I would be interested to know what system you listen to Soundcloud on. Computer speakers? Home stereo system? Phone? Bluetooth? Earbuds?
We all spend hours with Ozone, Normalization, LUFS, etc. to make a song sound good on streaming, and it would be beneficial to know what media we're actually mixing/mastering for.
I usually listen to Soundcloud (and I don't listen much) on my computer, but my computer runs a Focusrite 2i4 interface and KRK Rokit5 monitors as speakers. I rarely listen to music unless I have to learn something.
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023? 2. Send it to us.
We listen to SC almost exclusively on our KRK monitors as that is when we are at the Mac commenting at the User Showcase Forum.
To answer broadly:
- Polk Audio Towers w/ Yamaha sub (living room) - Apple HomePod - Apple AirPods - Subaru w/ Harmon Kardon system including a sub
Music of multiple genres is a HUGE part of our life and is playing in the house or in the vehicle nearly all the time. In the evenings we typically watch a series episode and then head to YouTube to watch our fav musicians and search for interesting new artists. But to protect what remains of my hearing I monitor our listening environments to keep it at <80 DB's. My Apple Watch is configured to warn me if that level is exceeded.
Bud
PS I'm an old phart but I love all of the aforementioned tech.
RE....MONITORS. (NOTE...dont slam me for my views. they come from spending many many frustrating years on the question of best monitors to use....and monitors drive me nuts...you name it...ive tried it over the years from big soffit monsters in big studios down to junk.)
i use allsorts. good hphones/bad hphones/good spkrs/bad spkrs/home type speakers. i'm currently useing some thonet/vader spkrs plus sennheiser higher end in ear buds.... until i decide whether to buy say the adams which i really like, but then when i feel like spending the money on adams...i think back to lots of discussions i once had with good engineers in big studios re monitors...viz. 1. why do the "classic hits" of the past that didnt use any of todays speaker tech sound so good even on my baby tv speakers ? 2. are we fooling ourselves spending lots of moolah on monitors ? 3. why do mixes done on big studio monsters sometimes not translate ? happened more than once to me. 4. given that lots of people in the world listen on junk, and given that a musician is lucky to make even a few buks monthly off of streaming...is the spend on hi end spkrs worth it ?
imho...in summary...the topic doesnt have a perfect solution....much as i like the adams. (i also like the tannoy dual concentric speakers, but for some reason i cant put my finger on...not the krk's. if really pushed for buks i always suggest demoing 100 buk edifiers.).
Phone with cheap tiny Panasonic headphones (can't stand earbuds). If I'm in the "studio" room - Motu interface with Audio Technica headphones Motu interface with JBL LSR308 monitors.
For Soundcloud, a half-decent external powered stereo speaker system with separate bass module connected to the computer audio. Not terrible. Probably not fantastic either, but it does the job adequately.
BIAB & RB2024 Win.(Audiophile), Sonar Platinum, Cakewalk by Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M Monitors, Pioneer Active Monitors, AKG K271 Studio H'phones
A pair of Samson Near Field Monitors or the headphone.... but none of that really matters because the Lively Hearing Aids do all the sound coloring. Is it just me??
RE....MONITORS. (NOTE...dont slam me for my views. they come from spending many many frustrating years on the question of best monitors to use....and monitors drive me nuts...you name it...ive tried it over the years from big soffit monsters in big studios down to junk.)
........................ om
No I am not going to slam you on your views and in fact I agree with most of them.
When I purchased my SP-5B monitors they were around $200 USD for the pair. At that time they were low end cost wise. I use them for listening and composing because they are all I need.
I have a close friend whom uses his inexpensive home stereo system for everything, listening, composing, and as an amp for his keyboards. He knows how to adjust his system for each of the above. His songs rival anyone with expensive audio monitors IMHO.
I have another friend whom spent a fortune on an audiophile stereo system, everything was top shelf. All he listens to is metal, hard rock, and grunge!
Those classic hits are so great because they were done live and recorded via tape. A lot of today's music that is recorded one track at a time, this includes my music, looses that live feeling, as most all of the songs energy is lost. YMMV
I want my last spoken words to be "I hid a million dollars under the........................"
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
I don't live out in the country any longer so I can not get away with loud anything. In my first post I did not even think about headphones.
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 OHM. I have a Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 250 OHM also but do not like the sound. I am sure there must be better headsets now days but I have spent thousands of hours with 770 on my head to the extent there are depressions in my head where they push on my glasses...lol
I have semi junk speakers on the stereo system down stairs which I used mostly for the TV audio. I have had in mind to build some arcane type of speakers but more as a fun electronics project that a audiophile issue. I have built dozens of tube guitar amps but never got around to building a high end tube stereo amp.
I have hundreds of CDs and cassette tapes but listen to stuff on youtube more often than not. Unlike many or even most musically inclined people I do not listen to music in my car or while I work. It is too distracting because I am always analyzing what I hear. What key was that in? What is the chord progression? What did the lyrics mean?
Some of what I do is just like Pavlovs's dog. The bell rings and....
I am like many musicians and jet pilots, hearing loss at certain frequency which has something to do with the choice of speakers and headphones.
Billy
New location, new environment, new music coming soon
Seize the moo-ment If you feel like you’ve herd all these cow puns before, you probably have deja-moo
For me, it's either one or the other..... Altec Lansing computer speakers.... they're cheap ones.... OR.... my decent quality noise canceling ear buds.
You can find my music at: www.herbhartley.com Add nothing that adds nothing to the music. You can make excuses or you can make progress but not both.
The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
For me, there are a few places and systems I listen to music:
My home stereo, consisting of a nice pair of mid 70's Technics "Linear phase" speakers driven by an Onkyo receiver. Often with a Polk sub, and occasionally with the full surround system that adds a nice Yamaha centre and Paradigm rears (this was set up on a budget hence the mishmash of brands, but they blend together ok).
My studio, with a pair of Mackie HR824mk1's running from an RME Fireface, OR a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50x, OR the built-in speaker in my old Mac Pro or my even older iMac.
My shower, with a 4-dollar bluetooth speaker.
My desk at work, with a Focusrite 2i2 and a pair of mediocre Labtec speakers.
My girlfriends house, with a cheap Panasonic shelf system.
My car, with the worst possible stereo system (the deck sounds ok despite glitchiness, but original Pontiac speakers are terrible).
At the lake, through every teenagers and twenty-somethings Bluetooth speakers all cranked to eleven.
Everywhere else, with the speaker built into my phone.
Apart from that, I don't really listen to music much.
Originally Posted By: justanoldmuso
1. why do the "classic hits" of the past that didnt use any of todays speaker tech sound so good even on my baby tv speakers ? 2. are we fooling ourselves spending lots of moolah on monitors ? 3. why do mixes done on big studio monsters sometimes not translate ? happened more than once to me. 4. given that lots of people in the world listen on junk, and given that a musician is lucky to make even a few buks monthly off of streaming...is the spend on hi end spkrs worth it ?
1: Nostalgia. Also because analog equipment adds distortion, noise, and nonlinearity, and the human brain likes those, but not too much of those (unless you're me). 2: Maybe. Monitors are simply supposed to be accurate rather than sounding "good" - the idea being to find faults that need correcting. 3: As with #2, but also maybe due to a bad reference track. Hard to say. 4: Are hobbies worth spending money on? I think so. If your only goal with making music is to profit, you're in the wrong business.
User Video: Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box®
The Bob Doyle Media YouTube channel is known for demonstrating how you can creatively incorporate AI into your projects - from your song projects to avatar building to face swapping, and more!
His latest video, Next-Level AI Music Editing with ACE Studio and Band-in-a-Box, he explains in detail how you can use the Melodist feature in Band-in-a-Box with ACE Studio. Follow along as he goes from "nothing" to "something" with his Band-in-a-Box MIDI Melodist track, using ACE Studio to turn it into a vocal track (or tracks, you'll see) by adding lyrics for those notes that will trigger some amazing AI vocals!
Wir waren fleißig und haben über 50 neue Funktionen und eine erstaunliche Sammlung neuer Inhalte hinzugefügt, darunter 222 RealTracks, neue RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, "Songs with Vocals" Artist Performance Sets, abspielbare RealTracks Set 3, abspielbare RealDrums Set 2, zwei neue Sets von "RealDrums Stems", XPro Styles PAK 6, Xtra Styles PAK 17 und mehr!
Add updated printing options, enhanced tracks settings, smoother use of MGU and SGU (BB files) within PowerTracks, and more with the latest PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 update!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
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Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
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Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
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