Electronic Music 411 - MIXIT brain sludge...

03/21/07 + mulletballet

Mixits are an exercise. A way to test your skills, try something you haven't, force you into using that small set of samples to see what you can do with it. It's not a contest, it's not something you're going to be musically judged by and have to account for at the pearly gates.

HAVE FUN.

Make some noise, try a new trick, make it into a tune. You're putting WAY too much pressure on yourself.

Recent blogs: Mixit 66 - Submissions released, Mixit 66 Submissions due today!, Mixit 66 is on~

03/21/07 + electrodan

I dont understand them, the process that is. I listen to the smaples, and then to the songs at the end, and I dont get what people are doing.
I've wanted to do it for a while, I just dont get how to do it.

Recent blogs: Spanish House, Dear ricemutt,, Great Guitarists

03/21/07 + jdg

lol.. i wish i had more time the past few to mixit.
i love mixits

Recent blogs: cmj loves fredo, What is your favorite track that you've made?, joebacca

03/21/07 + sAMsKi

yeah mulletballet...i dig. it's not like i take it seriously because I want to impress or anything, it's because i am anal about what i do. i know what sounds / influences i like and what sounds / influences i don't like and i am not used to working with wavs in this way, I tend to add my touch by picking up a guitar, playing drums, hitting something etc...but yeah, i just struggle to keep my head on one thing more than normally with these mixits

electrodan: what bit of the process don't you get?

jdg: a nice sample pack this month i think...get to it - hehehe!

Recent blogs: buy my house, The Spam Tin™, Music & SFX for animation

03/21/07 + everamzah

i care. when listening thru the samples, if you're anything like me, and you think: "oh, god, this would sound good, and that would sound good, and this would sound amazing, and omg every1 would love this sound" and then you end up with a zillion pieces you may want to step back and thinking about making something that you like. or making music for fun, for your own pleasure, and then uploading it into the pool of like-minded musicians that is the mixit. meh, i dunno, but - that's what happens to me. i get stuck up on the 100 different ideas that i think i should be making, and hopefully settle with the one that i wanted to make. does that make sense? well, at any rat,e i wish u the best ^_^

Recent blogs: Periodic #em411 reminder, it's on now, quixit

edited: Mar 21 2007 + sAMsKi

it does make sense and thanks for caring. one of the problems i have in general when making tunes is that i sometimes go off making stuff that i kinda know is not really my bag, in terms of what i listen to. again, it's not like i am making it for someone else, i just don't have enough self control and i don't like scrapping something, as it can evolve into something i like down the line...hmmm.

sounds like you experience similar 'issues' with mixits everamzah, only you have a solution...i will try to follow your lead

Recent blogs: buy my house, The Spam Tin™, Music & SFX for animation

03/21/07 + celibacyclub

i find giving yourself some limitation, like only 1 or a few samples,

or just working on the samples themselves, processing them, making soundfonts or sampler patches.. for a while so you have some nice tools ready and maybe get inspired by the sounds before you commit to starting a track.

i usually start with a sample or two and make some sort of melodic start, then go back to working on the samples for a while, and come back and flesh out the melodic idea into a song.

Recent blogs: quixit in irc soon, //\\\X|t 66, last day for mixit

03/21/07 + sAMsKi

that's pretty much what i do celibacyclub...well, i think i struggle with the limitation bit really and i just keep wanting to scrap it and start down a whole new path...that's where i really need a limitation

so far getting this off my chest has helped. i am just finishing what i started......for fun....!

Recent blogs: buy my house, The Spam Tin™, Music & SFX for animation

03/21/07 + frnortnr

where are the mixits now?

Recent blogs: wikiaudio, playing with snares, new laptop!

03/21/07 + sAMsKi

link

Recent blogs: buy my house, The Spam Tin™, Music & SFX for animation

03/21/07 + mulletballet

I tend to get the samples, listen to all of them, and sometimes pick out one or two 'raw' how they are, and just start messing with them and see what comes out, then go in and play with the samples more in-depth later on these 'month long' mixits -- the quixits, well, those are a bit more urgent.

"oh, I like this sound and this sound and this... oh, shit, I've only got 40 minutes left, I better make something out of this..."

but if you've not worked with samples much, this is one hell of an exercise in using samples, much like being thrown into a foreign country with no idea the language. Eventually, you'll pick up on it... and increase your skill level.

Recent blogs: Mixit 66 - Submissions released, Mixit 66 Submissions due today!, Mixit 66 is on~

03/21/07 + umami

the old categories that mixit used to have were helpful in the process of narrowing down. anyone remember what they were?

sample usage
production
listenability or replay-ability

i can't remember the rest. the rating system got silly after a while, but it helped me focus on HOW to make a song. the alternate rules are helpful too.

electrodan: do you have Live 6? i can send you one of my mixit tracks. you probably won't be able to load all the fx, but maybe it will help you understand the process better. hit me up on the mixit forum.

Recent blogs: Fredo is in my dreams, Help me become internet famous, muxtape

03/22/07 + zfigz

It's tough, but you can do it. Here are some tips how...

link

Recent blogs: I'm totally flaking out..., Djing at work..., Monom...achine and e

03/22/07 + sAMsKi

cheers cheers.

mulletballet, i have used and manipulated samples before, just not anywhere near to this extent...chopping individual elements, pitching stuff to allow me to play tunes etc...hmmm, good learning

umami, i didn't know about any categories in the past - sounds interesting

zfigz, thanks for the link. i do a lot of that already in my daily life and work but sometimes my music is less well considered and structured. i have thought about doing more song writing / planning / barinstorming before starting stuff but I generally just sit there and get on.

on a side note: did you know that the term brainstorming has been banned from use in the english education system, as it may offend epileptics. the new term is thought shower...

Recent blogs: buy my house, The Spam Tin™, Music & SFX for animation

edited: Mar 22 2007 + Jetsom

Yeah, don't sweat it. My sister's coming here next week. I haven't seen her for years. I'm going to make her help me make my mixit from scratch on Sunday night!

Treat it as an exercise, with no expectation. It's great fun that way. The emphasis is on process rather than product ;-)

When product is emphasised:
In my first mixit, I was worried that I wounldn't be inspired after such a long break from em making or that I didn't have it in me. So when I locked onto the first bit of 'inspiration' I went too quick with it, at the expense of losing clear track organisation -which in turn, made it difficult to develop the melodies and so on.

And of course...there's always next month, I like that ongoing aspect of mixit very much. It feels very nurturing (maybe that's just in my head).

MB: I like your analogy about landing in a foreign country. Ok you've got a banana skin, three twigs and a telephone directory - ready, steady MIXIT!

Recent blogs: Hi. I'm Jetsom. I never blog.