it's easy to move based on your scaling. You'll still have to move it though.

I can't hear myself and it's not recording.

This could be an input output issue, check under Options > Preferences and make sure things look right there.

On the right side of the window where stuff is, mess around with this stuff until some combination works: select auto, change the combobox selection to 1 or 2, change the other combo to master, click the rectangle with the dot in it so it turns red - indicating that that's the track you're recording on.

GhstOfIncntOptimism t1_iujw548 wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:54 PM

I can keep expanding on this section if I need to. I guess let me know. I've found some tricks in ableton that are easy to miss if you don't have someone walking you through it.

GhstOfIncntOptimism t1_iujvz7r wrote on October 31, 2022 at 9:52 PM

#Appendix 2

On collaboration.

Make a google drive folder you can send links to or share with friends. Include tabs that and lyrics that pair with the tracks. Export songs to MP3s and used compressed folders when sending "stems" (the individual wav files that get exported from your DAW).

Drive runs out of space fast with WAV files. Delete after they've downloaded. The drive music player is horrible.

Even if you're good at playing by ear, tab things out.

If you're using weird techniques. Consider getting a webcam and uploading unlisted playthroughs to youtube so you can go back and watch yourself play each section. This will also get you familiar with the upload process and you can send the tutorials to your collaborators later on.

Consider making a private discord server where you and people you expect to collab with can share ideas and coordinate meetings/band practice.

There's a program called Blackhole you can use to hook output from some DAWs. This lets you play through stuff in video chats. That may not be necessary, but if you ever need to know.... etc.