Your most complex achievement?

[TimeBender]

Disscussion Topic: What's your most complex achievement in music production?

Note: I am not trying to advertise my song, neither should you, This topic is for pure discussion of technique.

I've always wanted someone to ask me about this, or if anyone ever had their mind blown about a particularly unique effect on the introduction pad of a song i did on a collab song i wrote a few years back "The Birth Of The Cool". The pad is effected by drums with each drum head (kick, snr, hat) connected to a peak controller which then uses the velocities of the drum hits linked to various parameters of effects like chorus, flanger, and phaser. But the drums themselves are muted. So the result is that the pad sounds like its a drum, hard to explain but if you check the song out you'll understand.

Another effect I did, is simpler. I was working on a glitch-type song a few years back, i had the idea to have two instruments layered, playing the same chords randomly shut on and off leaving only one to play at a time. How i did it was by using a formula controller to create a random wave LFO and split it 50/50 the bottom half for one synth and the top half for the other synth. when the lfo was at the bottom half it would trigger the mute off for synth a, and when it was at the top half it would trigger the mute off for synth b. Of course there was more involved to have the synths only play one at a time but i really dont remember the exact effect and fl wont work too well on this computer so i cant open it to see how it worked. but thats the gist of it.

Thanks for reading! I will be checking on this thread every now and then and ill read every reply, so if you got something to share dont be shy!

[eatmeatleet]

That one time I used lowpass filter.. Shit was so cash..
Seriously, I can't come up with anything for this thread. I count complete tracks as my biggest achievements and not specific techniques

[Buoy]

Making a song in 9/8 was tough... and also this song is a giant mess of different pretty complicated techniques I made up when I made the song

[Calamaistr]

in a more general sense, at some point i started to make my music more jazzy, that was a real turnpoint that added complexity, now im alot more familiarised, i can pretty much shake em out of my sleeves.

On console i had a turning point of complexity too, starting with tracks like 'butterfly' and the like.
They became wilder and the melodies became like rolling down a mountain, ongoing notes instead of mere key changes.

These days i use both.

[l-l-u-m-a-n-s]

I made a prototype album in 1.5 days . O-O http://www.reverbnation.com/llumans . Called Astral Wings .
While on topic . CAN SOMEONE PLEASE LISTEN TO THE SONG SHADES AND TELL ME HOW TO STOP THAT CLIPPING SOUND . I tried volume modifiers . I tried fade in . I eliminated the space infront of the sample .
Still clips . It happens to my piano too and it really kills my inspiration :/

[TeHLoY]

At 9/26/10 09:24 AM, l-l-u-m-a-n-s wrote: I made a prototype album in 1.5 days . O-O http://www.reverbnation.com/llumans . Called Astral Wings .
While on topic . CAN SOMEONE PLEASE LISTEN TO THE SONG SHADES AND TELL ME HOW TO STOP THAT CLIPPING SOUND . I tried volume modifiers . I tried fade in . I eliminated the space infront of the sample .
Still clips . It happens to my piano too and it really kills my inspiration :/

Uh.. You can reduce the overall volume, or add a limiter? I really don't know.

Anyway, on topic, one achievement was when I discovered automating a low pass filter on white noise gave an awesome whoosh sound. :)
Fine... You can really tell I'm new. :/

[sorohanro]

At 9/26/10 09:24 AM, l-l-u-m-a-n-s wrote: Still clips . It happens to my piano too and it really kills my inspiration :/

You need a limiter/ compressor.
I suggest that you get the "Kjaerhus Classic Series" and put the "Classic Master Limiter" on the piano channel if you don't know much about compressors/ limiters.
On the other hand, you may try the "Classic Compressor" and try the presets and tweak them and get the "hang of it".

[Breed]

Musically, I've been working really hard to try to get a good hang out different counterpoint techniques, but there's always only aspects of a certain piece that I feel are an actual achievement and so I've never really released anything I'm proud of.

The thing is, you can't work towards complexity, that doesn't work, only working towards a higher understanding. Complexity can sometimes follow if the place is proper.

So to actually answer the OP with something, I'd say my most complex achievement was doing my first composition job for Machinima. A dramatic halo machinima called "Limited Cognition"--there is a lot to developing a theme that can work for any mood/action, then using that as well as aspects from many different genres of music to create the music for each scene.

[Breed]

Or on the production side, I made a whole song from the sound of me pooping...although you could never tell listening to it. You can take any sound and just find a small looping zero-cross and speed it up until it vibrates at a frequency and manipulate it from there.

[joshhunsaker]

One time I wrote a song with over 125 vst effects total used. I can't even remember which song. There was like 60 tracks I think.

[l-l-u-m-a-n-s]

At 9/26/10 01:30 PM, sorohanro wrote: You need a limiter/ compressor.
I suggest that you get the "Kjaerhus Classic Series" and put the "Classic Master Limiter" on the piano channel if you don't know much about compressors/ limiters.
On the other hand, you may try the "Classic Compressor" and try the presets and tweak them and get the "hang of it".

Thanks for the suggestion =D . Will this only work for the piano though ? XP

[SteakJohnson]

At 9/26/10 03:43 PM, l-l-u-m-a-n-s wrote:

At 9/26/10 01:30 PM, sorohanro wrote: You need a limiter/ compressor.
I suggest that you get the "Kjaerhus Classic Series" and put the "Classic Master Limiter" on the piano channel if you don't know much about compressors/ limiters.
On the other hand, you may try the "Classic Compressor" and try the presets and tweak them and get the "hang of it".

Thanks for the suggestion =D . Will this only work for the piano though ? XP

If you're using FL keys overdrive might be on or something (that overdrive knob thing)

for my best technical achievement it was easily designing the bassline in this

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had like 2 synths feeding into parallel fx chains and then i had to bounce the sounds out and in and run em through again with some settings changed

[l-l-u-m-a-n-s]

SteakJohnson . I made sure that my song was EQ'd properly . The bars weren't even close to going passed the top . I also don't use Reason, or FL 8 . I use Madtracker 2 . ^-^ .

l l u m a n s~

[joshhunsaker]

At 9/26/10 03:18 PM, LaForge wrote:

At 9/26/10 03:09 PM, joshhunsaker wrote: One time I wrote a song with over 125 vst effects total used. I can't even remember which song. There was like 60 tracks I think.

This I would like to hear.

I think it was this one:

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i had so many fx sends to get that ambience, it got a little ridiculous

[Lashmush]

Probably my Ultima Eternus series. It basically revolutionized the way I composed. For such long tracks, I had to compose separate songs and then sequence the one or two minute segments together in Audition 3.

I also developed my creativity aswell as my mixing and mastering knowledge a lot because of how demanding I was of myself. Needless to say, I've started working on a sequel and upping a 65 minute symphonic epic is going to be tough.

Ultima Eternus complete (125 mb)

Right now I'm working on Legion, a deathmetal album for my bandproject "Order of Omega". Different, but not as challenging by far and this shit will pay my damn bills.

[sorohanro]

My most complex achievment. Yesterday celebrated 2 years already :D

[Rahmemhotep]

At 9/26/10 02:15 PM, LogicalDefiance wrote: Or on the production side, I made a whole song from the sound of me pooping...although you could never tell listening to it. You can take any sound and just find a small looping zero-cross and speed it up until it vibrates at a frequency and manipulate it from there.

That's funny cuz one of mine had me takin' a piss at the end. People couldn't tell what it was till I told them that the last sound in the song is the bathroom door opening.

Really though I can't say I can think of a singly technique that ..... YES. I. CAN. A long time a go I made this song for my second album called "Locust Hive". Now, originally, the song was supposed to be a Japanesey song with my Sanshin. But after a while I just started messing around and ended up doing some crazy shit to the two tracks of sanshin playing to the point that it sounds fuckin' crazy, NOTHING like sanshins and more like a bunch of bowed instruments.

In fact I was so impressed at how it sounded that it would've been a good (but boring) song just like that. I then took my baglama saz and tuned all strings to a high or low D (saz has courses) and used it as a percussion instrument. I would hit the face or the bowel and while doing so the strings would all play sympathetically (like on a sitar) and make a cool sound. I then put Gverb on dat bitch to give it this... Sort of "spiritually industrial" flair.

I then sang over the song in a sort of wailing voice (I was told it sounded ghostly), copied the track and made another that was off (time wise) the first vocal track and higher in pitch and put Gverb on both of them.
The ending consited of me playing saz in the all D tuning but backwards and with Gverb. (I love Gverb)
It was a pretty crazy accomplishment.

[TimeBender]

At 9/26/10 07:02 AM, SBB wrote: Making a song in 9/8 was tough... and also this song is a giant mess of different pretty complicated techniques I made up when I made the song

that sounded really good!

[Krank]

this is a touch one. the most difficult technical achievement i have accomplished would have to be constructing a custom multiband limiter in reason 4 for one of my class assignments. Instead of using a vst and a preset, i literally built a 3 band multiband limiter in a combinator, and it worked really well! Literally, I understand the proccess of compression so well I can make my own goddamn limiters now! WOO

[Psil0]

I wrote an atonal song with 68 time signature changes. Also the drums in several areas were playing polyrhythmically.

[YouOutToast]

Whenever I record an entire song by myself it feels like an achievement. The drums, the guitar(s), the bass, the synth/keyboards, and the vocals. Getting it all setup, having so many takes to get it to sound good, mixing it together. Takes hours, and sometimes I don't even like the end result. Sometimes I wish I had my own mini me to sit at the computer while I do a take.

[Kirbyfemur]

My most complex achievement? Wow that's a tough one, mainly because i have a tendency to write all of my songs rather complex, either rhythmically or Sound wise, or both lol

A good example of a song that was rhythmically complex of mine but maybe fairly simple otherwise was probably Either:
"Epitome Of Joy & Madness"
Or
"Nearly Intended Madness"

As far as complexity in sound good examples might be:
"Humming My Soul Away"
"Before You're Through"
"Opaque Shards"
"The CORE Of Kirby (femur)"
(I could list more, but you get the idea lol)

And good examples of both:
"Brittle Nature(A Cruel Breeze)"
"Once Profound"
"Accented Hope (dub)"

Whether or not the songs are any good is up to the listener. I like my songs even ifa lot of people don't. My biggest issue seems to be my love for dissonance, which i'm trying to slowly get people to use more in their music because it's awesome xD That and the reason why i didn't use links is because this isn't an advertisement thread. If you want the links PM me or search through my list of songs lol

[Pure-Metal-UTA]

As of right now, my most complex achievement would be being able to play the solo thingy in Moonshield by In Flames. I wouldn't have been able to play that same solo if I were to try last year.

And my next achievement will probably be getting the hang of arpeggios that consist of more than 3 notes.

it's worth 50 musicianscore

[Back-From-Purgatory]

My biggest achievement would be having my very first remix I've ever done be picked to be put into rotation in a club down in the states... Granted I can't earn any money for it, cause it's all samples, but hey... I thought it was a good deal for my first try at a remix.

Second though would be my first try at trance, made a song 9 min in length, and everyone I've shown it to loved it... Some people even asked me to make more, some even went as far to tell me I should stop trying to do metal and do electronica full time instead. Which I'm still thinking about... cause it is rather difficult to do any type of metal without a full band (I mean... you can't very well play live), as opposed to pretty close to all types of electronica where you are the only person you really need.

Aside from that... I'm gonna say the fact that I can play pretty close to any instrument I can find... Granted I'm not spectacular at any one instrument, but I like to think I can hold my own on each.

[FatKidWitAJetPak]

Currently I am working on experimentation with cross genres. I am combining Jazz with Ambient and throwing in some pop. I can not achieve this alone, however, since my skills in jazz are very... bad. However, I love ambient and have learned a lot in the genre. I am currently collaborating with a jazz professional to create an experimental album that revolves around a series of dreams. It also has to do with depression. If I create this album, that certainly will be a fantastic achievement for me!