Picked up these laser cut wood endcheek inserts on Reverb for my Micron. Sexy AF! The Micron/Ion are underated virtual analog synths. Cheap, and really can sound fantastic with a little tweaking. #MusicProduction#Synth#Synthesizer#Alesis#Micron
My latest song is about a relationship (friendship/client) I had with a covert narcissist (NPD). It's taken me a long time to forgive myself for falling for her bullshit. This video does a good job explaining how a covert narcissist operates.
We weren't really "friends" but acquaintances in a #SongWriting group that we were both active with. She #LoveBombed me (or Friendship Bombed me, rather), complimenting my #MusicProduction skills and songwriting, and my general taste in music. It's embarrassing how much she buttered me up, and since I had low self-esteem, I fell for it easily. She asked me to produce her album, which I was super excited to do.
She asked me to produce--on the advice of a performance coach who encouraged her to hire women as much as possible for the project, since women are sorely underrepresented in the #MusicIndustry. As her producer, she said she would split profits with me, promising to talk to her lawyer, because she "couldn't afford to pay much" up front, especially with how much studios and session musicians can cost.
I'll have to finish this story later; I need sleep. But I think you see where this is going, right?
The album took just over a year to complete, and I realized about 4 months in that something was...off with this lady. The signs were there from the beginning, but I was too blinded by her attention and compliments and delusions of grandeur to see it clearly. 😭
For the uninitiated, producers sometimes negotiate a rate with artists to get "points" on the album, which means a share of the profits. This encourages producers (esp. working for record labels) to work with new/unknown artists b/c they get a stake in an album's success. Newer producers can do this as well, as they are working with artists who can't afford to pay much. It's a win-win, as both parties are invested beyond the recording process. #Narcissism#MusicProduction#MusicIndustry#NPD
In case ya don't understand what #MusicProduction entails, it can be as simple as filling out the instrumentation around a song (#song = melody and lyrics sung together), or as complex as composing whole sections of a song--musical riffs, intros, instrumental bridges, solos, vocal harmonies--as well as general arrangement and artistic direction, such as sound selection. How many X to repeat the chorus? Guitar going to be acoustic, or electric? Solo to be played on trumpet or violin? etc.
Some producers also do the sound engineering and mixing, but not always. In big studios with big budgets, those jobs are often handled by different people who are experts in that field. There is also confusion about #MusicProduction b/c you see a song labelled as a "remix" but what it really means is re-produced. An #EDM producer, for instance, will take the already-recorded tracks from a song and add different instrumentation/arrangement, etc. around the vocal lines. #Narcissism#MusicIndustry
The point being that #MusicProduction and what producer an artist works with is super important to the finished product. Whatever sound choices and additional compositional elements get created for a #song will then become intrinsic to that musical work. US copyright hasn't quite caught up to this idea when it comes to the song itself, but the #MusicIndustry pros work around this by negotiating #SongWriting credit for producers. This is why you often see many people credited as #SongWriters.
Sorry I didn't continue this saga yesterday as promised. Guess I partied too hard for my husband's bday. :toot:
J/k really I just worked out too hard on too little sleep the last two days, and then had computer issues yesterday that just drained away the last of my will to be at all productive.
If you're confused or new here, and want to follow along, just click on this post and scroll up to the top. I'm tryna be better about connecting it as a thread.
But I have #ADHD and might forget. Also, my #storytelling skills are not very linear and I tend to go off on tangents to explain some concepts like what a #MusicProducer even does, since that's relevant to the story.
13/
She would also call me up on the weekend with a "musical emergency/favor to ask" and it was unrelated to the album. Like, wanting me to figure out the chord progression of a song she was covering for an upcoming gig, b/c the pianist playing with her couldn't figure it out. I DIDN'T CHARGE HER FOR THIS. Again, I was charging her less than minimum wage in my area for my #MusicProduction services.
After I would do this (on my day off) she would act like it wasn't urgent or a big deal. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ 24/
I also told her when she 1st asked me to produce that I would do my best to record and mix as well (since that's what her producer friend on her 1st 2 albums did), but she said she wanted to do a real professional quality album this time so would hire a studio/engineer separate and I could focus purely on the #MusicProduction (composing) side. This is also why I cringe at the thought of her posting my (not at all well-mixed) demos online, on her socials, and landing page of her website. 😬 28/
My apologies for dragging this out. I'm not sure if anyone is interested in the story behind this #song anymore. It does feel good to get it off my chest a bit, at least. I'll stop if no one is interested, tho.
Anyway, #BandcampFriday is almost over and this is the song.
IF you like it and buy it today, #Bandcamp waives their normal 15% cut so all profits go to the artist. THANKS TO ALL WHO SUPPORT ME, I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR YOU. #NewMusic#Music#MusicProduction#Pop
Oh thank fuck, Kush is finally rolling out Apple Silicon versions of their #DAW#plugins. I could theoretically live without them but man do I have more fun mixing when they’re available. Bless and UBK-1 in particular. Now I just need Plugin Alliance to finish their Pro Tools implementation. #musicproduction
I also do electronic #musicproduction in #Reaper. I intend to finish my first album sometime this year. We'll see if I can throw some music up on the internet anytime soon.
Trying something out on Twitch this week, due to popular demand from the fans of my all-instrumental #BeatsOnly show; I'll be doing a special show "How Beats Work"😁 It's mostly aimed at people who have literally no idea how (or why) Hip-Hop producers make new beats from old records. It'll be part history lesson, part live demo - I'm no Dilla, but you'll hopefully learn something!
It would be pretty cool if something like the #MisterFPGA project existed but for digital hardware synthesizers. You wouldn’t be able to recreate analog filter signal paths, but plenty of synths don’t have them. It’d be really handy for live performance situations—rock solid.
And a dear friend and supporter already bought my first copy on Bandcamp!
I wanted to put a single out but didn't want to deal with the hassle, so I found it easiest to make my Bandcamp release into a pre-order, with 2 tracks available to listen early! Check it out!
(And give me a follow while you're there so you can get all the latest)
Participating in music challenges, competitions, and beat battles has been a fun experience and a way to push myself to try new things and become part of a community.
Here's a playlist of all the music I've made along the way.
Another tune from the pen of poet @atomic and composition by me! Recording by me too. Okay, and the mix. This is a low budget production. As... as they all are.