Music Production

I still have my 20 year old Yamaha Tyros 2 and I love it. It somehow still works too! I loved it though because it was such an all in one solution for writing, recording and performing music and vocals. By today's standards though it does feel like operating a telephone exchange in a world full of smartphones (and you have to constantly dodge super cringe music styles - OberPolka2 or LimboRock anyone?) .

My question is what do you young'uns use these days that could give me that same all in one feel with lots of auto accompaniment support? Also, I'd love to be able to sample my vocals and layer them within the one unit. Is there anything like that around? I mean I assume there must be given 20 years of technological evolution since the Tyros 2 came out 😄

Hey there,

I've been watching Sousou Frieren. The music score sounds amazing.

Does anyone know what is used to create these professional orchestral scores these days?

Of course free would be great, but at the moment I'm more interested in quality.

Original question by @[email protected]

Just out of idle curiosity. I went to music school and teach at a local music shop, so I'm very familiar with music theory but I'm aware that my experience is most likely not the norm.

If you are familiar with any theory (even just scales and keys), where did you pick it up? Lots of the resources I've seen both in and outside of formal education can be both confusing, and it's often hard to see the application of what you learn in the short term.

I recently got fed up with spending hours making my MIDI devices work in Windows. Everytime I plugged the USB hub with my controllers into Windows, it would reassign the ports and I'd have to use the ancient Korg utility to remove dead ports. This is a really old issue that Microsoft claims was fixed ten years ago, but never was. So I decided to test if Linux can handle MIDI devices better.

It seemed to work fine on an old Mint laptop that I have around, but since I'd rather use the newer laptop and since I still need Windows on that for work, I decided to try out putting everything on a USB stick for portability. Also, the old laptop which I might use sometimes is a bit too slow for Mint, so I needed something smaller.

So, the idea is to put the OS, the DAW, the plug-ins and samples on one single stick. I happened to have a 8gb USB that I found on a parking lot. It's kinda dirty and broken, so I figured it was perfect for the experiment. Yes, I do know that flash drives aren't good for this, and when I'm done playing around, I will probably get an external SSD for this purpose instead.

8gb is not a lot for this, but I like the challenge.

At first I wasted another evening trying to make Slax boot. I gave up and found Poppy Linux instead, since I do want the tiny and persistent kind of installation. It's a bit slow to boot into ram, but it's nice and quick once at the desktop.

For a DAW I got Reaper working just fine simply by extracting the files from the official webpage. No install required.

It recognized my MIDI devices and audio interface instantly. No issues at all, no missing dependencies or drivers or whatever, and better yet: It's still works after rebooting. I made a setup of the devices to control mixer actions in Reaper and that also saves fine as expected.

Now getting plugins is a bit of an issue. It seems that most people run Wine to use VSTs, but I decided to stick with free native Linux plugins and those are somewhat more difficult to find.

So far I've found Helm for a synth and LSP for a samples. I plan on recording real instruments mostly, so I only need the essential stuff.

I was pleasantly surprised that the linux download for LSP also ships with a bunch of effect plug-ins. Highly recommended: https://lsp-plug.in/index.php

I have yet to make any music other than test tracks, but it seems that my idea works so far. The installation is completely independent of which computer I have available, so I guess I will be using Linux in one way or the other to make music going forwards.

From the same guy who makes the DrivenByMoss midi controller scripts for Reaper and Bitwig Studio

About three weeks ago they have embarked on major changes to the mobile app that have made different parts of it useless. Their forum is full of frustrated users and all they get is "we will fix this soon." As I said, it's been 3 weeks. Currently, the mixer is broken so nothing can be finished ...

I am making music as a hobby to put in family videos and stuff like that. It's instrumental. I don't want to use bullshAIt. What are good alternatives to this no longer good app from Image Line?

Tilr has been putting out a bunch of cool sequencer-type VST effects that are updates of his JSFX for Reaper.

I'd like to be able to turn any arbitrary simple track into a 30-60 minute extended version of itself.

I figure there's either something that can analyze and output that or at least something that can take a pre-edited complete loop and duplicate it multiple times to reach that threshold.

There's all kinds of Youtube examples of this for video game tracks so I really hope there's a staple method for easily doing that other than manually Really hope there's something pprogrammatic, its such a chore to get the loop cuts just so

Edit: i dont mean stretching it out or anything time remapping to do that like Paulstretch, I basically want some way to figure out the perfect loop and then duplicate that loop however many times until it is long enough to fill out 30-60 mins at regular 1.0x speed

Hey y'all, I've put together my first preset pack and wanted to share. :)

Vital is a free and open-source software synth available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

In this free preset pack, you'll get 24 patches. There's a B3, a few quirky organs, some 808s and basses, and deliciously "analog" pads and leads.

It really tickles my brain, musically-speaking as it were

Originally found this on Reddit. Some rare gems here like the RSF DD30, and classics like the Rhythm King and LinnDrum.

Includes samples of the following machines:

Ace Tone Rhythm Ace

Ace Tone Rhythm King

Ace Tone Rhythm Master

AcidLab Miami

Akai MPC-500

Akai MPC-1000

Akai MPC-2000

Akai MPC-2500

Akai MPC-3000

Akai

MPC-5000

Akai XE-8

Akai XR-10

Akai XR-20

Alesis D-4

Alesis DM-5

Alesis DM-Pro

Alesis HR-16A

Alesis HR-16B

Alesis Performance Pad

Alesis SR-16

Alesis SR-18

ARP Axxe

Atlantex MPC-1

Austin ARB-6

BME Rattlesnake

Bontempi HF222

Casio CTK-5000

Casio CZ-230 S

Casio HT-700

Casio MA-101

Casio RZ-1

Casio SA-1

Casio SA-10

Casio SK-1

Casio SK-5

Casio MT-18

Casio MT-100

Casio MT-500

Casio MT-800

Casio PT-82

Casio RapMan

Casio RapMan II

Chaser PR-80

Cheetah MD-16

Cheetah SpecDrum (Spectrum ZX81)

Clavia DDrum AT

Clavia Micro Modular

Clavia Nord Drum

Coron Drum Synce DS-7

Cwejman S1 MKII

Dave Smith Instruments Tempest

Daytone Drum-Synthe RDS

Deep Sky 1

Denon CRB-90

DigiTech RP-200

Dr.Böhm Soundlab

Dr.Böhm S-78

Drumfire DF-500

EKO Music Box 12

EKO Ritmo 20

Electro Harmonix DRM-15

Electro Harmonix DRM-16

Electro Harmonix DRM-32

Electro Harmonix Spacedrum

Electron Machine Drum SPS-1 MKII

Electron Monomachine

Electron Sidstation

Elka Drumstar 80

Elka X-1000

Eminent Solina Rhitmix

EMU Drumulator

EMU E-Drum

EMU Mo Phatt

EMU Orbit 3

EMU Planet Earth

EMU Planet Phatt

EMU Pro-Cussion

EMU Proteus 1

EMU Proteus 2000

EMU Proteus 3

EMU PX-7

EMU SP-12

EMU SP-1200

EMU XL-7

EMU Xtreme Lead 1+

Ensoniq ASR-X

Ensoniq ASR-X Pro

Ensoniq EPS

Ensoniq Mirage

Ensoniq SQ-R Plus

Ensoniq ZR-76

Estradin Pulsar

Fairlight CMI IIx

Fairlight CMI III

Forat F-9000

Formanta Radio Plant Polivoks

Fricke MFB-301

Fricke MFB-501

Fricke MFB-512

Fricke MFB-522

Fricke MFB-712

Fricke Schlagzwerg

FutureRetro FR-777

GEM Drum 15

Hammond Auto Vari 64

Hammond Rhythm 2

Hing Hon EK-001

Jomox Airbase 99

Jomox Mbase 01

Jomox Xbase 888

Jomox Xbase 09

Kawai ACR-20

Kawai K1

Kawai K4

Kawai R-50

Kawai R-50e

Kawai R-100

Kawai SX-240

Kawai XD-5

Kay DRM1

Kay R8

Keio Checkmate

Ketron SD-5

Keytek MDP-40

Klone Dual Percussion Synthesiser

Korg 01-W

Korg 05R-W

Korg DDD-1

Korg DDD-5

Korg DDM-110

Korg DDM-220

Korg DRM-1

Korg DS-10

Korg DSS-1

Korg Electribe EMX-1

Korg Electribe ER-1

Korg KPR-77

Korg KR-33

Korg KR-55

Korg KB-55B

Korg KR-Mini

Korg M1

Korg Minipops

Korg Monopoly

Korg MP-7

Korg Prophecy

Korg ProWave

Korg PSS-50

Korg Radias

Korg SR-120

Korg T1

Korg T3

Korg TR-Rack

Korg Trident

Korg Triton

Korg Volca Beats

Korg Volca Sample

Korg Wavestation

Korg Wavestation SR

Korg X5

Korg Z1

Kurzweil K2000

Lel PSR

Lel UDS

Linn AdrenaLinn1

Linn Linndrum

Linn LM-1

Linn LM-2

Linn 9000

Maestro G2

MAM ADX-1

Mattel Electronics Synsonics

Medeli DD-506

Millenium MPS-400

Moog Modular 55

Moog Voyager

MPC DSM-2

MPC Electronics The Kit

MSC DL-909

MTI AO-1

Mutable Instruments Anushry

MXR 185

Nasta Hit Stix 2

Nintendo GameBoy Advance SP

Nintendo GameBoy LSDJ

Noise Engineering Basimilus Iteritas

Novation Bass Station 2

Novation Drumstation V1

Olson XX-100

Oberheim DMX

Oberheim DX

Panasonic RD-9844

Pearl Drum X

Pearl DRX-1

Pearl SC-40

Pearl SY-1

Pollard Syndrum 178

Quasimidi 309

Quasimidi Technox

Realistic Concertmate 670

Rhodes Polaris

RSF DD-30

Sakata DPM-48

Sequential Circuits Drumtraks

Sequential Circuits Studio 440

Sequential Circuits Tom

Serge Modular

Simmons ClapTrap

Simmons SDS-1000

Simmons SDS-200

Simmons SDS-2000

Simmons SDS-5 (SDSV)

Simmons SDS-7

Simmons SDS-8

Simmons SDS-9

Solton Disco 64

Sonic Core EDS-16 V2

Sonic Potions LXR

Sony DRP-1

Sony DRP-2

Soundmaster SM-8

Soundmaster SR-88

Soundmaster Stix ST-305

SRB 600

Star Instruments Synare 1

Star Instruments Synare 3

Stylophone Beatbox

Suzuki Omnichord OM-84

Syncussion Zapp

Tama Rock-Star

Tama TS-206

Tama TS-305

Tama TS-500

Technics AX-5

Technics KN-2600

Technics PCM DP-50

Technics U-90

Teenage Engineering PO-12

Univox Micro Rhytmer 12

Univox SR-95

Vermona DRM-1

Vermona DRM-1 MKII

Vermona DRM-1 MKIII

Vermona DRM-2

Vermona ER-9

Video Tech Rythmic 10

Visco Space Drum

Waldorf Blofeld

Watford Electronics Rhythm Generator

Wersi Prisma DX5

Wiard 300 Series Modular

Wurlitzer Swinging Rhythm

Yamaha AN-200

Yamaha CS-1x

Yamaha CS-6

Yamaha CS-15D

Yamaha CS-40M

Yamaha DD-5

Yamaha DD-6

Yamaha DD-7

Yamaha DD-8

Yamaha DD-10

Yamaha DD-11

Yamaha DD-12

Yamaha DD-20

Yamaha DD-35

Yamaha DD-50

Yamaha DD-65

Yamaha DJX

Yamaha DJX-2B

Yamaha DTXpress

Yamaha DTXpress II

Yamaha EMR-1

Yamaha EX-5

Yamaha FS1R

Yamaha Motif ES-Series

Yamaha MR-10

Yamaha PSR-E305

Yamaha PSR-E323

Yamaha PSS-170

Yamaha PSS-380

Yamaha PTX-8

Yamaha RM-1X

Yamaha RS-7000

Yamaha RX-8

Yamaha RX-11

Yamaha RX-21

Yamaha RX-21L

Yamaha RX-5

Yamaha RX-7

Yamaha RX-15

Yamaha RX-17

Yamaha RX-120

Yamaha RY-8

Yamaha RY-10

Yamaha RY-20

Yamaha RY-30

Yamaha SHS-200

Yamaha SU-700

Yamaha SY-85

Yamaha Tenori-On

Yamaha TG-500

Yamaha TX-16W (Typhoon OS)

Yamaha VSS-100

Zoom MRT-3

Zoom MRT-3B

Zoom RT-123

Zoom RT-234

Zoom SB-246

The Wave Warden released Odin 2 in early 2020, and it quickly became a favorite of many soft-synth enthusiasts. Now, in version 2.4.0, Odin 2 looks better than ever. I know that appearance will never take priority over sound, but Odin 2 still sounds incredible, so a refreshed interface is all good news. One of

Great watch! Jeff Ellis has this thing he calls "mixer brain," when mixers are too concerned with sound and not at all with feel. This can result in a mixer brain death spiral, as he calls it, wherein a mixer inserts plugin after plugin in a chain, losing a grip on the song itself.

For my fellow Reaper users. :)

OC by: @[email protected]

Hey everyone,

Not sure I've seen this particular technique before.

Here's a tutorial on how you can use REAPER's stock gate plugin to generate MIDI that you can send to an EQ to modulate frequency bands to eliminate bleed in your drum tracks. This is super powerful on toms.

Inspired by the FabFilter Pro-MB bleed reduction tricks.

I used to make music (specifically drum and bass / breakcore, with an industrial twist. Occasionally ambient music to change things up). I stopped for several reasons:

1. Life responsibilities
2. Self doubts about my skills, and other mental health stuff
3. FLStudio (my old DAW) doesn't run well on Linux, even through Wine Bottles.

It's been a couple years since 2022. Since then I'm in a better headspace + life is better + embraced Reaper, which runs like a dream on Linux.

The description of this community seems like it's ok with posters sharing their music, so here goes:

• Post hiatus stuff (only one song for now): https://soundcloud.com/speed-skirmish/sets/2025-mix
• 2020-2022 (all breakcore / drum and bass / IDMish): https://soundcloud.com/speed-skirmish/sets/2020-2022a
• Ambient Songs ("It was never Lost" is actually from late 2024, when I was testing out FLStudio on wine bottles. The others are several years older) https://soundcloud.com/speed-skirmish/sets/ambient-songs

Let me know what y'all think.

rall or Rallentandlo is extremely cool

I found this video inspiring. Although I don't necessarily agree with every point, the overall premise of embracing imperfection and using unique gear is worth shouting from the rooftops.