This first post or tutorial relating to the beginning in audio production, is dedicated to music composers, audio producers or sound designers who are starting to work in music creation games, films, shortfilms or any audiovisual music project.
I´ll make this tutorial or post as an algebra problem, so in order to get optimal results, we need some assumptions and requirements, which are iportant to know in order to get them, make them, buy them or/and request to the client.
Once you have got these assumptions and requirements, the next will be find your first client, and find the inspiration momments for working(for music composition), because we never have to forget, that this is an art.
This is the most important, you have to think and find the appropriate melody for every work. Every work need its melody, and its music theme or original soundtrack (OST). It´s an important part of the product soul. It´ll give character to our videogame, shortfilm, film or final audiovisual product. The composition momment is the most important and the most difficult.
Audio production, equalization, normalization, mix recording, sound design and post ptoduction are the technical momment of this work. Very important too, and vital for our themes´quality, but the soul is the composition. Once you have undestood this concept, now only you have to work, work, work and what more…?
Work yes 😉 A lot of hours next to your keyboard, headphones, computer, music instruments…This is the secret too, but if you love this work, work time is moving fast, sure!!!! A lot of times, i have been in my leisure time, and i have left what i was doing, i have run to my studio, because the melody was running in my head, and i had to record it. Your couple, if you keep with this work, is going to be very happy 😉
Now we go with the algebra problem:
Premises/basic conditions:
1.- We assume you are musician and/or you have musical sense, and your ear for music is not far from perfect.
2.-You are sure you want to take up music as a career, you need money and/or you are unemployed. I tell this beacuse if you have another work, you only will be able to do this as leisure time, becuse i have told before that you´ll need a lot of hours and you should be taken seriously, if you want the music becomes your work.
If this point it´s OK, you´ll have “free time” in order to devote to the music composition and audio production. (early morning time it´s valid too 😉 )
3.-It´d help if you´d have some contact who is dedicated to some audiovisual work or production (film , shortfilm, videogame developer, publicist…) because it would be “easier” to get your first work. If not, don´t worry, we can solve this point with our self promotion paragraph , stay reading 😉 Today internet will help you a lot. When i started (90´s) this point was more difficult.
4 and 5.- DAW. (Digital Audio Workstation)
4.-Hardware. Powerful computer. 1-2 teras hd, 2 LED monitors, 4-8 Gb RAM, good/professional sound card(ASIO support, that can reach the lowest latency), good/professional micro, microphone screen, good/professional sound monitors, good/professional headphones , good/professional piano-keyboard and/or good/professional mixing board if you have and play more music instruments.
5.- Software. You´ll need some midi sequencers(Ableton Live, Cubase, Sonar, Pro Logic, Pro Tools, Sony Acid Pro, Reason, …).
At another post we´ll talk more about this important point. You´ll need some audio editor(Cool Edit Pro, Audacity, Adobe Audition, Avid Pro Tools, Reaper,…).
You´ll have to make your own samples, loops, in order to get a powerful sound base. Good samples bases are Native Instruments, Orange samples, vST..and you can create or modify them, with Kontakt, for expample.
6.-Studio or own room, with the door latch, if you have the studio at home. You´ll need privacy, and if you have family near…No comment!!!
7.-Self promotion. It´s very important the own promotion. The first you must have are some demoreels of your works(commercial or personal work). You must upload in your “social enchilada” (soundcloud, twitter, facebook, linkedin…).
You´ll make a professional web, in which you must have 4 basic points (home-posts, about your studio, music projects, contact, links). You have to sign up in several freelancers web or royalty free music and sound webs , in order to get your first clients. When you get your friend work or client, you´ll have to do perfectly and a high quality product in order to get the most points from your vote´s clients for your work. In the first projects, the feedback is very much important that te money.
Absolutely. Your first work will tell perfectly about you. In your first works , and always i think, It´s very important to meet deadlines, to make a decent work and not expensive. The “Holy Trinity”;)
Actions :
Once the premises are TRUE, 1 or OK, THEN we´ll be able to have the first client and make the work, for example the OST game, or a music level game. For example, let us imagine that the client requieres for us the ingame music level for a game. We must ask him the game style, the music references, the time track, the tempo track and the music genre. For example for our last Ibuprogames´ game:
1. Theme philosophy. Music theme composition.
game style : space , retro, 80´s, missiles destruction, fast game, funny.
music references : the client must give you a link, for example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH7eUlri4yM
time track : for example 1:36
tempo track : For ingames fast. For bosses frenetic.
music genre : 60 % chiptunes. 40 % instrumental-ambiental.
With all these parameters we can start composing our ingame theme.
2. Audio production and mix recording. Background theme.(bass & drum or percussions) and melodies(another appropriate instruments for our music theme):
We can introduce for our two first audio track, 80´s electric drums and easy-mad-funny-martians-laser-atari synth bass sound, like this. Another post we explain how to make it in ableton, for example. If you see it´s something easy, and looping.
We can introduce another fast synth bass and an easy-funny lead synth main melody:
And with a robotic melody:
And now, for the bosses, we introduce a frenetic and fast synth bass emulating commodore 64 loads, and another variation synth lead and quishy synth for the second melody:
And now we can combine melodies, change tempos and use another musical techniques in order to get the time track:
We have to make the beginning and the final of the theme so continuous as the theme makes the looping.
3.- Themes equalization and normalizations. This will be explained in another future posts.
4.- Export the audio theme. We have made and produced the midi and audio tracks, and now we must export the final audio archive (wav, ogg, mp3, aiff,…) for our client, so he wishes. Normally, in games, the theme must be looping.
5. Musical arrangements and post-production. This will be explained in another future posts.
6.-Get the $$$$money$$$$ and get your best feedback. The most important point 🙂 Using freelancers webs and paypal it´s easy and sure, and if you have a lot of works, and the amount of the sales is so high as for the company creation, then GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!