The Music Talk section is for discussing instruments, equipment, collaborations, and other questions/discussions related to your music.
March 1
Future challenge ideas
Not sure whether this has been done before, but how about songs that aren't in 4/4? Or not in 4/4 from top to tail (this leaping immediately to mind).
Additional kudos to whoever can handle the weirdest time signature. I was in a prog band millions of years ago that did a track - I kid you not - in 13/8. I still have nightmares.
Another idea is to cover a track by a non-Western artist, maybe from a particular continent (Africa gets my vote). Something that might well have a rock and/or roll influence but which has a very distinctive non-Western flavour.
February 21
How can we make it easier to make sure everyone gets some feedback?
With this call to arms in mind regarding commenting on music posts, I wonder if we can make it harder for posts to slip through the net? [more inside]
February 17
My first rig
Now that I've had a taste of what can be done in a home studio, I'm ready to dive in and get my own setup. Help me build My First Studio. [more inside]
February 8
Instrumental Podcast Music
Looking for upbeat Instrumental music for podcasts. [more inside]
January 30
iPad live!
Anyone using an iPad in their live setup? [more inside]
February Challenge - Major to Minor
Apropos of this recent FPP, February's challenge is to record a version of a song, changing it from a major key to a minor one, or vice versa, turning (say) a murder ballad into a jolly polka, or a sunny pop song into a grinding death metal dirge. And hopefully improve it in the process. [more inside]
January 29
Help me find an amp and learn the electric guitar!
Someone gave me an electric guitar. I only know how to play acoustic. Anyone have amplifier recommendations and/or advice? [more inside]
Find me an acoustic guitar
January 21
Jimmy Page playing the Velvet Underground.
January 16
I'm flattered that our music is valuable enough to "steal" like this...
Looks like someone did some random raiding of our content back in Fall 2010 for a (now seemingly abandoned) free radio site... [more inside]
January 11
Who is reading Music?
Would a thread of introductions be useful? I was thinking about unSane's soundcloud-pony and the Balkan kingdom of Music (or MeFiMu), and realized that I don't have a very good idea of who all is reading/listening here, whether regularly or not, except for a few posters, and even then I don't know much about them apart from a few tunes. [more inside]
January 7
What is the maximum number of musicians who could realistically jam together?
Aside from the basic physics of the speed of sound would there be practical upper limits to the number of musicians, assuming an infinite supply with the necessary talent and disposition, who could jam spontaneously to produce a united song without generating discord? [more inside]
January 4
softLOUD
here's a mixing question ... [more inside]
We are the champions....
A sort of call to arms. I well remember posting stuff here and getting zip response. A pretty disheartening experience for a newbie and one, I guess, shared by many toe-in-the-water freshers to MeFiMu (or as unSane apty describes it the kitchen*). So - let's all make the effort to listen to at least two or three new posts per week and give some feedback to all our colleagues earnestly entreating thier muses..... Waddyasay??
* I'm well up for renaming this part of MeFi the "Utility Muffin Research Kitchen" in honour of the late Frank Zappa. I never liked his music much, but his attitude - particularly in terms of his resounding "f*ck you" to the music biz establishment - was inspiring.
January 1
January Challenge -- Happy Birthday / New Year
January is a split challenge - do either or both or none.
Option A: Write a simple, catchy, singable ditty to replace Happy Birthday.
Option B: Record a piece of music on the theme of the year turning. [more inside]
December 30
Proper humidity for my cello
Humidifier for my cello? [more inside]
December 24
Loot/Challenges
Xmas loot thread / What makes a good challenge? [more inside]
December 23
MeFiGigs?
Would people be interested in organising meetup/gigs with line-ups of musicians who are MeFites?
(I'm in London, but it's also a general question, isn't it?) [more inside]
December 14
A dark room covered in foam, a microphone, and a couple hours
In search of a Seattle MeFite to help me record a secret quonsar thank you song. [more inside]
December 10
What do you think?
Seeking constructive criticism of my current work in progress, "One Past Midinight". I can supply stems if anyone wants to take over mixing it or mastering it.
Fix my mandolin?
How do you get a mandolin's lower strings to sound less buzzy? [more inside]
December 9
Seeking Upbeat Mefite Music
Looking for a Mefite Music track to put under a metafilter-related, not-for-profit montage of people talking, ideally upbeat/funny and instrumental. To keep it simple, only suggest your own tracks (or tracks of people you know who can get back to me quickly to ask permission).
December 5
iPretended to understand iMS-20
Korg iMS-20/MS-20 help for the (almost) utter newbie? [more inside]
December 4
Musicians that can make J-Pop style music?
Am looking for musicians that can make J-Pop (Japanese pop) style music [more inside]
December 2
Say cheese.
Jingle Smells
December's challenge is, OF COURSE, holiday music! Have at it. [more inside]
November 23
Latency
Up to now I've always used stand-alone DAWs (Yamaha AW2400, for instance). Recognising the need to step up the quality of percussion in my recordings, I've gone with NI Studio Drummer (thanks to unSane for his ever-helpful advice). It's an exciting Aladdin's cave of goodies and I'm looking forward to it making a big sonic difference - sounds terrific. However......latency is immediately apparent and not something I've ever had to deal with before. Wondering whether running this software on a bog-standard Acer laptop in Windows is part of the problem? Any tips and fixes for latency anyone?
November 20
Leading/fronting a band
Be careful what you wish for! I'm now, for the first time in my life, in the position of fronting a band for which I'm the sole songwriter and I'm wondering what advice you have for me. [more inside]
November 14
in your dreams
I'd like to _____ as well as ______ . [more inside]
November 7
Resonator guitars
Been thinking about getting a resonator of some kind - but never played one and I know fuck all about them in terms (a) of quality and (b) whether, for instance, the fully metal bodied ones are better than the ones that are wood/cone. They also tend to look a bit knocked-out-in-a-shed-by-a-geezer-up-the-road and might be a bit nasty to play - high action etc?
Any advice/experience would be appreciated.
November 4
sometimes we're happy, sometimes we're sad
Music Talk Challenge! Name two songs: the saddest song you can think of, and the happiest song you can think of. Narrow it down to two. Even though there may be others, just narrow it down to two. That's the MuTalk Challenge.
November 1
November Challenge - Tubular Balls / Augmented
November's challenge is to help create a MeFiMusic version of the famous intro section from Mike Oldfield's 1973 classic Tubular Bells, as famously featured in The Exorcist. Thanks (I think) to Major Dundee for the idea.
Alternatively, create a piece of music featuring an augmented triad (for example, C-E-G# is C augmented).
Tag your submissions "mefimusicchallenge" and "tubular" if you're doing the Tubular Bells challenge, and 'augmented' if you'd rather do the other one.
As you might imagine there's a whole hunk of stuff beneath the fold. [more inside]
October 30
Augmented Challenge
Augmented Challenge [more inside]
October 26
Challenge idea for general consideration
So...we've done VU+N and OK Computer. I was just watching TV, minding me own business, nursing a pint and watching a BBC 4 doc about Chas & Dave, when it struck me..........Tubular Bells. Tub-u-fuckin'-lar-bellzzzzz....oh...yessssss. Obvious really isn't it? A loop with that unmistakeable figure and then, one by one, MeFiMoo-ers contribute the constituent parts.... [more inside]
October 18
binders full of women
I wrote this yesterday after reading about the debate. I can't sing or play anything, but maybe someone could find a use for this: [more inside]
October 12
Write what you know. Or?
One thing I've noticed overall in the songs I've written is that the ones that have a basis in reality (ie direct personal experience) tend to be the best. [more inside]
October 1
October Challenge - It Gets Better
October's challenge is simple: produce a piece of music on the theme of "it Gets Better", for possible inclusion in the MeFi "It Gets Better" video, as described in this Meta thread.
Use the tags 'mefimusicchallenge' and 'itgetsbetter'.
I'm sure accompanying videos will be heartily welcomed and if you have any other questions or suggestions, feel free to post them in this thread and I'll make sure the organizer, jph, gets to see them.
September 26
Looking for some tips on achieving a certain vocal production sound
I'd like to expand my understanding of some vocal production tricks. Specifically, I'm very interested in the sound of the vocals in this song: On and On, by Justice. I hear slap back reverb, there's a bit of distortion, and that it is quite compressed at early levels of the effects chain, but what else is there?
September 24
Mix Comments
I had a pretty tough time with the mix of my most recent post here, and I'm considering it a first draft. I'd like to come back to it with fresh ears in a while and have another go, and I'd really appreciate any comments on the current version. [more inside]
September 21
Unsung heroes...?
This is a lovely interview with the disarmingly gentle, self-effacing Bill Nelson - erstwhile helmsman of Be Bob Deluxe, Red Noise et al. A terrific guitarist and gifted songwriter, I feel that Bill has been a bit underappreciated and is perhaps now almost forgotten. But he was a key inspiration for me as a budding guitarist (the tattooed imprint is still clearly there along with Ronno's) and this quiet Yorkshireman is one of my unsung heroes. Who is/are yours....?
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