Create a follow link for Bandcamp and an auto YouTube subscribe link URL
Bandcamp followers and YouTube subscribers are important ways to promote your music and future content. Here are two easy ways to setup link URL's for both Bandcamp and YouTube.
YouTube auto subscribe link URL
Figure out your YouTube Channel URL
Understand your channel URLs
https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6180214
Add the following to the end of the URL
?sub_confirmation=1
Example
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzsCUpYcv5JYp2s114c1Xkg?sub_confirmation=1
Bandcamp Follow Link
Figure out your Bandcamp URL
(If you already have a Bandcamp account you can copy the links from the guide)
Add the following to the end of the URL.
follow_me
Example
https://afteraudio.bandcamp.com/follow_me
And hey, if this helps out go ahead and Follow and Subscribe to my Bandcamp and YouTube channel. Thanks!
Using Reapers MIDI input FX to help create vocal guide tracks in the key of your song
I recently started using Reaper as my main DAW for recording, and its impressive that you get so much for such a reasonable price. I had used Reason as my DAW before, but now I am using the Reason Rack Plugin for virtual instruments inside Reaper since Reaper only includes a few basic instruments. One feature I enjoyed in Reason was using the Combinator and the Scales and Chords player to assist with creating vocal part guide tracks. The Combinator allowed me to set a key range that was the same as my vocal range. I then used the Scales and Chords player to allow only notes from the key of the song. I'm not a proficient keyboardist, so setting up these limitations really helps me when recording MIDI parts for a vocal guide track.
I found a way to setup a similar MIDI FX chain in Reaper that can be applied to the MIDI input FX.
Here are the steps to set it up.
Add a new track in Reaper and add a virtual instrument FX.
Set your MIDI input to your keyboard controller.
Open the input FX (IN FX).
Add the following MIDI input FX.
JS MIDI Note Filter
JS MIDI Velocity Control
JS MIDI Snap to Key
These can be saved as a FX Chain.
Reaper even includes a scale finder so you can select the correct scale in the MIDI Snap to Key plugin.
With these three MIDI plugins you can limit your MIDI to play only notes in your vocal range, limit the velocity so you can easily hear the notes as a guide track for recording vocals, and limit the notes to only play in the key of the song. Now you won't need to worry about playing wrong notes that are not in the key of your song.
Fix Small VST Window in Reaper
Small plugin window in Reaper
To increase the VST plugin windows in Reaper change the following in Windows:
Go to "C:\Program Files\REAPER (x64)\reaper.exe". (for Reaper 64-bit installs)
Right click reaper.exe and select Properties.
Select the Compatibility tab.
Select the "Change high DPI settings" button.
Under "High DPI scaling override" check the box for "Override high DPI scaling behavior".
Change Scaling performed by to "System (Enhanced)" or "System".
Reopen Reaper and check out the easier to read VST plugin window size.
Setup OBS as a virtual camera for video conferencing
I recently setup OBS as a virtual camera and used it as my source for a video call. It's a simple and easy process.
Download and install the latest version of OBS Virtualcam
Open OBS
Select Start Virtual Camera under Controls
Open your video conferencing software (Zoom, Skype, Google Meet...)
Go to settings then select "OBS Virtual Camera" as your camera, and your audio interface for audio.
This output will provide exactly what you see in the Preview in OBS, including any changes or scenes you might switch to. This is a great option for setting up meetings for interviews, podcasts, or professional presentations.
Create a music video with a still image that can be uploaded to YouTube or other social media sites (FFMPEG,Powershell)
Check out the AfterAudio YouTube Channel to see the final results. All of my album playlists used this process to create YouTube videos from the master .wav files and the album cover file.
Okay, just to let you know, this post gets pretty technical.
I've been looking for a way to create a simple music video that has a still image of my album cover so I can upload it to YouTube (or your favorite social media site). I use Distrokid and they are amazing for automating the process of uploading my music to many of the online stores. It's a simple and easy process.
The one problem that I found is that YouTube creates a video that I have no control of. The channel name is the dreaded "Various Artists - Topic".
The description of the video is
Provided to YouTube by DistroKid
Song Name · Artist Name
Album Name
℗ Record Label
Released on: yyyy-mm-dd
Auto-generated by YouTube.
You can't update the video title or description to include your information. I researched this for several months and could not find anything about how to fix this.
So I said screw this! I'll figure out how to do it myself and upload the videos to my own YouTube channel.
I'm a programmer by day, so I looked into finding a way to code the video creation process so it could be automated.
I ended up finding FFMPEG a tool that can be installed. To download and install it just search for the latest instructions. (I used the wikihow link instructions)
google.com/search?q=ffmpeg+windows
Once installed you can run a command using a source audio file and a source picture file fullpath to create a video file. I noticed that the default codec setting did not encode the audio with the best compression. I ended up finding YouTube's suggested settings for video files.
Recommended audio bitrates for uploads
Stereo 384 kbps
So I ended up using the following line to create the video (you will need to manually enter the input files)
ffmpeg -loop 1 -i "full path to the image file" -i "full path to the audio file" -tune stillimage -shortest -b:a 384k C:\Users\$user\Desktop\$name.mp4
Now I could have stopped here, but I wanted to automate this more, so I ended up using Windows Powershell.
Here are my final scripts that can be run in powershell ise or powershell. The first one will process a single video from a single audio and album cover file. The second one will process videos for an entire folder of audio files with a single album cover file.
Single Video File Script
#google.com/search?q=ffmpeg+windows
#Run as Admin
#You may need to set the execution policy in Windows to run the script
#Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine
start "https://afteraudio.com"
$user = $env:UserName
$image = read-host "Enter the fullpath to the IMAGE file"
$audio = read-host "Enter the fullpath to the AUDIO file"
$name = read-host "Enter the NAME of the output video file"
ffmpeg -loop 1 -i $image -i $audio -tune stillimage -shortest -b:a 384k C:\Users\$user\Desktop\$name.mp4
Full Album Video Files Script
##google.com/search?q=ffmpeg+windows
#Run as Admin
#You may need to set the execution policy in Windows to run the script
#Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine
start "https://afteraudio.com"
$user = $env:UserName
$date = get-date -Format "MM-dd-yyyy-hhmm"
$image = read-host "Enter the fullpath to the IMAGE file"
$audio = read-host "Enter the fullpath to the folder that contains all the AUDIO files"
$audio = $audio -replace '"',''
$base = (get-item $audio).basename
$folder = "$base-$date"
$album = get-childitem -Path "$audio" -Force -recurse
New-Item -Path "C:\Users\$user\Desktop" -Name "$folder" -ItemType "directory"
$album | % {
$song = $_.fullname
$name = $_.basename
ffmpeg -loop 1 -i $image -i $song -tune stillimage -shortest -b:a 384k C:\Users\$user\Desktop\$folder\$name.mp4
$song
$name
}
If this helps please purchase or stream some music.
Reason Key Commands
https://help.reasonstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002216673-Reason-Documentation-and-Help-Files
Reason (Latest Version) Key Commands
Track Parameter Automation in Reason
How do you automate in Reason? I found a few ways to setup parameter automation in Reason which are easy to setup.
The simplest way to automate a parameter is to right click the control and select "Edit Automation". A new automation lane is created for that parameter.
But what if you want to get a list of all parameters that can be automated on a device? To do this you need to select the device and then select the track parameter automation drop down located at the top of the track list.
If a device is not in the track list you will need to right click the device and select create track for (Patch Name).
During recording of a track, changing any parameter values on the device/channels strip will automatically create a new parameter automation lane for each unique parameter.
Reason Documentation
https://help.reasonstudios.com/hc/en-us/articles/360002216673-Reason-Documentation-and-Help-Files
Reason (Latest Version) Operation Manual
Lane details > Creating/adding lanes > Creating/adding parameter automation lanes
Note and Automation Editing > Automation editing
https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/reason-automation-situation
https://ask.audio/articles/6-propellerhead-reason-automation-tips
https://www.musictech.net/tutorials/reason-pu-12/
https://www.edmprod.com/automation-guide/
If this helps please purchase or stream some music.
Live Streaming for Independent Musicians
Live stream on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/howyoutubeworks/product-features/live/
Stream live on Bandcamp
Ticketed live streaming with integrated merch and supporter chat.
Stream on Twitch
https://www.twitch.tv/creatorcamp/en/twitch-music-getting-started/twitch-music-getting-started/
Instagram and Facebook Live
https://www.facebook.com/formedia/solutions/instagram-live
https://www.facebook.com/formedia/solutions/facebook-live
Open Broadcaster Software
Free and open source software for video recording and live streaming.
MIDI 2.0
Key Features
Two-way MIDI Conversations
Higher Resolution, More Controllers and Better Timing
Profile Configuration
Property Exchange
Built for the Future
Free Sound Packs and Refills for Reason
Free Reason Sound Packs
https://www.reasonstudios.com/blog/category/sound-packs
Reason Blog Tags
https://www.reasonstudios.com/blog/tag/download
https://www.reasonstudios.com/blog/tag/patches
https://www.reasonstudios.com/blog/tag/sound-pack
Free reverb resources - where to find impulse responses
https://www.reasonstudios.com/blog/free-reverb-resources-where-to-find-impulse-responses
Tom Pritchard Sound Design Refills
https://www.dropbox.com/s/536axfqjflftmvm/TPSD%20Legacy%20ReFills.zip?dl=0
Peff Reason ReFills
http://www.peff.com/journal/reason-refills/
Reason Experts Refills
https://www.reasonexperts.com/reason-refills/
Miscellaneous Free Refills
http://www.jiggery-pokery.com/free.html
http://william.lamy.free.fr/reason/
https://stereoklang.se/page_1250068635268.html
https://drumandbassasylum.com/
http://ccmixter.org/media/tags/refill
http://www.xsynth.com/free.html
http://reasonpatchaday.blogspot.com/2013/07/26-new-thor-patches-from-reason-patch.html
Blogger Tips and Tricks
YouTube embedded video will not display in the mobile view
If you are using Blogger to host your site it is a simple fix.
Change the pencil icon (Compose view) in the top left of your post to < > HTML view.
Use find or replace to remove the following from the code.
class="BLOG_video_class"
Center your Tab Text and Blog Title
Add the following lines under Theme > Customize > Advanced > Add CSS (drop down)
Center Tab Text
.PageList {text-align:center !important;}
.PageList li {display:inline !important; float:none !important;}
Center Blog Title
.post-title {text-align:center;}
Helix Double Take (double tracker) explained
This information is from Sam the Line6 sound designer for the Double Take (double tracker) effect on Helix.
The Double Take is a new double tracking effect made specifically for the Helix. Having spent a lot of time listening to a plethora of double tracked instruments, we found that the way a part is performed has a huge effect on how the layered tracks would feel. With this in mind, we wanted to make a new double track effect that responds dynamically with the way the player performs, adding the real-world dimension and depth you would get from having multiple recordings of a single part. This led to a whole new design from the ground up, with a lot of tuning available for the amount and types of variation between the doubled voices. This makes for the ability to have an incredibly realistic sounding and feeling double tracker with the ability to shape the feel at your finger(and foot-)tips.
Doubles
The main "Doubles" knob controls the number of double tracks into the mix from one to four generated voices, and in the stereo versions, the dry signal is assigned to a specified pan location. (Dry signal is underlined)
1 = Left and Right
2 = Left, Center, Right
3 = Left, Left, Right, Right
4 = Left, Left, Center, Right, Right
Note: as each extra voice is added, there is a post-effect level compensation such that the overall dB of the remains about uniform. You can make up this change with the two output knobs if you want the same level hitting whatever you send the doubled tracks in to. Also since these are hard pans, you an also use the "stereo width" block to control how wide this effect is in the stereo field.
Slop
The Slop knob controls the amount of the slight variations in timing and pitch you would hear from each of the doubled voices. The variations are what we like to call "Defined Randomness" as this amount and timing is directly coupled with the dynamics of the original part. This knob controls the heart of this effect, as it will define the voices from tight and refined at low settings and all the way to(too?) wild and dynamic at max. With this knob you can set such that a softer touch there isn't much change to the original performance, but the harder you dig in, the more the doubled voices' strings stretch, slap around, and become widely de-correlated.
Sensitivity
This knob controls the sensitivity of the slop feature. The lower this parameter is set there will be less dynamic behavior from the voices. This can be viewed more or less like a threshold or input gain of a compressor, but specifically for the slop's detection algorithm.
Source (Stereo only)
The Double take can have a true stereo path. This parameter determines how the input signal is processed by the effect.
Mono: Input will be summed to mono then processed by the Double Take
True Stereo: Each side will be sent as a true stereo path, and each extra voice will be sent to the side of the source pan.
Left Only: Only the left input will be sent into the Double Take
Right Only: Only the right input will be sent into the Double Take
Dry and Wet Levels
Instead of a This controls the level of the original dry signal as it passes through the effect. Note the Dry Level Location above.
Note: In "True Stereo" mode, the dry signal for the right will only be used for the doubles and will not pass through the effect. In "Right Only" mode, the Right channel will be sent to the left or center according to the Doubles parameter.
Personally, I like to put it either after my amp and cab if I'm using the stereo version, or in mono right in front of the rig just after my guitar... but I'm sure all you lovelies will find some more amazing uses! Hope you guys found this informative and it helps you have fun. :) sorry for the long post :X thank you.
Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB audio interface
I purchased the Universal Audio Arrow Thunderbolt 3 audio interface awhile back because I was excited about finally using my virtual instruments and rack extensions with low latency. I had an Intel NUC with a Thunderbolt 3 port and was able have stable audio playback with the 128 / 44.1khz buffer setting. The latency was between 5-7 ms, which was great.
Later on I ended up getting a Lenovo Yoga 730-15IKB that has a Thunderbolt 3 connection, so I could work on my music away from home. I even got the Universal Audio Suhr PT100 Amplifier plug-in for tracking guitars, which sounds amazing. The first time I tried to start a new song in Reason I noticed that the audio starting breaking up and the song sounded like it was slowing down in a strange way. The CPU and RAM utilization never came close to peaking. The Yoga laptop has very similar specs to the Intel NUC computer ( i7 Processor and 16GB of RAM). I messed with the buffer settings for several days and researched the issue to see if there was a fix. I uninstalled/reinstalled the drivers several times. I double checked all the settings that UA suggested on their support site. I was able to get relatively stable audio playback with the buffer set to 512 / 96khz but the latency was too high to record any virtual drums, bass, or guitar.
I ended up opening a support ticket with UA support and gave them very detailed information about my issue. UA support believed that the issue occurred because the laptop will throttle up or down when the CPU load is high or when lower CPU usage is detected. This can be fixed if the BIOS settings and C states can be optimized for real time audio processing . Unfortunately, many 2 in 1 laptops do not provide access to these settings, which was the case with my Lenovo Yoga 730-15IKB. 2-in-1 systems (notebook/tablet) are not recommended for Universal Audio Thunderbolt 3 devices.
I went back and forth with UA support about this issue since I did not see any CPU spikes and CPU utilization was between 30-50 percent when playing back demo songs in Reason. They ended up closing the ticket and I was stuck with a laptop that I could not use to record.
So after wasting a bunch of time troubleshooting instead of recording I decided to try the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface. Thunderbolt 3 ports are backwards compatible with USB-C so I could use the exact same TB3 cable and port that I tried to use with the UA Arrow. I opened the Reason demo song and hit play and it worked perfectly. I even set the buffer to 128 / 44.1khz which gave me 5-7 MS of latency and still had no issues. I could finally record my virtual instruments, guitar, and bass with low latency. I have been using this setup for a few months now and have had no issues. I can quickly write new songs tracking my guitar through the instrument input that gets routed to the Helix Native plugin. Drums and demo bass parts can be tracked with the Reason Drums and Bass rack extensions. Focusrite's audio drivers are rock solid.
BECAUSE OF THE DRIVER STABILITY, the Focusrite Scarlett Solo 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface is highly recommended.
**2020 UPDATE**
When I had first written this post, I had just dealt with troubleshooting the audio issues with the UA Arrow on my 2-in-1 Lenovo Yoga 730-15IKB laptop. I recently purchased a LG gram 17 and I am happy to report that the UA Arrow has been working great with no issues. I would assume that the Universal Audio Apollo Solo should work as well since it is the same device with a new name.
Setup electronic drums to trigger drum plugins in your DAW
I recently got the Alesis Surge Mesh kit and wanted to configure it to trigger drum samples in the Reason Drum Kits Rack Extension. I was hoping that it would be plug and play, but I found out that I needed to make several changes in the Surge Drum module to make everything work.
When I purchased Reason Drum Kits I noticed that it included new keyboard layout presets. One preset was labeled Alesis Kit. I turned on my Surge Mesh Kit and selected the Alesis Kit preset in Reason Drum Kits. Unfortunately, not all the pads triggered the correct sounds in Reason Drum Kits.
The Surge Mesh Drum kit triggers the following midi note numbers
Reason Drum Kits keyboard presets show just the midi note, so I had to convert the note to the corresponding midi note number.
I ended up using the Original Key Map in Reason Drum Kits so that I had more drum sounds to choose from, and setup each pad of the Alesis Surge Mesh Drum kit on a user preset with the following midi numbers.
To change the midi note number for a user preset on the Alesis Surge Mesh Kit do the following:
Select the user kit number. Kit > NUM40 (or whatever kit number you want to edit)
Press voice and hit the pad whose settings you want to adjust, or press its corresponding Pad Select button.
Press Voice or Page/Select until MID(###) is diplayed.
Use the < and > buttons to adjust the value.
Press Save
It would be great if Reason Drum Kits allowed for custom keyboard layout presets in a future update. Until then, I hope this information helps anyone trying to setup an Alesis Surge Mesh Kit (or any other kit) with the Reason Drum Kits Rack Extension.
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